TT on the CT

This morning I had one final chance to break 40 minutes during the 22.5km timetrial on the computrainer at ChallengeByChoice where I've been training mostly twice a week for the past three months.

My objective was clear: stop the clock sooner, average a higher speed and average higher watts.

Simple enough.

One of the earliest photos of me on a bike, taken by my Dad on a summer day on our front driveway in the mid to late 1960s. I love cycling now as much as I did as a kid. This firetruck red tricycle led to a shiny blue banana seat special and then when I was a teenager my first 10-speed - when steel ruled the cycling world.

I checked Joe Friel's 'The Power Meter Handbook' from the library this past week. A bit late but nonetheless, there's no expiry date on learning something new. While I've barely started the book, I read one section about balancing one's power output with the time one will be spinning.

That's not a new concept to me. The efforts that I've put in on the CT have been strong, I like to push myself in training, and I know that these efforts would not be sustainable for a half iron or an Ironman. Most of the CT spins last about 40 minutes.

Still, there's no doubt in my mind that the CT has proved a huge benefit to my overall fitness and in particular to my early season bike fitness. I ended up cycling outside both days last weekend and I was happy with both of the spins: the first was about 55k and the second was about 85k. Both on the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler, in other words, varied terrain.

During the past few days, I was reviewing my TT stats since January and while I've been keen to generate better numbers, I'm content with the level of consistency - especially as I have been increasing my swimming and running frequency and volumes too.

Four of the seven TTs had finish times within a 25 second range. The two outliers - the slowest and the fastest - were the first and the last one.

About half way through the Winter session, I opted to spin on Friday evenings (6:45pm) and Sunday mornings (7:30am).

I found that I tended to spin faster on Sunday mornings vs Friday evenings which I attribute more to mental fatigue at the end of the work week. Plus I swim at 6:15am on Friday mornings and the 12-hour gap between workouts wasn't ideal for me. I like training back to back.

This past Friday I rode well for about 3/4 of the time that I clocked but I hit a wall on a flat section that was about 2.5k in length. I never recovered enough.

I wasn't sure what to expect this morning. I've been thinking of a sub 40 minute finishing time for several months but it hadn't happened. I decided that I'd have to start with a bit more power and really focus to be in the moment.

During the spin I kept myself from looking at the clock. I can't control time. I can control my effort.

So I focused on my overall watts and my watts per kilogram and whenever they dipped, I renewed my effort.

I started with more effort than I have previously and kept it together.

The end result was a huge confidence boost: Thirty-eight minutes and thirty-one seconds! Oh ya!! I was impressed.

I will celebrate by taking a late Sunday morning nap.

As for next year, I left some room for improvement.  I, for no particular reason other than wanting it, had gunned all season for an avg watts of 300. Ok, in part I sought this because of what others were producing. For me competition is about: Heck if he/she can do that, then so can I.

Today though I fell 3 watts short. Yet that's close enough to know that it's within reach. I'll get it. I promise.

TT’s - Winter session 

*22.53k course - starts flat and then rises to 3.5k elevation, then eases and then rises a second time and finishes on a 1.5k grade for the final 2k

Week Two

                                   41:58.9    32.2  253 

                                   40:16.7    33.6  274

Week Six  

Sunday Feb 8            41:09       32.8  261

Week Nine

Friday Feb 27            40:14.56   33.6  275

Sunday Mar 1            40:24.77   33.5  272

Week 13

Friday Mar 27           40:41.37   33.2  270

Sunday Mar 29          38:31.76   35.1  297

Spring's early arrival

First outdoor spin is scheduled for tomorrow - after one of the few remaining Computrainer sessions.

I've been spinning inside on the CT since early October, mostly twice a week. While the sessions are mostly 20k in distance and 40 minutes, the intensity is what it's all about.

As expected I started out slow but I have found my strength.

*****

Computrainer data from early October 2014 through January 2015 

*courses varied in terms of terrain, some rolling, some mostly up, some mostly down and a TT which we repeated 

**course distance on average 22-23km

***Most of the weeks the faster time was my second spin 

week                time     avg    Peak    avg     peak    WPKG   Peak

                                    spd     spd      wtt     wats                  WPKG 

Fall - October - Dec

week one - in Toronto

week two    46:23.1    27.9   51.1    224      441     2.93     5.75

                   48:57.7    26.4   50.6   200.9    417     2.62     5.44

week three 43:50.8     30.8   49.7   226.7    364    3.03     4.866

week four   35:06.6    38.9   54.8    244.5     431    3.25     5.72

                  35:17.7    38.7    52.4    237.95   446    3.16     5.92

week five - in Toronto

week six   35:08.9    34.1   50.98   263.96   386    3.46     5.07

              * 38:10.1    31.59 49.08  235.06   2036  3.05   26.4 *

              * electrical glitch

week seven 38:15.2    35.4     56.7    262.2    491    3.45    6.44

                    39:08.1    34.6     61.6    250.2    602     3.28     7.9

week eight   41:07.8     20.42   30.02   261.7    464     3.43   6.09

                    41:58.4     32.2                 251

week nine   33:01.8      40.5    51.9     275.6    464      3.64   6.13

                   33:48.1     39.6    52.3     259      402    3.42     5.31

week 10 and 11 lost due to flu

week 12 (TT)  42:00.4    32.2    50.4    249.9      375    3.24    4.86

                      45:03.6    29.99   50.2   216.7      413     2.81     5.36

Winter - January - March

Week One  - Tuesday glitch

                   - Friday flat tire

Week Two - TT  41:58.9  32.2   253 

                           40:16.7   33.6  274

Week Three - Tuesday glitch

                     - Sat morn

Week Four - Tuesday glitch

                   - Sunday         37:46   34.3     279

Week Five - Tuesday glitch

                  - Sunday Feb 1 38:17   36.9    274

Week Six - TT  - Missed Thursday

                          - Sunday Feb 8    41:09    32.8   261

Week Seven  - Tues Feb 10th evening  38:50  33.3   259

Week Eight  *18k course three short uphills

    Tues Feb 17th evening   32:56        32.9  268

     Fri  Feb 20th evening    31:31.54   34.3   290

Week Nine - TT - Friday Feb 27   40:14.56    33.6      275

                            Sunday Mar 1    40:24.77    33.5      272

Week 10 - Fri Mar 6    38:05.93       36.4     258

                 Sun Mar 8    37:38.4       36.8     268

Week 11 - Fri Mar 13    41:27.29    32.6    267

                 Sun Mar 15   40:48.53   33.1    274

Week 12 - Fri Mar 20 (uphill!)  40:37.41  25.6   269

               - Sun Mar 22

Week 13 - TT - Fri Mar 27

                         Sun Mar 29

Mom

First Half half marathon

Solid start.

1:29.15 .. net time

10th in my age group

I like this .. age graded time   1:20:08!

Running again

Well it's been an interesting few months and I've now made the decision to adjust my race plans.

Last year finished as the New Year began. I was strength training and feeling strong. My motivation for Ironman training was low but I was OK with that. I was focused on swimming and running and knew that I'd get around to cycling soon.

The second half of January proved a tough two weeks for me and in hindsight, my body was telling me to take a break. I hurt my hip while skate skiing, hammered it a second time a few days while walking Luka and then got a full-body rattle several days later when the car I was driving was hit.

Xrays showed no bone damage to the hip, which was great. But I could barely move for a few days. You'd have thought I was the one set for a hip replacement, not my Dad.

So I did what I always recommend: I reached out to my chiro friends to accelerate the healing process. Huge thanks to Tim back East and Leah here in Squamish.

Thanks to Margreet I've begun a 'return to running' program written by Pete Pfitzinger and in the weeks ahead I'll gradually increase my running time.

Yesterday I ran 5 minutes, walked 5 minutes and then ran another 5 minutes. The first running I've done since a solid 20+kms on January 18th. Almost seven weeks.

I've had to rethink my race plans for the next few months. I already missed the First Half half marathon in February and I've downgraded my plans for the Sunshine Coast half in early April. A few moments ago I shifted to the half marathon in early May in Vancouver from the full. I'd rather target the half and run hard - plus it will save my legs for summer.

What lies ahead beyond early May? I haven't signed up for anything else at this point. The sked on the right side puts me in triathlon race mode but I'm not yet there.

Ironman Canada is there. Not yet sold out. I am keen to race it again, not sure that it will be this season.

While I missed several weeks of swimming, I'm back now and regaining my feel for the water. I do love to swim and the time change tonight opens the door to more pre-work morning pool visits. I am looking forward to this Wednesday's 400TT.

I'm back!

Half marathon - progress

Just ran my second fastest half marathon at the Vancouver Historic Half. I ran 89:25 and I won the 50-59 age group. That 'age-group' win is a first for me.

Very well paced, near perfect conditions: crisp and sunny.

More details to follow.

It was my 17th half marathon and the second one in less than 90 minutes, which has proved a wall for me.

I'm not sure if it's a sign of consistency or having hit a wall or something else?

But the consistency of my times intrigues me.

I have run 13 of the 17 in less than 92 minutes. I have run seven between 92 and 91 minutes. I have run six of them in less than 91 minutes.

Historic Half splits

From my watch:

Started a little too fast eventhough there was a sharp downhill

Slowed for four kms (13k-16k)

I ran hard the last 4kms as I had both someone to chase and Margreet encouraging me

The final 1.1km included going up that initial downhill, which is when I realized how sharp it was.

3:56

4:09

4:09

4:15

4:13

4:14

4:12

4:13

4:15

4:14

4:15

4:15

4:19

4:25

4:22

4:23

4:15

4:12

4:15

3:58

4:15

1:29:25.4 (chip)  

1:29:26.2 (gun)

First in my age group. While it wasn't a very deep field, I ran hard from the start as planned.

Our running buddy

Margreet and I - plus the guy photographed here, Luka - have been on the trails again in the last few weeks. Leaves down, sightlines great!

MEC Richmond 10k

Ran my first MEC sponsored race today and it was very well organized. We had great representation from Squamish including most of the visiting Czech crew!

 It appears that I ran my third fastest ever 10k which included a fall to the ground at the half way mark, a sign that my shoes will need to be replaced shortly.

 10 KILOMETRES OR THERE ABOUT!


2002
Lane Cove (June) 46:05 4:36.5/km pace

2003
North Head (June) 43:18 4:28.6

2005
Lane Cove (Aug) 41:20 4:16.4
North Head (Sept) 39:40 3:58
Homebush (Oct) 40:12 4:01.2

2006
Sporting Life 38:55        3:53.5

2007   
North Head (May) 41:23 4:08.3
Mini Mos (June) 40:40 4:04

2008 
Chilly Chase  (Jan) 41:34 4:09.4
Popeye (March) 40:44 4:04.4
Richmond Flatland (Aug) 41.39 4.10

2009
James Cunningham seawall (Oct) 9.5k 39:03
Chilly Chase (Jan) 40.24  4.03 (3rd in age group!)

2012
Toronto Yonge St (April) 38:42.3 3.53 pace
*mostly a downhill course but still 10k!

2013
James Cunningham seawall 9.5k (Oct) 38:59
MEC Richmond (Nov) 39:19  3:56 pace

The importance of positive self-talk

Keep Telling Yourself, ‘This Workout Feels Good’

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/keep-repeating-this-workout-feels-good/?smid=fb-share&_r=0

Swimmin'

The swim season has been in full swing for several weeks and our new Titans coach Kelly Kaye has been drilling us into fitness.

I raced the UBS Masters meet on Sunday and had a chance to see where my fitness is. While I fell short of a few pre-meet targets, I am swimming faster at this point of the season than a year ago. And I'm super motivated and looking forward to our home club meet in December and then the Love to Swim meet in Vancouver in early February.

At yesterday's meet, I realised that I need to work on my flipturns a bit more. They are far better than when I learned how to do them last season but there's a lot of room for improvement. I missed a swath of them while racing which I attribute to a lack of familiarity with the contours of the pool. I kept turning early!

400m
41.22
1:27.95
2:17.06
3:07.41
3:59.96
4:51.49
5:45.07
6:34.12

Mixed 4 x 50 Free
35.32

100m
38.63
1:20.17 (41.54)

50m
33.48

Mixed 4 x 50 Medley
(I swam 50 free)
33.65

200m
39.51
1:26.02
2:15.99

3:05.39

*Comment from my coach:

"In practice you should be aiming at going 44 for best avg 50 s 107 for 75s and 125-127 for 100 s , when you can do this you will see a big drop in times"

Mark Allen on overdistance training

This past summer I did several 200km or longer spins on my bike. The longest series of rides that I've ever done. I did it with the idea that I'd be able to hold a higher pace on race day and I'd have more confidence throughout the day.

While my day didn't unfold as I had visualized, I'd approach my next race the same way. And I see from Mark Allen's latest 'The Grip' column that I'd be in sync with him.

***

"... over-distance training at key times of the season will allow you to be more fit than you will ever show on race day ..."

IMC in photos

Perfect conditions

Spinning north through Whistler

Looking across Green Lake

Strong start to the run

Near end of first lap of run

Sprint to the finish

A footstep or two from stopping

Relief, with Margreet by my side

The Iron Tim crew

Photos by Iron John.

Attentional control - focus

Lance Watson's thoughts on preparing to race:


Your goal for any key race, regardless of fitness level, should be to remain as "on-task" as possible all day long. This is no small feat in Ironman or endurance events. It's a long time to be out there! In training and racing, many top professionals practice focusing on "what is happening right now". Review the course logistics and run the event through your mind, one step at a time. Think about what you want to focus on throughout. 

IMC by the numbers

Saturday went smooth. Early dinner. Slept 6-7 hours, fairly relaxed. Woke at 3:15 ahead of alarm. Had my breakfast, we left for T2 at 4:20 as planned. Dropped bags, got marked, took shuttle to start arriving about 5am. Had lots of time.

I did a pre-race 10-15 min run and I felt good. Wave of nerves hit me about half hour before the start - same as last year in Penticton. I was keen to get in the water and settle my mind. I entered the water at 6:35, 25 mins before the start. I was warm but in hindsight, I went in a bit too early as I swam or treaded water until the start gun. I did though find a great starting spot.

Swim   1:09:41
- 1:50 per 100m pace, I was 34th in age group after swim

Two new swim experiences for me. First, I had my goggles knocked off my face not once but twice. First time I took it in stride, second time was annoying to say the least. Second new experience was fairly intense cramping in my left calf; I stopped once to massage it - I think too long in water before the start. Overall, I felt I was swimming well but time clearly shows I swam far slower than I thought and far slower than I have been in the pool. I felt I should have been at least 5 minutes faster.

T1  5:07

Because of concern about cold in the Callaghan, I swam without a top as I didn't want to start the ride soaking wet. So I put two dry tops on after the swim, arm warmers, garden gloves, helmet, sunnies and carried my shoes to the road. Crikey! Slowest T1 I've ever had I think. Threw away one minute here.

Bike  5:50:59
- a pace of 30.77 km/hr, I was 36th in age group after bike

I felt I rode conservatively but strong through 100k - as I had in training - but then I slowed. Stopped for special needs and then was swamped by several packs in the meadows. I chose not to ride with them. Right decision? Interesting post-race discussion about that. The splits along the bike course, when compared with some others I know, suggest I rode conservatively the whole day but not overly so. Perhaps I was holding back a bit too much for the run. It's a balance. I struggled to take in nutrition from about 120k but averaged a little more than 300 cals per hour - slightly below my target. I'm confident in saying that I gave away at least 10 minutes here.

T2 3:30

Shoes left on bike. Helmet off. Socks on, shoes on, hat on and one gel. Not a super fast transition but I did what I needed.

Run  3:49:54
- a pace of 5:26 per km, which lifted me to 20th overall in age group

I ran the first 6.9km at a pace of 4:54 per km and I ran the final 6.4km at a pace of 4:40. As I knew during the race, I was shuffling from about 26k through 35k - nutrition failure. I felt good after the initial 1-3k and I felt really good leading into the second lap and starting it. I was passing a lot of people. In fact, I ran past 151 people during the run. Nutrition issues: drip, drip, drip for the first 10-15k but then struggled to keep taking and opted not to get my special needs for the second lap. In hindsight, a mistake. I need to learn to 'force' in calories because without them ...

Margreet saw me with about 3 miles to go and told me to hammer it and it helped immensely as I ran as hard as I could to the finish. I felt that I should have been able to run the marathon at a pace closer to 5 minute kilometres, with some drift. I know that I left 10-15 minutes on the run course.

10:59:11

Seventh Sub 11 finish

******************

If I'd been more on target, then I think I would have been about half an hour faster. I would have finished top 10 in my age group and I'd now be looking for flights and accommodation on the Big Island. I still think 10:30 was a reasonable pre-race expectation based on my training. I wasn't ever going to go Sub 10 here.

In the end, it wasn't the day I had visualized. And while I'm not unhappy with my race as I gave it what I had on the day - and I made some mistakes too, I'm not happy with the result because I had much higher expectations in terms of performance in the swim, bike and run.

That's the challenge with 'big' races. There's a huge build and then they are over. I'm not done racing yet and will take a few weeks to look ahead to next season.

I'm still optimistic about what lies ahead. I'm keen to find a way to go faster. I will go faster. Being fast is important to me. I will continue to train 'hard' and look for a way to race 'harder'.

Whistler - official photos

Climbing in the Callaghan

Hammering home

Seventh Sub 11 finish 

20th in my new age group

Forward momentum

A well-timed comment from Lucy Smith:

Racing well is about forward momentum:  physically and emotionally being both focussed on what you can do well right now, while keeping your path in a straight line to your goal. 

A small window for success will appear before us one day and whether we jump through that window or not is what makes the difference. 

Do you take that small step forward at the unplanned moment? Do you embrace moving out of your comfort zone without a second thought, without the 'what if'?  

Taking the third step requires us to overcome a fear or a doubt about our ability to reach our goal. The third step is saying 'Yes' and not 'No', leaping at a challenge and not shutting down. Do this and the chances are that when the big opportunities present themselves, you will be ready and able to head into the unknown with all your power. 

Half a century

Five decades. Fifty years. 18,250 days.*

It seems like a long time and yet it continues to fly past, and at times I sense it is accelerating. There’s no doubt that I’m introspective. I see it as a positive. I think a lot, about a lot of different things. It’s simply part of who I am.

I am fortunate. Fortunate to have had the parents I have - Aileen and John, to have the three siblings I have - Marcelline, Nancy and John and their spouses/families - and to have found my Margreet. 

Family is far more important to me than anything.

I also have my health. I am more fit than I’ve ever been. I’m as determined as ever to take care of myself and I’m optimistic about what lies ahead.

Every day I learn something new - mostly about myself and how I want to interact with those around me and the world at large. Never stop learning - great advice that I have heeded.

Turning 50 seems surreal in the sense that I don’t think much about my actual age. There are two major reasons for this: Margreet and embracing an active lifestyle.

It’s important to find someone with whom to share your life. It’s not easy. And it’s as much a journey as any other aspect of life. When the person appears, you know.

As for being active, that is a conscious decision. At first it had little to do with performance per se and it was far more about being. As a kid I played road/ice hockey, baseball and tennis - in particular. I scored many Stanley Cup winning goals, had a few World Series winning at bats and final out catches on the wall and even managed to out hit Bjorn Borg - I had a huge poster of him on my wall.

I credit my initial move to Vancouver for opening the door to a range of new sports including skiing, mountain biking, road cycling and triathlon. I found great inspiration in the ocean and mountains here on the West Coast and the people I met who challenged me to seize the day. I did, I have and I hope I always will.

I ran my first marathon 15 years ago. I finished my first Ironman 12 years ago. I was in Kona - for the first time as an athlete - six years ago. I am in my fourth age-group - and that's a huge positive. I am young again every five years, though I seek to be young at heart every day.

I was born in Toronto and lived there for the first 19 years. Toronto will always be home to me. I spent four years - mostly - in Ottawa at university. I spent almost a year in France, also at university and wandered around Europe. Highly recommended. And I spent the better part of seven years in Australia: working and at the same time becoming a triathlete.

I’ve now been back on the West Coast for almost six years. (I'm still a Maple Leaf, always will be.)

I’m a numbers guy, though my high school calculus teacher would perhaps challenge that assertion. He just didn’t get me.

I’ve been a journalist/editor for 25 years. It's all I've ever wanted to do. The career that I've had so far is vastly different than I expected and yet the essence of what I do is exactly what I love. I graduated from Carleton, where I met some superb individuals, with a degree in journalism and political science in 1986. 

I dreamt of going to graduate school - the London School of Economics was atop my list - but when I was done with a formal education, I was done. I wanted to be ‘in’ the world, studying it as a participant. I wanted to work and jumped at the opportunity at a failing UPI and then leapt at the one from a nascent Bloomberg. I had no idea where I would end up but I was confident it was a step forward.

Being creative is something nurtured deep within, daily, and I credit my parents for instilling this gift in me. My love of reading and writing comes from my Mom, my love of photography and visual art from my Dad. They also taught me the importance of family, integrity and respecting others.

I write, paint and take photos - primarily for me. Each is a form of expression and I think my ‘work’ so to speak reflects who I am. But it’s mostly for me.

Yes, I have a blog and this post will appear on it as have hundreds of others. It's one way that I can collect my thoughts. I have many blogs, a mix of writing and photos and paintings. A digital collection of me.

Half a century. Thousands of words written, thousands of photos taken. Thousands more of both to follow. Random - and not so random - thoughts and images.

Words and photos help to capture the relationships I have with family, friends and the world - both local and global.

I am very happy with my life. Being content is a good place to be. That doesn’t mean I’m planning to slow down anytime soon. Far, far from it. I do believe that what you get in life is directly related to what you put in.

This past week I learned the meaning of Namaste - the greeting I hear at the end of every yoga session - and it strikes me as an appropriate way to conclude my first half century: The spirit in me, honours the spirit in you.

*A friend noted that I've been around longer than I realize when one takes into consideration leap years! 

Is Ironman Canada a fast course?

Square peg, round hole. 

Sometimes you simply can’t know and that’s a good thing. 

I have been shrugging my shoulders a lot recently when asked how fast I will go in two weeks at Ironman Canada in Whistler.

Of course I have my own personal times from previous Ironmans as a point of reference, and those help because they have been accomplished on a range of different courses over the past decade. But each year is unique even on the same course. My two fastest times were on courses on two different continents!

Of the three disciplines, the swim seems the most predictable. Short of a weather ‘situation’, the lake will be calm and relatively warm on race morning. What we do know is that it’s going to be two laps. 

I think there’s the potential for some whirlpool momentum but as I haven’t swum in the lake yet, not to mention with 2500 others, I’ll have to find out on August 25th.

That said I expect to swim strong. I have had a great swim season and I am confident that I am now the best swimmer that I’ve ever been, both technically and in terms of speed. Executing on race day is the key.

On Saturday Volker and I spun on the course for about 100kms - easy. We talked about bike splits and both of us reached the same conclusion - there’s no definitive way to know in advance.

I think it’s fair to say the bike course is the toughest one I’ve ever prepared for. I’ve had some tough training days on it and some superb ones too. The difference between these days, I think, is a reflection of nutrition as well as the wind. (And there was that one day that I experienced hypothermia too.)

As we cycled from Pemberton back to where we parked in Whistler, we made the decision to spin, as in easy. And we flew up the hills. Ok, flew here is relative. But we completed the segment far faster than expected. A key reason: perfect weather - no wind, slightly overcast and not too hot.

Earlier we had experienced a head wind going into the Meadows and back. I’ll write more about my strategy for the bike course in the days ahead. 

In short, the bike course in my opinion will smash a lot of people. And if it’s windy - as it was at Nexen with Luka after we returned home late Saturday afternoon - it will be a smashfest. (I’d be OK with wind. It’s a fact of life here in the Sea to Sky corridor.)

Still, don’t despair. All will not be lost if the wind is howling on race day.

There are opportunities to fly on the bike course and both Volker and I have spent weekend after weekend these last three months determining where speed awaits to be found.

And yet as the first line of this post says, after several thousand kms on Highway 99 and the course itself, I still have no real idea what sort of split is a reasonable target.

A little over a month ago now, Macca was quoted in an article talking about how he thinks age group athletes are too focused on time and instead should be focused on competing on ‘challenging’ courses.

I get what he’s talking about and yet time is very important to me as it is for many other athletes. I want to go fast and I want a fast time. 

Time targets help motivate me. Whether I achieve the time I would like is less relevant the longer I race - though its importance doesn’t diminish. 

I’m not racing to go slower - though sometimes it may seem like it :) And it’s because no one can go faster race after race that I have found other reasons to want to be Iron-fit and these reasons are far more important.

In a way a fast time is like getting a great grade in high school or university. Its importance fades dramatically over time.

In that sense Macca is right, I suppose. Time isn’t relevant and we put far too much emphasis on it. Its relevancy fades far faster than we appreciate in the moment. But I still want to be as fast as I can for as long as I can and I make no apologies for that.

Back to the bike course! Is Whistler a 5 hour bike? I don’t think so. Would 5:30 be a good time? I think so. 5:45? 6? I would expect to be in T2 within six hours.

Being fast in the water and on two wheels - as long as I haven’t hammered myself - would be ideal. I’ll have banked both time and energy for the marathon. Two huge positives. That will be part of my race strategy - as it is for every triathlon. Easier said than done as I’ve found out. Race execution is an art.

For those who choose to hammer or try to hammer on the bike, into a head wind, prepare to walk a lot. That would be unfortunate in part because the run course is beautiful and is open to being fast.

All that said, I don’t have any real feel for a time target heading into the race. My focus is on being focused from start to finish. My objective is to be steady and strong and to take advantage of the weather and the course.

Ten-something always has a positive attraction. Time resists control. But one can master time - from time to time.