The Holidays are HERE!!!!

A mighty lean if I ever saw one!

It's that time of year again! Christmas is only 6 days away, everyone is probably already full to the brim from holiday parties, and there are still a few left on the schedule. I've already had a bunch of Christmas dinners and parties with various family members, friends, and coworkers, but I'm most looking forward to the Christmas eve dinner and Christmas dinner, as they will be sure to deliver that last loading of holiday treats! We've also FINALLY gotten our tree up AND decorated (it's pretty tough to get the whole family together to decorate when every one operates on a different schedule.) All I know is that we bought a 9 foot tree, but after a few glasses of mulled wine, some frustration with and awkwardly grown tree, and getting that frustration out via our sawsall electric saw, we now have a 6 foot tree. But at least it doesn't look like the leaning tower of Pisa.

Creating mulled wine. DELISH!

That being said, we're ready for the big man to make is appearance on the day, and it will be a relief. Being a busy procrastinator, I've not quite finished my Christmas shopping, so the mad rush is on to get it all done. Sometimes it seems like the whole city waited until now as well, total chaos in any mall I visit. There should be some kind of Mall Race, complete with tightly wound shoppers as obstacles, and a prize for the person who can navigate through the mall and collect a list of gifts the fastest! Not sure what kind of prize it would be, but perhaps some kind of online shopping gift card. It'll make you push hard so you don't have to do it again!

Team Ossenbrink Christmas Pub Night

Recently, Super-Coach Bjoern Ossenbrink and I were chatting about the races that I'll be competing in for 2012, a VERY exciting talk to say the least. Not everything is finalized yet, but geez am I EXCITED about the races that we have lined up so far, and even more excited by the prospect of a few races we haven't decided on yet. We'll be figuring it out soon, but suffice to say, 2012 is going to be a BIG year on the race scene. After some time off after the Miami 70.3, the build has officially begun for 2012, and it's time to get serious again. I'm feeling mentally refreshed, and after a few too many holiday parties, and a LOT of time lifting weights in the gym, there's a few pounds that need to be shed before the racing eventually begins again (the first fun of the year is slated for the Steveston Ice Breaker 8k road race on January 29th, in Richmond, BC.)

I hope everyone is out and enjoying the holidays and festivities lately, as well as taking some time to relax and kick back with family and friends. Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates, and have a happy New Years!!! Be safe out there, enjoy some turkey and a slice of pie for me.

The shrinking Christmas tree

Nathan

Some fast and furious fun, the local race scene.....

One of the things I look forward to in the fall/winter/early spring is all the non-triathlon races going on locally. They're always a good time, and usually I use these races to test my fitness, get a hard race-simulation, work on nutrition/tactics/race strategy, or in the case of the recent few races, just to plain have some FUN! This fall has been no exception, as I've had my share of fun at a few races in the past month. All have been for fun, with no preparation really, just kind of diving in head first, so-to-speak. The UBC Masters swim meet was a blast, biting off a heck of a lot more than I could chew, entering 5 events total (the 50fly, 100free, 200free, 400free, and 800free events.) It was a tough day, as I was coming off a night shift at work, and was tired. By the time I went in to compete in my 4th event, I was ready to pull the pin. BUT, I had entered all the events, and was going to do them whether or not I almost drowned. Suffice to say, NO PB's were had that day, but I sure had a lot of fun! It was so much fun to hang out with friends I hadn't seen in a while, and that's one of the best parts of these events.

Fall Classic, pacing another runner

A couple weeks ago, I jumped in to the New Balance Fall Classic Half Marathon, in UBC. No prep leading in to the race, I just wanted to see what I could do in a half, as I hadn't run one in over 18 months!! I started the race with no preconceived notions as to how I would perform. I find that NOT having any huge expectations for races like this helps me stay relaxed, and generally care-free at the starting line. I went and just ran my race, sticking with another runner until the 18km mark, where I found a surge in my legs that helped me pull away for a 3rd place overall. It was funny, when I was running I was just thinking about my form, staying relaxed, and didn't have any real strategy for a hard kick at the end. But as the race drew on, friends out on course were cheering me on, saying stuff like "The podium is yours," and other words of encouragement. I was running for 3rd/4th with this other guy, at the 18k mark, something inside just told me I HAD to go for it. I tested with a surge, the other guy didn't respond, so I just went ballistic and poured it on heavy. I made a good gap by the end of the race, and was really happy to cross the finish line in under 1:15. Bjoern was at the finish line, along with a group of other friends, and I was elated to have felt as good as I did during the race. I thought the 2011 racing season was now finally completed!!

Breakaway for the finish!!

Wrong.

Apparently, since I felt so good in the race, I was to enter the 2011 Canadian Cross Country National Championships in 6 days, something I've never even done before! I was excited, as XC is essentially the running version of cyclocross, and I'm always jealous of the cross riders I see covered in mud (cause it looks like SO much fun, playing in the mud!!) Getting a pair of New Balance XC race spikes, I spent an hour with Bjoern on the course before the race, figuring out what I was getting myself in to. Race day came, and I was pretty flat! Coming off yet another night shift, I headed to the race site and got ready to race. The weather was awesome (and by awesome, I mean windy, raining sideways, cold, and the WORST mud I've ever even comprehended running in!) It looked like it was going to be a complete gong-show out there, but I was ready for action!

Photo courtesy of Mark Bates, at 321Photos.ca

the New Balance 1700 XC Spikes

A few friends were around the course, cheering us all on, and Jeremy Hopwood was in the race as well. I wasn't really feeling good during the race, but going in to the last lap (5x2km loops,) I yet again found a solid surge to pull ahead of a group of guys, and managed to fend all but one of them off until the finish. I've never run in anything like that before. It was fast, furious, and REALLY worked stabilizers. It was nuts. As Hopwood said, "when the sand feels like the easy parts, you KNOW the course is in rough shape!" Very true, there was deep, uneven mud all OVER the course. But, like I said, I went there to have fun, and I did. I also achieved my goals for the race:

BIG MUD!!!

A. Don't get lapped;
B. Don't come last!

Mission accomplished:)

Ps. thanks to Mark Bates at 321Photos.ca for use of one of his photos from the XC Nationals, you can find the rest of his event photos here.

Now I'm starting to get back in to the training routine, getting ready to begin the base building process all over again. I don't spend a ton of time during the race season doing a lot of strength training, so I've been hitting the gym pretty hard lately to try and pack some meat on these bones for the winter! It's that time of year, to mix it up a bit. Baking season is upon me again, and I've been baking up a storm the last week. You can't go to a Christmas party empty handed, and I have a LOT of those coming up, so I need to refine my recipes. Not that my family doesn't mind, they are my self-appointed product testers. Must be a tough job.

Baking Season!!!

I hope everyone is having a great start to their winter, getting ready to enjoy the upcoming holidays! Happy training out there people, and don't forget to be smart, sensible, and safe on the roads!

By for now,
Nathan

The Off-Season Fun Begins!!! Whistler Relay with the guys.....

A lot of people get the off-season blues. It's the day after your last race of the year (BIG races I mean,) the culmination of months and months of training has finally been cashed in, and what are you going to do now? That's how I usually feel after the last big one. Always thinking about what's next, until there is no next for the season (at least in the triathlon respective.) With this thought comes a bit of a sadness:

"Did I race well this year?"
"Did I go as fast as I could?"
"What am I going to do now?"

etc, etc, etc......

But this year is different for me. Yeah, I'm still thinking about what's next for training and such, but I'm really trying to just go-with-the-flow this off-season. You know, have some fun (not that life isn't usually 110% AWESOME,) outside of just training and working. So, I know they're still competitions, but one of the things I love about the fall is doing the running relay with the guys from work (Delta Fire Rescue.) Last year I was on the team (for the first time,) when it was the Haney-to-Harrison 100km's relay (consisting of 8 relay legs.) It was terminated after that race, as the logistics and stress on the local communities (not to mention the backlog on traffic,) became too much to bare.

The start line: added an extra 600m's to the leg, so 12.6k.

Now, it's the Whistler relay and Ultra, an 8 leg relay, 80km/50mile Ultra Marathon held up in Whistler. When asked to run with the team again this year, OBVIOUSLY I was all in!! Too much fun every time, I knew it would be a blast. It's run on a 20km loop, the first leg being 12km (what I ran,) and the second being 8km. Then you do it again.

Nearing the end of my 12.6k leg. CHILLY!

And again.

And again.

A perfect Whistler morning greeted us as we arrived, cold and crisp, but dry (albeit a bit of snow on the ground.) I lined up to run the first leg, and what a fun course it was, with some good hills and trails. I pulled off a 3rd in my leg, around the 44min mark, and handed off our chip to the next runner (Ian McCabe,) with almost a 5minute lead on the next Fire guy. Our team ran so well, and came out 3rd in our division (one spot better than last year, improvement is always a plus!!) The main point of this was to have fun, and although I couldn't stay around to party that night, it was a blast and I'll DEFINITELY be back next year. I'll plan to be able to stay the night though, have a little 'extra' fun :)

Next in the sights is a day in the pool at the UBC Masters Swim meet (look at the time, I gotta get going!) ALWAYS an amazing day of racing (and eating, because lets be real, that's why we REALLY do all the training: to eat MORE!) I'm damn excited as I'm entered into 5 events, one of which being the 50m fly, an event I haven't swam before. I haven't even BEEN to a pool in about 8 days, so it's sure to be a gong-show.

But hey, that's what the off-season's for, isn't it?


Enjoy the day, and happy training!!

Ironman 70.3 Miami Race Report

Ever since I began working with Bjoern Ossenbrink and Lifesport Coaching last December, my training load has been rather high, and to train and race like I have this year has really taken a toll on my body. Suffice to say, coming into Miami 70.3 I was ready to bring this season to a close. My training leading up to Miami has been incredible, pushing myself in workouts harder than I have before, especially when it came to long hard running sessions, and my favourite workouts of all, the weekly brick sessions at the track with Bjoern and the rest of his athletes. Pushing some really positive times, I was confident Miami would be a fast race for me, maybe even a breakthrough. Hell, even my confidence in my swim was high, with some great consistency in the pool. Yup, Miami would be my race.

Days before the race, beautiful weather!

Unfortunately, bad luck decided to rear its ugly little head, and rain down on my parade. About 2 weeks out from the race, I contracted a lovely bacterial infection, which caused me to need a full 10 day course of antibiotics. Out of pure good luck, I managed to also contract some delightful virus that had some pretty uncomfortable symptoms, and the two wreaked havoc on my body for about a week. The antibiotics were the worst, leaving me with practically zero energy or motivation to get out and train. I didn’t want to do much, I ached all day, I felt my recovery was null, and I hated my coach for making me come out to training sessions , (my favourite was when he said, and I quote, “You can stay at home and cry, or come to the pool and do something about it.” Classic Bjoern! For those of you who know him, you know what I’m talking about.)  I have the best coach, but boy did I despise him for making me come to some of those sessions. I had my doubts about the upcoming race, even though we both stayed positive, and I kept my confidence high, there was a realization early on that I might not even be able to race.

At the Expo with Jonna

Anyways, the morning I left for Miami was the end of my antibiotics, and within a few days I could feel my energy returning. I was staying at an apartment near the race site, in downtown Miami, owned by a really upstanding gentleman named Ricardo. A triathlete himself, he opened his home to me, which I am grateful for.  The place was amazing, equipped with an outdoor pool (although only being about 18m’s long, I still managed to get a swim workout done in it!) The place was brilliant; walking distance to everything you could need (except the beach to swim at, although I managed to get a few open water swims in pre-race.)

Me swimming, photo from the apartment patio, 34 floors above!

 You may recall that I happened to meet a few fantastic people in Pennsylvania during the Pocono Mountains race, members of the Endurance Multisport tribe of athletes. Well, I was really excited to have Jonna Trexler join me in Miami, to assist with race support. Brand new to the sport this year, she is excelling at an amazing pace, dominating the amateur and elite amateur race scene. I’ve never really had someone like that as race support for a race I’ve travelled to, and what a difference it makes! I found myself much more relaxed, and was kept in check when I started to get a little too excited and carried away (I know, I know, doesn’t sound like me AT ALL :D Haha!) The days leading up to the race I had some good confidence building sessions in training. I tested out the Nineteen Frequency Speed Suit Prototype that, up until this race, I hadn’t trained in too much as I haven’t had to race with it yet. It was an amazing suit, and I was feeling very strong in the open water, even when it was choppy (note to self: the water in the Florida Keys is VERY VERY SALTY!!!) I’ve never experienced water as salty as that, it felt like I had such great buoyancy in the water (either that or I’ve enjoyed a few too many treats lately.....) My new Aquasphere Cayenne goggles worked really great for the open water, they never fogged and my visibility was unbelievable! I’ve never had that much peripheral vision in the water; it made sighting a whole lot easier.  After a few rides on the P3C, the legs were feeling fluid and strong (not that I didn’t have quite the boost from a wicked wheel-set, 1080 rear/808 front, graciously lent to me by my great friend Andrew Powell.) The winds in Miami could get quite intense, but I found I didn’t have too much problems getting thrown around on the wheels.

Waiting to go to the dock, race morning. Lovely weather huh?

One of the reasons I signed up for Miami was because I KNEW it would be warm there this time of year. What I didn’t really take in to consideration was that it was ALSO hurricane season. As luck would have it, there was a tropical storm warning for race day. The weather had been really gorgeous leading up to the race, but the day before it started to turn. I was sure I could ‘will’ it to be nice on race day, if I just hoped hard enough maybe it would turn out sunny. Lucky for us, we at least didn’t get rained on for the Pro meeting the day before the race (as it was outside.) Leading into this race, I had briefly checked out the starting list, but didn’t really see any big names. I thought the pro field was going to be small.

on the dock, waiting for swim start

WRONG!!!!  Walking up the bleachers for the meeting, I started to notice some fast guys who I’ve seen in the past, and then a few of the sports superstars, such as Matty Reed and Michael Raelart. I was so excited to be able to toe the line with some of the sports best athletes, and I got a bit of a confidence booster by Bjoern and Jonna (I guess that’s what the ‘support’ team is for!) Needless to say, it was going to be a bit of a star studded affair on Sunday.

Coming out of the water in the Nineteen Speed Suit

Race morning started out as it typically does, not much sleep and a bit groggy. I woke up excited, but that started to sink a bit when I looked outside. It was raining sideways, and I don’t mean that in a metaphorical way either. It was windy as hell with hard, driving rain. After my usual race morning breakfast of toast with almond butter, honey and a banana, I was off to the race site. It was a little cooler than I had expected, the downpour probably wasn’t really helping with that fact. After setting up my transition, and doing my routine warm-up, it was time to get to the dock for the swim start. The race was delayed 15mins, which was a good thing, as it was still really dark. All the pros stood around shivering, waiting to get in the water (which was actually a relief, as it was a warm 77 degrees!) I lined myself up in a good position, and with a horn blast the race was on!!!! Sprinting off the line, I held a good position for the first few hundred meters. I felt my form was really great, and settled into a good rhythm. I started to fall back from the big packs, and ended up swimming more than half the swim alone. The currents were pretty crazy out there, and the return into the dock was upstream. I was caught by Leanda Cave and a few other pro women right before the end of the swim, and managed to get punched in the eye. It felt like my goggle was going to suck my eyeball out of my head!!! At least you know those goggles have a good seal.

Fighting the wind, feeling strong

Even when it's tough, still all smiles :)

Onto the bike I was feeling good. My energy was soaring, the cheers from the crowds were getting me pumped up, and I started to push like a freight train right off the bat. The course was difficult in the sense that it was so flat, with VERY few turns, and that made it a bit of a mental trip to try and keep myself in check. It’s important to continually assess while on a course like that, and I rode practically the whole bike along, so it was even more important for me to stay aggressive, so as not to let myself slow down without realizing it. The first ¾’s of the bike I felt really aggressive and strong, and my speed was really awesome. One of the things that made this course extra hard was the wind; it NEVER let up! I was riding into a headwind on the way out, and it felt like an even stronger headwind coming back. It was exhausting, and I was feeling the effects for the last 10-15 miles. Flying into T2, my transition was sped up by Jonna’s loud yelling to hurry up and go faster! It caught me off guard, but got me moving a little quicker. I was using my new compressport socks, and they went on really quickly.

Hard right to the line

The final kick, leaving it all out there.

Hitting out on the run course, I was getting blown around pretty badly. The winds had picked up even more, and I felt like a leaf getting knocked about. I ran like a warrior, digging deep the whole run, but sometimes you know right off the bat when you’re not running to your full potential, and I was hurting right from the get go. I slogged it out, starting out with a really great pace, and the encouragement from the crowds kept me going, especially from Jonna and Jill Allen, a good friend of Rachel McBride’s (who was also racing today.) There was a causeway out to South Beach, and the general consensus among EVERYONE was the same: the winds were effin’ CRAZY!!! The first loop, the rain felt like needles, and the wind was gusting so hard it was like running into a wall!  Seeing Rachel with her devil horns on her head gave me a laugh, and helped me to keep pushing through (as I also knew she had a broken foot, that made me suck-it-up and go harder!!) Leanda Cave caught me at about the 11.5mile mark, as she had been gaining on me the whole race. Just at the 12 mile marker, I found the last little bit of power I had left and started to kick. I don’t know what my pace was, but it must’ve been fast! I quickly pulled away from Leanda, and just ran as hard as I could to the finish. Completely spent, in a time of 4:15:08, I crossed the finish line.

Finish line with Rachel....and FOOD

Takes someone special to hug you after a half-ironman!

The race was fun, as they always are (whether or not they go right or wrong, I always take away the positives.) Finally glad to be finished with this LONG LONG season, it was time to take advantage of being in Miami with some amazing people. After the awards ceremony, where Rachel collected her 7^th place trophy, we headed off to South Beach for some post-race celebrations, with happy hour at their resort, and some of the best Mexican food I’ve had, at Rosie’s Mexican. The night was full of laughs and good times, and I couldn’t have been in better company than Jonna, Rachel, and Jill.

Happy Hour post-race:)

I have to thank everyone who has supported me this year, my family and friends have been the most amazing support network I could ever imagine!! My Super-Coach Bjoern Ossenbrink of Lifesport has made me strong, and I couldn’t have gotten to the level I’m at without him. Thanks to Eload, Compressport, New Balance Vancouver, Nineteen wetsuits, Popeye’s Supplements, and most recently, Jeremy Wilson and the crew at Speed Theory Vancouver. Without your support I wouldn’t have made it this far.

Rosie's Mexican!!

The season is finally done, it’s time to recover, decompress, and rebuild for the 2012 season, where I know there is going to be some big work, with even bigger results! Stay tuned for all the fun things I get up to in the next few weeks, lots of excitement I promise! Stay healthy everyone, and enjoy the off-season.

The Movember Stache

Last year's dirty 'stache; bigger aspirations for this year!!

Last year I made my first ever attempt to grow a 'stache for Movember, and I guess you could say it was a success (or a hair FAIL, whatever way you want to look at it!) It was a dirty nasty thing, but it got a lot of attention (which is the EXACT reason you grow for movember, to bring awareness.) This year I'm growing my little creepy 'stache as part of Delta Fire Department's Mug Slugs, and if you want some good Karma, please donate ANYTHING you can to help out with the cause!! Every little bit helps, as every dollar raised will support the awareness, research, education, and survivorship of prostate cancer.

To help me help my brothers, go to my Mobro.co address and donate anything you can, and help us fight the good fight!!

Thank you, and happy training!

Ironman 70.3 Pocono Mountains Race Report

I originally signed up for the inaugural Pocono Mountains 70.3 because it was the only 70.3 race that fit into my schedule that would also give me points towards the 70.3 World Championships for 2012. I had ignorantly thought, “Hey, Pennsylvania at the beginning of October, it’s going to be warm weather I’m sure!”

Well, I was wrong. Wrong doesn’t even begin to describe it. See, if I had done some research, I would’ve found out (BEFORE signing up) that there has been record rainfall all summer, and that the temperatures CAN be okay, but more often than not it is cooler. As the date approached to leave, I was feeling an unbelievable amount of confidence in myself, as my training had been going spectacular!  My swim was FINALLY coming together, I was having some amazing bike sessions, and I was performing brick and track workouts at a level beyond what I had ever been capable of before.  “Yes,” I thought, “this will be the race where it all comes together.” Then I started looking at the weather forecasts. They weren’t pretty. In fact, comparing it to Vancouver weather, it STILL wasn’t pretty (on race morning, at 4am (that’s 1am Vancouver time,) the temperature was 2 degrees colder in the Poconos than in Van.) This started to make me nervous, as I have a knack for performing better in the warmer weather. Wondering what I was getting myself into, I stayed positive (as I’m known to be, regardless of what’s happening around me,) and knew I would still pull something great together. Arriving the Wednesday before the race, I was greeted by my first of two homestays, Craig and Erica Sheckler. They are the owners and head coaches of the Endurance Multisport Triathlon Club, based out of the Emmaus/Pocono area of Pennsylvania. They were an outstanding pair, great hosts and super friendly. I stayed with them the first and last night of my trip, and the few nights between I stayed with Matt Wojaczyk, a club member. Another fantastic host, he showed me the area and the race course, as well as volunteered on race day.

TT style race start

The night before the race, as I’ve become accustomed to, I didn’t sleep a wink. I didn’t even think much about the race, but just couldn’t sleep. We had found out the day before that the swim had been cancelled, as the Deleware Water Gap (the river we were to swim in,) was 8-9 feet above normal levels, making a normally flaccid running river into a raging force of muddy brown hell. It was insane. If we had swam, they would’ve needed catch nets at the end or we would have been goners!! (So much for my swim finally coming together.) Getting to T1, it was damn cold that morning. I was a little happy there was no swim, as it usually DOESN’T put me at the front of the race, and I was fairly sure I would’ve become hypothermic if I had swam in the water. The skies started to open up on us as we lined up to start, Time Trial style, at the entrance of T1. I was feeling good, and was the third pro male to go. They let us go 30 seconds apart (the age groupers went  2-3 seconds apart.) It was hard hard hard (as Coach Bjoern would say,) right from the start. The hills started almost immediately, with all sorts of technical turns and rollers (which, if it had been a bit drier out, would have been a good course for me.) Fully layered up to try and stay warm, I rode hard. A few strong riders eventually went by me, but I maintained contact with a bunch of them. Time seemed to just fly by, and I was riding so well. Then, 45 miles in, my front tire went flat. “Crap,” I thought, “why now?” Into action I went, pulling over and ripping my Hutchinson tire sealant off, and started fighting to get the small nipple adapters screwed on. It was tough, and I was having a hard time working my frozen fingers. It took many tries to get the adapters all screwed on, and by the time I was ready to roll again, it had felt like 20mins had passed by. “Back in the game I thought,” as I started to roll.

Hard at work on the bike

Lovely bike riding weather

And yet again, it was not meant to be. As foam started flying out of the original hole, just spraying all over the bike, the road, and all up-and-down my front, I pulled off again and tried to see if there was glass or something still stuck in the tire. **Learning experience: Pit-Stop does NOT work on clinchers!!** Nothing in the tire, with foam still shooting everywhere, I just thought I’d keep going, at least until the tire went flat. Well, lucky me, the tire stopped deflating with about 20-30lbs of air in it, just enough to keep riding on, but not enough that I could really push hard AT ALL. See, the elevation profile is all sorts of rollers and climbs, culminating to the 45mile mark, where it is mostly technical downhill the rest of the way. Suffice to say, my rear brake saw a lot of action the final 10miles, as I was in no hurry to crash my BRAND NEW Cervelo P3C.

 Into T2, I was a bit unmotivated to run, but throwing my run gear on, (in what felt like an absurdly large amount of time, ended up actually being pretty quick,) I was off onto the run course. I figured I would run my race, just focusing on form and nutrition, as there was no chance for me to place well. Alone with my thoughts (and the cheering of the aid station attendees,) I trucked myself all the way to final big climb to the turn-around. The course was very hilly, and extremely challenging, with a lot of rollers and steep inclines. Just before the turn-around, I realized that there was a few guys not so far ahead of me.

Erica, Jonna, and other Endurance Multisport members

Game on. I figured with nothing left to lose, I started to open up the throttle and let’er rip!! After a few miles, another pro was in sight, and that was it. Tossing my gel and salt-tablet flasks, I kicked it up another gear, and putting a target on his back I started to really put a dent in his lead. I mean, I started to give it everything I had, and with about 1.2miles to go, I passed through the last aid station (with my competitor only 10 yards ahead.) Two things I forgot to mention:

A.      The entire run course is pretty much an out-and-back;

Craig with long pink hair!

B.      Craig and Erica were manning the first/last aid station with their Triathlon club members, all of them outlandishly dressed up in all manners of pink outfits (I especially liked Craigs long pink hair.)

Finishing strong

Before the race, Erica told me she was a REALLY loud yeller, and I said I’d hold her to that. She came through, and the cheers and yells to “RUN FASTER, HE’S RIGHT THERE!!!!” were like throwing jet-fuel on the fire, and I started to kick. I don’t know how fast I ran that last mile, but dammit if I almost didn’t set a PB!!! I kicked past that guy and just ran with a blinding sprint, I have no idea where it came from. I put something like 30-40 seconds on him by the finish, and was elated that I finished so strong. 11^th pro overall, not what I was expecting, but given the circumstances, I was happy with my performance (and learned a lot from the race.) Post race festivities included some much deserved beers, and my favourite pub-food of all-time, yam fries!! I sat down for dinner at a local Irish Pub with Craig, Erica, Matt and a delightfully good-looking (and talented,) up-and-coming elite triathlete, Jonna. Splurging on all things delicious, it was a fine way to end the evening.

Even though the conditions were crappy, and I had one helluva flat tire scenario, I’m glad I went down to Pennsylvania. I took a lot of important learning lessons away from the race, and made a bunch of awesome new friends. I’ll be taking all the lessons learned and putting everything into my last race of the season, Miami 70.3, on October 30^th. I feel like my fitness is far better than it has ever been, and I have a new level of confidence going in to the race. Most people have long since finished their race season, but I hope everyone is out and enjoying the last bit of warmth and nice weather we’re enjoying in the Lower Mainland.

Safe and happy training everyone!!

Hunting Shenanigans!!

Coffee+oatmeal=only way to get fueled up!

mum and dad brought Bullwinkle for a visit.....

Every year, my parents and a friend go up to Northern BC for a hunting trip in October, usually for a few weeks. Well, I LOVE to go hunting with them, and this year was no different. I headed up for 4 days post-Pocono Mountains 70.3, mostly to unwind a bit and get a bit of a mental break. As Borat would say, "Much success!" I had a blast up there, not to mention we bagged three bull moose (for those not proficient in moose jargon, that's a male moose.) The best part? The three moose are only being split between two families (so that's 1.5 moose each,) which is somewhere in the vicinity of 500-600lbs of FINISHED AND WRAPPED meat!! Enough to keep us going through the winter (and probably next winter too!) Pure, clean, healthy, muscle building protein:)

Yeah. That's 'THE' Buck knife.

Coach had me scheduled for two 'tempo' runs while there, short but fast (just something to keep the blood from going stagnant in the legs!) Well, for those of you who know anything about the backwoods of BC, we have a large number of bears roaming around (although I'm sure they'd take one look at my stringy legs and realize it isn't even worth the effort of getting up to chase me!haha!) So dad, with his bottomless depth of knowledge and experience, suggested I run with my recently purchased Buck knife.

Yeah, a knife. And not Crocodile Dundee's "Now THIS is a knife," knife. A little dinky orange knife (the color would probably be more of a deterrent than the blade!)

This is what me and my 'knife' would be up against.....

When I questioned the ability of a knife to ward off an attacking bear, he very calmly stated (like it's an everyday event,) "just be sure to protect your throat, and jab at the bear's face with your Buck."

No kidding. Now there's a life lesson worth remembering.

Sometimes you need to improvise for a recovery drink!!!

Anyways, lucky for my scrawny self there weren't any run-ins with any bears. But there was a run-in with hills. Let me explain: where we were was at about a mile of altitude. I've never run that hard at any altitude (I've never even run at altitude before in fact,) and I totally forgot about this, until I was trucking up the fourth big hill on my first run. I couldn't figure out why my legs were screaming for me to stop, and it felt like there was a pillow over my face! Once I got back to camp and was playing with my Garmin, I realized why.

This is what a bear sees when I run through the woods......fresh meat!

The trip was a great refresher leading in to Miami, it really helped me to refocus on the upcoming race. I'm feeling stronger than ever, and I know the heat in Miami will work in my favor. I hope everyone's gotten outside to enjoy the sun lately. Once it's gone, who KNOWS when it'll come back!

Happy Training Everyone :-)

Training Tool Review: Nathan Human Propulsion Labs 'Speed 2' Hydration Belt

I've always appreciated reviews on products that other athletes have used, as it gives you (generally) an objective and unbiased (well, in the case of sponsored athletes, maybe slightly biased,) idea of what to expect from said product. So, I thought other athletes (from elites to weekend warriors) might appreciate a review here and there, just an outline of my thoughts on some of the training tools I've been using lately. Bare with me here, this is my first review, so let's get the ball rolling; today's review is on the 'Speed 2' hydration belt, from Nathan Human Propulsion Laboratories (and no, I'm not biased because we just so HAPPEN to share the same name....)

The old Fuel Belt

Three years back, I was informed by my coach that it would be a good idea to purchase a hydration belt for training, and more importantly, for racing. Back then, with a tight budget, I opted for a two-bottle system by 'Fuel Belt.' It seemed to be everything I would need (two bottles was more than sufficient for me; as I live in a rather temperamental rainforest climate, for a run of less than 2hrs I usually do not even need water.) It was adjustable by two means (a velcro closure and adjustable buckle-straps,) also had a small gel/key pouch, and was fairly lightweight. I never really liked it, and rarely used it. I raced with it once, but the chafing it produced prevented me from ever wearing it again in a race.

Nathan Human Propulsion Laboratories 'Speed 2'

Fast forward to today. About two months ago I purchased a Nathan 'Speed 2' hydration belt, as my training was ramping up for some 70.3 racing, and the temperature was increasing too. I was primarily using the belt for long runs, and longer brick running. I don't intend to use the belt for racing, unless I visit somewhere with extreme temperatures; I've learned to utilize as much on-course hydration as possible. That being said, it is an extremely useful training aid, as I have experimented with different mixes and variations in the bottles to see their effect on my training, as well as on hotter days (I seem to have a knack for doing a lot of my running during the hottest parts of the day.) The 'Speed 2' is by far more comfortable than my previous belt; with just the one adjustment (by way of a velcro closure on the front,) it NEVER loosens off, so where I set it at the start of my run, by 30km's in it hasn't moved at all. I find the inner portion of the belt has a somewhat soft material, and without any vertical seams, it has yet to give me any chafing issues.

Now for the part that I like the most, what really used to bug me about my Fuel Belt: easy accessibility, both for removing the bottles, and replacing them back in to the belt. My old belt's bottles came out decently easy enough, but it was a huge struggle trying to get them back in; you would see me dancing around while running, using both hands behind my back trying to get the bottle back in. What a pain, especially if you're running tempo or intervals. The 'Speed 2' bottle holsters (I would almost refer to them as 'cages,') are a solid plastic design, and the bottles go in-and-out with ease, single handed (meaning NO MORE RUN DANCING!!) As much as I like dancing about, there's no place for it while slogging out a long run (well, maybe a small victory dance at the end.....) The bottles stay very firmly in the holsters (I have had the bottles on my old belt fly out before,) and I haven't noticed any bounce, no matter how full or empty the bottles are. Another small inconvenience some people may have noticed with their hydration bottles, is that annoyingly small amount of leakage that you get up and down your back; I didn't have even a SINGLE drop come out of the bottles during any of my running with the belt. The human body excretes enough of a mess during a long run, you don't need sticky electrolyte drink all over everything too!!

The rear pouch: the last small convenient part of the belt. I easily put my car keys, a few gel packets, and a small pack of tissues (those of you who run LONG know what the latter is for,) into the pouch, and it all stays nice and dry.

I'm sure there's many places to grab one of these belts around the lower mainland, but I know you can get them at any of the three New Balance Vancouver stores (downtown Van, North Delta, or Langley.) I'm pretty sure there are also a ton of online options available too.

I hope some find this review helpful. Everything here is my own opinion, and I am sure there are other products out there that are similar to this one, but I haven't used them. Enjoy, and Happy Training everyone!!!!

Cervelo P3C....... "White Lightning"

Doug and Bjoern hard at work!

An exciting development as of late is the fact that I'm now working with Jeremy Wilson and the Speed Theory Vancouver Store's team. I am ecstatic to be working with them, and to also have received my new 2011 Cervelo P3C Dura-Ace, (affectionately named "White Lightning" by Doug and Bjoern,) only a few days ago. I went in to the shop on saturday, and Coach Bjoern, along with Doug Giles, worked late to put the final touches on it and perform a bike fit. The outcome? A sweeeeet ride, with some little 'extra' bits to make it that much sweeter. Let me explain:

The added ZIPP bars and cage

The bike comes with a deadly 3T carbon aero-bar set-up, but Bjoern decided to up the ante (a fair bit) by throwing a set of ZIPP Vuka aero extensions on it. They are super light, and integrate the dura-ace bar-end shift lever right into the bars; no extra weight on the end, just the small lever. As per Doug's recommendation, I added a Profile Design arm rest bracket between the aero-bars, to hold one of my two new Arundel Dave-O bottle cages. Handy. Another little gem we've added, to improve my riding comfort and ability to potentially push a bit more power (plus, it looks wicked in white,) is the Cobbs V-Flow Plus saddle. Both things that will improve the overall comfort and ride.

Cobbs V-Flow Plus

So what do I think so far? I haven't put any big hard rides on it yet (by the end of the weekend it will have seen it's share of torturous sessions,) but for the riding I have done, it has exceeded my expectations. For one thing, the bike is lighter than my last ride was. Smooth comes to mind as well, I didn't notice a whole lot of jarring transferring through the frame, even on rougher roads. The fit, well, that's a whole 'nother thing! It is completely different to my last bike, I'm able to relax a lot more throughout my upper body (instead of arching my back and crushing my diaphragm to find the best seating position.) This makes transferring power through the pedals much easier, and I would suspect over a longer, harder session, less fatigue (because I expend less energy trying to hold my body in unusual positions.)

"White Lightning"

 The look of the bike really helps it's cause as well; the all-white scheme, complete with the bar tape, cable housings, and saddle, make it rather appealing to the eye. It'll look pretty deadly once the race wheels go on as well, a thick carbon tubular wheel ALWAYS makes for a speedy looking rig.

I'm ecstatic to have the bike for the last two races of the season, 70.3 Pocono Mountains being in only 11 DAYS!! Miami 70.3 will be at the end of October, and both races I'm feeling extremely confident about, especially with my running and swimming, which haven't seemed to pull through in the last few races. I've been having increasingly positive and confidence-boosting run sessions, and my swim seems to be much more consistent lately. Combine that with what I hope will be a hill crushing bike leg, and perhaps there will be some solid results to round out my season (also, both the next two races will help me accumulate points towards racing at the 70.3 World Championships in Vegas next year, my 2012 goal race.) I'll be leaving everything out on course, and considering my past record of late season peaking, there might be a whole bunch left out there. (My first half-ironman in my first season I went 4:52; the end of October that year I went 4:22. Last year, after no half-iron training, I managed to suffer out a 4:13 in 70.3 Austin at the end of October.)

Bjoern ensuring the bike is okay to ride!!

With the depressing fall weather upon us, I hope everyone can find some sort of sunshine to keep them going through the next few dark, cold months. Happy training everyone, and for those of you still holding your nose to the grindstone, happy racing!!

The Re-Build to 70.3

Today was the Ironman 70.3 World Championships, and what a day it was! The inaugural race in Las Vegas, a far more hilly and windy course than Clearwater was, had some outstanding results. The Team Ossenbrink members that made it down had some outstanding results, with Rachel McBride coming 11th place in the women's race. That's 11th OVERALL!!! IN THE WORLD!!!! Considering she only found out two weeks ago that she was racing, she performed outstanding. Stephanie Ossenbrink also raced very well, and the rest of the team made waves in their respective age-groups.

I have to give props to Jeff Symonds of Penticton, a friend of mine who I've known since I started racing, for coming 3rd place in what was the 'race of his life.' Coach Bjoern said he was just flying out there, and he hunted down 7 guys on the run, almost catching Chris Lieto as well, but he just seemed to run out of real-estate. Only his second World Championship, and only his second season racing 70.3, I think Jeff has more in him. We'll see a #1 in Vegas from him in the next few years.

As for me, there is some exciting news!! For the past year I have been working with John and Lynne at Pacific Multisport, and they have been so supportive, doing everything they can to help me out. I thank them for all their support. Now I have joined forces with Jeremy Wilson and the Speed Theory Vancouver team, where we already have a Cervelo P3C on it's way, for me to finish off the season on a new race rig. There are few things that excite a triathlon geek (guilty) more than a brand new shiny bike, especially something as fancy as the P3C. It should be arriving in the next week, and I will be racing it at Pocono Mountains 70.3, as well as Miami 70.3. Speaking of the 70.3's, my build into Pocono is going extremely well. The weather is definitely helping, the sun is a great motivator to get on the bike. I've been logging some solid volume lately, and the numbers are all going in the right direction. I've been running in a new pair of New Balance 1400 race flats, which I will do a review on shortly. Basically, they are an awesome new tool for my collection, and they will be used in the upcoming 70.3's.

I hope everyone's been out enjoying the sun, keep the heat coming!!! Happy training:)

Glotman-Simpson Cypress Challenge Hill Climb

Warming up behind the buggy!

Last saturday (August 20th,) I had the pleasure of attending the Cypress Challenge, a fundraiser put on by Glotman-Simpson cycling to fundraiser for pancreatic cancer research. It was a huge success, for everyone involved (almost 400 competitors,) as over $120,000 was raised!! That's a HUGE success! Being not only my first time climbing Cypress, but also my first attempt at RACING up a mountain, I wasn't really sure how everything was going to pan out. But I can tell you this much: I had FUN!!! I love triathlons, don't get me wrong, but there is something exciting about bike racing, especially the shorter, harder effort races.

Starting at the bottom near the highway, it was a neutral roll-out. We followed a BMW sponsor car for the first km on the flatter section, and once we hit the hill it was on!! I started out in the front, being a newbie to the cycling scene, and once the stronger guys started to push, they pretty much left me in the dust. I managed to stick with the front group for a while, which eventually strung out and broke into two groups. I rode in my group, but by about 1/3rd of the way up, I started to fall off the back. Riding solo for a while, pushing harder than I have in a long while up the hill, someone started to pass me. I thought, "oh damn, getting passed again...."

At the start; I'm just to the left of the guy standing, blue helmet, black/white jersey.

Then I realized it was a woman (Nik Vogler.)

Riding in my pack (that dropped me)

I'm sure many people have heard of the phrase "Getting Chicked." I don't think you'll find it in any dictionary, but I've heard the definition as "When a dude busts a gut to pass a chick simply because she is a chick and then that chick dusts that dude later." Well, this is where it got ugly. I've been chicked before, I'm not ashamed to say, and in this situation it was a pure cyclist, so I by no means felt compelled to fake an injury and drop out because I was getting passed. But, that being said, deep down (I think inside every man) there's this neolithic machismo instinct that prevents us from completely succumbing to the fact that we're getting 'chicked.' So, as the definition entails, I started to turn myself inside-out to keep up. Boy did it hurt, I tagged onto her wheel and gave it everything I had!! Alas, once my 'gut was bust,' I just couldn't hang on anymore. I'm pretty sure she was increasing her power, cause not only did I get chicked, but she also caught, and passed, the two groups ahead of me (I was close enough to watch her slowly go through both.)


Nearing the top (solo, cursing myself yet again for putting myself through this torture,) I really started to crank out everything I had left as the pack behind was quickly bearing down on me. Thinking the climb would was never going to end, I rounded the final corner, and the finish was in sight!! Crossing, I was spent, but happy;  coming off a few weeks of heavy racing and training, a 25th overall placing (not bad for a triathlete;) haha) in a time of 38:24. Meeting with a group of friends, it was a crazy fast descent!! I set a new max speed PB on the way down, at 86.3 km/hr. They made an awesome Cypress Challenge Video, I even managed to sneak into it at 1:25, riding at the front.


Spending the rest of the day in the Kits beach area, hanging out with lots of different friends, it was the best way I can think of spending a hot summer day. Finishing the day off with an amazing burrito from Las Margaritas (which I have to make a positive mention, as they actually allowed me to bring my race bike INSIDE the restaurant while we ate, as I had nowhere else to put it.) Great service, even better food, and the best company!


This week has seen some pretty good training, all of which is a build-up to the next big race, Ironman 70.3 Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, on Oct. 2nd. The next few weeks will be INSANE, as the World Police and Fire Games is happening right now in New York, and I've taken on a lot of extra shifts to support the guys who are going over there to compete. We have a lot of outstanding athletes heading over, and I'm sure they'll be bringing home some gold:)

Enjoy the summer heat (finally,) happy training and racing!!

Sooke Pro Pursuit Race Report

The first of it's kind for me (and hopefully not the last,) the chase race format was an exciting concept to me. Letting the women start 15mins before the men, and then having the men 'chase' them to the finish line. I thought 15 minutes would be a ridiculous gap to try and bridge, but evidently not (at least for some of the men!) What fun it was, here's how it all broke down:

Another early morning race start (7am,) I was up UBER early to make sure I had time to get breakfast all sorted out before the gun went off. I've totally forgotten that 4am actually existed, but when my alarm went off, I knew it was time to jump to action. Having some trouble sleeping lately, pre-race night was no exception. But I felt pretty good, and the only issue I was having was a nagging foot problem that caused a lot of pain when running, especially barefoot (and since we run at least twice barefoot over rough ground, I was prepared for some pain. It IS a race after-all!!) Off to the race start, I prepped my bike and T1 area, including my typical pre-race joking with my fellow racers. I knew that no matter what it would be a fun day, as many of my friends were racing, as well as spectating.

Warm-up in the water went well, and the water temperature was PERFECT for me! It was as warm as a pool, which is perfect for me. I like it warm, but I knew in the same breath that it would get pretty cold on the bike today, as it was foggy and cool out. Standing on the pontoon, minutes before the start of the mens field, the women's field swam by to begin their second loop of the swim. With the TV cameras on us, we were prompted to heckle the women as they passed. You know, give something exciting for the cameras. So I indulged, along with some of my competitors, to give some friendly heckling to the passing swimmers (knowing full well that a lot of them were swimming far faster than I can!lol) The gun went off for us shortly after, and it was ON! My first ever pontoon start went well, I dove in and swam like mad. I held on to the pack for a bit, but my extreme lack of swimming experience saw me slowly drop off the back of the main pack. I was happy to be in my Nineteen Frequency though, it kept me buoyant and moving as fast as I could.

Coming in to T2

Into T1, I could see I was a bit behind. The thing about triathlon transitions, you can always tell how well you've done coming into T1 and T2, by the number of bikes either left, or returned, to their spots. Well, suffice to say, there weren't many left, so I knew I had some catch-up to play. For some reason, I don't bode well in the cold AT ALL. I was freezing for the first 30 minutes on the bike, my legs were just useless stumps that I couldn't feel! I'm sure everyone's done a race where the legs are completely useless for a while, and this was the case for me. But as I descended the final hill to the turn-around, I realized how close I was to the main pack! So, back up the hill after the turn-around, I started to turn myself inside-out to chase down some of the pack. Slowly I began reeling people in, passing one at a time, and about half-way back started catching some of the woman field. I was giving everything I had, and it was slowly paying off.

Heading out to 'hunt!'

The hard push to the finish line!!

Into T2, my feet were hurting pretty bad. I mean, they were frozen solid, so it was a bad sign that I could feel the pain shoot through as I ran to my shoes. Struggling to get them on, I was VERY surprised to see Scott Curry just leaving T2. I thought, "Man, I must've ridden better than I thought I did!!" So on went the shoes (after much cursing under my breath to get them on,) and the hunt began. I ran like a man on a mission (okay, maybe a boy on a mission,) and starting closing the gap on guys right away. By the half-way mark, I was able to finally feel my feet again, which turned out to be a bad thing, as they were in HUGE amounts of pain. But I kept on pushing. I could see Carlos Lesser and Elliot Holtham a ways ahead, and I had targets on them. But they saw me coming, and I never was able to run them down. After a final hard push to the finish, I managed one more pass in the final few hundred meters, and I finished strong (actually, due to the thick wood chip patches and hill at the finish, I probably resembled a drunk ox stumbling along, more than a strong runner.) Due to my weaker swim, my race strategy is one that I playfully refer to as "hunting." As such, I mentally put targets on the backs of my competitors and give chase the whole race. Around the 2-3km mark, I was in full-on hunt mode as I bore down on the next few racers, and as I descended a hill, a mule deer popped out of the bushes to my right. Immediately I had a laugh, as I was 'hunting,' and here was an animal that would normally be associated with REAL hunting! The best part was, it hopped along the side of the road, giving me a little more motivation to run faster (see: ancestral hunting instincts.) Something a little different to lighten the day:)

They helped me to a new PB!!

Post race was a happy occasion, with Rachel McBride having an outstanding race, rounding out the top 5 podium! It was awesome to see that 3 of the top 5 spots were Lifesport teammates, and two of them were also Compressport Teammates (Rachel and the increasingly amazing Jeff Symonds.) I was very surprised to see I had the 5th fastest run of the day, a 33:10 clocking (a new PB,) and the 8th fastest bike of the day. Considering my issues out there, I was VERY happy with these numbers. This also being my first race with a power meter on the bike (which I find HIGHLY useful for training, and using power numbers from the race to analyze my performance,) Coach Bjoern and I were very surprised and happy with the numbers shown. Thanks to Ivan Jelic for the use of the EDGE wheels!

Hanging out with Rachel @awards

Thanks to Laura Byrne for her hospitality in hosting me at her house during the race, and for the awesome meals she prepared!! I think the Volunteers at the race deserve the biggest thanks, they were so outstanding at every turn, working so hard to make sure that we had the best experience possible! Also thanks to Subaru and Lifesport for putting on such a fantastic race, as well as the city of Sooke; they are vying for a 70.3 title, and based on this years race, I would say they are well on their way for next year! Thanks to Jonathan Kisiloski of Compressport for all the 'support' (no pun intended,) as well as Eload for fueling me through this race. Thanks to all the sponsors for making everything possible, it was a TON of fun, and I look forward to next years race!

Every race is a learning experience, some more than others, and I yet again learned a lot today. I'll be taking my lessons, good and bad, in stride, and making good use of the knowledge for Lake Stevens 70.3, and the rest of the season.

Also, cant forget to thank Coach Bjoern for coming out to support all of us, what a great day! Happy training everyone, and even happier racing:)