Jane MacLeod celebrating a 5th place finish in the 50-54 age-group at Ironman Lake Placid.
Bre, Annika, Mav and I arrived in Sarnia Friday afternoon. Our hotel was located near Sarnia ribfest! We played in the park and I was looking forward to racing the next morning. Although the weather forecast for the race was not ideal, actual race conditions were wonderful. The lake was glass, the bike was cool and windy, and it was a great temperature for running. The race adopted a "chase format" two years ago, which see all women head off several minutes ahead of all men. Unlike the Muskoka Chase Triathlon, where only the elites follow this format, the Sarnia Chase has ALL women go off 16 minutes ahead of the men. This makes for very exciting racing. I had a great swim, struggled with the wind on the bike, but then had good running legs. I was fortunate catch the lead woman at 6k into the run, and finish first across the line. I love the atmosphere of the Bluewater Tri. It is a well organized event that offers a warm grass-roots feel. The post-race spread of food is legendary.
The next morning was the Running From Cancer 5k, 10k and half-marathon. The original plan was to jog the 10k with Annika in the stroller. We hit the abort button. Annika and mommy were exhausted from the previous day. It would have been another very early morning for them. I was a bit relieved, as I rarely like to run the day after a triathlon. I enjoyed supporting the event, and catching up with many friends.
I also followed the Lake Placid coverage. Was proud to see solid performances from LPC's Jane MacLeod, and Dennis Masse.
Tomorrow morning I fly out to Camp Borden for a one-day ExecuTrek Military Tour. It surely will be an incredible day! I am bringing the camera and hope to take lots of pics.
Click the image below to view the Loaring Physiotherapy Summer 2009 e-Newsletter:
The first three weeks of July have flown by. The month started off with coaching an adult triathlon skills clinic with Super Coaches Jay Johnson, JJ Neely, and Stefan Timms. The four of us were being evaluated by Tracey Shelley, the Coaching/LTAD Programmes Advisor for Triathlon Canada. We were also under the watchful eye of Linda Kirk (Executive Director of OAT). This weekend was a valuable experience for my coaching development. Working with excellent coaches, and having the likes of Tracey offer pearls of feedback on our every move, makes for wonderful learning. The athletes were terrific--so positive and eager--it is just awesome to be around passionate people. The new NCCP Triathlon Competition Certification process aims (among other things) to test the coaches competency in specific coaching situations. I enjoyed going through the entire process, and have been deemed "competent" by Trican :-)
And I have to give credit where credit is due! Coach CT continues to do a superb job developing the PTC--he is a "Master Jedi"--and I will continue to enjoy tapping into his wealth of knowledge. I have been fortunate over the last 15 years to learn from many "giants". The more I learn from all facets, the more I realize I don't know. And that makes we want to learn more and more. Like a relentless and passionate sponge that never reaches saturation. A saturated sponge is similar to a coach or athlete who thinks they have all the answers. They stop learning and sit on a 'winning formula'. And that sir, IMO, is the kiss of death. I love the ongoing "searching for clues" daily grind. And that means I must continue to be a thirsty sponge slurping up knowledge, aiming to evolve...onwards and upwards...
I wear 4 hats: Husband. Father. Coach. Athlete. I also wear a few visors but those are my 4 hats. And the Athlete hat always gets worn the least, especially during busy times. And July has been a busy time, as was June, and May...But I still toed the line in two races this month, and have had some solid sessions with the gang at the PTC.
I raced in the Provincial Open Water 5k Swim Champs. Wow, that was a long time to be swimming 5k non-stop! No wetsuits were allowed and the water was brrr. I hung on well for 3k. Then the shoulders started to hurt and the cold water was taking it's toll (read: I got my arse dropped from the lead group). In the end, I finished 7th. Scott Van Dormal from Guelph had a great race, and won for the 3rd year in a row. I really enjoyed the race and hope to do it again in the future. It was fun mixing it up with the swimmers.
This past weekend I took part in the Belwood Triathlon. I went in a bit nervous about my fitness, but brushed those doubts away race morning and focused on giving a solid effort and fighting to the finish. After a terrible swim start, I slowly starting feeling better. I exited the water with Dave, and got onto the bike just in front of him. Ryan Smith was out of the water almost 20" ahead of us. Dave came screaming by me at 3k and quickly disappeared into the horizon. I felt good on the run, and cruised in for 3rd overall. Dave had a big win, with Ryan shortly behind. The race just behind me was a good one. PTC's Alexander Hilton, Mike Hay, and Adrian Del Monte all had a big battle for 4th, 5th, and 6th. It was awesome to see the PTC claim 5 of the top 10. LPC's Margaret had a huge race, and Brian was smashing it as always. And I can't forget to mention Angela Quick who won the women's race. And a big debut for Speed River super runner Derek Snider, who finished 8th in his very first triathlon.
The Guelph Mercury wrote a front page story on Dave's conquering of Belwood.
This weekend will see back-to-back races! The Sarnia Bluewater Chase Triathlon on Saturday. And Running From Cancer 10k on Sunday. I look forward to supporting both events. Annika and I will form an alliance (with the aid of her stroller) in Sunday's 10k. Fun times ahead. Onwards...
Annika and I resting up the day before the Belwood Triathlon
Dave and I out of the swim.
Onto the Belwood bike course.
Happy to see BAM at the finish line.
The podium (I was a distant third behind Dave Sharratt and Ryan Smith).
So much to report on, so little time...
But first, some important facts for Mr. Letterman, who is a regular reader of the Loaring Chronicles:
