::Las Vegas- Six Tunnels half marathon::

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Nathan

Race number 1 of the redrafted 2012 season started off with a run at Lake Samish in Bellingham Washington. Racing helps to keep me focus on my goals as well as motivated, so Im going to head out to Las Vegas on March 17th to tackle the second race of the season. The Six Tunnels half marathon. A big reason why I choose Vegas is because it will give me a small taste of St George and the chance to experience the desert climate in preparation for May.

::Image taken from Mountain Man events flickr site::

I am really looking forward to seeing the Hoover Dam, the new bridge over the Colorado River and just the Vegas country side. It looks to be a small time run, with a lot to offer. It starts 18 miles from Las Vegas in Boulder City which is about 4 miles north of the Hoover Dam. They have a 5k and also a 2 person relay for people who want to take things a bit easier. All entry fees are below 100 US, with a shirt, mug and medal once your all done. Its a Saturday race and should be a good one to watch since its St. Pattys Day. If your looking for an alternative from the complete madness of the Rock and Roll race which sounded like a bit of a mess, this might be a great race for your next PR.

::screen grab ::

Looking forward to some sun, warmth and maybe a bit of biking on the Ironman St. George route. I’ll be bunked up at the Wyndham Grand Desert, which I have enjoyed staying at before. Pumped to race in Las Vegas again and hope to get under 1:20 this year.

photo credit

::Running Winter wonderland ::

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Nathan

::Could really ask for better "snow" weather.

I waited a few hours to let the sun come out and then headed out to Hayward Lake. I knew I would be running in a good level of snow, but didn’t think it was going to be this much. Fun day in the white stuff, with a few areas that haven’t been explored since the snow fell.

Took me just under 2 hours to get all the way around, which is over 20 minutes slower then in the summer. It felt like I ran 30 plus kms.

::Few others out earlier in the day::

::The Attack of 2012::

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Nathan

::Quiet day out on the road::

I’m really looking forward to 2012, with hopes of making some larger strides towards a sub 10 @ Ironman Canada with a hopeful Kona ticket attached. 2011s off season was mainly focused on getting my running faster while trying to find a passion for cycling. The season started off great with my half marathon coming down about 3-4 minutes in 3 months and by feburary my marathon time got under 3 hours in New Orleans. I started to finally enjoy cycling once I got out of my basement and was pumped once Spring Finally came around.

Once Triathlon season start I had some good races but I just couldn’t get all three to work together in one race. My ironman ended in disappointing fashion with a marathon slower then 2010 with a plan of just finishing. After all of the off season running and I sh*t the bed…so to try and finish off the year well I went out to Victoria to make 2011 end a little better.

Most of my triathlon racing for 2012 will be on the Subaru Western Triathlon series with the first race May 27th at Shawnigan Lake. Second Victoria on June 17th, and Vancouver on July 8th, and then using these races to see how I line up for my 3rd Ironman Distance at Ironman Canada at the end of August.

Running in 2012 will start across the line in Bellingham @ Lake Samish on Januray 8th. I am still in the works of finding a spot to race in Feb or March, with one last half marathon race @ BMO Vancouver on their new course in May before Ironman. Then probably another ferry ride to Victoria on Thanksgiving for a half marathon.

::New::

2011 I did two swimming races at the 2km distance and hope to get both of them in in 2012. The first was July 1st at Sasamat Lake put on by VOWSA, and the second and probably one of my favorite events in the summer ,The Interior Saving Across the Lake swim in Kelowna.

A lot of this year winter and spring months will be spent riding the bike. I haven’t looked at any Fondos yet, but there are a lot more to choose from this coming year with two new ones just in the Lower Mainland alone. Valley and Misson, with both looking pretty good.

Should be a good year with a lot to learn and a lot of fun.

::Off season planning and motivation::

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Nathan

"Yesterdays run, I can't get enough of Fall sunny days!"

I’m always find this time of year the hardest to keep on the up and up but most importantly to keep on top of things. Post summer hang over, a huge racing season feels like it suddenly comes to a sudden halt and in this section of the world, (Vancouver/ Lower mainland, British Columbia) the fall comes in so fast.

The daylight hours get slashed making training before and after work outside very difficult, let alone the rain and wind. Planning for the off season is always a struggle for me. Being self-coached and self motivated has its challenges, but the off-season brings on weird level of training. One thing that I keep reminding myself is that this is the most important part of the year. Planning for the next season happens now. I working full time in the spring and summer, so that means training comes down to the hour, and so planning now is smartest thing I can do.

One of the big factors for being self coached is trying to figure out what to do. A big tool I use is the blogoshpere. A cool thing about this sport is that we are all pro-active people, which also means we all like to share what we do. There is a huge amount of material to read about how people train, how they race and prepare. A guy like Jeff Symonds which had a huge year in the half ironman distance is always a fun read as well as a solid source of what a local guy is doing. For Full iron-distance I like a guys like Dirk Bockel and Andy Potts both both are Olympians (different sports) and top athletes long distance tri. Both have pretty solid blogs which has cool insight on what a pro-ironman life is like.

Few other blogs that I like to visit are Simon Whitfield, Kelownagurl.com, http://www.spiffykerms.com, James Lawerance, Christopher Baker, Matt Fisher and Steve in a Speedo. I find it’s good to read what others are going through, what races to do, but most importantly, it helps for planning.

This season I plan on going after one of my biggest goals yet. Kona, a race that is looked as one of the toughest on the planet. After getting the tri bug in 2010, I’ve been focused on this goal and the 2012 season will be when the two year action plan will be in second phase.

I’ve been Looking at the Endurance Planner software to kinda give me some fresh training after using a tri fuel program for the last year and half. If anyone has some more input on what they use or reviews of different programs I will love to hear about it.

::Vancouver Fall Classic::

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Nathan

Sunday morning came a little quick and luckily I wasn’t racing because I was late getting up! Jumped in my truck and headed down to UBC for the Vancouver Fall Classic. They call it the last great run of the year and that is probably true, but with it being at the end of the year its also always cold. I remember last year when everyone was worried about snow and cold, this year, it was just about the cold.

First Loop for the Double Loopers on half marathon

I had a few people I knew going after this race with hopes of getting there Spring Marathon training off in a straight line. I always found this race tough to get up for with the darkness, cold and just overall winter feel around the race and with those conditions not many people spectators turn out either.

About 1500 people in total brave the cold to challenge themselves to set new personal bests or just to keep there running going through the New Year. Its been the same looped course for as long as I can remember and has grown on me over the years. It shares some of the same track for the bike on half iron race in the summer.

New Balance has a lot to do with this race and carries the reputation of having some of the best race gear that comes with your sign up. I’ve always enjoyed what I received from doing this race, in previous years you could select from different items, which I thought was pretty unique and a great idea. So if your looking to extend your racing season and want to squeak out one more race before the new year, it doesn’t get any better then the fall classic.

Coming through the court yard for the last lap. About 2km to the first line.

Roasting in at 1:26...Few more minutes before the 10km racers come through.

Race results here

::A passion for trail Running::

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Nathan

I always find November to be a very tough month, It’s dark, cold, and between seasons, not great for tri training or skiing. Its dark at 4 o’clock, its not a positive time in the calender for somoone who spends a ton of time outside, for work and for play.

I’ve found hitting the trails really helps me to keep positive and a lot more up beat. If there is any ounce of hope of finishing work early or there is time on the weekend, I bounce to my favorite trail running spots. Uninterrupted running on a long trail has to be one of my favorite training sessions. Despite fall begin my least favorite season out of the 4, it is my favorite to run in on a sunny day. Here is why….

This was all shot with my Olympus pen camera, really enjoy shooting with it the last few months. I’ll also do another brooks plug… I am finding the cascadia a really great shoe for any of those out their looking for a trail shoe.

::Goodlife Victoria marathon 2011…::

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Nathan

Felt like I was just writing and editing photos from this race last year. This year has gone by so fast, I guess when all you do is work, bike, work ,swim, work ,run, run , swim, and maybe a beer in there…things go by very fast. Mirroring last year, this would be my first race after the Ironman in Penticton. Traditionally this race has always been a bit of a fight for me, I had one of my worse marathon crashes here a few years back . After Ironman this year I really wanted to make up for a garbage marathon split. I was going after this race a little more relaxed with two really focused weeks of training three weeks before the race.

::This was at probably the best section of the race::

My plan was to go after the first 10km and hope to hold on for the rest of the race. This has to be the most controlled, relaxed, and enjoyable running race I have had to date. The whole race felt smooth, and just had a gel at the start and one at about 50 minutes with a few water splashes mixed in. I didn’t know my pace til about 5 km but knew I was goin pretty good and with my 10km split 38ish I felt I could set myself up for a pretty good time. Dropped about 2 minutes off my fastest with 1:21.5 , giving me a minute or two breathing room for a New York Qualifying time. I’ll be looking at getting under 1:20 mark in the new year.

As always this race is first class with a huge turn out and a good group of spectators. I am not a huge fan of the terrain but the ocean views and city streets make it one of the best for scenery. If you get a lucky, like we did this year without rain or wind, it’s pretty tough to beat.

::Finished::

::obviously the winners of the marathon::

::This guy was my favorite guy.::

::Running in New York::

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Nathan

Headed out last Tuesday afternoon to jump on a direct flight to New York for some site seeing, running, and New York Yankee baseball watching. Everything went awesome except my third day of running when I got caught in a rain storm and of course it was the day I was also planning on getting to Coney Island. Other then that some good pictures, a few laps around Central park, 2 long runs up the Hudson River, and a few good stories to tell.

First Day in we didn’t get in til late so just ate and went to bed… so first thing Wednesday morning after some coffee and bagel, I headed to Central Park. Our apartment was only 15 minutes walk to get there so it was perfect. I had an hour to get a run in before our 6 and half hour tour of the city. So I did a quick rip to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir and went around once and headed back in just under an hour. It nice to go for a run when your not the only one on a lonely country road putting in the time.

The 6 and a half hour tour was pretty good, but since UN was in session the whole east-side of town was grid lock, so we ended up sitting in traffic for awhile. Got a few boat rides in, saw the 9/11 site and memorial, and all the popular buildings.

Day 3 started out with another run to Central Park, but this time I was going to go all the way around. After doing some shitty research of a back of a running magazine, I though it was going to be a 14 mile run. Well after going around once in 45 minutes, I did it again. Two loops and some pretty fun sites. Bike riders crashing, weirdos running, walkers walking into bikes, and horsees. It was a great first loop, but the humidity was crazy the whole week, so the second loop was in slow motion.

Day 4 was going to be a bit rough, after having no rain the first three days, it rolled right in. I was hoping to hit a few new spots that I missed from the last time I went but it was raining so hard it made it pointless. At around 11 am I had to get out and do something. So I went straight east down w48th street to the Hudson. The last time I went to New York we walked all along the Hudson from about Canal Street and headed into Wall st. So this time I would head in the opposite direction towards the George Washington Bridge.

The first 40 minutes was awesome, a bit of rain to cool me down from the muggy heat, but once I was within a mile of the bridge it started to drop pails of water. Once I got to the bridge I was a running in rivers. Took a few looks around, then turned around and headed back. I was the only one with 6 miles on the way back. Not a single soul out, not even the homeless Mexicans that were drinking on the way out. Of course my legs were starting to feel the 20 plus kms I did yesterday and made it for a not so enjoyable rip home.

After some relaxing and wondering around in the rain, the next day started of great. A walk along the Brooklyn Bridge, then another run along the Hudson but towards Wall Street. Then the day finished off with a trip Down to the Bronx, to watch the Yankees put the boots to the Red Sox.

::the sky at the end of the game was..well pretty amazing. This was shot in 35mm film.::

Great trip with some good solid running and more photos to follow…

::New York in September::

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Nathan

The long awaited trip to New York with my Grandfather and Fam has finally come. What was suppose to be a trip to Boston to run the Boston Marathon in April, has turned into another trip to New York. Thanks to an 8 hour sell out of the Boston Marathon, I get to enjoy a trip and don’t have to run a marathon so……… i’m not complaining. (new rules for Boston just came out actually…)

:: Probably one of my favorite shots in Time Square. This is on Artprojectonline ::

I am really looking forward to my week away to see a few more spots then I did when I went a few years back. A friend and I had an amazing time and packed a ridiculous amount of things in just a long weekend. Yankees game in the old Yank stadium, Time Square, Empire State building, Grand Central Station, Wall Street, a Central Park Run, Pretty good hike along the river and Broadway, and of course a few pub stops.

:: This was back in 2008, for sale on artprojectonline ::

One thing we didn’t do was run around the whole Central Park, all 14 miles of it. You know you like to run, when one of your highlights is going to be running around a park. I found a map of park and all the different areas that you can enjoy, as well as a site that has city running tours. Ill just be doing my usual lace up and see how it goes, but we are staying a pretty reasonable distance to the park and will be doing a number of runs there to get me ready for my half marathon coming up in Victoria.

::Victoria last year, be my four time runnin::

Of Course another Yankee game verus Red Sox will be the real reason why I am excited to head back. Hopefully the Red Soxs hang in there for their Saturday game, so all the big boys will be out playing. Be jumping on a plane this afternoon and coming back Sunday night. I’ll be packing my camera as well as shooting some 35m film if I can find it!

::Post Ironman 2011::

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Nathan

My second Ironman finish is in the books, and this one was the toughest race yet. I think every race you learn something new about yourself, and this one was no different. From dealing with the heat, chain drops, and dead legs, this year race was an all out war. My goal time of sub 10 hours quickly changed after the bike ride to, hopefully I finish this race faster then 2010.

Last year the swim felt awesome, little effort, no fighting and smooth water. This year, the total opposite. It was the longest fighting swim yet, the full 3.8km was full of smacks, kicks, and feet grabbin. Almost 3 minutes slower then previous coming out of the water.

:: This is what happens::

Next was on to the bike. After the usual not sure what I am doing transition I got onto my bike. A nice 40km wind push and another 40km of solid riding to Osoyoos. Now it was on to the start of the race…the Ritcher Pass climb. My Legs felt great on the flats but the hills started to take their toll. Each hill with the addition of heat clearly started to suck up my energy. After a few chain drops, one on the top of Yellow Lake and another on the way down I was ready to get off my bike. Of course the last 8kms through town feels like 30kms and the added strong head wind made it really enjoyable.

::probably the only time my dad will run faster then me::

I came in a little slower then I was wanting but was fine with the time. I knew when I got off the bike I would need to do some serious damaged on the run course to even come close to that 10 hour mark. Jumped off my bike around 5:36 and started running. About 5km into the race I was wondering how my legs where going to get me through 42kms. They did but not very fast…and they didn’t work on the hills. Same as on the bike, coming into town felt a lot longer then it should and finished up a few minutes under 4 hours. Which is also slower then last year.

Total time was 10:35, with a stomach that was fine through out the race until I got over the finish line. I counted three times when people beside me just all out puked and keep running. It was one of the craziest experiences I have ever been a part of, and looking forward to 2012. Its looking like next years goal will be sub 10 hours and see if that gets me where I want to be.

I was using powerbar products through out the race and they seemed to work pretty good. No real issue and think I’ll stick with their items

Things I took from this race…

Be right in front for the swim start and maybe a bit to the left for smooth water.

Eat a bit more protein on the bike. I was using powerbar products through out the race and they seemed to work pretty good. No real issue and think I’ll stick with their items for the next races as well.

Push hill training a bit more on the bike as well on the run.

Figure out a balanced sodium plan and electro plan.

I also think I need to change up my gearing on my bike to make it a little more hill ready.

Start my taper a week earier

Speed up transitions

Try and have a bit more energy for the run

::Almost done, I remember this point last year and I can't figure out why I am never happy to see the end::

::Training with Brooks running shoes::

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Nathan

Been grinding it out for the last 3 weeks on getting myself ready for August 28th. The long journey to Ironman Canada started way back around February after I finished up my Marathon in New Orleans. Its amazing how much the body can progress after a year. I used the winter to get my marathon time battered down but also slaved a lot of my winter riding in the basement watching tv. So on the theme of progression, I have also been trying out different types of shoes. Wanting to get a bit more out of my run, and just out of pure boredom of regular running. I thought I would doing a bit of looking around for my feet. Constantly looking for new routes and new areas to run, I thought I would let my feet in on some new things as well.

::Brooks Adrenaline number 9:: I have two pairs of this same shoe...I hate buying the same thing twice...

I’ve been running in a brooks shoe for about three years, and haven’t even considered switching shoes. I’ve primarily been trucking in adrenaline shoe since I believe #7. I bought my second pair of #10′s at Christmas of this year and I think they are on #11 now. This shoe has been my race and training shoe…but not for long!

::Adrenaline number 10:: not worn yet, but do have another dirty pair...once again...

I get a little tired of dealing with traffic, traffic lights, junkies, shit drivers, old people in their scooters, and lazy people in their scooters taking up the walkways soo….I’ve been mixing some trail running. I was using an old pair of Adrenaline number 7′s on the trail but after a few longer runs, I wanted to see how much of a difference a trail shoe would make. Obviously I stuck with the brooks, and heard nothing bad about the Cascadia shoe. Naturally I went out, bought it, and took it out for a 1 hour run along the river. It was like night and day, gripping and more command on the trail was amazing. I did find this shoe a little heavy but something I could deal with. It probably didn’t help that I was running in the Green Silence the day before.

::my Cascadia trail blazer:: Trying to be my favorite...probably will be in winter.

With all this hype of barefoot running and minimal shoe design I decided to give the Green Silence a go. The first run in this shoe was done at the track and man I felt like I was flying. Super light, like I didn’t have a shoe on my foot. With that said, my arch could tell as well. I’ve been having some arch swelling for a few months now and the first run in this shoe made me feel it a little more in the morning.

I have since ran in this shoe 20 plus kms and enjoyed the light design. I am sitting on the face about using this shoe for more then a half marathon race, but thinking about using it for my marathon at IMC. I’ll probably with decide a few days before and see how the arch feels. I have been running in this shoe almost 2-3 times a week, trying to get my feet use to the minimal design. Any questions…ok good.

::These are my favorite, they come stock in Green and Black but you can order a few different colours. Such as this red and royal blue.::

Weekend Training camp :: Kelowna/ Penny

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Nathan

Ventured up to Kelowna for what would be my last race before Ironman Canada. July 16th was the Across the Lake Swim, a 2km race that goes across Okanagan Lake. This year it was sold out, and thanks to the race organizer I was able to race due to “I thought I was signed up” issue. Caps at 500 people with a 8am start from the Indian Reserve on the West side of the lake. I had a small melt down in the morning because I found out in the morning I wasn’t in the race and had to get my butt down to City Park. Got down to a full parking lot and missed my ride on the houseboat that take other side for the start. Lucky we had time to get over to the other side with time a lot of time to spare.

Bag was full of "non race garbage" stuff.

5 wave start with 2 minute gaps between each one, the slot that I got had a 3rd wave start. 5 minutes into the swim I started to reel in the second wave and by about 15-20 minutes, started to get some blue caps that started in the first wave. The race is a straight swim which makes it pretty easy to spot were to go. Was happy with my 25:14 finish, was hoping to get under 25 but still my fastest 2km swim yet. I was first in the 55-65 age group which is also awesome, I think I was second in my actual age group with a 16th overall time, a lot of fast swimmers at this event!

Enjoyed the event, and there is also a pretty huge package with a towel, cap, water bottle and enough food product to get you through the weekend with out having to buy food.

From the Swim start. The old guy on the deck didn't lke me taking pictures. I hope he was in the 55-65 age group.

After a little nap I was hitting the streets for a 160km ride. I decided to stick in Kelowna for weekend, since booking a single night in Penticton is a giant pain in the ass. Bought a map at the Walmart and figured out a large loop from the Westside of OK lake to Vernon, and then followed the Kelowna Grand Fondo route back. (which was earlier that morning.) Didn’t really enjoy much of this ride since the first 60km was on no shoulder road with step climbs and twists. After that was done, some black cloud decided to follow me and shoot some lighting bolts down, followed by buckets of rain. This happened twice on the 5 and a half hour rip, lucky it was warm out.

The main focus of this ride was to try and keep relaxed, and figure out some different fueling strategies. I’ve been using mostly powerbar products mostly because the local grocery stores around here only carry them. Been pretty happy with my energy levels on my big days and think I’ll be using their products on race day. I am also trying out their Engergy Bites which will replace the clif bars that I have been using in the past. I find the energy bites a bit easier on the taste buds and don’t dry up my mouth as much as the clif bar.

View from the back of the creeper at the camp site in Kelowna.We stayed at the former Waterslide Campground, no waterslides anymore so they changed their name...can't remember what it is though.

After my big Saturday, made it over to Penticton for a 25km run on a large section of course. (the tough parts) and then hoped on my bike and rode the same 25km to give the legs one last pounding before the drive home. Feeling good in the weeks ahead with a 360km workout week under my belt, with an eye on 400km this week.

Photo Thursday :: On Thursday

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Nathan

I’m getting into some big weeks leading into peaking out for a few more weeks. I know I have said this before, but new routes and a change in scenery makes things a lot more enjoyable. Saturday started out with a trip down to second beach pool for a quick 2k in their salt water pool. Amazing morning with a few jerk regulars that I had to smoke out. Then went out for a 25km run through False Creek, Olympic village, Granville, kits beach, and Jericho. Then did 3 loops of Stanley park on the bike, and finished on a super busy seawall for a last 10km run to end off the day.

It was a total zoo on the beach Saturday. After 11am people just poured in. I wanted to take more photos but just wanted to get the hell out of there after all the training.

Sunday I headed out a bit later in the day for a trek to Hayward lake for some hills and then headed east to finish my ride at Harrison. Great ride with some good tail wind. Great route that had a mixture of everything, including a ton of motor bikes heading to the show and concert at the Sasquatch Inn.

Some great light on the way home from Harrison

This old lady gave me a good giggle. wasn't fast enough to get the front of her but it was pretty funny seeing her ripping around in that thing.

Heading into Kelowna Friday night for their open water swim Saturday Morning. Looking forward to it! Last race before Ironman.

Duel Race weekend :: Vancouver Half Ironman

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Nathan

I wish I had a bit more time before I had to jump in the ocean.

Pretty busy weekend with Friday morning starting off early with an open water race at one of the main staples for open water swimming in the lower mainland, Sasamat Lake. There has been a long tradition of having this Canada Day swim put on by the Vancouver Open Water Swim Association and this year I finally made it down. It was it’s 20th Anniversary, with 3 distances you can suit up for: 1km, 2km, and the iron distance of 4km. I decided to go after the 2km, racing Sunday made me choose a lesser distance.

The men started first with the ladies coming in after. I think over 300 swimmers come out to jam the parking lot of this roughly 1km square lake. 2km distance was a single loop with the 4km going for a double dip. I ended up coming in 4rd in the men, and 6th overall, with a time of just over 27 minutes. This set me up for a nice little Sunday in Vancouver.

Headed down to Vancouver Saturday afternoon to pick up my race package and drop my bike off for the Subaru Vancouver International Triathlon. I had to be careful on my expectations since I packed a pretty large weekend up in the interior the week before. The main goal was to finish with a strong run and feel good at the finish.

Its a bit of a pain with a 6:30 start in the morning coming from Abbottsford/Langley area but its a lot faster at 5 am on a sunday then on a Monday. Got to the transition just after 5:40 and suited up for the swim after a bathroom search. Took a few quick pictures, jumped into the ocean to take the shock out of the heart stopping start plunge. It was an amazing morning with a light wind and the sun starting to burst through to set everyone off.

On the way back up for another climb

I felt relaxed through out the whole race, so relaxed that I was a little worried. Swim felt good, having just raced in my wetsuit a few days before made it feel a lot easier. Body was use to the motion and restriction of a suit which also took away from the lactic acid build up. Popped out of the swim apparently 5th which it seemed like a was behind a huge group, got to the transition and of course got past by a large group because I fought with getting my wet suit off.

Jumped on to the bike for a 4 loop course that I am not a fan of. 4 climbs made it clear that my 6 hour training ride used up a lot of my legs as well as an area I have been avoiding on training rides. They felt fine but didn’t have the push that they had in Oliver. I still felt relaxed, and it probably worried me the most at this point. I continually got pasted by groups as normal and was really starting to get frustrated with my bike. Just on the last lap I finally had enough as a group of 5 past and thought I better just worry about finishing this off and go after the run. I ended up getting a bit of jump at the end to finish the bike off and was pretty hopeful that my run will be better. I passed a few people that got me up around UBC on the way back to transition and had a really quick transition to the run. After a quick pee I was feeling good. Ready to run, and so happy my bike wasn’t under me and still feeling relaxed.

Up that this point my fueling seemed to be perfect. I took out a lot of the “sports” drink this go around and just used water. I had 5 gels on the ride with one that was caffeinated, and went through one and half bottles of water and half of powerade. I grabbed my powerade off my bike and finished it off on my way out on the run. Then I threw two GU gels blocks in my jersey full of bike shit I forgot to take out that were also caffeinated for fueling on my run. My run felt great, wasn’t tried, wasn’t felting sugar loaded and my legs had bounce. I didn’t take much water or powerade on the run, but did use a lot of water on my head as the sun started to warm up. I kept my pace through out the whole run and felt really good, past a few that got by me on my 4th loop of the bike. About 13kms my hip started to let me know that it was still sore from falling on it to week prior. I kept relaxed and didn’t need to stop, a few tweaks here and there that would give me a bit of a scare, but all in all, fought it off. I had one GU gel on the whole run, half at 30 minutes and the other half at one hour, five.

Was a strong race with alright ride. My swim was the same as last year, bike was 6 minutes faster, and run was 2 minutes faster. turned in a 4:41 which still has a large room for improvement still. Now I be working on the next 8 weeks for getting all three in sink. One more open water race up in Kelowna and then Ironman Canada time.

6:30 am!

Beer at the Jercho sailing center after the race. Tough to beat that padio.

Oliver :: Mini Training Camp

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Nathan

I have always enjoyed the city of Penticton but I’m getting increasingly frustrated with trying to book weekends and events there. Once again I try to come into town and get a good solid weekend in and get let down by not one but all the campsites in the city. I was leaving right after work on Friday and was going to arrive just a touch after 10. I called ahead to see if there were any sites that didn’t have an issue with this, after calling three sites, I got told no. Two close at 10 and another at 8. I got so upset with this that I just blew off Penticton completely and headed to one of my favorite spots in Oliver, where I stayed for my half ironman. Once again Lakeside Resort pulls through for me with no issues at all, and in the end works out to be a great place for a training camp. Maybe that’s why there is a half iron race there…

Oliver is a mere 20 minutes outside of Ok Falls or Osoyoos, depending on which way you go. Both cities have the Ironman Canada bike course going right through and OK falls is were the run turn around is. So I loaded up the creeper and headed to Oliver.

Got in just before ten, had a shower and got ready for my 165km bike starting from Oliver. (shortened the ride, took the rip through Penticton out…) Got up around 8 and finished up my ride around 2, threw on my runners and did one loop of the half iron course to finish my Saturday. Sunday was a quick dip in Tuc-el-Nuit Lake were the swim of the Oliver race took place, with a quick drive to OK Falls for a long run. A reverse route of the Ironman run route. I started at the turn around and then came back once I hit Penticton for a out back of 25kms. Once the run was done, I jumped in the lake to get the salt off and cool the legs down for a 4 hour drive home. All around solid weekend with about 10 hours of training in two days.

After moving my whole training to Oliver, I actually feel that Oliver is probably the best option for a quick training weekend. Laid back, less restrictions on all the bullshit and its tough to beat the setting of the Lakeside resort. 35 bux a night, with nice bathrooms and showers, lake front fire pits, store close by, and a nice quite setting. Here is there facebook page for more info.

Getting ready for two races this weekend quick open water swim on Friday in Port Moody with another half ironman in Vancouver on Sunday…

some shots from the Saturday night after training.

just up from the campsite

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Lake for the Oilver halfiron, campsite just to the right.

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Nathan Veldhoen

::A Lifestyle blog of what I enjoy :: running, Triathlon, Art, Design, Photography, DIY and Building.::

Category Archives: Running

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