Triage: to determine priorities for action.

Triage as a word means the determination of priorities for action in a state of emergency.

I don't think my triathlon career was in a state of emergency for anyone....BUT ME.

Hawaii 2011 reinvented myself as a triathlete. I had taken 3 years off. I was burnt out. But training for that race I loved it all over again. So much so, IMC 2012 I really set a course for doing everything I could to be ready, while ensuring an resolute balance in my life at home. I had finally figured out what makes me tick. Balance. Love. Family and a huge sense of self worth in the challenge. So I charted the course, plotted and planned. And in a training camp with Meredith and Gatsby in Lake Placid enjoyed the journey, the wine, the dinners, the love, the family and the test of myself as an athlete to get ready for an Ironman. I nailed a nutrition plan 100% committed to liquid diet for morning and race day. There was no room for GI distress. I had so much, so dialed, and all my family on the ready I just could not wait to prove to myself what I can do.

Then at mile 2 on the run in Penticton the same pain in my right side abdominal wall as Hawaii kicked in. I did everything but to no avail. It was a torturous 4 hour 26 minute marathon. I was saddened and frankly pissed off.

I spent the fall not really committed to anything sport related. I took care of home, Meredith etc. and pondered all the WTF questions one has after failure.

Triage: to determine priorities for action...

Enter my sister. Joanne sent an article on sport hernias. I read it. I went to go see Dr. Grant Lum in Toronto. I got an ultrasound from the best in the business in this space. Those results pointed me to Dr. Irshad, an expert in Sport Hernia surgery.

December 4th is knife day. A small day surgery to fix a sport hernia in my abdominal wall. A few weeks down time. A rebuild of core and mental strength. 2013 game on for a season to test the limits of what I can do after finally fixing what is the ailing issue. It is not mental; not nutrition; not poor fitness; not too much wine (though I could argue I should lay off a bit!!)...it is actually an acute injury. It is real. It is physical.

I dream of what may be around the corner. I want to shock myself. I really want this to work and go for it.

If it does not. That is life. These aging lines on my face are not that of age; they are smile lines. I have had a good run. Sorry, a good swim, bike, run!!! But I know I have more lines to give and more lessons to teach myself in the depth that is the Ironman test.

Yours in sport,

Rhys

Right to Play Ironman Canada Race Report.

Friends and family,

August 26th was leg one of my three event Right to Play Charity Challenge. I decided to get involved with Right to Play because I am learning as I get a bit older that the nonsense that is triathlon is actually quite a gift. A gift both in the physical ability to compete, and the mental capacity to do the work and get the job done. It is a gift to have the financial ability to fly out to Canada's most beautiful place and spend a week plus with family. And these gifts are given because we are first world adults and kids that have so much opportunity. Right to Play help the too many that can't do that and Right to Play does everything it can to create access, to build social skills, to give kids who otherwise have no chance a chance, to succeed in life.

Sport can change lives. I am witness. It changed mine.

If you haven't, please donate to this great cause by clicking this link!

swim start. Just 2600 friends!

Swim: 58:09 - 11th in age group and 72nd overall.

calm before the storm!

I spent a lot of time since last fall building swim fitness with the Kim Lumsdon swim and tri club here in Toronto. My goal was not to get necessarily faster in the water per se, but more efficient such that I use less energy on Ironman day. I had a bit of a shocker start and after about 1KM in began to find a good groove. As we came closer to the buoy at the far side of the swim course the swells felt like they were pushing me around a bit. Sharp right for a few hundred meters and then a right to come home I felt really good but for some reason felt like I couldn't keep a straight line in the swells. My pack put distance into me as I regrouped. From there I led the next group with one other gent. I figured we were doing ok because he was on my left and I breath left so could see his very, very solid swim form! Looking at his form and after putting in a surge or two I realized this was our pace. I was not dropping this group so stayed efficient and calm. Overall I am happy with the swim. Many asked if the swim was long but I think the swells really slowed us down about a minute or two. I am happy with the swim progress.

Big sis, nephew Bryan, and niece Sarah!

Bike: 5:03:14 - 5th in age group and 32nd overall.

After fiddling around in transition deciding what to wear and if my watch was working (it wasn't) I finally got going to my bike. I instantly felt great on the road. Riding out of town I rode through a few athletes along the Skaha Lake to McLean Creek Road.

 Once up and over the steep pitch on McLean Creek a few athletes came by and I decided to let them go. It wasn't too hard of a pace but I was worried my heart rate was 10 beats above where it usually is at the 225-230 watt sweet spot. I didn't want to wreck my race in the first 30KM's of the bike ride. As we dropped down into Okanagan Falls and turned left on highway 97 to head to Osoyoos and the fame Richter's Pass I was curious: "WHERE IS EVERYBODY?" Usually when I do IMC there is a train of riders by this stage but I was solo. I had one rider I could see up in the distance that I used as a carrot but along this road no one was ahead or behind. It was odd but I just stayed to the plan of 225-230 average watts that I reset every 30 minutes. Get the gels, Salt Sticks, and fluids into me and take deep breaths.

Once arriving to Richter's Pass I could see a pack up ahead climbing the pitches of the pass that I assumed was the lead swim pack. One by one I picked them off staying very close to 290-300 watts on the 7% grades and back down to 225 along the flatter sections. My legs just felt so great!! I was praying for stiff headwinds once up and over the pass I felt that good and with great legs in triathlon you want wind. Wind hurts. The more wind, the better for my bike legs to try and create distance between me and the others. Up and over the descent was a thrilling bomb ride to the bottom and from there its seven rollers, a flat section, and then the out and back. It is this part that is usually viciously windy. Today there was no wind! Like ZERO wind in this section!

Some of the riders from Richter's descended well and we formed a group of about 6 along the rollers. As we moved through this section we picked up a few of the women pro's that start 15 minutes ahead of the amateurs. One was Janelle Morrison who frankly is lucky to be alive never mind racing Ironman.
Click that link there and take a read, it is an amazing story; truly.

Once upon the flat section toward the out and back I put my head down and conserved as much energy as possible because my experience with the out and back always sucks. It saps the life out of me. I don't know why so I was preparing for the mental strain that was ahead.

I saw Nigel Gray on the turn into the out and back section. His cheers gave me strength as I headed along the patch that usually strains me. I kept a very acute eye for bees as that has ruined a race. Wild turkeys as I have seen that out there. Riders ahead and behind at the turn. Surprisingly I got through the section pretty good and headed off to Yellow Lake climb. It is here I struggled slightly. My legs started to become tired and the wind up top was picking up. The good news once on top of Yellow Lake there is pretty much descending all the way home. Put the head down, and roll with it!

Back into town I pushed the false flats and gained a bit of time before one last gel 5K from transition and prepared for the run. I was ready and damn excited to get going.

First mile was 7:30. Felt great!

Run: 4:28:54 - 107th in age group and 677th overall

I came out of transition thinking, 'WHOA I FEEL INCREDIBLE!" My legs have never felt better starting an Ironman run! I ran a 7:30 to start that included a quick stop to kiss Meredith and another to hug nephew Bryan. I wish I knew why, once taking the turnaround to head back along Lakeshore Rd. my right soas muscle felt a twinge. 500M later my right ab felt cramping. Exactly the same spot it did in Hawaii. I had no stomach cramps or distention so my nutrition was getting absorbed. I slowed the pace to 8 minute miles and the pain was manageable. But it never went away. I just persevered and played math games from that moment all the way to the 10 mile marker. Just a game within my head to try and keep pace for a 3:30 - 3:40 marathon. Just keep going, keep going. Suck it up. This is a gift. This pace easily beats your PB. You can still do a 9:50 flat Ironman and that is HUGE if you just keep this pace. Shut up Mr. Negative brain; wake up Mr. Positive brain. YOU CAN DO THIS. Look up. Straight ahead. Still on track. You ROCK.

Last mile was 14:00. Felt TERRIBLE!

Then at mile 10 the soas really pulled. The pain sharp as a knife went from the soas up to the diaphragm. One big giant rip along my right side. Bloody hell that hurt! WALK. Stop. SHIT. Regroup. Stretch. Breathe deep.

I went from 3:40 marathon pace to 4:00 hour pace in 3 miles. Run/walk/run/walk to the turn around. I just wanted to get there and get my special needs bag to grab my Tums and chew away. I crushed 5 of them to try and release some gas in my stomach hoping that would alleviate some pain. It worked, for a mile. Things were not good. My brain went in many different directions. As I jogged out of OK Falls up the mile long climb I just thought of Meredith, Dad, Big Sis, Bryan and Sarah. I had to keep going. The disappointment I was feeling was draining away and I reminded myself the gift that is DOING THIS.

I played math games all the way home. Can I beat a 11 minute mile? No. Ok, 11:30? No. OK, 12? YES! Ok, keep going...literally, all I remember for the 2.5 hours it took to run the final 13 miles was the white line. The bloody white line on the road. Head down. Slow jog is faster than walking. White line. I only had the one thought at the turn around re: quitting; the rest was all self talk to keep going and be positive and enjoy life because I CAN. Others, they cannot. This is a gift.

The math became painful with 10KM to go. Initially I thought, 10K is easy. I do this every day. Then I did the math. 6 miles * 12minutes per mile = 1 hour and 12 minutes???? O-M-G! Just keep going. The final mile is easy with the crowd and you will see your family so its an hour. One more hour. Just keep going!

Meredith, Bryan, Dad, me, Sarah, Joanne

Finish: 10:39:01 - 34th in age group and 350th overall

The final mile took my 14 minutes. I was done. I saw Meredith, Dad, Joanne, Bryan, and Sarah and just couldn't look at them. The disappointment was just too much after staying so darn focused just to finish the past 2 hours. As I passed I just covered my face and started crying. Emotions come in different forms for different reasons when you are putting yourself to the test. I felt the test was a fail at that moment. Not to them, to me. 8 months of work, hard miles, quite a bit of money and I just didn't have it.

Big Daddy reminds me stand tall, shoulders back, be proud

I ran the finish shoot and a great girl sprinted past. She was so HAPPY! Once I crossed the line and was caught by the volounteers I walked by her and she said aloud, "OMG. That is SUCH A GREAT FEELING. OMG. I LOVE THIS!" She was on the moon!! I loved it. I turned around and said, "thank you. You're awesome. Thank you." I was thanking her because she reminded me there is no better feeling than finishing an Ironman. Its just you and the test and the ultimate test is the finish line. My mood changed. My tears turned to smiles. I got my photo taken. Chugged back a cola, sat beside Nigel Gray and Steve Fleck and stared out to space. Ironman; whether a great personal performance or a dud, is still the single greatest moment you can bring yourself and test 'what's possible'. Today, 10:39:01 was possible and bottoms up to that!

This is AWESOME. I DO LOVE THIS. 

Epilogue: When thanks is due....

Product support that needs to be called out. They do help me and provide a great service. 

• New Balance Toronto for the killer kicks and even better store service. 
• Endurosport triathlon store for great team support including awesome new Highway 19 Rogue wetsuit and Cervelo P3 rocket bike!
• Team IFG for the laughs and training friends.

More importantly, none of this is possible without Meredith; period. Thank you. And of course to big sis Joanne and her kids for coming out from Atikokan to Penticton and Dad who came all the way from the UK. It really made for a special experience and when desperately needed, for great motivation to get 'er done! Family makes it all worth *it*. Thank you.

Words of thanks for Binbrook Tri and Ride for Ilijia

Friends,

I've too damn tired to post. Yes, that is how I know I am doing the work for Ironman! Today's post has two updates.

First the Binbrook triathlon 2 weeks ago. Rain greeted us in the morning but the temperatures were warm so for me, I was happy. I could care less if it rains so long as it is warm, it is the cold I can't stand! Familiar faces greeted me again in Eon Dornellas and Steve Fleck over the PA and I got down to thinking of the task at hand.  I wrote down learnings from the Woodstock triathlon and pulled them out for one last read through. Things like "better transition" and "read course map" were very clear in my mind but other more subtle changes were in the mix to. At Woodstock I could not get over my gear and I felt like I was leaning into something on my seat vs. on top of my seat on the bike. I adjusted the saddle for/aft position over a few interval rides (for/aft = angle of saddle) in between the two races and felt dialed in. Come race day it made a big difference. I also wrote down "surge" in my race notes. By that I meant to put in some surges on the run to test my speed. Otherwise the game plan was the same; swim hard, bike hard, and try to run sub 30 minutes for 7.5K.

Swim and bike: Andrew Bolton and I again exited the swim together after I had an awful start (again) and a choppy swim across the top of the reservoir. For the first time in 14 years at this sport I stepped on a large rock as I stood up in the water! That bloody hurt!! Andrew pipped me out of transition but I was still on much better footing than Woodstock with my in & out of T1. Out onto the bike Andrew proceeded to ride a minute into me out on the road. Jim Sunners, Francois Cote, and Andrew Buzzell passed me on the bike so I was in 5th coming into T2. I did keep them within 20 seconds throughout the final 10K and felt pretty good coming into transition. Andrew Buzzell in particular was very impressive on the bike and watching Francois run out of transition I realized his 30 years was going to trump my 41. So I focused on Andrew to start.

Run: I hopped out of T2 in my New Balance 1440s (which I LOVE!) and felt far more snap in my legs than I did in Woodstock. The run was a mix of winding grass trail and an out and back road section. Catching Buzzell was a morale boost and closing in on Jim gave me hope for a podium. I decided to put in a surge to pass Jim on an uphill and was feeling pretty good. My diaphragm cramps were lingering and while I felt I could run faster, I had to keep that in check. At the turn around I saw a fast, fast flying Brandon Habermehl charging toward me. I did math and thought to stay with him when he comes. Not a chance!! He flew by me! I tried a surge at the next hill and my side stitch that had been lingering below my diagram decided it was time to say HI! I tried the breathing techniques and slowed down, finally stopping a top the reservoir dam with about 750M to go. Suddenly I was worried about Jim catching me! Finally the stitch passed and I was able to run home for a 4th overall finish. Immediately I took off my shoes as the rock I stood on was now a swollen contusion on the arch of my foot! It was quite painful I have to admit and didn't really subside for 5 days after.

Overall Binbrook has a great race vibe and again the Multisport Canada team put on a safe race with a real community vibe to it. I really love this series. It feels more home than others and the people seem far more friendly and outgoing.

Binbrook Results:

The second update is the Ride for Ilijia Petrovski. Ilijia was a main stay on the Ontario Master riding circuit. A multiple provincial Time Trail champion, great patron of the Ontario Peleton, and deep family man.  I always respected how Ilijia carried himself in the group. I talked a lot more with his team mates in the group, Kevin Davis, Brian Kelly etc. just out of where we usually are in the peleton but Ilijia was always there smiling and passionate about our great sport. Unfortunately he crashed this past winter. His injuries severe from head trauma. So, his friends and family put on a charity 100K ride to raise funds for his health care that OHIP does not cover to the tune of $75/day*365= $27,375 a year.  Ilijia was the family bread winner and recently left his TSN job to be a full time cycling coach so money was needed to keep him in good hands, and his family in decent financial position.

My team mate Cary volounteers with the Share the Road campaign and called Brian Kelly up to offer their services in putting the ride on. What went from a small charity ride and BBQ turned into a LARGE ride and BBQ! What transpired last week exemplified everything that is right about cycling. 300 people turned up and raised close to $50,000. Then 3 anonymous donors matched that and over $100,000 was raised for Ilijia's family. Some days I am really proud to call myself a cyclist. This was one of those days. The riding was hard, driving fast stuff that Ilijia would be proud of. Thanks to all that volounteered, participated, and shared the road to make it possible.

Tomorrow is the Welland Half Iron-distance event. I absolutely suck at this distance. I hope to pull one out of the hat and right some more next week!

Till then, ride safe my friends.

Humpty Dumpty & race season plans....

Friends and family, thanks for checking in!

So first things first; humpty dumpty is pieced back together!! Well at least good enough to give 2012 a crack. I am still stiff in my back at times, but the work Dr. Barbara Brown at the Balance Health Care Center has been doing is nothing short of remarkable.  Dr. Brown focuses on an innovative technique called Matrix Repatterning, an innovative technique that I am 100% bought into both in theory, and now in practice. A little word on what it is:

• Matrix Repatterning™ is a process of detecting and releasing significant tension patterns within the tissues of the body. These patterns are created primarily by forceful injuries to our body structure, like car accidents or big falls, or from scar tissue resulting from surgery or injury. Due to the network of connective support tissue throughout the body, one area of strain can transmit strain to multiple sites. These sites, under this stress, can then manifest symptoms such as repetitive irritation of joints, chronic muscle tension, dysfunction of organs and simply local tenderness on the surface of the body structure. Simply put, the body is in a state of imbalance. Practitioners of this technique seek to find and release the primary sources of strain, thus releasing all the compensatory changes and allowing the body to return to normal.

After three visits with Barb I feel really amazing. Really freed up. If we take the theory behind her practice, add in the bike crashes and the rugby collisions, and the vicious contusion to my tail bone in rugby it really does add up to why my lower disc is a problem. She really freed up some areas and I am grateful.  

I also wish to thank Dr. Scott Howitt at Sports Performance Centers. Dr. Scott and I met in Kona in 2003 and I have trusted his advice and services ever since. He has a mind for fixing sport pain and a way with the acupuncture that really calms my intensity.  He is also a nutritionist and marathon runner so, he gets it.

Second, given the new found freedom to move; well I've been training! The past 18 days I have been able to get in a good block of training. My running will come as I build the long runs but pretty pleased to report yesterday's 25KM run was easier than the Monday before 25KM run! I did these runs on a Monday with the long weekend and various work commitments etc. They will probably move back to either Thursday nights or Sunday afternoons in my next block.

I am in a recovery week from today, Tuesday, thru to Sunday where I get my first hit out of the tri season racing John Salt's Multisport Canada Woodstock Ontario triathlon. It is a short and sweet 750M swim; 30K bike; 7.5K run triathlon.  Perfect to test the fitness and get the season started. 

From there my race consists of racing Multisport Canada's Binbrook triathlon June 9th, and then their Welland Half Ironman June 24th. From there Meredith and I will hit Lake Placid NY for a 4.5 day tear the door of the hinges tri camp. And finally, my last triathlon before Ironman Canada on August 26th will be the Toronto Triathlon Festival Olympic distance race July 22. 

It feels great to get things heading back in the right direction.

Hopefully next blog I can bring you all up to speed on some of the community events I am getting involved with alongside the bike team. 

Till next time, thanks for checking in and stay safe out there!!