North American Summer Championships 09/15/2010

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This weekend in Canmore was the North American Summer Biathlon Championships. I recovered from a tough 10km sprint on Saturday where I hit 6/10, crashed at the finish and ended up 9th, and went into Sunday's pursuit as if Saturday hadnever happened.

A familiar sight. My hip got a little mangled at the finish of Saturday's race. I'm beginning to think my left side is attracted to asphalt.

My ski speed felt phenomenal off the start an I quickly made up the 10 second gap to 7th place (I started 9th). I wasn't quite sure if I could hold the speed and after shooting 3/5 in the first prone bout, and wondering if I would have a Saturday repeat, I decided to tone it down and take a mental reset. I cleaned the second prone bout and picked up the tempo. I had been shooting great standing since I had first arrived in Camrose 2 weeks ago so I thought it was worth the risk. A well calculated risk it was as I cleaned my 1st standing bout. All the while picking up speed on the track, I came into my last bout super confident. Some athletes had had shooting difficulties and I knew I could do some damage on my last trip to the range. I hit 4/5 and roared past World Cup, Olympic and Junior World Championships team athletes. I managed to keep them behind me during my rockin' last loop to take 6th. After a bit of a break I decided to try my luck at running biathlon. Less than 2 hours after my morning finish I was back on the track for the men's 5km running pursuit. All things considered my running pace was good but I had obviously left all my good shooting on the range this morning as I missed 8 targets during the running race. As I was the only one in the senior category I still got to take home the coveted Winner's Chocolate Bar.

Bringing home the hardware... or podium chocolate.

I'm hanging out in Canmore until the 23rd of September to complete my Level 3 Technical coaching course in biathlon. It'll be a bit of a rest after a nice block of training and before getting back to school and training until the North American Cup 1 back here in Canmore, in early December. Cheers!

The view across the valley in Canmore.

 

Rockin' Out West 09/06/2010

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Since August 29th I've been in Camrose, Alberta training before heading to Canmore for NorAm Summer Championships. I've was super surprised by what this little town has to offer. Kilometers of rollerski tracks, a 32 lane range and a ski jump, not that I'll get any use out of that, all within a 5 minute drive!

Small hill jump in Camrose

Training has consisted of mostly rollerskiing, intervals and shooting in preparation for summer championships this weekend. Check out the Photos page for training pictures and an update when I get to Canmore.

 

One More for the Good Guys! 07/13/2010

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This past weekend I took to the waterways and streets of Carleton Place to compete in the Graham Beasley Triathlon in the Super Sprint category. I paced my swim a little better than in Smiths Falls and felt much fresher for the bike. Unfortunately that didn't show on the bike and my average pace was about 3km/h slower than in Smiths Falls. The run also didn't feel optimal but that may have been due to the 30+ degree temperatures. That being said I came out on top, by about 4 minutes, and felt that my race developed well and that I was able to push a good pace throughout the whole thing. It's nice to know that even without a perfect day your fitness can ensure a good performance.


This first event under the Zanagen wing allowed me to race-test their Ignite and Xccelerate products. For the first time in a very long time I can say that my calves did not cramp up or cause me any trouble after the bike, leading into the run. I'm confident I can attribute this to the Ignite product which prepares the muscle for this kind of demanding effort at the cellular level. As for the Xccelerate product, I believe it allowed me to have a much more pleasant Monday and return to training without any residual fatigue today. I have no joint pain in my knees and I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping Zanagen's secret weapons in my back pocket come race day.


I'm now 2 for 2 in my first triathlon season in addition to an age-group 2nd in Olympic distance duathlon. Lets see if I can go for a 3rd overall victory right here in Ottawa on the 31st of July when the Canadian Iron Triathlon rolls into town. It'll be a great end to the summer triathlon season before I head out to Alberta in early August to prepare for the North American Summer Biathlon Championships in Canmore. Keep tuned in for a training update later this week. Cheers!

 

New Season, Podium Finishes and a New Sponsor 06/23/2010

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The 2010-11 season is off to a great start. I've put in some good base hours and had loads of fun doing it too. I decided to venture into the world of multisport racing this summer in order to someday qualify for KONA (Ironman Worlds)... and by someday I mean before I turn 30. So without any previous knowledge of how to do this crazy thing called a "transition" I signed up for a duathlon in Cumberland. 5km run, 40km bike and final 5km run... and I thought a men's 20km Individual was long. The Leader 735-TT pushed 35km/h the whole way without drafting and I was only passed by one person... the eventual winner. At the end of the day I finished 15th overall but a solid 2nd in my age group.

The second test came this past weekend in the form of a super sprint triathlon in Smiths Falls. I wasn't concerned about the 26km bike or the 5km run... The 200m swim though, was a little scary. To my surprise I had the fastest times for all 3 legs and no major problems in transitions. After an age group silver and an overall gold it's safe to say I'll be doing a couple more events like this over the summer.

These recent results have also helped me land a partnership with ZANAGEN Inc. ZANAGEN produces a line of pre and post-workout topical applications for increased performance and accelerated recovery. ZANAGEN's Ignite and Xcellerate products target performance and recovery at the cellular level, No Pain, All Gain! Check them out at www.ZANAGEN.com.