Scouting report, Xterra Canadian championship

I went to Whistlet this weekend in order to train on the championship course. Armed directions, I thought I would be able to figure out the bike course. Well I figured out about 65% of it. As usual the first 1.75 km are a succession of hills and flats. After a quick downhill section. And a thight bridge over a river brings you to a technical short climbeith switch back, if you don't pay attention to the line, well you won't clean it. After you are rewarded with some sweet swooping single track downhill. But as Xterra goes, what goes down must come back up again. That's where I couldn't find the rest, too many option for trails and unmarked. I did ride the last part, which is a nice black diamond, technical single track where skills will be required. Ample sacrifice to the gods of racing should be made for a dry course as if it is wet, it will be very technical. I sawm in Alta lake and although warmer than Czech it was colder than Germany, I expect a wetsuit race for the entire field. I ran a short section of the running course,which is some mountain bike trails so expect some up, downs and plenty of rocks and roots. In all not a bad weekend although I was frustrated not to be able to find all the trails for the ride. The race is September 4 at whistler. Happy trails!

Carpe Diem

One year ago

Exactly one year ago I was at Ironman Canada in Penticton. I still remember the nervousness just before the swim with 2500 other participants, the bike ride, the rain, the cold and the sense of accomplishment when I crossed the finish line. It was much warmer this year I believe but I'm sure some great stories will come out. The one thing I learned racing is that it is never too late to try a sport, get in shape or set some goals. So go ahead, sign up for you first triathlon, ironman or just a 5 km run and get out there! I know plenty of people that are signing up for some big races next year, I know they will seize the day. Happy trails!

Carpe Diem

Xterra European Championship, when the going gets though, the though gets going

I woke up saturday morning to blue sky and sunshine, with the temperature expected in the mid 20's, perfect for racing conditions. That said, I also knew the course would be muddy as we had some serious rain the day before. It seems that I would not escape the mud on this trip. After breakfast with the world champ again I was off getting my things ready and headed to transition , which was a 5 min bike ride from the hotel. The race orgnizers announced that it was going to be a non wetsuit swim, due to the fact that the Germnan championship was also happening during the same race and shockingly, they have diffent rules. One of them being 21 degree or higher is a non wetsuit swim where for us at home it would need to be 24 degree. I will not bore you with the details but not many official spoke English and it was hard to get answers for a lot of things. The gun went off at 11:30 where just over 300 athlete were taking part. The swim was chaotic and someone grabbed my ankle and pulled my chip off! Well nothing I could do, after the first lap my swim time was slow, really slow. As I got out of the water after the second time and deduced that the swim was probably 2000 m, not 1500. After a quick transition I was on the bike and was hoping to catch up a few people. The first 6 km of the course was flat and fast until we ended up in the forest. I was greeted with lots of mud, which is always tricky to negotiate, too much power and the back wheel spin, not enough and you start to slip. In addition, I'm a bit heavier so I tend to sink a bit. After some climbs there was some sweet down hill where I could past some of the lighter racers. Still on the bike I noticed that I had lost my heart rate monitor, seems that this race was not friendly for my electrical stuff. More mud, more down hill and up hill and at the end of the 35 km bike course my legs were a bit tired. Another quick transition and I was off to the run. The run course was nice, some hills, some flats but nothing technical like Czech. I would book the course in 3:26 and unfortunately since my chip was lost I wouldn't get any of my split times. My feet were cut to shread from the swim as I found out after the race. I made 8th in my age group again which I was please with. The racing in Europe was a great experience and wasn't easy at times, but every time I have doubts, pain or slow down I always think of past and present cancer patient who have to go through it all. It then gives me a perspective. I dedicate these 2 races to all of you who knows and have been touched by it. I'm back home on Monday and have a weekend off from racing. The long weekend I will be at the Xterra Canadian Championship at Whistler on September 4, I encourage people to come and watch, it should be a great venue with some big names coming to the race. The following weekend I will be racing at the Grand Fondo. Happy trails!

Carpe Diem

The day before the race

I woke this morning and headed to breakfast alone, my traveling friends have been in Berlin since yesterday. I ended up having breakfast with Xterra world champ Shonny Vanlandingham. Not every sport you can do that but she is such a nice and genuine person that she always talk to people. After breakfast I had to wait to for a swim as I was greeted with thunder and lightning. By noon the sun had come out and I found out from the race organizer that it would be likely a non wetsuit swim, for the entire field! Don't ask me how we can go from 15 degree swim one week to a non wetsuit swim the next, but as of now that's what we are looking at. I did bring my ITu legal skin suit so I went off to the lake to swim in it. For those who wonder what that is, it a one piece bathing suit with legs and no sleeve. The fabric is designed to stream line you in the water. Because it is made solely of fabric, it is legal for international races, Ironman and such where the swim in a non wetsuit one. After my short swim I went for a short run and this was my last workouts until the race tomorrow. I went to registration but they couldn't find my name! After 20 min, they found me, I got my race packet, I have race number 1160. So tonight is race brief, pasta dinner and a video montage of the course. Late race start again, not until 11:30 tomorrow so I will have to figure out what to eat for breakfast. Stay tuned for the race results this weekend. Happy trails!

Carpe Diem

Scouting report from Zittau, Germany

Zittau is the host of the 2011 European Xterra Championship. With more than 300 competitors, this will be, for sure, a fast and competitive field. I rode the 35 km mountain bike course today. It reminded me of BC with lots of forest. Good climbs and a couple rocky descent. Not as much single track ad I would have liked but overall a very challenging course which is just over 3000 feet of climbing. It is much warmer than the Czech race last week to the point that it might be a non wetsuit swim for the pro's and optional for the rest of us. I'm going for a swim tomorrow and will decide if I should put the speed suit on race day or stick to the wetsuit. I have been nursing a cold but it seems to be going away. Stay tuned for the post race report. Happy trails!

Carpe Diem

Czech mate! No punn intended

I woke up this morning and it was pouring out. This was a very late start race, noon local time. After getting all my stuff all together we had to set 2 different transitions. The bike was obviously at the swim and the run transition was at the finish line. The water was very cold even at noon and was probably not more than 15 degrees. The swim course was a 2 lap course of 500 m each. After exiting the water, a 2 lap totaling of 32 km of riding was awaiting us. It was very muddy and totaled just over 3000 feet of total elevation gain. The run course was a 3.5 km loop which we did 3 times. I can tell that I was covered in mud and have a few blisters as well. I finished the course in 3:07 in a very competitive field, good enough for 8 in my age. Next weekend is the European championship in Zittau, Germany where 300 people will partake. Stay tuned, happy trails!

Carpe Diem

Spindleruv Myln, Czech republic

After landing in Czech republic and spending a day in Prague, it was time to head up to the race site of Spindleruv Myln, 2 hours north of Prague. Woke up this morning, build my bike and headed to pre ride the course. The course was well marked and not too hard to find. It is not overly technical but there is a lot of climbing, surprise surprise. I was having derailleur issues and when I arrived at the ski resort I found a bike shop. Why do I always have bike issues when I travel long distance? In any event, I needed a new chain which has been replaced. It's a 2 lap course for the bike. Tomorrow I will be off for a swim and and run and the the race is Saturday, with a noon start, il be able to sleep a bit and go set up my transitions. The weather has been mixed and on the cooler side. Stay tuned for post race update after the race. Happy trails!

Carpe Diem

Five peaks result

I was on mount Seymour yesterday morning to partake in the 8 km trail running race. The weather was cool at over 200 people had registered for the race. Fearful of being mocked ny my friends Roy and Sean I left the Clydesdale division alone and competed in the 30-39 age group. The weather was cool but swarm of black flies made in impossible to stay in one spot without being attacked. The race started going up hill, I know it's a shocker! Snow, mud, roots and rock would great me, which would make the footing treacherous at times. I came in 9th in my age group and 11th overall and I was pleased with the result. I am now packing for Europe for Xterra Czech republic on the 13 and Xterra Germany, both part of the global race tour. The German race is also the European championship and over 300 racer are registered. Follow my blog as I will chat about my training and racing experience abroad. Happy trails!

Carpe Diem

Mount Seymour, part deux

Some of you might know I was supposed to do the five peak trail run at Seymour a few weeks back. The race was moved due to.... Snow?! So it will be this weekend coming that I will be racing. After that I will be off to Czech Republic and Germany for 2 Xterra races. Stay tuned for race result from the weekend. As well I will be keeping you up to date from overseas. Happy trails!

Carpe Diem