The Secret Exposed - The 'C' Word

"I'm going to do today, what you won't do, so that tomorrow I can do what you can't do" - Unknown Source

People often wonder what the secret is to improving their fitness.  When they hear about me running and biking such long distances, they wonder - how is that possible?  Some like to write it off to genetics, and say, "well that's just not me".  Others perhaps believe that they as well could do it, but wonder how?  They often ask what is it you do to train, what's the "secret" workout to improving?  Well here it is.  Are you ready?  Its Consistency.

When people hear this reply, they are often bewildered.  Consistency - such a boring word,  it has no zap to it.  You'll never hear of any infomercial trying to sell you on it.  Instead you'll see every gadget under the sun being sold to try and give you the results without having to put in the time and effort that is required to be consistent.  

It is so annoyingly simple, yet it still can be so difficult to grasp.  Sometimes I've wished there was another way.  A "magic workout", that would get me to the next level, but there's not.  The truth is that nothing can replace day after day, repeatable efforts, if you want to see improvement.  Since getting back into the swing of focused training, I have been enjoying this secret.  I am currently on a 9 day streak of daily workouts.  Prior to that I had a rest day, and during most phases of training I have at least 1 rest day a week (but that's another topic). People often get caught up in the structure of training (looking at how and when things are to be done), but for most people the most important and most over looked thing is this - get it done!  

I didn't start out being able to do 9 days in a row of any exercise.  Many years ago, 4 runs a week would have been the goal (and there was no biking or any other training!).  Things have progressed for me, but the same principal has applied - continuous exercise week upon week, building block on building block.       

In the sport of Triathlon, we are now in what is know as the "off season".  Its the time of year when there are no local races, and even globally they scale down  in numbers (largely due to climate).  But rest assured, if you are a top athlete, or someone who is just wanting to see improvements in fitness, there is no "off" season (when a pro uses this term, they often mean taking 1 or 2 weeks off -a short season for sure!)

Well hopefully I've motivated someone who reads this to try and embrace the 'C' word. I'm gonna wrap this up now, and go do a very ordinary 40' bike ride in  the basement.  Its nothing spectacular, but its day 10 in a row, which will be week 2 of a forthcoming year plus of training (which has been preceded by 3-4 years of steady consistent training).  And that is the secret.   

Get 'Er Done, 

Jon  

The Race of Truth

Today I was handed a dose of  "the truth", and I am having a hard time dealing with it.  Man, it was brutal....

"The Race of Truth" is a term often heard in the sport of cycling.  It is used describe what is formally know as a "Time Trial".  A Time Trial is simply a race against the clock.  In the sport of cycling (which contains both a team and individual dynamic), its the moment where everyone is separated - 1 man on his bike with nobody to draft from - against the clock, alone.

Reporters call it "The Race of Truth", because there is no hiding.  You cannot rely on your teammates and use their strength to save energy by drafting off of them.  It exposes you for who you are, and shows your ability to push yourself to the limit.  In many ways, Ironman is the ultimate "Race of Truth".  It is every person for him/herself going against the clock. Granted for most, it is not near the intensity of a true "Time Trial" effort (which is often a shorter, much more intense effort), but the principal is the same, everyman for himself against the clock.   

O.k., back to my does of the Truth.  Occasionally in training my coach will have me do Time Trial efforts for various durations and purposes.  Today was one such day.  I had a feeling it would not be encouraging and well - I was right.  

The workout is straight forward.  Run an easy warm-up for 30'(mins).  Then do a 30' time trail effort (running).  For the last 20' of that effort record your heart rate/pace.  

Well, I warmed up, and was feeling o.k., but just thinking about the hard effort to come, caused my heart rate to climb.  I tried to stay calm, and soon it was time to suffer.  I cranked the pace up hard (too hard in hind sight).  The problem was, I knew how fit I was in the spring, and I want to think I am not that far off from that.  Well it turns out I am.  I slowed down to a 4:30/km pace, because I still had 20' to go.  As a reference, I raced back in March and averaged 4:24/km for 30km at Around the Bay..so I could hold this for another 2o minutes, couldn't I? 

Well, the legs still grew heavier and the lower back got tighter.  I slowed my pace some more, now trying to maintain another pace, that in mind seems so slow, but my body is saying its so hard.  Reluctantly, I slow the pace down again, continually  trying to gather myself..it takes about 10 minutes, and the pace had slowed to over 5 minutes a km( I think it got out to 5:10's - I was on my treadmill).  Soon the end was in sight.  5 minutes left.  I push it harder, but can't hold it for the full 5, so I slow, then speed up, and then thank goodness, its over.  

The harsh reality is this - I averaged 4:50/km for the 30' effort.  I have done much faster in many other races, but that was in the past.  To give this some more perspective,  if I race at Ironman Florida, I want to hold 4:50-5:00/km for the entire 42.2km run.

I have a long way to go.....

Jon      

My First Race

People often ask me how I got started in the sport of Triathlon.  When they learn about my Ironman adventures, they assume that I come from a running background and must have done it my whole life.  The truth is, when this Kona dream was born, I was nowhere near being a "runner".  I was athletic, in highschool I played basketball, volleyball, tennis, badminton, and did a bit of Track and Field (but only field events - shot put actually!).  Though I had the ambition to get into triathlon, at that time it was not really practical for me.  I was to busy playing my team sports and keeping busy with other activities.  I didn't have the money to buy a road bike, so I had decided that it was something I would pursue when I was older and away from the "team" sport environment. So how did it all start?  Here's how...

The first real runner in my family was my Uncle Lindsay.  Like many others, he started running to get in shape and improve his fitness.  Around the time that he was rounding into running form, I was in my 4th year of College, on internship in Port Perry ON.  While I was there, I learned that a 1/2 marathon was taking place in town.  I phoned my uncle to see if he knew about it, and in fact he had already signed up.  I had done NO training at all for the event, but figured that being athletic and young I could handle it...and surely I could hang with my uncle who was in his late 40's, couldn't I?

Well, I told my uncle right on the phone, that I'd race with him.  He was happy to have the company and picked me up race morning.  To say that I was naive about event, may be a bit of an understatement - I was pretty raw, a full on "newbie" as they say.  I was excited to be there, but a bit nervous about how it would all go.  I grabbed my race gear and followed my uncle around like a lost puppy.  He led me through what to do and where to go.  We warmed up together and before I knew it, we were amongst a few hundred people and the gun went off!

I started out right beside my uncle.  We ran the first kilometer together, and waved at Aunt Colleen, as she took our photo from the side of the road (this would become a common tradition in future races, as she is the best at "on course" spotting and photography!).  Another km or so went by, and I was quick to realize that any thoughts of staying with my uncle were...crazy!  I had to slow down, so my uncle graciously encouraged me to stay with it, and then I watched as he held the pace, and I faded back.

Once, I settled into my own pace, I was feeling o.k.  The km's seemed to go by and before I knew it I was half done the race.  At around 15km I remember starting to feel really fatigued.  I thought to myself - man this is hard, and I still have 6.1km to go!  I tried to keep it going, but I am sure that my pace had been slowing.  By the 18km mark, I felt so close, yet so far from the finish line.  My run had turned into a walk and my legs felt like they had beaten by a baseball bat!  I was walking a lot now, but kept putting one foot in front of the other.  Eventually the finish line was in my sight.  My spirits were lifted, and I managed a jog again for the final 500 meters.  My final time ended up being 2:05:48 for the 21.1km journey.  I crossed that line and found a piece of grass to collapse on.  My uncle was there waiting for me (looking fresh and smiling after his 1:43 race!).  They encouraged me on the accomplishment and tried to tell me to keep walking around - but that didn't happen.  In the days that followed I looked more like a crippled man, than a young athletic guy trying to get in and out of vehicles or walk up and down stairs.  It was painful!  But, the feeling of accomplishment and the reality of the challenge given from "endurance racing" was more than enough to wet my appetite, I was hooked.

You may be wondering why I chose to do a half marathon as my first race, as opposed to a sprint triathlon or shorter running race.  Well, I knew that eventually I wanted to "go long" and in the sport of triathlon its swim, bike, RUN - so it always comes last and therefor I thought, the run would never be easy.  I figured I had no business starting triathlons where they add the run onto the end of the race, before I could do a stand alone run.  I was right...I needed to work on the run part big time - and this experience proved it :-)

Cheers, 

Jon             

The "Start Line"

I wasn't sure when I'd make the "start line" for this blog, but what better time then on the morning of the Ironman World Championships.  Right now its almost 10am, and in a few short hours the best athletes from across the globe will compete in Kona Hawaii at the pinnacle race in the sport of Triathlon.  

This race is actually what first drew me to the sport many years ago.  I remember watching coverage of the event on t.v. when I was just a teenager in highschool.  At that time, I had never swam or biked competitively, and any running I did was mostly due to it being apart of other sports I played (like basketball).    Still, there was something about the high level of fitness and dedication that was so admirable and apparent as I watched these athletes cover the course and listened to the announcers describe this epic event - a 2.4mile swim, 112mile bike, and then a 26.2mile run, all covered in under 17 hours.  

It seemed almost impossible to me at the time, yet somehow so simple.  I can swim, I can bike, and I can run...most people can right? I mean those are the basic activities of any kid!  So as I watched the t.v. in the basement of my home on Meadow Rd., the dream was born, the allure was there..someday I would be an Ironman and race in Kona. 

In the posts to follow I will bring you up to speed on how I got from that basement dream to where I am now - a 4 time Ironman Finisher, and where I want to be - qualifying for those World Championships at Ironman Florida in 2010.  I should also say that the  reason I am writing this blog is so that people can follow my efforts and support this dream.  As you now know, I've had this dream for a very long time, but I have never wrote or really even spoke about actually qualifying for Kona as it is such a huge task and the fear of failure is always there.  That being said, I've decided there is more to be gained in sharing the journey and taking the risk.  I hope this blog will help keep me motivated and encouraged as I take on this goal, and hopefully a few of you out there enjoy the read.  

Cheers, 

Jon