Victory in Victoria!

Victoria was the second race of my three-race series in June. After a disappointing flat in Raleigh one week before, I was very fired up to get back out there and prove myself.

I hopped a flight straight from Raleigh and arrived in Victoria one week before the race. This was the first time I had tried racing on back-to-back weekends. It seemed to work well, thanks to a very helpful homestay.

In the week leading up to the race, I was able to learn a new skill. I learned how to drive a standard vehicle. It made for a very interesting week. But as I have learned over the year, part of being a professional triathlete is being able to go with the flow and get the job done no matter what happens. I was invited to sit on the pro panel and to be part of the kids’ run again with my good friends Trevor and Heather Wurtele.

On race day, I was ready to go, acclimatized to the time zone and area. The race was insanely early even for Ironman: a 6:00 am start. But luckily the time zone change was in my favour. After a 3 am wake-up and my morning routine, I was race ready. It looked like it was going to be a cool day, starting at 10°C and getting up to 14°C. I chose to put a plastic bag under my race suit to stay warm on the bike.  The swim had been shorted to about 1500m. The swim went of as usual. I chose to start on the right side is the sallower water and jockeyed for position early on. By about 400m the race had strung out with a group of two-three people up a head and myself in a small three man group following. I exited the water about 1min down from the leader and was ready for some redemption on the bike after last weeks flat tire.

As I was taking my bike off the rack Trevor Wurtele arrived at his bike. I knew I had about 10 seconds on my main competition of the day. At the start of the bike there was a little jockeying as we settled into our own race paces. I quickly moved myself in the lead of the race by 10km. I then started to settle into a grove preparing myself for when Trevor would arrive. By 20km Trevor arrived as he went by I new that I had to stay with him if I wanted any chance of winning. For the next 40km not much changed. Trevor led and tried a few surges but he could not get away. I stayed in second responding to Trevor’s moves and Nathan Killam sat in third.

 At 60km I chose to take control of the race and put in my own attack. Trevor could not respond and gap started to form. The hunter soon became the hunted! At 70km I put in another big pushed up the largest hill on the course about 2km. I entered into T2 with in first place. I had never had this happen--it was very interesting to be following the lead car. 

 

As I dismounted my bike, I slipped on my shoe and hit the deck. Luckily I was only going 10-5kph so I was able to bounce back quickly and continue the race unharmed. (The bike is fine too.)

I headed out onto the two loop run around the lake on the gravel trails with a 90 sec on second place. I pushed the first loop and as I ran through the woods all I could think was Trevor is out there don’t you dare slow down. By the half way mark I had extended my lead to 2min but then Trevor start to chew into that nice lead of mine. At the 19km I got a glimpse of how close Trevor really was at a short out and back section and that really did scare me. All I could think is you have come this far don’t you dare let it go, fight for it. In those last 2km I really had to dig deep. In the end that is really what makes a win worth it, having a serious competitor that pushes you to new levels and Trevor did that. I crossed the line in 1^st place. It was such an amazing feeling with the crowds there watching.

I am heading back to Caledon the for the next two weeks to prepare for Mt. Tremblant 70.3.

Thank you too:

C3

Kinetico

Royal Containers  

Alto Wheels

Compressport

Polar

Saucony

Smith Optics

Saxx

Caledon Hills Cycle

Up set at Raleigh

After a rough race in St. George Utah I had a month to get in a really good block of training. I was based in Caledon for that month and it was the perfect time with some very nice weather.

I was feeling ready for a big block of racing with Raleigh 70.3 on June 5, Victoria 703 on June 12 then Mt. Tremblant on June 26. I have never tried to race three times in a month and I am very excited to push myself to the limits.

First up was Raleigh 70.3, it was hot and humid in Raleigh North Carolina. Raleigh was amazing with a lot of green, it really reminded me of Caledon. I was able to check out the course before hand. The bike looked amazing with rolling hills and smooth pavement.

In the days leading up I had the privilege to lead the kids run and sit on the pro panel. It was a great experience and the kids had such a good time.

The morning of the race was perfect warm and looking like to would be cloudy. In the race I had a very strong swim. I was able to get out to the front and hold on to the lead group for a very long time until it finally strung out. I exited the water in 5^th place only 1min down from the leaders. I was having a very good day and by the mile 5 on the bike I had moved into 3^rd place with the top two in my sites. I was preparing to over take 2^nd place and on my way to the front of the race when I got a flat tire at mile 6. I quickly started to change my flat but when I went to fill up my tire with CO2 it did not fill properly and I was not able to fix the flat. Sadly that was the end of my day.

I know I have the fitness and I will be racing again this coming weekend in Ironman 70.3 Victoria looking for some redemption. I will be learning as much as I can from this race and bring it into the next one.

I will be back to Raleigh next year for sure.

Huge thank you to my home stay Stephen and all my sponsors.

C3

Kinetico

Royal Containers  

Alto Wheels

Compressport

Polar

Saucony

Smith Optics

Saxx

Caledon Hills Cycle

A Come Back

Just like any sport Triathlon has a lot of ups and down. You really do not know what will happen in a race. As professionals we prepare as best as we can for all kinds of situations, but at the end of the day a race is a race and anything can happen.

The first race I competed in this year was Oceanside 70.3. I was very anxious to start the season off on a good note. I raced well at Oceanside last year and had spent some time in California preparing for the race. It was a strong field of athletes and I was looking forward to testing myself.

As I prepared my transition area it was nice to catch up with a Trevor Wurtele who was raking his bike next to mine. As much as it is serious business out on the racecourse I am very good friends with some of my competition.

I lined up in a good position and was in contact with the leaders at about the half way mark of the swim. But eventually the group pulled away and I had to fend for my self for the rest of the swim. I entered transition about 1min and 40 second down from the leaders, which was about 20second faster than I had been last year.

The bike was very interesting. I could see the group up the road and tried desperately to work my way up to them. As the race went on the top cyclists like Sebastian Kienle and Lional Sanders went past me. I focused on riding my own pace and having a good run. But sadly as I rounded the last corner in the bike a photographer was on the course and took me out. That was the end of my day with the bike broken and I had lost too much time to continue.

For the next two weeks I had to get everything sorted out for the next race. I did my best to keep a positive attitude. My amazing, bike shop Caledon Hills Cycle had me back on a bike in three days. Once that was in place I just had to make sure my body was recovered and ready to race in New Orleans 70.3.

One week out from New Orleans I started to feel better. I was able to do a few fast run workouts and swim properly. I was ready to make a little come back.

The race at New Orleans was flat and windy they were registering wind up to 37kph on the course. This was going to change the day. In the swim the start was a mess since the gun went off as we were lining up. I put in a hard swim in some very choppy water but came up short off from where I had wanted to, about 2:30 down from the leader and in 9^th place.

I quickly got into a grove on the bike it was an out and back course with a head wind the whole way out. I was able to push a higher power going out and work my way into 4^th position. On the way back home I just put my head down and road with the wind getting up to 60kph on some sections. I did not see TJ Tollakson on the side of the road with a flat tire. So, as I entered into transition I thought I was still in 4^th but in reality I had moved into 3^rd.

I could see Matt Chrabot 2min up the road from me and new he was my target. I had no idea how far away Andrew Starykowicz was so I just focused on catching Chrabot. The run was an out and back as well but this time it was a tail wind going out and head wind as we returned to the finish line. I slowly brought back Chrabot one-step at a time and by the10km I had passed him. Starykowicz was about a mile ahead at the half way mark. 

On the way back to the finish line and into the wind Chrabot clawed his way back to me and sat on my shoulder. I led the rest of the run just steps ahead of him thinking, this is going to come down to a sprint and I need to be prepared for it. We both were slowly gaining on Starykowicz but he had built up such a lead on the bike that he was out of our reach. 

Kilometer after Kilometer went by and Chrabot was still there. As we came into the last Kilometer of the race it was show time, with about 800m to go I put in a massive surge and broke away from him. As I entered into the last few meters of the run Chrabot was nowhere to be seen I had dropped him and put just under a minute between us. 

I am very happy with this result after the tough couple of weeks I was able to get the job done. 

Thank you to the Triathlon Squad, C3, Kinetico, Royal Containers, Caledon Hills Cycling,  Saucony, BlueSeventy, Compressport, SMITH Optic, Vorgee, Polar, Riplaces, TrueStart, my parents and Friends, for making this happen.

The benefits of Coffee

A lot of use love coffee and we must have in the morning. But did you know that the caffeine in coffee could give you a performance boost. At the right levels, caffeine can improve your training and races. There are three proven advantages that caffeine has:

-Improving focus & mental performance

-Increasing physical endurance

-Reducing rate of perceived exertion

But there has also been studies done that show caffeine can help you recover. I will get into that later on.

To have these effects on your body the caffeine levels must be correct and taken at the right time. The right amount of caffeine is different for every person. But studies have shown that 2-3mg per kilogram of body weight is optimal for sports performance. Having too little caffeine won’t impact your training at all, but most of us are familiar with the side effects of having too much. For this reason it is important to track the amount of caffeine you are taking in.

I personally like to use caffeine pills before a race because I know the exact level. I will be trying a new kind of coffee called TrueStart coffee that gives you the caffeine levels in your coffee. Since it is very hard to know how much Caffeine you are getting in a cup of coffee there are just so many variables like the type of bean, the roast, altitude, the weather, and more. It gets even more complicated when it comes to roast and ground coffee.

Caffeine takes about 45 minutes to fully be absorbed and has a half-life of 5.7 hours. I personally like to take my caffeine about 1 hour before I workout or race to make sure it has settled in.

There are two tips of Caffeine.

Type 1 – Synthetic Caffeine

-Found in traditional energy drinks, gels and pills

-The great thing about synthetic caffeine is it is regulated, so you know how much you are taking in

-Synthetic caffeine is it gets absorbed through the digestive system much faster than naturally occurring plant caffeine .

-Synethic caffeine options also tend to come hand-in-hand with extra sugar

(TrueStart, 2016)

Type 2 – Natural Caffeine

-Caffeine is naturally found in coffee, tea, cocoa and approximately 60 other plant species

-The great thing about natural caffeine is it gets slowly released into the bloodstream, providing more sustained energy

-Natural caffeine is it is unregulated, so you don’t know how much you’re getting. A single cup of coffee can vary from less than 20mg to over 300mg caffeine.

(TrueStart, 2016)

Caffeine has also been shown to help with recovery. The study was conducted on seven high-level endurance cyclists who partook in four sessions.

‘Glycogen, the muscle’s primary fuel source during exercise, is replenished more rapidly when athletes ingest both carbohydrate and caffeine following exhaustive exercise, new research from the online edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology shows. Athletes who ingested caffeine with carbohydrate had 66% more glycogen in their muscles four hours after finishing intense, glycogen-depleting exercise, compared to when they consumed carbohydrate alone, according to the study, published by The American Physiological Society.’ (Hawley, 2008)

The study used very high levels of caffeine to get these effects, 8 mg per kilogram of body weight. That is about 5-6 cups of strong coffee. Further research is needed to see if lower levels of caffeine have similar effects. But any reason to have another cup of coffee right.

Sources:

Hawley, John A. (2008). The American Physiological Society. http://www.the-aps.org/mm/hp/audiences/public-press/archive/08/24.html

(2016). TureStart. http://www.truestartcoffee.com/learn/train-harder-for-longer

(2016). TureStart. http://www.truestartcoffee.com/learn/caffeine-uncovered

Winter Training #TaylorTime

Training in the snow.

Beyond training

Beyond training: A day in the life of a professional triathlete.

I thought I would give a little insight into what a Professional Triathlete does on a daily basis, beyond their training. There is a lot more to a professional triathlete’s day than training, eating and sleeping. A usual day of mine consists of three workouts, or about 4-6 hours of actual training, but in reality my workday is 8-10 hours long. The day mainly revolves around swim times, since these are fixed. All the other workouts and things I have to do are built around that.

 I wake up and have breakfast. While I am doing that I check my e-mails and social media to see if anything has come up over night that I need to address right away. Then it is off to the first workout (usually a swim or a run). When I am home in Ontario the pool is about 20 minutes away, so not a bad drive.

The first thing I do when I return from the swim is eat some food. Then it is back on the computer to work on a sponsorship proposal, write a blog post or look for a possible sponsor I can contact. In the early and late part of the year a lot of my time is spent going back and forth with sponsors and ironing out contracts. This can be a drawn-out process, and the athlete must find the right balance of not asking for too much but also not selling out. Some of the top pro’s will have agents to do this work. But I enjoy this part of the sport.

Then it is off for the mid-day workout. After eating lunch I usually see if I can come up with a good social media post. Most of them come to me while I am in a workout or just spontaneously, but I need to put some time aside to make it look good, to check that everything is spelt correctly and to make sure it is appealing to my audience. With contractual obligations revolving around my social media I also need to make sure I cover all the bases in that respect. Next, I spend a little more time working on sponsorship proposals, sponsor phone calls or writing articles. If I am lucky I may sneak in a little nap. If I miss that nap then coffee is my savior.

Then I am off to do my last workout of the day. My evenings are usually spent doing some foam-rolling. If I have a video on the go I will usually work on that or anything that has not been completed. I also like to keep the evening a little more free to socialize with family and friends.

Sometimes I get the opportunity to give back to the community by giving a talk, running a workout or volunteering at a race. These are very enjoyable and a nice change of pace. It is very important to me that I give back to the people who support me and that I help nurture the next generation of the sport.

What is in my fridge?

I am sure you have heard every story about how to eat right and what not to eat. There are millions of diets and foods that are unhealthy for you. But I am going to give you a little glimpse into what I have in my fridge. Remember I am training 4-7 hours a day, now let us begin.

We will start with some of the basics. I have milk sitting in the door beside the juice. But this is not just any old white milk no this is chocolate milk. I use it in my cereal in the morning and just to drink after workouts with a pinch of salt added. I find it is a lot easier to drink than regular milk and a great post workout drink. I like to keep eggs handy for my second breakfast, after my morning workout. There usually is not a lot of time until the next session so it is something easy to make. When it comes to green things I keep broccoli, asparagus, peppers and salad handy. I can usually mix these things up to add to my lunch and dinner. For meet I like to really change it up but ground beef, sausage and chick are great. There are a lot of different dishes that can be created with them. I really like to keep ice cream on hand for those hard days when I cannot get in enough food no matter how hard I try it fills in an gaps. Cheese and yogurt are usually in there too. The cheese for sandwich’s and the yogurt is a good snake food that can be mixed with other things. When it comes to sauces I am a big fan of sweet baby rays BBQ sauces and caesar dressing.

Some staples I have in the pantry are, Coffee! Could not live without it. I keep some tea for the end of the day when I am winding down. I like to keep a big bag of chips around. I like tortilla chips mainly because they have a good amount of salt and are an easy carb to take in even before a workout.  On the topic of carbs pasta is a staple for dinner. I have cookies in there too. But they usually do not last for very long especially if they are Oreos.

These are a few things I like to keep in my fridge.