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!

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

Swim, Run…Here I come!

By Michael Telpner

The first race I ever participated in was the MSC Toronto Island Triathlon. I think I gave high fives to every volunteer and race official I passed. Since that first race almost 10 years ago, I keep it on my calendar every year.

It’s my favourite race because for a few reasons; it is extremely spectator friendly, I can ride down to the ferries in 20 min and it has one of the nicest swims of all races. The transition zone is on the site of the long-forgotten baseball diamond where Babe Ruth hit one of his first home runs…Steve Fleck (the voice of Triathlon) tells the story before each race.

Triathlon is an interesting sport.  For a long time, there was a belief that you graduated through triathlon distances. Participants started with the try-a-tri, moved to the sprints, added Olympic, then moved onto long course and ultra-long distances (think Ironman). With young kids, I was always happy participating in short course races. If I missed one because of a family activity (or, sadly injury) I could race a week or two later.  

So what has changed in the triathlon community? More participants are selecting to stick with short course races and trying more creative alternatives. Next year’s Olympics are adding triathlon relay (300M swim, 7K bike, 2K run). Last year, Simon Whitfield (Canada’s most decorated Olympic Triathlete) participated in a swim/run/swim event. A friend mentioned he is participating in a swim, bike, run, swim, bike, run event (I have to assume it’s not a wetsuit event). Triathlon organizers are making great headways; adding lots of variety to make our sport more exciting for both athletes and spectators.  

This year’s MSC Toronto Island Triathlon had to transition to a swim/run event due to the high water levels on the Island. Coming back from injury, I was really looking forward to racing my first triathlon in two years. The reasons I always come back to the Island haven’t changed and given we go from the swim to the run, it is even more spectator-friendly than ever before. What I always tell someone on their first race – the first time you race will be a Personal Best. I am excited to try something different, look forward to a new PB for a swim/run event and hope to see you all on the Island August 18th.

The mid-season break and why you need it

By Luke Ehgoetz

So the sun is out, the birds are singing and the temperature has finally and consistently warmed up. You’ve put in some great weeks (or even months) of training since coming out of your basement in the spring and it’s likely you have a race or two under your belt so far this year. You’re on a roll, but should you be thinking of dialing things back for a week or so right in the middle of summer? There are many reasons to answer yes to that question, and I will outline a few of them below.

It is not uncommon for athletes to think that continuing to train after a peak race while in top condition will get them closer to season goals, but in reality, a mid-season break could be the best thing you do for your training and end of season goals.

To ensure your physical and emotional longevity in triathlon, which is different from other sports. Triathlon is a lifestyle that requires the time to prepare, train and recover for the three different sports. In addition to the physical recovery gained from a mid-season break are the psychological rest and re-focus benefits.

Here are some ways a mid-season break is beneficial for any triathlete.

1. The ability to peak for multiple races. Planning an A or B race early in the summer with a mid-season summer break can allow you to target another A race early in the fall.
2. The time to refocus. Taking a planned break allows you time to reflect on the training and racing that you have done in the first half of the season and you can then assess whether or not you need to make any changes for the second half and potentially your A race later on. It also allows you time to remind yourself why you are committed to your multisport lifestyle and what you gain from being a multisport athlete.
3. Allows your body time to rebuild and become stronger and healthier. Taking a sufficient break after a period of early season training and racing makes you less susceptible to injury and allows you to time to rebuild and prepare for your next training and racing block.
4. Catch up on life and family. During this break, you can finally get to some of those obligations and projects that you have neglected up to this point, or spend some quality time with the family. Planning your mid-season break around a family vacation or a known work trip where training would be difficult anyway makes perfect sense. Just make sure those neglected projects aren’t too strenuous that they defeat the purpose of the break in the first place (ie. Building a deck or moving big boulders during a landscaping project).

How do you incorporate a break during race season? The best time to take a mid-season break is right after a peak race, whether it’s sprint or iron-distance. Try to plan your racing so that you can conveniently take your break and enjoy other life obligations that make training close to impossible.

A mid-season break can be anywhere from a week up to two weeks. You can (and should) still be active, but do not do any hard training or intensity work, and maybe stop looking at Strava 3 or 4 times per day. Just remember not to jump in where you left off when you get back into training. You will need to build up again, but chances are, you have not lost as much as you think you have. In fact, it will not take you long to see how much you have gained from taking that mid-season break.  So put the feet up, grab a drink and picture yourself crushing your final few races of the season refreshed and ready to go!