We need your vote!

Please Help: IDEAS needs YOU!

Rob Hill (of No Guts Know Glory fame) and I will be racing at the 2006 TransRockies Challenge race in early August. We have been training hard and have entered an online contest to gain some technical and logistical support for this event. The contest is through a great company in BC called RaceFace. They manufacture high-end mountain bike components.

Rob and I are racing to give more exposure to the Intestinal Disease Education and Awareness Society. We want to show everyone in the world what ostomates, and Crohn's and cancer survivors can do.

So what can you do. Well, our entry was shortlisted, so this means we have a video online and the internet community gets to VOTE on who they want to see win this contest. Please click on this link and follow the directions on how to access the voting. If you feel compelled to support our cause vote for us. If one of the other stories touches you, vote for them. It's that simple. It may take you a few minutes, but if you would like to see Robert and I attempt one of the greatest challenges any ostomate has faced (besides being ill) then give us your vote.

If we win this contest it means we get a dry place to sleep at night (as opposed to being in a tent on the ground) and a shower at the end of a long day (which means we get to change our pouches in somewhat better conditions). We also get a mechanic to help with our bikes, which is huge, because in a race like this the last thing you want to have happen is to go down with bike failure.

Voting starts July 1, 2006 and ends on the July 7, 2006. Please take the time to help us out. For more information check out RaceFace here and the TransRockies here.

You will need Quicktime: get it here

Big Week Starts Today

Ok, so seven days of cycling in a row to get ready for big efforts at TransRockies. We'll be riding some longer days, and some of what I would call my normal long days (5 hours or so); though those will be only two or so days. Anyway, really important to get the legs used to the idea of riding hard on consecutive days + consecutive days.

So, this week is:

Sunday (today): two hours really fast on the road. 65-70K.
Monday: 3 hours on the mountain, seated, hard efforts up hill (90% heart rate). 50-60K.
Tuesday: 4 hours on the road 100-110K.
Wednesday: 5 hours long slow distance on the mountain bike. 80-90K.
Thursday: 4 hours road ride 100-110K.
Friday: 3 hours on the mountain, seated, hard efforts up hill (90% heart rate). 45-55K.
Saturday: Two hours on the road 60K max.
Weekly volume should be about 475-525K. This is a BIG week. We'll be tired.

Week after is travel for Rob, to Japan; going to do some promotional work.
John is going to Ostomy Camp. Can't wait.

day before the last day

tomorrow I turn in a take home final, but not before I write another final at 8:20am. Then I am free for the summer, Yah. I won't be working much either, just training and maybe like 12 hours a week of work.

swam this am: everyone else is tapering, so short and fast, my heart rate was too high.

as:

600 warm up = 300 pull, 300 kick/drill mix

4 times this:
150 pace sprint last 25 on 2:30
100 pace sprint first 25 on 2:00
100 pace on 1:45
50 pace sprint last 25
go for a walk around the deck, arm swings and recover hear rate.

6 times 50 on 45 sec warm down

then I was in the books all day.

Tomorrow after my exam = 4 hours on the bike. Can't wait.

An Up and Down day

First the good news: game 7 tonight, Go Oilers GO.

Then the bad: read an article today announcing the news that Peter Reid, 3 time Ironman World Champion is retiring. No more races; well not Ironman races anyway.

I guess if you are an athlete of his talent, determination and capacity, you would understand that sport will always be a part of his life.

I am compelled to write this afternoon because I have had the priviledge of watching Peter train for the past couple of years. Actually I should really couch that; I have seen Peter train. I have shared a swim lane with him. I have ridden past him on the bike (we were always going in opposite directions, because if we were going in the same direction I would have seen Peter ride past me, then watch him quickly disappear around the next corner). He was often at the lake, swimming at the same time as me. We have done bouy laps together; I have swam on his feet. We've talked on deck. I've bought gear off of him. We have toed the same start line at a local duathlon; he won, of course. He knows me to see me. I feel priviledged to write these words, superficial as they are.

Peter embodies everything that is great about the sport of triathlon. Its heroes are everyday people who work harder than almost anyone. They swim in the same public pools, ride on the same public roads, run on the same public trails. When I was running marathons in the late 90s, I watched Ironman on TV religiously, knowing that as I got older, I'd learn to swim, get fit on a bike and be able to get through the challenge. As I watched Peter, I began to dream that I would be able to compete at triathlon.

Peter has overcome plenty in his career: burnout, overtraining, serious illness, relationship stress. Yet everytime he stepped out on to the race course, his drive, intensity and absolute dedication to being his best shone through in his performance. I believe him to be Triathlon's Lance-like character.

Regardless of Peter's performances at Kona, I admire him for his character. Peter impresses me because he knows when to turn things off. I read that one of his most compelling reasons for knowing that this was his year to retire was that he was skipping key workouts. It is intensely difficult to stay on track with workouts. That is often what seperates average athletes from great athletes - us average athletes rarely recognize this, nor take responsibility for it either, and inevitably end up overcompensating for it. Peter, I admire you for recognizing this, accepting it, and moving forward, rather than clinging to the past. I can only imagine how difficult this decision is.

I am on my way to fullfilling my Kona dreams. I won't be as fast as you. But I know that when I run down the last few kilometers of the Queen K highway, you will be on my mind because you are the single biggest inspiration I have had for my triathlon career; and I thank you.

Let's Go Oilers!

Want some inspiration? Check it: OILERS!

Europe on the Brain

Only because I'm now writing an International Relations theory paper on European Integration; ask me about it sometime, its fascinating.

Swam this am: also did this workout last friday. It might be my new favourite. Hurts so good.

3 by 300 warmup as 300 pull, 300 kick, 300 drill

then 3 times this as main set:

2 by 50 as 25 hard 25 smooth on 1:15
300 GRP on 4:45 (about 20 sec rest, more if I go faster)
300 GRP on 4:45
300 pull/paddles set rest = 1 min

Been logging alot of bike miles since last week.

Friday was 3 hours, sat and sunday were two hours each really fast. Monday was 15k mountain run. Yesterday was 2 hours at faster than my normal Olympic distance race pace.

Because I have had to spend time on the computer writing, I have had to cut down riding times. So to balance, intensity must go up. Back up to big volume tomorrow, 4 hours +.

Craziness

Am swim yesterday as:

900 mixed warm up

then
3 by 100 as 25 sprint, 50 pace, 25 sprint on 15 sec rest
400 at GRP
200 pull paddles

repeat above set times 3

500 pull warm down.

Got out on the mountain bike for 3 hour HILLY ride. Rode with a friend who usually kills me up hill. I put the hurt to him, felt strong all day. In the TdF they call this feeling 'no chain'.

Been trying to write a paper on Canadian Foreign Policy all week. Got it done finally this morning, turned it in then headed out for another mt.bike ride. Went solo for 3.5 hours, felt ok, not as good as yesterday but still fairly strong.

Swim tomorrow, then mt.bike for 4 hours. Going to do a circle circuit of hill repeats. The laps are about 45 minutes, so it will be hammer the uphills, focus on technique on the down side.

It's my dad's 65th birthday tomorrow. So happy birthday pop.

Friday training

Swam this am

1100 meter warmup, mix of pull and swim

pyramid as:
50 really hard 10 sec rest
100 hard r1=20sec
200 pace r1=45sec
300 pace r1=1:00
200 pace r1=45 sec
100 hard r1=20sec
50 all out

then 500 pull paddles warm down

Now I'm off for a good hilly ride, minimum 3.5 hours, weather is kinda grey, looks like I'm getting wet, so a mountain biking I be going.