Toronto Triathlon Race Report

This past Sunday I competed in my fourth race of the season - the Toronto Triathlon - put on by Multisport. A sprint of 750m swim/30km bike/7.5km run

This was the first time I did this race, and was looking forward to it as it is held on the islands in Lake Ontario. It was also the first time that I race in Toronto. Typically I travel an hour or more to races.

The team at Multisport always do a great job with races - from the venue, to excitement, and athlete safety. And the competition is great.

So here's the report.

The alarm went off at 5;30 am, and I quickly hopped into the shower to get warm, then breakfast. Since the race was close to home I decided to ride to the race. It was a quiet time which allowed me to reflect on the day ahead.

Because the race is on the islands we needed to take the ferry across from the mainland. With hundreds of athletes and all the equipment it took a while to board the ferry. Once on it was a short trip over, and off to transition to get the race kit and body marked.

The day was overcast, and quite windy - likely some wash from Hurricane Irene. The air temperature was great for racing at about 23C, and it was dry. The water temperature on the other hand was a pretty chilly 17C as a few days before the lake turned.

The islands are quite narrow, so with hundreds of athletes Multisport sent off each wave 12 minutes apart. This is 5-6 times more than most events. But this helps with bike traffic, makes it safer, and minimizes drafting.

My wave was the fourth so there would not be many bikes in transition. But some would also have a 36 minute head start on me.

After a quick warm-up in the water - which was really a cool down my wave was called. The horn went off and splash - we were off.

I started well, but there was some chop in the water, and I swallowed more water than usual. I also did not sight well. I knew this to be the case because as I was coming back to shore I realized that I was off course by 25 m. After getting my direction in order I exited the water and began the run into transition.

Swim time including run in: 17 minutes.

Transition was good as the wet suit came off and I was out onto the bike course.

I quickly got up to speed and began the ride. My goal was to not fight any wind which means spinning an easier gear, rather than mashing. This proved to the right strategy, and I executed well.

The bike course was 3 x 10km and I was consistent with my time each lap, and moved my way through the athletes in the waves ahead. My wife was there to cheer me on, and I saw her three times at the hot corner/turn around.

Bike time 53 minutes.

My dismount off the bike was not great as the line came up quicker than I expected. I did have my feet out of the shoes to the run to the rack was easy.

Bike racked and running shoes on, I was off onto the run.

The run course was 2 x 3.75km. A lot of it was on grass which is great for the legs. My legs felt good off the bike so I locked into a runner ahead of me whose pace I liked. I got into a good rhythm. I never really know how fast my pace is on a run, but I felt good and decided to stick with it. I also decided that I would stop at two aid stations. One at 2km and one at 5.5km. And I did stop. This way I would be able to get in the liquid. It really only is a few seconds and it guarantees that the nutrition/hydration gets where it needs to - my mouth.

After the last aid station when I got to the 6km marker I looked at my watch for the first time. I saw that my pace would get me under 1h:50min for the race. I dug in and got ready for the last 1.5km. My wife was there throughout the run given there were two laps.

As I rounded the last corner into the finish shoot I looked at my watch and saw I would break my time. A quick stop to kiss my wife, then I ran across the line.

Run time 36 min

Final time 1:49:26
Overall placing 76/380
Age group placing 7/32

Final thoughts.

I loved this race and will do it again next year.

One less than ideal portion of the race does not mean that the entire race is over. Keep to the plan and execute.

So that's it. Until next time keep tri'n.

Measure to improve

The key to any improvement is to measure what one does against what one has done before.

Essentially we try to create a continual state of creating base lines that we will measure ourselves against.

But if you are not tracking, analysing, and resetting you are doing yourself a disservice.

So what should you measure. The answer to that is up to you, but here are some things you can measure

You can measure heart rate, power, and / or rate of perceived exertion during your workout.

You can measure your distance, volume, and / or time.

You can measure your heart rate, weight, body fat, hours of sleep, calories, and even state of mind.

The reality is that one can measure pretty much anything...what you need to do is find the measurements that will best help you improve.

Here is what I measure for each workout:

1) Time
2) Distance travelled
3) Pace/Speed
4) Type of workout (recovery, tempo, speed, technique)
5) Equipment used (hours and distance)
6) Physical and mental markers (felt good, felt tired, mind not on workout)

Every month

1) Weight
2) Heart rate

Then at regularly scheduled intervals I review my data to see if this matches my goals.

I keep track of my data on line at beginnertriathlete.com The site offers multiple tools, and is free. For a few dollars a month you can upgrade to tiers that offer even more tools.

If you don't like on-line tools an inexpensive notebook can work just as well.

Just keep it simple, be consistent in tracking, and be objective when you analyse.

Until next time, keep tri'n.

Training with music

Music is powerful. It can create energy, create atmosphere, and evokes strong emotions. It's no wonder that so many people train with music. And with electronic devices becoming smaller and lighter, it's even easier to bring music along for your activity. There are even waterproof devises so you can swim and groove along to your favourite track.

Here's my point of view on music.

The Good
- It can be a strong motivator, and if it is what you need to get out the door, and keep you there, bring it along to your training session.
- During longer indoor bike sessions, music can be a way to keep you from going stir-crazy because you can only look at a wall for so long.
-Depending on your musical choice it can help you with pacing. Upbeat music for high tempo sessions, and more mellow music for longer endurance sessions.

The Bad
- It can be a distraction. The challenge with endurance events is the mental focus required throughout the event - technique, pacing, hydration, nutrition. It is a constant and consistent requirement to ensure that you are doing all that you can to keep from slowing down. While physically demanding, it is the mental side of the endurance events that is most taxing.
- It can become a crutch. Not being able to train and/or race with music can be limiting. While most running races allow music (and for the record I disagree with this wholeheartedly) triathlons do not. In my opinion one should be able to race without music.
- Building on the previous point, racing and training with music increases your risk of an accident. In triathlon, races are typically not held on closed courses. We still need to be aware of local vehicular traffic. And of other athletes who may be passing us. The inability communicate with our fellow athletes and / or lack of awareness of our surrounding puts us all at risk. And if you've ever run a road race with athletes that have music on, you'll see how they never run in a straight line...always weaving, moving from side to side. I work hard to keep away from these athletes.

So the choice of using music is your, but if you do decide to use music, be smart about it. Keep the volume low, use only one ear bud, or choose to train in areas where vehicular and pedestrian traffic is lower.

Would love to hear your comments, and until next time, keep tri'.

Open water swimming

One of my most favourite things is open water swimming. And this past weekend, thanks to some generous friends who invited me (and my wife) to their cottage, I was able to indulge.

The water is not chlorinated, so you don't even have to wear goggles. And the water is better for your skin and hair.

There is great freedom in being able to swim for an extended period of time without getting to a wall.

It allows me to swim at a steady pace and just enjoy the water around me.

It is very calming and relaxing. Getting up early to a calm body of water, diving in, and heading to the other side is a great way to start a day.

Now there are some benefits to swimming in open water. If you only swim in a pool you may be freaked out by the wide expanse of a lake or river. And if you watch "River Monsters", you may never step into open water ever again. So feeling comfortable in open water is a must to getting your race off to a good start.

Open water swimming will also really show if you can swim in a straight line. This is harder than it sounds. Either you are stronger on one side, or your technique under the water is a bit different on one side which will pull you off course. This only adds distance to the swim leg on race day. Why swim 850m when you only need to swim 750m. That's extra time and energy spent in the water. Better to save it for the run.

Sighting is very important and contributes to swimming in a straight line. If you only swim in a pool all you need to do is follow the black line. No black line in open water.

If you are new to swimming in a wet suit, it's great to try it out in open water.

And you will get to practice in different water conditions - flat, chop and waves. All require different approach to get you back to land on race day.

Now before I sign off a few safety tips:

1) Never swim alone. Bring a swim buddy, or someone in a canoe or kayak.
2) Having someone in a canoe/kayak is also good as they will protect you from boaters and Seados.
3) Wear a bright swim cap to help others see you in the water.
4) Try to stay close to shore if you can, just in case you get into trouble.

So call your friend with the cottage, get invited, and get ready to swim open water.

Until next time, keep tri'n.

5 things to get the most out of each workout

If you want to get the most out of your workout beyond working just hard enough here are some things to consider.

1) Get to your workout nutritionally ready. Make sure that you've had a healthy snack 2-3 hours before your session. You'll have the energy needed to get through your session

2) Make sure that you are hydrated. This is especially important if it will be hot and humid. It is scientifically proven that lack of hydration negatively impacts perfomance.

3) After your workout, eat. Many people talk about not being hungry after a workout, but the first 30-45 minutes are very important to help initiate and speed up recovery. This should be a healthy balance of carbohydrates and protein. A smoothie made with 1 cup almond/soy mil, one banana, 1/2 - 3/4 cup of fresh or frozen berries, 1-2 tbs of Greek Yogurt, and protein powder is a great post workout recovery drink that is easy to consume, and even easier to make.

4) Cold water bath or shower. This is a great way to help reduce inflammation and flush out the lactic acid in your muscles. Sit in a tub in cold water for about 15 minutes. Go as cold as you can tolerate. If you don't have a bath alternate cold/warm water from the shower. Then have a warm shower/bath, then stretch.


5) Sit down or lie down. I once heard a pro triathlete say that they never stand when they can sit, or sit when they can lie down. The idea being that staying off your legs will keep them fresher.

I hope these help you with your training and progress.

Until next time, keep tri'n.

Working just hard enough

Training is all about preparing your self for race day. Physically and mentally. Step by step. Progress is measured in small increments, and only when you look back after a lengthy period of time can you see significant progress.

So how can you ensure you do not sabotage your training efforts? Work just hard enough during everyone of your training sessions. It is a combination of working hard and working smart.

Most of us, myself included, go out with great intentions each session, but we never execute on these intention because we sucked in by ourselves, or members of our training groups to push harder than we need to. So we are effectively working too hard when we should be taking it easy, and not working hard enough when we should be pushing ourselves.

Know what your session goal is, and then go execute it. Don't sabotage your training, and your progress....work just hard enough.

Until next time, keep tri'n.