Back in the day, when these events used to have a carbo – loading dinner the tone was often like this picture. Whose is bigger, faster, longer, stronger? It gave the athletes (primarily male) a chance to let all the other athletes know (before there was Strava and Facebook) just how good their equipment was and how much they were training. Talk about Power V’s and Deep HEDs and 25 hour taper weeks were table fodder.
My impressions from the Ultraman meet and greet (not really a carbo – loading affair) were much more like this picture
. Steve Brown has really crafted a family like (dare I say cult like) vibe. With only 12 other participants, there is no opportunity to be some anonymous blow hard big shot, which I sometimes am at triathlon socials. I did not see one “I raced at Kona, so look at me you poor mortals and despair” t-shirts. Instead, what I saw, heard, and participated in were just a bunch of genuine conversations about why people decided to sign up for the Ultra, some advice giving from those who had done it before, and talk about their home country (there are quite a few non-Canadians doing the race). Not once did I hear a reference to an 11/58 fixie that dude rode all winter for base training! Just like a group of junkies chatting to each other about their favourite way to rig up, by being with a group of peers who had done eight hour bike rides and four hour treadmill runs seemed to normalize or validate my experiences of the past months.
Right now it is almost 8 AM on Friday August 4th. I’m not really thinking about the race. That is partly because to me, right now at least, it isn’t a race. It is more of an expedition. I have my supplies and my crew. The training did NOT go well but it is done. As average of an athlete as I am right now (2 minute and 10 seconds for 100 metres of swimming, a 5.8 miles per hour running speed average for a half marathon, and an FTP on the bike of 200 watts) one thing that I am good at is playing the hand that I have been dealt wisely. There will be no athletic acts of heroism this weekend, just a relaxed but focused drive for each day’s finish line. To get there here are a few things I need to remember
- Slowing down is ok, so is stopping – but no longer than 1 minute.
- Your stomach is going to hurt, but not for the whole event, peaks and valleys.
- Just because your stomach is hurting doesn’t mean you stop eating, keep trying different stuff.
- Puking is ok. Try it. You may like it. Hit the reset button. Get ugly when needed.
- Draw on tusk power every day.
If your energy or interest is crashing, it means you need more sugar.
That’s it for now. My next post will likely be when this is all done, I might have a few things to write about.
For the next few days I’ll be bringing my Ultraman Blog off of the back page and onto the front. As you may have heard or read, this is the weekend that I am doing the Ultraman 520 in the Penticton area. It’s a 3 day event that has a 10 K swim and 150 K swim on day one, a 270 K bike on day two, and an 84 K run on day three. We are in Penticton right now to do all of the prep. stuff that is required. Today we go shopping for supplies! We also get a chance to pick up the race package and meet all the folks (maybe a dozen) who are doing the event. Yesterday, Elise and I finally got a chance to see the run course. For me it is going to be so much more than a run course. It will be a walk, and maybe at times a crawl course. The stretch from km about 55-70 I suspect will be especially challenging. That is because at that point I will have been on the course for about eight hours and I suspect I will be pretty tired by then. There is a lot of up and downhill during that part of the course, so I’ll have to make sure that my pacing and nutrition are good. Of course in order to be able to get the opportunity to run/walk, I have some work to do on Saturday and Sunday. Keep checking in over the next few days, this could be quite the freak show!
At Fitspeek, one of our goals is to blend the spheres of fitness and leisure. We think that the folks at Parallel Yoga & Raven’s Brewing have it right. On Tuesday August 8, Kara Colemen will be leading a one-hour yoga session at Raven’s Brewing.
Our most ambitious podcast to date, Fitspeek Sixteen is here. To help you navigate this one a table of contents is in order.
and to the velodrome for some “real speed” over the winter months, Phoenix Velo’s Galen Keller has done many things on the bike, most of them quite well. In this Fitspeek Express interview we get to know the man behind the smile and those intimidating calves! Find out about his motivations, training secrets, and more by pressing play below
Although she has a smile that will light up a room, she has legs and lungs that will crush your soul. Following in the steps of the Fraser Valley’s new crop of fast female cyclists Maggie Coles Lyster and Alison Jackson, this Langley grade ten student is on the fast track to success. With an unsinkable attitude and a wisdom beyond her years, Elle is what my co-host calls “a chainsaw on wheels.” In her first of many media interviews to come, we are happy to introduce you to Elle Bush.
While some teenagers in the Fraser Valley may spend their time away from the classroom just “chillin’out” Mission’s Sheigh Gaudette has a more ambitious lifestyle as she trains 14 to 16 hours a week as a competitive swimmer. So far the practice has paid off with many regional swim records and a trip this summer to the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg. In this interview we get to know Mission’s rising swimming star Sheigh Gaudette.
In our newest Fitspeek we have our Wenting’s word of the week, a recap of the Oliver Half Ironman, a Fit Tip of the Week that focuses on going long in the heat, and feature interviews with Matt Campbell from United Velo and Greg Cowan from F2c. As always we will also hear the latest installment of Bob’s Bitts and have our upcoming events schedule. Press play below to kick start your summer training and racing season.
-changing.
Dave Scott and Mark Allen. We also have an interview with local upstart sports nutrition company F2C. As always, we have our race results including the love in that was the Westwood Lake Triathlon, Kevin Watt’s shout outs, and our upcoming events schedule. Hear it all now, by pressing play below