Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
The Perfect Ride!
Sometimes a solo ride in this part of the world can be magical. Riding this morning along the ocean, up hills, through forests and along open fields with Xavier Rudd as the soundtrack. Perfect!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
M.I.T.
Missing in Training
Not a lot of posts means that training is back in full swing (thankfully).
Loving drinking coffee and watching the tour in the mornings.
Must get there to see it live in this life time.
Not a lot of posts means that training is back in full swing (thankfully).
Loving drinking coffee and watching the tour in the mornings.
Must get there to see it live in this life time.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Tiger is Human
If anyone followed the British Open the past couple of days, you will have noticed that Tiger Woods failed to make the cut (for only the 5th time in his pro career). Proving that even the BEST athletes with the best FOCUS are also HUMAN! What will be interesting is how he does in his next tournament.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Focus
Not getting to race this weekend was disappointing, however being able to sit back and observe racing is always a great motivator. Watching is also a great way to see how different athletes handle pressure, obstacles and pain.
When you are in a race you should be focused on yourself. Often this focus is tested and can waver based on situations that arise and what you are telling yourself in relation to these situations. The ability to focus under pressure and ignore the negative voices that like to creep in is a trait shared by very few athletes. I think this is why we all love watching the best athletes in the world; Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Lance Armstrong, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky (Simon Whitfield in our triathlon world). When it is on the line and the pressure is greatest, is when these athletes are able to shut out all of the B.S.. They are the best of the best and they excel in their chosen sport by being able to focus when others can't.
Athletes often talk about being in the zone. You don't have to watch these famous athletes to witness it, you only need to go to a local road race or triathlon to see athletes of all ages and ability tap into this focus. They are the ones with a dead ahead stare. No visible emotion during the race, just a strong desire to get the absolute best out of themselves and overcome whatever obstacle gets thrown in their way. Yesterday I saw great examples of this focus and determination at the Desert Half, and many of them came from athletes wearing HPR gear. Great job team!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Off to the Desert
Tomorrow I am off to the Desert. Unfortunately I won't be racing. My calf is feeling better, but with only two 40 minute runs under my belt this week, I am simply not prepared to toe the line. I do look forward to watching my fellow team-mates race as well as a few of the ITri athletes that I coach. I am also going to train my butt off while I am there so I AM ready to go on August 2nd in Kingston.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Mr. Whitfield
Head on over to Simon's site for a great opportunity to pick up a real collector's item AND help out a couple of great charities.
http://simonwhitfield.blogspot.com/
http://simonwhitfield.blogspot.com/
Friday, July 3, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
A Good Read!
Every once in a while I come across a post that I have to steal because I think it is well worth the read. I have had Clint Lien on deck coaching our new swim group here in Victoria the past couple of months. Clint has been great and brought out the best in a bunch of us. He recently posted the following on his blog. Well written (he is writer guy after all) and it rings true.
The list of reasons an athlete can pull the reigns on a workout is long.
I'm tired today.
I've got a big workout with the gang tomorrow. I want to be on my game!
I'm just coming off an injury. I need to keep things reserved.
My coach told me to keep it in zone 2 today.
It's too hot to put in a big effort.
It's raining pretty hard out there.
I've got a race this weekend. I'm tapering.
My lane partner isn't here to push me.
I ate too much sushi for lunch.
I raced last weekend and I've not recovered enough.
There's too many dogs on the trails today.
I've got a dinner party tonight and I can't be all burned out.
Working hard hurts.
Some of the excuses are legit and some are bullshit. Usually it's a combo of the two.
But every once in awhile we drop all the excuses, head out the door and lay it down.
I believe an athlete can raise their level of fitness from a single workout - a peak performance - a breakthrough workout.
For one athlete that might be a 59 minute 40K TT. For another it might be 13 miles at an 7:58 mile pace.
Whatever it is, when we have those workouts (or races) we can bring are athleticism to the next level.
When someone first starts in sport they can often achieve these breakthrough workouts almost every time they go out the door but the longer we're in the sport, the tougher it is to go to that place - and too often we just stop trying.
These special sessions don't just come about because the stars have lined up. They come about because an athlete has made a decision to pursue them - to seek them out and grab them.
Every time you get in the pool, straddle a bike or put on a pair of running shoes we have an opportunity to improve ourselves - to up our game.
It doesn't have to mean a PR every time.
It might mean getting to the top of Popeye's Peak.
It might mean finishing a workout on smashed legs.
It may mean just getting out the door.
You may not be able to define what it is at the start of the session but you'll know it when it happens.
And after it happens - it's yours. No one can take it away from you. And if you build on it, if you stay consistent you can have another one... and another one... and another one.
Decide you want it, be prepared to pay the price and go to that special place.
You won't succeed every time or even most of time but every once in awhile you will succeed and you'll be a better athlete for it.
Now go forth and do likewise.
The list of reasons an athlete can pull the reigns on a workout is long.
I'm tired today.
I've got a big workout with the gang tomorrow. I want to be on my game!
I'm just coming off an injury. I need to keep things reserved.
My coach told me to keep it in zone 2 today.
It's too hot to put in a big effort.
It's raining pretty hard out there.
I've got a race this weekend. I'm tapering.
My lane partner isn't here to push me.
I ate too much sushi for lunch.
I raced last weekend and I've not recovered enough.
There's too many dogs on the trails today.
I've got a dinner party tonight and I can't be all burned out.
Working hard hurts.
Some of the excuses are legit and some are bullshit. Usually it's a combo of the two.
But every once in awhile we drop all the excuses, head out the door and lay it down.
I believe an athlete can raise their level of fitness from a single workout - a peak performance - a breakthrough workout.
For one athlete that might be a 59 minute 40K TT. For another it might be 13 miles at an 7:58 mile pace.
Whatever it is, when we have those workouts (or races) we can bring are athleticism to the next level.
When someone first starts in sport they can often achieve these breakthrough workouts almost every time they go out the door but the longer we're in the sport, the tougher it is to go to that place - and too often we just stop trying.
These special sessions don't just come about because the stars have lined up. They come about because an athlete has made a decision to pursue them - to seek them out and grab them.
Every time you get in the pool, straddle a bike or put on a pair of running shoes we have an opportunity to improve ourselves - to up our game.
It doesn't have to mean a PR every time.
It might mean getting to the top of Popeye's Peak.
It might mean finishing a workout on smashed legs.
It may mean just getting out the door.
You may not be able to define what it is at the start of the session but you'll know it when it happens.
And after it happens - it's yours. No one can take it away from you. And if you build on it, if you stay consistent you can have another one... and another one... and another one.
Decide you want it, be prepared to pay the price and go to that special place.
You won't succeed every time or even most of time but every once in awhile you will succeed and you'll be a better athlete for it.
Now go forth and do likewise.
Hurricane Ridge
Today was the annual Hurricane Ridge Canada climb over in Washington State.
This unofficial race starts with a 4:30am get up, a 6am ferry and then a rolling start about 2 hours later once everyone has finally paid there 5 bucks to get past the ranger station. This year about 100 riders showed up for this little adventure. The great thing about this race is that there are all types of riders; some who really want to race it and some who just want to get to the top.
Since I am have not been able to run or compete in a triathlon in over a month I was really looking forward to the competition aspect of the day. Luckily my calf does not hurt on the bike so I knew I would be able to lay it on the line and ride as hard as I could to the top. I didn't waste any time getting the competition aspect of the day going. I went to the front early on and tried to break up the group right away. I was soon joined by Max Plaxton, team mate Bob Cooter and a few other strong riders. Max is one of the best young Mountain bikers in the country so I knew he would be a tough athlete to stick with to the top, but I decided to ride with him as long as I could. Riding with Max ended up putting a big gap on the other riders, but at 25 minutes I was in jeopardy of blowing to bits so I had to let him go. From there on I rode my own tempo and Bob rode up to me in the last mile where we were able to ride tempo together for the last 5 minutes to the top. We made it up in 53:15, about 1:30 faster than my last attempt a couple of years ago and 2:45 down on Max. All in all a great day of riding, a great day of friendly competition and a chance for me to get on here and write a race report again :)
In the women's race Mel Mcquaid kept her title, but less than a minute back was HPR athlete Pam Shatzko.
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