Shawnigan Lake Triathlon

Monica and her bike "Renaldo" arrive in Canada from Kona for some racing and triathlon training in Victoria.

Thanks Monica for letting me use your photos for the blog, I have not figured out how to take photos of myself yet.

Commonwealth Pool swim with Lifesport Masters.

ALOHA!!! Checking out the water at 7am the day before the Shawnigan Lake race to do some open water swimming and drills.

I did not feel so calm the race morning but it was nice to get a swim in the wetsuit,, I love the wetsuit!!

Monica's transition spot is set up for the next day.

My bike racked for transition. A nice spot near the end, easy to find, as on Sunday morning the transition area was busy and full!!

Ok, race morning, ready to go, lets start now before the others show up, I need any advantage I can get!!!

My start was at 7am and I took about 10 minutes off of my Half Ironman time from last year

Monica is more than ready to do her first international race in Canada .

She did the Olympic Distance race and bettered her Lavaman time by seven minutes!!

After the race it was time for some recovery to those aching muscles. Back into Shawnigan Lake to help reduce swelling and repair damaged tissue.

Not quite the Pier in Kona, no tropical fish, but a fun race and a great time!!!!

Ultimate Camp, Lactate Testing

Wednesday morning started off travelling to the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence where national caliber athletes train and go for testing. The day before we were there going through the recovery drills, ice bath, warm bath, ice bath, warm shower then spin on a cycle. We repeated this six times and had loads of fun as some trouble instigators sprayed cold water on others with bath toys!!!!

So Wednesday morning was going to be lots of fun also, we thought. Lisa Mensink an Olympic athlete was on the trainer being tested and then it was realized it would be very hard. Staff at the Institute as well as her coaches from Lifesport pushed and encouraged her as she pushed herself to the limit.



I was up after her and after a warm up, did three minute sessions that got harder each time until I could not keep up the cadence and faded.



Thanks again to Monica for letting me take photos of the Kona Gal for how we went through the session. Above she is set up and cruising.




At this point, the resistance is increasing as cadence is kept up.

This is the screen monitoring heart rates, watts, cadence etc

At the end you give it all you have, leaving nothing left.

Anyone up for trying some lactate testing!!!

Check out the video below !!!

Two Weekends of Racing

This past Saturday I took the ferry over to the mainland to attend the Delta Triathlon. It was the 10th year and is a very well run race. 700m swim with 9 persons per lane which is actually 2 lanes wide. The first time I did this race I was unsure of the swim, but liked it right away and still do like it. Seems to be more like a lake swim, with more room and easier to pass,,, or be passed!! The bike is two 10k loops and very flat. One overpass is the only hill and not very many vehicles on the road. The 5k run is through mostly residential streets with fruit trees in blossoms at this time of year. Even if you are concentrating on form you can not miss them!!

This year was a good year for me taking about 6 minutes off my previous time. Not sure I can do that again!!


My friend Bob from Vancouver. We have done this race to gather a few times now. We met years ago in high school and both were in a Marathon class for grade 12. We both had a bit of a hiatus, but are back into the running again, and even learned to swim!!

The previous week was a race back here on the Island. Snow to Surf, an annual event. I started the race off running about 400-500 meters up a ski run in ski boots with 170 others, and then put on skis and races a few km to the bottom of the run. A skate skier took over from there and after he was finished passed off to a runner who had to run downhill on the road. Ouch!! She passed off to another runner about 6km later who continued on the run. Being our team captain, she was going 100% and slipped on the downhill and fell,,, another ouch!! a big ouch!! Covered in dirt and some blood, she passed off to a mtn biker who went down some roads and trails to our team Kayaker who managed to keep the kayak upright as many teams capsized crossing Comox Lake. Once to the other side, a road biker headed down the second last leg of the race to the two canoers that paddled across Comox Bay, to the finish, which just happened to be the BEER GARDENS!!! Starting in snow on the mountain and ending up at the ocean. What a great way to spend the day!!

Happy 100th Birthday Grandma!!

This past Saturday I travelled down the Island to visit my grandma for her 100th Birthday. I feel very lucky to have someone I know live that long, and being my grandmother is even more special. When she was 65 and I would visit, she would be out running early in the morning before I even got out of bed. I was a teenager way back then :) Grandma survived sickness when she was young and became a vegetarian, which I believe the healthy eating and lifestyle led the way for her long life. She also loved going to Hawaii, and somehow has passed that on to me as well!!

A letter from the Governor General of Canada.

And would you believe, a letter from the Queen!!!

My Toughest Ride,,,,,, ever!!!

Kona Pier

Lavacamp, day three, getting ready before a big surprise,,,,, which was the ride!!

On the Queen K heading south from Waikoloa.

Is that Bree wondering why we are not keeping up !!!

Last chance for fuel and water,,, better top up.

A group photo before heading up the steepest hill I have ever attempted.

http://www.brentpoulsen112882.blogspot.com/ & http://breeweehawaii.blogspot.com/ were soon out of sight. On the ride down Brent was talking to me and making sure that I would pace myself on the way up as it is a long way (+10km) and steepest at the top. It would take me around 75 minutes or so after I get to the start of the main hill. The warm up hill took me 28 minutes and had only one spot that had a downhill section. By this time, more of the riders were so far ahead of me I could not see them!!

I see the street sign, Kaloko and turn right and go into my 25t gear on the rear. The hill started and I knew I was going to try and stay seated as much as possible and was told that my cadence would likely go as low as 30. 45 was my lowest before while training last year on Mt Washington. Coach Paul would drive past with Monica and offer words of encouragement, and Coach D'arcey was cheering and taking photos as we rode past. It was so nice to see people and having them hollering for us.

I kept looking at my legs and watched the sweat running down them like a small stream. I was taking salt tabs, gels and drinking water to keep my body fueled. For the ride up, I think I only got into 3rd gear once, and the rest was spent in 1st gear, there was nothing I remember that was flat, so anything close, just gave a chance to spin and get cadence up.

I knew Brent was going to the top, and coming back down part way, and then going up again. Not only did he get to the top, ride down past me, start heading up again, he beat me to the top!!! Amazing!!! The last stretch I could see one rider ahead of me zig zagging near the top. I had to do the same, going from side to side of the road, cadence only at 27 as I was checking out the shoulder for areas to fall over incase my legs gave out. There was a great group of people at the top to cheer us the last few meters/yards as we conquered the climb.

A quick photo at the top of "the climb" before we descend. It took me 1:27 to climb, :13 to descend, reaching 83.2kph!!! That is the reward :)

The ride is not over yet, once we reach the bottom, we still have ~35km to ride back. My legs are already fried and I attempt to keep up to Bree, Brent and the faster riders. I hang in the draft for awhile but opt for the next group coming up. The wind is getting worse and I am barely holding on. I can see how Coach Dan qualified for IM in Hawaii last year, he was pulling and I could not keep up. I appreciate that he held up a bit and that Sabrina and him pulled me back to Waikoloa.

I forgot my HRM back home but from what I can remember, that ride was harder than IMC last year for me.

Thanks to all the Lifesport Coaches, Pros and participants for a great camp!!! Good luck to everyone and have a great year :)

Less than 5 hours later I was on plane back to Canada, and now a week later I am accepting reality!! From what I learned in Lavacamp, I better get to the pool with my tempo trainer, go for a ride with my cadence @90, and then a run,,, hmmm,, elbows up or down???

Yesterday Lavaman, Tomorrow, Lavacamp!!

What a way to start the season!! Lavaman Triathlon :)

The race is growing fast with 650 competitors last year to 800 this year. Chris McCormack, previous IM Championship winner in attendance as will as last years winner James Cotter.

Last years female winner Bree Wee http://breeweehawaii.blogspot.com/2009/03/macca-only-beat-me-by-16-minutes.html, Olympian Lisa Mensink, IM winner Heather Golnick, many time top 5 IM finisher Katya Meyers and many more I am sure I did not mention. Karlyn Pipes Neilsen on a relay team who is a multi world record holder.

The transition area in the morning was a buzz of activity with people getting race gear layed out. I had saw that C. Sean Cuningham who had helped out with our tri club was going to be at the race and would you believe he was 2 bikes over in the transition!!! I met some other people from the Island and Bert from Comox. What a great place to come and meet your neighbours!!



Down to the beach and see the nice ocean water was not swells like the previous evening. I thought they may have to turn the race into a duathlon, but the morning water was awesome. Kona tradition maybe??? the race started by blowing a big ocean shell. The pros and relay swimmers are off, and I have 6 minutes left. Of course that is enough time for one more potty break. I would feel guilty otherwise ;)

Ok, time for my age group start, bonk, swim, bonk, how do I get away from this guy?? 30 seconds later one of my goggles was off, so at least after it is back on, the fellow beside me is no longer hitting me!! That was worse than IM Canada, but I calmed down and enjoyed the view and had a swim I will remember for a long time. It is so pretty, it is almost not like a race,,, to me. Maybe I should have tried harder to make it more like a race??

Trying to work on my transitions is easier here as it is nice and warm, so no need to towel off and dress for rain, sleet or snow. One K later it is onto the Queen K Highway heading south towards Kona. I start to pass some of the gals in the pink swim caps that started the swim way behind me but swam by. I am not fast on the bike, but it felt like I was gaining ground. Soon I see Macca go by the other way so the pros are coming, a few more go by and I spot Bree Wee and cheer, I cheer for lots of people but do not recognize them all. There is a steady stream of bikes and we look like a train on the side of the highway. After the turnaround it is sort of downhill back, but those of us that are slower get to face the wind that has picked up. It is nasty and blowing from front and side.

Off the bike and into the run. Lava field right away, interesting, and hard to navigate. Onto some pavement for the nest 3 miles. Into the Hilton Resort area and paths. This resort has a train or boat take you to your building, but we were not allowed to use it in the race ;(

There is some running through trails on lava and beach and I am sure it is beautiful if you have time to look. You can see the finish line ahead which is a nice thing, hoping it is not around the next beach.

Not far from the finish line is massage and Kona Brewery, Lavaman Beer, both are very good!!



For those of you that know Sean he had a great race, 29/800 overall and 3rd in our age group!! Way to go. check this out or more on Sean http://simonwhitfield.blogspot.com/2009/03/guest-race-report-derek-hopkins.html

If I was about 30 minutes faster I would have been close to Sean, but at 2:43:16 I was still happy with 157/800 and 16/47 in our age group. Being the 31st swimmer I have plenty of room to improve, but managed 18th on the bike and 10th on the run. The one I am most happy with is T2 as I was 7th, and normally I am more like 17th!!!!



Today I had a nice swim at the Pier and easy ride to limber up for Lavacamp tomorrow where we ride from Waikoloa to Hawi and back. Sometimes life is too good to be true!!!!!

Caps OFF to Kona Brewery

One thing that is important to us Canucks is beer, eh? Well, I found a great beer in Kona and it is made right here, in Kona!! I think now that I have found Kona beer, if I could only find a job here I would be set. Early morning swims before work, not a problem at the Pier or pool. A ride or run after work, then a rewarding Kona Brewery beer before dinner. Sounds like a perfect life. Luckily for me, it has been my life, without the going to work part :) Good things have to end, and in just over a week, my fantasy will be over. I am going to make the best of the next week though, swimming, biking, running and a race Sunday. Ok, a few more Kona Beers to eh :*}

Monday was a rest day so I went with my parents to the other side of the Island to Hilo. My sister was actually there also, but we did not see her. We went to the Hawaii Botanical Gardens and spent the afternoon looking at some of the plants that had been brought over from many places in the world. Columbia, Thailand, Belize and many others. The property went down to the ocean and in the late 1800s was used for shipping sugar. The photos barely resemble what is now there.

On the way back, we stopped at Hapuna Beach just off the Queen K (recommended by Queen Claire) and found a nice sandy beach and witnessed whales out in the ocean. That was actually the 3rd time that day, all in different locations.

Tuesday and Wednesday I was out swimming again at the Pier, getting some instruction from Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen, and a bit of running and riding. With the race coming up I booked a massage, and it was awesome. I guess people that massage the likes of Chris Lieto, Nattasha Badman, Michellie Jones and Lisa Bentley have to be good. I hope I can get in again Monday!!!

4 more sleeps until Lavaman!!!!