Calgary Tri and Bike

2012 Jason Lapierre Memorial Scholarship

2012-02-08T18:34:00.007-07:00

Congratulations to Gloria Kanuka who was the 2012 recipient of the Jason Lapierre Memorial Scholarship at the University of Calgary. Gloria is a middle-distance runner who competes for the Dinos.

The UofC decides who will receive the scholarship each year based on the criteria set out by the scholarship's founders that matched Jason's interests . Previous recipients of the $1,000 scholarship include: Grace Kary, Spencer Pootz, Julie Rabnet and Grant Burwash.

Thank you to all those who have helped to make this scholarship possible. This scholarship is in memory of a great person who touched the lives of many. For more about Jason, please visit: www.jasonlapierre.com

Written by someone named "Mike"

2012-02-08T16:16:00.003-07:00

In the triathlon world it goes like this.

1. Non-triathlete. Watched Oprah and Ironman coverage on NBC. Cries and decides to renew life by trying a triathlon. Knows nothing about bikes.

2. New triathlete. Walks in to bike store and walks out with reasonable $1200 bike. Knows nothing about bikes, except that they cost $1100 more than expected.

3. First ride. Enjoys how great the bike feels. Rider from stage 4 (don't read ahead) comes by and talks about power meters, aero helmets, and electronic shifting. Still knows nothing about the bike, except that purchase was insufficient. Walks into bike store to buy carbon aero bars and a helmet. Free speed (for $700). Shaves legs, applies bandaids. Figures out how to change a tire.

4. Subsequent rides. Able to speak eloquently about the benefit of technology and its proportional relationship to speed. Uses $1200 bike as an excuse for not being fast enough. Gets passed by rider from stage 5 (don't read ahead). Calls banker, arranges for loan. Buys carbon wheels, compression socks, admires super aero frame at bike shop. Figures out how to raise and lower seat.

5. Compression socks feel great until all circulation is lost and toes freeze - decides that aero booties would help keep digits warm. Passes a person from stage 7 on a fantastically excellent bike. Rider 7 extols the virtues of the bike and adds that he's just cooling down from 400W session. Rider 7 mentions the bike is for sale, worth $24000 - but he's selling for $5K. Legs silky smooth. Buys first pedal wrench.

6. On newly purchased $24000 bike, rider enjoys how great the bike feels, but wonders why he's having a tough time keeping up with a rider on a $1200 bike. Must be overtrained - decides to take some time off to recover. Lets himself go, legs get stubbly

7. Feeling refreshed, rider heads out - gets passed by a guy with cheap bike - no aero wheels, no power meter, no aero helmet, no aero booties. Decides to sell him everything and buys a cross bike.

8. Rider gets old and cranky.

Calgary Aquathon, Feb 26

2012-02-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

From Jon Bird:

Hey Yall,
http://www.talismancentre.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=116&Itemid=289

Things are a go on the Aquathlon front and the registration is open! There is only 80 slots for the first event. I have built a second event for the 8th of April if people want to do two or can’t make the first one!

February 26, 2012 – 8:00 am registration and body marking

                                    8:30 am - Swim warm up opens
                                    9:00 am – First Swim Heats Starts
                                    9:15 am – First Run Heats Starts

Participants will compete in distances will vary on age with the maximum distance being a 400 meter swim and a 2000 meter run. Both the swim and run will be separate and started in heats of 20 participants every 15 minutes. I have opened up the ages from 6 years old to 100 and people have started to sign up.

  Age Groups   Swim Distances   Run Distances
  6 - 10   Swim 50 meters   200 meter run – 1 lap
  11-12   Swim 150 meters   800 meter run – 4 laps
  13-15   Swim 300 meters   1600 meter run – 8 laps
  16-60   Swim 400 meters   2000 meter run – 10 laps

Age Group Categories for results – M & F - 10 & under, 11 – 13, 14 – 15, 16 – 19, 20 – 29, 30 – 39, 40 – 49, 50 - 59, 60+, Elite, Junior Elite 16 – 19
Hope to see you there!

Jon Bird
Talisman Centre ETS Team Lead
Athlete Development Director – Alberta Triathlon Association
www.thereisabird.com

2012 Timex Torture Test

2012-01-30T21:59:00.002-07:00

Thursday night bike workout

2012-01-26T22:31:00.001-07:00

HR1=aerobic, HR2high 1/2 IMpace, HR3=40kmTTpace, HR4=110%.

15min warm up

15min (30sec slowly increasing cadence single leg, 1min double leg with emphasis on leg that was just worked; alternate)

10min HR1-build HR1high

10min HR2high; 1min HR1 (11min total)

5x(2min HR4, 30sec easy) (12min30sec total)

8min HR2high; 1min HR1 (9min total)

4x(2min HR3, 30sec easy) (10min total)

6min HR2high; 1min HR1 (7min total)

6x(1min HR4; 30sec easy) (9min total)

4min HR2high; 1min HR1 (5min total)

4x(1min HR4; 30sec easy) (6min total)

easy to 2hours

Location:Speed Theory Calgary

St Patrick's Day 10k

2012-01-16T23:02:00.002-07:00

Frank after winning the 10k last year

Don't forget to get tickets for the after party later in the evening!

The 2012 edition of the Original St. Patrick's Day Road Race marks the 25th Anniversary of this popular race!

To celebrate the 25th Anniversary, the Calgary Roadrunners have offered a specialGrand Draw Prize: A two night stay in a Deluxe Room at the Banff Springs Hotel (during the off season), including dinner for two.

St Patrick's Day 10k entries are posted here:
http://www.calgaryroadrunners.com/forms/st_patricks_race2012.pdf

Race Details:
DATE: Saturday, March 17th
TIME: 9:00am - 10K
9:20am - 5K
LOCATION: Central Memorial High School
5111 - 21st Street SW, Calgary
(Just East of Crowchild Trail at 50th Ave)

2012 Team TIMEX

2012-01-13T09:19:00.001-07:00

I'm happy to be returning to such a great team.

Pro Women
Christine Anderson
Erin Kummer
Jackie Arendt
Laura Tingle
Marie Danais
Tamara Kozulina
Kelly Fillnow
Lauren Goss
Christie Sym

Pro Men
Andrew Hodges
Dave Harju
Keegan Williams
Kyle Marcotte
Mac Brown
Toby Radcliffe
Viktor Zyemtsev
Nicholas Thompson
Anton Blokhin

AG Women
Ani De Leon Brown
Cassie Maximenko
Cindi Bannink
Hannah Freeman
Juli Fiocca
Shannon Coates
Trista Francis
Wendy Mader
Susanne Davis
Meredith Dolhare
Jennifer Pinto
Melissa Brand

AG Men
AC Morgan
Barry Siff
Bo Parrish
Brian Boyle
Brian Schaning
Bruce Gennari
Chris Thomas
Daniel Brienza
Dave Orlowski
Dennis Meeker
DJ Snyder
Luis Alvarez
Mark Vermeersch
Roger Thompson
Stu Fitch
Tim Hola
Trevor Heller
Ben Greenfield
Dave Erickson

Tonight's workout

2012-01-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

This one from Scott Curry:

HR2=85%, HR3=100% 40km TT effort

-15min warm-up

-15min (single leg drill, 1min SLD; 30sec both - alternate)

-5min HR1

-12min HR2 effort (6min HR2low - standing every third minute; 6min HR3 in TT position)

-3min HR1

-8min HR2 effort (4min HR2high - standing every other minute; 4min HR3 in TT position)

-2min HR1

-6min HR3 effort (3min choice, 3min TT)

-2min HR1

-4min HR3 (2min choice position, 2min TT)

-4min HR1-2

-10x(30sec HARD/sprint,...90sec easy)

-5-10min cooldown

Journey to a Dream

2011-12-20T15:59:00.001-07:00

"Ironspins" with Scott Curry and Kyle Marcotte

2011-12-20T11:39:00.002-07:00

Thursday Night "Ironspins" will be starting up Thursday Jan 5th at Speed Theory (735A 10 Ave SW). The classes start at 6:30 PM, but most people show up just after 6 PM to start setting up your bikes. The class will run approximately 2 hrs in length, with a brief core/stretching session at the end. The class will run every Thursday until March 29th (13 classes) and the cost will be $175 per person.

For insurance reasons, we ask that all participants get a Alberta Triathlon Association membership: http://www.triathlon.ab.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=109&Itemid=118

The cost of the membership is $40. There are many benefits of being a member and if you are planning on doing a triathlon in Alberta or BC this summer, you would need the membership anyways.

Please don't forget to bring:

-your bike

-your bike trainer

-a towel or mat to place under your bike in order to keep the floor clean

-a change of clothes

-water bottle. fluids, nutrition, etc.

In case you forget anything or would like to purchase something, we can ring in through for you.

We are very lucky that the management at Speed Theory allow us to use their shop to hold the class. In return, they ask that you keep in mind that it is a place of business.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Last Thursday's workout

2011-12-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

-100% being 40k time-trial effort
-85% being ~half-ironman bike effort.

A Sunday in Hell

2011-12-13T22:43:00.001-07:00

Poor Man's Power Meter

2011-12-09T10:58:00.001-07:00

Power meters are a great way to measure the intensity of indoor (and outdoor) bike. Other methods of measuring effort such as heart rate or perceived exertion are useful but those methods can be more difficult to quantify and have a hard time harmonizing on shorter efforts. The problem with buying a power meter is the expense.

A possible replacement of a power meter is using your trainer and speed/cadence computer that is set up on your rear wheel. For triathletes, most of our intense efforts are set near our lactic threshold, roughly the effort you would be going at for your 40k time trial effort.

I’ve always found that my power on the indoor trainer is a little less then what I can push when riding outside, likely due to factors like overheating indoors. To simulate a 40k time trial effort, I use a 20 minute all out effort to try and determine my “threshold” watts.

Now if you don’t have a power meter, you can achieve the same effect using your speedometer. Assuming you are not changing the tension (setting) on your trainer, you can figure out your average speed for your 20 minute effort. You can then use this average speed as a guideline as to what your threshold effort.

Let’s say you averaged 30 km/hr for your 20 min effort. You would then know that when cycling faster than 30 km/hr you would be above threshold. Every few weeks you should repeat the 20 minute time trial effort in order to reestablish your threshold pace.

Doing two times 20 minute effort, with 10 minutes of recovery in between and averaging the efforts would even be a better indication of threshold power, but it will also require a lot more mental discipline.

The poor man’s power meter relies on the fact that you are not changing trainer tension. You can’t transfer these numbers directly to outside as trainer speeds never duplicate outdoor speeds. You can use this method for establishing an effective indoor training season.

Dec 8 workout

2011-12-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

2011 Ironman Hawaii NBC trailer

2011-12-05T10:46:00.001-07:00

Tonight's workout

2011-12-01T14:49:00.000-07:00

Thursday's workout:

2011-11-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

From Scott Curry:

1hr45min bike trainer workout

15min warm-up building into HR1

15min (40sec building from normal cadence to 10rpm above normal,...clip out one leg while in motion and continue to hold that cadence for 20sec with other leg, recover 30sec,....repeat alternating legs)

10min HR1 build to HR2

10min build from HR2low to HR2high; 5min HR1 recovery (standing from 4:00 to 5min mark, then standing again 9:00 to end)

10min build from HR2low to HR2high; 5min HR1 recovery (standing from 4:00 to 5min mark, 9:00-end)

10min build from HR2high to HR3; 5min HR1 recovery (standing from 4:00 to 5min mark, then 9:00 to end)

15min additional easy cool down

Last nights workout

2011-11-18T10:54:00.002-07:00

2012 Ironman Calgary 70.3 Registration is Open

2011-11-07T11:24:00.000-07:00

The 2012 Ironman Calgary 70.3 Registration is Open.

http://m.active.com/triathlon/calgary-alberta-n/a/ironman-703-calgary-2012

Teeth, Dreams, and Psychology

2011-11-01T09:34:00.010-06:00

This seems to be an annual re-post. This article is borrowed from the “Toronto Olympic Club: The First 50 Years,” written by Paul Craig. I like recycling the story, mostly because Bill Marcotte is my uncle but also because reading it gives me goosebumps. Bill has survived two liver transplants and a couple of years ago he started to race triathlons. Another very inspirational read is that of Jonathan Roth of Cochrane Alberta. In terms of "redefining" Canadian distance running, we seem to be going through that right now by witnessing the success of the Speed River Track Club in Guelph.

Teeth, Dreams, and Psychology

by Paul Craig.

The ability to go beyond the limit, to push your body where it hasn’t gone before, to dig so deep you surprise even yourself, is a special talent. It is sometimes dangerous, almost always awe-inspiring. It is what makes the good effort, mundane, the great effort, routine, and sometimes, every once in a while, it makes the impossible dream attainable.

I can’t remember many of the details, but some time ago, somewhere, somebody did a study on the psychological difference between boxers and distance runners. The study was based on the assumption that boxers, who stand toe-to-toe in the ring slugging away at each other, are psychologically geared to see how much pain they can inflict on their opponent, whereas runners, who race stride-for-stride for the finish line, are focused on how hard they can push themselves, how much pain they, themselves, can take. It seems that the researchers were wrong in their hypothesis. The results showed that boxers punch away, jab after left uppercut, ultimately to see how much punishment they can take. Distance runners, on the other hand, keep upping the pace in an effort to see how fast their competition can go, how much pain the other guys are willing to fight through. This is a significant finding, and a significant difference.

When I was at the point in my life when I could run a really tough workout, (now when I run my body usually breaks down before I can push myself to the limit of exhaustion), I would sometimes get light-headed afterwards. This was because most of the blood in my body was going to my oxygen-starved legs, leaving less blood for my head. I usually didn’t want to do a lot of thinking after a really hard workout, and when I got lightheaded, I couldn’t.

But sometimes, when I had an exceptionally tough workout, a once-a-year workout when I was totally exhausted, when I’d run hills or intervals until there was nothing left inside, and the well was empty, my teeth would hurt. Maybe hurt isn’t the right word. I guess it is more like “tingle”. You know you have given it everything when you don’t even have enough blood for your teeth.

For several reasons 1983 was a good year for me. I was starting a come back from chronic-fatigue syndrome, my first child was born, and I helped officiate and watched that year’s edition of the Silver Relays, a race that involved my brother John, and most of the best distance runners in the country. You probably aren’t very interested in the birth of my son or in my recovery from a still unexplained disease, so I’ll tell you about the race instead. That year the Silver Relays proved to be one of the best races ever run in this country.

The Silver Relays, (an event not contested any more), put on and often won by the Toronto Olympic Club, was steeped in tradition. It was usually raced in late October, or early November, and all member of the winning team won a set of silverware. Each of the five legs of the relay was three laps of the inside loop in High Park, a distance of about 5 400 m, with a few rolling hills along the way. The race often attracted thirty to forty teams, mostly local, but occasionally teams came from a long way away.

Even before I was a member of TOC I had participated in the Silver Relays a couple of times, and I knew about Bill Marcotte, (who ran for TOC), and his record time of 15:41 over the three lap course. To me this was one of those records, like the four minute mile, which was almost untouchable. It was faster than Grant McLaren, Bob Finley, Jerome Drayton and Dan Shaugnessy had run. It was faster than I thought possible to go. It put me in awe of Marcotte. It was one of those impossible dreams.

Anybody who ran the race anywhere close to sixteen minutes knew that they were in great shape, that they had a good race. Some years the best time on any team was around 16:05, with the top 5 guys under the 16:20 mark. A couple of years, on cool, windless days, a few runners would sneak under the 16:00 mark. In 1979, when I was in about the best shape of my life, I ran 15:46, close, but still so far away from Marcotte’s magical record.

That’s why the1983 edition of the Silver Relays was so special.

A team from Vancouver, the Valley Royals, came to Toronto to win the Relays and take the silverware home. Their team was a list of who’s who in Canadian distance running. Dean Childs, Paul Williams, Greg Duhaime, Art Boileau and Peter Butler had collectively won 13 Canadian championships, held 2 Canadian records, and all of them had run 29:30 or faster for the 10 km.

TOC fashioned a team to run against the Valley Royals of Greg Lockhart, Jerry Kooymans, Rob Earl, Terry Goodenough, and John Craig. Other great runners on the day included Dave Northey from Waterloo and Dave Reed from Longboat. Realistically, though, there were only two teams with a real chance at victory, the Valley Royals, and the Toronto Olympic Club.

In the 35 years I have been running and racing I have had the privilege of being a participant in and a spectator at some memorable events. Sometimes a runner or two does something unexpected, runs over their head, puts in an effort that will make them rise above the crowd. But sometimes you know it is going to happen even before the start. You can feel it in the air, you can taste it on your lips, and you can smell it in the wind.

There’s a feeling you can’t shake, that on this day, in this race, at this time, there will be a race, a performance, which will be long remembered by all who watch it. I had this feeling before I listened on the radio to the Ali/Forman fight in Africa, one of the greatest fights of all time. I had the feeling when Canada beat Russia in the ’84 World Cup of hockey. I had the feeling when Simon Whitfield won the gold medal in the 2000 Olympic Triathlon. And I had the feeling at the ’83 Silver Relays.

The day was cool but sunny, little wind, not quite an Indian summer. Picnic tables had been turned on their ends, making a type of instant bulletin board for the results to be nailed to. There was a supply of water and cups, ropes set up for the finish line and exchange zones, and more stop watches and clip boards than necessary. There were still some leaves on some of the trees, but most of them had dropped, blown away. Someone had taken a broom and swept away the small pile of leaves in the gutter at the last corner, making sure the runners would have a clear path.

And there was an anticipation in the air you could squeeze in your fingers.

Not all of the details need to be mentioned, although I remember every metre of the race, every leg, every split, every face. What should be said is that they went at each other, these two teams, for what seemed like an eternity. They clawed and scratched for every inch, every second, every breath. It was a battle, not of hatred, for there were friends on both teams, and certainly there was respect. It was perhaps a battle of pride. It was certainly a race filled with magic.

Runner after runner, lap after lap, the team from the east and the team from the west ran shoulder to shoulder, side by side. Williams, Kooymans, Duhaime, Earl, Northey, all ran at a pace that only days before seemed impossible. Timers stopped timing, marshals stopped marshalling, and everybody just watched. After four legs the teams were even at the hand off. The final runner for each team, Peter Butler for the Valley Royals and John Craig for TOC set off together, as if one was the shadow of the other. Two laps later Butler led Craig by a metre. Then, with maybe 900 m to go, out of sight of the finish line, Peter Butler faltered. He didn’t slow down, he didn’t stumble, he didn’t pull up. But one stride wasn’t as smooth as the last one had been. It was almost imperceptible, but it was there. It was something you would never have seen if you weren’t watching for it, never have noticed unless it was the only thing in the world at that time that mattered. I don’t know if Peter even noticed it.

But John did. And then he did what any runner would do at a time like that. What every runner had to do. He upped the pace. John got a metre on Peter, then two, then three.

With about 400 metres to go John was down to his kneecaps, three seconds up on Butler, and sprinting all out. He held off Butler down the chute, and TOC walked away with the silverware.

Part of the excitement of the day was that the Toronto Olympic Club won the race, and set the record. Part of the excitement was that they had beaten the “dream team” from British Columbia. But more than anything else, it was watching the best do what they do. Though the race is won by the team that crosses the finish line first, it is remembered for the strength of the competition. It was an epic battle, one of excellence, one of excitement, certainly one of courage, fought long and hard by both sides. That day no less than 9 runners beat the “unbeatable” and magic time of 15:41, with the record dropping to 15:23. That day distance running in Canada was redefined.

Just thinking about that race makes my teeth tingle.

(written by Paul Craig)

2011-10-28T14:58:00.001-06:00

Spondylolysis

2011-10-26T17:14:00.000-06:00

So, just heard from a radiologist. Apparently I have spondylolysis, a fracture of pars intra-articularis at L5. Basically, a broken back.

It first started bugging me in January, so it is likely that I had some sort of fall, maybe skiing or winter running, not sure. Knowing me I probably just ignored it when it happened.

The good news is that it is treatable; the bad news is that I will likely be off running for a few months. I'll learn more about the diagnosis and treatment with time. I was getting very tired about not making any in-roads into treating this injury, so hopefully this means I will be on the path to recovery.

Hooper does the dirty double

2011-10-24T14:56:00.004-06:00

Chris Hooper, the 2008 2nd place female at Wineman, did not go home empty handed this year. This year Hooper won the Tostitos Spinach Double-Dip Pro award for her performances at the Calgary Regional Autumn Beer Mile Championship and the Wineman World Championship. Hooper took it one step further when she finished in the top-ten at the Alberta Cyclocross Championship on the same weekend as the Wineman.

Hooper podiumed in both races, finishing as second female at the BEvERage mile, and second overall in the Wineman. The Tostitos Spinach Double-Dip purse is awarded to the pro men and women with the fastest combined time at Calgary Regional Autum Beer Mile in Calgary and the Wineman World Championship in Edmonton, Alberta. The two events are held just one week apart. Hooper was the only athlete to contest the double.

A wild year in Banff

2011-10-24T10:44:00.001-06:00

Dark Night 2011

2011-10-01T23:06:00.000-06:00

IRONspins with Scott Curry & Kyle Marcotte

2011-09-29T18:34:00.000-06:00

This bike class will be led by professional triathletes Scott Curry & Kyle Marcotte. This class will be on Thursday nights 6:30pm-8:30pm at Speed Theory - and start Oct 27 to Dec 22nd (9 weeks). The cost $120 for the 9 class session. Drop-ins will be on a case-by-case basis (pending room is available).

Requirements: Everyone needs to bring a bike, trainer, block to prop up their front wheel, towel, water/food/fuel, HR-monitor (optional), mat to collect sweat and a keen attitude. Athletes must have a current Alberta Triathlon Association or Alberta Bicycle Association membership.

The workout will consist of a warm up which includes drills, a main set, cool down. Following the bike trainer workout, 20min of progressive core exercise will follow. The class will be geared towards athletes with half-ironman and ironman objectives.

Class size is limited, so sign up soon.

Contact:
Scott Curry (ironchiro at gmail dot com) or
Kyle Marcotte (dukyle at yahoo dot ca)

Sept 27 Midweek Mayhem

2011-09-27T22:43:00.001-06:00

Cyclecross fun

2011-09-21T13:32:00.001-06:00

Swimming with a 7 Time Tour de France Champion

2011-09-15T11:52:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago I got a call from someone who had a "friend" coming to town for a few days and was looking for a group to swim with. The "friend" was labelled as an ex-Olympian who is thinking about doing an ironman with a goal time of approximately 50 minutes for the swim.

At first I assumed assumed that "Olympian" meant swimmer, but after some thought I realized that a 50 minute ironman swim would be slow for a former Olympian swimmer, but fast for anyone else. It then hit me who it was, and that explained why the purposely vague description. When a time and place was decided as to when and where the swim workout would be, I was lucky enough to get a special invite to the swim with the Calgary Masters. The opportunity gave me goose bumps.

Lance showed up right before the workout began. My initial thought was, "he's not as tall as he looks on camera." The folks at Calgary Masters were very good because although they were very excited to have a 7 time Tour de France swim with them, they allowed Lance to get into the water quite quickly and get a swim workout in.

It is well known that Lance began his athletic career as a swimmer, then triathlete before his cycling career took off. Lance was a legitimate top pro-triathlete at a very young age. Still though, I wasn't expecting him to swim as fast as he did. We did a total of 3,100m, with the main set being 15x100m on 1:40 (meaning we started a new 100m every 1:40). Approximately half of the intervals were to be "fast", and half were "easy." It soon became evident that Lance is quite the swimmer as he was doing his "fast" intervals at approximately 1:02, and his easy intervals on approximately 1:11. I was fortunate to be swimming in the same lane as Lance, and I can honestly say that everyone brought up their game that day as we were all excited to be swimming with Lance.

Lance came to the swim workout and was was very polite. He came across as though he was very much appreciating the fact that he could get in a workout within his busy travel and work schedule. He listened to the coaches. He did what the group was doing and didn't try to change it. He swam very fast. After the workout he posed for photos with people and signed some autographs. He really was a class act.

I am a huge cycling fan. I've read many of the books for and against Lance. I admit that I had already formed an opinion about an individual that is truly bigger than the sport. Those who follow the sport have probably all formed an opinion as to what cycling was like over the past 20 years. I don't really want to see people commenting on that after they read this article. This was the first time that I've ever had the opportunity to workout with someone who is truly bigger than sport. I was very impressed how Lance just tried to fit in.

Ironspins with Kyle Marcotte & Scott Curry

2011-09-09T15:54:00.001-06:00

Ironspins with Kyle Marcotte & Scott Curry will be on again starting this fall at Speed Theory. Full details coming soon. It looks like it will be Thursday evenings.

Ironman Canada 2011... woulda, coulda, shoulda, didn't

2011-09-02T12:26:00.005-06:00

2011 was the 8th time I've raced Ironman Canada. Over the years, I've had pretty steady results; 2010 5th, 2009 7th, 2008 6th, 2007 6th, 2006 4th, 2005 7th & 2004 22nd. I knew I was fit coming into the race but my health was questionable. I was actually lighter for this race than I had ever been for any ironman but was definitely lacking the quality run training that I was used to.

Swim:

Like always, the pros started 15 minutes before the age-groupers. I think I was ligned up beside Jordan Rapp and Paul Tichelaar at the start line. The cannon went off and there wasn’t too much banging of bodies. I put my head down and made sure to go out hard for the first 500m. Unlike some previous swims this year, I found myself on some good feet and by ~1,000m I was surprised at how easy the swim felt. By the time that we got to the first turn the pace of our group had slowed. We were going slow enough that I could recognize some of the folks I was swimming with and I knew that I was in a good group. Other than the annoyance of some folks continually tapping at your feet, the swim was very uneventful. This was likely the easiest ironman swim that I’ve ever done, likely because of the fact that I’ve improved my swimming over the winter (thanks Bart and Kronos tri club) and the fact that we were in a large group. I exited the water beside Scott Curry and we wished each other well. My swim time was 53:48. Everyone's swim times were a little slower this year.

Bike:

I passed a few guys before the climb up McLean Creek, trying to keep things under control and not going out too hard. We had a tail wind down to Osoyoos, so the first 65k were pretty quick. Really, I don’t have much to say about the bike. It was pretty lonely in the fact that I didn’t see that many other racers. I found the stretch over the rollers and to the start of the out-and-back difficult because it was windy. I picked it up a little when we started the Yellow Lake climb. My normalized power was 262 Watts. That was down from last year (272 W last year) but my Watts/kg were about the same 3.5 W/kg (meaning I was lighter this year). Bike time was 4:50. My hip was hurting me on the bike but I had been very good with my nutrition and hydration, so my energy levels were very good coming off the bike.

T2:

I stopped to use the porta-pottie, so I was a little slow going through T2. My stomach was feeling good though and it wasn’t an issue.

Run:

I ran well for the first 12 miles but by then I started a walk/run routine due to pain in my hip. I think I was as high as 7^th at one point but I was not doing well. The pain was getting worse and by about mile 15 it was bad enough that I felt like I was going to topple over. With around 7 miles to go I had had enough with the pain and started a slow walk home, by that point I had fallen to 9th spot. It was a hot day but I think because I started walking so early, I never really experienced that much heat. I wanted to finish but I didn’t want to cripple myself. I was 1:32 going the half and ended up with a 4:21 run/walk time. The thought of dropping out was never really a consideration as I knew I could walk it in.

Reconsideration:

I knew the run was likely going to be my downfall this year. For a while I was hoping that I could hold it together but in the end my body wasn't able. My mileage wasn’t too bad this year, but I was really lacking on intensity (because I just could not do any) and also when my hip flared up, I find it just too painful to run. My last long run of the year had meant to of been a 34km run but ended up being 17k out and a bus ride home. Although I had a lot of time and money invested with chiro & physio, I wasn't able to shake my injury. This was likely a downfall of being self-coached. A coach would have likely told me that I should fix this injury in complete in the winter. In hindsight, it would have been better to have taken a month completely off in February.

I saw my doctor on Weds and I’m now on a wait list to see an “expert.” I’ve been told it is a 4 to 6 week wait. Unfortunately my hip/sciatic feels worse than it did before the race but I am still optimistic for a quick recovery if I focus on the little details of repair. I think the major issue is to get the inflammation down as I've already improved my hip strength and flexibility.

Thanks to all the friends and family who cheered me on. I had a long enough walk during the race to get over feeling sorry for myself. I am disappointed with the outcome of my race but I know in the grand scheme of things this is not a big deal and there are far greater challenges in life. If I’d never experienced the friendships that I’ve made through sport, that would have been a tragedy. I’m looking forward to getting healthy and taking on whatever my next challenge is.

Again, thanks for all the great volunteers that make Ironman Canada such a great event. Thanks to all the friends and family who cheered me on.

TdF prize pool update

2011-08-08T22:47:00.000-06:00

Sorry about the delay on getting our TdF pool prizes out. Just a quick update, $1,015 was collected and Janice has already made her donation to the Foothills NICU. I will sort out the rest of the prizes in the near future and get them out to people.

Registration for the JayLap Memorial cycling weekend ends tonight

2011-08-04T10:34:00.000-06:00

REGISTRATION for the ENTIRE event will close:
Aug. 4th, Thursday night at midnight !!
Please register NOW instead of waiting and forgetting and then emailing us with a
plea. We are using Zone4 and it is extremely hard to add you once the start lists
are generated. Register NOW

http://thedoctrine.squarespace.com/storage/JayLap_Tech_Guide_2011_July29_FINAL.pdf

Now is the time to email all your friends on different teams and ensure they register TODAY for the races. Make sure to encourage them to take part if they are on the fence. Especially for the Crit we need big numbers to show off to the public and to the city that this is a legit event! This is probably the safest crit in Alberta!

Also, remember to get your triathlete friends or casual riding buddies to register for the 40km ITT. You DON'T NEED TO HAVE A LICENSE to race the ITT. We have a Citizen category and it would be cool to have your friends try something like this out. This is their opportunity to test the waters without having to join a club or pay expensive 'day-of' race license fees.

Hope to see you and every kid on your block on Sat. evening for the Kid's Event!

Jason Lapierre Memorial Cycling Weekend

2011-07-28T15:25:00.002-06:00

Information can be found here:
http://jaylapcyclingweekend.blogspot.com/

Dates: Aug 6 & 7th, 2011.

Message from our 2011 pool winner

2011-07-25T09:46:00.001-06:00

Janice wrote:

Thanks to Kyle for organizing the Tour de France pool and coming up with the fantastic idea to donate the winnings to charity. I will give a small amount of credit to my husband Chris for making most (ok all) of my picks but I should get credit for cheering on those picks during each stage. I have decided to donate the winnings to the Foothills NICU. There have been three very special patients on that unit in the past month who have been in our thoughts each and every day. As I work at the Foothills Hospital I know first hand how many resources are needed to provide the best possible care to every single patient. We know that our friends will continue to receive fantastic care from the NICU and I am happy to contribute these winnings to such a great cause. Thanks again Kyle and good luck next year everyone!

Stage 21 & Final Results

2011-07-24T15:40:00.000-06:00

Congrats to Janice for holding on to the win.

Once all entry fees come in, Janice should have just over $1,000 to donate to her charity of choice. A message from our pool winner and details on prizes to come soon.

Thanks for everyone for playing and what an amazing Tour de France!

Thank you to all of the sponsors of our pool. If you get a chance, please thank them and support their products and businesses.

Stage 19 Results

2011-07-23T10:09:00.001-06:00

Wow...
Changes in the GC. What was with everyone falling out of the start house?

Stage 19 Results

2011-07-22T11:29:00.003-06:00

Too close to call.

Stage 18 Results

2011-07-21T10:42:00.001-06:00

Stage 18 results. I can't wait to watch this later tonight.

Interesting note from cyclingnews:
“The grupetto made it to the finish line within the time limit. Green jersey Mark Cavendish of HTC-Highroad was behind that group, and actually finished outside the time limit. The race jury allowed him to stay in the race but deducted 20 points from his total. He now leads Movistar's Joaquin Jose Rojas by only 15 points.”

Stage 17 Resuts

2011-07-20T09:56:00.000-06:00

Brice was the only one to score points today. Thursday and Friday should be great.

These stage results were once again brought to you by the folks at Outback Events, who are hosting the Sylvan Lake Half Ironman this weekend.

A message from Jay's sister Josie.

2011-07-19T10:10:00.003-06:00

Mark with Gail

Josie wrote:
Today marks 5 years since we lost Jason. He continues to inspire people everywhere, including Gail Ungstad of Slave Lake who's home was ravaged by forest fires earlier this year. When she went back home to survey the damage, all that was salvagable was her Jason Lapierre Spirit Award, which she had received at the Sylvan Lake Half-Ironman in 2007. This inspired Gail not to give up with life and she even started training and competing again. What an amazing story!

July 21, 2007: Mark Schwan, creator of Team JForce, presented the Team JForce "2007 Jason Lapierre Spirit Award" to Gail Ungstad at the Sylvan Lake Triathlon banquet. Gail, from Slave Lake, Alberta, demonstrated the qualities that Jason believed in: hard work, determination and a positive attitiude. She completed the 1/2 Ironman with a time of 7:59:27.1 as the members of Team JForce cheered her across the finish line. Gail has been invited to be a member of the JForce triathlon team.

http://www.jasonlapierre.com/

Stage 16 results

2011-07-19T09:55:00.001-06:00

Nice to see a Canuck on the scoreboard and helping out a teammate.

Still waiting on some entry fees

2011-07-18T16:29:00.001-06:00

So far we've received most of the entry fees but we are still waiting for $240. For those who have not submitted their entry fees, here is how you can do so:
Entry fees can be paid one of three ways:
1. Email (interact) bank transfer to: dukyle at yahoo dot ca
2. Drop off entry fee at Speed Theory, they have an envelope at the cash register
3. Mail a cheque. Email me for my address.

I’m collecting all the funds and then we transfer them over to the winner’s charity of choice.

Thanks for playing!
Kyle

Rest Day Recalculation

2011-07-18T11:08:00.000-06:00

Sorry guys, I made a mistake yesterday and had Cavendish and Gilbert in the wrong order for the Green jersey points. I made the adjustments and updated for stage 15 results. It is a little closer than I thought with three folks tied for first place: Lucky Buchi, Jared and Janice. Technically, Jared is in the lead as he has more stage points.

Today's Rest Day Recalculation was brought to you by the folks at Motion Chiropractic, fixing your body's mistakes.

Stage 15 Results

2011-07-17T10:45:00.002-06:00

Lots of people guessed correctly today.

Stage 14

2011-07-16T10:10:00.000-06:00

More changes in the team classification. Not as epic of a stage as we thought it would be.

Today's stage is once again brought to you by Speed Theory, as they have donated multiple prizes.

Stage 13 results

2011-07-15T09:59:00.001-06:00

I'm guessing that was some kind of ride today. I can't wait to watch it later today.

Not many people scored points today, but there were some big changes in the team classifications. Lucky Buchi seems to have a commanding lead.

Today's stage results were brought to you by the "Original" St. Patrick's Day road race in Calgary. They donated an entry to their 2012 race as a prize for this pool. Make sure when you sign up for your 2012 race, that you sign up for the race associated with Strides Running store.

Stage 12 results

2011-07-14T09:53:00.000-06:00

Now it's really getting interesting. Some changes on the scoreboard.

From a request I added stage points and stage points standings. This just serves to show who is making good day to day picks.

Today's stage results are brought to you by Kern Partners, who donated a couple of wine kits for our pool.

Stage 11 Results

2011-07-13T09:38:00.000-06:00

Lots of folks scored points today, but very little changes in the standings. I'm sure things will change tomorrow.

Today's stage results are brought to you by the Speed Theory Cycling Team. The Speed Theory Cycling team donated a cycling jacket for our pool. Today is the kind of day where you'd like to have a jacket on. With more than 80 members, Speed Theory is one of the largest cycling teams in the province.

Stage 10 Results

2011-07-12T09:58:00.000-06:00

Not many changes today.

Today's stage results were brought to you by Ironman Calgary 70.3. One of the top 10 most scenic races in the world.

The first rest day

2011-07-11T17:20:00.001-06:00

Quite often riders don't like the rest days at the Tour as they seem to come back to racing a little groggy. With all the carnage this year, feelimas may be a little different.

I've received about a dozen emails from folks asking if they can change their picks but that's why making 3 weeks of picks has such a risk factor.

So far we've received about 2/3rds of the entry fees. For those who have not submitted their entry fees, here is how you can do so:

Entry fees can be paid one of three ways:

1. Email (interact) bank transfer to: dukyle at yahoo dot ca
2. Drop off entry fee at Speed Theory, they have an envelope at the cash register
3. Mail a cheque. Email me for my address.

I’m collecting all the funds and then we transfer them over to the winner’s charity of choice.

Thanks for playing!
Kyle

Stage 9 Results

2011-07-10T16:14:00.001-06:00

What a crazy day.
I added on the jersey points to the pool scores now. Those will fluctuate a lot, with a couple more weeks of racing.

Now, I'd like to say, just because my Mother in law is now leading the pool, and I am in second place, it doesn't mean that I've pulled any strings.

The Tour de France is more soap opera than sport.

Today's stage results were brought to you by Timex. Timex, like Johny Hoogerland, takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.

Stage 8 results

2011-07-09T13:31:00.001-06:00

The mountains are always harder to predict.

Today's stage results are brought to you by the Speed Theory Triathlon and Cycling shop with shops in both Calgary and Vancouver. This is the fifth year that Speed Theory has supported this pool.

Stage 7 results

2011-07-08T10:28:00.003-06:00

John Pexman takes the lead in the pool. Henry and Ted pull off the hat trick on today's stage by selecting all three riders that placed. Peter isn't doing that great. Bring on the mountains.

Today's stage results were brought to you by the Stampede Road Race. They donated an entry to their 2012 race for this pool The 2011 Stampede 10k and half-marathon road race takes place this Sunday.

Stage 6 results

2011-07-07T09:39:00.000-06:00

Today's stage results were brought to you by Catriona Morrison. Among Catriona's athletic accomplishments include two time ironman vistories and three time world duathlon titles. Catriona donated a signed singlet for out pool.

Stage 5 results

2011-07-06T09:40:00.001-06:00

Congrats to Mr Watts for scoring some points today and entering the scoreboard. Sherri and Trev both climbed the ladder today, selecting correctly two out of the top three. Greg has pointed out a disturbing lack of trash talking, so I’d like to point out that Greg’s team “Romper Room Rejects” scored zero points today.

Today's results were brought to you today by Motion Chiropractic. Thank you for donated a prize (massage) to our pool. Dr. Kimpton is also a member of the Speed Theory cycling team. You may be getting a call from Tom Boonen tonight as he had a rough day.

Stage 4 Results

2011-07-05T10:21:00.000-06:00

Right now Matt looks like a genius.

An Aussie won today, so I think that it is appropriate that today's stage results were brought to you by Joe and Sarah at Outback Events. Joe and Sarah donated an entry to the 2012 Oliver Half Ironman for our contest/fundraiser.

Stage 3 results

2011-07-04T09:42:00.003-06:00

An American win on Independence Day.

Today's stage results were brought to you by Podium Imports. A sponsor of our pool and a Canadian distributor for Orbea, ISM saddles, Orca, and some GPS company that starts with a G.

2011-07-04T09:35:00.003-06:00

Here is a link to everyone's picks and team names.

2011 TdF

Stage 2 Results

2011-07-03T14:29:00.003-06:00

Looks like Sky, Leapord-Trek and HTC, tied to the second by Sky edge the others out in the tenths of seconds to claim third today.

Stage 1 results

2011-07-02T10:14:00.001-06:00

And they are off....

We will have more to update later in the day. Click on the scorecard to enlarge it so that it is easier to view.

Prize list so far for our TdF pool

2011-06-29T11:40:00.007-06:00

***UPDATED June 29th***

Here is the list of prizes we have so far for our Tour de France Pool.

1. Tax receipt for entire entry amount to the winner’s choice charity.

Oakley Sunglasses donated by Speed Theory

Box of Powerbars

2. Calgary 70.3 Sweatshirt

Catriona Morrison’s singlet from Hawaii Ironman (Catriona is a multiple ironman winner and multiple time World duathlon champion)

Nathan fuel belt

Free entry to the the 2012 Oliver Half Ironman donated by Outback Events

3. 1hr Massage from Motion Chiropractic

Cycling jacket form the Speed Theory Cycling Team
Entry to the Stampede Road Race 10k (2012)

4. Socks and Bonk Breaker Bars from Podium Imports.
Signed Water Bottles from Jordan Rapp (multiple Ironman winner)
   Entry to the St. Patrick's Day 10k Road Race (2012)

5. Timex Hat
   Socks donated by Speed Theory
Wine kit donated by Kern Partners (a nice wooden box with a corkscrew, some bottle stoppers and a wine thermometer)

6. Timex Hat
   Socks donated by Speed Theory
Wine kit donated by Kern Partners (a nice wooden box with a corkscrew, some bottle stoppers and a wine thermometer)

7. Timex Hat

Socks donated by Speed Theory

8. Timex Hat

Socks donated by Speed Theory

9. Timex Hat

Socks donated by Speed Theory

Again, 100% of the entry fees will be going to a charity, winner's choice.

If you are interested in donating a prize, please contact Kyle dukyle at yahoo dot ca

Please support the sponsors of these prizes.

Contest details

Fedrigo and Chavanel out

2011-06-27T19:34:00.002-06:00

Just a heads-up, FDJ's Pierrick Fedrigo and Europcar sprinter Sebastien (not French road champ Sylvain) Chavanel are both out of the Tour. I already had Fedrigo pencilled in for a couple of the breakaway stages; so back to the drawing board. Good luck with your picks!

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/fedrigo-chooses-not-to-ride-tour-de-france

2011 Tour de France Contest Details

2011-06-27T10:39:00.002-06:00

This contest used to be run to raise money for the endowment fund for the Jason Lapierre Scholarship. Since we have reached our endowment fund goal we are looking for a new organization to raise funds for. 100% of the entry fees will still be going towards a worthy cause, the choice of the pool winner. In the past, we have been able to raise approximately $800 per year from this pool (hopefully more this year!).

Rules:
Simple rules (from the spreadsheet entry form)...
-Submit your excel spreadsheet with picks to Kyle Marcotte (dukyle at yahoo dot ca) before 11:59pm Friday July 1st.
-You can enter multiple teams (Cost is $20 for your first team, $15 for your second, $10 for your third… per household)
-Results are final after each stage (so no drug overturn of results). Points schedule is listed below. Ties are divided by the number of stage wins, then stage points, then a coin toss.
-Trash talking is encouraged.

The spreadsheet/entry form is available now. Use this entry form, it makes the data entry so much easier on my part.
http://thedoctrine.squarespace.com/storage/2011%20TdF%20Entry%20Sheet.xls

5th year running

2011-06-15T11:42:00.003-06:00

2011 will represent the 5th year that we've run our Tour de France Pool. So far we've raised slightly over $3000 for local causes. Here's a breakdown of the previous podium finishers.

2010
1. Hal Kuntze

2. Darcy Bell
3. Kelly-Lynn (O’Toole) Marcotte

2009
1. James Davison
2. Mike Healy
3. Clarke E.

2008
1. Bruce Druery
2. Kyle Marcotte
3. John and Dave Pexman

2007
1. Leanne Yohemas
2. Mike Hayes
3. Sherri Buchignani

CBTL Women’s Program

2011-06-08T07:00:00.000-06:00

CBTL Women’s Program

Would you like to improve your cycling in a safe, fun, friendly, social and supportive environment? The velodrome is a terrific place to learn skills, develop technique and speed in a closed, controlled environment away from the dangers of potholes, traffic and other hazards. In addition to all the fitness benefits gained, track cycling will directly improve bike handling, pedal action, sprinting and road racing skills.

The track is a great place to train for other cycling disciplines and cross-train for many other sports.

The Program: 8 week, coached program focused on introducing women to the sport of track cycling. The first two sessions will include an introduction to the track (same as our Learn to Ride the Track Clinic), and structured training for the remaining six weeks. There will also be a fun Saturday race just for this program (date TBD). The program includes the use of the CBTL’s rental track bikes.

Starting Date: - Monday, June 13, 2011 at 6:00 PM

Times: - Mondays, 6:00 until 8:00 PM

Last Session: - Monday, August 8, 2011 at 6:00 PM (there will be no session on the August 1 long weekend).

Other Times: - Once participants are comfortable on the track, they are welcome to come out during regularly scheduled open track time on their own, or even join the regular CBTL Thursday night race league.

Cost: - $100.00 Please note that the CBTL is heavily subsidizing the program and we hope you can take advantage of the resources we have available.

Registration for this and other programs are on Karelo. Please note: this program has is limit of 20 athletes.

Please email us at coaching@cbtl.ca with any more questions you may have and we will try to address them.

Thank you for your interest in track cycling and the Calgary Bicycle Track League. We look forward to seeing you at the track this season.

Website: www.cbtl.ca

2011 Tour de France Pool

2011-06-06T16:31:00.000-06:00

Our 2011 Tour de France Pool will be back again this year. Like previous years, 100% of the entry fee will be donated to a Registered Charity, with the winner of the pool getting a tax receipt. Over the past four years we have been able to raise just over $3,000 for local initiatives.

Contest details coming soon...

If you wish to sponsor the event by donating prizes, please contact Kyle (dukyle at yahoo dot ca).

Masters nationals, Day 4

2011-05-23T20:08:00.001-06:00

Canadian masters swimming nationals ended with the 1,500m. Although the swim meet had over 1,600 racers, luckily not all decided do race the 1,500m. It took about half the day to get through everyone, with two pools going. One competitor who was >85 years of age finished in 38 min. I managed to find my swimming legs, recovering from the cycling I did in Penticton, finishing my race in18:40, well behind the race winner. Also note there were a ton of guys in older age groups who beat me.

Kelly was already done her events and didn't swim today.

2011-05-22T11:49:00.001-06:00

2:18 for me this AM in the 200. I fell apart in the last 50.

Kelly's record in the 100 free wasn't official so she went for it again as a split in the 200 and was just shy at 59 low. She has the 100m IM later and the 400im tomorrow. I have the 1,500m tomorrow.

Master's swim nationals, day 1&2

2011-05-21T16:58:00.001-06:00

I seem to be swimming a little slower that I did a month ago. I guess a week of no swimming and 5 hrs a day on the bike will do that.

After a schedule mix up on our part, we arrived at the pool at 8am. Delay after delay meant that Kelly didn't do her first swim until 5:30pm.

Kelly swam 58.7 for 100m free, which would be a Canadian masters record but unfortunately the timing pads didn't work, so the time won't be official.

She has a shot to go for it again tomorrow in a relay. I plan on telling her the story of the Flying Scotsman and his 1hr record quest.

This is sick...

2011-05-06T16:35:00.001-06:00

Giro d'Italia 2011 Promo Videos

2011-05-06T13:43:00.002-06:00

Eight questions with Jon Bird

2011-04-29T10:44:00.007-06:00

Jon Bird was a member of both the University of Calgary Dino’s swimming and cross-country running teams. After graduation, Jon worked at Speed Theory and coaching the Talisman Centre triathlon club. After racing the ITU North American Pan American Cup series, in early 2011 Jon made the plunge and moved to Victoria to train full time with Canada's Elite National Triathlon Team.

1. What were some of your successes from 2010?

2010 was a huge learning experience for me, not only as my first season racing pro but trying to race guys that were at the top of the sport. From race to race the season got better; ending things off with a 8th overall/ 5th Canadian at Elite Nationals and a win at the Banff Subaru Triathlon were both very special personal victories.

2. What made you decide to make the commitment and move to Victoria to train as a full time athlete?

After a great deal of tequila I spoke with my shaman in the desert, he told me it was the next step to improve my overall approach to sport. I’m guessing that was his kind way of saying that in order to be really competitive in this sport I need to be running a lot faster.
Since I made the choice to turn pro I have always wanted to learn from the best. Dave Johnson and Rick Say in the swim, Jack VanDyk on the bike and now Simon Whitfield and Jon Brown on the run. This move has not been easy but so far it has been deeply rewarding.

3. How did running and swimming for the University of Calgary aid in your athletic achievements?

I swam for the Dino’s for almost 17 years, week in week out training and racing. Although it was a lot of fun it was also a lot of work. Looking back that was the foundation of my engine, my body now craves exercise and competition. Shorty after my swim career ended I joined the Dino’s running program, I liked the perks of being a varsity athlete and pushing my body against stronger guys. Looking back the run program really opened my eye to what the human body is capable of.

4. What is it like training with Canada's big boys, Simon Whitfield and Kyle Jones?

Both Simon and Kyle are true professionals that are completely committed to making every little thing work for them. It is great to see their work ethic and drive for consistent excellence. With the swimming and cycling I have been able to hold my own but every run I’m consistently humbled by the sub 3 minutes kilometers that these guys churn out.
I have a list of 30 or so questions I constantly update, everyday I make sure that I ask one question. Whether it Simon, Kyle, Rick Say or Jon Brown they all have experience at the top of their game. The environment that they have created out here is the stuff that dreams are made of, top notch training facilities and support staff with a wealth of knowledge.

5. What do you need to do to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics?

There are several ways to qualify to London each presents its own challenge, but in the end it boils down to being fast. Currently Canada’s rankings will qualify two men for the 2012 Olympics; to add a guaranteed third spot would mean a win at the Pan American Games in October.
To qualify for one of the two guaranteed spots I will have to be the second fastest Canadian, which means getting faster then Simon or Kyle. To guarantee a slot it will take running around 30:00 minute 10km off the bike. No easy task.

6. What are you upcoming races?

In order to gain valuable points for the World Championship series I will be exclusively focused on ITU races this season. With that; nothing is set in stone but I’m looking at a combination of the following. Monterrey World Cup (May), Ixtapa Pan Am Cup (May), Seattle Pan Am Cup (June), Edmonton World Cup (July), London WCS (Aug), Kelowna Canadian Nationals (Aug), New York Pan Am Cup (Sept), Huatalco (Oct) World Cup and capping things off with Peurto Vallarta Pan Am Games (Oct 23)

7. What do you miss about Calgary?

It was really tough to leave the network that I had built in Calgary; top of the line coaching, physio, massage and naturopath. The Talisman Triathlon club was like a second family and the friends that I made there will be with me for life. My training partner in Calgary Grant Burwash had become a true ally in the world of Triathlon, I look forward to pushing myself with him at my side again. Lately I have been missing Sunday night dinners with my family and chatting with friends who did not care about triathlon.

8. Who are the people and sponsors who have helped you along the way?

First off I would like to thank Jack VanDyk at the Talisman Centre. In my opinion Jack is one of Canada’s best cycling coaches and has challenged me to think about many elements of my approach to sport. I’ve had some very supportive sponsors over the years which has seen the start of great friendships that will last a lifetime. Paul Williams at Centaur Subaru for his support and guidance over these last two years. Marc Morin at Impello designs has done a incredible job with my logo and marketing; look for the second edition of the bird jersey! Speed Theory, Cycling Physio, Speed Matrix, Hammer Nutrition and The National Training Centre in Victoria have all giving me great tools to take into the upcoming race season. This journey could not have been possible with out support my family, friends and my girlfriend Holly.

Thanks Jon!

Jon's website: http://www.thereisabird.com/

Triathlon clinics led by Jon Bird and Grant Burwash

2011-04-27T23:12:00.000-06:00

Check out some of the free triathlon clinics led by Jon Bird and Grant Burwash. RSVP required. Details can be found here:
http://www.thereisabird.com/2011-centaur-camps/

News coming soon

2011-04-21T00:42:00.001-06:00

Police Half Marathon Results Under Scrutiny

2011-04-18T23:25:00.011-06:00

Canadian Frank W, who won the Calgary Police Half Marathon gold medal in a world record time of one hour and nineteen minutes, tested positive for anabolic caffeine and traces of Lucky Charms, a member of the International Olympic Committee's medical committee said today.

Prof. Gustavo Tuccimea, the president of the Italian Sports Doctors Assn., said, "A positive drug test has been conducted on Frank."

He said that the president of the anti-doping committee, Prince Alexander Meroude, was on the point of presenting documentation to the executive of the International Olympic Committee, "who will consider the report of the drug testing authority."

Prof. Arnold Backatt, the head of the IOC's accredited drug testing laboratory in London, said early Tuesday in Calgary that "it would be premature to say that Frank W. will be suspended. All that we can say is that the test taken after the half marathon proved positive."

Sources in Mount Royal said "Mr. W." was notified that he had tested positive but his manager, G. Honey Badger, said he would have no comment on the report pending an announcement by the IOC.

Sources close to Frank said his coach, Charlie Francis, was notified by the IOC medical commission that one of the runner's urine samples tested positive.

Mr. Frank W. plans to appeal the finding on grounds that the urine sample was mishandled and cruel punishment, the sources said.

Frank, 32, beat defending half marathon champion Jody D. of the Strides Running in the highlight event of the weekend.

It took Frank nearly an hour to supply a urine specimen after winning the race, he was nervous and had stage fright.

The news broke in Calgary at 5:30 a.m. and Frank was not immediately available for comment.

Under rules implemented by the International Amateur Athletic Federation last year, any athlete who tests positive for banned drugs receives an automatic two-year ban from Starbucks for a first offense.

The Hainkoak Ilbo, a Korean language newspaper, reported today the IOC's top medical officials held an hours-long meeting to discuss Fast Foot Frank's urine sample.

The newspaper did not say if Mr. "Triple-F" W. would be disqualified or his gold medal withdrawn, but said the Canadian delegation had been notified.

Frank won the snowiest Police half marathon in history. Afterward, Frank said the most important thing on his mind was getting to the post race cereal line first, as he is no longer allowed to have Lucky Charms at home. Later, he had second thoughts and contradicted himself, stating his previous comments could get him into bigger trouble than a positive test. The medal, he decided, was most important.

"Anybody can break a world record," he said. "But the gold medal is mine. They're always after me Lucky Charms."

Anyone who thinks this is real should understand it is meant as a joke. Congrats Frank! Awesome race!

Bryon Howard's video from the Calgary's 2011 Police Half Marathon

2011-04-18T22:41:00.000-06:00

ACME TT Route

2011-04-13T22:32:00.002-06:00

Here's the route for the ACME 40 ITT.
http://www.trainingpeaks.com/sr/5FVI4AXJMFQPXARWRBSZPTBT64

Go Canada!

2011-04-12T15:24:00.001-06:00

Tour of Flanders finish, 2011

2011-04-07T11:43:00.001-06:00

A Triathlon Hit List is found at Oceanside

2011-04-04T14:53:00.007-06:00

Associated Press

Oceanside, CA. -- Ironman officials claim a 35 year old man is behind a "hit list" that had the names of 15 triathletes on it.

The list had the names of triathletes who race in the 35 to 39 year old age category, at the Calfornia 70.3 half-ironman in Oceanside California. Triathlon competitor and listed athlete John White said about 15 of the people on the list are in his age-group.

The investigation was sparked by another athlete who noticed a bicycle that had the list on it. That athlete notified World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) authorities and officials were called into examine the threat.

Officials said that they found the list when they visited the bike of one of the athletes, who cooperated with the investigation.

The athlete, authorities said, had a fixation on qualifying for the Ironman World Championships in Kona.

"I was just training over the winter in order to fit back into my Kona-Johny t-shirts, so I wasn’t worried about being on any lists," White said.

White said that the list's author later claimed the list contained people who disrespected him by previously racing fast.

White applauds the WTC officials who turned a blind-eye to the list and has advice for athletes. "If you are in a race and wanting to qualify for Hawaii, chances are there are going to be other athletes wanting to do the same. Even if it's just rumor, don’t think folks aren’t going to check out who they are racing against."

All athletes who raced on the weekend are receiving counseling, as you have to be crazy to want to race a half-ironman in the beginning of April, especially if you are coming from Calgary.

No charges have been filed against the author of the hit list, nor was there info on whether or not he qualified.

“I think I should have waited until April 10th, to race in Texas. Now that race will be easy,” said White.

Spring Classics

2011-04-01T11:21:00.001-06:00

Alberta Masters Swimming Provincials

2011-03-28T07:00:00.002-06:00

We had a fun weekend down in Medicine Hat, swimming the Alberta Masters swimming Provincials. Kelly broke seven provincial age-group records out of the eight races that she was in. Her results were:

Freestyle:
50m – 26.99 (record)
100m – 59.3 (record)
400m – 4:40 (record)
800m - 10:06 (4 seconds off the record)
Back stroke:
50m – 31.2 (record)
100m - 1:06.0 (record)
200m – 2:23.7 (record)
Fly:
50m 29.6 (record)

My results from the weekend were good, but not as impressive as Kelly. I was happy that I managed to dive off the blocks without losing my goggles, which to me was a victory. I did save face by beating her in the 800m. We actually swam in the lanes next to each other so I had to make sure that I had a big enough gap so that she didn’t out sprint me at the end..

Freestyle:
100m – 1:05
200m – 2:20
400m – 4:52
800m – 10:00
1,500m – 19:24

Bo Simpson had a very fast 1,500m swimming 17:23. I felt bad for him because he had to wait so long in the water as he was not allowed to get out of the pool until I finished my race.

Kelly and I have now both met Triathlon Canada’s ITU elite swim requirements in the female category. Triathlon Canada's men's 800m standard is 9:26 (I think).

Swimming with a wetsuit is so much easier. I think I'll stick to Ironman.

BikeRegistryCanada.com

2011-03-25T14:53:00.001-06:00

BikeRegistryCanada.com is Canada’s only national bicycle database. By working with Police agencies across the country, their goal is to have every recovered stolen bike returned to its rightful owner.
Professional bike thieves often sell stolen bikes in other cities, or provinces making them more difficult to trace. Register in their national database and increase your chances of recovery.
http://www.bikeregistrycanada.com/Intro.html

Last night's workout

2011-03-25T11:19:00.000-06:00

Impact Multisport

2011-03-24T22:03:00.001-06:00

Posted for Kevin
http://www.imcoaching.com/
http://www.enduranceplanner.com/

Steve King interview Kevin Cutjar from Kevin Cutjar on Vimeo.

2011 Jason Lapierre Memorial Scholarship Recipient

2011-03-23T12:50:00.002-06:00

I was happy to learn today that Grace Kary was the recipient of the 2011 Jason Lapierre Memorial Scholarship at the University of Calgary. Thank you to all those who made this scholarship possible. To learn more about Jason, please visit: http://www.jasonlapierre.com/

Grace wrote:

Calgary Kids of Steel Race 2011

2011-03-22T16:49:00.001-06:00

For more info, visit: http://www.trikronos.com/

Speed Theory on Breakfast Television tomorrow morning

2011-03-22T16:43:00.001-06:00

Look for some of the Speed Theory crew and friends on Breakfast Television tomorrow.

2011-03-22T16:01:00.000-06:00

Please voice your opinion to show your support of bike infrastructure funding.

http://calgarybudget.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-city-services-do-you-think-could.html

Cancellara stars in Breaking Away

2011-03-19T20:52:00.000-06:00

Tonight's workout: Mar 17, 2011

2011-03-17T09:29:00.002-06:00

85% = Half Ironman effort

100% = 40k Time Trial effort

VO2 = what you could hold for ~10min

Early season riding and safety

2011-03-14T13:22:00.002-06:00

Early season riding usually means excited riders and we often forget how to ride safely. Here are some hints how to avoid early season spills

-Obey all traffic signs and signals.

-Never ride against traffic.

-Use hand signals. Signal for cars and other riders so they know where you are going. Point out obstacles for other riders.

-Ride in a straight line. Whenever possible, ride in a straight line to the right of traffic but about a car door's width away from parked cars.

-Don't weave between parked cars. Don't ride into the curb between parked cars unless they are far apart. Motorists may not see you when you try to move back into traffic.

-Ride in the middle of the lane in slow traffic. Ride in the middle of the lane at busy intersections and whenever you are moving at the same speed as traffic.

-Follow lane markings. Don't turn left from the right lane. Don't go straight in a lane marked right-turn only.

-Choose the best way to turn left. There are two ways to make a left turn: 1) Like an auto. Signal, move into the left lane and turn left. 2) Like a pedestrian. Ride straight to the far-side crosswalk. Walk your bike across.

-Don't pass on the right. Motorists may not look for, or see, a bicycle passing on the right.

-Go slow on sidewalks. Pedestrians have the right of way on walkways. By law, you must not ride on the sidewalk with a willful and wanton disregard for safety. Don't cross driveways or intersections without slowing to a walker's pace and looking very carefully for traffic (especially traffic turning right on a green light).

-Watch for cars pulling out. Make eye contact with drivers. Assume they don't see you until you are sure they do.

-Scan the road behind you. Learn to look over your shoulder without losing your balance or swerving left.

-Avoid road hazards. Watch out for parallel-slat sewer grates, slippery manhole covers, oily pavement, potholes, and gravel. Cross railroad tracks carefully at right angles. For better control as you move across bumps and other hazards, stand up on your pedals.

-Keep both hands ready to brake. You may not stop in time if you brake one-handed. Allow extra distance for stopping in the rain, since brakes are less efficient when wet.

-Watch for chasing dogs.

-Get in shape.

-Be sure your bike is adjusted to fit you properly. Always use a strong headlight and taillight at night as required by law.

-Dress apropriately. Wear a hard-shell helmet whenever you ride. Wear light colored clothes at night. Dressing in layers allows you to adjust to temperature changes on longer rides. For longer rides a change of clothes, loosely rolled up, can be carried with you or you can store clothes at the office.

-Keep your bike in good repair.

Team Timex Camp 2011

2011-03-09T10:10:00.001-07:00

I’m very happy to be returning to the Timex Team. This will be my 5th year on the team.

The team is run through Team Sports, owned by Tom Schuler. Tom is one of the original members of the 7-11 Cycling Team. Tom has been Olympian and US Pro Champion, along with other notable athletic accomplishments. Tom is a builder of endurance sports teams, having run teams such as; the Volvo-Cannondale Mountain bike team, Team Saturn, Zoot Ultra Triathlon Team and Team Typle 1.

Timex is obviously the main sponsor of the team, but other major sponsors include; Sugoi, Shimano, Orbea, PRO, Powerbar, Nathan. A complete list of sponsors can be found here: http://teamtimex.timexblogs.com/

Much like other industries, there are different levels of sponsorship. If one of the sponsors shows up on our race gear, you know they are a major sponsor.

Each year, Team Timex hosts a “Team Camp.” This is not a training camp, but a team building camp where athletes have a chance to get to know our sponsors and their products. Athletes are also given a chance to take in useful seminars as well as helping sponsors with product development ideas and marketing.

Because of Timex’s sponsorship of the New York Giants football team, this year’s camp (along with last year’s) was held at the New Meadowlands stadium in New Jersey. 2011 represented the 10th anniversary of the Timex Team, and it was held in style with guests Bob Babbitt and Dick Hoyt speaking to athletes and sponsors. Some distinguished alumni including Chris Legh, Linsay Corbin, Matt Seelay and Bruce Bauman were also invited tot the event.

I look forward to representing Team Timex throughout 2011 and am happy to stay closely associated with Speed Theory.

Kenny Powers' view on Triathlon

2011-03-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

Canada wins gold

2011-03-02T14:57:00.001-07:00

Last night's workout

2011-02-25T10:29:00.002-07:00

(85% = Half IM bike effort, 100% = 40k TT effort)

Go Bruins

2011-02-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

Dick Hoyt came to talk with Team Timex and NY Giants management.

Part 1

Part 2

More on Rick and Dick Hoyt

Bob Babbitt talks with Team Timex

2011-02-21T13:27:00.003-07:00

Bob Babbitt, one of the pioneers of Ironman talks with Team Timex at the New Meadowlands stadium.

2011 Race Schedule

2011-02-11T12:55:00.002-07:00

I'm sure it will change, more races will be added. Here is what I'm hoping to race this year:

March
Run - St Patrick’s Day 10k

April
Bike- Crankmasters 40k Time Trial
Run – Police Half Marathon

May
Run – Mother’s Day 10k
Tri - Oliver Olympic Distance Triathlon

June
Tri – Wasa Lake Triathlon
Tri – Oliver or Chinook Half

July
Tri - Great White North Half-Ironman
Bike – Stampede Road Race
Tri - Calgary 70.3

August
Bike – Time Trial Provincials
Tri – Ironman Canada

Nov
Tri – ITU Long Course Worlds