Dogs do not get much credit for being smart animals as compared to say cats or even pigs for that matter.  Let me tell you that indeed not all dogs are thinkers but some are.  Case in point is my dog Figs.

Figs is an Australian Shepherd, a breed that is known to be smarter than the average.  When he was a puppy I made sure to keep him off the bed at night while we slept.  He was allowed to come on before the light went off and he was allowed to come on when we both woke up.  This worked beautifully until I went home at the beginning of this month.

When I went home I left a vacancy on the left side of the bed.  This vacancy as Figs thought, could be filled with his body.  I mean who wouldn’t want to sleep on a cushy bed compared to the floor?  So for the 4 days I was home, he filled my half the bed.

Upon my return and still to this day there seems to be some confusion on who gets to sleep in the bed.  Figs still jumps off when the light goes off but he finds his way back on.  Sometimes it’s subtle like he’ll jump over you (or on you) to get to the middle, squeezing in between me and Amanda.  Or sometimes he’ll sit, looking at you while you sleep until you flinch.  Once you show a sign of being awake he lets out a lick or a low whine to let you know he wants on.  It truly is hard to sleep with someone (or dog) sitting 6” from your face watching your every move while you dream.

At first this seemed cute as we all shared the bed.  But now, after 3 big weeks of training and lack of getting a full nights rest, it’s starting to take a toll on my body.  Now I’ve got to put the kibosh to these little episodes.  He will re-learn not to come up as he is smart enough to figure out that when he is thrown off the bed by me, he knows that he is unwanted at the moment.  But it’s going to take a few more days to do this.  And a few more nights of crappy sleep.

My advice to all you people out there, never under any circumstances leave your house alone with just your significant other and the dog.  They will pair up against you and make you seem like your the bad person for leaving.

Yes I’m going to be in the dog house tonight, but at least I’ll get a full nights sleep!

Happy (YAWN) Training!

Cliff

Whats a typical week look like?

Monday – Swim (3000ms) in the PM, sometimes a short run in the AM

Tuesday – Run (30mins) AM, Swim (3000ms) in the PM

Wednesday – Bike (45mins) with lots of high speed spinning AM, Tempo run in PM + ultimate frisbee

Thursday – Bike/Run (45mins) AM, Swim (3000ms) in the PM

Friday – Swim (3000ms) in the PM

Saturday – Swim (3000ms) in the AM, Tempo run PM

Sunday – Bike long and run.

 Below is an excellent description of how training works (written by Chuckie V):

You, the organism, are to apply a training stress over a given time (e.g., day/days), enough of one to “shock” the body into a new level of adaptation, particularly in the discipline where it’s needed most, whether it’s swimming, cycling or running (as demonstrated by your race results). This is how the human body works; we adapt to stress. And this pertains even to a guy like me, who’s set his life up to avoid stress (and has managed to do quite well, he might add).

Next, the organism (you) would be prudent to back off and recover, noting the stress’s effect and the time it takes to fully adapt to it. Naturally, noting the effect isn’t entirely easy but it is not all that hard if you’re in tuned with yourself. Unnaturally, it is also not entirely easy for many triathletes to back off and recover; they’re simply too compulsive. Don’t be one of these types. (But do be careful, you may stand alone.)

Regarding recovery, backing off doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stay active! I tell those lucky souls I coach (including a horse named Pistol Whip) that while recovering “don’t just wait; do your best to speed time.“ (In other words, work on hastening your recovery, so you can apply MORE stress sooner; after all, that’s how so many performance-enhancing drugs work and that’s how you should too! Be your own steroid!).

The last paragraph is in paticular the most important.    This the part that I’m hoping to learn more this year.

This week has my last race of the season, wrapping of the 5peaks series.  I’m looking to clinch the series and would love to do so with a win! 

Happy Trainin!

Cliff

Champion Systems seems the be the best bet for ordering.  Simply because you can have a minimum of 5 articles per order.  So if your interested in helping/choosing the jersey design, go to the link below, copy the suit, and start designing!  Paint is an easy one but as we get closer to choosing we can use Photoshop.

If you DON”T feel like being creative how about just choosing colours?!  I’ll be posting my creations on Twitter (see side bar).

On Saturday, Amanda and I ran in the 4/5 in the 5Peaks series held near Wakefield QC.  If you remember, I had been here once before racing at the National Snowshoe Championships.  In fact it was the same (or very similar) course.

Both of us knew we had lost fitness from the summer.  How much, well we were about to find out!

The race was 10.4K in length and the terrain was hilly to put it mildly (1600 ft of climbing/descending).  There were 96 participants that took part.

Since I had a good idea of the course, I positioned myself right at the front.  It  payed off as I led out the race for the first 200ms into some very narrow sections.  After this I let others take over the pacing and settled in for 5th place.

Whats funny is I was running against the same people who I had competed against in the snowshoe championships in the spring.  The only difference was I wasn’t wearing shoes that were twice as big!  Game on!

At about 3K I was in 5th spot, biding my time.  There were 2 guys who were about 50ms ahead which I kept an eye on.  I decided to move up into 3rd, just to be safe, and also to see how strong these guy were.

Then, the guy who was in 1st took a wrong turn, putting me into second.  Shortly after the gent in front fell over (tripped on a tree).  That left me to lead this race.  And that was it.  From then on it was just me.  I looked back a couple of times to see if anyone was around but I couldn’t even hear foot steps.  Great, cruise control on!

As I crossed the finish line I was met with some puzzled faces as people were expecting somebody else to win.  Sorry (not really) to spoil the party.

Amanda had a great showing to, finishing a solid 4th overall in the womans race.  She’s done very well in her first year of XC running.

Thanks for reading!

Happy (Back to using rabbit ears to watch TV) Trainin!

Cliff

Workout

Warm up – 20 min warm up, with 4 sprints of 30s to loosen the legs.

Main Set – 2 x 20min TTs with a 10 min rest.  Coaches advice: If it doesn’t hurt (at any time) your not going hard enough.

Cool Down – 15 mins

Yes this is what I got to wake up to yesterday.  Before the sun was up I got on the trainer and began pedaling in circles.  It took me over half the warm up to change out of the small chain ring.  Brain felt good but the legs were sluggish.  I tried not to focus too much on the situation (way to early to be up, I’m hungry ((can’t eat for 3 hours before)), it’s starting to get hot in here and my Ipod just died).  Pedal circles, pedal circles, pedal circles.

Ok, so for anyone that may want to do testing in the future I will give you this advice: don’t go out too hard.  Start in a gear that you can pedal easy but fast.  Always be working up; instead of shifting  down.  I knew this, told myself this and had experienced this!  But the first TT I thought I was going to die at 16mins.  My HR climbed from 160 to 190 in a span of 5mins.  I managed to keep it up but with a monster effort.

After the first TT I thought how the hell can I do another.  Funny how just a month ago I could do a 1/2 IM and now I could hardly do 20mins!  Once the initial pain wore off I was ready to go again.  This time I played it perfect.  Building as I went.  I wore my Garmin so I could track my HR.  The graph looked like a steady progression except for the dips where I burped.  Now I just need to get a Powertap to quantify the work!

This weekend is the second last trail race in the 5Peaks series.  It’s going to be a toughie with over 800ft of climbing.  Should be interesting to see what sort of shape my body is in.

Happy Trainin

Cliff

Ironman Realities

Lee Gruenfeld looks back at this year’s Ford Ironman World Championship

Published Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Through the Eyes of Lee Gruenfeld

Experience is a harsh teacher — she gives the test before she gives the lesson – and once in a while we need a reminder that toeing the start line at Ironman isn’t an automatic ticket to a lifetime of bragging rights.

We’re creatures of adaptation, we humans. We become quickly inured to repetition, treating patterns as normalcy, routine as status quo. But whenever our natural human tendency toward complacency seems poised to redefine the comfort zone, a snap back to reality seems, in retrospect, almost inevitable. This explains the collapse of our economy, spacecraft crashes, Kansas City beating the Yankees and disappointing outcomes on the Ford Ironman World Championship course.

The race in Kona isn’t some pre-fab reality show with a guaranteed fairy tale ending. What start out as heart-warming stories often result in heartbreak and, despite our attempts to put the most positive spin on plot lines we’ve been cheering for, the hard fact is that Ironman can be nasty, brutish and long. The heart transplant recipient isn’t following a script provided by a sentimental producer and ends up in tears on the swim exit stairs, frozen to the spot because nothing in his pre-race visualization told him what to do if the unthinkable happened. The double amputee’s race isn’t choreographed for the benefit of a television audience, and he never got to the part of the race that worried him the most because side winds on the return trip from Hawi conspired to ensure that he’d never even get to put his run legs on. A big guy who used to be bigger wants to celebrate his hard-fought weight loss with a hard-fought Ironman win, but he’s a few minutes late and doesn’t make the cutoff.

In a way, these disappointments are a good thing. We stand at the finish line cheering for hundreds of athletes as they cross the final timing mat with their arms in the air. After hours of this their faces blur together in our minds, the gestures become clichéd, the various flavors of expressed pain and achievement become indistinguishable…we become numb and complacent. Finishing becomes routine. What’s another body across the line after the hundreds who came before?

It’s the disappointments that snap us back. They remind us that starting is no guarantee of finishing. They drive home that every one of these people has suffered, sacrificed and striven. They help us to understand that dreaming is not enough, that Kona is not Disneyland and that none of those briefly spotlighted faces got here by wishing upon a star .

Disappointments underscore the effort of the seemingly effortless Chrissie Wellington. They make us think hard about the fact that 70-74 isn’t some “Isn’t that sweet?” infomercial but one of the most fiercely competitive age groups in the race. They make our eyes widen in wonder at the ones who crash, puke and cramp but only long enough to shake it off and keep on going.

They help us understand the immense achievement of challenged athletes like Sarah Reinertsen and Scott Rigsby and David Bailey, with one good leg among the three of them.

I’ve watched several dozen Ironman races around the world and it never gets old for me. Part of the reason is that, as a total non-athlete myself, I have learned that the you-can-do-anything-you-set-your-mind-to mantra is nonsense of the first order. I couldn’t do this race if the fate of the entire galaxy hung in the balance. Very, very few people could, but it doesn’t seem that way to us who are close to the sport because we’ve been privileged to witness that vanishingly small percentage of the populace who can.

I hope that I, and you, never lose that sense of wonder at these aliens who walk among us.

Here we go again.  The 2009 season has quietly come to an end.  After 2 weeks of a very relaxed schedule I’m starting to get ready for another year.   There are going to be some changes, new coach, a switch in swim programs, more focus on diet/nutrition and a very motivated self to complete the goals ahead.

This year (2009) has been another progression.  I had never been in a group swim before, worked full time, coached and lived with my girlfriend.  For what its worth I think I balanced it ok.  My goals were modest this year: race a lot and gain the experience needed for future races.

At the end of last year (2008) I looked into finding a coach.  After having a less than stellar race in Clearwater, I wanted to fire my coach (myself) and start fresh.  Well in the weeks that followed I began to re-think this strategy thinking I was too harsh for putting my head on the chopping block.  So, I gave it another shot.  This time I’m sure of it; my self coaching days are coming to an end.  My reasons are simple, lose the stress over deciding what workout  goes where so I can focus on just doing what I love to do: getting faster.  Plus it will give me more time to spend on other things (like house work, haha).

I’ve decided to take my swimming to the next level.  Instead of swimming 3 times and now I will be swimming 5-6  days a week.  Frequency is the key with the focus on good form (and not peaking in March!).  This is going to be my biggest challenge as my lack of swim background could cause problems.  However, I’m motivated to see what happens.

The goal for this year is to get back to Clearwater and have a good race (go for a sub 4hr half).  I’m starting the 2010 campaign with the Oceanside 70.3 which I hope will be my qualifying spot into the World 70.3 championships.  Some other goals are the USA Snowshoe Championships, the Triple T Triathlon, riding the Rideau Lakes Tour with my Dad and possibliy testing out the pro field in some of the other 70.3s around here.  I’d also like to see about making the Canadian Mountain Running team.

Should be a good year.  I’m hoping to get back to my video making ways.  My computer (an ‘04 lap top) is on the verge of going tits up.  Getting a new one is low on the priority list but maybe if the job gods give me a raise it could be in the works!

Happy (It Started To Snow Yesterday) Trainin!

Cliff

Over the last month I’ve prowled every website and classified for a Powertap.  Like everyone, I’m looking for deals.  Here’s what I found so far:

Ebay – Surprisingly they do not have the cheapest prices.  If you don’t live in the US, cause let’s face it the Canadian Ebay blows, your going to get hit with shipping charges.  These can add up.  Addionally, as my brother found out, cross border fees are heavy as well.  Selection for items is however, the best of my findings.

Slowtwitch Classifieds – This is a goldmine if you want to find anything.  The prices are very good and people seem ready to dump everything for a fraction of the new cost.  Selection can vary but there is something worth buying most days.

Canadian Cyclist – Again this is another decent sport to pick up gear.   Most is cycling orientated.  Selection can be very  seasonal.  Right now though, there seems to be a good amount of stuff up for sale.

Amazon – Amazon.com has a lot of stuff and the “buy it now” option which is convenient.   Shipping to Canada is always and issue.

Competitive Cyclist - Yes this store has about everything.  Prices though are non-negotiable.  They are a bit cheaper than what you’d buy at the store (shipping included).

Kijiji/Craigslist – Great for local.  Terrible for out of town shopping.

Wheel Builder – This is a good spot to find wheels.  Problem is they don’t write back to your emails.  Those that hate talking on the phone be aware.

The Radical Edge – It’s hard to beat these guys.  Mike Davis with his classic “Just let me take care of this” and you have no idea how much you pay till the end.  He’s good and thats why people keep going back.  No online store though.

In no particular order.

1) Go home and let your parent spoil you with food and not having to clean.

2) Bud Lime Beer. Liquid diesel calories.

3) Some deserts. I don’t go overkill but having one once in awhile isn’t a bad thing.

4) No triathlon sites! Focus on other stuff, like buying stuff you don’t need!

5) Sleep. Sleeping in, naps and just general snoozin.

6) Watch some movies. Great to take your mind off life.

7) Take a nature walk. No running allowed.

Have friends over. There is nothing like catching up on old times.

9) Do some organized sports. Sometimes we forget how much fun playing on a team can be.

10) Repeat: Do you have air, fresh water and food? Your going to be alright.