The Driven 5 Finale

Well the 2009 racing season is finally winding down for everyone and most of the Driven 5 are now recovering or preparing for a few end of season running events. It is hard to believe that we are about to close this chapter and everyone will embark on a new one.

Overall, I am very pleased with how everyone fared and yes everyone did accomplish their original athletic goals. What was great to see was how everyone stayed positive and focused on their goals which is tough to do over such a long period of time and with so many of life's distractions pulling them in different directions.

I noticed a large increase in each athlete's confidence level after they completed each of their events and a genuine passion develop towards the sport of triathlon in general. At least no one has turned their back on the sport!

What I also noticed in each person was a new sense of awareness and respect in terms of the time commitment required to properly prepare for a triathlon both physically and mentally. No one after their event was content with just having "finished" but rather they were already analyzing their performances and looking at how they could improve next year or in a few years. Growth for certain.

Each person explored new personal boundaries this year which I feel is a true motivator and reason why so many of us do endurance events or sport in general. I hope that each member of the Driven 5 will take some time to reflect on their year, their progress, the process we as coaches put them through and be able to answer the question "why do I want to continue doing triathlons" for themselves.

Liz has her sights on completing the Sylvan Lake Half Ironman in 2010. Liz has also proudly reclaimed her athletic self.

Heather is going to focus on running and looks to qualify for the Boston Marathon, maintain her swimming and then get back into triathlons in a few years when her children are in school full time.

Amy has been plotting her path to earning a spot in the 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater for her age group. She and her "guy" Dave are also recently engaged! Congrats you two.

Ari has signed up for Ironman Canada in 2010. He is a lawyer and yes he is single ladies.

Marc is looking to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Marc has also joined the Ironman Club.

All that remains is our wrap-up party on September 24th and I look forward to hearing every one's stories that evening.

Well done gang and thanks for making us proud of our Driven 5 selections - each of you was truly amazing!

Sincerely,

Jack

Looking Back on 70.3

Well August 2 has come and gone. Last November when I was contemplating registering for the race it seemed like distant dream, by the time spring rolled around and I was wading through the water at Wasa for my first tri, it became real! I look back over the last 9 months I am amazed with what I have done personally, professionally, physically and emotionally. With that said, let me reflect on my 70.3 race!

Race day morning:
I woke up at the respectable hour of 4:30 and sat at the kitchen table choking down my tried, tested and true staple of a bagle with peanut butter. At 5am, Dave and I headed over the Jack's house and then out to Ghost Lake. Pulling into the parking lot was surreal. People everywhere with their clear, white and red bags in hand. After getting body marked, getting my bags where they needed to go and making sure my bike was good to ride, I went over to check out the start for the swim. By this point I had some nerves happening but only the good kind that indicate you are ready for the day. Following a quick visit to the bushes, I donned my wetsuit, googles and cap and ventured down to the launch. Our heat was fairly large as we had25-29 women as well as 30-34 women.

Swim
My goal for the swim was to get out of th water in a relatively competitive position. Having never swum 2000m continuously (Chinook was 2x1km loop) I was interested to see how the body would respond. After some initial issues with my goggles leaking I set into a decent rythm. All in all the swim was alright. I noticed some slightl stomach cramps about half way through but attributed that to taking in five face fulls of water at the start! T1 was decent, though similar to Ari, I am trying to figure out where my 4 minutes went!

Bike
Now this was what I was most looking forward to. I knew that to be competitive in my age group I would need a strong ride as I knew some of the other competition and knew they were stronger runners than I. Since April I have rode Grand Valley-Horse Creek at least once a week. My legs were feeling great as I started off the ride. I just kept passing people - I was pushing a decent pace, but nothing I couldn't sustain. I went through the first feed zone grabbed some water (note to race organizer, dont hand out water with screw tops, makes it hard for those athletes who don't have those front water bottle thingies!). Cruised down Horse Creek and through Cochrane hill. At this point I was sitting in 2nd place in my age group and had about 10 minutes on 3rd place. Suddenly I hear that dreaded hiss of a flat tire...... Dagnamit I think to myself. However, I calmly, pull over, pull out my tools and start changing it. Just as I am going to fill it with air I notice some gravel in the rim, after a failed attempt to pick it out, I decided to pull off tire and tube, clean out the gravel and then go forward. All in this cost me 10 minutes! So I got back on my bike and put my head down and kicked it down hiway 22. Turining onto airport road I am anticipating a feed station as my water water bottle was empty and my other bottle was packed with triple strength cytomax which was not appealing as those small stomach cramps from the swim were still kicking around. Cruise through aid station 2 and continue on. I finally catch 3rd place coming on to lower Springbank road. We come into T2 at exactly the same time! I rack my bike, don my shoes and head out for the run (making a much needed pit stop at the loo for a pee break).

Run
Heading out on the run just behind 3rd place was very concerning. I know she is a strong runner and was in my worst case scenariou. Regardless I put my head down and find my pace. The first 5km went really well. I was hitting my 5min/km target. Then at 5km my stomach cramps decide to get a little more intense, causing me to stop and walk with my arms above my head. The next 10km were probably the worst I have experienced to date. Between the heat getting to me and those darned stomach cramps, I had a heck of a time finding a rythm. At the bottom of the Weasle Head, coming back, I decided it was time to put my head down, dig deep and finish strong. Was it ever amazing to run through North Glenmore, through the crowds of volunteers and spectators cheering me on. It was great! I hit 2km to go and really start to feel the legs shut down but keep pushing through. Then I finally see it, the fencing for the finish shoot. As I am coming in with 200m to go I can hear a fellow behind me, trying to take me in those last 200m. So I dug as deep as I could and held him off. I crossed the finish line at 5:27 and 4th place in my age group.

Since the race I have had much time to reflect. If you ask me whether I happy with my race, I will say "relatively". I really wanted top 3 in my age group and a sub 5:05 finishing time (which would have given me a qualifying spot for 70.3 worlds in Florida in Novemebr). I have played it over and over in my mind. Maybe I didn't push hard enough on the run, what if I had run tubular rims and didn't flat. After a few days of wallowing it then occured me to that for my third triathlon ever, I should be proud of my accomplishment. Not only was I able to race on race day, but I had made it 9 whole months without any health issues. Over the last 9 months I have learned more about myself, my support system and the sport than I ever thought possible. I have learned that nothing is unattainable - all it takes is dedication, perseverance and right support from the right people!

I would like to say a HUGE thanks to Talisman for the opportunity to be a part of the Driven5. Thanks to Jon, Megan and Laurel for all of your help in the pool. Kelly, a huge thanks for teaching me that gels aren't as evil as I once thought! And Jack, I don't even know where to start. You have helped to realize a potential in myself that I didn't think possible. Needless to say you have open the can of worms called "triathlon" and I look forward to many more years of training and racing!

One other thanks to David, Mom and Dad. All I can say is the last 9 months would not have been possible if it weren't for your unwavering support :-)

As the 2009 season comes to a close, I am already anticipating 2010. I still need to iron out my focus but regardless, it will include many more adventures and learning experiences (not to mention I am heading back to school to get my long anticipated Masters of Teaching). 2009 will always be the year of the Driven5. The year when 5 very different people, with 5 very different motives, came together for one common goal - dream, believe, achieve!

Ironman Calgary 70.3 - Ari

The last ten seconds of the race—when the finish line came into view, the crowd started to cheer, and I began to sprint—made it all worth it. If I could somehow unpack the elation, the feeling of invincibility, the Las Vegas style lightshow of neuro-chemical activity contained in those last 10 seconds, I could easily spread it out over every training session during the last year. And I’m pretty sure it’s registered on some sub-conscious level, because thoughts of future training and future events keep bubbling to the surface. Your body craves more.

On a more conscious level, I came to the realization after doing the Wasa Lake Triathlon in June that you really can’t do triathlon for only one season. Well, you can, I guess, but you may be doing yourself an injustice. For me, I see next year as being when the real fun begins. I’ve only now begun to identify my limiters, only now begun to understand the equipment, a few economy-enhancing techniques, the basis for periodization. To set that all aside now would be tantamount to purchasing all the brushes, the paints, the palette, the canvass; taking a full complement of first-year theory and studio courses; creating a couple of pieces that, in your own view at the very least, are relatively acceptable, enjoying the entire process, and then shelving it all in the back of the closet before the second year has even begun. Why bother?

So I’ve signed up to volunteer at Ironman Canada this year, and while I’m there I’m going to register myself for that race in 2010. I’m going to do the Vancouver Triathlon this coming Labour Day, possibly one more tri after that, and then I’ll get down to the process of season recovery and early-stage training for next year.

As for the Calgary Ironman 70.3 this last Sunday, I’m not sure it could have gone more according to plan. A couple nights before the race I prepared an honest assessment of how I expected to perform in each of the three splits and the two transitions. I finished within three and a half minutes (on the fast side) of that goal.

It was a beautiful morning. The pre-dawn anticipation as I boarded the bus for Ghost Lake far outweighed any sense of nervousness I had about the race. When we arrived at T1 I quietly set about preparing my bike and mentally rehearsing the swim and transition logistics. I spotted one of my Driven 5 colleagues—the ever-smiling Marc Morin—just as an auspicious sun climbed out from behind the foothills. We exchanged a few words of encouragement on what was going to be a glorious day.

The water was positively refreshing. I don’t know if it was the abundance of ice baths I’ve been taking after hard training sessions, whether my core temperature was elevated from standing around in my wetsuit, the pre-race adrenalin, or a combination of these factors, but when I dove in for my warm up, I couldn’t have imagined a more agreeable temperature for the swim. My wave start was immediately after the pros’. I seeded myself in the middle of the pack, and a little to the outside. The start went very well. At Wasa I found I (to borrow a term from Gordo Byrn, co-author of Going Long) “engaged” a lot of other swimmers, alternately getting clamoured over and swimming into others’ feet. I attributed this primarily to poor sighting on my part. For Sunday’s race, I sighted every couple of strokes at the start and managed to negotiate the chaos relatively unscathed. As the pack began to spread out I settled into my pace and kept my eyes on the buoys. Unfortunately I was not able to (and probably not skilled enough to do so at any rate) draft off anyone, so I heeded Gordo Byrn’s advice—that is, a two-minute improvement on the swim can cost you 20 minutes on the run—and held back a bit.

In retrospect, I think the swim was where I felt the most vulnerable at any point during the race, but at the same time, and with the exception of the final stage of the run, it was also where I felt the most exhilarated. There you are: in the middle of a deep lake; the sun, barely edged over the horizon; the water, black; the only sounds, your breath, the water, both muted by your swim cap. On the way out to the turnaround buoys I recall turning my head to take a breath and seeing three figures standing motionless on the ridge. I know now they were likely volunteer spotters looking for signs of distressed swimmers, but at the time they eerily resonated as solemn reminders of how very much alone I was out there. As I say, I felt strangely exhilarated knowing that it would be up to me to finish that swim.

About 300 meters from shore I switched from a two-beat kick to a six-beat kick to start getting more blood in my legs in preparation for transition, and came out 72^nd out of the 174 competitors in my age group.

I question whether it would be too generous of me to say that my T1 transition sucked. I mean, I recognized from Wasa the epic crappiness of my T1 skills, and I attempted to account for this by pencilling in five-minutes on my pre-race estimate for this race, but 6:14? What on earth was I doing for six minutes and 14 seconds? Who knows, but it factors high on my list of limiters to address next season.

As for the bike portion, this was exceedingly enjoyable. I had done the first half of the course five times over the last couple of months, so I knew what to expect. For the first 15 kms I really held back, took in water only, and concentrated on getting my heart rate down. Shortly after the turn onto Grand Valley Road—and the ensuing downshift on the incline—I noticed my rear derailleur was behaving more erratically than the suspect vehicle in any COPS episode, so I lost about a minute making some much needed barrel adjustments. After that, I started the process of taking in nutrition and enjoying the course.

Although I maintained a relatively respectable pace (for me at any rate) on the first half of the bike route—aided most definitely by an aero helmet that Jon Bird graciously lent me—I have to admit that, just as Gordo Byrn indicates in Going Long and on endurancecorner.com, the bike leg is an exercise in restraint and humility. When you get passed on the downhill by someone on a bike thousands of dollars more expensive than yours, or by someone hammering on the flats, don’t sweat it. There are only two possibilities here: you’re either going to pass them later on in the bike or the run, or they’re faster than you to begin with. So yes, it happened to me a couple of times early on in the course, and I resisted the urge to grab another gear and attempt to keep up. My hedge paid off as I passed three of them on the hill coming out of Cochrane, and never saw them again.

As an aside, I found it particularly heartening to see some of the ranch families parked at the side of the road, old timers and babies and everyone in between, waving at the competitors. It’s become increasingly evident to me that cyclists and triathletes share an uneasy, often downright antagonistic, relationship with motor vehicles and the residents who (perhaps rightfully) consider the secondary highways abutting their homesteads part of their ‘hood. Ever since Wasa I’ve been unable to shake the feeling that, to the uninitiated, we cyclists and triathletes, what with our tight-fitting, multi-coloured lycra, look like little Hallowe’en candies whizzing along on multi-coloured bikes, as foreign to them as they may seem to us. A little preachy, perhaps, but to the extent we can manage a smile or wave back, and to the extent we can hang onto both parts of the empty gel packet, rather than spitting and throwing them out on the side of the highway (which I have seen a number of times), I think that will go a long way in ensuring continued support from those who came out early on a Sunday morning, and gaining support from those who, at present, consider us obstacles more than anything.

From Cochrane to Lower Springbank Road I continued to hydrate (plain water) and take in nutrition which, for the entire race (with the exception of an Enervitene “cheer pack” 5 kms before the finish), consisted of three Endurolyte capsules roughly every 50 minutes, and highly concentrated flasks of Perpetuem. I finished the bike 62^nd in my age group, and went through T2 in 2:01, a marginal improvement over T1.

My strategy for the run was similar to my strategy for the bike. In two words: slow the @#$% down. As I noticed at Wasa, you feel remarkable coming off the bike, and you have to slow down to not blow up on the run. I was running 45 seconds per kilometre too fast coming out of T2, and it literally took me two kilometres to slow down to the pace I knew I could sustain for the run. And though I can run relatively well in the heat, man was I thankful for that early wave start, as I can’t imagine the afternoon furnace some of the later runners had to endure.

Whereas the swim was the most exhilarating portion of the race for me, the run was the most inspiring. This was primarily a matter of logistics because, since the course was an out-and-back, I got to see all the pros on the home stretch. I remember looking over at Mirinda Carfrae, the women’s winner, as she was about 2.5 kms from the finish, and thinking to myself how exceptionally strong she looked. What separates me from elite distance “runners” is the fact they do just that: they run. And to see these athletes at or near the apotheosis of athletic ability, chasing each other down the final few kilometres—well, it was beautiful.

So, as I indicated at the start, I got my little 10 seconds of fanfare for a relatively admirable sprint to the finish. My family—who’ve indulged my relatively ephemeral existence over the last 10 months—and my friends—who’ve indulged my relatively (and no doubt irritatingly) sober existence over the last 10 months—were there for the race, and insofar as triathlon is an intensely introspective, venturing upon lonely, endeavour, their presence made the finish that much sweeter. I ended up 35^th on the run split and 44^th overall for my age group. I’m satisfied with these results, but more satisfied with the fact my race strategy played out nearly precisely on spec. Something is working.

I may never be able to share—let alone understand—all the reasons I’m doing this, but I think my friends and family who were there on Sunday (especially my dear Mom, whose apple cake I’ve refused dozens of times over the last year) understand that, whatever reasons they are, they are compelling ones.

I am indebted to Endurance Training Systems and Talisman Centre; to my colleagues in the Tri-Club and Driven 5; and especially to Jon Bird, Megan Bird, Jack VanDyk, Kelly Drager, Paul Robertson, and Greg Cooper—coaches and advisors who not only taught me the material, but, like all good professors, how to start to make it my own.

What a great race!

Well I did it! There were certainly many points throughout the past 8 months where I did not think that I would ever cross the finish line, but I discovered yesterday that with determination and the right sort of help and support anything is possible.
I managed to overcome my fear of deep water and finished the 2K swim within the required time and much to my surprise did not come in last for a change! The day was off to a great start. I took my time in transition getting ready for my bike and set off to face the challenge of a hilly but wonderful ride. Much to my surprise even the Cochrane hill went smoothly and was much less of a challenge than I expected. Once I arrived at north Glenmore park I was feeling great. I had finished two out of the three events and nothing was going to stop me from hitting the finish line now. I started out too fast on the run but forced myself to slow down. It was at this point I felt the heat. Thankfully there were many wonderful volunteers with lots of water and sponges and I was easily able to keep my pace throughout. I still had energy left at the end which probably means I should have pushed harder but I wanted to have enough energy left over that I could enjoy the moment of crossing the finish line as well. Overall it was a perfect day! It was great to see Amy and Marc along with some of the tri-club members out there, everyone was giving it there best shot which was great to see! I have to thank a number of people as there is no way I could have accomplished such a feat on my own, but they know who there are.
What is next is the question I keep getting asked. I will not be doing another 1/2 ironman at least until both kids are in school full time, but that just gives me a couple of years to work on becoming more comfortable in the water. In the short term I'll probably focus on my running a little more as I am hoping to do Boston in the spring. Thank you to everyone for all your encouragement and support, it truely has been an amazing experience, one I will not forget any time soon!

Have a Great Race

The big weekend has finally arrived for four of the Driven 5 and one coach! It looks to be a great weekend for weather, racing and celebrating what has been a long journey for members of the Driven 5.

Racing in our home city should be an incredible experience with so many friends and family coming out to cheer us on and celebrate with us. I have not ever done such a big event in my home town so this is something I am looking forward to immensely.

Remember to enjoy the day no matter what is thrown at you. Remain positive, avoid the negative vibes and people on course and control what lies within your control on race day.

Good luck to Heather, Marc, Ari and Amy this weekend!

JVD

Something positive =0)

Well once again it has been a while since my last post. Apparently between kids, work and travel I have not had much opportunity to sit at my computer for more than 5 mins. Since I last posted I personally had a complete melt down and was ready to quit except for the fact that I refuse to allow myself to do so. The thing about sport that I love most is that just when you least expect it, and often most need it, someone comes out of the crowd and says just the right thing. Thank you Lana and many others that picked me up at this time and encouraged me to keep on going. I was convinced at the end of may that after struggling to swim 500 meters (pool) for the Try This Tri that there was no way I would ever be able to complete the 1.9K (open water) that is required for the half Ironman in August.

June started with more training in the snow and a chilly swim in Lake Sundance. My first ever experience in swimming open water. I chose not to follow the crowd and stuck the to edge until I felt I had my confidence. After swimming roughly 1/4 of the way around I decided to give it all I had and swam out to the middle, as I could not stay in may safety net in the upcoming months. I swam until I could see fish and kept going until I could see nothing at all and managed to find my way back to shore. It was not a long swim but I had proven to myself that I could swim in deep, open, cold water and live to tell about it. It was certainly the confidence boost that I needed.

Following this experience I hooked up with Dan Fraser from High Altitude hypnosis ( http://www.highaltitudehypnosis.com/ ) in order to try and overcome my fear of deep water, something I would never have considered doing years ago. After being asked 3 times in one week if I had ever considered hypnosis I took it as a sign and looked into it. I had no idea what to expect but Dan made sure I was comfortable and has successfully brought me to a point where I am still aware of what I am doing but overall more relaxed in doing so, allowing me to finally focus on my swim stroke rather than dealing with the panic of not being able to touch the bottom. Thanks Dan!!

I have continued working with Amanda on my swim. She has offered unending support and was able to convince me that I could accomplish my goals before I was able to really believe it myself. I still need a ton of work but with Amanda's patience and skill I have been able to bring up my swim distance and can now swim 1500 to 2000 meters consistantly. Yeah, another confidence boost!!

On June 20th I had my biggest test to date. I competed in the Chinook Oympic Triathlon held at Lake Midnapore. My time was not great (Amy I have a lot to learn from you!!!) but most importantly I FINISHED. My swim was far from pretty as I discovered the importance of sighting while in open water, a skill I had neglected to learn prior to competing. In my first 150 meters of the swim I swam so far off course I crashed into the boat docks. As I was thinking about what I should do, and yes quitting was one of the options being tossed around, my next hero in life arrived...Thank You Jay the wonderful guy in the red kayak. He explained about sighting and stuck to my left side for the remainder of the swim. I still successfully swam way off course several more times but did manage to avoid any more collissions which I was thankful for. Thankfully the second lap went much smoother as I finally figured out how to actually swim and watch for the buoys on a regular basis. Instead I developed a major cramp in both calves something I had never experienced before. I was definately in pain but could not bring myself to stop (yes I did briefly consider it again) but with Jay's encouragement I made it the full 1500 meters. I came up on the beach and was greated with a large ovation - there are some perks to being dead last! - I had my own personal stripper who successfully stripped off my wet suit before I had recovered from the dizziness I felt upon standing up right after an hour in the water. The race crew were great as they escorted me from the lake to the transition zone and assured I was okay before leaving me to tackle the bike and run. The bike was disappointing but I was afraid to push too hard knowing I still had to run 10K. I learned I should have pushed harder and definatley should have drunk a whole lot more water. The bike was certainly the loneliest portion of the race as I was miles from anyone and did not really recieve much of a confidence boost by passing anyone as I had in the Try this event in may, as I simply did not see anyone to even try and pass. I pushed on knowing that regardless of how long it took I could finish this race. I took off on the run a little faster than I should have but managed to settle into a steady pace for the first 7K. By 8K my lack of water and the heat from the midday sun caught up with me and I gave in for the first time ever and walked for a minute. I knew I was close to the finish and definately could not even consider quitting at this point so I forced myself up the hill and pushed hard across the finish line. I had done it!!!

The Chinook event was a wonderful learning experience in what not to do in a race. Sighting, pacing and fluid intake were all important lessons. Although the last thing I was looking for in my schedule was another race I decided to sign up for the Coral Springs Olympic event so I can try it all again in July and hopefully improve upon my faults before I have to endure my ultimate test in August. I was thrilled that I was able to actually finish a 1500 meter open water swim and am now more confident than ever that with continued training over the next 5 weeks I can add the required 400 meters in order to finish the half Ironman event.

In amongst all of this my Dad unfortunately has taken a turn for the worse and is struggling to keep his confidence up. Fear of course is his biggest enemy, aside from the obvious that is. I wish there was a simple strategy available to help him face his fear as I have struggled to face my own. I'm determined to cross the finish line in my next two races in order to help encourage him and reinforce the idea if you believe you can do it anything truely is possible!

Update McLeod

It has been a while since I have written so here is an update on the last couple of months


April
My running was going to be put to the test in my first "running race" . I had entered the Canmore Women's Run last year and while I had enjoyed it apparently my brain forgot that this is one hilly run. I contacted Laurel and asked her how I should approach this race and she gave me some great tips. I was not anxious at the start of this race (usually I stress so much about the race that I pretty much psych myself out). The horn blows and off I go. Relax I remember that I need to stay focused. I tackle the hills and manage to take about 7 minutes off my time from last year. One race down and more to go.

May
I competed in the Try it Tri on May 24 and was really pumped for this one. Last year this was the first tri I had ever done. So to do it this time I was so ready. Laurel was there to give support to both Heather and I. I felt so confident. The swim was good and I headed for the transition area to get on the bike, Laurel was right there and I was so full of adrenaline. I grabbed my bike and off I went LITERALLY! I fell at the start of the bike transition. After what seemed like an eternity I got back on I knew that I was going to have to dig really deep inside myself to get past this hurdle. Even with blood dripping off my knee, I felt good on the bike. Things where going well until I realized that my front tire was slowly getting flatter. I figured that with only one lap to go I could just make it. I got back to transition and pretty much threw my shoes and helmet and took off for the run. I crossed the finish line and had accomplish what I had set out to do

Last year I finished in 1:29 and placed 45 in my age group. This year 1:11 and finished in the top 30 and 3 among women of my age (44).

June
The above picture was take June 6th just before I left for a ITT (individual time trial). Thank goodness they delayed the start by two hours. We had just about every weather pattern you can imagine which added to the experience. What surprised me was how quiet this race was. We where on a road that had no cars going in the opposite direction. No people standing on the sidelines cheering. Just the sound of the wheel and the road. WOW

The next day I put on the dreaded wet suit and braved the waters of Lake Sundance. Yes it was cold and no, no one had a gun to my head to do it. This experience really surprised me as I am a swimmer but apparently not in a lake. With the wet suit and booties I was at a loss as how to swim. I swear the trees didn't move as I swam what I thought was 150 meters but when I looked back to the shore I realized that I had made progress. As I was leaving the water to put my feet back on Terra Firma , I seriously thought I was going to pass out. I suspect with the cold water and restriction of the wet suit my body just was not used to that kind of workout.

The story continues......

Morin File (round two)

Over the last several months training hours have been added and intensities changed. All the while Marc has had nothing but a giant smile on his face. His reaction to training stress has been remarkable. The last couple of weeks have truly been a test of our relationship, not the 'typical test' that relationships go through. But a test of how effective our training plan has been. This past weekend Marc ran the Calgary Marathon in a new personal best; 3:20:00 (20 minute pb), when I chatted with him the very next day on the pool deck he was grinning like a Cheshire cat. I shouted out 'new pb' as he approached with the usual bounce in his step. 'yep' he replied 'and I will go faster next time.' He has promptly singed up for the Victoria Marathon in October to qualify for Boston.

I been around athletes for most of my life and it is truly rare to see this level of enthusiasm and passion for personal goals. The next relationship test will come this weekend as Marc and I hit the Water with 600 other athletes at the Wasa Lake triathlon. Tune in for round three!

The Brave Ones

As you can see Motley Crue hit the open water this weekend at Lake Sundance! Good on you gang for getting out into the lake this weekend. Great Spiderman stances too gang!

Also a congratulations goes out to Liz Macleod and Marc Morin for taking part in their first ever bicycle race this past weekend. Both took part in the SpeedTheory Race the Ring Road 30km Individual Time Trial on Saturday June 6th.

The weather across Calgary was really mixed - as I drove to the race venue I encountered beautiful sunshine, then a snowstorm, then rain, hail, wind and finally gray but clear skies on the North East side of the city.

Both Liz and Marc gave a full out effort on the day and finished with smiles on their faces. The cold temperatures during the bicycle race must have given them a sense of being "hard core" which made getting into the water on Sunday much easier.

Way to go you two.

JVD

Life lessons - highs and lows

Well it has been a while since I wrote anything here, I know I should try and be more committed =0). The past few weeks have seen many changes. I started working with a new swim coach in April and can now officially say I can swim without a nose clip. I have been working really hard in the pool and on the bike with the occasional run. I made it out for the morning of Jack's bike training camp a few weeks ago and learned a great deal about bike maintance and how to actually ride outside, apparently you cannot use training wheels when you go outside. I can now officially change a tire and have had some practice in the past week. I discovered that I need to build up a whole lot of confidence on turning corners and going down hill but I can make up a lot of lost time on my up hill climbs (of course science would say it is better to save the energy and just use the momentum from the downhill instead). Hopefully a few more outdoor rides (assuming the weather cooperates) will allow me to build my skills and stay in control as I gain speed.

My first race of the season was the Police half marathon at the end of April, thankfully I met the goals that I had set despite my lack of running and entered into my summer racing season on a high note after being awarded the prize for the fastest police service female. Thanks Kirsty for keeping me focused =0). After completing this I figured I should probably enter some triathlons in order to help prepare myself for the half Ironman in August. I chose to enter the Try this triathlon which was held at foothills pool this past weekend.

So how did the race go? Yesterday I was feeling great! I finished my first triathlon!! and I did not drown or even stop swimming for the full 500 meters (which is a whole lot more than I could say 4 weeks ago), and I even managed to stay on my bike for the whole ride (sorry Liz!), despite falling off twice on my training ride on Friday. Today I looked at the results and although I am happy with my bike and run I can't help but feel upset with my results in the swim. After several weeks of hard work I did successfully finish my swim, but did so coming in dead last (It is a good thing I was able to make up time in the other areas so my overall results do not look so bad). As they say life goes on and hopefully we can learn from our experiences. I can certainly say that after having gone from being first in one event to last in the next that just finishing requires a significant amount of recognition! It requires at least as much effort, if not more so, to finish last as it does to lead the pack.

My next challenge is to complete the Chinook triathlon at Lake Midnapore on June 20. I will need to improve my distance (as I am required to swim 1500 meters) and time (for obvious reasons) while at the same time face my fear of deep water head on as this will be an open water swim. I cannot say I am not nervous (or even terrified) but I am trying to stay focused on the bigger picture overall and hopefully this will help in pushing me to weather the road bumps ahead.

So as I look ahead I have to say a quick thanks to Laurel, Amanda, Liz and everyone else who has offered their support (especially my hubby), it does make a difference, especially on those days when it all seems impossible! I can now say that I have accomplished one of my life goals which was to finish a triathlon, which would have been impossible for me to consider just a few months ago. So here is to a few more bumps and bruises...nothing a wet suit won't cover!

May Long in Kelowna

With only one weekend of short-wearing had thus far in Calgary, we opted to head west to Kelowna for the long weekend. Having been pumelled by head winds on most rides to date this year and too many indoor rides for this time of year, I was anticipating three days of hard core mountain biking with my boyfriend Dave and close friend Dion. The Myra-Bellevue Canyon in Kelowna has some of the "awesomest" mountain biking I have come across. Whether it is climbing up the relentless Swamp Thing, or challenging the nerves while descending Vapor, I always come home with a smile on my face. Dave and Dion always challenge me to ride what I would otherwise walk.... it is amazing what some peer pressure can achieve!

All in all a really great three days on the bike (even the lost chain ring bolts and two broken crank arms didn't dampen our spirits!). Next up on the plate is the Calgary Half Marathon on May 31st. I am really looking forward to seeing how my running has come along. My long runs have been feeling great and my weekly 6x1000m and 2X3000m are geting consistently faster (sometimes aided by running away from the geese that have once again taken over pathways!). The following three weekends are action packed as Wasa is just around the corner, followed by the Chinook Half...... Looking forward to it all :-)

So on that note, I will sign off. As I look at Ari's picture I get the shivers just thinking about 70.3 - at one point it was a dream, at another a distant goal, but the reality of 12 weeks to go is finally sinking in. YAY!

70.3 Duathlon on the Horizon and an Update.

Ari Sarantis took this picture out at Ghost Lake on Saturday May 9th 2009. This means that in roughly 12 weeks we will be all standing around in the Ghost Lake parking lot with wet suits on only to hear the race organizers delaying the start of the race by 1 to 1.5 hours, then opt out of offering a triathlon and then stating that we will all be doing a duathlon due to frigid water temperatures. We will be further delayed by 1 to 1.5 hours as they plan a suitable running route to start the event. I say do a mass start bike race and allow everyone to race as if it was a bicycle road race where pacelines and echelons will form and allow riders to make up for lost time due to standing around in the transition area earlier. Okay, a bit far fetched and perhaps in poor taste but how can we argue with the picture Ari took??

It would seem the Driven 5 and coaching staff have been too busy lately to post so I figured I should get back on to this. Over the past month or so training has ramped up for myself and Amy Woodward. As it stands now, Amy can out swim me - not that I am a fast swimmer by any means but it is great to see Amy progress so quickly. Laurel has done a great job developing the noon hour swim sets for us in the 50m pool and it has given Amy and I the ability to begin drafting or at the very least swim in the bubbles of the feet in front. To even the widening playing field between Amy and I, I will swim with fins so she can "keep up" to myself. The intent is similar to motor pacing in cycling whereby you ride behind a motorcycle which helps cut the wind in front, simulates raceday speeds and greater, get accustomed to many micro-accelerations to keep pace, enhances concentration etc. In the pool, I can drag Amy along at a faster pace than she is accustomed to and she doesn't have to work quite as hard as when she is swimming by herself. The net effect thus far me losing between 4-5seconds per 100m to her. So quite a bit of time.

On May 2nd and 3rd we finally had some beautiful riding weather in Calgary and we were able to run our Triathlon Club's Bike Camp weekend. Day 1 was in the NW and started with a mechanics session at SpeedTheory and then some technical riding and then training! I was pleased to see how enthusiastic everyone was despite later hearing about some of the terror people had about riding outside for the first time. I have to say that I was impressed with Heather McInnis's positive attitude after her near wipe-out at the bottom of the long downhill. As we all slowed to make the turn there was some gravel on the road which made things more challenging. Heather started to slide but was able to remain upright and keep on going - with a big smile on her face!

On Sunday we rode out on the famous route known as the Road to Nepal - in short a nice hilly 18km road. As is typical with hills, they seperate and divide cyclists into smaller groups or force everyone to ride in isolation. I came out of the parking lot as last person and I saw as Amy and the fast guys took off over the early hills and dropped the majority of the group right away. We all regrouped at the end of the route and then proceeded towards Millarville where we found you can buy wine and beer at the General store. No wonder this is a popular spot to ride out to.

As we began heading back to our start point, several of us rode out another 8km pushing each other on the final climb along that stretch of road. Then on the return to Millarville I set up a sprint finish location to make things interesting. The pace was ramping up as we approached Millarville and the roadies out numbered the triathletes 3 to 2 although technically Amy and I can be considered triathletes at the moment. Our instincts were primal and focused on the one thing that mattered most - cross the finish line first. Kevin McMahon jumped early and Amy instinctively bridged up to him while Nicholas Burford verbally provoked me. In the end I took the sprint finish breaking away from a tired duo - it was a cheap victory for me as Kevin and Amy sprinted for the wrong line. Kevin learned a good lesson that day - always know where the finish line is.

We continued on as a group working well in a paceline together to try and catch back those who had ventured home earlier. I still think we would have caught the group however Alan Larter had an unfortunate accident in which he touched wheels with the rider in front of him and went down hard. In short Alan broke his collarbone that day, will require new bar tape for his bike and a new helmet. In all seriousness, Alan's helmet served it's dutiful purpose to protect his head and hence why everyone should wear a helmet whenever they throw a leg over a bike.

Since that sunny weekend, the weather has been quite a mixed bag around Calgary. I have been rained on, hailed on, blown by gusting winds, pumelled by constant head and crosswinds and enjoyed the odd sunny day. Safe to say the upcoming long weekend is looking great to get outside and play on the bike and trails.

JVD

Driven 5 Update: Project Amy Woodward 2009

Last month Amy was fortunate enough to leave the extremely cold temperatures we experienced in Calgary for the ideal climes of Tuscon Arizona. Over the past 10 years Tuscon has grown to become a winter training destination for cyclists and triathletes due to the favorable weather they can enjoy during our winter months. In fact, one of my other athletes has been living the cyclist’s life down there for 6 weeks honing his fitness which simply can not be done in Canada let alone Calgary. A few others have also made the trip for training and racing. Sadly I have yet to go but vow to one day get down there.

As previously posted, this was a mini training camp (but let’s not forget vacation) in which Amy could focus on building her cycling fitness by logging many kilometers over varied terrain and to escape mentally from day to day life. The bonus for me as a coach is that Amy is using a PowerTap power meter which logs every second of her ride which can be broken down and analyzed afterwards. So what does “focused” training time primarily riding over 10 days net you?

A total of 25.9 hours of saddle time or 647.2km.

A Training Stress Score (TSS)* of 1502.2.

A total of 12687 kJ (Kilo Joules of Work) or close to 14000 kcal burned.

*Training Stress Score (TSS) was a training metric developed by Dr. Andy Coggan to quantify and compare your different workouts, even when they are considerably different in time (length) and power (intensity). TSS is designed to give you a numeric value for each ride that tells you how much training load was on your body for that day’s ride. A TSS of 100 equals an hour at an IF of 1.0. TSS also quantifies how tired you can expect to be after a workout and how long the residual fatigue might last. For further information on this and many more topics visit http://home.trainingpeaks.com/power411.aspx.

So what does this really tell me as Amy’s coach?? Well several things after having gone through her power files. Several key points are as follows;

1. Amy stuck to our objectives of base building versus hammering everyday. This is reflected in her average intensity factor of 0.75 or 75% of her functional threshold power (FTP) or 1 hour sustainable power which is 214 Watts.

2. Amy’s sustainability on the long climbs up Mount Lemmon and Kitt Peak showed she can hold her FTP (200-215W) for upwards of 71minutes! This is a great indication that her FTP is rising which we hope to see in several weeks post mini camp.

3. So long as Amy ate, hydrated, slept and rested well after each ride, she could easily get up the next day and do another big ride. In fact with Amy gradually increasing her volume per ride, we saw her getting stronger as she posted her biggest wattages in the final 4 days of her Tuscon trip.

Now a few points of caution for those who are planning a trip to do a mini camp next week. These training periods are stressful even if done solely as base building due to the rapid increase in training load which in some cases equals twice the regular training volume. As such it is advisable to begin increasing your training load in the weeks prior to a camp so as not to shock the system too dramatically. Eat, hydrate and sleep well as you increase your training load to help you adapt to the training stress and look to alternative methods for recovery such as massage, chiropractic care, supplements etc.

When Amy arrived home, life overwhelmed her as she had to do laundry, groceries, go back to work etc. As such she started to feel the fatigue catching up to her and after chatting with her I gave her 2 weeks of reduced training. In the weeks leading up to Tuscon she did 9.0, 11.1, 13.0, 12.5, 9.7, 12.3 hours of training respectively. Post Tuscon she was prescribed 7.8, 8.2, 10.6 and 10.8 hours of training. Amy did a FTP test 1.5 weeks post mini camp to check her recovery status. Needless to say she was still a bit tired BUT she was very close (205W) to her pre-Tuscon (214W) test values.

Rest and recovery after BIG training days and weeks are mandatory and are actually considered “training days” to a degree given their importance to the athlete’s overall progress. As I wrote in my personal blog regarding the Five Traits of Successful Athletes (http://jackvandyk.blogspot.com), consistency in training is a key trait in order to continually show improvement. My approach with Amy now will be to continue building upon her fitness gains from Tuscon after her recovery weeks as we move towards achieving new levels of performance.

With the favorable weather teasing us this week, we should all be able to put in some quality kilometers this week and weekend out on the roads.

JVD

Another Month gone - Feb/Mar summary

Well I am late in putting up my blog, which goes with the rest of my life right now (just ask my son's teacher - I have been late picking him up almost every day since I started training). I have been working hard on my training until last week when I discovered just how dependent I am on my kids attending school and being healthy in order to have the time I need to train. My daughter was off from school on an early spring break and I was unable to get her into the childcare when I tried, later in the week she was too sick and childcare was no longer an option. My first thought was to simply just try and fit my workout in later in the day but I soon discovered that our days and evenings are full and if I want to be able to put in a quality effort I need to have my morning time. Despite my frustration and disappointment over the past week and a half I have thankfully been able to put in some quality time on the weekends and am hopeful that now school has started up again I will be able to get back on track.

Laurel has scheduled running back in my workout plan again which has been great as I love to use a nice long run as a stress release. On the weekends I have been able to complete my brick workouts (bike/run) along with my husband which has really helped to pass the time and push me as the two of us really like to challenge each other both on the bike and in the run. It has been nice to have some quality time together to chat without the kids around and also have the bennefit of improving our health at the same time. I am confident that if I keep working on things that I will be able to complete the bike and run sections of the event - not without a good mental workout I am certain, but I at least know that I can do it if I try.

Now for the swim. I am still working more on my swim than any other element which for obvious reasons is because I have to. I have had a rocky relationship with the pool over the past month, going from a great swim to being willing to give it all up (except I am too stuborn to quit). Looking back on the month though I have accomplished some of the goals that I had set, small as they may be I can now successfully swim in deeper water without having to psych myself out - all be it by the wall - but that is a goal for next month =0), I was also able to swim a full 50 meter length without stopping. 50 meters is a long ways short of what I need to accomplish but it is also 50 meters further than I could swim when I started everything 6 weeks ago. I have been frustrated with myself as to just how slow things are progressing in the pool with my biggest hangup still being my breathing technique. I am still waiting for my light bulb moment on this. I believe that my overall stroke technique is improving as I can certainly feel a difference in how I am able to move through the water dependent on what I may be doing with my body position and arms.

After a rough week where I was questioning my ability to actually be able to accomplish the goals I have set, I had a long chat with my husband and an encouraging email from Laurel, I am entering into the next month with a renewed sense of energy (both mentally and physically from all my missed workouts) and am hoping to continue gaining ground in all 3 events.

Month Two ~ Liz McLeod

It has been eight weeks since the program started and the progress is coming along great. I have looked back over the workouts and I am surprised at where I started and what I am doing now. Since my decision to "try" a half iron man, Laurel has increased my workouts and while I am not leaving a puddle like Jack just yet I know my turn will come.

Week five was a tough one as I fought through a cold and did the workouts but the intensity was not there. By week six I was feeling better and able to complete the workouts hard. It was during this time that I was doing a solid bike workout and then a short run that I got the "ah moment". This is how you train proper! I am not saying the run was easy but because the workouts are set up a specific way I was able to do the run.

Laurel has the workouts set up that I bike on Mondays and Fridays, run on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and swim on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This little routine has so far allowed me to stay injury and fatigue free.

During week seven was probably my best week of all. I had a run test with Laurel and I knew I was going to have to prove myself. I was very happy with results as my lactate and heart rate where much better than they were when I did the bike back in January. I also received some great advice in the pool regarding my stroke and head position. The best was the "cheering section" that held up a sign during my run. What a giggle, I keep that sign on my bulletin board to motivate me even more.

I am now into weeks nine through eleven and the workouts are getting harder. There was a bit of a brain game going on as I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to do the half iron man, but...
after a great chat with Laurel, she put it all into perspective. THANKS LAUREL. I would also like to thank Elaine and Wendy for their encouragement too.

So its back on the bike tomorrow and a big run on Saturday. I will write more soon.

Greetings From Tucson

I just wanted to take a moment and let everyone know how my mini training camp in Tucson is going!

We arrived Friday morning to +20 temperatures and clear blue skies. Over the past four days we have clocked over 14 hours of riding. We rode Gates Pass two days ago and attempted to ride the "Shoot Out" yesterday but after heading off into what seemed like the middle of nowhere for longer than we wanted, we decided to turn around (turns out we were only 2 miles from the cross road we were looking for)! Today was yet another adventure that involved a wrong turn that put us heading south on the I-19 which is the highway to Mexico! Needless to say we did an about turn after we realized our mistake.


Tucson is a very bike friendly town. Nice wide bike lanes everywhere and all drivers seem to respect this. I will admit that my heart lies in the classic rides of Victoria, but given that I am now sporting a nice "farmer's burn" in the middle of February, I can't complain.

Having the chance to focus solely on putting in some quality training without the worries of work and various other commitments is definitely an opportunity that I am grateful to have. I go to bed tired and wake up ready to take on another adventure.

I hope that everyone else's training is going well.

Amy

... We get footage of the Tour de California on American OLN, VS. It is great, although I wouldn't want to be riding in the weather they are experiencing. Yesterday everyone was so covered up the commentators were having a tough time determining who was who!

January Training Summary- Heather

As I am two weeks behind the rest of the group, I have spent the last few days trying to catch up. I had been away for the first two weeks in Florida running my first marathon with Mickey and the gang - it was fantastic! Since returning I have met with my coach Laurel who is extremely approachable and very patient, despite my lack of knowledge and skill both on the bike and in the pool. Laurel has set me up with a training schedule focused primarily on biking and swimming, which was not entirely unexpected. Aside from missing my runs and the social side of my workouts, things have been going well. Although my weekend workouts have required a little more time than I am used to (thankfully I have a supportive husband who does not mind looking after the kids while I am gone), I have really been enjoying my brick workouts (bike/run).

I met with Kelly at the end of the month and was encouraged to find out that I only need to make minor changes to my diet - I know the chocolate needs to go - BUT!!!

I had my first coaching session with Laurel early February, we met on the pool deck of course. We confirmed that yes I can float, after that it all needs work. Despite Laurel's specialty being staying under the water, I have a lot of confidence in her skill and ability. Laurel did a great job of breaking down the skills she wanted me to work on and showed a great deal of patience while I tried to figure out exactly what I needed to do. I have been working hard over the past week trying to stay focused on my breathing and was happy when I successfully swam a length of the pool last week - baby steps right!!

Otherwise I completed my bike lactate test this past week. I was a little disappointed with the final results, but at least I now have a base line to work with and improve upon. I am definitely interested to see the difference in results between biking and running.

Overall I have been enjoying my training so far, though it is early in the game. Life is busy, but I guess that is because I choose to keep it that way. One thing I have learnt from my dad over the past few months is life is too short, if you have a dream you may as well try to reach it while you still can, as tomorrow it may no longer be an option.

Driven 5 Update: Project Amy Woodward 2009

Amy’s first month has been focused on integrating the training of three sporting disciplines into a consistent pattern of training and establishing her baseline fitness and performance markers. Amy has been competing in bicycle racing the past several years so my goal is to help her balance her training across the three sports without losing her strong cycling abilities, to keep her from overreaching in her training and to learn the technical aspects of swimming. She has had great support from work allowing her to attend noon hour swim sessions which has allowed her to benefit from the on deck coaching from Laurel Hindle. Jon Bird has also provided her with some individual swimming time and provided her with a series of drills for her to work on.

The Result

Amy Woodward has been making huge progress in the pool throughout January! On her first 500m time trial in the pool, she clocked 9:40min:sec (we think she miscounted her lengths. However, two weeks later swimming with a group she was able to swim 8:21min:sec establishing a personal best. Then the breakthrough happened on Wednesday January 28th, two days after setting her personal best the group (including myself) did another 500m time trial and Amy set yet another personal best time of 8:01min:sec. I too set a personal best time of 8:01min:sec but Amy’s progress in the pool thus far is remarkable. She is certainly going to push me in the pool!

Amy is a very positive individual to work with and is very coachable meaning that she processes the information and advice given to her and is able to quickly implement and correct her technique. This is a huge plus for me as I can challenge and advance Amy’s training program without dwelling on her technique for long periods of time.

We are now building towards a February mini training camp in Arizona for Amy where she will be able to put in a solid block of training volume on the bike, run on trails not covered in snow and to catch some valuable recovery/tanning time. I wish I was going too.

Jack VanDyk

AND SO IT BEGINS....

First, I would like to thank Jack and the rest of the "judging panel" for selecting me as one of the Driven 5. This gift has allowed me the opportunity to again be the athlete I have so long to be. As a stay at home mom with two children I have put myself at the bottom of the totem pole and made sure that everyone else is looked after. When I received the call from Jack my world changed and now I am going to work my way back up the totem pole.

I received an email from my "driver"Laurel on December 28 and I was excited to be working with her. Everything was to begin at the start of January. So I didn't really have to worry about setting a new years resolution, it had been made for me. On January 5th, Laurel and I had a chance to sit down and chat about what would be expected me and basically what my workouts would be. When she asked me about my split times for running, biking and swimming I was surprised to see that she plans to take all kinds of time off all three events. Yeah!! Just to run a faster 5km and I would be happy. The fact that we were both on the same page training wise made me excited about the next 8 months. Everything was great then she told me about the TESTING and NUTRITION. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be and I was happy to have a baseline. The nutritionist Kelly was great, she understands that a mom with two kids means different schedules and meals and is helping me to work around that. Maybe eating healthy won't be so hard this time. I received my first 4 week workout plan and was surprised to see that it was something that I was going to be able to manage.

The workouts are set to be the same for the first 4 weeks. It was nice to have a routine and going to the gym 6 days a week wasn't so bad.

The bike training was not as bad as I thought it might be. Because I am weak on the bike, Laurel has set up a great workout so that I can get the feel of the ride. I am still nervous about the clips (falling off three times in one ride doesn't help). I keep hoping for the "I get it phase".

The swim was like coming home for me and I can’t wait for the Tuesday and Thursday workouts. I have a great sense of accomplishment when I have finished and all the old feelings come back.

While I have taught running for the last couple of years I have never really run with a purpose. With the workout that is set for me I know that I have a set workout and enter the track with a goal in mind.

About 3 weeks in I was approached by Laurel and she told me that I was the only one of the five not doing a half iron man. Personally I didn't have a problem with that as I had set my goal of a sprint in August. But after much thought and discussion with not only Jack, John, Laurel, and others in the ETS programs I have decided to attempt the half iron man in Sylvan Lake. My thinking was that I couldn't not take up the offer and it has motivated me to work harder.

The last 4 weeks have been amazing. I have seen a change in myself and I walk into the Talisman just a little taller. The support I have been getting from the staff at the Talisman and the other coaches, and just the regulars in the Monday and Friday bike classes have really helped my on this journey.

Please continue to watch for more updates. I hope that you will join me on this journey.

The Morin Files - Month One

Talisman Centre’s Driven 5 project is now underway, the prodigies have been selected, and their programs have begun. With a hurried excitement each participant has pushed through a series of lactate tests, nutrition assessments and body composition tests. There programs are now tailored and the ‘lab rat’ phase has begun.

Based on specific demands regarding each participant’s strengths and weaknesses I have been paired with Marc Morin, an extremely energetic and driven individual who look’s to conquer Ironman Canada at the end of August.

Marc’s passion for life and ‘drive’ for success make him the ideal training pupil, he is fully committed to the workload and most importantly he has bought into the program. After three weeks we are still adjusting to learning styles, communication mediums and motivational techniques. I will leave it to Marc to outline his goals for the 2009 season, although I can safely say that our partnership is centered in the water.

My goals for developing Marc as a athlete is to allow him to swim a sub 35 minute 1900m for the Half Ironman (70.3) at the beginning of August, and a sub 1:13:00 with a heart rate less than 140 bpm, for the full Ironman swim. Aside from that I realize that during the first three months I will be focusing on Marcs aerobic base while increasing his total minutes of exercise per week to beyond 13 hours.

January Training Logs - Marc Morin

Over the past several weeks, I have been privileged to meet some incredible individuals by being chosen as one of the Talisman Centers DRIVEN5 participants.  In the weeks and months ahead, I will be keeping a weekly journal to share my experiences, hardships and victories, following my progression, and hopefully inspire you to set some of your own goals. The individuals below will help me reach my goals, and will be talking about them often.

Jon Bird, ETS & Triathlon Coach
Jon is my Personal Trainer who's strength are my downfall, its a perfect fit. His focused but casual coaching style bodes well with my serious yet playful approach to training.

Kelly Drager - Nutrition Coordinator
Kelly is my personal dietitian, who literally knows me inside and out, she is very kind not to judge. Over the coming months, she will guide my pre, during, and post race nutrition making necessary adjustments along the way.

Charlie Morin - Training Partner & my Border Collie
Charlie is ready to go day or night, rain or shine and always has a smile on her face. She makes the mornings bearable.

Jaime Morin - Wife, support team, biggest fan
Jaime is the most patient, understanding, encouraging and loving partner one could ever hope for.

DRIVEN5 - Training Logs

Week one - Mon Jan 12 - Sun Jan 18
December 17th 2008, the day I was chosen as one of the DRIVEN, I knew then only days remained until my life would change. It was therefore a very joyful and gluttonous Christmas season as the consumption of cocktails and goodies were abundant, my days were numbered. When I did receive my 4 week training schedule on January 12 it was 3:28pm. The schedule required a 65 minute run first thing in the am, which needless to say i didn't get around to until that night at 9pm. The Training Schedule was all business, and would take some getting used to, I had begun the long disciplined 7 month journey ahead...

Monday - 65 minute run overall I felt great but I was tight in the hips almost from start to finish.

Tuesday - 70 minute ride on my bike trainer. It was tough as i needed to get my biking legs back, but 2 episodes of the TV show Entourage pulled me through.

Wednesday - I had a Run Lactate test which was fantastic, i haven't felt that spent and invigorated in a long time

Thursday - School in the pool and Jon taught me some simple floating techniques. I had to leave my water wings on the side.

Friday - An early 5:45am 90 minute run. Charlie couldn't get enough, and the run overall was great, had some minor cramping around minute 70 and head bobs at the office around 10am.

Saturday - My wife and I watched Eagle Eye while I rode for 100 minutes. (Good quality time with my wife now consists of me on my bike and her on the couch while we watch a movie)

Sunday - I crossed trained with 1.5 hours of cross country skiing then 125 minutes of pathway running at a cool time of 8-10pm A little chilly!

Week two - Mon Jan 19 - Sun Jan 25
The initial weeks were filled with pokes, prods and pinches, learning invaluable information about personal habits and where I need improvement if I am to reach my 2009 Ironman Canada goal. Body composition, nutritional analysis & lactate testing were taken to determine my current ability and devise the best action plan to best realize my full potential. The action plan Jon devised did not waste time, admittedly, having an ambitious season of 10 races ahead, there was no rest for the wicked. My first race, The Hypothermic Half Marathon, was only 5 weeks away and there is alot of work to do.

This has been a long week with back to back long runs to test my current abilities. There have been small improvements in the pool, Jon currently has me floating on either my left or right side with the bottom arm stretched forward. The idea is to correctly position my chest allowing my body to float to the surface, then time it so I can turn my face and take a breath, repeat for the full length of the pool and repeat on the other side. If at any point I panicked, choked on water or gasped for air, I was NOT to grab the wall or stand (If able to) I was to RESET by flipping on my back calming myself and then try it once again. At first I was only able to swim 10 meters before grabbing the wall, but quickly increased to the length of the pool (25m) It is one of what i hope to be many small victories that lay ahead.

Training overall felt good, other than being tired from my lack of nutrition before some of the runs. I was looking forward to my meeting with Kelly Drager (Dietitian) to get my eating habits on track. Turned out that I didn't require much changing at all, simply adjusting the quantity of food and the time of my meals.

Sunday was a long run of 130 minutes and has been the most challenging run on my schedule to date. I typically run my long runs around the Glenmore / Weiselhead park for two reasons, the first being new scenery. I am lucky enough to live one block from the city pathways, but running the same paths three to four days a week gets mundane. The second reason is to get used to the Weiselhead terrain as the Calgary 70.3 run is along this path. Charlie was again a little bean, content as can be to be running with his master in the great outdoors. By the time we looped the reservoir, we needed to extend my run by another 40 minutes, mentally I was done as we had completed the loop, Charlie on the other hand gave me a look as if to say "I want to do it again!" I forced a much needed gel down my throat and pushed myself onwards. When the additional 40 minutes was over, I was spent, out of gas, clearly my breakfast lacked the necessary nutrients to get me through.

Week three - Mon Jan 26 - Sun Feb 01
Monday was a test of my current physical condition and ability to recover as Jon had me run back to back long runs, Sunday 130 minutes, Monday 75minutes. On Monday I ran on a treadmill with a 1 degree incline running 5 minute intervals between level 6 and 8. The run felt great, my body had recovered from Sundays run and I was ready to go... Thursday was the highlight of the week with the official launch of the DRIVEN5. I finally met the other 4 athletes, it was great to hear the athletes backgrounds and inspiring stories and was very excited to learn that all 5 of us would be competing in the 70.3 Ironman Calgary! John Henderson from Shaw and his crew, Dan, were kind enough to write a story on Endurance Training and interview myself and another DRIVEN5 athlete Amy Woodward (The story will be available to view online).

In the background of working full time and training, any spare time has been dedicated to building my DRIVEN5 website and making contacts to obtain sponsorship, and raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Society. Once the website is launched, I will be sure to include details on my cause and how people can get involved.

Training this week has felt considerably more comfortable than week one. The biggest issue to date has been getting enough sleep. Most of my training has been late in the evenings which makes it very difficult to get up on the morning, Charlie however is good to go no matter what time of day. This weeks swimming lesson followed the official launch. I am slowly feeling more confident and calm in the water focusing on my breathing and proper technique. Its a slow process but I'm convinced I will make leaps and bounds in the near future. Jon has been extremely patient and assures me I am making progress, thanks Jon. Biking and running feel good, I'm at a point where I need to push myself hard to start feeling the gains.

Week four is a rest week, only training for 5 days with the intensity and duration minimal. My body is not used to this amount of training and is welcoming the rest, however I look forward to returning to the intense schedule and improving as best I can.

Thoughts on January - Ari

On Commitment:

Early last year, a client gave me a small plaque with a quote on it. The quote, from Scottish mountain climber W.H. Murray, reads thusly:

This may sound too simple, but is great in consequence. Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.

I've pondered the significance of this quote many times since. This notion of commitment, this idea that it engages some universal system of levers and pulleys, I find endearing, and apropos my circumstances.

I decided to run the Calgary Ironman 70.3 triathlon last August. However, I hadn't really "committed" at that point. Sure, I had mentioned it in passing to a few people at my firm, and I had exchanged emails with certain Tri-Club staff regarding classes, but at that point there was no focus, and I could have easily dropped the whole thing. In fact, I almost did. My very first Tri- class was a swim class, at 6:00 a.m., on a cold Tuesday morning. When the alarm went off at 5:00 a.m.—the most unholiest of hours, and I have yet to get used to it—my mind immediately embarked on a sustained effort to convince me I needn't go through with it. I lay in bed: You didn't sleep enough last night. Go back to sleep. Brushing my teeth: Why triathlon? Why this year? You haven't been in a pool in years. On the frigid, early morning walk through Lindsay Park: Your legs can't handle it. Do it next year. There's plenty of time. Just…don't…do…it…now! It was almost amusing, this chorus of naysayers. I found myself chuckling, and literally whispering to myself as I walked through the park, "I'm going to this class whether you like it or not."

A few minutes later, I was jumping into a chilly, chlorinated pool, in a pair of baggy, speed-robbing board shorts, and attempting to do the (as I knew it) "front crawl".

Swallowed a hell of a lot of chlorine. Sputtered and struggled for an hour, but at the end of it, no more voices! Walking toward home through Lindsay Park, I felt invigorated, challenged, and committed. That was it. I was in. The last cosmic tumbler clicked into place, unlocking the floodgates of providence.

This is not the place to delve into metaphysical questions on the origins of providence—whether it's external or whether its provenance is from within—but there's no question some significant events occurred. Two of the more noteworthy:

In December, a very kind gentleman at my firm, Tim Ryan, an accomplished triathlete in his own right, just up and gave me a bike. He knew I was getting serious about this crazy triathlon stuff, and so he offered me one of his bikes. "How much do you want for it?" I asked. "Nothing," he said. "I know you don't have a bike. It's served me really well. All I ask is that you similarly give it away when you move up." This bike is worth thousands of dollars. I was stunned.

Then, a few days later, ETS accepted my proposal to become one of the Driven 5 participants. I thought to myself, I really should commit to things more often.

Since the program formally began, I've been overwhelmed by the generosity of the coaches, their enthusiasm, the amount of work they're putting into it, and the amount of faith they have in us participants. My coach, Megan Bird, has a wealth of experience training with, and recovering from, injury. She's been particularly sensitive to the fact I've been dealing with a number of leg injuries, the most significant of which is an uncooperative Achilles tendon. Accordingly, my training program for January was heavily weighted toward biking and swimming in lieu of running. And that is fine with me, as biking and (especially) swimming, are the weak links in the chain.

Swimming I find incredibly difficult. Well, let me rephrase: swimming efficiently I find incredibly difficult. I spent a couple years in Los Angeles in my teens, and pretty much lived at the beach on weekends. Water doesn't scare me. Yet, what folly it was for me to think this kind of time in the water would make for a quick swimmer. A couple of months ago I tried using a flutter board for the first time to work on my kick. I literally propelled myself backward. "This may be problematic," I said to myself. And my awkwardness in the water has not gone by unnoticed. Megan, as well as her brother Jon, another ETS coach, have made dozens of refinements to my technique (or lack of). I've watched dozens of YouTube videos of Grant Hackett, Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps, others; read page after page of analysis and commentary of their technique; spent hour after hour in the pool, with fins, without fins, with hand paddles, without hand paddles, legs only, hands only, finger drag, closed fist, sprinting, gliding, practicing "the catch".

It's remarkable, you can watch these Olympians, you can practice all the drills—you can even internalize it all to some extent—but until you can learn to "relax" in the water, you're not gonna go anywhere. Megan and Jon have both told me to think of swimming like yoga. Less is more. Why it took me three and a half months for this last point to sink in, I cannot say, but I believe I caught a glimpse of what they've been trying to get into my thick head for the first time a couple of weeks ago: my first "a ha" moment in the water, as it were, where I actually experienced glide without fins or paddles. I've since been "promoted" to the next lane.

As for biking, Megan has put me into Jon's Monday night "Hammerfest", a gentle euphemism to describe the horrors that actually take place in that class. For the uninitiated, what you do is bring your bike to the ETS athletic training zone at Talisman Centre, rig it up to a stationary trainer, clip into your pedals, and for the next two hours subject yourself to myriad unspeakable tortures. As a general proposition, I don't tend toward masochism, but there is something to be said about barbaric treatment. Megan wanted this session to be my principal workout for the training week, and now I see why. In just three weeks, my endurance and power output has gone up by spades. Perhaps not significant compared to some of the genetic wonders I see in that class, but significant for me.

And I guess this latter point is what is significant. We all too often train against others when we should be training against—or, perhaps more appropriately, with—ourselves. I've got these utterly infuriating leg injuries, and there have been times during my running sessions when I've wanted to "let loose", so to speak, because it becomes frustrating to get passed, to get lapped, because you're holding back. But would I be doing myself any favours by throwing caution to the wind? The question's rhetorical.

This brings me back to commitment. Megan has repeatedly stressed to me the importance of listening to the feedback my body is providing me. She's been closely monitoring my progress, and she's continually seeking my feedback on the effect the training program is having on my legs. If I can be honest with myself, my limitations, my setbacks; if I can be realistic about my goals, both long-term and short-term; if I can recognize and acknowledge when it's time to make adjustments to the program, when it's time to push myself, when it's time to ease off—in short, if I can make the same kind of commitment to myself as I did to competing in this triathlon, then perhaps those floodgates of providence of which W.H. Murray speaks will once again open up and allow me to overcome my current physical limitations. Let's see what happens...

Welcome to the Driven 5 Blog!

Follow the Driven five on their journey through this online journal. This is where the team will share their experiences, successes and setbacks leading up to their big day, so stay tuned!