Training and Racing Old School

By Tim Doris

As I prepared to go for one of my lunch hour runs at the end of June. As on all my runs I would periodically glance at my wrist looking for the data that would appear, my pace, heart rate and distance travelled so far. But on this particular day my watch screen was blank. Oh well just keep running and when I get back to school I will try to fix it. The next 60 minutes running one of my favorite routes was pure joy with nothing to gauge my progress except for the sound of my own breath.

Once back at school, several attempts to reboot my watch and even with a trip to a local sporting goods store after school it was clear my watch was done. If this had happened a year ago I would have just run out and bought a new one. But for some reason I thought of this as an opportunity to train and race a little different. So I decided this summer racing season I would not rely on electronics to help me train or race. I found an old watch in my closet that I used only as a time piece so I knew at least the time of day.

So I began to do something that I had already been practicing for the last 10 years and that was listening to my body to tell me how and when to train. I have to admit at first it took some getting use to, lying in my bed a little longer to check my heart rate before getting up in the morning and at night before falling asleep, and making sure that that the alarm was set for my morning workouts.

It was one thing to train this way which I was really enjoying instead of pouring over all the data at my fingertips, but I wasn’t sure how this would work while racing.

So off to Welland I went for the first race of the Multisport Canada Triathlon Series to participate in the sprint duathlon. A lot of familiar faces where on the start line so when the horn sounded for the race to start and once the initial opening nervous sprint off the line was over it didn’t take long to find a pace bunny for the first 2.5 km run. I fell into a comfortable pace behind a group of 3 individuals and just waited to see what would happen at the turn around. As expected one of the threesome dropped off the front so I just continued to hold my pace into the transition and then out onto the bike.

The changes to the Welland bike course meant that I would be able to see all of the other racers in my age group constantly for the 20 kilometers. Again without my bike computer working I had to measure my speed by perceived exertion and off of the other athletes on the course. Well by the start of the second lap, I was riding literally right behind one of my age group competitors and decided that if I kept in close proximity to him then coming out of transition onto the final run I would be in good shape.

Back into the transition area I went only a few steps behind my competition, bike racked, running shoes back on and then out for the final 5km. Immediately I could tell the pace was a little quicker than the first run but I was feeling okay. I ran up behind my bike buddy and stayed a step or two behind him for the first 2.5 km. Then for the last lap I ran up onto his shoulder and there I stayed until the 4 km mark at which point I decided to use the water station as my spot to pull away. With runners coming in both directions there was just enough space for me to run down the center and open up a little gap. Then a series of 4 short burst of about 100meters and finally seeing the finish shoot was all that was needed for me to get to the end.

Once back from Welland and looking at the results on the Sportstats website I was able to see my results and pace for the run and bike segments of the race. This gave me a great indication of where my fitness was and also if my new old school training was paying off and it was. I finished 4^th overall and won my age group.

I continued to go old school at MSC Gravenhurst and MSC Kingston. Making the overall podium and age group wins in the sprint duathlon events.

This may not be the best way to train or race for everyone but for me it was a welcome change. I am planning on purchasing a new watch but I haven’t decided on which model or brand yet. For anyone new to multisport racing you don’t need all the fancy gadgets to help you train and race, you just need to listen to your body, eat well, get lots of sleep, and if you have aches and pains know that it is okay to take a day off.

Tim Doris Radio Interview

K Town Tri Post-Race Report

By Matthew McGuckin

A great city to host an even better event. If you’re looking for a getaway weekend to wrap into an unbelievable race, this is it.

The City:

With an abundance of local attractions, it’s easy to keep busy pre- and post-race in Kingston. If you’re looking for some low-key activities on the weekend you can take a boat tour in the thousand islands, visit the historic Kingston Penitentiary or Fort Henry, walk around Queen’s University campus or rent paddle boards and kayaks to paddle along the waterfront. You can also walk down Princess street and check out the Promenade event on the long weekend, where local stores bring merchandise out onto the street and plenty of entertaining events are happening (including a Crossfit competition). Also, with the highest number of restaurants per capita in Ontario, there are plenty of options to take in a nice pre-race meal. If you’re feeling like some heavy carb loading, check out Woodenheads for an amazing gourmet pizza and/or pasta (Pro tip: make a reservation). After the race you can reward yourself with some craft beer (Stone City has a great patio and some great eats) or some home-made ice cream at White Mountain or Mio Gelato.

The Race:

The start and finish line, transition and registration area are set right on the waterfront in front of Kingston’s city hall (this makes for some pretty awesome pictures). K Town’s swim course will challenge your open water swimming ability if the water gets bit rough but this year the conditions were fantastic. You’ll start out by swimming across the channel towards Fort Henry – an old military fort that protected the city from intruders by water. The water temperature will be cool, which is a blessing given the early August heat.

The out and back bike course heads pretty much straight east and has a few small climbs that you should save some energy for. I would highly recommend pre-riding the bike course and even try to meet up with one of the local cycling clubs (one of them rides on Friday mornings) to show you around if you have time.

The run was by far the best part of the course. The run course winds along the Kingston waterfront trail taking you past the recently renovated (and very popular) Gord Edgar Downie Pier. After a short uphill you’ll reach the Portsmouth Harbor which sits right beside the old Kingston Penitentiary. There were plenty of feed stations, and excellent course markings for the entire course which made for a (relatively) stress free event. The volunteers were amazing, cheering at every feed station, offering plenty of hydration and nutrition options so no need to bring your own on the run.

I would highly recommend this event for experienced and inexperienced triathletes alike. Kingston has a lot to offer all weekend and the amazing course views and rich history of Kingston makes it an event that will keep you coming back. See you in 2020!

Rock Your Best Swim at the Barrelman’s Swim Course

Figure 1.  Welland International Flatwater Centre where Barrelman racers will swim 2 km in a rectangular course.  Underwater cable is available for most of the course to, which racers can follow without excessive sighting.

It is August, and many Barrelman racers are also deep into their training. With work, family, life, and triathlon training all require one’s time and attention, a fundamental aspect of training is keeping yourself motivated to make the time to work out while also balancing everyday responsibilities. To this end, this article serves two purposes: (1) to offer some specifics in the Barrelman’s race site at the Welland International Flatwater Centre (WIFC) that may be useful to triathletes, and (2) to offer a simple (no brainer) swim workout that can be used by anyone in the pool or in open water.

Based on my regular open water training swims at WIFC, knowing a few things particular to the center can help you make the most of your training and racing.

Figure 2.  Meter markers at the bank of the canal.

Figure 3. Meter marker on the opposite side of the canal. Large buoys are placed at the meter to denote the distance traversed in the water.  

Many triathletes and pool swimmers, including myself, desire to know the distance they are swimming and how fast they are going. While it is more challenging to measure speed and distance in open water, WIFC marks distances at several points:  *200 m, 250 m, *500 m, 750 m, and *1,000 m. [1] The distances marked at WIFC make it easier to swim intervals at varying speeds in open water (similar to a pool workout), which breaks up the monotony of swimming a single speed and is more beneficial for conditioning. For example, tonight I swam 8 x 200 at faster-than-race pace as a workout. On race day, the markers palso provide distance information to aid in pacing, which is important for many participants in Barrelman.

In addition to meter markers along the shore, WIFC also places buoys (Figure 4) in the water both lengthwise and widthwise. Buoys placed along the width of the canal (Figure 3) demarcate separate lanes for swimming, rowing and other aquatic activities. Buoys throughout the length of the canal are anchored to the cables and spaced 25 m apart, which aids in measuring distance per stroke and provides a more precise measurement between meter markers.

Figure 4. The buoys in the water demarcate the rowing/swimming lanes at WIFC, with small buoys approximately 25 m apart.  

The precise measurements at WIFC allow you to work out much like you would in a pool. Whether you are training at WIFC on a regular basis, or from your local swimming pool, here is a no brainer workout that I used from time to time:

n x (m*100), 25 build + 25 distance per stroke + 25 fast + 25 decelerate, with 15 seconds rest , where n is the number of reps, and m is the distance (in 100s) per rep (i.e., if m = 3, you are doing n x 300)

This workout provides a lot of flexibility in stroke choice, distance per rep, number of reps, technical emphasis, and even rest interval. This main set is scalable in three ways: (1) swim nx 100’s as many times as one desires in one workout, e.g. ranging from n = 5 to n = 20+;  (2) one may scale the workout, such as n x 200 or a longer distance for a more challenging workout; and (3) after repeating this workout for a few times, gradually reduce the amount of rest between each 100 in subsequent workouts, from 15 seconds rest to 5 seconds rest to 0 second rest. Sometimes in a very busy day, I don’t really want to think too hard in swim training, but the above main set contains practically everything you need to get through the swim portion of a triathlon. The build portion is designed to train you body to swim fast, for example, when you need to get around another swimmer. Distance per stroke helps with endurance swimming that one maximizes every stroke, gaining further distance for less effort. The fast portion is self-explanatory, by adding some speed work into one’s repertoire. The decelerate portion is designed to give one some way to recover before ramping up the swim speed again. This portion teaches you to recover while still making forward progress in the water. The goal is to reduce the amount of rest you need until the 25 decelerate becomes sufficient for your body to recover before moving into the next rep.

I hope the above gives many Barrelman racers some insights into the WIFC swim course as well as a simple way to train for the race. Happy swimming!

Chris Yuen, 2019 Barrelman Racer,

Buffalo Masters Swimming Club

USMS Certified Masters Swim Coach

[1]* Indicates the presence of a watch tower at this distance, which is ideal for sighting.

2019 Kingston Long Course Triathlon Race Recap

I was very excited to be an event ambassador for the Kingston Triathlon, which sold out all its races for yet another year. I’ve visited Kingston for a kayak race several times and as a drive stopover on the way further eastward, but it would be my first time doing their triathlon. The historic City of Kingston offers a delightful array of small shops and waterfront parkettes, and brought a warm welcome to the athletes participating that day.

After spending a delightful night camped at Kingston Mills lock, I picked up a breakfast at Tim Hortons, drove downtown and parked three minutes away from Confederation Park. The beauty of smaller cities is the ample free street parking – try doing that in Toronto! I brought a volunteer who needed to hand out timing chips, so I had to drop by two hours before race start. Arriving early, while a good practice, also has the inadvertent effect of making me nervous. I spent a bit more time getting things prepared in the car before bringing everything over. The racks weren’t numbered so I picked a spot that was easy to mark from the swim exit and laid out my gear. Time inexplicably sped up, and before I knew it the pre-race announcements were on while I was trying to get my wetsuit on. Not much time for a warm-up swim!

The Swim: 2000m

I waded out into the warm waters for the in-water start, and then my wave was off! After 250m we made a sharp right turn and out for 750m. That buoy seemed so far away! I was having some difficulty with my wetsuit as it was uncomfortably tight around my neck. I had to undo the zipper a bit to breathe a bit better. After rounding the buoy, there were headwinds on the return portion. The chop of the water forced me to turn my head more skyward which wasn’t as hydrodynamic and certainly more awkward. Stripping out of the wetsuit to reveal my trisuit, the bike portion was next.

The Bike: 56.2km

This is the first time I’ve been in a race where there was an untimed neutral zone. This was because of construction and traffic on the roads leading to the Causeway Bridge. This allowed everyone a precious opportunity to relax, take in hydration and food, and mentally prep for the course ahead. The route had a few rolling hills and traffic was never an issue with key intersections protected by police officers. After the turnaround, it was the same route back, save for a short jog portion. That road led up quite a steep hill, though I was glad that we turned left just before that climb and joined back to the main road instead! Once again we went through the neutral zone, racked the bike and changed over to the run portion.

The Run: 15km

The run westward was lined with cheering spectators and athletes on the return back to the finish. The view along the Waterfront Pathway was quite scenic, and the weather was quite hot. I was secretly hoping that the route would detour into the lake for a refreshing dunk. Along the route the aid stations were manned by enthusiastic volunteers who handed out hydration and wet towels to cool off with. We continued past the infamous Kingston Penitentiary, marina, and around the hospital. The route went into Lake Ontario Park, where there was a dog obstacle course set up with dogs running everywhere. On the return portion, I saw an Ornge helicopter parked on the helipad. I’ve never seen one up so close before. At the finish I was greeted with more cheering spectators. A volunteer put a medal around my neck and handed me a snazzy black and yellow cap. Time for pizza!! I have to say that this race had a lot of crowd energy and I would definitely recommend it to new and seasoned triathletes alike.

Virgil Cheung

Angela Lilly – Including Triathlon with Life

It’s time I share some reflection pieces about #MSCWelland and #MSCGravenhurst race experiences as I head into #MSCKTown and more. Life has been busy juggling our family day, school year completion, kids’ activities ending, volunteering, family holidays, my career in the classroom (June is an absolute blur) and then triathlon training on top. Reflections as life gets busier:

1. Have your seasonal plan but be flexible. Be open to training inside when you want to go out. Be open to a change of training focus for the day; move one day to another and vice versa. Be open to planning your training within your 24-hour day and not as an entire separate part. I am lucky that my husband and kids are so supportive of me biking to & from work instead of driving or running to my son’s baseball games instead of driving with them; it takes a bit more time but then I can be 100% in the moment when we are all home at dinner time.
2. Keep a paper calendar. We are all so electronically connected but you can’t see the entire overview. I also use colour-coding for training sessions (I know, the teacher in me) which helps see the picture easily for heavy/light sport-specific training improvements weekly and monthly. I also like going back to previous years when in doubt.
3. Work on your weakness! Do I need to say more? We all know this but really, make action of it. Talk to other athletes about their great training and offer up yours. When it really comes down to the training, you need to be tough. Improving your weakness will take time and probably patience. You won’t like it; I didn’t!  However, now I have developed into a triathlete and not a “strong swimmer that just didn’t know what to do after her career was completed” at 23 years of age. Gravenhurst is a great example where the hills were steep, and I drew upon my training sessions, mental memory, and “hunting” anyone in front of me to run a PB. I can now draw upon that experience to dig deep in the next race and know I can do it and not “blow up”.
4. There are no limits. I started my triathlon career in my 20’s which seems late in today’s athletes. Maybe it’s because age has never set limits for me that I continue to see any athlete on the course as a competitor that will help me achieve my goals and I too, might do the same for them.
5. Superstitions are acceptable! I do have many tasks and routines I do every race week. I have “lucky” pre-race morning gear that dates back decades. I can’t believe it still lives another season. I have “lucky” routines 30 minutes before I head out to race with my family. I have “lucky” transition set up. It all makes a difference in your day. Make the time and teach those who support you that it’s the final step to race preparation. They will probably understand better if you do.

Let’s get the race on for #MSCKTown! Sweet dreams for calm water, no rain and some clouds for the run. It’s a beautiful course that has great fans for the entire downtown. I can’t wait to be there in a week!