Check out my fiance’s video.  The Mother’s Day road race in Calgary.  Kelly’s Mom’s first ever road race!

It’s May 5th and snowing.  Cycling has moved back indoors.  Does anyboday have any good suggestions for videos to watch while cycling indoors?

In partnership with Timex Canada and Athletics Alberta, the Timex Provincial Road Race Series provides tens of thousands of Albertans with the opportunity to experience the benefits and joys of road running in Alberta’s only Provincial Road Running Series.

Athletics Alberta actively promotes the physical and emotional health & fitness, individual excellence and personal growth, development beyond sport, inclusiveness and integrity.

In 2010, Athletics Alberta is proud to fund Team Timex Alberta (consisting of 3 men and 3 women) to the National 10km Championships to be held in Toronto on October 16th.  These selected individuals will be the Top 3 Overall Timex Series Alberta winners as determined by the final points standing within the 2010 Timex Series in Alberta.

Participants in the Series are scored against everyone in the race based on overall race placing. In each Timex Series race, points will be awarded to the top 50 finishers per gender category. At the conclusion of the Timex Series, each runner’s total of their BEST 5 series performances will determine the prize recipients and the top 3 men and women overall will be eligible for selection onto Team Timex Alberta and win cash prizes!

All selections are to be made following the final race of the Series, the Melissa’s Road Race, and all selected members must be a registered member of Athletics Alberta. Please note that Team Timex Alberta selection is subject to review by Athletics Alberta Provincial Office Staff.

Timex® Ironman® Global Trainer™ Bodylink® System with integrated SiRFstarIII™ GPS technology measures pace, speed, distance and more in real-time, allowing athletes to measure, review and advance their performance.

Customizable displays show up to four windows of information, and advanced online training log software analyzes uploaded data across several dimensions.

The water-resistant case and long-lasting rechargeable battery prove this is the only GPS-enabled watch worthy of the Timex® Ironman® name.

http://www.timexironman.com/Products/Global_Trainer_GPS.htm

-Performance and Route Data Downloads to Online Training Software Powered by
-Advanced Desktop Software Manages Users Settings for Easy Customization.
-Battery Recharges when Connected to USB Port or AC Adaptor.
-Compatible with Windows® XP or Newer and Mac® OS X 10.4 or Newer.
-Compatible with Timex® Heart Rate and Bike Sensors Using ANT+™.
-Compatible with Third-Party Bike Power Sensors Using ANT+™.

Available at many specialty sports and sporting goods stores in September 2010.

This was my 6^th year in a row racing Ironman Canada.  It has become my favorite race over the years.  We had a lovely home stay with Bonnie, Sussie and Bill on the highway towards Naramata, overlooking Lake Okanagan and wineries.

It was a busy year for me and I was probably a little less prepared for this Ironman Canada as compared to previous years.

Fast forward to race day.

Race morning I woke up early and gobbled down calories and water.  I arrived at the race site early so that I wouldn’t be rushed.  It was great to say hello to fellow competitors.  It is interesting to note that most of the pro racers are as nervous as the age-groupers come race morning.

Swim: 54:29, 3.8km

I went out hard for the first 800m of the swim and found myself near the back of a very large group.  I had no difficulty staying with the group well past the half way point of the swim but unfortunately did not notice a gap opening up two swimmers in front of me.  Unfortunately by the time I noticed, I could not bridge up so I elected to stay within the a smaller group.  We came out just a minute behind the group that I should have been in, but I was able to get through the swim without having to dig deep.  I’ve found over the years that it is much better to come out of an ironman swim a little slower having conserved rather than come out slightly faster but tired.

Bike: 4:47.47, 180km

 I was quickly able to catch up to the likes of Scott Curry, Jasper Blake, Michael Simpson et all.  Unlike previous years, it seemed to me like people were riding without drafting, keeping distance greater than the 10m zone.  The pro race has a 10m rule between bikes and there seemed like officials that were watching us closely.  Unfortunately, from what I heard about much of the age-group race where there were a lot more people riding within tight groups.

I was using my powertap, trying not to go too hard early.  Scott Curry passed me during the rollers after Richter Pass but I was able to keep him in sight as he seemed to remain about 200m down the road.  I passed Scott just after the out-an-back aid station as we started the Yellow Lake climb.   I was able to pass a few other riders before the end of the bike.  I think that I came off the bike in 12^th place.

 Average power for the ride was 257 Watts, or normalized to 269 Watts.  I used a combination of Powerbars, Powerbar Blasts and PowerbarGels as fuel for the bike.  I supplemented my water with electrolyte pills.

 Run: 3:11.17, 42.2km

 Before I started the run, I made a much needed porta-pottie stop. 

 I started the run, not feeling good at all.  I was passed early by Wolfgang Gumble and Jasper Blake who were moving well.  I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to run fast today, but I could run consistent so I wanted to make sure that I paced myself well.  I went by two guys that were obviously hurting more than I.

 The run is an out and back, so I was able to gage my competition.  My goal for the race was to finish in the top-8 but it looked like I wasn’t making any ground on anyone. 

 Finally, with 6.5 miles to go people started to fade.  First, I went by Thomas Hellriegal.  I didn’t know if that was an appropriate time to ask Thomas for his autograph.  Soon after I went by Trevor Wurtele who was in the bushes doing some personal business.  With about 5 miles to go, I came around another corner heading back into town and there were Luke Bell and Mark Van Akkeren. 

 I heard people yelling at me that I was sitting from 5^th to 10^th position.  Up ahead I could see another spec of white, who was Brian Lavelle.  I gritted my teeth and kept on going and caught Brian with about 1km to go.

 Looking back on my run, I think that I ran a very smart race.  I believe that I was very close to even splitting the run, which is a difficult thing to do in an ironman.

 I finished with a time of 8:58.34 good enough for 7^th place.  Not my fastest IMC, but probably my smartest race there.  If you’d told me before that I would have passed the likes of Lothar Leader, Thomas Hellriegal, Luke Bell, Brian Lavelle, Chris Dmitrieff, Michael Simpson, Andrei Yastrebov and others, I would had said that you were nuts.

 I am pretty proud about my consistency at Ironman Canada

2005: 7^th Place

2006: 4^th Place

2007: 6^th Place

2008: 6^th Place

2009: 7^th Place

 We were very sad to hear after the race about an athlete passing away during the swim.