FLAMING MARSHMALLOW!!

magog! the final chapter... (kinda)
nice place, another uncomfortable plane ride to montreal and back. The last stand before the selection! It was an interesting race and prep for it was good, wasn't perfect but nothing ever is. Felt good and fast right up to the race so that's all that mattered. Got to the start-line feeling primed and ready. WHAMMY! and it was off to a good start, ( beach start itself wasn't grand ). First out of the water with 25secs on the next guy,  decided to go for it solo. Got to 12/13km after a slight headwind on the out and back 20km ride and was no match for a pack of 25 working together. In hindsight i should have waited for at least a couple other athletes just out of T1 but it was too late for that, I had spent the energy and it was all for not. Stayed in the front half of the pack takin some pulls and then moved up and went first into T2. Transition I scored at 5outof10 and went onto the run in about 4th. The running race began and it wasn't mine to be had.. spent a bit to much of the tank on the solo effort and the time showed. Another day, another race, not what i wanted but I can't complain too much. Shouldn't have soloed but the decision had to be made. Ready to crush Kelowna and Budapest if the Triathlon gods see me as the right tool for the job.

ps. Do not shake the stick which harbours a flaming marshmallow with intent to extinguish it. It will send a sticky ball of fire onto your face. Instead blow. That is all.

to infinity and beyond!!!!

no excuses

Race today in saskatoon. Second of the Jr. series and a significant race to demonstrate fitness and ability for the remaining worlds position. It wasn't my race today and I placed 4th. This was a disappointment for me but there are always those races. Training up to the race was going as it should and it ultimately came down to me not having it in me today. Right from the start I felt weak and my swim seemed as though I was going on half a tank. Instead of leading I was sloppy and slow. The ride didn't feel fast but regardless the legs didn't have that power I'm used to. Aerobically I was coasting but was otherwise drained. This carried over to the run where I felt I was empty. Frustrating for me considering how training was feeling in the week prior, but a good learning experience to be humbled by. Can't always have the performance your ready for and for me it's just another chip at the block. Looking forward to putting it all together for Magog and demonstrating my real ability and potential. Congratulations to Matt for the dub, Marc for a strong second, and Joel for a solid third, wish I could have been there today to present more of a challenge. Great race to watch on the girls side, and congrats to everyone there (christine, gabby, and ali especially)

c.

Pain pays off

Working through the next bit of training after the coteau race seemed to be interesting obstacle on the flight home. Not knowing how long it would take for my legs to recuperate after the deep fatigue from one of the hardest bike experiences of my life was a big question in my head.

It's safe to say that saturday's Mechosin ride was a great indicator of my bodies ability to respond to the stress. With a hard lake swim that morning, matt and I put in some good work trying to drop JP and Aaron from our feet a few times, with some success and a great workout for everyone. This took a bit out of the tank for sure. From Thetis we rode to Mechosin for our 15 minuteish loop with 2 climbs and a respectable vertical. I could feel some fatigue riding out but aerobically was 100%. The workout was 12mins effort, 4 mins easy, X 3. We grouped up; Matt, Connor, and JP were with me and we got started. I was expecting to be just hanging on for this loop as Connor is a horse when it comes to hills and the rolling ascent is a tad harder for me when i'm packin a few extra pounds at 170ish. To my surprise though I ended up having to wait for the guys after the first climb and by the end of the workout just went solo: thanks Kanute. So I can confidently say I've reached a level I wasn't at before and it's an awesome feeling. Pain pays off, this next race in Saskatoon feels like an excellent opportunity for me to show it.