Chris Gairns

Hello Again!

2011-01-17T15:58:00.003-04:00

Holy shit! Well, it looks like I remember how to update this thing! ha!

It's been about 9 (eventful) months since I last posted anything, so I figured I might as well write something. (just because I'm such a good author...)

So, quick recap of summer/fall of 2010: returned to racing tri's again, started coaching (officially) with the UNB Cross-Country (XC), and working... a lot...

The summer was probably the most fun I've ever had racing. Even though I wasn't as fit nor nearly as fast I would have liked to be. But, it was just a blast to go and compete with my best bud EP (Evan Pemberton) in every race! He ended up beating me in 4 races and I beat him in 3 - so it was close. :)

Oh, and side note: the worst part of the 2010 season was my new TT bike! It was so pretty, but just DID NOT fit me correctly, so I was not nearly as fast/comfortable as I need to be. It was incredibly frustrating.

Anyways, I was only really satisfied with one of my races and that's what I'm going to chose to take from the season (beside the fun rivalry with EP). It was the Chaleur Tri. And I didn't swim or bike (see above) very well, but I ran very tough. I haven't been that strong mentally in a while. I came off the bike in 3rd, right behind EP and right in front of another guy, who is a strong runner.

When I started the run, I told myself to just go for it, and if I die, I die. But, I wasn't going to let anyone pass me. I was trying the "out of site, out of mind" tactic. Anyways, I wan well, got win ($200) and the fastest run split ($50). I was pleased. It was a great event - best of the year! (this pic is just after the race - I was just spent, but satisfied with myself, despite what it may look like).

So, that's about it. Lots of traveling for work, lots of time spent being an asst. coach for UNB XC, and lots of time trying to figure out how to balance everything and still have time/energy to train like I want. The latter is still a work in progress.

Nice to be back!
Chris

Canadian Ryder Hesjedal Wins Stage 8 of Tour of California!

2010-05-24T16:17:00.003-03:00

If you've been following my Tweets/FB Updates, you know I've been down here in SoCal following the riders in the final 3 stages of the Amgen Tour of California. It's been an incredible 3 days and I've loved it!

This is the view from the finish line of the final stage where Canadian Ryder Hesjedal wins the final sprint. The sound doesn't do justice to the excitement in the atmosphere! Was just amazing! more pics/vids to come (I have a ton).

A couple more pics from Cali 70.3

2010-04-15T12:52:00.000-03:00

Somehow during that miserable run, I managed to get a good running shot taken!

Right after the finish line, they gave me a medal and a hat and made me pose! I was hurting sooo bad, but manged a smile.... well, sort of :)

Race Report: Back to Ironman Racing!

2010-03-28T22:14:00.012-03:00

It wasn't pretty, but I'm back racing after a 2 year hiatus and I'm LOVIN' it! If you just looked at the results, you'd see I had a decent swim, a good bike, and a terrible run. And that's true, but there's more to it.

Going strictly from a racing point-of-view, I had a solid swim - not great. Starting in the 20th wave meant there were literally thousands of racers ahead of me. That's means, I started to catch up to slower swimmer after only 5-6 minutes! Passing people when your swimming with hundreds of other racers, with limited visibility is not the easiest thing and it costs time. Other than that, it was a good swim. My PB for 2KM is 29 minutes, so 31:12 is not far off.

Coming out of T1, I made a silly mistake that cost me some more time. As I was jumping onto my bike and put my feet into my shoes (I keep the shoes attached and run barefoot through transition, then jump on the bike and put my feet into the shoes - it saves a lot of time). Anyway, as I did that, my left foot slipped and my shoe popped off and I had to jump off the bike, sit it down and run back to get my shoe. Silly, silly, silly.

OK, so to the bike. Well, again, starting at the back of the pack meant there were a lot of bikers to pass. There are pros and cons to that. Pro: It's fun to fly by a bunch of people and as you pass them, you can get a short draft, which helps a tiny bit each time you do it. Cons: sometimes, they are spread 3-4 wide across the road and it takes a lot of extra care and stress to pass safely.

There were 2 major things that I knew very early into the ride; 1: my legs felt really good and I was riding really well, but 2: I could feel very early on that I was NOT going to able to run well. That's a new feeling and one that I did not expect nor care for much! The past few months, the run was the only thing I was fairly confident in - the swim/bike were the unknowns... weird.

Anyway, so the bike course: the first 30km or so are nice and fast with lots of chicanes, so you really feel like you are flying! The best way to describe the feeling is to watch this video of Fabian Cancellara from the 2007 Tour de France Prologue - skip ahead to 0:50.

At around the 30km point the course gets considerably more difficult as it starts to head inland toward the hills and just to make it more fun this year, the next 40km were into a big head-wind. During this section, there are 3 major climbs and combined with the wind forced a lot of people get off and walk their bikes up! Luckily, thanks to all the "climbs" I do at my spin classes, I was able to stay out of the saddle and just climb up the left of the road, past nearly everyone on the climb - it was fun... in that "torturous" kind of way :)

Thankfully, the last 20km were back to the coast, flat and fast with a partial tail-wind. I did my best to recover as best I could, while at the same time, keeping my speed up (~45kph). I came into T2 in a good position, but I knew I had a tough 1/2 marathon ahead of me...

Oh! I forgot, there was 1 more thing that I'd never experienced on the bike before: a stitch! I've had plenty while running, but I can't remember that ever happening during a ride before! It started about halfway through and stuck with me right until I started the run... not a good way to try and START a 21.1km run!

Anyway, so I won't get into much detail about the 1 hour and 33 minute sufferfest that was the 1/2 marathon, other than to say it was probably the most I have ever suffered for that LONG a time AND while running that slowly! My plan was to try and run 6:30/mile pace, which would give me ~1 hour, 24 minutes - a time I've run 3 times before is 1/2 Ironmans. But, starting off, unable to take full breathes due to the stitch and feeling like garbage anyway, my first mile was 6:35. That quickly dropped to 6:54, then 6:55, then 7:07. I managed to get rid of the stitch around the 5 mile point, and tried to pick up the pace, but there was nothing in the tank. I actually felt like I was running better, but the times just kept getting slower: some up to 7:30/mile.

For the first time, I was getting passed by a bunch of people! Typically, in a tri, only a few people will pass me, if any at all (besides pro's)! I wanted to stop so bad, but would not let myself think about that or the finish, that would only make it worse. I managed to get to the last mile without falling over or completely blowing up and made myself pick it up to finish. The last mile was 6:41 and I passed 2 guys down the finishing chute (I hope there's a pick on the race website of it! haha). Jenn took this picture of me in the last 300m (zoom in and look closely for my Volkwagon symbol, haha).

Once I finished, I found Cliff and found some water in the "recovery" tent. Now, this was awful: they had a country band playing the worst music, super loud and were serving all the finishers the grossest pizza I've ever seen. The combination of the smell and noise was literally making me nauseous. I grabbed 2 water bottles and waddled back outside to find Jenn and my buddy Brian.

Anyway, it was a very rough day, but I after an hour or so, I was lovin' it! It was so nice to back racing again! Plus, I managed to get a sweet "jersey-tan-line"! err.. I mean "burn-line"!

I can take a few things/lessons from the day:
1. My biking legs are there! Spin/cycling classes have really done their job;
2. I need get a LOT more running miles in - I need more 'base';
3. I need to get fitter;
4. I need to practice my race-day nutrition (I'm pretty sure the on-site Gatorade had something to do with the stitch); and
5. Most importantly, I do, in fact, enjoy doing this!

Cliff had an awesome race, finished 5th in his AG, and qualified for the World Ironman 70.3 Championships in Clearwater in November. I was there in 2007 and maybe I'll try to get back again this year. That's means I'll probably race another IM 70.3 in later summer to grab my qualifying slot.

Good to be back! I'll post some race pics once I get them. See y'all out training!
Chris

Race Report: Univ. of Ottawa 5000m Track

2010-03-16T18:32:00.011-03:00

This was the first (and probably last) time I attempted a 5000m track race on a 400m track... Oh, who am I kidding? Of course I'll do one again, just a sucker for punishment I guess!

I'd only done 1 other 5000m on track before, but it was on a 200m banked track, not a flat, 400m track. Most runners would mush prefer 12.5 laps than 25, but I have to admit, I liked 25 laps much more. It gave me something to think about with 25 different lap splits, only ~40 seconds apart. Plus, there were banked corners which let you get a tiny bit of a downhill coming out of the corner, which broke up the monotony slightly.

So, the story goes: Early on a Friday morning, the UNB XC crew packed into 2 cars and headed up to Ottawa. In case you're wondering, yes, one of them was my baby - my '94 Subaru Legacy, aka the "Red Rocket"! And, yes, she made it all the way there and back, problem-free! Actually, she's running better now! :)

Anyway, so after a cramped 10-hour drive we arrived in Ottawa and relaxed in our swanky, 5-star hotel... OK, it was a 2-star dump... but it was cheap and it was downtown, so we explored around the "market" area a bit. It was really nice.

Saturday morning, we headed out to the "Dome". It's a big 'bubble' with a 400m indoor track inside. I believe it's the only one North America! There were 3 or 4 turf soccer fields inside the track, really cool! The 5000m was the first event at the meet, thankfully. I really didn't feel like sitting around all day thinking about running a 5km on a track!

Oddly enough, my buddy Cliff (the co-conspirator of the original LMS Adventure) now lives in Ottawa and he came out to join me in the "fun"! As you can see in the pics, we ran together for the first half of the race, until I fell off the pace slightly. I hit my watch every 200m, so you can see my pace. I didn't slow that much, so that's a good sign, but I didn't feel fresh at all. I think a big part of that was the 10-hr drive... I hope anyway.

My plan was to run 40-second 200's for as long as I could. If I did that, I would run 16:40. My PB is 16:37, when I had a similar plan and pulled it off and gained a few seconds with a little kick on the last lap.

Lap # 200m Split
1 40.15
2 40.13
3 39.68
4 39.94
5 39.94
6 40.69
7 41.06
8 40.06
9 40.12
10 40.88
11 41.25
12 41.94
13 41.81
14 41.55
15 41.39
16 42.18
17 41.82
18 41.31
19 41.43
20 42.26
21 41.39
22 41.86
23 41.06
24 40.13
25 36.3
Total: 17:00.33

Funny thing, before the race I said "I think I can run 17 mins". Maybe I should have said, "I think I can run 16:40"! haha. One more good thing I am taking from the race: the last time I did the California 1/2 Ironman and I raced a 5k a few before the race, I ran 17:02. So, that's a good sign!

Toodles...
chris

TdF Camp Class #9 - Stage 17!

2010-02-17T21:11:00.001-04:00

Friday, February 19th, 6:45AM. Get ready!

Race Report: 1500m Track "Race"

2010-02-14T17:55:00.004-04:00

To finish off the 5-week "base training" phase of my condensed 12-week 1/2 Ironman Training, I decided to throw in a 1500m "Time Trial Race". This is Indoor Track season, so, hey, when in Rome, eh? I'd never done one of these before, so I had no idea what to expect or how to pace myself. But, on the bright side, it was easy to set a PB!

So, after a great BRICK (Bike-Run) workout in the morning and a quick 8K treadmill run just before the race, I lined up with 2 other dudes for the "race". It was on a 166m track that is meant for walkers. Such a short track means very tight turns and a very hard surface means we rarely run there, if ever! Oh ya, and the air circulation is horrible... my lungs are still bugging me now, a week later!

Anyways, I started off easy and controlled, not wanting to blow-up. But, I felt better than I thought after a few laps, so started picking up the pace. I ran almost negative splits for all of the 9 laps for a total of 4:40... I know it's not very fast for real track guys, but for me, considering everything, I was happy with it. It really just felt like a hard workout, so I think I could go 10 seconds faster, which is good. Here's my splits for the 9 laps:
32.91
32.15
31.80
31.08
30.68
30.92
30.93
30.77
28.94 = 4:40.18

The next day (Superbowl Sunday), I did one last long run before celebrating my buddy Evan's B'day with some poker, football, rice chips, salsa, and far too much cider beer...that's the last beer 'til after my race in March... well, maybe the 2nd last ;)

chris

Into Week 4

2010-01-28T20:06:00.002-04:00

I'm midway through week 4 of my condensed 12-week training program for Ironman California 70.3 on March 27th in Oceanside. This was a 18-week program that I had squeeze into 12, due to sickness, injury, etc. I already wrote about my fun night spent in the ER just after Christmas, that cost me two weeks right there.

This is really the first time I have trained for a triathlon in almost 2 years. And, the first time I've followed a schedule in even longer, maybe 3 years! No, wait, 4 years! I was injured 3 years ago. Wow....

Anyways, the first week was ok, a little shock, but not too bad. Week 2, the fatigue started to creep in, and week 3 was worse. But, into week 4, I am starting to feel much stronger! It's very encouraging!

The hardest part of this training is all the extra stuff I have to do each day. I am student anymore, so can't do things on my own schedule. I don't work near UNB anymore, so I can't swim at lunch time - I have to swim in the mornings, before work. I can't swim at night, because I teach spin classes twice per week, and I have Cross-Country Track practice another day. I am also helping out coaching the XC team, which I love doing, but still takes up time. And, also, I've started teaching a "Tour de France Cycling Camp", that is taking a LOT of time to plan the workouts, edit the video to match the workout, and then plan it to fit into a 60 of 75 minute class. Oh, and I have a REAL job now too! Obviously, that is cramping my style too ;)

But, things are going well so far. Knock on wood :)
later,
chris

TdF Cycling Camp!

2010-01-18T22:02:00.001-04:00

Tour de France Cycling Camp

2010-01-17T16:41:00.001-04:00

Need some motivation/incentive to get on the bike this winter? Ride along with Lance, Alberto, Andy, and the rest! Camp starts this Sat, Jan 23rd. Let me know if you need any info.

Another Vacation in the ER

2009-12-30T12:32:00.004-04:00

What would the Holidays be without a trip to the ER anyway? It seem to be my new tradition. Don't worry, no seizures this time, thankfully. But, it was kinda scary when I was so winded from walking a flight of stairs that I needed my hands on my knees to keep me from collapsing! I could barely breathe and thus could get very little oxygen into my blood...I guess I picked up some type of sinus/lung infection over the weekend, somewhere/how...

On Sat, I just a mildly runny nose. By Sunday morning it was a very runny nose, that moved down to mu lungs by that evening (when the 'stair incident' took place). Sunday night, I could only sleep for 30 minutes because my throat and lungs were so full of crap that I couldn't take full breathes. So, I watched a lot of sports highlights and some nature shows. I thought of going to the ER, but decided to just try to see my Dr first thing in the morning and get a prescription. But, the office was closed, so I went to Shoppers to get some regular cold and flu stuff (via a 'recommendation' from the pharmacist). I downed a bunch of that stuff but nothing really helped much, other than to smother my coughs a little.

This whole time I'd been trying to open my lungs with my puffer, but my lung capacity was so low that I couldn't get any other drugs into my lungs - it all went to the back of my throat - not much help...

Anyways, so Monday night, with my slightly smothered cough, I tried sleeping. I made it 2AM, when I woke up and everything was worse and now my throat was very sore and hurt to move (picture someone with a neck-brace trying to look around). I finally decided to head up to the ER. I hate to do unnecessary things or over-react to stuff, but I couldn't take it anymore!

Anyways, so Jenn got out of bed too and drove me up to the hospital. It didn't take too long to get in and when I was talking to the nurse I coughed up a mouthful of crap, yummy. They took us back and put me in the ER "Suite" (we both wondered where this room was last Januray and started me on a puffer. Only this time, they gave me a little thing to help catch the spray and breathe it in. After doing this 3 separate times and checking my oxygen levels and breathing power, it was finally starting to get some good results.

Oh, I forgot to mention the 'blowing power' test! haha. In my initial assessment, they had me blow into a tube to measure my lung power... It was non-existent...literally, I could not even move the gauge! I just started hacking horribly. But, after the 3 rounds of puffers, I could finally get enough lung power to move the gauge and my blood-oxygen levels were also high enough to satisfy the doc.

I also had some X-rays to make sure it wasn't pneumonia, which the doc thought it was (which, oddly enough was what the docs though last time). Again, it was not. So, 5 hours later, they gave me some antibiotics, puffers with the device, and prescription for more.

So, two days later, things are 'moving'. Meaning, I had been coughing up a ton of mucus and crap from my lungs and blowing the rest out my nose. And, thankfully my energy is almost back and I don't feel winded from walking to the kitchen! I hope by next week, I should be able to train a little bit again :)

Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to play in the annual Smirnoff Alumni Classic this Sat! I've got a 4-year winning streak going, but oh well.

Anyways, I'm gonna go try to sleep. Later all!
chris

Where I've Been

2009-12-17T20:54:00.002-04:00

Been slacking a bit, okay a lot, in the posting department, so here's new: not much. I've just been working, teaching spin, and trying to train.

Oh! I've officially come on-board as an assistant coach with the UNB Cross-Country (XC) team! I guess that's something new! Tim will still be the head coach, but I hope to alleviate some of his work-load (paper-work and such), so he can dedicate more time to the team. It's almost as if working full time and raising three active kids doesn't lend itself well to having a lot of spare time ;)

And, I've been getting some actual swim coaching for the first time in... well... ever really! Aside from a few workouts I've done with the UNB swim team a few years ago, I've pretty much taught myself. But, I've hit a major plateau and actually a decent, so I figured it was time to get some help. Plus, I've barely since April, so it was good time to start back at it - the right way and get in the habit of good technique.

My buddy Evan help to set up a 6-week, "Elite swim program" with Dan Monid. Dan was one of UNB's most decorated athletes and is now the head coach (intern, I believe) of the UNB swim team.

He's been watching, critiquing, and giving us dills and workouts. It's been great! I've actually started to enjoy swimming, more than I have in a really long time, maybe ever. I've even got my dad hooked on triathlon! That's the best part! He's been doing the "Beginner" class and has improved his stroke immensely. It's been fun to watch :)

I will try to keep more things coming from now on.
but for now, it's bed time :)
chris

My XC Buddy Miller is Leaving Town

2009-11-30T20:38:00.002-04:00

...And, of course, Rob Jackson made a movie for his "going away" party this Friday :)

My XMAS Present to Myself?

2009-11-28T09:21:00.002-04:00

.. I think so ;)

Bad-Ass, Hardcore, Cross-Country Runners!

2009-11-18T07:51:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Rob Jackson for making this video. I'll talk to you guys later, I'm going off to do work on my deltoids...

Race Report: Legs for Literacy 1/2 Marathon

2009-11-10T08:59:00.007-04:00

Finally, my race report, 2 weeks later... I apologize to all of those many, many person (singular) who have been waiting patiently for this :)

I ended my 2009 "season" at the Legs for Literacy 1/2 Marathon in Moncton. I use quotes around 'season', because, this it never really got started until about August. I was pretty much an overweight, out-of-shape, former runner trying to be one again. It wasn't until the UNB XC (Cross-country) team got back into town and I started training with them again, did I start to feel like my old self (see this). So, even though this wasn't a true PB, but I'm gonna call it a "PSPB" - post-seizure PB :)

OK, so here's how the race went:

The week leading up to the race, I felt like absolute garbage. Normally, I would say that's a good thing during the taper week(s), but this was different. I was really surprised, given how well I felt during the XC race the previous Saturday. It was especially bad on the Saturday before the race, to the point where I didn't think I cold even attempt the race. Something was just off, and I really didn't feel good.... Luckily, that seemed to go away late in the afternoon, after some serious napping...

The race is in Moncton, ~90mins away, and started at 8:30AM. So, I had to get up early and eat bkfast by 5:30 (3 hrs before the start, as per routine), and get on the road at 6:00. The drive there was a little more stressful than I would have liked, because it was rainy and dark the entire way (stupid less daylight hours) and we had to be on high moose-watching-alert!

Anyways, we got there around 7:30AM, to a slight drizzle. However, it was unusually warm for this time of year (~15 deg C) and the forecast called for heavy rain and wind. For anyone who knows me, that made me very excited! I absolutely love running in the rain - it's the easiest form of motivation for me!

Here's a video of the start of the race, it was crazy (check it out at ~1:10). I am to the left of the screen (front right of the pack), beside the guy in the blue shirt. The rain was coming down so hard while we were standing in the corral that it was bouncing off us! You can see it in the video during the first 15-20 seconds, blowing through the trees. It was only like that for the first 5 minutes or so, unfortunately, I love that stuff!

My main rival (not for the win, but for 2nd place) was my good buddy, Shawn Miller, of the UNB XC team. We've had a little rivalry going over the past year, and I actually beat him last week! So, he was out for revenge, so I was trying to mark him as I knew he'd go out fast.

The first k was downhill and the 2nd was downwind, so they were both fast, ~3:30 pace. I wasn't too worried about going out too hard, but I then tried to settle into a good pace. Miller was about 10m or so ahead of me, but that was ok. I settled into 3:42-3:45 per K pace, but Miller kept pulling away from me. Looking back, I probably should have tried to go with him, or at least stay closer. But, I knew (or thought) that if I kept running my current pace, he'd either come back to me, or would run an awesome time that I wouldn't have been able to keep up to anyway - and I would've most likely blown-up. So, I chose to just keep running ~3:44 pace and hope for the best. I went through 5K in 18:35 and felt relatively good, but not my best.

All was still going well through 8k or so, I was about 40 seconds back of Miller, but then I went through a little bad spell. We went through a section of the race with a lot of turns and I no longer had a visual on Miller. We were also running into a big head-wind and I was starting to feel tired. I went through the 2nd 5K at a slow 19:27, and at 11k, I had some trouble messing around with the little pocket in my shorts to get my energy gel. It seems minor, but it probably cost me 5-10 seconds.

Then at around 12K, there was a section of the course where we met up with the people heading out, and worst of all, it was right at a water stop. So, there were volunteers all over the trail trying to hand out water/Gatorade to runners coming the opposite direction, while I was trying to grab something to wash down the gel. So, because of that I had to dodge a bunch of people and then run on the side of the trail. Normally, not a problem, but since it had poured rain all night, the grass was so muddy and soft that I sunk down and got water-logged shoes. Again, seems minor, but cost me another 10-15 seconds.

Anyways, moral of the story, at 13K when I could see Miller again and get a time-check, I had lost another 30 seconds and was ~1:10 behind. I wasn't feeling too bad at that point, so I decided to try and chase him down the best I could. I went through the 3rd 5K in ~18:30. At ~17K, the was a short out-and-back section and I could get another time-check and was down to 1 minute. But, as I picked up the pace to close the gap, Miller picked it up too. He was so worried about me passing him in the last few minutes of the race like I had the week before.

I was really hurting the last few uphill K, but kept trying to run harder, but I couldn't get any closer. In fact, I actually dropped back even further as Miller hammered it after he saw I was only 1 minute back. Miller went through in 1:18:07 (still didn't beat my PB of 1:18:00) and I was 3rd in 1:19:32. Full results here.

So, even though I didn't win the race, or the personal battle, or even run a PB, I am very happy with the race. I dropped over 4 minutes of my time in 8 weeks and I'm almost back to how I used to be! That's the best part - just to feel like a runner again! I love it!

I just enjoyed my short 2-week "off-season", eating whatever I felt like and got to explore the Mountains of Banff. I also did the "Real" race of truth, the BEER MILE! haha.... pics to come...from both...

chris

Race Report: UNB Open, 8K Cross-Country

2009-10-19T20:00:00.008-03:00

UNB ALUMNI VS UNB

...and the winner is....

ALUMNI!!

It was close, but in the end, the old boys taught the young fellas a lesson! 186-192 In XC, scores are the total placing of the team's first 5 finishers, so lower scores are better.

Personally, I had a pretty good day. Ran the fastest I've ran in quite some time and still got smoked by 45 guys! Guess that's what happens when you race against some of the fastest runners in Eastern Canada! I don't mind, I was never able to compete with "real" runners anyway. But make those guys swim and bike first, then we'll see ;)

Again, like I did in Halifax a few weeks earlier, I started off relatively easy. But, luckily for me, the first 800m were all downhill. So I was able to save a lot of energy, but still not go way to the back. Being a bigger runner, with a long stride, I can move downhill easier than most. But, uphill... now, that's another story.

The course in Odell has a big grass hill ("green hill"), that we had to do 3 times. It's only about 100m, but it's pretty steep and sloppy, so can really lose a lot of time and waste energy. I always hated going up that damn thing, and this day was no exception. But, something very welcoming had happened. Over the past 6 weeks, I've really slimmed down, almost back to my "racing" weight of 165lbs (I'm at ~169). That's still much heavier than most runners, but I've been training all year lugging around an extra 10-15 lbs! I hadn't really noticed the difference until I got to the green hill for the first time and I expected to fall way back, but I didn't. I just ran smoothly (as best I could) and stayed in the pack (again, the "pack" being the guys in 45-60th place, haha).

Through the 1st and 2nd laps (of 3) I tried to run as smooth as possible, covering as much ground, trying to save something for the last ~1KM - a long, mostly downhill finish (not the same downhill as at the start). Through the first 2 laps, I ran the same pace, while most of the guys in front were slowing down and I passed 8-10 guys - that's always nice :)

Then, the start of the 3rd lap and I could see that I was catching up to another pack of guys, with one noticeable face (well, butt) in it...

Alright, gotta pre-face this a little. Before the race, I had been having a friendly grudge match with my buddy Shawn Miller. He's in his 5th year and had been running really well that last few years, as I had gotten slower. But, I had been teasing him that I would beat him in a 10K this fall. Keep in mind, I had been saying this as I was 185lbs and couldn't run, so nobody really took it seriously, including me, haha.

Ok, so I was catching up to Miller, but I was hurting. I ran downhill a little bit harder this time to get even closer, but then we had the green hill to come. Shawn is a little monster up hills, so I didn't give myself much chance of staying with him, but again, going up the hills, nobody pulled away from me! At the top of the hill is still about another 500m of gradual climbing to which I struggled up, but still stuck with the guys.

Another 200m downhill section preceded one last, very steep 200m climb before the final 1k finish. In that 200m I pulled up right behind Miller, not wanting him to know I was there for fear he would fly up the hill and drop me. But, then right before the hill started I just accelerated, cut in between Miller and another guy and went up the hill as hard as I could. If you look at the picture, to the right of the screen, you can see me in front of that other guy and Miller right at the edge of the pic.

At the top of hill, I just tried to let my legs go and run as hard as I could. I passed 2 or 3 more guys in the technical section, then there was just about 300m sprint to the line. My legs were fried, I was full of lactic acid, and I had no kick left, but amazingly, only one of those guys passed me back... and it wasn't Shawn :)

Now, I must say, I am only saying all this stuff about beating him because I had pretty much the best race I could have hoped for and he had a really bad day. We all know that he's still faster than me, it was just really funny after all the trash-talking.

So, that was last XC race of the season. It seems as though I am FINALLY BACK!! Thankfully! Just one more race this season - the 1/2 marathon at the "Legs for Literacy" in Moncton this Sunday. I've got a score to settle with this race... it's where I blew my hip of 3 years ago...

Oh, and Miller is racing too :)

til later,
chris

Thanksgiving Dinner. Yummy, but Healthy?

2009-10-11T21:19:00.003-03:00

Everybody loves Thanksgiving Dinner, well, maybe not vegetarians, but most people. But, let's face it, eating so much food that you can't walk normally after leaving the table is not the greatest plan to stay in shape. Luckily, there are a few things you can do make the food a little healthier.

There are the obvious ones, like simply eating less or skipping desert, but that's no fun. How about still stuffing yourself, but just make the food healthier! More fiber, more veggies, more whole grains, etc.

Here's a recipe I found last year from my favorite show on Food Network, Chef at Home. The "chef" is Michael Smith, from rural PEI, which is also where he films his show. My grandparents see him all the time at the local markets! I might just have to go take a trip to the Ise to stalk him a little as a crazed fan to get some autographs and such ;)

Anyways, so the recipe is for a "Whole Grain Apple Pie" that uses whole wheat flour, oats, honey, a bunch of tasty apples, and the best part: no butter or shortening! And, it really, really does taste good! Not like "heath" food at all, I promise!

I even bumped up the nutrition value by adding some ground flaxseed and since I don't eat wheat, I substituted an array of other flours - buckwheat, brown rice, low-fat soy, spelt, and kamut - making it a true multi-grain crust. Yummy!

Happy eating ;)
chris

Check Out my New Spin Blog

2009-10-07T21:20:00.003-03:00

I started teaching spin classes last October at St.Thomas University, and I just love it. So, I started a little blog to keep people updated as to what is going on. The reason was that there was no real way of getting the info (class times, cancellations, etc.) out to people, other than posters on the walls at the gym. Hence this little dumb blog. Check it out:
SpinningChris.blogspot.com/

Even better, come on out to a class! I guarantee you'll get an awesome workout an the time will fly by! Really, no joke, give it a shot! I dare you ;)

chris

Fall Classic Pics

2009-09-23T08:41:00.003-03:00

A few pics courtesy of the Capital City Road Runners. I only found these pics after reading through Trevor MacDonald race report on his blog. Thanks Trevor, keep running those PBs!
chris

the start

le finish

Race Report: Fall Classic 10K

2009-09-20T21:30:00.002-03:00

First off, I know I make a lot of typo's and grammar errors, but I'm not a professional author, nor much time to read-over my work, so please bare with me :)

Well, it wasn`t a PB, but I was happy with it! My goal time was 36 minutes, and I did 35:57, so can`t ask for much more. It was actually the first 10k (without a swim-bike before or a bike-run after) that I`d done in 3 years! I couldn`t believe that at first, but I went over all the races I`d done, and that was true.

The last one I had done was the horrible 2006 AUS Cross-Country finals at StfX. I was in the best shape of my life in 2006, winning every race I entered all summer, but was just burnt out in xc season, but didn`t know it. Then the next week, I blew my hip out in a 1/2 marathon and couldn`t run for 4 months....

Ironically, this past week, I've been feeling a little twinge in that same hip/thigh and wasn't sure if I could run on Sunday. It didn't feel too bad, but I am pretty worried about blowing it out again, so I was on the fence. But, I went to physio on Thursday with Steve Flynn, who hooked me up with some exercises that helped instantly! I ran Sat easy to test it, it felt good, so I was in.

Ok, to the race. Well, it went "well". I started off pretty good, but a little too fast, but I knew that would happen - it always does. First K was 3:22, so I tried to settle into a smooth pace. That lasted about 2k, then I started to lose my stride and struggle to be smooth. I should note that "smooth" is a relative term for me, as I found out after the race that I never look smooth when I run, haha. Thanks to Rob Jackson for telling me that! But, he can say whatever he wants, he is the smoothest runner I've ever seen!

Anyways, so, I went through 5K in just under 18 mins and I was slowing, so I didn't know if I could hang on to pace. At the turn-around at ~5.8k, I say that there were some guys pretty close to me and I wanted to stay in 3rd place. One of them was Justin Young, a strong runner who I ran with at UNB 6 years ago. I knew he'd be coming hard, so, I tried to pick it up.

Then the pain set in... It's funny. I'd been running on that section of trail all spring and summer, just picturing the last 4k of the race, looking forward to it with excitement. But, no matter how much you look forward or imagine something, you just can't replicate the pain you feel during the actual race. It was something I was just not ready for, but I managed to suck it up and hold my pace and place right to the line in 35:57. My PB on that course is 34:59 in the spring of 2006, but I am very happy with this time when I consider everything that's happened.

So, my plan for the fall is in full swing. I want to race a lot, suffer even more, and once again find my love and motivation to push myself to new limits. It's like I need to remember why I love doing this stuff in the first place. I've been trying to remember, unsuccessfully for 10 months, but now, I think it's working! I am eating better again (no wheat, dairy, beef, pork, etc.), stretching after each workout, and doing my exercises. They are little things, but they all add up and if you don't do any of them, you'll really notice.

Anyways, so it was a very good race, which was then followed by a less-than-desired cool-down, as I had to leave the race right after the finish to get ready to drive straight to Halifax for a geotechnical conference (super good time...not). I was a little late getting on the road, so I had to bomb straight there. So, even though I didn't run a PB in the race, I did in the drive to Halifax! :)

keep running.
chris

Race Report(s): Dal XC 7.5K & Terry Fox Run

2009-09-18T18:31:00.007-03:00

There's a point, sometime in late August, when things change. The air feels crisp, the nights are a little cooler, and the mornings are perfect for running. There's one other thing that late August signifies: the start of Cross Country (XC) season!

It's hard to explain, but as soon as I felt the change in the air, I got excited about XC season again! Even though, I officially stopped running on the team 3 years ago, I still get that feeling. And, after the year I've had, it's just nice to be worst race ever on Sunday and the 11th was my b'day, I needed to get back to that course. The unfortunate victim in this situation was a surprise excited about something again. So, a few weeks ago at the first team practice I was giddy like a little school girl.

Then, I looked at the schedule and saw that the first race was Sat, Sept 12 in Halifax at Point Pleasant Park. That just happens to be my favorite course and I had to get back there to race. Even though I had the party that Jenn planned for me. She had to tell me once I said I was leaving... and it's been postponed :)

So, Me and Evan jumped in the car, drove to Halifax, picked up some delicious pear-cider beer, downed a bunch of them for my b'day and woke up with a nasty headache Saturday morning! The whole point of wanting to do the race was to a get a big suffer-fest, so the headache was perfect!

The race went really well actually. For once, I started out slow (perhaps due to the hangover), near the back of the pack. I felt pretty bad at first, but I started to feel pretty good at the halfway point and picked up the pace. The fun part was moving up through the field during the race! I managed to hold a steady pace when most other people slow down.

Then, there was one part I am particular happy with. With about 500m to go, there were 2 guys in front of me. There was no chance of anyone catching me, so the thought went through my mind that I could just coast to the finish. But, then I told myself to go suck it up and go for it. I caught one guy on a short downhill section, then came into the finish 100m a few strides behind the other guy. For some reason, I just started sprinting (pic) and passed him right before the finish!

I was hurting pretty bad, but I was really pleased. It's been a very, very long time since I've been genuinely happy with my race performance. It was something I really needed.

Anyway, so the "(s)" part of this post title. The next day was the "Terry Fox Run". Evan, Miller, and I decided to go do it as a recovery run, donate some money, and show our support. Thing is, we thought the registration was at 12:30 and the run at 1. But, the run wasn't til 2. So, we went for an extra 10k trot before.

Another thing, when I get into any type of competition, I want to win! There were no prizes, we had just raced the previous day, and there was really no other fast runners. So, really there was no point in going fast, but I at the "gun", we just took off!

I have to admit, it was kinda fun to "show off" a little. Most of the university teams were there, and it's just nice to show how easy it is to run away from them, hehe. And, for some reason, I felt really good! I don't know why, but I had to ease up, so we could run together and we still ran 5k in 18:35. Not too bad for a "recovery" run :)

It was just nice to get back to feeling like my old self again! It's been a while, but I hope this is a sign of good things to come!

I love XC!! Once again, I owe this team for "saving" me! :)

chris

My B'day went by with ..... No Seizures!!

2009-09-14T20:34:00.005-03:00

The 1-yr Anniversary of the worst day of my life was this past Friday, September 11th (aka my birthday) and thankfully everything was alright. I knew it would be, but I was still really worried.

I just kind of had in the back of my head that something was going to happen, because last year everything seemed ok, then I ended up on the floor and in the ER.... and then pretty much ruined my next 10 months. So, as this day went by without any problems, thus ends the worst year of my life and I am henceforth putting this behind me and moving on!

Screw it! I refuse to let this hold me back anymore! I am getting fast and fit again! I am going to start enjoying life again and doing what I enjoy. I have already signed up for the California Ironman 70.3 again and I plan on getting into the best shape of my life! That's what makes me feel alive! Here we go! It starts now!

To get my love and motivation for racing/training back, I am training, racing, and hanging out with the UNB Cross-Country Team again. It's how I really got into to whole multi-sport/endurance world in the first place. It's just so fun to get back to basics and just hammer through the trails, suffering for breathe, legs screaming, with the support of all the other teammates! Then take a 90-second break, then do it again..and again and again... It's hard to describe, but I love it! It's something I've really missed.

Now, if my hip will only hold up :)

chris

Race Report: Subaru East Coast 1/2 Iron Triathlon

2009-09-09T20:27:00.014-03:00

Me giving some post-race interviews... haha... of course not.. read on

On Thursday, Sept 3rd I got an email asking if I wanted to be part of a relay team during the inaugural Subaru East Coast 1/2 Iron Triathlon in Mactaquac, NB (just 10 mins outside of F'ton). I was planning on running the 5K fund-raising race for the UNB Cross-Country (XC) team - the race that I co-founded back in 2005, the "Race Against the Reds". But, the lure of competition of being part a relay team and the adrenaline associated with it was too alluring to pass up... in hind-sight: I wish I had :)

I knew I wasn't fit enough to run close to my PB of 1:18:00, nor was I even ready to run well at my current fitness level. I'd just done my first 2 weeks of Ultra-marathon training, with lots of long runs, including 50KM on the weekends. Plus, I was pretty tired from the first week of XC training with the team. Side note, I love this time of year!! Anyways, point being, I knew I wouldn't be super fast, but I still hoped I could run around 1-hr, 20-mins. The course was 4 hilly laps of 5.25K, so I was shooting for laps of ~20mins.

After watching the race for 2 hours, I had so much built-up adrenaline, that when the time-chip got handed off to me, I just took off sprinting! The overall leader, Troy Allaby of St. John had a lead of roughly 2 minutes of us, a team! That was incredible in itself, but I wanted to catch him. I was hoping to catch up enough in the first few K, that I get him within sight, so then I could take time splits, to see if I was catching or falling back. But, very early I knew that this was not going to be pretty.

It only took three minutes until my legs started to fatigue! I kind of knew this would happen, I just didn't think that early. I started to suffer pretty bad during the first lap, and finished around 19:30... too fast....

Things didn't get any better during the 2nd lap as I got a nasty stitch on my right side which prevented me from taking full breathes... It was about that point that I started to struggle pretty badly and had a lot of trouble holding pace. I knew I wasn't going to catch Troy, but I was hoping to still have a decent time and get the fastest run split.

I finished the 2nd lap in about 20:20, the 3rd in about 21:30, and by the start of the 4th, I was suffering horribly. It was then, that I slowed down at the aid station to grab a energy gel and some water to wash it down, costing me another 5 secs or so. No big deal right?!

Unfortunately, the gel didn't help and during the last 5K, I suffered worse that I think I ever have before in a straight-up running race! I've hurt this bad twice before that I can remember; both in long-distance triathlons in very hot/humid temps. Not in a running race!

The last 2K were even worse. I was having trouble keeping my balance and my legs were buckling. I tried to kick to the finish, but there was nothing there. When I finally crossed the line, I could barely stand up. I really didn't know what was going on, but I was super thirsty. I downed 3 water bottles and tried to jog out to watch Jenn finish (she also got roped into racing, but she only had 1 day notice!).

Anyways, it was a huge blow to the ego, but it's definitely motivating! As I said on my Facebook/Twitter update right after the race: "I will never be that slow again!" But, at least I got a good 21.1K workout in :)

Oh ya, the awards, I almost forgot. So, I never looked at the results, pretending not to care, but I secretly still hoped that I had the fastest run split. There were awards for the fastest splits in each event and I hoped to at least take something out of the day. But, when Mike Davis of The Radical Edge, announced that the times for fastest run split were only 3 seconds apart and didn't immediately say my name, I knew I was on the slower end of the 3 seconds! Damn you energy gel! haha. My time was 1:23:13, only 1 minutes faster than my 1/2 marathon time in my 1st 1/2 Ironman!

So, it has begun! I am going to run the 1/2 again in the Legs for Literacy Marathon in late October and I will be much faster! I promise :)

Check out some pics. It's pretty funny to see my body posture after the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd laps. You can really see me struggling :)
-chris

My buddy Evan doing his first 1/2 Ironman and his personal cheering section in the background! He got a flat tire that cost him 10 mins and still finished 2nd!

End of lap 1

End of lap 2

End of lap 3

Jenn, not lovin' life in her run. She also had a rough day

Weddings, Smashed Windows, & Rural Minnesota

2009-09-04T07:33:00.011-03:00

Here's a little bit of what I've been up to the past month (besides running and working). We had some exciting adventures at a couple really fun weddings, including a smashed car window during the reception! Stupid kids looking for drug cash...luckily they didn't take our Visa's! And lucky that we didn't find them after we found it...

What else? Well, I spent 5 long days in Northern Minnesota for work. It was really nice and scenic, and I managed to get some running in, but it was really hard trying to find anything somewhat healthy to eat when nearly everything on the menu in the tiny restaurants is deep-fried!

So, I'm back in town, just in time for Cross-Country (XC) season!! I love it! I can smell the scent of suffering the air! I'm going to try and do as many xc races and workouts as I can with the UNB team. And, maybe I can somewhat fast again... we'll see :)

here's a few pics from the past 6 weeks:

lovin' life in Orr, MN... population 249 (no joke)

Jenn & I and the happy new bride & groom

Me showing off the broken.... or my sweet dance moves

I should be getting Danger Pay! Check out the size of this deadly snake!

Working on the side of a highway in Northern Minnesota has it's perks, fresh, wild raspberries

a little stretch with Kona ;)

Baseball!!

2009-08-31T20:18:00.007-03:00

Weehee, I'm back... between working full time (a new experience), weddings, triathlons (watching, not racing), and trips to Minnesota (again, for work), I've been neglecting my posting. Anyways, so this summer I did something that I haven't done in 8 years: I played baseball again!

I used to be pretty good, before I got into running and multi-sport. Well, I guess the reason I got into this stuff in the first place was because all of my team sports ended after high-school. I didn't have anything else or anywhere to play and I needed something to work towards. But, even though I love the adventure and challenge of multisport, I always missed my team sports, especially baseball...

I got a message in May from an old teammate that he was going to start up a team in the Fredericton Intermediate League. It's a mix of ex-senior players (the top-level league in the Maritimes), some fresh-out-of-high-school kids, and some others just like me. I thought about it for about 10 seconds, and then said I was in! I was super excited to play again, it was so fun, I loved it! Well, almost all of it... I didn't like the rust that had accumulated on my right arm or forgetting how to field ground-balls! I just couldn't do the things I used to be able to do. But, it was still a blast, thanks Nick.

We made the playoffs, but lost in the quarter-finals. And, worst part, I missed our last 2 games because I was in Minnesota for work! Bah! Oh well, there's always next year. I Can't wait! Here's a few pics that dad took... That's me in the LiveMultiSport hat ;)

I'm Still Alive

2009-07-31T08:53:00.003-03:00

For anyone wondering if I've been smacked by a bus while riding or something, not to worry (or maybe, I'm sorry to say) that I'm ok. I'm still just trying to balance a FTJ with spin, ball, running, biking, life, plus weddings, smashed car windows, a stolen Visa, vet apts, broken cell phone, etc. while still trying to get things up on LMS. So, my posts have been sparse, but I hope to strike a balance soon...

chris

My Prediction, Part 1 Coming True!

2009-07-23T08:47:00.002-03:00

Well, Part 1 of my cycling soap opera has come true: Lance Armstrong will be starting his own team. That was not really a secret, so I won't take credit for a bold prediction, but it is part of what I think will happen. Here's the rest:

1. Contador wins the Tour with Armstrong being a very good, strong, but reluctant teammate (so far, that is looking good too!)
2. At the end of the year, Contador will leave Astana for another team... not really sure which one yet... hmmmm... I'll think about that one...
3. Armstrong will start his own team, "LiveStrong" and will come back and battle Contador and win the Tour in 2010! (the "New team" will be announced today, so I got that, not sure about the name though, it seems Radio Shack may be the sponsor, we'll see).
3b. He'll bring along Levi, Popo, Horner, and maybe steal away George from Columbia to his new team.

Bonus Points:
- Vinny (Alexandre Vinokourov) will return to lead a much weakened Astana team (if there is even one left).
To be honest, I hope that last one does happen. I always liked watching Vinny race, he's so unpredictable!

Anyways, I should get back to work (...or start working...).
chris

Treego!

2009-07-18T19:00:00.011-03:00

Saturday morning, Jenn planned a trip to "Treego Mactaquac" for a friends b'day present. I had never really heard of this before a few weeks ago, so I really didn't know what I was getting into, but it was amazing! It was so much fun!

Basically, you have a harness, some cables, two carabiners, a pulley for the zip-lines and you navigate your way through various sets of obstacles as you make your way higher into the tree-line! You start off with a short tutorial and demo, then you go into the 1st route. There are four in total, with each one getting progressively harder and higher! Between each route there is a chance for you to bail out if needed, which a lot of people do. Whether is just the heights or the fact that they are really tired!

It was so cool and such an great workout! I used core muscles I didn't know I had and I'll be feeling them tomorrow for sure! I asked if they had a membership plan or something cuz I'd love to keep going a bunch, but apparently they don't. But, really for $30, you can have three hours of fun! Here's a few pics:

me over one of the obstacles (Jenn in the blue shirt in the background)

Jenn on the final zip-line (look closely). Check out the height!

My buddy Andrew navigating the hardest obstacle! (in our opinion)

me during one of the zip-lines over the lake! (not really suppose to take a hand off the pulley, shhh.....)

Jenn flying into a big net after a trip on a "Tarzan" rope!

Adopt a Kitty Today!

2009-07-13T12:26:00.012-03:00

The Fredericton and Oromocto SPCA's are currently over-run with kittens and cats and they have to find homes! I've even heard they are waving the cost, so it's "by donation only". So, you get a perfectly healthy kitty (or cat), with all it's shots, and has been spayed or neutered! Please adopt one today! Better yet, adopt two! It may sound like twice the work, but it's actually less work and lot easier, plus you'll have twice as much love! How can you beat that? The reason is that they will entertain, play and keep each other company when you are away. That means happier cats! There's nothing better than coming home grumpy after a long, hard day and instantly being cheered up as two beautiful kitties come greet you at the door. How can not love to have a cute, purring companion sitting on you lap as you watch TV (the Tour de France, of course). Or having a couple of wonderful "feet-warmers" during the long, cold winter nights, as the cats curl up with you on the end of your bed. Even if you're not a typical "cat person", you'll be surprised! Neither Jenn and I were "cat people" in the least. We just decided we wanted to get them and are we ever happy we did! As miserable and depressed as I was during this past winter, it would have been that much worse without my two girls. Plus, cats are a hell-of-a-lot easier than a dog! If you go out of town, all you need is have someone drop by once a day and refill their food/water and clean the litter, that's it! Can't do that with a dog. (FYI, I also love dogs, this is not an "anti-canine" post, just a "pro-feline" one).There is one downside though: you'll need to buy another memory card for your camera, because you will be taking a lot of pics of them! So, just think about it, it might be something you're missing.
this has just been your daily PSA :)
-chris

Race..err..."Participation" Report: Duncan Hadley Sprint Tri

2009-07-08T21:51:00.003-03:00

Team LMS! Me and Shawn Miller, post-raceWell, this was unexpected, but a great day. I wasn't planning on racing the Duncan Hadley Triathlon this year. It was a shame, because I'd raced some event every year, no matter my fitness level, since 2001. But, considering all that happened over the winter and the fact that I hadn't swum in 3 months and only biked once all "summer" (quotes do to the terrible weather), I planned to be a spectator this year. Plus, ever since Jenn and I have returned from Cali and I started this new job, I haven't slept well at all and have been really tired most of the time.

Saturday morning I volunteered to help out with the Kids of Steel races. I love seeing the kids do these short tri's, they are so cute. Especially the 5 & 6 year-olds when they go 10 feet into the water to give the lifeguard a high-5 for the swim :)

Anyways, I felt much better than I had in weeks that day and being around the lake, the people, and the general atmosphere just seem to revitalize me. Then, as I was in the woods making sure the kiddies didn't go off-course during the bike (more specifically, getting 1000 bug bites!) I started talking to fellow Fredericton Triathlete Elizabeth Seiffert. She's a "New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame" member and an amazing athlete, having raced in Tri's for Canada all over the world. She always just seems to put things in perspective and it just makes sense. We were talking and then she said "you should just do the sprint". It didn't seem to matter that I hadn't swum since April, only biked once this year, was in the worst shape of my life, or was still unsure about my head...the seed was planted. And, anyone who knows me (to the chagrin of Jenn) that's usually enough to make me do something :)

And, of course, talking to Mike Davis, the owner of Radical Edge and his never-ending energy and enthusiasm didn't hurt. It just so happens that Mike had gone through something much tougher than I (beating cancer), so really, what did I have to bitch about?

So, after the kids races myself and my personal chauffeur, Jenn (really, I've had many chauffeurs over the past 9 months) went to my parents house for dinner. Also, I had to dig my Tri bike out of the basement. I still said I was taking it "just in case", but deep-down, I knew I was gonna need it ;)

I got it home and starting getting it ready and realized my pedals were still on Jenn's bike from the Rhode Island Ironman 70.3 last July. Then I realized I hadn't ridden this bike in 12 months! Meaning, I hadn't done a tri in 1 year! I put the pedals on, did a quick chain-lube, and pumped the tires and hoped they wouldn't leak.

In the morning, I still didn't know, but loaded up the bike in the car anyway. I didn't bring my wetsuit for some reason. Well, what I was thinking is that I didn't want to have to be bothered fighting to get it off in T1 and that it really wouldn't save me much time, since it was just a 750m swim...wrong!! That would've been the case if I was fit and fast, but not in my current swimming state! Oops.

We got to the race site with just enough time for me to get on the "last minute" registration slots (there was no official race-day registration, but they usually keep a few open slots for ppl like me). I dropped my $60 and I was in...no turning back now, I was going to race.

I ran to the car to grab my bike and set it up in transition and as I did that I noticed my timing chip from the Cabot Trail still on my running shoe. I freaked out thinking I didn't get my chip for this race, so I ran back to the reg to grab one, only to be told it around my ankle! Man, it really has been a while...geeez...Anyways, I did I tiny warm-up and tried my best to get ready.

>> Side note, I have my iTunes on shuffle right now as I write this and New Kids on the Block, "Hangin' Tough" just came on, haha. <<

Alright, so to the race: my plan was to have fun and enjoy it. That is a big departure from most of races when I am trying to enjoy it by winning!

Swim: terrible! I tried to get off to my normal start, by going hard for the first 100m to get ahead of the pack - I hate thrashing around with people. I TRIED... I somewhat succeeded but my lack of swimming really hit me after about 2 minutes and the field started to catch up, swarm around, and pass me. I could see people on both sides going by, it was very dis-heartening. I was really not swimming well, and then came the thrashing and that slowed me down even more. I just told myself to relax and get through it the best I could and save some energy for the sprint to T1.

I FINALLY finished the swim, in a very slow time (for me), but had a big smile (pic) and I sprinted the 200m to T1 and passed 6-7 people. That was good, then started hammering the bike.

I wasn't sure how that was going to go. Even though I've been spinning 3 times a week since October, it doesn't quite transfer over to good TT'ing ability. The bike was fun, I enjoyed it, because my legs weren't strong enough for me to go full-out, so I never got "that lovin' feeling". Again, I was smiling (pic) into T2.

Now, the "not-so-fun" part: the run! It doesn't matter if you're just out there for fun, the run is going to be hard, and this was no exception. >> Marc Morrison's "Return of the Mac" is on now! << So, ya, the run: I knew my buddy Shawn Miller was within a few minutes of me off the bike, and I couldn't let him pass me, so I had to go hard.

But, it felt like I was barely moving! I thought for sure he was gonna blow right by me. But, after the first, of two, laps he still hadn't! I was encouraged, but it starting hurting much worse. I managed to battle through and finish with about 45 seconds to spare, phew, sorry Miller ;)

I was hurting, sore, and tired but I loved it! And, for the first time ever, I didn't care where I finished or my time. When the results were posted, I never went to look. It turns out I finished 5th. Not bad, considering everything. << Marky Mark - "Good Vibrations" now! >>. I really hope this has made me "turn the corner", put this whole ordeal behind me and start moving forward again.

The fuse has been lit... my bike is no longer for sale ;)
Thanks all!
chris

Duncan Hadley 2009

2009-07-06T09:36:00.005-03:00

I decided at 7 am to race in this year's Duncan Hadley Sprint Triathlon. I did just to have some fun and hope to re-ignite my passion and desire to train/race, and I think it worked! Here's a few pics where you can actually see me smiling, it was fun! I got a full race....er.... "participant" report up soon, but for now, I've got to work...

Cheating? or Racing Smart?

2009-06-29T20:05:00.005-03:00

Check out these results from the past weekend's "Heart of the Highland" triathlon in Cape Breton. More specifically, look at the results for the top 4 finishers, well, 5 really. Notice anything fishy about the swim & bike splits for them?? Interesting....

I've been in lots of races where there has been some people blatantly drafting (aka cheating). However, these races have all been Ironman 70.3 events with huge fields of 2000+ people, and not local races around here. The worst of which was the Ironman 70.3 World Champs in 2007, where the was a huge pack of 20-25 guys that I battled with for most of the race. I hated it, it really, really pissed me off.

Anyways, I am not sure what happened during this race, I wasn't there, but I've heard some rumors. Perhaps, the times just look bad and they guys just rode in a "pack". That means, riding together, but just far enough apart that you are not really drafting, and it's within the rules.

Hope things work out.

Cabot Trail Relay Video

2009-06-19T18:27:00.004-03:00

Surfing!

2009-06-15T20:47:00.006-03:00

When in Rome... you go surfing! I had done it few years ago and loved it and even got up on the board for a few seconds. But once I started racing tri's competitively, I stopped, with fear of getting hurt. But this time down Jenn was excited to go, so Brian got us suited up one morning and off we went. After a short tutorial, we were in the freezing water paddling out to the waves.

There were no shark sightings, but we saw some dolphins from shore and a seal kept popping up around us. Even though, we just got pounded into the water and dragged around by the board (you are strapped to it), it was a blast!! Feeling the power of the water is a really neat feeling. And I sure like feeling it this way, other than by trying to swim into it!

Thanks again Bri! Here's a few shots of the day:

- the gang before

- Bri & Jenn scoping out the scene

- Jenn feeling the "power"

- all smiles afterward

Palm Springs Hike/Run

2009-06-09T21:15:00.011-03:00

After a few days of shuffling around, groaning at every step, barely able to get up and down, due to that damn CrossFit workout (that ps. I still loved), Saturday morning we were off to Palm Springs to spend a couple lazy days in the dessert. It seems the weather is almost always super nice there and even though it gets really hot (35-40 C), there's virtually no humidity, so it's not so bad in the shade. Lucky for us, it was "cooler" than average. That is a relative term of course, because it was about 28 C!

We spent Saturday relaxing by the pool reading and enjoying a few beverages, and contrary to popular believe, I actually CAN read! I started reading "Seabiscuit - An American Legend" on the plane and I had to finish it. It is just an incredible story! I am obsessed with this race-horse! He was just such an amazing athlete, yes, athlete, not animal. He didn't just run around the track, he raced! He played with his opponents, would look into their eyes until they cracked, and dominated races despite being small in stature and lugging much more weight than the other horses. Anyways, I'll have to write something about him another time, I could go on forever about him and the story of how he and the whole gang came together.

Sunday we went for a 90-minute hike in the mountains surrounding the city. Palm Springs is such a cool place - you are basically in a bowl with huge mountains all around you. So, myself, Jenn, Brian, and Mike went on a little hike. My legs were still tender, and I could feel every step. We went up the steep side and down the gradual side. But, the way down was hard on me and I could feel my legs wobbling and shaking with each step. So, I did the obvious thing, after we were about 80% of the way through the whole trail, I gave the back-pack to Jenn and took off running back up the trail the way we had came. It was so nice! It felt really good to giv'er up the trail and stretch out the legs on the way down. Although the steep side was very tricky, as the were many switch-backs and if I had to run up the "banked" part of the turns in order to control my speed or I would've flew right over the edge!

It was a great morning, especially bacause before the hike, Jenn and I got up early (6AM in the west) to watch the French Open final. I always cheer for Roger Federer and was so happy to see him finally with his 14th Major title (tying Pete Sampras for the all-time record) and get the career "Grand Slam"! I know I'm crazy to plan my life around sports: both paying, training, and of course, watching, but I love it! I hate missing inspirational and exciting moments in sporting events and I have to watch them live. haha. I'm such a loser...

Anyways, here some pics from the hike:

- the gang (left-right: Brian, Jenn, Mike) before the hike

- follow-the-leader and watch your footing

- Jenn and I on the way up

- the gang at the top, check out my gut! hahaha stupid wind...

- and of course, we had some time to go out an enjoy the Palm Springs night-life :)

One More CrossFit Pic

2009-06-07T19:48:00.002-03:00

Here's one other pic from that deadly workout, from which I still have not fully recovered - 4 days later!! Anyways, this is a pic of the results, as I said, written on a white board for all to see. As you can see our names: "Canadian Chris" and "Canadian Jen" and our times. These times include all the people who did that "WOD" (workout of the day) during the day. And, if you look closely you can see that I had the 2nd fastest time! Not bad for a first-timer, but definitely not worth the punishment I had to endure the next five days!! I only will accept that type of "post-even agony" after my first Ironman!

Anyways, as you can see from my Twitter updates (---->), we are in Palm Springs right now and it's HOT! Went for a great hike in the mountains this morning, followed by a short run backwards on the same trail. I got some good pics that I'll get up later.

Crossfit Pics

2009-06-04T23:14:00.008-03:00

Here's the proof that I actually did do this workout! haha
the pics are from the Orange Coast CrossFit website, the "gallery" section. Yes, yes, I know my push-up technique is not good, but it's 100x better than watching me actually trying to do them!.... pathetic.... I will improve though, I promise :)

Oh, by the way, I am dying today!! My quads are killin' me! I was gonna go spinning this morning, but there was no chance of that because I could barely walk. Stairs were even worse! Pretty funny to see me hobble around...anyways, it was still fun... hope I can get to a run tomorrow and maybe even another attempt at CrossFit...maybe

- the whole group that morning

- "Canadian Jenn" and "Canadian Chris" doing push-ups

- doing some of the 300 squats

- more squats: me between one of my sets of 30

My 1st Attempt at CrossFit....Vacation?!

2009-06-03T13:01:00.005-03:00

To most (or maybe all) people, this may not seem like an enjoyable way to spend your vacation, but I love it! I mean, why wouldn’t you want to go on vacation and keep running, training, and spinning like normal (or more)? C'mon man, IT'S VACATION!

Well, that's the way I like it. It's just so much easier to do while you’re here (no other pressure, stress, or worries), plus it's a different scene, so it's very refreshing. I get to go to Brian's spin classes and get some tips on some new tunes to play when I get home. There's a great running track (dirt, not pavement) just down the street, so I can do some speed workouts (well, as much “speed” as I have). There's some great off-road running trails nearby and even better, the beach boardwalk is only about 3Km away! Let me just say that there's a reason there are so many songs about California girls. (sorry Jenn, but it’s true...good thing you never read this blog…)

So, anyway, my new thing this week was CrossFit! It's a new (well, new to me anyway) workout craze that everyone seems to love. Basically, it's just really, hard set of circuits done at a very high intensity for a short period of time. The really attractive part is that all your times/rep-counts are counted and recorded so you can track your progress over time! Our friend Robin is hardcore into it and asked if we wanted to go, and of course, we were down with that! The fact that Jenn just finished a marathon three days before didn’t seem to hinder our excitement (but, in hind-site, it should have….).

Anyway, from what I gather, there is a “WOD” (I’m guessing that is “workout of the day”) everyday that all members do. I think you can actually get the WOD from your local affiliated CrossFit website the day before, just so you know what in store for you the next morning (however, I’m thinking that not knowing may be better!) Who wants to ruin your night dreading the next morning’s workout). Anyway, your results from this WOD are then recorded (in this case, on the wall) along with all other peoples’, so you can also compare to your colleagues.

So, Wed morning, I got up early and hit up the track for a nice, little tempo-like interval session. Nothing much, just something to get the legs moving while working on pace with short recovery. I did 5 x 1000m, aiming for 3:45 pace, on 60 secs (~150m) jog in between. Over the summer, I will lengthen workout as well as speeding up, so that hopefully I will be close to 10 x 1000m at 3:30 pace (or less) in a few months.

I ran back to the house and had 5 mins to get ready to join Jenn as Robin picked us up to go to “Pain City”, err…, I mean CrossFit. So, off we go to Orange Coast CrossFit. The thing is, I know I’m gonna go as hard as I can and try to win everything, that’s just the way I am wired, but I also know that over the past five years, I’ve lost most of my fast-twitch muscle fibres along with most of my raw strength!

Foreshadow alert: I can remember doing circuits with the UNB cross-country team in my first year, when I was lifting a lot of weights, and I could do over 50 push-ups in 45 seconds…. Today was a different story…

Ok, so to the workout. It started off with a few minutes on the “erg” (rowing machine to you non-rowers). Since Jenn and I used to row a lot (6 years for me, 8 for Jenn), that part was easy. Then to some stretches and warm-up exercises (eg. lunges, squats, etc.) that should have been, but sadly, were not so easy. Bad sign of things to come. Next we were given the WOD: 300 squats, split in two by an 800m run! Oh boy, my legs are not prepared for this….

So, the group of 8 (5 guys, 3 girls) started with much vigour, ripping out sets of 25 or 30 or 50 to make counting easier, but inevitably turn into “14, 15, 16, ****teen, ****teen…. uh…21, 22”. I started off slowly, knowing I didn’t really have the squatting prowess to go fast, but I also knew could run faster than everyone. After roughly 150, in 4:15, I was the last guy to finish, but took off and quickly to catch them. But, something I realized immediately as I tried to run after all those squats is that it is really, really hard! And, thus a very effective way to practice trying to run quick with a ton of lactic acid in your legs, much better than a typical “brick” workout (bike-run).

Anyways, I arrived back in the “gym” 2nd and pounded out the last 150 (give or take) to finish 2nd, in just over 11 minutes. I was lucky though, as Jenn’s legs started rebelling after 50 squats (seems running a marathon three days before doesn’t lend itself to great squatting ability, go figure!) But, if you know Jenn, she wasn’t about to let the other two girls beat her, so she sucked it up and finished in just over 14 minutes! Awesome job!

Not too bad for a couple of debut performances by the Canadians (they called us “Canadian Chris” and “Canadian Jenn”), but then we got to the second workout…. Someone yells out “how ‘bout push-ups”? Great…. Despite the fact that I used to be really good at them, I can muster up 20 in a row now! Honestly… I’ve tried.

So, the damage was 8 x (20 seconds ON, 10 seconds OFF). I managed 15 or so in the first 20 secs, not bad, then the 2nd was a little tougher, and I got about 12, then I hit the wall! It was pathetic! I just didn’t have the strength to do any more than 3 at a time! So, after struggling to get 5 or 6 push-ups in each of the last six sets (I’d do 3, then take a break, then try 3 more), I was toast, but, I enjoyed it a lot. Everyone was happy to be done, slapped fives, congrats and smiles all around, then we were gone. Jenn and I decided to attempt the 2 Km run home, cuz, we couldn’t do anymore damage anyway.

We made it back, tired, sore, and hungry, but also happy. What a great way to start the day and it’s not even 8AM yet! …. Let’s see what tomorrow holds for my legs and arms… it could be messy.

chris

PS. funny note: I wrote this about 4 hours after we got finished, and after sitting down for an hour, I tried to get up and almost fell over! uh oh! hahaha.

In Cali... again

2009-06-01T12:02:00.013-03:00

Yup, I'm back down here again. This puts my "run-off-to-Cali" count at 11 over the past 8 years. I love hanging out with my friends Brian & Mike, the beach, the sun, the boardwalk, Trader Joe's, Mother's Market, Bri's spin classes, & basically everything. The best part is just the entire lifestyle choices most people make. There are always people out running, biking, working out at 6 AM, the stores are stocked full of healthy, organic, natural foods, and you don't feel out of place loving to train, race, and attempt things that may seem crazy and/or stupid to most people!

I love it down here, obviously, but this time we have an alternate reason to come: the "Rock 'n' Roll" Marathon in San Diego. Jenn wanted to take another stab at a marathon plus to have something to train for and look forward to during the long, cold, frigid Canadian winter.

So, after we arrived in LA on Wed morning, we were off to San Diego on Friday morning. Of course, we took a quick detour at the Carlsbad outlet stores to check out the deals. Jenn got a killer pair of Oakley sunglasses that takes our combined total to roughly 16... man, we should really be sponsored, haha.

Anyways, my favorite part of these huge races is the pre-race expo!! So much free samples, so many cool new products, so many people excited about racing, so many newbies soaking in the atmosphere, etc. There are also some celebrity sightings (well, celebrities to runners and endurance athletes), including the "Ultra-Marathon Man" Dean Karnazes, marathoner Ryan Hall, 1972 Olympic marathon Champion Frank Shorter, pro beach volleyball player Gabby Reece, the great Ironman athlete Michellie Jones, and more!!! I was lovin' it!

Anyways, here's a few pics and vids from the expo. I will hope to get a race report from Jenn soon. Even though she had a very disappointing day (in here eyes) it would be great to read about it, because she just had "one of those days"! If you've ever done any kind of training or racing, you know what "day" I am talking about. It can happen anytime, any day for now reason and with no warning, but for some reason everything goes wrong and you just CAN'T run well!! When those days happen, your only reprieve is usually: "phew, good thing that didn't happen on race day!". Well, for Jenn on Sunday, it did... and it was a marathon.... but she fought through and finished a very, very tough race!

Well done Jenn! Now, to the expo stuff:

Mine and Cliff's hero: Dean!!

Jenn and the Oakley truck! It's a monster

our loot from the expo ;)

Race Report: Cabot Trail Relay!!

2009-05-25T09:39:00.026-03:00

- Cape Breton Road Runners Team
----Some Pics in Here, Great Video to Come Soon----

My first trip to the Cabot Trail Relay was an awesome experience! I can't believe I had never done it before! I never knew how much I was missing out on. Even though, I was really tired and sore for a couple days (mostly from all the time in the car), I don't care, it was a small price to pay. Between all the runners, spectators, the record-breaking performances, the all-night racing, the mountains, the pain, the triumph, etc. - it was an amazing couple of days!

There were teams dressed up as convicts and gnomes, others wearing 80's outfits, an all-women's team wearing pink tutus over their running gear (who were not only hot, but smokin' fast runners, I mean really good), and, most impressive (or insane, depending on your opinion), a team of two! That means they each did half of the total relay of ~280 KMs!! Or, roughly 140 KM each!! Well done Mark and Jodi, incredible job, very motivating!

I was given the chance to take part in the race thanks to the Cape Breton Road Runners. They finished 3rd last year and were going to try and make a run at the top spot this year, so they went out in search of some recruits. One of UNB XC (cross country running) friends, Shawn Miller is from Cape Breton, raced with then last year, and was asked if he could find some other runners from UNB who might want to go. Three of us volunteered and we were in!

The relay consists of 17 separate legs, which are essentially 17 different races, that go on round-the-clock starting Saturday at 7:00 straight through to Sunday at 10AM. Each team member's time is recorded and all are combined at the end for a cumulative total team race time. You don't actually pass a relay baton or anything, all racers start together, with each leg starting at a specified time. In order to keep the schedule, there is a cut-off time for each leg (6-minute per K pace) and, something I think is cool, if your team member doesn't get to the finish in time, your team gets a 5 minute penalty - for being too slow!

There are actually a lot of ways to get time penalties, so you have to be careful. It's a good thing though because they have all been put in place for the safety of the runners, the officials, and the cars since the whole race takes place on public roads.

Anyways, so back to our races. Friday morning we packed up Dave's car (oddly enough, it was a Subaru Outback, just like Cliff's during the LMS adventure) and we drove the 7 hours to Sidney, NS to spend the night with Miller's mom. None of us had to race early on Saturday morning, so we tried to sleep-in, got some breakfast, and went for a little run to loosen up legs - mine felt TERRIBLE, I was really worried.

So, how did we know what legs we were doing? Well, in the order of fairness, all 17 members chose their top 3 legs they wanted to do. All of these were put into a hat and pulled out one at a time. If any of your legs were still open, you got that one, if not, your name went off to the side. Once all the names were pulled, the remaining names went back in the hat, and again pulled out. But this time, you were assigned one of the "unwanted" legs.

Now, most of these "less-desirable" legs are the uber-tough mountain legs or the legs that occur during the middle of the night. Turns out, that somehow, out of the four of us, we all got one of these legs! Miller drew leg #9, I got #10 (2 of the 3 toughest rated legs), Derek got #13 (starts at 2:02 AM), and Dave drew #17 - otherwise known as the "Glory Leg". This is an amazing leg to run because you run into the town of Baddeck where the streets are lined with people cheering you on. But, on the other hand, it is also the 4th toughest leg, and worst of all, you have to try and keep yourself ready to run for over 24 hours while trying to get any sleep when/where-ever you can!

Ok, so as I said, Sat morn, we chilled til around 10, then departed for the Cabot Trail. We wanted to get there in time to watch leg #4, the 3rd big mountain leg, "Smokey" Mountain. As soon as we got there, the atmosphere was amazing, I was lovin' it! There were tons of people cheering on all the runners as a huge "train" of cars (see pic) pass them on the way to the finish.

I guess I should mention how that works. Well, since the race takes place on a public highway, safety is the main thing. So, after the race starts, no cars are allowed to drive on the roads for 10 minutes. Then after that, two "team cars" (for runners aid) are allowed to go, one at 10 and the other at 15 mintues. Then all the reminaing cars can go at 25 minutes - thus the "huge train" of cars.

So, it's really neat, cuz you get to see the start of the race, then the see them in the middle as you drive (and you can stop if there's a spot to pull over), then again at the finish. Now, the finish is just like that of any triathlon/marathon - so great, so much energy!

Alright, this is getting long, now that you know how things work, here's the gist of how us UNB boys did. Miller had to climb up and descend North Mountain (385m elevation) and then a few rolling hills for a total of 18 Km. It was a killer leg, but he did awesome and finished 2nd! Great job dude.

Then, it was my turn. As you would expect, after everything that has happened to me over the last 9 months, I was pretty nervous. I never usually worry about my form, but I really had no idea how things were going to go. But, I felt pretty good during the warmup (as opposed to the run that morning), so that was good. My plan was to just stay as close to the leaders as possible and try and not lose a ton of time. I knew the steep parts would be my weakness so I hoped to open up my stride on the less-steep parts. And, that's just what happened. I would lose so time, then get close again, then drop back as it got steep again. I actually led for the first 3K until we really got into McKenzie Mountain (elev 385m), but, I was super happy with how it went!

I finished 4th, but only lost a little over a minute and was really able to get into a good rhythm! Man, so nice to be racing again!! It was such an amazing experience to be running in the pitch-black darkness, barely being able to see the road ahead of you are dying as you run up the side of a mountain. I think it's something every runner should experience at some point - can't think of much that could compare to it.

Now, Derek: As I said, his race started at 2AM. Leg #13 is only 16K, but not a lot of hills, so not that tough. But, I can't explain just how weird it is to be trying to prepare to run in the middle of the night. But, anyway, Derek ran most of the leg in 2nd, but over the last few K, passed the leader and WON! Awesome job buddy.

Now, Dave. Man, poor Dave. He had, by far the toughest weekend. First of all, he did nearly all of the driving. Plus, he got nearly no sleep because of the ways our legs were spaced out and there were some loud people "celebrating" in the hotel room (not sure who that could have been...insert a "sheepish" tone here...). Also, leg #17 is NOT easy, it's actually a really hard 18.7K route with some tough climbs. Anyways, he did really well too and finished 4th and looked really strong coming into the finishing chute as probably a thousand people cheered him on!

Then, there was the awards banquet, where they fed you lobster or steak. I got lobster and it was delish! Then they gave out plaques for the top three teams and each leg winner got a prize. They also gave something to all the finished of leg #10, MacKenzie Mnt., so I got a really cool picture of the mountain (See pic).

Anyways, sorry this got so long, but it was an amazing weekend! I am definitely going to this again! I'd also like to do it as a team of 3 or 4m and eventually as a team of 2! Now, that would be epic!

Check out the pics, thanks for reading,
chris

- The UNB boys, running on the Cape Breton Road Runners team: left-right: Derek Ferguson, Shawn Miller, Dave Brown, and yours truly

- All the required supplies: water and booze :)

- A view of Smokey Mountain (Leg #4) as we were driving up it - check out all the cars in the "train". This was my intro into the CTR! I was so excited, lol.

Dave finding a nice little spot to lay down and try to grab a nap as we wait for the runners to arrive at the finish of leg #6

- A view of some of the mountains as we are driving up to North Mountain - Leg #9, the one Miller ran

- Miller after his leg (#9), and me just getting ready for mine (#10) - not sure why I'm smiling...

- me getting ready to warm-up for my race - you can see my nervousness

- the looooong drive home to Fredericton after a great three days

- the picture of Mt. MacKenzie (my leg) I got at the awards banquet - it's a mouse pad

Bum No More!

2009-05-20T20:21:00.007-03:00

Yes, yes, the rumors are true .... I, Chris Gairns, full-time, washed-up, Food Network-watching, seizure-ridden, "endurance-athlete", indeed, against all odds and better judgment, actually do have a full-time job! And that's not the most unbelievable part ... that would be the fact that this is an actual engineering job!! I really thought I would never need to use any of the silly 9 years of university nor the 2 degrees for anything productive, but apparently Measurand Inc. had other ideas...

So, I guess the first thing I noticed is that I have a LOT less free time!! Go figure!! Thus, I am having trouble getting some good content up to this blog - I apologize, cuz I actually got some good stuff to blab about (of course, "good" is a relative term here, I mean, when the bar is set so low, most anything can be called "good"). Anyways, so after work, training, cooking, cleaning up the inevitable mess, and laundry, there's not a lot of time left in the day to get anything else done. Man, this job is really cramping my style (again, you have to think in relative terms here).

Oh ya, and my laptop died, so that just complicated things. Anyway, so I'll try to get some stuff up soon. I've got some great videos from the Fredericton Marathon and some good stories about instant motivation and other topics that keep you on the edge of your seat. And after this weekend, I will have some good stories and vids from the Cabot Trail Relay.

If you don't know, it's a 17-leg, all-night relay race through the mountains of Cape Breton. I race late on Saturday night on one of the hardest legs.... great way to break-the-seal on my 8-month hiatus from racing... should be super tough, but I'll be lovin' it! Some teams even drink some beer after their legs as they cheer on their team-mates! Of course I would never partake in activities like that, but for the sake of comedy and "movie-making"... :)

Anyways, as you've probably noticed, I am pretty burnt and tired - I'm still getting used to this "job" thingy, plus just finished a tough workout in Odell, man, the XC boys killed me tonight! Speaking of them, I gotta give a shout-out to some of the UNB team members putting up some great results recently! Adam Campbell was 2nd in the Vancouver Marathon in 2:33.33! Matt Pieterson ran 30:40 for 10Km, and Gillian Lockhart ran 19:50 at the Fredericton Marathon 5Km! Great job guys!!

Alright, off to do some dishes and fold some laundry, man, that's exciting. Lata all
chris

F'ton Marathon Pics - Two First-Time "Halfers"

2009-05-15T08:58:00.017-03:00

So, here we go! A little late, due to computer issues (that being, my laptop wouldn't start!!), but better late than never. Here's a few shots of myself, my dad, mom, and my good friend Marc, who, along with my dad, was doing his first 1/2 marathon. I've also got a bunch of videos from before, during, and after the race that I'll turn into a little movie... stay tuned for that :)

I guess I planted the seed with both of them about running this race a few weeks ago during spin classes. Marc was looking for a challenge and something to work-up-to, so I suggested this half marathon. He'd been running a bit anyway, plus doing the spin classes all winter, so he was pretty fit. Then on Wed of last week, he said he'd signed up! I was excited and told him I'd run with him for a bunch of the race. Now, I know this is against the rules and "frowned upon", but so is wearing an Ipod and nearly half of the people racing these days do that (I can't stand people doing that, but, that's a whole other story in it's self....another time...).

So, I had committed to running with one person on Sunday, then my dad mentioned he had thought about the race too. I'm not sure how serious he was, but once I heard that news, I got pumped again! Now, two years ago dad had been running all winter/spring and was getting really quick and was going to run a 10K (I think), then he broke his ankle. Then last year, he was doing the same thing, but then hurt his shins and couldn't race again.

This year, however, he didn't do much running all winter, but became hooked on my spin classes and had been doing then at least twice per week since Oct, so he is very fit. Plus, in March, I was offering back-to-back classes, to deal with the demand, and sometimes he would do both, and then go play hockey for an hour!! Seeing him do that, I knew he'd have no trouble running a half-marathon. I'm not sure he thought he could though. So, last Thurs, I emailed him the race details, he checked it out and said "sign me up" ... so I did! And, again, I told him I'd run some of the race with him.

So, on race day, I planned to run with Marc at the start for about 5K (he'd be faster than dad), then run back to meet dad and run with him for a few K. Then, after Marc hit the turn-around point and met up with dad and I, I'd run with him to the finish, then run back to meet dad and do the same! It turned out to be a great day for both of them and I managed to get a good 22K run in :) I should also thank Jenn, who ran back with Dad before I got there - the three of us trotted back together.

Ok, this is getting a bit long, so here's the pics!
Side note: If you like the LiveMultiSport jersey I am wearing, let me know. I've a bunch more that you can get for cheap, say $15.

- this is all the stuff I crammed into my little back-pack that I ran with. Just in case the fellas needed some Gatorade, gels, extra clothes, etc...

- me and Mom, pre-race. Happy Mother's Day!! Love you, mom :)

- Marc and Mom, pre-race

- Marc and Dad during the "pre-race warm-up calisthenics" offered by Goodlife Fitness instructors. Now, two things about this shot:
1) This was hilarious and I've a good video of it, this pic doesn't do it justice and
2) Can you spot dad? He's the one wearing the ugly yellow/navy jacket that, for as long as I can remember, has been around!

- me and Dad, pre-race

- Dad at 2K - looking strong!

- me and Marc post-race, all smiles!

- Marc and Dad, post-race. Notice the weather change. A 7:00AM it was 12 degrees and humid, by 10:00AM, it was raining, windy and cold - about 5 degrees! See that water bottle? Dad was so cold and tired that he could barely get the top off!

Well done fellas! So proud :)
This is a feeling that I really, really enjoyed and I want to get it more! That being, helping people complete a goal that they'd weren't sure they could do! I loved seeing the sense of accomplishment on their faces and in their eyes! I want to help more people do stuff like that!

Chris

Fredericton Marathon: Pics and Such

2009-05-13T08:12:00.000-03:00

Hey Guys,

I've got a ton of pics, vids, and stories from the Fredericton Marathon this past Sunday, but my laptop is toast and I just started a new job, so having some issues getting them up. But, I'll try to get up tonight :)

chris

April 25 - May 3: Signs of Life!

2009-05-03T16:29:00.006-03:00

So, last time I checked in, I was not feeling so good. But, as you can see from my recent Twitter updates (---->), um... I mean "tweets" haha. Anyway, things are starting to turn around again, for the better. This was actually a really good week.

Monday, I was still feeling the effects of being sick all weekend, so I just layed low until spin class. I was hoping that would make me feel better, but it didn't, and kinda knocked me out for another day and I had to take Tuesday and just rest some more. But, finally on Wed morning, I was sick of sitting around and made myself go for a little run into Odell Park before spin class. I knew if I was ever gonna feel better about running again, it would have to be in there!

So, I jogged over and did a few hills in there and ended up with 10K before heading over to STU to teach spin. Then after that I got my usual mid-afternoon lull and needed a nap and felt like crap. But, I had another Cross-Country team workout at 5:30, so, again, I made myself get out and go. And, this time, to my surprise, as I started running straight up Regent street, I felt really good! I was not expecting that at all!

The workout was really good too! There was an insanely strong wind that day and we ended up running each interval directly into it... uphill! It was so tough, but was awesome. I loved it! The workout was only 4 x 1200m with a short 200m jog in between, but I managed to run negatives splits (each one faster than the previous) and was really encouraged afterward.

Thursday, I really felt the effects of Wed, but at least this time there was good reason. I layed low again until my spin class at 5:00PM and did a short little 6K run before class - it's always a nice little warm-up.

Then Friday: it was pouring rain! And, for anyone who knows me, I absolutely love it when it's pouring. I always go running in Odell and hammer up and down my fav trails. I'm not sure why I love it so much, but I love being drenched, bloody, muddy, etc... I will write about that in another post, haha. Anyways, I hammered around in the rain and the hills for 16K and felt so good after! I finally felt like myself again!! It was a good feeling!

Sat, I was still kinda tired from the run on Friday, but I felt like listening to some tunes and spinning, so I ran up to the gym and did a little spin. Then, on the run home, I decided to do a few hill strides - hey, I gotta get all the hills in I can to get ready for this race. So,I did 6 x 150m and didn't feel to bad - it's kinda nice to do some "speed" work again :)

Later on Sat I had a run planned with my buddy Ryan, so right after the end of the Pens-Caps game (man, what a save by Varlomov on Crosby! Unbelievable!). Anyway, he wanted to do 14K and, just like last week, we got into a good rhythm and cruised through the run at 4:40 per Km pace. It was really nice and didn't feel that hard! That's a very good sign. I remember saying back in Feb that I was looking forward to when a 12K easy run would take 58 mins and not 70. Well, on Sat I ended up doing 15K in 70mins! Good day.

And, then Sunday! I only had another 10K to do for my 75Km total for the week, but I still wanted to get in a hill tempo run. There's a great ("great" is a relative term here) 3KM uphill section that we used to run during the winters. I felt like doing that, so I suffered through that first thing Sunday morning: 3.1KM in 13:10 - not very fast, but a benchmark to work from.

30 minutes after I got back from the run I had to get my road bike out of hibernation for my first ride since....let me check my training log... September 9th!! Wow, that's a long time. My buddies Antoine and Jason and I did a ~60Km around Mactaquac. It was tough and my legs were fried after about 5 minutes, but man, was it ever nice to get out again!

Anyway, so that was my week. It seems like there are a few good signs that there is a light at the end of this seizure-induced, depression-laced, sickness-aided tunnel.
Knock on wood :)

chris

Ughhhh....

2009-04-24T08:38:00.004-03:00

This can't be happening again...
I can't be getting sick again...
This is ridiculous...
As I've said like 20 times, I went 4 years without as much as a sniffle, but now it seems as though my immune system has disappeared! Ughhh....
Although, this doesn't seem to be nearly as bad as the previous couple of rounds, I am feeling quite uncomfortable with an ever-running nose.... If only I could run that fast!

Luckily, this was to be a "low week" anyway, meaning a lower total volume of training, so I won't miss much training and hopefully I can recover fully for Monday. The reason is that I'm going to put myself into a "training camp-like" atmosphere for the next three weeks as I try to get ready for the Cabot Trail Relay race on May 23rd. As I said before, I've got to run leg #10 which happens to be a 14.7 Km race that is 100% uphill. If this doesn't get me motivated enough to get myself back into racing shape, nothing will :)

chris

Cabot Trail Relay

2009-04-19T09:30:00.003-03:00

There's no turning back now! I guess I'm going to be making my return to racing on Saturday, May 23rd, at 21:35 AST (9:35 PM). Why am I racing at night? Well, I will be lining up at the start line for Stage 10 of the 2009 Cabot Trail Relay Race. I was asked if I'd like to run with the Cabe Breton Road Runners about a month ago. I had always heard good things about this race, so I said I'd love to.

When they asked me what three legs I'd like to run, I picked a few of the "easier" ones (legs 3, 7, and 8). Of course, because of the winter I've had, I don't know how well I can do on a 18K race up and down hills. Plus, this team is really competitive and want to move up from their 3rd place finish last year! So, they really want to do well and have all the runners doing a leg that suits them best.

The way the "leg draw" worked is as follows:
- all team members picked their top 3 legs they'd like to run
- they put all these in a hat and start drawing names
- if your 1, 2, or 3 leg choice is still available, you get that one
- if not, you name goes off to the side and they wait til all names are drawn
- they put all those leftover names back in the hat and draw again
- then they just start filling up the empty legs as they pull names out of the hat.

I figured that with my luck, I'd get one of the crazy hard legs that start at 3:30 AM! Well, at least both of those didn't happen, but I did get a pretty tough leg. From the "Leg Description" from the website, stage 10 is rated a difficulty 5 - the toughest there is! It's 14.7K that is 100% hill!! No joke! It's all uphill! Here's the description:

"This leg is for people who like running up hills. The first 3.1 km are just to warm up & get you to the base of MacKenzie Mountain (otherwise known as The Snake). The route then climbs 385m snaking back & forth up the side of the mountain for 6.2 km. It then levels off for the rest of the leg & finishes at the parking lot on the right at Benjie’s Lake."

But, at least I don't have to race in the middle of the night :)

Here's the profile of all the legs:

So, I guess I've got to get fast again, and do it quick! I've got five weeks, minus two days to get ready. Coincidentally, Jenn's marathon is the next weekend, so we are both getting serious now. Not that we weren't before, but now it's hardcore. At least 8 hours of sleep per night, lots of healthy salads, salmon, fruit smoothies, no more junk food, no sweets, no beer, etc! I'm really looking forward to how I'm going to feel in four weeks!

I can't wait, it should be an amazing event! I'll bring the cameras with me and get some pics and vids! Anyways, wish me luck :)

Chris

A Day In The Life...

2009-04-17T07:57:00.009-03:00

...of an unemployed, out-of-shape, overweight, coming-off-injury endurance athlete trying to get back to where he once was:

6:08AM: Alarm #1 goes off
6:10AM: Alarm #2 goes off and I roll out of bed
6:13AM: I stumble over to our automatic, programmable coffee maker to get a cup of black liquid gold only to realize there is nothing there!...
6:14AM: After about 30 seconds of trying to figure out why there was no coffee, I realized that I forgot to put the water in the night before...oops, guess I'm not so bright in the morning and, apparently, at night either! (you like that one Carla? haha)
6:18AM: After I finally decipher the mystery of the missing coffee and making some more, I enjoy some delicious, wake-me-up brew, yum
6:45AM: Ready to run! Out the door with Jenn for an easy 10K
7:35AM: Back from a great, refreshing morning run. It was a little chilly, but very nice. Gotta love morning sun and crisp air, beautiful was to start the day.
7:45AM: Play with our kitties and get some bkfast: oatmeal, strawberry/banana/yogurt smoothie, more coffee, an apple, and some brown rice, yum.
8:15-10AM: Check my email, facebook, LMS website, and search for a job.
10:00AM: "Chef at Home" is on! He's my Fav "Food Network" host! I love this show (more about him in an upcoming post)
10:37AM: Time for a short 15-min nap during the 2nd episode of "Chef at Home".
11:15AM: Grab a small snack (A few almonds) before walking over to the gym for swim workout.
11:33AM: Ready to swim, got time to kill, so I sit in the shower before they let us in the pool.
11:40AM: Still in the shower...
11:45AM: Still in the shower...
11:48AM: Ok, they finally let us in! Man, the water is COLD!
1:00PM: Done! After a killer 3000m swim, I'm toast. Man, what a great workout! My buddy Evan has really worked on his swimming over the past year and now we workout together. Awesome motivation to have a group to train with! So nice!
1:10PM: I walk home and enjoy another apple. Man, I love apples.
1:20PM: Alright, some more food. This meal is always tricky for me. I still have another workout to do (run/bike), so I can't eat a lot, but I am so hungry. I make myself a sweet potato tossed with a tomato, black beans, and peas, seasoned with S&P - actually tastes pretty good. I wash that down with some green tea and a bowl of Mult-grain Cheerios, quinoa, and yogurt. I still need some more protein, so I have a small can of tuna. This is not so tasty, but I need it.
1:45PM: More job-hunting, email checking, facebooking
2:30PM: ITunes time. I hook up the IPod and get some tunes ready for spin class tonight. Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch baby! hahaha
3:00PM: Chattin' with my buddy Evan on MSN. I still have an 8K run to do before the weekend. I was thinking about Friday morning cuz I am pretty tired, but he is going at 4 which gives just enough time to get up to spin afterward. It's really nice and sunny out and I feel good, so screw-it, let's roll!
3:30PM: Play with girls (my cats, Sady and Kona) a little more and my stuff ready for spin.
3:55PM: Out the door for run #2. It seems that my lunch was not the best choice: too much fiber (go figure)! My gut is super bloated and I look really fat, haha. Ah well!
4:00PM: After 5 minutes of jogging around, Ev shows up and we start our workout. It's funny, after about 6 months of training separately, doing completely different things, we had the same 30-min tempo run planned!
4:05PM: Let's go! 30-min tempo, starting easy and keep picking it up. Ev is tired also from a tough week, which is lucky for me, cuz I am SLOW!
4:35PM: DONE! That's was tough, but so nice to get it done and to get out running with my training partner again! I hope this is a sign of good things to come.
4:38PM: After running up to my apt to get my spin stuff, I have to run straight up "college hill" to the STU gym! uggghhh....
4:45PM: Ev joins me and we make it up there, huffing and puffing. I am beat red and now gotta get ready to teach a spin class!
5:00PM: All stuff is ready to roll, let's go!
5:30PM: I am feeling good and really feel like pushing it! I usually try to crank up the intensity on Thurs night spin cuz you get the whole weekend to relax. How about some Metallica, CCR, All-American Rejects, and Offspring?! That outta do it.
6:00PM: Spin is done, great workout! I feel so good.
6:10PM: Me and Mark MacTavish shoot some hoops after each spin class. We play some H-O-R-S-E. We both suck, but it's super fun. Mark beat me last time, so I gotta regain my title.
6:20PM: After a bunch of bricks and air-balls, I somehow managed to make enough baskets to win! Weehee, suck it MacTavish!
6:25PM: Throw on the running shoes and run back down the hill to the apt. My legs are pretty tired, so I try to run on the grass as much as possible.
7:00PM: After a shower and stretch, time to make some dinner. I am dead tired and don't feel like cookin', but there's nothing else to eat.
7:30PM: I somehow managed to make a really good meal! A great batch of veggie fajitas on organic corn tortillas and brown rice for me. Roasted BBQ chicken thighs and pototoes for Jenn (she's a carnivore). And the best part, when Jenn was walking down the hall in our apt she smelled something delicious cooking just hoping it was coming from our place... and for once, it actually was! Jenn also made some perogies to go with the chicken - we are turning into quite the little chefs, thanks to the Food Network.
8:00PM: Hockey time! Woohoo! I love the NHL playoffs! Great games every night, can't beat that.
9:00PM: Time for Survivor! I move back and forth between that and the Montreal-Boston game and have another snack - more Cheerios. Cereal makes a great evening snack, provided it not loaded with sugar and has some fiber and whole grains.
10:00PM: Bed! I'm tired.

Now, obviously, I don't do this stuff everyday, that's a recipe for burnout and injury (or seizures in my case). But, these kinda days really encourage me and feel like I can be fast again sometime... hopefully soon...

Thanks for following along,
chris

My Naked Wrist!

2009-04-11T15:53:00.013-03:00

I knew this day would come eventually, I just hoped it never would. On Friday morning, I was moving a chair when looked down and saw something laying on the seat that pierced me to my very soul. The sight alone shocked me and elicited a bellowing "Oh nooooo!" as I fought to hold back the metaphorical tears. Something that had been a part of me for over 5 years had been torn from my wrist and now lay listless on that chair. This single simple item had brought me hope and motivation and played a major role in turning me into the athlete I've become. To look at my naked wrist now makes me feel that something is missing. What I am talking about is a yellow "LiveStrong" band and here's the story behind it's personal meaning:

These bands are still very popular now, but about five or six years ago, this was a huge fad. Lance was in the midst of his dominance of the Tour de France and started this campaign as a way to raise money for cancer research. By donating a single dollar or two, you could get your own band and show your support for the fight against cancer. It seemed that everyone, from celebrities, to athletes, to everyday people was wearing one.

At this time, I was in my first year as being the captain of the UNB Varsity Cross-Country Team and I was looking for a way to keep the team members motivated over the summer. Typically, what happened to some runners was that as they left school in the summer and didn't have the constant motivation of their fellow team members, their training lagged and they'd come back in the fall out-of-shape and starting from scratch as the season started. Of course, at this point it is much too late to start training as the season is very disappointing. So, my solution was to buy and give a LiveStrong band to each member. The point being that on those days when your motivation was a little lacking, you would look at your wrist, see the band, think of your fellow team members, be reminded of how they are counting on you and get your ass out there and run!

It worked very well and for the final three seasons of my university running I used this band as motivation. And after I finished university, I kept it on my wrist. Actually, during the first year, I think I went through two bands, but since then it was that single yellow band. Through every race, every 6-hour training ride, every trip to California, all through the LiveMultiSport adventure, the two trips to the hospital, my wedding, etc. this band was there. You can see it in all these pics.

It may sound dumb that a inanimate object can mean so much, but it is kinda sad that it's not on my wrist anymore. But, really, I never took it off; not to swim or sleep, so I do kinda feel naked without it. Ah well, maybe it's a good thing. Out with the old, in with the new! Time to get something new! Hmmm.... I know you will all be waiting with baiting breathe to see what I decide, so I'll let you know as soon as I do!

Remember to always LIVESTRONG!
Chris

UNB XC & LMS at the Atlantic Cross-Country Champs

2009-04-07T16:39:00.005-03:00

This is clip I made up in November, but youtube has disabled the audio due to copyright reasons (the music), so here it is with the sound.

Great 28K Run and $5 Richer!

2009-04-04T10:43:00.012-03:00

Each weekend, Jenn has two important runs to do in her marathon training: a long run and a "pace" run. We both usually take Friday as our "off" day, but sometime things come up on the weekend that force us to move one of these runs to Friday, so we can either Saturday or Sunday as a recovery day. This is usually due to the effects of a party the night before ...

Side note: getting older SUCKS! Just can't go out and party all night like I used to, and still get up the next morning and workout as if nothing happened ... I hate it! As hard as I try sometimes to pretend I can still do it, it just doesn't turn out like I'd hoped..... uuuggghhhhh....

Anyway... now that I'm all depressed, where was I? Oh ya, weekend runs. So, on Friday, we were going to try to do the "pace" run, but we decided (aka "were forced") to rest, since we were both toast. So, we decided to do the long run on Saturday and the other on Sunday. Thing was, Jenn had to work at 10:00, meaning she has to be back at 9:20 at the latest. Doing the math, a 28K run will take us about 2 hours, 30 minutes, if you account for pee and food breaks. Thus, we gotta be on the road by 6:50 at the latest. But, cuz we are always slow, we aimed for 6:30 AM.

At 5:50, alarm #1 went off and was quickly squashed with my arm and emphatic "UGGH!" Then 2 minutes later alarm #2 goes off, then 1 minute after that our auto coffee maker starts up - we've got one that grinds whole beans, so it's super loud for about 20 seconds! Then another minute later Jenn's cell phone alarm goes off, blasting Billy Idol's "Mony Mony"! And, it took pretty much all of those to get us up!

So, I literally rolled out of bed and got a nice big cup of coffee and turned on TSN. Great thing: the qualifying for the F1 Malaysian Grand Prix was on. (That's a random thing to say... ah well, whatever.) I made us a little banana, strawberry, yogurt smoothie and pounded that down with the coffee. Man, did that help!

So, we rolled out at 6:50 into the dark, wet morning... it was great! I had planned a few different 28K routes for us to do, but we didn't feel like doing a big long, out-and-back loop. So we decided to do a short 7 K loop around town four times. This might sound awful and torturous, especially to run by your house 3 times without being able to stop, but sometimes I find I'm just in the mood to do loops. This way, I can occupy my mind by timing how fast we are on each lap at different checkpoints.

Another benefit of running right by your home is that you can stop in grab something if needed. After the first loop, we needed this pit-stop for a "natural break" (as they say in European cycling terms), to de-layer (we were too hot), and to grab some more water. And the best part: as we were walking in, something in the snow caught me eye. I walked past, then turned around to go back and check. It was a $5 bill! Woohoo! I'm rich! I think that since I made $5 during my run, I can call myself a "professional" runner! :)

Anyway, after our break, we felt great and finished the rest of the run. The time went by fast, we kept a great pace, and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing! I felt so good at the end, that I did a 750m interval around Queen's Square! The same that I did last Sunday. My times last week, after a 16K run were 2:46, 2:47, 2:43 2:39. Today, my single interval, after 27K was 2:41 and it felt GOOD!! Not super fast, but not too shabby. I really feel like I am close to being back!

Oh ya, one more thing: I wore my "new" shoes that I wrote about last week... well, they don't look so new anymore! Ah well... as my buddy Miller would say, "sad day"...

Keep running!
Pro Runner Chris signing off...

DOH! ... April Fools! ... you got me....

2009-04-03T12:18:00.007-03:00

So, as most of you know, myself and Cliff started a website (LiveMultiSport.com) that promotes our love of the outdoors and a "multi-sport" lifestyle. Anyways, so, with the help of a few other authors, we add content to the site daily. Sometimes, it's our own content and sometimes it's borrowed (with proper acknowledgments) from another source.

Most of the time, before I post something, I check the validity of the facts. I'm not a trained journalist of course, but I still like to be safe. But, earlier this week, I read something from Cyclingnews (by the way, my fav site for all cycling-related news) that I found just incredible! The story stated that Lance Armstrong had a "secret surgery" to shorten his clavicles in order to optimize his TT position and gain a few seconds in a time-trial! It sounds unbelievable, but having read a LOT of stuff about Lance and his desire and dedication to win, it's not 100% out of the realm of possibility that he could do something like this!

Since I was in a hurry and wanted to get it up quickly, I didn't check the facts. I wrote up a little blurb and posted the story on LMS. But, not only did I not check for this story anywhere else, I didn't even read any of the other news "stories" within that group! (Cyclingnews usually posts 8-10 news stories at once, twice per day). I also failed to notice the date or the title of that group of stories: "Édition Avril Imbécile"!! aka, "April Fools"....

It wasn't til the next day that I just happened to look back at that group again and read through them... I was like: "these sound pretty crazy"! Then is dawned on me! Man, I'm an idiot! I quickly went on LMS and added two words to my original post, "April Fools", trying to play it off as if I'd planned it all along...oops...

'til next time, happy journalisming... is that a word? meh, whatever, I'm a pro, I can make up my own words!
Chris

Highs and Lows

2009-03-31T15:07:00.002-03:00

The past few months have been very unusual, for obvious reasons, but there have been some other unexpected repercussions that I'm still trying to get used to. One of the major ones are the crazy swings in energy that I seem to get nearly everyday. I wouldn't go as far to say they are "mood swings", but, yes, I do feel pretty grumpy sometimes and very pleased others. I think the mood changes are in response to the energy levels, not a cause of. But, anyway, these "swings" were pretty severe in February and the beginning of March, but now they seem to have lessened, thankfully.

It's hard to explain exactly what was happening or how I felt during these "swings", but it was/is unusual. Simply put, sometimes I would feel amazing, with a ton of energy, motivation, and ability to do anything. It might be a run, a swim, lifting weights, some yoga, or simply doing the laundry or dishes. Other times, I literally could not get off the couch! These "down" swings would come without much notice and would leave me useless. I would just be extremely exhausted, to the point that I couldn't do anything else but lay on the couch and watch TV or sleep. I should mention here, that the drug I am on to control my seizures has one major side-effect: drowsiness, which is a major factor in all of this.

It's like something I'd never experienced before. I've been really tired before, from pulling an all-night thesis-editing session or a red-eye flight home from California. I've been physical exhausted from two half-Ironmans in 6 days or a 7-hour run in the mountains of Tucson. I've been stuck in bed all day with a massive headache, nausea, and extreme discomfort from a nasty hangover. But, none of those really can compare with the utter feeling of uselessness during these "low" times. It wasn't as if I simply didn't want to do anything, or I was just a little bit drowsy, it was that I couldn't do it!

On the flip side, the "high" times are wonderful! They usually occur after a workout when the endorphins are pumping or sometimes or first thing in the morning. That's the feeling I want to experience again! It's the way I used to be most of the time, but at this point I would settle for somewhere in the middle.

As I said, the past few weeks have been much better. Somehow, I forgot that exercise always helps everything feel better. So, when I felt like I might be getting a "low", I'd make myself go for a short run or jump on the bike trainer or something. That always seems to help, because you never feel worse after a workout than before.

Anyways, I think I'm getting a bit sleepy, off to the gym :)
chris

A REAL Run Workout!!

2009-03-27T09:44:00.006-03:00

I did it! I did a "real" run workout! Woohoo!
It was nothing special and definitely not fast, but on Thursday, I did some actual, outdoor run intervals again! It's the first ones I've done since....let me check my training log....October 18th! Wow, that's a long time and man, did it EVER feel good. The sun was shining, it was 10 degrees, the roads were clear again, it was great!

As I said, the times themselves were not amazing, but I got that feeling back again. It's hard to explain, but it was just like it should have felt: nice and easy at first, then start to feel it around halfway through as it gets harder, then fairly tough 'til about 90% done, then just kick it til the end.

The workout was 2 x 2 KM with a 500m jog (3 minutes) in between with a 4.5K warm up and 3 K cool down, so 12 K total. The times were 7:34 and 7:21. I was really surprised with how my legs responded to an "up pace". I haven't done nearly any speed work, so I though it would be really just to get going into a higher gear, but it seemed to be there right away. Again, this is all relative, my "fast" pace now is barely faster than my "half-marathon" pace from a few years, but who's counting? :)

I finished off the day with an easy swim with some drills (we were actually going to video ourselves for some analysis, but some technical difficulties derailed that plan), then up to STU to teach a couple 60 mins spin classes, then off to hockey for the last ice time of the year! And, of course, just as I am really tired, the rink attendants give us extra time and of course, I can't leave "free" ice! So, it turned into a 1 hour and 20 mintue game (with only a few subs)!

What a great day! And they best part: I'm not completely toasted today! But, I will enjoy my day off :)
Chris

Goalies gone wild!

2009-03-26T08:23:00.003-03:00

Man, this was the "Top 10" on TSN SportsCentre (a show I've been watching every morning for as long as I can remember) this morning! I love it! I had the biggest smile on my face the whole time!! And, check out number 2 on the list: my boy Felix! I love him! Oh man, what a great tilt, I love that clip! Check out the second video for an even better video of that fight. So good. Felix held right in there with Hextall, the bigger and more experienced fighter!

New Shoes!

2009-03-24T10:57:00.004-03:00

Is there really anything sweeter than lacing a brand-new pair of shoes and going for that first run?! I think not...Such a great feeling. Sometimes I forget how good a new pair of shoes are! It seems silly, but when you just keep running in the same 1 or 2 pairs for a while, you don't really notice that they are getting pretty worn. But, for me, I seem to notice almost instantly. It's funny, but one day they'll be fine, then I'll go the next day and I can feel that they are toast, it's weird.

Over the past 6 months, my running can only be described as sporadic, at best. Thus, I think I've forgotten how shoes are suppose to feel. When I was having enough trouble just getting myself out the door for a 20-minute run on sore legs, with a "foggy" head, 15 lbs overweight, and nasty chest cold, the least of my worries was my shoes. But, over the past few weeks, as I gotten up to 50-60 K per week and my other issues are lessening, I started to notice that my Asics are pretty close to their end. I can usually get anywhere from 500-700 K on each pair (yes, I track it), and I was approaching that on the two pairs I've been rotating.

So, on Monday, I went down to Radical Edge to grab a new pair - Asics Kayano (been running in this style for years). As soon as I put them on, it was an instantaneous wonderful feeling! Man, were they ever comfy! Running in those old ones, I totally forgot how good they feel!

This reminds me of a common mis-conception people have about new shoes. Some people think you have to "work-in" new shoes, meaning, that they don't feel really good at first. But, after you wear them enough, they'll feel better. This is WRONG! New shoes should ALWAYS feel good the first time you put them on! If your feet are not smiling the first time you try them on, KEEP LOOKING!

Happy running :)
chris

New Green Day Album!

2009-03-19T12:34:00.004-03:00

I love Green Day! My favorite band since I first listened to Dookie, hanging out with my buddy Steve, back in '94. Man, good times. I'm not one of those people who just jumped on the "American Idiot" bandwagon in '04! I've bought every album they've ever come out with, including live albums ad "B-side" record (which really wasn't that good, but I still love it). So, of course I'm pumped to learn that they've got a new album coming out this May, titled "21st Century Breakdown". I can't wait!
Check out this wicked trailer!

Will-be Ultra-Marathoner! ... In 9 Months

2009-03-11T07:19:00.007-03:00

So, I did it! I signed up for the "North Face Endurance Challenge" Championship on Dec 5th. A 50-mile (yes, 50 miles, as in 80 KM, as in almost two marathons back-to-back!) through the mountains of northern California, in San Francisco.

My LiveMultiSport partner, Cliff, is also signed up! We are going to bring the cameras and capture the action (that's a relative term, maybe "punishment" is more appropriate). Either way, it should be quite entertaining and an experience I can hardly wait to do!

This race just happens to be the race that our hero, Dean Karnazes (pictured) made his ultra debut 15 years ago. He's actually going to be there this year too! So, hopefully we can get an exclusive interview :)

Drugs Anyone?

2009-03-04T15:13:00.002-04:00

First off, Happy B'day MOM!! Love you! now, to my story:

I hate taking drugs, for anything! I've always wanted to try and make my body and immune system as strong as possible, by natural means - specific diet, healthy & natural food, vitamins, enough sleep, exercise, etc. This way, I'd be able to fight off any possible viruses, colds, flus, etc., without the need of any "Western" meds.

And, for four years, it worked. From the summer of 2004 until this past fall, I really had no significant illnesses - basically nothing that had lasted longer than a single day! Even, during the "Great Canadian" winters, when most people where are stuck indoors and sick, I never contracted anything. I can't even really remember missing a major workout due to sickness.

But, of course, all that changed on my Birthday last year... It seems I am a big wimp now - both mentally, physically, and immunitally (I just made-up a word, it describes the state of your immune system). Anyways, so I got sick at the end of December, and had another little relapse on January 10th, spent two months trying to get back to normal, then got sick again last week.

Now, as I said, I HATE taking medication. But for two months, I hadn't gotten a complete night's sleep because I was so congested. I would wake up every couple hours to clear my sinuses, had a lovely new snore, and had a sore, dry throat in the morning from being force to breathe through my mouth. This was made even worse last week, when the congestion made it's way into my lungs, which made for a great, non-stop, murmur in my throat in every breathe and bad coughing fits. Needless to say, I COULDN'T TAKE IT ANMORE!

So, I made an appointment with my doc to get this checked-out. Now, the main problem I don't like with "Western" medication is that is seems like the response to anything is always drugs. "Here, take these pills, they'll fix you". I sometimes just think that the pills are just the easy (lazy) way out. Instead of figuring out what's causing the problem and working to fix it, it's just easier to take a pill. Of course, there are times when new meds are absolutely necessary, I just don't like that always being the first option, without any thought to anything else. Anyway, I digress.

So, as I met the doc (my regular one was on vacation, so I had a replacement), she asked what was wrong, listened to my back and chest and prescribed me three separate drugs. This was exactly what I didn't like! Our entire encounter literally took less than 1 minute and she had three things to make it all better. Normally, I would have slowed down, talked a bit more, asked some questions, but at this point, I didn't care. I just wanted to make it through an entire night without a pile of Kleenex on the floor in the morning and a headache from non-stop coughing.

The worst part about this whole ordeal is that our health insurance ran out on Sept. 1st, last year. Since, we were super busy with the wedding, moving, and other crap, we didn't get around to getting more before I had my little episode on the 11th! And, we still have no coverage, not good. So, when I went to pay for my three "fixes", I nearly shit my pants when I saw the cost! They were each over $50!! I couldn't believe it! But, again, I just wanted to get some sleep, so I sucked it up and paid (or, I should say, my mom did) the $167. Thanks Mom, love you :)

So, now I am on five separate drugs, the three news beauties plus the existing puffer for my "exercise-induced asthma" and my super-fun seizure meds! Turns out, there's no research into how all these react together (the pharmacist said) other than, the effects of the seizure meds might be enhanced. Thus, the fatigue, drowsiness, and lack-of focus will be even greater! Awesome...

Anyways, so I guess I'm ok. I've slept for two straight nights, so I can't complain. But, I am still coughing a ton, maybe even more, but my sinuses are better. And, yes, the effects of the seizure meds have been enhanced, but more that later.

Chris

Great Weekend of Running!

2009-03-02T07:45:00.006-04:00

After 4 very rough weeks of running I finally started to feel a little better. But then, last Sunday (as I spent all day trying to upload this video) I came down with a lovely cold and I pretty much spent 2 days lounging around the apt with no energy, coughing and blowing my nose - good times. After bragging about I'd never been sick in about 4 years, it's happened twice in 2 months...awesome. Oh, by the way, I was a JOY to be around, Jenn is a very lucky girl ;)

Anyways, so, last week I didn't run for 5 days and by Saturday I was feeling a lot better except for a hacking cough. Probably not the best idea to run, but, Jenn (pic, running) had a 7-mile to do, so I decided to join. And, really, when do I ever do the smartest thing anyway?

The temp was +6 deg C, which was very nice, and it was raining, which I also love, so off we went. Jenn also hadn't run all week, so we had very low expectations. I mapped out a 7-mile loop, including some hills, and off we went. As we went along, we were both feeling really good and actually enjoying our run! But, along the way, the temp kept dropping and the rain starting to turn to sleet. This was made even worse during the last 3 miles as we ran into a headwind, so we were getting nailed in the face by the ice pellets! But, to both our surprise, we were lovin' it! Especially after last Sunday, when we had to cut a 10-mile short and could barely even finish 10K...and, even THAT was terrible!

But, for the first time in about six months I was thoroughly enjoying running! I can't explain exactly how running into cold headwind, ice pellets, on icy roads while almost getting run over by cars can be so enjoyable, but it just does. It's funny, but it's the reason why we run in the first place I guess - just for these days.

On Sunday, Jenn had a 14-mile run on the sched. Until now, we had been "easing" into her schedule (cutting the long runs down a bit), but we after the great run on Sat, we decided to just jump into it. The temp wasn't nearly as nice (-14 deg), but luckily not too windy, so it wasn't that bad. We met up with a good friend of mine, Jason, along the way. Jason used to be a co-captain of the UNB Cross-Country team with me, and we were "best-men" at each others' weddings. Anyways, he hadn't been running much either, but decided to do the whole 22.5K with us - it was great. (Here's a pic from the turn-around point).

Obviously, 22.5K isn't a huge run and six months ago, that would just be a long-ish workout. But, now, after all that's happened, I feel like I'm almost starting all-over again - basically, I've been put back to where I was 4 years ago. Back then, each "long" run I did was a new PB. The first time I ever ran 18K, then 20, then 22... it was great. It's not quite as fun this time around, but it's what I have to do to get back to where I was last year.

Chris

Tiger Returns

2009-02-25T16:29:00.002-04:00

As Tiger Woods returns to golf this week after knee surgery last summer, I thought it prudent to show this video I took of him last year at this very tournament. The tourney is the "World Match Play Golf Championship " from Arizona. As it turned out, the course was only a short 45-minute bike ride from our apartment in Tucson last Feb! So, I grabbed my camera, rode over and took this video... check it out, pretty funny.

My Application for "Best Job in the World"

2009-02-23T07:14:00.003-04:00

If you haven't heard, the "Best Job in the World" is a promotion by Tourism Queensland in Australia. The job entails living rent-free while traveling and exploring around Hamilton Island as you blog, take pics, and describe your adventures, it sounds awful. And the pay is barely enough for food as you only get paid ~$140,000 (CAN) for six months. Despite this, thousands of people have applied.

Unfortunately, my application did not get received! I literally tried for 12 hours yesterday to upload this video to their website. But, because their server was overflowed with other hopefuls doing the same, I kept getting "timed-out", and could never complete the application process. Now, the application period has ended, so, unless somethings happens, my very slim chance is now zero. Oh well, better luck next time :)

Chris

Positive Feelings

2009-02-21T06:01:00.008-04:00

I know I seem to write a lot about how I feel and my mental perspective to training, racing, and life in general. Who knew I was such a philosopher? I never used to think that how you feel about a certain activity really played a huge role in your performance. Of course, if you love something, you're going to want to do it more than if you hate it, but you get my drift.

The reason I thought about this in the first place, was that I got a feeling of "I'M BACK!", during my 2nd spin class on Thursday night. It was a very welcome feeling. I can't described exactly what it was, just during one of the harder, "climbing" songs after I'd done over 90mins of spinning, I had this burst of adrenaline! That doesn't sound like anything special, but when I've been having trouble just getting out the door for a 20mins run, it was a very, very nice. It's just like how I used to feel during hard intervals, races, workouts and one that I hadn't had in a while. Needless to say, I was loving it! I hope this means I am turning a corner in the way things are going.

Anyway, as I started writing about "feelings" during sport, I started thinking about other examples and another recent one came to mind:

I noticed that I even do the same thing playing hockey. As a goalie, how you are feeling once you suit up, get on the ice, and start taking the first few shots seems to dictate how the game is going to go (usually). For example, just last week I had to fill in for a buddy who got injured. The game was at a new rink, one that I wasn't used to. No big deal, right? Just throw on the pads and stop pucks, that simple!

But, the first thing I noticed as I stepped on the ice, was that this rink had a walking track around the outside of it, where out of the corner of my eye, I could see something moving (people) constantly. At first I thought this would be quite distracting, as I should be trying to focus on the shooter, this and take away from my performance. But, as I got into the net, I also noticed something different and those people walking were not an issue anymore.

It was simple that something about being in that net, on that ice made me feel really good in there. I just felt confident, self-assured, and as if I was going to play well. I starting moving around, taking shots, making saves, and it all seemed to really fun again! I felt as if I was competing and having fun, not just nervously worrying about trying to stop pucks!

This feeling carried over to the game and I played one of the best games I'd played in years. Even though we got thoroughly outplayed and lost, I still came away somewhat satisfied with my game. I hate to lose, so naturally I wasn't pleased afterward, but I did have fun playing again.

Oddly enough, when I played two days later, at my normal rink, with the exact same equipment, with my regular group of guys, I felt awful! It was as if I was trying to move around in mud while wearing army boots. I couldn't get my angles correct or make simple saves, so goals were coming fast and furious. The players weren't any better than two nights before, but I sure made them feel that way! Hah! That's how I'll remember that game, I was just trying to make some of the other guys feel better about their game :)

So, I guess there's nothing exceptional here or nothing that you haven't heard before. I guess it's just that, sometimes in a big sporting event, that sort of positive mental feeling , really can make the difference. So, maybe the trick is to find something, anything, on race morning (or any morning, for that matter) that makes you feel like you're going to have a good day and focus on that.

Thanks for reading, this is Dr. Chris signing off...

PS. Speaking of hockey... This is completely random, but brings me back... check out this little video! LOL, I love it all, but especially his face at 6:11!

A-Rod

2009-02-18T09:55:00.010-04:00

I was trying to not talk about him, but when his live press conference from training camp is on every friggin' station and he is all over SportsCentre and Sports Illustrated, it's kinda hard to ignore! Man, I was really pulling for him when I first heard that he had admitted it right away [that he tested positive], but he totally ruined any hope I had.

I am not a huge A-Rod fan to begin with. I mean, I don't root against him and I still want him to break Bonds' HR record, he's just not my fav players. But, I had to give him credit for admitting his steroid use right away. Unlike the hilarious, steadfast denials of Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmero (spelling?), plus others. What a joke those guys are! I'm sure when Roger threw the broken bat at Mike Piaza (see video), it had nothing to do with "Roid-Rage"...(insert sarcastic tone here)... Noooo... that wouldn't have anything to do with it... sure Roger....right.... What's even worse is that in that video you can even see him mouth the words "I thought it was the ball". What!? The ball?! Since when do you throw the ball into the dug-out and not to 1st base?!? How long have you been playing baseball Roger? And you still don't know the rules?

Anyways, back to A-Rod, as I said, I was pulling for him to just come out with the truth, admit it all, give full details, apologize, and then maybe everyone would cut him some slack and he could move on (see Andy Pettitte). But, man, did ever screw it up. I just could NOT take his tone and attitude, as he read a pre-written statement, to be genuinely sincere. It seemed like to me that he was almost trying to tell everyone what they were suppose to think about him. What I mean is, when he said things like "it was amateur hour" and "...young and stupid...", I think he wanted people to write and think that. Instead, if he just told truth, answered every single question (he did not allow any follow-up q's), and told WHY he did it, not excuses, people would give him much more credit, form their own opinions, and maybe he could move on. Anyways, we'll see how things turn out. My reply: "GO EXPOS!" :)

The one good thing that came out this was that most everyone forgot about Michael Phelps' issue! I mean come on, he is just a kid at a college party, having a good time and someone took a pic of him with the hope of making some $$. I mean, I'm sure many of the people criticizing him did the exact same thing in college, really, come on. What's that expression, "those is glass houses shouldn't throw stones"? Something like that. Anyway, I feel bad for him, but he handled it well.

Hope that's the last I talk about baseball. Even though, out of all the sports I played at a high-level growing up, it's the sport I miss playing the most. But, really, you don't need to be in very good shape to play well (see John Kruk) and that's what I respect and strive for now.

Til next time,
Chris

Almost a Runner Again

2009-02-14T21:54:00.002-04:00

Well, it's not much, and it's only about 1/2 of the running I'm used to doing, but it's a start. This week I will hit 45 KM of running and it feels good. I even did a few intervals the other day on the treadmill - 5 x 400m (400m jog b/w). Again, not very much, but it's still better than nothing and at least now I got something to work from now.

I am still having trouble getting back down to normal training weight and it's really starting to piss me off. I know it'll take a little time and once it's starts to come off, it'll go fast, but I don't like having my clothes a little tighter than normal. I really hate the feeling of having a roll of flab in my gut when I'm bent over riding my bike, ARGH! Bah, whatever - in a few months this will just be something I'll laugh about.

What else? Well, I'm still loving all the amazing, live sporting events that I've been watching. Starting with the Australian Open tennis when I was getting up at 5AM to watch Nadal VS Federer in the final. But, what was an even more amazing match was the semi-final of Nadal and Verdasco, now THAT was exciting tennis, I LOVE IT! Then there was the ultra-exciting Superbowl with the Steelers pulling one out the hat at the last minute - that game had everything.

Now, I'm so pumped to watch the Amgen Tour of California! There are so many big names making their comebacks there, including Lance, Ivan Basso, and Floyd Landis! These, plus the already great field is gonna be an excellent race! The best part: you can watch it live online (if you don't have Versus) for free from Cycling.tv! I wish I was there to watch it in person, but this is the next best thing.

Chris

Back in the Grove

2009-01-30T18:34:00.006-04:00

First off, thanks for everyone who sent me "best wishes" and such, I really appreciate it. I am feeling much better these days and started running again this week and today I got back on the trainer! Next week I will start swimming again.

I actually rode today as I watched the final 2 sets of the Nadal VS Verdasco epic match at the Aussie Open! Man, it was incredible, what a battle! The longest match in the history of the Championship: 5 hrs, 14 mins! I can't wait for the Federer-Nadal final on Sunday morning. I can't think of anything outside the Olympics that gets me this excited to watch!

There was one other thing that I started this week...after about 3 years of saying "I want to start doing yoga", I finally did! I've had this "Yoga Basics" DVD sitting on my shelf forever, collecting dust and finally this Monday I grabbed it after a short run and did it. It was only a 10-minute intro, but I really enjoyed it. I did 30 minutes on Tuesday and Jenn joined me on Wednesday for 30 more. It's great is something I am definitely going to continue. (I am not quite to this point yet)

Have a great weekend of sports watching!
Chris

NOT AGAIN! You've GOT to be Kidding Me!?!?

2009-01-13T09:20:00.006-04:00

First off, thank you to all who sent me 'get well' messages, I really appreciate them :)

Anyway, no more than 3 days after I got my driver's license back, I've had to give it up again...this time for at least 6 months!

So, here's what happened (as I piece together the details from Jenn - I don't remember anything). Anyway, I guess Saturday morning, before our alarm went off, Jenn was woken up by a loud bang!....turns out it was my head smashing our side table as I was in mid-seizure! It only lasted about a minute, by I was pretty screwed-up afterward - when the EMS got there, I didn't even know my own last name! I knew my first name was 'Chris', but not my last. And, oddly enough, the only thing I remember until I was in the hospital, was the feeling of being super pissed that I couldn't remember my name!!

Anyway, the ambulance took me to the ER where I had another seizure - this time with my family and the docs there. I guess it was pretty scary and just about made my dad sick, oops. Anyway, I spent all day Saturday in the ER, then on Sunday they moved me to the "Pediatrics" floor. I had to wait for the neurologist to make her rounds, so I spent Sunday night and most of Monday there. Finally around 5PM on Monday, she came to visit me and the news was what I expected - no driving for at least 6 months. But, the good news is that she didn't see any problem with me training as long as I never swim alone, so that's good :)

So, I guess the big issue is why is this happening?!! From everything I've read about seizures is that is they can happen to anyone if the situation is right - when the individuals threshold is down. And that's what happened in Sept and happened again last week. I'd been drinking, partying, lacking sleep, stressed, and I was really sick (only this time), and it all added up to a seizure! It's just kinda like my body saying, "Ok, enough is enough, time for a rest"!

Anyway, things are ok, I'm back home now, resting. I had to cancel my spin class last night, but we'll be back on sched tomorrow.

Thanks again,
chris

"Smirnoff Holiday Classic" Champion, Again!

2009-01-04T15:40:00.004-04:00

This Saturday marked the 5th annual "Smirnoff Holiday Classic"! This event started 4 years ago as a little fun game between my current UNB Intramural hockey team VS the Alumni of that team - the "Smirnoff Ice Dogs". (as a side note, I have the record by playing 9 years on the "Ice Dogs", haha). Anyway, over the years, the "game" has turned into quite the event, complete with a website. This year, we even raised money and donated food to the local food bank.

My personal record is quite good at the event, despite a big loss in the inaugural event. I won the three years since, but to make four in a row, was going lot tougher and I wasn't sure we could pull it off. Mostly because I came down with a nasty nasal, lung congestion/cold and I barely slept the two nights before due to never-ending coughing fits! I guess I had this coming since I've been bragging about never getting sick in 4 years and karma came back with a vengence with this doozie!

And, to make matters worse, I had to teach a 75-minute spin class Saturday morning! So, needless to say I was exhausted when the game started and it only got worse! As soon as the puck would leave my zone, I felt like I was going to collapse and I had to lean on the net just to stay upright! Luckily, a guy on our team had some Powerade and gave it to me and that saved me for the last 2 periods :)

But, with 3 minutes to go in an exciting 3-3 game, the other team scored the go-ahead goal. I was pretty deflated, but still had some hope the guys could bail me out, and, the boys responded! With 1:09 to go and me on the bench for the extra attacker, we scored the tying goal and we were off to overtime! Then, only about a minute in, we scored again and won! That's four-in-row for this ex-hockey player turned triathlete, weehee! I love competition, and somehow, I sometimes forget how much!

What a great day, too bad I was too sick to stay and party with the boys afterward, I just could stay awake any longer. I will make up for it next year :)

Check out the video I made up from last year's event:
(as you can see, my movie-making has come along quite a bit over the year)

Run #1 in the Books

2009-01-02T15:02:00.003-04:00

New Year, New Training, New Attitude.

As good as the first 4 months of 2008 were, the last 8 were extremely disapointing, both training and health-wise (save one day). As the year changed to 2009, so has my attitude and training.

And in that spirit, in -20 degree cold with a crazy wind, Jenn and I suited up and went for our first of MANY runs. After about 4 months of crappy eating, partying, awful "anti-seizure" drugs , recovering, and some workouts, but nothing I would call "training", it was so nice to get out and suffer through a bitter-cold run. It was only 30 minutes, but it might as well been a 20-miler, we both felt so great afterward!

I'm still not quite sure what races I'm going to do this year, but at least I'm training again :)
Chris

Good Riddance 2008...

2009-01-01T09:24:00.002-04:00

So, it's been a while since I've posted, (yes, again), but there's some reasons. Mostly just because it's the holidays, so we're super busy with traveling around for family stuff. It's not that I mind though, it's always great to see my grandparents in PEI and Christmas traditions are so much fun. I will probably write about those sometime :)

But, another reason is that I haven't done any training in 2 weeks, and I mean NONE! It's the longest I've gone without any run, swim, or biking and to be honest, I think I needed it. Unfortunately, what I didn't need is the 10 lbs of chocolate! I can only resist Christmas treats for so long...so delicious...but so unfriendly to your belly...

And, to top it off I've come down with another cold! I haven't been sick in almost 4 years until the last couple months, where it seems I am always sick. But, whatever, I think it's mostly derived from my poor eating and exercising, which will be remedied soon :)

So, as we bring in 2009, I am bringing back my diet and training. We've chucked all the extra chocolate and goodies in the apt and both Jenn and I are 100% committed to getting fit and fast again! Jenn's going to do another marathon in the spring (maybe the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego in May) and I'm not sure exactly what I want to do this season. I am definitely not going to do the same race sched I planned in 2008 as that obviously did not work...

One shitty thing is that the registration 2009 California Ironman 70.3 is already full! Usually I sign up around this time (I've done that race 3 times before), but this year I'll have to try something different. The worst part of not doing this race is that I can't easily get into an Ironman this year. I'll have to wait and see what 70.3 races will have Ironman slots associated with them. We'll see...

Happy New Year Everyone! Please keep checking here, I am back now and will get some good content....well "good" is a relative term ;)
Chris

Three Months...

2008-12-10T19:23:00.001-04:00

Hey all,

In case anyone was worried, yes, I am still alive :) I have just not been feeling much like posting about being an “endurance athlete” when I just don’t feel like one right now. The last 3 months, well really 7 months I guess, but the last 3 especially have not been good, training/racing-wise. I’ve said it before, but ever since I got home in April from a 3-month adventure over the winter, things just haven’t been right. This, of course, culminated in my b’day adventure on Sept. 11th….ughhhh…

Anyway, tomorrow will mark three months from that day! And since I’ve been seizure-free that whole time, I get my driver’s license back!! I’m so pumped! Even though I posted once about how nice it was to walk around and get some errands done, that was a short-lived feeling! It’s been very annoying trying to find rides to the grocery store, bank, hockey, work, hospital, doctors apt, etc… especially rough now that the weather has made a turn for the worse!! Ughhh…. Stupid snow….I’m such a wimp now…

It’s not like I drive a lot anyway, but it was just easy to know I could run over to the store to grab a few things for dinner if I needed to. Or, I can run over to my parents’ house if I need to use the phone, usually to bitch at Bell for screwing up our cell phone bills…man, what a joke that is. I don’t want to get into to much, but since they’ve bought and took over Aliant customers (us), our have been screwed up every month! And I have to call them each time to correct it! And, it’s not just a few $$’s, it’s $100’s!! Man! Wait a minute…Bell took over in early summer, right about the time I was not feeling so good…hmmm….maybe there’s a connection! I smell a lawsuit!

Thanks to all for reading…all two of you :)

I actually do have some real material to post about, so please don’t give up on me. Last week I did some really cool testing for some UNB Mechanical Engineering students’ Senior project. Basically, it was a bike that had three chains and you could pedal forward or backwards in seamless transition to propel the bike forward, it was really neat.

Enjoy the snow,
Chris

The Rutrun of Snow Runs and Swimming

2008-11-25T09:11:00.004-04:00

This week marked a couple of returns for myself. The first being my return to the pool! Normally, not a big deal, but until this week, I hadn't been in the pool since my "incident" in September. Actually, I had not even been back at the UNB Gym since that day. Not really sure why, I guess I just didn't want to be around the scene. I am still pretty embarassed about it and I didn't want to be reminded of it.

Anyways, finally this week, I went back and did some swimming. And, I didn't hate it! Not really a rousing expression of enthusiasm, but better than I expected. I was very slow and my form was off, but at least I was there and it can only get better from here :)

The 2nd return this week was running in the snow! As you see in my short video, I woke up Saturday morning to snow-covered scene outside my window. And something unexpected happened: I was really mad! My reaction kinda suprised both Jenn and I. Not really sure why, but it really annoyed me!

I had planned a nice morning stroll to the buy some fresh veggies and organic foods from the market and Aura (my fav natural food store in Fredericton), but after about 1 minute in the blowing snow and cold, I turned around and went home! I was so mad, and I went to the cardio room to workout, haha.

Sunday morning I met my buddy Antoine to go for a run on the snowy roads and trails. And, of course, I hated it! What's funny is how different my reaction was to my first snow run of last year! As you can see, I don't quite have the same vigor for snow running...Man, I am such a wimp now. I guess 1 single winter away from the great Canadian winter has softened me! I hope my tolerance returns soon, or this is going to be a LOOONG winter of treadmill running :)

Happy winter!
Chris

Not Impressed

2008-11-22T22:28:00.004-04:00

All Screwed Up!

2008-11-15T08:54:00.003-04:00

** Check out the Latest Video from LMS ----> **

So, I'm back in Freddy now and I'll all messed up. Well, at least my "body-time" is, haha. My body is still on the western time-zone, while I'm trying to get things done here in the Atlantic. Not good. IT seems the only itme I have any energy is at night around 9 PM, which is normally when I'd like to be getting ready for sleeping, haha. The mornings is where I love get most of my workouts in. I love getting up and doing stuff at 5 or 6 AM. But, right now, my body still feels like it's 2 or 3 AM! So, needless to say, I am not too productive!

Anyway, of the 10 times i've been down to Cali, this is by far the msot trouble I've had re-adjusting. Usually, it's just a day or two, but not this time. Man, it's awful, but whatever, things could be worse, eh? Listen to me bitch about laying around in the sun 10 days, lol. Man, life's rough :)

Chris

California

2008-11-08T18:15:00.003-04:00

Man, I love it down here. This is my 10th time coming down here to hang out with my friends Brian and Mike in Newport Beach, Cali. Overall, the weather has been the best I've ever seen here! It's been so nice, not a cloud in the sky, 25 degrees, can't complain.

We spent the first few days at a beautiful hotel in Palm Springs (pic). It's really amazing there, very scenic views. It's kinda hard to comprehend that these mountains are RIGHT THERE behind you. One morning this week, I had to go running up them. So, I just ran straight towards them. I had only planned on a 30 min run, but it took me 15 to get to the base and I wasn't about to turn around now! So, I climbed up and up and up for 20 mins until my legs were really hurting...now just to go back down, haha. That was ever worse on my quads! There were sore for 3 days! Guess I'm not quite in the mountain-running shape I was during the winter. Oh, well, it will come I guess, but man, was it ever nice!

Anyways, so the past few days we've just been bumming around Newport Beach. Biking down to the beach with Jenn, hanging by the pool, and of course, eating some excellent food :) I've been running the past 3 days and done 3 of Brian's killer spin classes! Does that mean I can write this vaca off as a "business" or "continued learning" expense? haha.

Hope all is well at home. Gotta admit, I'm not looking forward to the cold weather!
Chris

"Would-be" Ironman in 2 days!

2008-10-29T20:57:00.002-03:00

Somehow, this didn't hit me today until today...but, my debut Ironman was supose to be this Saturday! I would have been in Florida right now, trying to relax, and get ready to do the hardest race I've ever done! But, instead, I am back in Fredericton, teaching spin classes and running with the UNB Cross-Country Girls team trying to get myself back into shape.

It has kinda suprised me how I almost forgot about the race that I spent 4 months punishing myself for. I sacrificed my entire summer racing season, didn't really hang out with my friends that much, and barely worked made any $$...and by now, we all know what happened...don't worry, I've learned my lesson...don't get married again, hehe.

But, really, things are going well now, better than they have in a while. I'm being much more productive at work, as I can finally think clearly. I am teaching spin classes, something I had wanted to do for a long time. I'm back running again 3-4 times per week and lifting some weights - so my fitness it getting back. I've lost 9 of the 10lbs I packed on after the wedding and seizure, so I feel much better too!

And, the best part of not going to Florida is that I get to go to California again! I get to visit my good friends (well, really family) Mike and Brian in Newport Beach and Jenn and I get to relax on the beach and get some sun :)

See you at the beach,
Chris

Spin Classes!

2008-10-24T18:45:00.003-03:00

This week I taught my first 2 spin classes and I love it! It is a blast! I was a little worried when Mike Eagles, the Athletic Director at St. Thomas University asked me to lead these classes, because I had never done so. I've only attended spin classes in Cali, that my good friend Brian teaches, and spun alone in the UNB gym. I'd never tried to lead others, espicially beginners. But, I finally just told myself to suck it up and just try. So, I said I was "in", planned the classes and the tunes and tried, and things seem to have worked out :)

Tuesday was an "intro" course and I went a little easy on them, then on Thursday it was a "moderate" session so I played along, hehehe. It was great! I had good ol' Bon Jovi blastin' and the whole room sweatin'. The best part was that the class filled up in about 5 mins and even the two guys there said it was really good! That can only be a good thing.

To make it even better, next week, I am teaching 4 classes! weehee! Can you believe I get paid to do this? Good deal! Thanks Mike. I think this is going to lead to some good things for myself and LMS.

Keep those legs spinning and the heart pounding,
Chris

Remembering how to "Play"

2008-10-20T17:14:00.017-03:00

This sounds kinda dumb, but sometime over the past 2 or 3 years, I think I forgot how to "play". And what I mean is just going out and playing a sport, not just swimming, biking, or running. It used to be all I did, now I barely ever do it! I was reminded of this last night as I played some sqoosh (that's what my bro calls "squash"). It was really nice and just play again, I need to do more of that!

Growing up, I golfed, played baseball and hockey, but was never really any good. Then somewhere in Junior High, I grew a little bit and somehow got better. It was about then that I realized I could be good if I just worked hard and listened to the coaches. I then started playing volleyball and badminton in addition to the other three. In grade 8, I started playing "competitive" hockey and ended being the 3rd leading scorer on a team stacked team that finished 2nd in the Provincials (that game still brings back some funny, but sour memories that still haunt me today...let's just say that, even to this day, I still cannot listen to the song "We are the Champions"...).

Anyway, the summer after grade 8, I made huge gains in baseball, making the "A" team in the city and leading them at the Nationals - despite being the youngest player! When I got to high school (still grade 10 at this point, not 9), I really improved and branched out even more. In grade 10, I added rowing to my sports and made the Varsity Volleyball team as a rookie and that summer, I made the Provincial team and headed to the Nationals again
(see this story). By grade 11, I was playing on three high-school teams: volleyball, baseball and rowing while still playing hockey (back to recreation at this point). And during the summer, I started getting into beach volleyball while making the provincial team and attending the Nationals for rowing.

Then my senior year rolled around. I was in my 3rd year with the Volleyball team, I was still rowing, and still playing a major roll on the baseball team. For some reason, I thought I'd try out for the hockey team. As usual, I just went and worked hard and I made that team too! At this point being on the FHS Hockey team meant a lot! Your picture was up on the wall next to the likes of Matt Stairs and you got a cool leather jacket (see pic, isn't that a beauty) with instant recognition, haha. I never really took advantage of that however, as I had met my future wife that summer and spent most of my spare nights with her (insert gag here).

But again, as with other sports, this season followed usual trend. I started on the 4th line and barely played. I just kept working hard and eventually made it to the 1st line playing a major role in another 2nd place finish at the Provincials! (don't get me started on that game...still annoys me!). And, now that I think about it, we finished 2nd in baseball too! Man! That game really pissed me off too! That's a whole other story that stems back a few years...basically, I got screwed because I wasn't from "baseball hill"...."SERENITY NOW!"....

Ok, I'm better now, where was I? Oh ya, that fall was very busy as I also added cross-country to the other four sports. I didn't race though and looking back I wish I had. I really just used cross and a good way to get some extra training in - I probably would have been one the top fellas, o well. At that point I would no idea that cross country would play such a major role in my life.

Man, I'm getting off topic here and this post is turning into a friggin' novel. I just wanted to express how much much fun it is get out there and play! Sometime as endurance athletes we get so caught up in: go, go, go, more, more, more, that we forget about having fun. So, here's my advice, during this downtime in the season, go have some fun! That's what I'm going to do :)

Chris

Walking Machine

2008-10-15T12:39:00.002-03:00

This is something I NEVER thought I would say, but I am actually enjoying walking! Since I can't drive for another couple months, I have been relegated to walking around town to get my errands done. And, even though I have always hated walking with a passion, it's starting to grow on me. It was always juut too slow and I'd usually end up running to my destination. But, now it's kinda relaxing and I can enjoy the scenery and clear my head.

I have been walking to the hospital, the grocery store, my LMS meetings downtown, the market on Saturday mornings, Radical Edge, etc. Maybe it's just the fall weather that I enjoy, I guess we'll find out soon enough...

Moral of the story: try leaving the car at home and go for a nice little walk, you might actually enjoy it.
Chris

What a great day

2008-10-13T10:42:00.002-03:00

As I've been posting about this week, I've started to feel a lot better thanks to getting out running with the UNB Cross Country (XC) Team. This Saturday morning I had planned to get out again with the team, but when I got up, I didn't feel so hot and didn't think I'd make it out. But, oddly enough, at 9:45 AM, I almost instantly felt much better, so I ran over for the 10 AM practice.

The workout was in the Woodlot (a 4K uphill run from the school) and I didn't want to press my luck, so I drove up with the coach, Tim. Anyways, I ended up doing the entire workout with the girls and felt great! It was intervals of 1.5K, 2K, 1K, .5K on a muddy, hilly, gravel road - it was a blast! After those intervals, it was 6 x 400m, which I did with the guys (well, not really "with" them, but close). Those were tough, but it felt so good to be doing stuff again!

Then after I got home, stretched, showered, and refueled, it was time to watch the Ironman World Champs, from Hawaii! This is the only Ironman that is televised live online. So, I hooked up my laptop to my TV and settled in for a lovely 10-hour session of Ironman watching!

A few friends came over for supper and we hung out and watched some amazing athletes blaze the course. What a great race! Chrissie Wellington is amazing! She dominated a strong women's field, despite sitting on the side of the road for 10 minutes with a mechanical bike issue. Props to Craig Alexander for stepping up in only his 2nd attempt and grabbing the title, well done! I've raced with his a few times over the past few years, he's a good guy. And, again, by "with", I mean he was in the same race as me, but in noway was I racing against him, haha.

Great day to enjoy triathlon!
Chris

Renewed!

2008-10-10T16:32:00.004-03:00

This week, I managed to get myself to a couple UNB XC practices in Odell Park. First off, this was huge deal because they practice at 5 PM and that's been around the time when these meds have rendered me useless. Each day, around 3 or 4, I have to sleep or if I feel good, lay on the couch and watch TV. But, this Tuesday, I swore to myself that I was going to go, no matter what!

So, at 4:15, I hauled my tired-self out the door and went to the gym to do some weights, hoping it would wake me up. It seemed to work and I made it to the gym at 5to meet the team. Then, instantly I felt great! What an amazing feeling! It's so silly, but just to get around those guys/girls again made a huge difference in my attitude and energy level! Even though a lot of the faces have changed since I ran 2 years ago, it's still the same feeling. It was great.

I then did the 2K warm-up with them over to Odell Park and watched them kill themselves on a killer 3x3KM workout, where 2.5K of the 3K was uphill! Funny thing is, as I watched them suffer, I wished I could have been doing it with them! I loved the fact that I felt that way! It's been a while since I've felt that burning desire for pain, adrenaline, and competition!

Then on Thursday, I felt tired at 4:00, but I went to the workout again. And the same thing happened - I felt renewed and energized! I loved it. This time the workout was 2 x (550m, 550m, 1100m), again in the woods of Odell Park. I felt really good, so I decided to run it with the girls, hoping to hang on and maybe help them get through it. And, it worked! I felt good as I ran the few intervals with them. But, as I was running the 2nd one, I started getting the desire to go hard, with the guys. I knew I probably shouldn't and I held back for 2 more with the chicks, but then I decided I needed to go hard. I had to prove that I could still handle it!

So, I joined the guys for their last 1.1K romp through the woods! It was very tough and I was huffing and puffing, but it was such a good feeling! I loved it! I managed to hang in there decently and was pretty proud of myself (even though they had gone much harder for 5 intervals before that, haha). What made it tougher was the fact that I had put on some weight when I was imobilized. Even though I've lost 5 of the 12 lbs so far, I'm much bigger. Enough so, that our coach commented to me as I finished the interval: "the ground is shaking"! haha, thanks a lot Tim...it will be gone soon, so enjoy it now...

Anyways, so that's my good running news for this week. In other news, I HAVE CABLE TV AGAIN! Just in time for the NHL season! In LiveMultiSport news, I've equiped the UNB XC team with LMS Hoodies and sweats which look reall good. Also, I've been talking a lot of people who are pumped about the new triathlon group. Anyways, more on that stuff later...

So, the gist of this post is that I think I'm getting back to where I need to be, mentally. Which is a very good sign :)

Keep on not-seizuring :)
Chris

3 Weeks Later...

2008-10-02T10:24:00.008-03:00

So, it's been 3 weeks since my little adventure to the ER on my birthday. Uh, well, I think it's been 3 weeks...my brain has not been up-to-snuff the last little while, so I hope my math is correct. And, I'm not joking about that, I am really stupid now, haha. I can't remember little things, am forgetting others, names that I should know are slipping my mind, and I can't seem to think clearly. But, thankfully, my brain seems to be coming back to normal (whatever that is) over the past few days.

In addition to that good news, I managed to work-out the past three days with no repercussions. Nothing major, just some very easy, short runs and some time on the elliptical machine. I've even lifted some weights for the first time in about 5 years! My arms are shaking right now as I type, haha. This exercise is desperatly needed, beacause, 10 days of complete inactivity combined with my normal huge appetite, and lack of will power, has lead to the addition of 10 lbs of blubber! Now, this may be good to keep me warm in the winter, but I hate it! It's got to go!

But, I wouldn't say those 10 days were a complete waste, I mean, I did manage to put in a LOT of DVD time. Beacuse we don't have cable, we (Jenn and I) watch seasons of TV shows on DVD. Between the two of us, we watched two seasons of One Tree Hill, a few seasons of Gilmore Girls...yes, yes, I know what you're thinking: "Not again Chris, you're such a girl!" (refer to this for reference). Ok, what else, almost two seasons of Grey's Anatomy, a few episodes of House, and, I alone, watched the entire series, all five seasons, of Alias! I actually am just finishing the last episode as I write this! I know, that is very impressive, I dare any of you to try and watch that much mindless TV in three weeks!

At first I thought there was something wrong with me, because, I literally could not do anything except eat, sleep, and lay on the couch. I needed three or four naps per day and about 10 hours of sleep each night. But, from the research I did and from talking to people in the medical field, I learned that a seizure really takes a huge toll on the body and being this useless is normal. It takes most people about a month to recover. That sounds about right.

Anyway, just giving a little update as to what I've been up to...not a whole heck of a lot :)

See ya at the beach... (from that old "know when to draw the line commercial")
Chris

1st Run

2008-09-22T18:40:00.004-03:00

Normally, I would never brag about a very slow 5K that I was weezing, huffing, and puffing through. But, this morning marked my first run since my unfortunate breakdown (and seizures) on my birthday on Sept. 11th. As I said in my last post, I had starting feeling a little bit better over the weekend and thought I would try a short run today. So, first thing in the morning, with Jenn by my side (in part to make sure I didn't collapse), we puttered around the trails. Boy, was I suffering, but, man, was I loving it! It felt so good to get out again! And, I felt better the rest of the day because of it!

Now, in a weird way, I think this little incident is actually going to be a good thing in the long run. I really needed to step back and re-evaluate my life and why I was doing all this training. I really wasn't having a good time, nor did I have a real purpose. There was too much pressure, not enough fun, and too little motivation. But, after taking this forced rest, and as I was watching the "Fall Classic" running race, I began to get the itch to get back at it! I haven't felt that urge to race and compete and push myself in a long time - over 2 years! Now, I think I've got the motivation back and can't wait to get back in shape and ready to race! Weehee!

Keep running!
Chris

Update

2008-09-19T08:55:00.005-03:00

So, it's been a week since my little breakdown in the cardio room and I thought I'd give a little update as to my progress. The good news is that nothing major has happened since then. And, from further tests, including a MRI, nothing major has been revealed. So, no news is good news at this point. Over the past week I've done about as little as I possibly could trying to "reset" or detox myself so I can completely start over.

I hadn't realized just how hard I was working, pushing myself, or noticed some of the bad habits I had gotten into. But, that doesn't mean that some my training partners hadn't noticed that I was digging myself into a hole. I started thinking about it, and I really haven't taken any significant time off in nearly 2 years (the last time I had a major injury). And, specifically, the past 6 weeks have been especially rough.

I guess it started with the Olympics in early August. For anyone who knows me, I LOVE live sporting events, especially the Olympics! So, I stayed up late, got up early, and got up in the middle of the night to watch live events. Therefore, I was lacking sleep when I went to a buddy's wedding in Church Point, Nova Scotia where I ran 50K in two days and got about 5 hrs sleep and stayed up late patying, eating garbage, and watching live rowing from Beijing!

Anyway, after returning home I continued to train very hard, following a difficult training plan for Ironman Florida in November. I had some long 6-hour rides, and 33K runs, and almost a hard workout every day. But, because of this, I was finally started to feel strong and tough again!

I was also starting to do some actual planning for our wedding on Sept 5 (I had been avoiding much of the work until this point). And, in addition to that, we were moving apartments on Aug 31st, more stress...actually on that day, I got up at 6AM to run for 2 hrs, 45 mins, then spent all day moving, then had my "bachelor" party that night, and got to bed around 3:30AM. Then, kept on training, working, and planning the next day.

Anyway, to keep myself going, I got in the habbit of drinking more and more coffee each day, in addition to some energy drinks - which I don't noramlly do. But, I felt like I needed it to get things done. All this came to a head last Friday during a short bike workout as I passed out, had a seizure, and spent the night in the hospital.

This past week, I've had a few really bad days with some major headaches that have since subsided. We think these are either from caffeine withdraw or from a concussion sustained when I smoked the floor. Either way, I feel much better today and think I can start to think clearly again. Unfortunately I've put on some weight, so returning to training won't be pretty, whenever that happens, haha.

Thanks for all the well-wishes, I really appreciate it. Hope to see you all out running soon, maybe I can squeeze in a late-season marathon or something, since I do have all this base :)
Chris

How's this for a Bday Story?!

2008-09-12T12:04:00.006-03:00

So, my bday was Sept 11th (yes, yes, I know the date) and this one is one for the record. Well, it started off normal enough, got up a little tired, but nothing major (Ironman training will do that to you). Then, during my oatmeal, I had this crazy head rush and I had to go back to bed for an hour. I felt better when I got back up and went to the gym to squeeze out a quick 30mins bike and 30 mins swim. (I had to rush, because, I was going to have to go to work for the rest of the day and a race on the weekend, so I had to squeeze this little, short workout in).

Anyways, I got on the bike fine and did my warm-up, then started my first of 10, 30-sec intervals (just to flush out the legs). But, I never finished the first one and I don't remember anything else except another big head-rush then nothing...until I was in the ambulance. Apparently, I had fallen off the bike and had a seizure! Right there in the cardio room! I have no idea how long I was lying there or seizing, but I thank Jim Snow from the UNB Cardio room for getting my things from my locker and calling the EMS.

Anyways, so I started "coming to" near the hospital and apparently I was pretty "difficult" (I later apologized to the EMS guys). So, I got a room and they started some tests as Jenn and my parents arrived. The CATScan was clean, which is very good - means there's no tumors. There I had an EEG (I think, not really sure of the acronyms), but I was having trouble keeping my eyes closed without falling asleep - and that's just what happened. But, during the last few minutes of the test, I had another seizure! This one was actually well-timed, as the doctors were right there and saw everything. I guess my scans were clean and they could see what part of the brain was doing the "mis-firing".

So, I spent the night in the ER room with Jenn by my side (having a fab 1st week of married life, hehe). We saw the neurologist in the morning and confirmed what I thought all along: that these seizures was just a reaction (or solution, depending on how you look at it) to a "perfect storm" of events, stress, training, no sleep, different food, booze, etc... all at once.

This is how my body is telling me to back off a little bit. I started thinking about it, and I haven't really taken a break from hard training in nearly 2 years. And that break was due to a severe hip injury that I suffered in Nov '06 after, again, not listening to my body. So, I think this time it got accross. I was forced to drop out of a 1/2 Ironman this weekend in Montreal and my main goal all summer, the Florida Ironman on Nov 1.

Anyways, moral of the story: relax sometimes, take enough rest, and listen to your body! Thanks for well, and bday -wishes - I'm off to bed...
chris

Big News

2008-09-07T20:41:00.004-03:00

It's been a little while since I last posted, but in case anyone was worried, don't, I'm still alive :) Just been a little busy the last 10 days. Firstly, last weekend, Jenn and I moved apts, and everyone knows how stressfull and tiring that can be. Compound that with a very late night out with the boys, I was toast for a few days. Then all of last week was spent making the final preparations for our wedding this past Friday night! It was a great three days and my new bride looked amazing!

In typical fashion, us boys got talking that night at about 2 AM, after serveral drinks and decided that we would all go race a 5K race the next morning. So, after 3 hours of sleep, a lot of water, and some Advil, a bunch of us made it to the start line. We tried to warm up a bit and sweat of some of the booze, and I'm sure we smelt great as it seeped out of our poures. Regardless, we ran the 5K and man, did it ever suck. But, I still managed a decent time of 17:48 on a tough course, so I was happy. Especially when you consider the circumstances :)

Now, my attention turns back to training and racing. This Saturday, I'll be racing a half-ironman in Montreal, should be fun!

Thanks to all who attended our wedding! You really made it special!
Chris

It's XC Time!

2008-08-26T09:20:00.003-03:00

It's that time of year again! I don't know exactly what it is, but one day I just get this feeling and it happened this morning on my easy run. It's just something about the "crispness" of the air, the slight drop in temperature, and the slight breeze - it's wonderful. Of course, this means that summer is nearly an end and fall is just around the corner - time to get ready to go back to school.

In elementary school, it brings back memories of the weekly cross-country meets - where I would suck wind bad, and finish at the back of the pack. And, I'm not joking about that - I would literally not finish the 1K run before the next race would start. And, now, when I go volunteer at these races, I see just how slow and sad I would have looked back there :)

In junior high, this meant the end of golf and baseball seasons, and time to dig the hockey gear outta the basement. During high school, the fall turned into rowing season! The crisp air meant getting up at 5AM and rowing in the darkness before school and travelling to Connecticut for the yearly race - good times!

Then, in Univeristy, this time of year meant it's time for XC SEASON! (XC = Cross Country for you newbies). Weehee! Time to meet each day with your teammates and hammer around Odell Park, the Woodlot, the Green, the track, or whereever else the coach wanted to take us that day! The was nothing quite as memorable as jumping in the van on a Friday afternoon and driving to Halifax for a Saturday race as a team. Then killing yourself running around the park as a team, jumping back in the van together, then getting back to Fredericton for a post-race gethering...Good times, very good times!

Anyways, so that's what I thought of my run this morning - what a great way to start the day :)
Enjoy the outdoors!

Simon Whitfield Olympic Race!

2008-08-19T07:26:00.004-03:00

Oh My God!! What an amazing race by Canadian Simon Whitfield in the Beijing Olympic Triathlon on Tuesday morning! Staying up late to watch the race cost me the ability to get up early to get my workout in, but I don't even care. Seeing him in the last 5K of the run was amazing!

If you didn't happen to see it, here's a quick summary: a pack of about 40 guys came into T2 about a minute behind two leaders (non-runners). The group quickly got stretched out and caught the leaders. The lead then got trimmed down to 6 elite runners, including Whitfield and Javier Gomez, who can consistently run under 30 minutes for the 10K, but lacks a strong finishing kick (of course that is relative to the other athletes, not the average triathlete).

These 6 guys were hammering around the course and then and attack at about 6K by a Spanish athlete gapped Whitfieldand another guy by about 10 seconds. He didn't panic and slowly worked his way back up. Then another guy fell off the back, so we were down to 4 leaders. Another attack at about 8K gapped Simon again, but again he fought his way back up - just amazing how deep his was digging!

Within the last K, still a group of 4 picked it up and again dropped Simon. This time he looked to be done. But, the Simon ditched his visor as if to say 'let's go!'. He then somehow bridged the gap AGAIN with only 500m to go!! I was so pumped and woke Jenn up to watch!

Then, with about 300m to go, there was another attack...this time by Simon!! OMG! It was so amazing! (sorry for using the same adjective, I just can't think of another way to describe it). Two of the 3 guys caught him, and the one guy who didn't was Gomez - he was done. Simon led them around the final turn at 200m to go and opened it up! A german, Jan Frodeno, followed, but the New Zealander, Bevan Docherty was dropped - it was down to 2! Simon tried to kick, but the German was too strong and went by one final time to take the gold. Simon had nothing left after finghting back so many times and just couldn't stick with him.

The silver medal was awesome! It was such a great, exciting race! Well done Simon! This one will be watched and remembered for years to come! FYI, the boy sran 30:4x for the 10K run! Wow, that's smokin'!

you can see the highlights here, from CBC.

I love the Olympics!
Chris

Part II

2008-08-18T07:41:00.003-03:00

K, so I couldn't stay up any longer last night and had to go to bed, but as I turned the TV on this morning, the Triathlon was on! And the best part, it was at exactly the same point as I left, perfect. So, here we go.

7:35 AM: Just finishing the second-last lap of the bike.
7:36: Oh no! Lauren Groves crashes! Another racer fell into her. She's out! She's holding her wrist - hope she's ok.
7:42: They are coming into T2 and out for the 10 K run. All the big names are together as the start the run. I will pick Emma Snowsill to take the win - She can run sub-33 minutes off the bike!
7:45: Update on Groves: She's broken her left arm. What a shame.
7:46: Leaders are strung out with Snowsill running away from the pack.
7:47: Laura Bennett is in 2nd, just in front of Vanessa Fernandes.
7:48: Now, Fernandes is leading Bennett trying to chase down Snowill at 5K - she's got a gap of :38 - No chance
7:49: Weather update: 30 deg+, now that's toasty
7:53: Snowill still in front, group of 3 chasing hard
7:58: Wow, after a short comercial break, the are at 9.5K! that was fast. Snowsill WAY in front now.
7:59: Snowill takes it in a time of 1:55:27! Smokin' Fast!
8:00: Fernandes is 2nd and another Aussie takes the bronze.

Top Canadian was Caroline Murray in 29th and Cathy Trembley in 31st. Great race! Wish I hadn't had to go to bed last night so I could have watched the whole thing live. Ah well, I've got a 5.5 hr ride to do :)

Be back tonight for the men's race! Go Simon!!
Chris

Live Report of Women's Olympic Triathlon

2008-08-17T23:02:00.009-03:00

Hey all! Chris here from LiveMultiSport.com. I have just gotten home from a long weekend of driving and wedding events in Nova Scotia, just in time to watch the Women's Olympic Triathlon from Beijing! As I sit here on my couch with my green tea and laptop, I will give a live report of the race.

10:58 PM: Just before the start! I am very tired and want should probably go to bed, but I have to watch this race!
11:00 PM: They're off!
11:02 PM: Two minutes into the 1.5 K swim now. A great view from a helicopter shows about 4 separate lines forming as the swimmers try to draft off faster swimmiers.
11:03 PM: I am watching both the TV coverage and the live streaming video online (without commentators) to make sure I don't miss anything during commercials.
11:07 PM: 900m into the swim, still noone has really broken away.
11:08 PM: Commerical #1.... I've seen a LOT of the same commericals over the past week and I'm sure it's not going to get any better, argh.... I am so sick of the frreakin' song from the "Aliant" commericals..
11:09 PM: Just as I mention the Aliant commerical, one comes on! "... you can move mountains with drrrreeeeamssss....". Great song, just heard it 4000 times a day!
11:11 PM: Field starting to stretch out a little, but no real gaps yet. Great weather the commentators say, not too hot, just around 22 Deg. Very nice for racing.
11:12 PM: Man, what amazing footage! They have really done a great job with the camera angles. They've got a line above the swimmers holding a camera, very nice touch China
11:13 PM: Pretty exciting news here: One of the Canadian athletes, Lauren Groves is going to be training and living in Fredericton this fall! the reason is that here boyfried is going to be attending UNB! Woohoo! Will be really nice to try and hook up and get some interviews, advice, and stories from the games :)
11:15 PM: BRB, my cats are chasing a bug around....
11:16 PM: I'm back, cats are confused and still looking for the bug I smooshed. Anyway, No wesuits allowed today makes for faster T's
11:17 PM: Coming into the last few metres of the 1500m swim. Still mostly all together in a back. Might make for a large peleton on the bike
11:19 PM: HEre they come outta the water! Laura Bennet leads out of the water with Vanessa Fernadez the first out of T1. A huge pack of 30 or so all together, but noone is really far behind.
11:20 PM: Cathy Trembley from Canada is right in the front group.
11:21: Commericals #2, so I back to watching online, which is about a minute behind the TV coverage.
11:22: Guess what?! The Aliant commercial!!
11:23: Someone is attatcking right away on the bike! It looks like a Canadian, but I can't really tell...
11:23: She's been reeled back in. There's a peleton about 40 strong now. There are some athletes sterugling at the back trying to bridge up! They better push now or they'll never see the leaders again!
11:24: highlights of the rowing Men's Eight from this morning! What a great race! I got up at 6 AM to watch this morning! Awesome! The women's eight had a great race too, just missing a medal. I mention that, becaause my 1st rowing coach is in the boat! Great job Jane, so proud!
11:25: K, back to the action! I'm still watching online, so I'm not really sure what's happening, other than the peleton appears to be pushing the pace as they are all strung-out ("Tour-de-France-style"). My patheticly slow Rogers internet does not give me a smooth video either! This is annoyoing.
11:28: Re-thinking this live report...I am really tired, and have a 5.5 hour ride in the morning... man, these Olypics are killing me! I need sleep!
11:29: Alright, TV coverage back on now. they say front group is aboput 20 including all the major players.
11:30: Just finished 1st of 6 bike laps. Front group of 20 has about 25 sec gap on the chasing pack. Noone seems to want to do any work in the lead group. They better, or they'll be caught soon.
11:32: Cut away from Tri to 200m track heats! Usain Bolt's 1st race since the 100m final. He jsut coasted into round 2, very relaxed. Man, he is amazing!
11:33: My online Tri coverage is sketchy at best, but still appears to be gap between the lead 20 and the chasers.
11:34: Oh no! Mechanican issue for one athlete... she's back after fixing her chain.
11:35: Just played the same McDonald's commercial twice in a row...yes, Archer, you're a slob! Clean up your face!
11:38: Appears as the leading group has been caught and is not one large peleton. still watching 200m heats on TV.
11:39: Someone has attached the group and has got a gap of 10m or so. Who is it?... IT's a Swiss Athlete.
11:40: ... and they're all back together now...
11:42: 2 of 6 laps done now. I was wrong, the packs are not merged - the Lead pack has a gap of 30 secs over the chasers.
11:44: The swiss rider always seems to be pulling the pack, she must not be the fastest runner in the pack.
11:46: Commercials again, waiting for Aliant...
11:47: Lead pack is cruising around the course with a :34 gap on the chasers.
11:48: I dont' know if I'm gonna make it... pretty tired. I will try though.
11:49: Just about 20K into the bike, so almost 1/2 done. The Canadians: Trambley in the lead pack, Groves in the chase pack at :34, and the 3rd is in pack #3 at 90 sec back.
11:53: Same situation in the Tri. just finished lap 3 of 6. TV is showing special on diver Alexander Despatie - what a cool guy.
11:54: Pack to the 200m Track Heats! PEI native Jared Cannaughton is racing! GO GO GO! I've been following him for a while now on a track 'n' field website Trackie.ca
11:55: JC Advanced! Just barely, but still! Great Job!
11:59: Interviwing him now is Elliot Freedmen...man, this guy is terrible. JC really sounds like a douche-bag...hope it was just Elliot's questions that made him sound so dumb. why is Elliot doing every event? Seems he's is at all venues during these olympics...oh well, best CBC has got I guess.
12:01: K, back to the race! Finally. Lead pack is now over a minute ahead of the chasers. Just finished lap 4 of 6.
12:03: K, chase pack only aout 20 secs back, not 60...stupid commentators :)
12:04: the lead women are starting to get frustrated about who is going to do the work at the front. they have to work together or they'll get caught.
12:08: I can't do it...I need sleep. 20 miles run, 6 hrs of wedding pictues, 3 hrs dancing, 4 hrs sleep, and 8 hrs of driving has taken it's toll. I wil check in again in the morning and hope to see the run "as live".
I promise to watch all of the men's race :)

Chris

Olympic Schedule

2008-08-14T13:16:00.016-03:00

If you're like me, you've been staying up late and getting up early to glue yourself to the TV and Internet for the past 6 days for live Olympic coverage. For some reason, if you weren't aware, you can watch up to 9 events at once online at CBC (with no commentators, which is actually really neat), with live results and full schedules on the official Olympic site here in addition to the CBC and NBC coverage.

I was making myself this schedule of some of the events that are of interest to me. Maybe this helps you plan your week :) Enjoy!
- Note: all times are Atlantic Standard Time (aka, Fredericton time)

Thursday, August 14th
Track: Men's 100m Round 1 Heats: 10:45 PM
Swimming: Men's 200m Individual Medley Final: 11:48 PM
Swimming: Women's 100m Freestyle Final: 12:04 AM

Friday, August 15th
Track: Men's 100m Round 2 Heats: 8:45 AM
Swimming: Women's/Men's 4 x 100m Medley Relay Semi-Finals: 9:32 AM
Track: Women's 10,000m Final: 11:45 AM
Track: Women's 100m Round 1 Heats: 11:50 AM
Swimming: Men's 100m Butterfly Final 11:10 PM
Swimming: Women's 800m Freestyle Final: 11:16 PM
Swimming: Men's 50m Freestyle Final: 11:39 PM

Saturday, August 16th
Rowing: Women's Single Sculls Final: 4:30 AM
Rowing: Men's Single Sculls Final: 4:50 AM
Rowing: Men's Pair Final: 5:30 AM
Tennis: Women's Singles Gold Medal Match: ~9:00 AM
Track: Men's 100m Semi-Finals: 9:05 AM
Track: Women's 100m Round 2 Heats: 9:35 AM
Track: Men's 100m Finals: 11:30 AM
Women's Marathon: 8:30 PM
Swimming: Women's 50m Freestyle Final: 11:03 PM
Swimming: Women's 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final: 11:40 AM
Swimming: Men's 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final: 11:58 AM

Sunday, August, 17th
Tennis: Men's Singles Gold Medal Match: 5:00 AM
Rowing: Women's Eight Final: 6:10 AM
Rowing: Men's Eight Final: 6:30 AM
Track: Women's 100m Semi-Finals: 8:45 AM
Track: Women's 100m Finals: 11:30 AM
Track: Men's 10,000m Final: 11:45 AM
Womens's Triathlon: 11:00 PM

Monday, August, 18th
Track: Men's 3000m Steeplechase Final: 10:10 AM
Men's Triathlon: 11:00 PM

Tuesday, August 19th
Cycling - Track: Women's Sprint Finals: 7:25 AM
Cycling - Track: Men's Sprint Finals: 7:35 AM
Track: Men's 200m Semi-finals: 10:25 AM
Track: Women's 100m Hurdles Final 11:30 AM
Track: Men's 1500m Final: 11:50 AM
Swimming: Women's Marathon 10km: 10:00 PM

Wed, Aug 20th
Track: Men's 200m Final: 11:20 AM
Swimming: Men's Marathon 10km: 10:00 PM
Cycling - BMX: Women's Final: 11:30 PM
Cycling - BMX: Men's Final Run: 11:40 PM
Beach Volleyball: Women's Gold Medal Match: 11:59 PM

Thu, Aug 21th
Track: Men's/Women's 4 x 100m Relay Round 1 Heats: 9:20 AM
Track: Men's 400m Final: 10:20 AM
Track: Men's 110m Hurdles Final: 10:45 AM
Beach Volleyball: Men's Gold Medal Match: 11:59 PM

Fri, Aug 22nd
Kayak: Kayak Single (K1) 1000m Men Final: 4:30 AM
Track: Women's 5000m Final: 9:40 AM
Track: Women's 4 x 100m Relay Final: 10:15 AM
Track: Men's 4 x 100m Relay Final: 11:10 AM

Sat, Aug 23rd
Kayak: Kayak Single (K1) 500m Men Final: 4:30 AM
Track: Men's 800m Final: 8:30 AM
Track:19:50 Women's 1500m Final: 8:50 AM
Track: Men's 5000m Final: 9:10 AM
Track: Women's 4 x 400m Relay Final: 9:40 AM
Track: Men's 4 x 400m Relay Final: 10:05 AM
Men's Marathon: 8:30 PM

Sun, Aug 24th
Basketball: Men's Gold Medal Game: 3:30 AM

LiveMultiSport Fredericton Info Session

2008-08-10T12:38:00.000-03:00

DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS!?

2008-08-07T18:42:00.004-03:00

Hint: It only comes around every 4 years (well, 2, technically)....
of course it's the OLYMPICS! Woohoo! I love it! Time to glue myself to the TV for two weeks, waking up at all hours to see it live on CBC! Woohoo! As long as I can remember, I've always watched these games with great passion! It pretty much comsumes everything I do - I always have to plan any event around Olympic viewing schedule :) I can remember getting up at 3AM, with Jenn, the night before a triathlon in 2004 to watch the rowing final in the women's eight event. I

My most memorable Olympic moment would have to be from the '96 summer games in Atlanta. At this point, I was heavy into volleyball and I was at a National tournament in Montreal. Obviously, I watched as much of the games as I could with my mom (perhaps the only other person beside Jenn who is as dedicated to TV watching as me). On the night of the 4 x 100m final, the team decided to get tickets to a Montreal Expos game.

Now, of course, in Atlanta, the Canadian team was VERY strong with newly crowned Olympic Champion Donovan Baily, plus Robert Esmie, Glenroy Gilbert, and Bruny Surin. Since the games were in Atlanta, the cocky American team was extremely confident and dind't really give much chance to the rest of the field.

Needless to say, I was a little bummed that I was going to miss the race, but I didn't want to be a huge loser and stay in the hotel alone, so I sucked it up and joined the team at the game.

But, then the best thing happened! Right in the middle of the game, the umps haulted the game, and the big-screen in the outfield was switched from the scoreboard to live CBC coverage of the race! It was awesome! The entire stadium stopped everything and watched - including all the players!

And, then it started. What an amazing race! They were flying around the track! OMG! Thinking about it and watching this video still gives me goosebumps! After they won, the whole stadium was cheering and clapping, man, what a scene! I will never forget it.

Enjoy the next 2 weeks, you know I will :)
Chris

Busy Weekend

2008-08-04T11:47:00.003-03:00

This past Sunday was the "Summerside Triathlon" in PEI. This event was not only an open sprint distance triathlon, but a Canadian "Junior Elite" series event. That means, it is a prep race for the kids trying out and racing in the Canada Games next summer. For those that don't know, the rules for Canada Games triathon is those used in the ITU events - mainly meaning it is a draft-legal race.

The reason I wanted to go watch this race is that some of the NB kids that I've been helping out were racing and I wanted to see they were progressing. The timing of the event couldn't really have been much worse because Jenn and I (well mostly Jenn) are heavy into wedding planning and my Ironman training volume is starting to get up there. Also, there are those pesky things like work and jobs that are getting in the way too. But I said I would be there, and I wanted to live up to my word. But, this also gave me a chance to visit my grandparents who both live on the island and who I haven't seen in too long.

So, anyway, my planned weekend workouts were a 5-hour bike ride on Sat and 28K run on Sunday. In order to fit both of them in, I planned it so that I could ride from our apt in Fredericton to Salisbury and meet Jenn there. So, at 5 AM Sat morning, I was up and out the door for my 5 hours. I had a route planned, travelling along the old TCH - I figured there wouldn't be a lot of traffic - and boy, was I right. I was keeping a rough count of all the cars that passed me, and after about 4 hours, the number was less than 30! As, I got closer to Moncton, a few more cars appeared, mostly traffic heading there for the Eagles concert that night.

So, back to the ride: It was really nice. I hadn't been feeling all that good for most of the week, so I was a little worried about it, but the first 3-4 hours flew by. But, then the 5th hour rolled around... for anyone that's done these long training sessions, you tend to get a little cranky near the end and slightly more sensative to adverse conditions, and this is what happened. I ran smack into a big head wind and the road started to turn upwards. And, plus it started to rain... I had really enjoyed the first 4 hrs, but now I was in a real mental battle with myself to keep going.

The plan was to meet Jenn at the Big Stop Irving in Salisbury. And, when I got the message that she was almost there, I still had 20+ KM to go, so I had to push hard. But, with the wind and climbing and rain, I didn't make it all the way, but I did get over 5 hrs and 10 mins of hard riding in! Jenn had to drive back the road about 5K to pick me up...man, was that ever nice :)

I piled in the food, changed into some dry clothes and drive the rest of the way to PEI. Then, we had a busy day of visiting my relatives and some friends, before I got to finally sleep at 10...phew long day.

Sunday, I had planned to run for 2 hrs and 20 minutes before we made our way to Summerside for the race, but with the huge rain storm going through, a poor night's sleep, and toasted legs, I decided to swtich my "off" day from Monday to Sunday. We still got to the race at 8 AM, in time to see the kids before the start and answer any last Q's they had.

The women's race started at 9:30, then the guys at 10:30. Man, what a great race to watch. Some of these kids are AMAZING! For instance, the guy who won ran a 15:3x 5K at the end of the race! Man, that's nuts! That's over a minute faster than the faster 5K I've ever run...without a swim and bike before! It was very impressive. The NB guys did alright, but 2 have to work on their swimming and one on his running! But, we got a whole winter to do that :)

Right after the race, we hoped back in the car and drove back to F'ton, with a quick stop in Costco. Didn't buy anything, but got a nice, free snack from all the samples... ahhh... the life of a poor athlete...

THe next morning (Monday), was a holiday and I had my 28 K run to do and it was pouring rain - I love it! I ran into Odell for 75 mins of up and down the hills, getting soaked, muddy, sweaty - it was fabulous. Then ran back to the apt to meet Jenn, and then right back to Odell for another hour! It was awesome and I felt good! Finally!

So, that was my weekend, now it's back to "work". I've got a recovery week, so I might actually get some stuff done... I hope.

Chris

Race Report: NB Time Trial Champs

2008-07-28T08:23:00.011-03:00

This Sunday, I decided I'd try my first "Velo NB" event as the provincial TT champs were held just outside Fredericton. Since, all of my tri's and du's include a TT in the middle, I figured it couldn't hurt to get this race in. After a hard week of training, this would be 4th hard bike workout in 6 days, so I was pretty sure my legs wouldn't feel fresh, but I was still hopeful.

When my living alarm clock (aka, our cat "Kona") woke me up at 6:30, I Was not in the mood to race. So, I relaxed, took my time, watched a few minutes of the final Tour de France stage, then packed the car up. ME and Jenn then headed up to Kings Landing for the race reg. I got there at about 9:40 and reg ended at 9:45, so I was one of the last ones to sign up. Anyway, I grabbed my bike and went for warm up ride on the course.

Me, being stupid, didn't bring a watch with me on the warm up and didn't know how long I had been out there. By, the time I turned around and headed back to the start, I saw some riders already going! uh oh.
So, I hammered back to the car (where jenn was waiting with my race gear) to get ready. As I got back to the start, I heard them yelling my name and "30 seconds"! What the hell? I threw on my jersey (well, my Asics T-shirt), my helmet, and my shoes and got to the start just in time to miss my spot...nice job Chris. They could have DQ'd me, but they were nice and just stuck me at the end, right after all the fast guys. So, so far, I had been late to the reg and late to the start...well done eh?

But, by the time I got to go, I felt pretty good. But, that didn't last long. After about 3 mins holding a good position and good tempo, I started to feel my legs, not good. When I am riding well, it's like my legs are separate from my body and I don't have to worry about them giving out. I just have to focus on going hard. My legs feel like pistons pumping up and down...but not today. I knew it was going to be a very tough ride. It's funny how you can instantly tell if there's power there or not... and today, there was not.

I managed to push through the first 20K at a decent pace, over 40 kph, but it was with a nice tail-wind. I knew that the last 20K home would be rough. At the turn around, I skidded a bit with my new Zipp disc and it completely messed up whatever rhythm I had going. It felt like my wheel was all messed up, so I was pre-occupied with that for a few K. Then, at about 25K, my buddy Mike Davis, of the "The Radical Edge" drove by in a van of other volunteers, and started joking with me. It was fun and nice to see him, but, it sure didn't help my TT, haha. It took me til about the 30K mark to get back into any kind of good rhythm, but by then the damage was done. I had lost a lot of time.

The last 10K were ok, and I finished strong. My time was over 63 minutes for the 40K, not very good for me. I was gunning under 60 minutes, which should have been very doable. But, I guess the 3 hard rides leading up to this day took it's toll on my power.

But, anyway, right after the race, I threw on my running stuff and Jenn and I got a nice 5K running tour of "Kings Landing Historical Settlement" :) During the run, we saw the people getting setup for the awards, so we ran back, got the car, and went to them, and yup, you guessed it, we were late...what else is new? I actually ended up finishing 3rd in the "citizen" category (which is the group of non-racers, joe-shmoe's like me) and won a draw prize :)

And, since I still had another 20K of running to finish of my total mileage for the week, Jenn dropped me off about 20K from the apt and I ran the rest of the way. I actually felt really good on the run and was much more optimistic about my day after I finished the nearly 4 hrs of training. I didn't have the leg power on the bike today, but my fitness and endurance are really starting to come along, as the 2+ hrs of running felt like nothing. Especially considering I was running in the middle of the heat.

So, that was my first TT...probably won't do another for a while, but it was fun. And I feel stronger for doing it.

Chris

Video From Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island

2008-07-23T11:27:00.001-03:00

Super Sunday

2008-07-19T17:56:00.002-03:00

Oh man, what a dilema! There is just too much good sports on TV on Sunday morning! I love European sports and the time zone! Things are live first thing in the morning! It's perfect.

First of all there is the Tour de France! Sunday is the first mountain stage in the Alps. Can Cadel Evans hold his 1-second lead of Frank Schleck? Who will attack? Who will survive? Man, I am pumped!

Second, there is the British Open. How about 53 year-old Greg Norman holding a 2-shot lead! WOW! Now, that's turning back the clock. Can he hold on? That would be simply amazing! It's really funny how Norman was World #1 until Tiger showed up on the scene back in '97, and now that he's hurt and out for the year, Norman is leading a major. Man, what a great story. I hope he does it.

Plus, there is a Formual 1 race from Germany....there's no real underdog story here, just a great race. I love watching the best drivers in the world driving the most advanced cars. And, YES, they are actually athletes. These drivers have to make split-second decisions with cat-like reflexes while travelling at over 320 KPH! Plus, they actually do have to be in shape, as they might lose 10 lbs during a single race.

Hmmm... what else is on?....Not really sure, but that's plenty to keep me busy for a while! I've got a 4.5 hour bike ride to do, so looks like I'm getting up at 4:30 AM to get this done before this get going! WOOHOO! Man, I love sports.

Happy watching!
Chris

I Just Don't Get It!!

2008-07-17T14:30:00.004-03:00

Another rider (the 3rd so far) has been caught cheating in the Tour de France! This time, a rider who has already won 2 stages, leading the "Young Rider's" and "King of the Mountains" competitions, and 9th overall: Ricardo Ricco...I can't understand it! There is so much riding on the line, not only for themselves, but their teammates, the sponsors, and the sport of cycling, and for that matter, all endurance sports! To prove that, his team, Sauniel Duval, immediately withdrew from the Tour and suspended operations! Now, that's a huge blow to those riders trying to make a living, plus the sport as a whole.

I look forward to the Tour every year. I tape every stage and watch it over the winter as I train indoors. I love it, but this stuff really pisses me off! The selfisheness of these guys! ARGH! Bah! What an idiot! Especially after they were told there would be MORE testing.

I guess the good thing out of this is that they caught him using a new type of EPO, with new testing method. The rider's were not told that they could detect this type of drug. So, I guess that's a good thing, that it will set a precedent and discourage any other rider from trying to "beat the system" fearing that there may be a test.

Anyway, I will still watch and tape, but this is the stuff that turns off the "casual" sports fan. Well, that is my rant for the day.

Here's a few of the 'breaking news' press releases from this morning:
Cyclingnews
Velonews

At Ironman Rhode Island 70.3

2008-07-12T17:11:00.002-03:00

Here I am, in Providence (well, technically, Warwick), Rhode Island for the latest Ironman 70.3 event. This time it's a little different as I am here in a supporting role for Jenn, as she is racing her first 1/2 Ironman! But, also, my LiveMultiSport cohort, Cliff is racing his 2nd 70.3 event, after the Ironman California 70.3 we both raced this March (Check out the video from that race here). I am so pumped to watch and cheer them on. And I am especially proud of Jenn for training for this event while supporting my ass financially by working her ass off at two jobs.

But, here's the thing with this race. This is the first year they've done this one and some things are a little unusual including the course, athlete check-in, the transitions zones, parking, etc. The major thing is that a lot of the logistics and setup work to get ready is done by the athletes with a lot of running-around and planning. The reason is that there is two separate transition zones, 90KM apart. T1 is at the beach, then they ride 90KM (on the back roads) to downtown Providence into T2 where they ditch the bikes and run around the city. Because of this we had to make a trip to the beach this morning to drop off her bike.

We were lucky yesterday and planned the trip duration perfectly and got the athlete "check-in" done yesterday when nobody was there. This meant we already had her race "transition" bags and chip and such. Then today, we dropped off her bike at the beach (as you can see in the pic, we were one of the first there), drove back to Providence and dropped off her "run" bag at T2 (again, one of the 1st there, see the pic). When we went by to the athlete briefing today, we saw a HUGE line of people waiting to get checked-in, phew. Plus, these people also had to drop off their bike and run bags...man, I am glad we go that stuff over with.

Anyways, the athletes shouldn't notice too much during the race, but us cheerleaders will have a work cut out for us getting from the beach to the city in time to see them run.... ya....that's the hard part, not the 70.3 miles of swim-bike-running, haha. I think I can work it that I can have time to get a quick run on the beach while Jenn is biking :)

Oh, I am also pumped to watch the pros tomorrow! woohoo! To follow the action or track an athlete, go to the Ironman website.

from Rhode Island, check out the pics:
Chris

-dropping off Jenn's bike in T1 first thing in the morning.

-working out the last few kinks in the bike

-Bike is very lonely in T1...

-dropping off "run bag" in T2, one of only a few so far to do so

-the Rose and the Thorn:

Race Report: Duncan Hadley Olympic Tri

2008-07-06T13:57:00.005-03:00

Well, this sure was a shock to the ol' system! But, it was very nice to get a race in! I know it sounds dumb, but sometimes I forget why I sacrifice and train so much. It's to compete, have fun, and able to race at my best. Well, I did two of those today (not the latter).

As I said before, I hadn't decided about this race until just a few day ago when I did an interview with the local newspaper - then I kinda had to do it. And really, it's right here in my hometown, how could I not? So, I really didn't know how I was going to react - both mentally and physically. Mentally, just cuz I hadn't done a "fast", hard race in almost a year, and physically cuz I'd been feeling so horrible until about 10 days ago (plus, I've put on a little weight, and it really makes a difference in performance, so that's gonna go away - I hate it).

Anyways, so I get to the race and hear someone say "no wetsuits". Not really a problem for me, but it was for Jenn (who was doing her 1st Olympic distance race, by the way) because she had planned to wear her race suit under her wetsuit. But, without the suit, she had nothing to swim in. So we had to make a quick drive back to the house and grab her swimsuit and her shoes (rookie mistake). It wasn't a big deal, just something else you odn't want to have to worry about before a race.

So, back to the race. During the 5-mins swim warm up, I felt really good and was cautiously optimistic. Over the years I've learned that feeling good in the warmup can be a really good thing or a really bad thing. So, the gun went off and we hustled into the water. I had a plan to stick on the feet (drafting) of a strong swimmer, the guy who beat me last year, Matthias Jaepel, of Halifax. I wanted to stick with him as long as I could and have him "pull" me around. But, after the first buoy, he got a gap, then I lost him. But, there was a pack of other swimmer to his left that I tried to get behind. This turned out to be a very bad decision and probly cost me the race. As I tried to shift to the left and get on that groups' feet, I went too far to the left and was way off course! Stupid, stupid. By the time I got back on course, they were too far ahead for me to catch up! BALLS!

Now, I was in "no mans" land - in between the front group but ahead of the 2nd group. I decided to try and just get in a smooth rhythm at a comfortable pace and conserve as much energy as possible. Then, as I exitted the water, I would sprint the 300m to the transition zone and try to make up some lost time. And that was what I did, but even though I felt good, I wasn't sure how far behind I was going to be when I got on the bike.

After I ran into the T1, I grabbed my jersey and tried to put it on. But, of course, it wouldn't go on easily and I wasted another 10-15 seconds trying to get it on (again, another thing that ultimately may have cost me the race). It's funny how those little things add up.

Anyway, I got on the bike and felt decent, not great. My legs weren't quite "there", but they weren't terrible. After 1 lap, I passed my parents and they told me that there were 2 guys ahead by 4 minutes! For some reason, this really hurt me and I had a little lull in motivation for a few minutes - I guess thinking that 4-mintue gap was hopeless to make up. This was another error, you NEVER WANT TO THINK THAT!

Anyway, I kept on and started to feel like my power was coming back. I had a couple good laps, but the gap to the leader was not coming down, but, it wasn't increasing either - good sign. Then, at the end of the 3rd lap, a guy I was worried about, Troy Allaby of St. John caught up and went by. I wasn't going to have him ride away from me and stuck with him on the final lap.

This whole time, I thought the leader was Matthias, but on the final stretch, Troy and I passed him! This was suprising to me and also meant that the leader was Steve Morris, of St. John - a monster swim-biker, but historically, not as fast a runner. Thus, my thoughts of having no chance to catch up were totally unwarrented (because Matthias is a strong runner, so if he was up by 4 minutes, there was no way I could catch up). But, with Morris up there, I at least had a chance if I ran well. Again, a dumb mistake, this time mental!

Anyway, I came into T2 about 10 seconds behind Troy and managed to make that up and we left together. I came out hard and got ahead of him, but it was a little too hard. Then, soon after that, I had a slight let-down in my pace and Troy was feeling good, and he took off! Crap! He went at just the right time (for him), just the wrong time for me! I just didn't have the killer instinct to stay with him and let him get away. Yep, another mistake! This one I blame on not racing in a while - I forgot about how critical those kinds of decisions are! No matter how tired or hurt you are, you HAVE TO GO WITH HIM!! He built up about a 40 second lead over the first 3K. And during the 3rd lap, we passed Morris, so now we were 1-2.

It was about this time that I started to feel better and my split times were coming down - I was catching back up! My lap times went from 6:51 to 6:39 and I was only 25 seconds back with 1 lap (1.7K) to go. GO TIME! I still had a chance! I didn't have the extra gear however, and I only made up another 10 seconds or so and Troy hung on for win. Great race by him, he made the right move and the right time and got it done! We talked after the race, and turns out, he was really worried about me running by at the finish. haha, not today, but maybe if I had had the extra 1K, as most races are 10k, not 9K....o well, next time.

But, then the most amazing thing happened at the draw prizes! All these years or racing and I've never won a good prize...until now. As we were putting the bike in the car, I heard they were doing the draws, so I headed over and Jenn went to put her bike away. As I walking over I heard Jenn's name! Woohoo! I ran over and grabbed it. It was a really nice cycling trainer!! AWESOME!! We really needed one.

After I grabbed her prize, I said "man, I hope I don't win something now, cuz I don't want to go up there twice". But, after about another 10 prizes, they brought up another great trainer and drew the name. Instantly, the girl started laughing, and, you guessed it, called out my name!! So, I walked up and grabbed another!! We went from having one useless trainer, to having two brand, spanking new ones!! WOW! I guess signing up for this race was the right thing to do after all :)

If you've made it this far, I applaud you...this was a long entry. Til next time,
chris