2009 Oliver Half
Oliver Half, June 2009
Photo by ASI

Triathlon Training and Racing Diary

January 2005 I was looking around for a fitness goal. Since I'd graduated from university, I'd gained some weight in my sedentary office job. After losing the weight again, I needed a physical challenge. I considered signing up for the 10k clinic at the Y, but since I didn't like running, I signed up for the triathlon clinic instead and for the first time ever started working on aerobic fitness. These pages are my ongoing account of my multisport activities.

2005: in which I get started
2006: in which I get carried away, train like crazy and do Ironman Canada
2007: in which my fitness declines and I'm glad I didn't get an Ironman tattoo
2008: in which I don't actually do any triathlons at all, but go on some runs and rides
2009: in which I experiment with 6:00 a.m. swims, complete another half ironman, and sign up for next year's Ironman Canada
And this year . . .

2010

Every year since 2005 I've gone to Penticton to watch the Ironman. At the end of last summer I was watching Taralyn complete her fourth ironman, and I realized that next year was probably a pretty good year to do it again. I wanted to renew my membership in the club. I wanted to feel fit again. Whatever the reasons, I stood in line for three hours and paid my money.

The fall wasn't too great. I had a sore hamstring, a knee injury (hiking), and a slow half marathon. Ho hum. However, now the new year is on and so far my training is coming together. Knee feeling good, hamstring under control, getting some swimming in, and I'm beginning to conquer my fear of bike-riding in Vancouver.

We've joined a tri club (Pacific Spirit), and although they don't swim at six in the morning, they do swim in an outdoor pool. However, the water is well heated and there's an awning over the pool so it's turned out to be pretty reasonable, if not actually warm. The occasional dead leaf floating in the depths just adds some welcome visual interest as we glide along in the half-dark.

Feb 11

Rain

The weather has been merciful lately, but Vancouver winters are characterized by relatively warm temperatures (seldom freezes, probably averages about 8 Celsius) and frequent rain. A few months ago Marc and I had a very uncomfortable run in the rain. I turned around early and hated the whole run home.

Yesterday I went out in the rain again and didn't mind at all. The difference? I was wearing the right clothes this time. In heavy rain I just stay home, but if I dress right I can run for up to about an hour in light rain without it bothering me. The challenge, of course, is that running is so sweaty that even the most breathable of the waterproof-breathable fabrics will generally end up with you getting more or less soaked from the inside. That's why I opt for non-waterproof clothes that slow the rain down while letting out most of my sweat. Here's the outfit:

In these clothes, I can run along in my own almost-dry stay if not dry, then at least free of cold trickles of water. The remaining weak point is my shoes, which have mesh across the toes. I may have to try a piece of duct tape across the toes.

Spring, bike time

Vancouver biking

I'll never complain again about that waterfront route in Victoria that I used to get so tired of. Getting out of town to where you're doing your real riding is always a problem because it's city riding and you tend to get tired of your getting-out-of-town route, but at least the favourite waterfront route in Victoria was not only scenic, it didn't have much traffic and you didn't have to stop too often.

I've been having a hard time biking here in Vancouver: more traffic, faster traffic, bigger roads. With the help of a fluorescent yellow cycling vest and the resources listed below I'm starting to get the hang of it but it's hard to find routes that don't involve either hairy traffic or else stopping every 50 metres.

However, if you're willing to stop a lot, there's an excellent network of bicycling routes, and once you get across one of the bridges into North Vancouver, there are some impressive Fitness Opportunities over there on Mounts Seymour, Grouse, and Cypress. I rode partway up Mount Seymour a while ago, and there was no mercy. The road went up on a relentless 8–9-percent grade, which you can calculate easily because there's a signpost every kilometre helpfully telling you the altitude. I made it up about 4.5 (out of 10) kilometres before I decided I'd enjoyed about enough for one day, but I'll be back. Rumour has it that Cypress has a slightly more gradual grade, so maybe that's a better hill to attack.

May 2

Vancouver Half Marathon

First race of the year. Although I signed up intending to put some work into my running and get on track to do a good half, which for me means under two hours, Marc and I got hit by a very tenacious cold in March and I kept on and on coughing. I have some exercise-induced asthma at the best of times, and I've come to dread the lingering cough that hangs on after every virus. So I decided I'd better go ahead and admit that I'm asthmatic and get some medication to help with it. I'm not sure how effective it is, but I seem to be able to run at higher intensities again without excessive bronchial irritation.

Last week Marc and I were doing one of our longest runs so far, a whopping 12k or so (home to Granville Island and back) (oh yeah, and I bonked on the way back and we had to walk for a bit), discussing the fact that the half was only a week away. We didn't feel very ready.

This was my first Vancouver race, and the SkyTrain made it a snap to get down to the starting line for the painfully early seven a.m. start. The race route went across the overpass beside GM Place and then went through some Downtown East Side streets that I don't think I'd ever seen before. There were a few people standing around outside various soup kitchens and detox facilities, but for the most part the streets were more or less deserted. We then ran through Stanley Park and eventually up a killer hill that I had no idea was there. I'd decided to start out fairly aggressively and then just see how long I could keep it up. It was raining, I was sore, and although I was more or less on track for a two-hour race I didn't think I was going to make it. When we ran up the long hill it seemed even less likely that I'd make my best time, but I was determined to go as little over two hours as I could. Marc was up ahead going for his ambitious time of 1:45 and I thought it would be nice not to be too far behind him.

I held it together for a surprisingly long time, but in the last kilometre I ran out of breath in a big way, between a stitch in my chest area and my not-so-happy lungs and had to take a little walk break before running rather slowly to the finish. Nevertheless, I made a 2:02:51 and it was better than I could have hoped for. Marc finished in 1:49 and change, a personal best.

May 24

Cypress Bowl

July 11

Day before the Desert Half Iron

I'm sitting in the house by the lake at 8:30 at night, drinking iced Gatorade in preparation for the Desert Half ironman tomorrow. It's going to be hot. The forecast calls for a high of 34 degrees, and the lake was 22.5 degrees this afternoon. We'll probably be allowed to wear wetsuits in the swim tomorrow, but at this point I think I'd welcome a no-wetsuit swim. Considering how tough the bike and the run are shaping up to be with the heat, I think we should just go ahead and make the swim a little harder too.

Anyway, I just finished going through my race checklist. Here it is:

On the bike:

Morning:
This stuff goes on my body or goes onto the bike during pre-race setup. Swim bag: T1: T2: Extra stuff: This stuff is needed for race package pickup, or during pre-race setup, or stays in the car in case of emergency. Did I mention that it's hot?

July 17

Mt. Seymour

Phew! Way harder than Cypress. But a very pretty ride: quiet and through beautiful forest. There's a bathroom in the parking lot at the top where you can refill your water bottles. This was number two in the project to ride up the three big hills across the water from me. Number one was Cypress Bowl, and the last one to go will be Grouse.

July 18

Long swim

Swam 4125 metres in Kitsilano Pool today. It's a great pool: saltwater, outdoors, and a whopping 137.5 metres long, so the distance adds up quickly. To make my goal of 4000 metres, I had to swim 29 lengths, so rather than get out and walk back, I swam back and made it an even thirty. I didn't put sunscreen on the fronts of my legs, but they still show a tan line—reflection off the bottom of the pool?

Links

Vancouver cycling

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