Money Falling From the Sky

Oh Hey!...Remember me...?  I know we haven't seen too much of each other this past little while, but I wanted to let you know that I have been thinking of you.  In fact, I was dreaming of our glorious reunion only the other night, you and me, together again.  The reason for our time apart....?  No it wasn't you...really...it was me.  I've just been busy...thats all...very busy...a bit preoccupied so to say.  With what you ask?  Well its complicated, and somewhat painful to recount...but...I suppose for old times sake, you deserve an explanation.  It all began with....

Hope you enjoyed that little bit of creativity, which was thought up late at night over a large cup of herbal tea.  This top section was meant to serve as an imaginary conversation between myself and my running shoes.  Its been roughly three months since I have been out for a run due to my injury in the fall, but fortunately my condition is improving.  I headed to the hospital last week to get an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to check that everything in my leg is all healed up and ready to go.  It should be another couple weeks until I get the results, but hopefully I will be cleared to lace up my shoes and head out for some beautiful winter runs.

Just before heading into the MRI

Speaking of winter, it is probably safe to say that winter is my favourite season.  Although winter brings snow, which effectively ends the outdoor riding season, there are many redeeming factors about winter.  To start (and also to explain the title), snow accumulation is perfect for my winter job of shovelling driveways.  I tend to have anywhere between three to six regular clients in my snow shovelling business, and in good winter seasons, I can make a fair amount of money clearing their driveways.  Our first real snowfall occurred only a couple of days ago, but it was enough to keep me busy for about four hours in the morning clearing a total of seven driveways (snowfalls tend to turn me into a tireless snow shovelling machine by the way).  Apart from being a fantastic workout, it also brought in a nice profit of around $100, which will help me to absorb the cost of some of my new gear.  Check out this picture below for how reflective my new jacket is:)
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"Lightbulb Jacket"

Apart from being super stylish and reversible, this jacket is also perhaps one of the most reflective pieces of clothing available to consumers.  It is a great way to stay visible to cars on dark winter runs, and should help keep me safe during low light training sessions (to the relief of my safety conscious mom).

Winter is also a great time of the year, as school takes a break, we celebrate Christmas, and finally we celebrate my birthday on the 31'st of December.  I turn 21 this year (there might be a special birthday swim set to make to occasion).
The swim team at York has also started their winter training camp, which should provide me with more than enough opportunity to make up for the two days off of swimming on Christmas and boxing day (I still got in biking both of those days though).

We'll talk soon (you readers and my running shoes).  Happy New Year

Take a Chill, Have a Coffee

My past few weeks have been pretty busy with school and training.  I have had to write two midterms and one final exam in the past three weeks, while at the same time, keep up with my regular training and injury recovery. This hectic schedule was beginning to take its toll as I was developing a cough and sore throat, so when I left for a family trip out to British Columbia, it was a good switch up from my regular routine.

The first stop on our trip out to BC was to Whistler for some early season downhill skiing.  Whistler has been getting some serious snowfall for this time of the year, and we enjoyed fresh powder for the two days we skied.  Taking some runs down the mountain slopes was a nice break from my regular Ontario schedule, although I still went to the rec centre every evening to get in some swimming (and by some swimming, I mean a lot of swimming).

Enjoying the fresh powder right next to the "Peak to Peak"

After a couple days in Whistler, we headed back to Vancouver to meet up with family and celebrate my mom's uncle's 90'th birthday (her other uncle is 92, so my gene pool is looking pretty good).  This day involved a lot of sitting, and although I was eager to get some training in, there just wasn't time, so I opted for a day off.  This is where the phrase "Take a Chill, Have a Coffee" comes in.  In my close group of training partners, we have numerous catch phrases, this one being developed after watching the Tim Don training video, in which he repeats this saying all through the video.  Whenever any of us say it, it is essential to say it in some sort of accent, myself opting for the australian accent (very similar to Tim Don's accent).  I don't actually drink coffee, but I do like to chill on my day's off.  Here's what I tend to like when I "take a chill":

Somewhat important
- A bit of a sleep in, maybe to 9 or 10am
- An easy swim to loosen up and keep a feel for the water.  A nice long shower after is also good
Important
- A long stretch and roll with some t.v
- Changeup breakfast (like pancakes instead of oatmeal)
Essential for absolute chill
-High quality beer, but only one (Mill street Organic Lager is preferred)
-Ping Pong (this can get intense)
-Steam room or sauna (the highest level of chill)

This particular day off mentioned above included swim, stretch, beer, and on the top of the list, a visit to the hotel's steam room, so it was pretty chill (and it helped get rid of my cough).

On our last full day in BC, I got to swim in a 50m pool for my first time, and put in 5km of solid swimming.

Vancouver Aquatic Centre (5km swim)

We took the rest of the day to visit a few more elderly relatives, and also visit with my Aunt and two cousins (who agreed to read my blog, so it may be nice to mention them).  Like myself, my cousins are both extremely competitive, and we played a very intense fast paced game of cutthroat uno (lets call this cross training for the mind).  We finished off the evening with a beautifully prepared dinner by my Aunt, that included numerous "Andrew Friendly" foods like a vegetarian lasagne, herbal tea, and dark chocolate.

Our flight back home was fast with only a small delay, but we got back quite late, and everyone was pretty tired.  Of course, being the super energetic triathlete I am, I decided to get dropped off at the pool on our drive home for a quick swim, putting a nice end to a relaxing trip.  Now, after a nice break from the regular routine of a university student (train, study, eat, sleep) I am back to full health and ready to start studying for exams.    

Scratch group

Over the past couple years, my biking has really seen an improvement.  I bought my first bike at the end of grade 12 after having many long discussions with my grade 12 chemistry teacher about cycling.  He was a member of D'ornellas bike club, and invited me out for a few rides with the them during the summer.  After riding with D'ornellas for a bit, I began to outgrow the slow steady rides, and luckily met some people along the way who led me towards who I currently cycle with: The Scratch Group.  I have been riding with Scratch for a couple years now and have really enjoyed the friendly yet competitive nature that makes up this great group of riders.  Rides are up tempo, fast, and include numerous sprints, but also remain very contolled and safe.  New challanges are often made and accepted, such as the "Schleck challenge" (created by myself).  For this challenge, I take the role of professional cyclist Andy Schleck, and the rest of the group takes on the role of Andy's brother Frank Schleck.  I will get a 20-30 second head start in a 15km TT, and the rest of the group attempts to chase me down (I havn't been caught yet, 4/4).
The Scratch group year end get together has become a regular event, and the group met this past friday for our second annual gathering.  The night was full of activities ranging from a "traditional swiss cycling game" (seen below), to watching some cycling footage of gyro d'italia.

Me vs. Allison (I got a flat tire and lost in the final stretch. Allison won it all) 

The gathering also served as a great time to catch up with other members of the group and talk about what others were planning for winter training (I managed to drop in a few references about my blog in an attempt to get some extra blog readers).  All in all, it was a very enjoyable night to finish off a very enjoyable season.

As the outdoor cycling comes to a close, I am looking foreword to at least a couple more rides with the group before the snow hits.  After that, it will be hard indoor bike training for the rest of the winter to get ready for what I hope will be another great year of cycling.

The glass is.....half full?...!

Its been six weeks, and I haven't run once.  I basically live in the athletic therapy clinic and an ice bucket has replaced my running shoes as my footwear of choice.  I had to watch from the sidelines in the pouring rain as my cross country teammates raced in the OUA championships, only getting the opportunity to cheer instead of represent my school (the hosts).  I also had a recent crash on my commute home from school, breaking some parts on my bike and landing hard on my injured foot.  In summary, the last few weeks have presented some pretty big setbacks.

Setbacks however are part of sport and life, and in order to succeed, they must be overcome. That is why at this point in time I remain extremely optimistic, and have set myself up to not only recover, but drastically improve.

Lets go through my glass half full outlook

I like to view my injury as a gateway for realizing new opportunities that might remain unseen in my uninjured state.  As the door closed for the opportunity to run with the cross team, another door opened to the athletic injury clinic.  In taking the opportunity to receive treatment from my team therapist, I have seen my injury improve every week that goes by.  If that wasn't enough, we also developed a comprehensive plan to turn my weakened self into a strong, well oiled machine for next years racing season.

Coming to the realization early on that I probably wouldn't be running for a while lead me directly to the pool, where I not only was able to maintain my fitness, but also meet some people essential to my further success.  I decided I needed to invest some time and money into my swimming, so I signed up to swim with the york swim team.  This was perhaps one of the best decisions I could have made.  I won't reveal everything, but basically I have been able to see both my swimming and cycling improve just by signing up.  I have also lined up some top class running partners for down the road as a result of swimming with the team.

Right to Left: Me (3'rd), Cody (2'nd), Richard (1'st), Paulina (1'st woman), Alex (4'th), Angela (2'nd woman)

And as if I needed any more motivation, I got it when I was awarded a nice big cheque of 500 clams (dollars) for my third place overall finish in the elite age group of the Multisport Canada Triathlon Series.  To top this would take something big...like something for free (for those blog reader who aren't aware, I take after my dad and get really pumped over free swag).  As if higher powers were at play, I get an email from Multi Sport Canada informing me I was a winner of a $200 gift card towards a pair of Rudy Project sunglasses in the season long draw.  After winning nothing all season in post race prize draws, I finally get my name picked, and end up getting one of the best prizes of the lot. Hows that for motivation!!  I might be down for now, but not even close to out!


Thats it for now, my foots getting cold in the ice bucket

Stuck in Limbo: How to enjoy water running

If you read my last blog post, you would have seen that it has been almost a month since I have been out for a run.  I watch countless weekend runners out for early morning runs as I am on slow bike rides, thinking that sometime soon, I can do the same.  I can only dream about stretching my legs out in perfect strides while I enjoy the beautiful fall colours on a trail run.  Dreaming however will not help me recover or maintain fitness, so I have had to employ some necessary cross training measures, namely deep water running.

Deep water running is one of the things that injured runners always talk about,  but are never eager to do (just like cross training on bikes).  It can be deathly boring and extreemly tiring, two factors that make this a debatable workout choice for injured runners.  I however, have found a few ways to make deep water running more interesting and provide a solid workout while I am injured.
Tip #1:  Don't use a foam water running belt
True water running does not constitute the use of a floating device while you run. You are not signing up for your grandma's aquafitness class (no offence to my grandma who is a committed blog reader).  You are performing the running motions under the water, and are activating the glut muscles when you pull back through the water.  Not wearing a belt will get your heart rate much higher, and lead to a better overall workout.  If you feel like you might drown, hold onto the edge and practice the leg motions.
Tip #2:  Don't use your arms to keep you floating
Now that you are in the deep end without a foam belt, you need to use your legs to keep you up, not your arms.  Tuck in the elbows, and keep the arms bent at 90 degrees, making a fist with your hands.  Save your arm muscles for the swimming workout, and focus on glut activation and proper technique with the legs.  The motion is like doing high knees, kicking out the lower leg, and then pulling back with the foot facing the bottom of the pool (like B's for you runners).  By eliminating excessive hand motions, you will help eliminate sloppy form and will get better leg motion and activation.
Tip #3: Don't lean forward
More often then not, you will find yourself leaning too far foreward when you water run (especially you cyclists).  This may help you go faster down the pool, but that is not the goal.  Water running is meant to provide fitness, but also provide an oppurtunity to focus on good technique.  Good runners will not be hunched over when they run, and this should also be the case in water running.  Focus on having a straight back, with the shoulders relaxed and pulled back.  The shoulders should be in line with the pelvis, and the feet should pass directly under your perfectly straight upper body.
Tip #4: Find someone to run with
When I was just starting out with water running, I was helped out by some of the veteran members of my XC team, who were also injured and experienced water runners.  We also had our coach watching us from the side of the pool, giving us tips on our form, and timing us for intervals.  Watching someone who has good water running form in person can help boost your own technique, and make you much more relaxed in the water.  Having someone to run with also helps eliminate boredom and helps the time to go by much faster (My 50 minute run today went by really fast since I was talking to my water running partner the whole time.  Also having a few female french exchange students wearing bikinis come into the slow lane helped keep things interesting....)

Conclusion
I have no idea whether water running will help with my actual running when I slip the shoes back on.  I find that my water running workouts are very difficult and surprisingly fatiguing.  During intervals, I can get my heart rate to around 160-170 BPM, but usually hover in the 120-130 range.  My legs definatly feel the fatigue of water runs, but at the same time, it is also very easy on the joints, so it is a good workout for injured runners (or those who don't like the pounding).  If you are thinking about starting a bit of water running, do it in combination with a swim workout.  This way you could do a workout where you feel comfortable, and then move on to a totally different workout.  My first few attempts at water running were far from pretty, but I stuck to it, and my form has improved significantly (and my enjoyment).

One step back, Two steps foreword

After a full summer of triathlon racing, my body was in need of some time off after the lakeside olympic distance triathlon.   The last month of training had been intense and I was probably clocking upwards of 20 hours per week.  I had managed to stay injury free throughout the season, and decided it would be beneficial to run with the York XC team in the fall.  Signs of overuse however were beginning to present themselves, like a small pain in the shin or a bit of burning in the knees.

These small pains seemed to carry over to XC running, and although the pain in my shin was persisting, I was told I could probably run through it.  I decided to push the envelope by racing at the Western Invitational, an 8km XC race, less than a week after my last tri.  I felt a bit of pain in my shin during the warm up, but decided to race anyway.  Less then a mile into the race, I felt a sharp stab of pain, and suddenly discovered I couldn't put any weight on my foot.  I had to stop racing, and watch my whole team run by before I got picked up by a passing golf cart.  I was in agony the rest of the day, and nothing helped relieve the pain.  Now almost three weeks later, I have been through intense swelling, stinging pain, and relentless discomfort (maybe exaggerated a bit, but it felt pretty bad).  I spent a week and a half on crutches, and am only now starting to put weight back on my foot.   Dealing with setbacks can be tough, and this was no exception.

Just having been through the thanksgiving season however, I have come to terms with my situation, and have shifted my focus towards the more positive aspects of my injury.  During my time on crutches, I let my body rest, and only trained with easy pool sessions to help keep me somewhat active.

Ups and Downs

After about two weeks, I started my comeback plan.  The first step in my recovery is to start a strengthening program to get my muscles stronger and better prepared to deal with the high physical demands of running.  I introduced some basic exercises that did not put strain on my shin and I can already feel the progress.  Step two of my recovery is introducing a periodized schedule.  When I get back to regular training over the winter, it will be important to train smarter, and not overdue it to the point of injury.  I will be working with the running and swimming coaches at York to help improve my swimming and running form for next season.  I will also be enlisting the help of experienced triathlon coach Richard Pady, who will help me with the planning of my workouts and overall training.  By implementing these steps, I hope to use my injury as a learning experience, and as a motivational factor to recover from my setback, and propel myself back up.

Behind the Scenes of "elite" triathlon

Blog Note: For the now four of you now reading, I'm trying hard to have good punctuation and spelling in my blog posts.  Spelling mistakes are inevitable, and the fact that all my tests and exams are in multiple choice format doesn't help.  Hopefully it doesn't deter anyone from reading...


On race day, the outward composure of an "elite" level triathlete seems far from stressed.  Although someone like myself may appear to be calm and have a plan on race day, there are lots of things going on behind the scenes that may cause you to think otherwise
Most first time triathletes will get very exited the week leading up to the race, and will pack their bags a few days prior to the event.  I tend to do the opposite, waiting until the night before the race until I even take my bag out of the closet.  I got better as the season progressed, but my worst late night packing adventure was for the Binbrook triathlon.  I got a bit distracted from my packing by playing a few too many games of ping-pong, and by the time I finished it was close to 1:00am.  Considering that I was going to be waking up at 4:45am, it was defiantly not one of my better-planned packing jobs (I did manage to win the race though).
I have also found that there is a potential for the pre-race setup to go quiet wrong.  Most first time racers will have bad dreams the night before the race of doing something like forgetting their timing chip, or not brining an essential piece of gear.  During the Wasaga triathlon (modified to DU), I did both.  Due to high winds and a looming storm, racers were banned from using any disc wheels, which of course I had installed on Francesca.  I do have other wheels, but unfortunately, I left them sitting by the front door.  This led to a huge pre-race scramble for a non-disc rear wheel, and was only cleared up five minutes before the start of the race.  In my rush to the starting line, I also managed to forget my timing chip, having my second mess up of the day before the race even started.
There have also been some interesting moments in transitions this past season that were unexpected.  My most recent mishap occurred at the lakeside triathlon, where instead of running straight to my bike as fast and as smooth as I could, I took a big detour into the tri a tri transition area.  This was a bit embarrassing, considering before the race, I was introduced as an elite, only to make a classic rookie mistake.
Perhaps my favourite behind the scenes moment to share is a look at what happens to my room after a race.  Most people would assume that as an elite, I am just as efficient at putting away my gear as I am at using it.  Here’s a look at my room three days after the race:

Shoes, helmet, clothes, and my bikes (Francesca on the right)

Two weeks later, the scene hasn’t changed (minus a few pairs of underwear).  So there’s a look behind the scenes of “elite” triathlon racing.  If you are new to triathlon and you are afraid that some of these things might happen to you, don’t let it deter you from racing.  Even "elites", who appear to be so confident, are just as susceptible to chaotic moments that no triathlete wants to deal with.