Bring it 2011

We are off to the races!! Christmas quickly came and went, then it hit me...Renovations Start Next Monday!! Hiperformance Fitness Facility is coming fast. Renovations will start January 2nd then go for 3 weeks. Doors will be open February 1st, which is very exciting!! I have had some great trainers apply for positions but 2 trainers stood out from the rest.

Taylor is straight from Saskatchewan (felt sorry for him) So kidding!! He is a well rounded athlete who has the drive and motivation needed for clients. His positive attitude and hard work ethic are exactly what Hiperformance means. Taylor is excited to get clients to their goals starting February. He is already working with the Mississauga Canoe Club and has sent people who cursing his name!!

Darlene is another trainer straight from Oakville. She is coming up a fitness show where she looked awesome. A mother of 4 kids, you wouldn't believe it. Her strength and work ethic is like no other and motivates everyone around her. She caters to the mothers who want to get into the best shape of their lives and get ready of that extra fat !! Also anyone looking to get a great sweat on give her a try, she will push your limits!!

Other news on the home front is my baby boy is kicking like crazy. I am so excited to be a dad and can't wait to watch him grow. Saucony is again my brand of choice for 2011, which has the best shoes around. I have some big goals for 2011 and it all starts with the Mississauga Marathon in May. I am on a 18 running program to make me stronger then ever. Other sponsors for 2011 include Fusion Bikes (located in Scottsdale Arizona), CeraSport, Xterra Wetsuits, Sable Goggle, ISM Seat, and Quarq!!

Also we are giving away free trial sessions with Taylor or Darlene so don't hesitate to email me for more details!!

Over The Holidays

It's almost here! Christmas time! Presents, family, friends and food.......?

Being in the fitness industry for 9 years now and seeing what people can eat during the holidays I wanted to provide some Christmas party tips for everyone. The biggest line I hear is, "I don't want to offend anyone by not eating anything."

So the question is how do we go to a party, enjoy the party and get invited back next year....

1) Drink water all day before going to the party. Most people who snack at parties are not hungry but dehydrated. If you are hydrated you won't feel the need to munch on food constantly. A little is ok.

2) Head straight to the vegetable tray. Vegetables are your friend and raw veggies will fill you up fast and effectively. I tend to over indulge in the vegetables, which makes me full!!

3) 1 Serving is good 2 is pushing it. We all know what food is going to be served during Christmas dinner so try and read up on how much calories are in the food before you get there. So if you know stuffing is 230 calories for 1 cup stick to it!!

4) Leave stuff on your plate. The motto your eyes are bigger then your stomach is seen mostly over the holidays. Try and not finish the meal and stay a little hungry. If it remains get some water into you.

5) Liquor. Ok, now this is the fun part of the holidays. I suggested switching up every glass of wine or hard liquor with a glass of water every other glass. This will dilute the sugar and carbs from the drink and not leave you with a holiday hangover.

6) Understand the Statistics. Every year during the holidays an average 3800 calories is eaten in 1 sitting. That is a full day worth of food ...and some!

Be Smart and enjoy the holidays. You want 2010 to start off in shape and progress your fitness goals forward rather then starting over!!

Certifed Level 1 Kettlebell Instructor!

What a weekend! I registered for the Agatsu Level 1 Certification in Toronto, which was from 9:30am until 5:30pm. It was a great course taught by Shawn Mozen, and throughout the weekend many of his past instructors came in to offer help and show us a few tricks of their own.

This course was both knowledgeable and physical. To be honest I am glad they had a physical side to this course, why be a trainer if you can't do what your clients can do.

On the first day we went through straight body movements and worked are way through the hard style of kettlebell (North American Style). We were tired by 5 and that is when the fun began. As the last set of the day went.

30 Jump Tuck Burpees with Push up (JTB)
20 Kettlebell Swings (KS)
25 JTB
25 KS
20 JTB
30 KS
15 JTB
35 KS
10 JTB
40 KS
5 JTB
45 KS

TIME: 11:51. After about a 100 burpees form was a bit sloppy and have to give much respect to the guys who took there time, did it in 25 min, but their form was amazing.

DAY 2: I was a bit sore!! Today was a bit more technical learning the GS Style (Russian Style) I really enjoyed this style because it was Aerobic...sort of my thang!! haha We had the written exam, practical exam then physical exam. Being vague because anyone who wants to do the course has to experience this pain haha.

All and all I learned a ton and have taken away another arsenal to add to my building program design! Clients are scared!!!

My favourite piece of information I took away from the course:

Focus on Flexibility, Mobility, Strength and Endurance and your body will come!!

Blogspot, facebook and Twitter

Oh yeah it is on. Have integrated all the feeds bring on Hiperformance Training!!

Hipeformance Personal Training and Coaching Oakville

After many years of working with Steph Kim at Kim Gym, located in Port Credit, I have finally made the decision to open my own fitness facility in Oakville. I have found the perfect location at 118 Thomas Street, which is Lakeshore and Thomas. I have found the best equipment around and some outstanding trainers for Hiperformance. Below Hiperformance is The Running Company, the best shoe store around and there will be a ton of deals on shoes and apparel for Hiperformance Clients and athletes.

SERVICES: My reason for opening Hiperformance Fitness Facility is to get new faces working out and at prices they can afford. We are in an era where physical health is so important and too many times I see people who want to do well but can't afford it. When designing this gym I had one goal in mind. "hi" quality training for an affordable price. I would rather have a client in two times a week working with one of our trainers then once a week and seeing no results. Results are key.

One-on-One Personal Training. (Every Trainer is certified and goes through an extensive screening process)
Group Training
Boot Camps
Mom Boot Camps
Triathlon Specific Training/Spin
Muay Thai/Boxing


CONCEPT OF GYM: It is a personal training studio, which means you have to work out with one of our trainers. I have found this style of gym makes people feel comfortable and not turned off by public gym feel. Also if you work out with one of our trainers a week you have full access to the gym. This being said our trainers will design specific programs for you to attain your goals!!

I am super excited to see a ton of new faces working out and getting into the best shapes of their lives!! Opening date is February 1st!!

Here is a picture of a 3D Image of how it will look

Rope workout

Hurting More in the Off Season....

So last week was Florida Ironman and when I finished my legs were tight, my back was sore and a little discomfort in my neck. I know the effects of the race would last for a couple weeks but the pain went away after 2 days. I am excited for the rest right now with everything on the go but this is also an important time to get back to the basics.

Strength Training is key to decrease any muscular imbalance I am created in season and also decrease any atrophy. I have been doing functional workouts this week with a bit of everything. Kettlebells, ropes, weights and cardio is the usually mix. This puts muscle back onto my body, which in turns creates a higher metabolism to burn more fat!!

I also started back into Muay Thai with the boys at Kim Gym! You want a crazy core workout, come try out a session;)

I believe changing it up at the end of season is key. Your body needs the break and it gives you a chance to rethink goals for next season and have fun!!!

Take care

Year End

What a great year of racing. I have had a blast and finished it off with an Ironman. It didn't go as planned but at the end of the day it's just a race;)

What went down at Ironman Florida.

Swim was awesome! They said wetsuit, I smiled and put on my Xterra Vendetta, which is super fast. After a fast start I was off and stuck in a great pack. We swam the full 4km together and came out in 57min, which is quick.

Onto the bike I didn't know how cold it was 4 degrees celsuis and that was chilly. Thanks to however the guy was at the aid station who gave me his gloves! Lifesaver! After a cold start I got into the groove and was flying along. Was glad to get off my Mach after 5:09 of riding.

So as you can see I was having a stellar race. Feeling good I got into the run and 10 miles was going great holding 7:30 per mile. Then it happened!! I guess the 3000 calories in liquid didn't really like me and it wanted out. Over, and over and over again. So run took a bit longer then wanted but hey, they don't call it an Ironman for nothing.

Overall I learned Ironman is a different animal, racing goes out the window and strategy and commitment takes over. I have the utmost respect for everyone who does one and for those who go 8 hours, legendary. Next season is all about Hiperformance Gym, which is going to be huge, racing locally and supporting the athletes I coach. And of course get my groove on as a dad;)

Thanks to sponsors for a great season and can't wait for next year.
Saucony, Mach Bikes, Cera Sport, Xterra, Livrelief, ISM, Sable, Gears, and of course my wife;)

Pre Ironman Update

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. A lot on the go these days from training my amazing clients and athletes, training myself and getting ready to bring a new baby into the world....ok the last one isn't that much work right now but just wait!!

Where to begin. I am 3 weeks out from Ironman Florida and feel great. Probably the best shape of my life. I have been working on nutrition and tempo so I can have a successful race in Florida. To be honest I didn't fully understand how specific you have to be with pacing and nutrition in Ironman until I went through it. The past 2 months I have been getting around 500 calories per hour on the bike and can't even start to explain how good I feel running off the bike.

My final weekend of big training passed with Glenn and I riding to Welland and meeting up with Nicole. I kept the watts around 220 and took a ton of nutrition. Off the bike I ran 45min and that night I did another 15with the dog to make it 60min haha. On the Sunday I woke up and ran the Toronto Half Marathon. No watch, just went on feel and ran a 1:20:00 not too shabby to close out the weekend. I also wore my Saucony Kinvara, which have held the test of time and made me walk away not sore!! It is rest time now so just want to get there and race!!

On the team side we ran into a speed bump with UTM right now so we decided to look at the Triathlon Group later on in the year. Sorry to all who were excited. Team Hiperformance however is filling up and can't wait to show off our new Singlets, which were designed by Nicole.

Other then that thanks to all my sponsors, Saucony, Cera Sport, Mach Bikes, Xterra Wetsuits, ISM Saddles, Sable Water Optics, Gears Bike Shop for a great season and ready to show you what I can do in Florida!

Retul and Refit

So just looked up the race pictures from Cedar Point Full Rev and first thing I notice in my bike picture is how not aero I am. (Note Picture at top of screen) My goals right now are simple. 1) Make bike aero, comfortable, and fast 2) Get this nutrition thing down.

Day 1)After sending Bob the pictures he was in my garage within the hour and we were dismantling my bike and redoing all the angles. I am crazy about feel on a bike and want to optimize my power and save energy so I can dial in the Marathon at IM Florida. The next day I tested it out with Sean on a 105km bike ride and I think Sean wanted to kill me after all the seat adjustments I was making on the ride..haha.

Day 2) With the numbers pretty dialed in I headed to Gears and worked with Dai to make the bike perfect. After 30min he had it. Dropped the bars down, pushed back the seat and I was sitting pretty and feeling good. Excited to test out the position this Sunday. I have attached a pic of the change.

In terms of nutrition, you don't know how specific it is until you do an Ironman. a 70.3 Race is 10 x easier then the planning you have to do in an Ironman. Jen from Cerasport and I have been mingling and we have a great race plan set out.

Excited and ready to race in IM Florida

At wor

Ironman Lesson 1

"Stick to the Plan!" A few people told me going into this Full Distance Triathlon that I should race my race and stick to the nutrition plan I set out.....well here is how the day went:

Felt good the morning off. Water was a bit choppy but knew if I got through the first 2km I could grab some feet and ride the 4km swim. Came through the first 2km in 28 min. Was feeling good and in a group of 4 so I knew things were looking good. Out of the water on the 2nd lap I was sitting at 58min swim. Not bad and it left a 6min gap from the leaders.

Into T1 3 of us were told we were sitting in the top 10! My first mistake was getting over excited. My bike ride goal was simple, take 500 calories per hour and have about 5 or 6 bottles of water at aid stations every 10 miles. I had a bottle on my bike which contained 1200-1400 calories and a ton of sodium so wouldn't need to load up on salt, 6 salt tablets, 2 GU Chomps and 6 gels. In my special needs bag at 90km a coke, 2 more gels. If I calculate that correctly 5 hours on the bike I would need 2500 calories. With my bottle (1400) plus 8 gels and 2 chomps (1000) and a coke I would be sitting spot on my caloric intake for the marathon.

Now for Mistake 2....

I was sitting 7th overall then another pro caught up and started to push the pace. Nothing crazy I thought, but it did push my watts from 240 to 260-265 and heart rate from 140 to 155...thought it was ok.

Mistake 3... At 90km I opted out of grabbing my special needs bag because I was feeling good and the train was leaving...

When it hit me.... at 140km I went from riding 260 watts to struggling to push 200 watts. This worried me because it was going to be a long marathon . Bike split was 2:20(90km) 2:50 (90km). Really didn't keep that consistent did I? Onto the run the goal was to make it a training day at this point and not hurt myself too bad. I finished 10:13 on my watch and 13 out of 23 pros.

I really enjoyed the distance and am still learning how to race it. I can tell you it is not like a 70.3 race. This takes knowing your body and keeping it below the limits because if not you end up like me.

I have no excuses or reasons for doing what I did. I went out to race, learned the hard way and won't do it again....this being said....I'm heading to Ironman Florida. No messing around this time;)

TAPER TIME! HIPerformance

" Think HIPerformance and Achieve" Will be the slogan for our new team, which is tentatively looking at an October 1st start date. Once I know further details I will fire them out to everyone who emailed. The classes will consist of 1 cycle class, 1 track practice, and 2 swim practices with either me or Mike Rutledge coaching them. This will not include online coaching just the chance to train with some great athletes and get the motivation to compete ad achieve your goals.

I am currently putting together a better coaching service, which will use training peaks, give great apparel and shoe discounts. Also discounts on bikes, wetsuits and personal training at my studio in Port Credit. We will also be working with Sheddon Physiotherapy in Oakville for discounted physio and chiro treatments. Not to shabby eh;)

On other news September 12th is quickly coming into view and I will be having a long day racing at the REV3 Full Triathlon. All the work has been done, so now it is time to sit back, relax and enjoy the days off from serious training. I am still getting in workouts but nothing longer then 2 hours.

I have my times I am looking to do and hopefully from all the hard work and training I will get the times I am looking for. I am going to push the bike to get myself into a good spot on the run. Let's see what my Mach Bike has for 180km haha.

A few questions have come up from many people about how I am feeling going into this race and to be honest, I am sort of excited, not scared at all and ready to see what my body can do. It has been a great year and I can't wait to see what happens out there next Sunday. I am taking this race as a stepping stone for next year to understand how to race these events because I am told they are different then any other I have done before!!!

.......If you have read down this far, I can also let you in on a little secret......Shannon is Pregnant! Looks like we will have an addition to our family come February!

Take care and train safe

Cornwall Tri/Team HP/Free Training?

What a busy couple weeks it been. 2 weeks after Bracebridge Half Ironman I headed to Cornwall for the Olympic Triathlon. Rob Allen is a great race director and besides the rain but on a great triathlon that I recommend for any caliber of athlete. I was excited to make the trip down because not only was there good competition but also prize money;) When I got to the race I was greeted by Jaime Stevenson, Ryan Cain, Rick Hellard and Mike Greenberg, these guys are great athletes from the Ottawa region and I knew they would be going fast out there!

The race started fast and I got into a great pack. Jamie and Mike got out front and I wasn't able to make up ground on the swim but did come out in the pack of 5 behind those 2. Onto the bike it was raining pretty hard and the only thing about the course I didn't like was the turning. My bike is my strong suit so having to always break I wasn't able to make up as much ground as I wanted and also kept guys who can run fast around me. I got off the bike with Ryan in 2nd and tried to hold onto him but he is in top form right now and I am Ironman shape, which meant I was running 6min miles and that was it haha. Not bad but didn't have that extra kick to push the last 3 km. I ended up 4th overall and took home some money so I can't complain much about that. All and all I had a great time and it just adds to my fitness going into the Full Rev Distance Triathlon in 3 weeks.

NOW FOR THE GOOD STUFF!!!

I have been training 5 athletes right now and they are doing great. They are placing in the top of their age groups and I can't wait to see what they do in the future. From racing professional and working full time 5-6 athletes was all I was willing to take because I felt the quality would go down in coaching and I didn't want to see that. Well times have changed..haha. Mike Rutledge (UTM and MIssissauga Swim coach) have decided to get a team going. With his knowledge in swimming and cycling we will make a great team to make athletes fast. Mike has got me from a 1:30 per 100 swimmer down to a 1:25 over the course of a year. Very Excited

WHAT HIPERFORMANCE will offer:

The biggest issue for most weekend warriors is time commitment. Most athletes want to do well but getting in a 3-4 hour ride and then run 60min on the weekend is tough. What Mike and I want to do is set a schedule so you get a cycle, a track practice and 2 swims a week with us so we can give tips, motivate and watch you progress into a age group winning athlete.

OTHER BONUSES:

I am in talks with many of my sponsors to give great deals on clothing, bikes, shoes, wetsuits and all other triathlon related gear. I want all athletes to have the best equipment without going insanely over their budget. Everyone on a Mach bike would be amazing!!!

We are in works to figure out pricing and times but if anyone is interested or wants any other info just send me an email!

LASTLY YEAR FREE TRAINING:

Starting September I am looking for someone, who needs to lose a significant amount of weight. I have been a trainer for almost 10 years and feel it is time to help out the community. Many people can't afford training or being an athlete and I want to help that person who has the drive to lose weight and get into great shape. If you know someone who wants to lose weight and wouldn't be able to afford it let them know I am on the lookout. All they would have to do for me is start a blog, which I would attach to my website and they have to post on Wednesday and Sunday commenting on how they feel that is it. Full year of training for 2 blogs a week. Not to shabby.

email me at tyler_hiperformance@hotmail.com

Special Feature on Chrissie Wellington

Special Feature

This is a really cool perspective on the top Female Ironman in the World

Chrissie Wellington in Kona - high speed run video

I still can't believe her stride. When you slow it down it looks pretty good.

Bracebridge Report

Past weekend was the Bracebridge Half Ironman put on by Multisport. I really enjoy this race because it is a time for Shannon and I to get away to Muskoka and hey! , it's my wedding anniversary. I have a very understanding wife;) Muskoka is always a great place to race with terrain that will really tell you if you are fit or not. This Half was a great test going into Cedar Point in 5 weeks.

The weather was calling for 40% chance of rain but by the time the swim started it changed to 90% and man did it rain. This is 3 years in a row of rain on that Sunday. John Salt said I was not allowed back to that race anymore...I think he was serious. Other then weather conditions I was feeling pretty good. Mike gave me a whole 1 day taper haha...meaning I was coming into this race asking for some punishment! The swim started fast and was able to get onto the feet of a couple fast swimmers and got into my groove. I am not the fastest in the water but I can sure find feet;) I came out in 29min, which seems to be the ticket these days. By the time I got through transition I was sitting in 5th overall. I was excited to test out my new Mach Bike. It has been putting up some crazy numbers in training and didn't disappoint this day either. I avg 38km/h which is the same as last year with a lot less effort. I really focused on heart rate because with Ironman coming I didn't want to be crazy. I dialed it in around 150-158 and cruised. Of the bike I was feeling great!

My goal was simple hammer the first 5km and then see where everyone is. I opened it up with a 20min 5km and by the first turn around I was sitting a km ahead of the 2nd place guy so I knew I had time to play with. I really was focused on heart rate so settled my breathing down and ran consistently at 150-165. It felt like a long run and was able to work on my form and staying strong. Into the final 5km I was having a blast cheering people on as they started the 13mile adventure. It was nice not to worry about the time so much and more on heart rate. It was great to win Bracebridge again and congrats to all that finished, it was a super tough day.

Mentally and Physically I am ready to race the Full

Next up is Cornwall Olympic next weekend then doing a 24 hour of Adrenaline race....don't ask haha.

Mach Bike

Challenge Time

I am excited to announce I have just registered for Challenge Roth 2011. It is a year away and a lot of preparation is going to have to happen. FullRev is in 5 weeks and I am feeling strong heading into the full Ironman distance triathlon. Now training gets serious....

Ironman (Full Rev) Training as Commenced.....

On a long bike ride with my coach and training partner Mike Hay we got into a long discussion about Ironmans and Mike upcoming race in Sandusky Ohio at the FULL REV3. After a cruise 110km on the bike and hitting 100km under 3 hours, and a 7km tempo run off the bike, Mike thought I am in good enough shape to do a Full. I resisted many times but Mike is a very persuasive guy haha.

So...I will be racing FULL REV3 in September...and now it begins

Hope you can keep up!

Where to begin.... This week as flown by from racing to flying to crashing (wakeboarding) and to working I have just been trying to keep up with everything.

I was excited for the past weekend. Shannon and I headed to Bala to meet up with friends at their cottage. It was located on Go Home Lake and not to mention Damien had a kick a@# X-Star, which for people who don't know is a boat which creates a really big wake! I also had a race on the Saturday so it was easy to wake up early, head over and race then come back to the cottage. First lets discuss wakeboarding.

I used to wakeboard all the time! When I was in highschool all of us would head up to the cottage and do some serious sessions on the water. I even entered Wakestock, the first year it came out in the amateur division;) I was able to do inverts, 360's and all sorts of crazy moves. Now lets fast forward to the present. My first run on the Saturday after the race started off great. I jumped off the dock and was off. After a few jumps I felt like I was back in the day just doing my thing. My new rule is don't listen to my brain, it never works out well! I hit the jump and decided to throw a huge Tantrum, which is a back flip, then into a 360 rope pass. After some solid attempts and landing them I might add, I felt pretty good about myself that this married guy still had it in him. Not to mention my wife thought it was hot haha. It wasn't until I woke up on the Sunday and couldn't move that I realized my body is meant to only go in a straight line and not to contort myself like I used to do. It is Friday and my body has just started to feel back to normal! Lesson Learned.

Thankfully I made the triathlon first priority before my wakeboarding ways. It was a sprint distance race, which I was excited to compete in. My goal was simple, go as hard as I could. after a 1km warm up swim I hammered the 750m swim and as I was sighting around the 2nd bouy I noticed someone 50m ahead of me? I thought I was leading but was mistaken and had to kick it into gear! I excited the water in 2nd and knew I had to crank it on the short 20km ride to catch this person in front of me. Finally at 10km I caught this guy..it was Ryan Smith!! It was great to have some competition out and how hard he made me work on the bike! I came into transition in the lead and now had to hold people off. My goal was to run the first 2.5km just under 6min miles and at the turn around see what's up. At the turn around I was a km ahead of 2nd and took the win at the race. I was given a great plaque and not to mention raised a ton of money for a great cause!!!!

Still more.... Sunday, barely able to move we drove home and I got packed up ready for my next adventure to Scottsdale Arizona. I was sent an email last week from a guy named Reagan, who is the owner of Mach Bikes. I first came across the bike on twitter and just sent them a message saying how good they look. It is a mix of Willier with Specialized! However what makes it a Mach is the top tube, which is stealth. We talked about the design and how much I like aggressive bikes and he said I had to try one out! At the point I just got word from Lewis Elliot, who was part of the National US Cycle team and Pro Triathlete that he smashed the course record of the AZ Triahlon on a Mach. I was on the next flight out. I got down there on the Monday and the bike was dialed with full Sram Force return to center shifters, ISM Saddle, Easton Bars and I put my HED Stinger 6 wheels on them. I was still sore from the weekend but went out with the Tri Scottsdale ride at 5:30am...ouch. Right away I felt the responsiveness and aggressiveness of the Mach and was immediately out front setting the pace with Lewis. After the 35mile ride we were off running and it felt easy transitioning onto the run. After a swim I was back on the next flight home with a crazy bike. Did I forget to mention the pink is back!!! haha

Although I will be riding the Mach I still need to do a shout out to the best bike shop around the GTA Gears. You can't beat the knowledge and supplies they have in there shop. From bike fitting to bike fixing they are the place to go and love having them across the street from the gym;)

The Perfect Pedal Stroke

It has been a great week of recovery and feeling really good after a 2:30 ride today. Had to get out early before the humidity kicked in! I have been using my power meter to really monitor the 'smoothness' in my pedal stroke. It is easy to lose efficiency when you are tired. I found really good article by Loren Mooney explaining a solid stroke.

Welland 70.3

This past weekend was the Multisport Welland 70.3 race. I was able to make it to Welland on the Wednesday to get a feel for the water, get on my bike and see part of the run. Although the course was flat it was going to take a lot of mental strength to keep the bike moving strong and your legs going in a 96% humidity day.

Over the past 3 weeks I have been going strong. From racing in Middlebury CT at the Rev3 Half Ironman, straight into Guelph Olympic and then hammer out another Half Ironman in Welland, I was feeling a bit tired but was excited to race a Half Ironman in Ontario. Not only that but many people were telling me the competition was going to be good and I love a little competition..haha

I got to the race and saw that many elite professionals and age-groupers were out and ready to hammer. It was great to see everyone make it out, but in all honesty was not mentally prepared to hurt as much as I knew I would. Guembel, Gray, Pady, Ross, were among a list of great athletes competing.

I have been feeling confident in the swim so being allowed to where my Xterra Vendetta Wetsuit I knew I would be able to hang in there and come out of the water with a strong time. The gun went and I felt good. I got into a great tempo and came out of the water in 28min. That is around 1:25 per 100m, not to shabby I was a minute down on Nigel and Pady so I knew I would have to work to get them.

I got onto my bike and my goal was to be consistent today. I wanted to hit 10km every 15min. This would put me at a 40km avg off the bike with a 2:15 bike split. I got into the grove and got passed by Mr. Walton who looked like a machine on that bike. He said keep up but he laid down a serious bike time, but knew he would pay a bit in the run for that one. He left me around the 70km mark and again I was on my own. A lot of thoughts go through your head at the point and I was just trying to keep myself motivated to get prepared for the run. On a sad note, I won't to send a shout out to Richard Pady, who hit a car around the 70km mark and I pulled passed him and he didn't look to hot. I did however hear he was ok with only a couple broken bones, which is good to hear he will ride again. Around 85km I was excited to get off the bike, I felt I was loosing power and was a bit worried to run. Usually I am excited to get my run on but I knew today was going to be a mental run.

I decided to go with a bit more supportive shoe on the run from Saucony, so I had the Fast Twitch, which is a great show to race in! Breathable with support..what more do you want from a shoe. The humidity got me right away and I knew I just had to get my legs turning over and I would be ok. Around 3km I caught Darryn and was sitting in 3rd overall. I was told Joe was 90 seconds back so my goal was to hold him off. Around 7km I started to feel really good and picked up the pace. It wasn't till km 16 that Joe met up with me and that is when the fun began. I saw that he was hurting so we kept pushing the pace on each other hoping one would break. Around km 18 Joe was able to open a 60m gap on me and pushed forward. I tried to surge and came up short by a few seconds at the finish line.

Mentally and physically I am pretty spent. 3 weeks of racing, some good results, and today on tired legs a 4:20 Half Ironman. Not my best performance in the run but I am happy with the result. Thanks to John Salt for another great event and also to all the volunteers!

Next race will be Joe's Team in Barrie, then Muskoka Long Course, followed by an Olympic Distance Triathlon in Cornwall, which I am very excited for!!

The Aftermath of the Toronto Earthquake!

LIFE....

Guelph Lake Race Report

Today was the Guelph Olympic Distance Triathlon. It was a good test of speed with a bit of money on the line. In Canada it only goes 3 deep so you really have to work!

I was coming off Quassy Rev 3 Half Ironman 2 weeks ago, where I placed 19th out of 33 of the worlds best. I gave myself a bit of taper during the week and was excited to race.

I was excited to swim. They gave us the green light to wear out wetsuit, which meant I was able to put on my Xterra Vendetta wetsuit. Xterra has the fastest wetsuit out and put me in a great place coming out of the water in the top 10 today. I also had my Sable Water Optic goggles on, which gives me the best vision around.

Like always I was excited to get on my bike. Gears Bike Shop has supplied me with the best bike around. The Specialized Transition Pro is so responsive with power that it always gets me to the front of the pack right away. I hammered the bike but had no pop today. Is that a good word. I saw Mark about 300m ahead and couldn't hunt him down! Mark, rode great today and glad he finally put it to me. I averaged 39 km/h, which is pretty good for an off day. Not to mention my bum felt awesome with my ISM Saddle.

I was well hydrated on the bike with Cera Sport EX and felt ready to run. I came off the bike as the 3rd pro and to be honest didn't put it together I was sitting in money contention. Andrew stayed with me then finally broke away and pushed the pace. I fell off and he took me by 20 seconds on the run. I ended up wearing my Saucony Fast Twitch, which have enough support for a flat and don't ruin my feet after a race.

Overall I am happy with the result. It was a fun day and am going home with a fat lip! Thanks Mark for the dolphin kick in the face. Haha.

Thanks to all my sponsors for the great support in the 2010 season. It has been a great year thus far and I am excited about Welland next weekend!

REV 3 Pictures and Guelph Weekend

So it has been a solid week of training. Feeling recovered except for a little twinge in the calf. It doesn't get tight until after the workout so racing will be fine haha. This weekend is the Guelph Triathlon, which seems to always hurt. I was just told of a little bet amongst crews...yes crews. C3 as challenged Allied Force to a top 4 times added together is the winner. I think it will be a fun event to really see what each team has got! Always up for a race!!

Excited to see everyone this weekend and ready to throw down some fast times! Good luck !

OIL THE MACHINE // Science & Research

OIL THE MACHINE // Science & Research

Cera Sport and Rev 3 Race Report

This past weekend I was in Middlebury Connecticut racing the Rev 3 Half Ironman. First off, I have to thank Heather for a great race. If you are looking for a great race and great competition Rev 3 is the way to go. Arriving at the pro meeting it was great to see everyone at the start of another season. I knew though it was going to be a tough with all the competition!

Jon, Mike and I made our way down on Friday and it only took 7.5 hours, not to shabby. When we arrived we went for a quick swim in Quassy and right away I knew there was going to be a no wetsuit swim. So thankful Xterra has a skin suit or it would have been a long day in the water! After we got back to the hotel we met up with Jasper who wasn't feeling to hot, but was ready to race.

Saturday came quick and I was staying hydrated on CeraSport, which is gluten-free so made my tummy feel good! After a morning ride I hit the pro meeting, swim and then got my rest on. Morning came quick....

So being the first half of the season I was going into this race with no expectations. I put in the work and was ready to see the outcome. Running has been going well so was hoping for a solid run off the bike. The swim started and I couldn't hang onto the front pack, which opened up with a 1:10per 100 sprint! I fell into pace and came out of the water in 29 and change with 4 other guys. After a quick run to transition I was spot on 30min...Love canada for the cold weather and my Xterra Wetsuit.haha

Onto the bike I was excited to see what my Specialized Transition has. It is by far the most responsive bike I have ever ridden. Gears dialed it in before I left and was feeling great the whole ride. I avg 285 watts and came off the bike in 2:32. I can't explain how hilly it was. The boys after the race said it was tougher then Muskoka and St.Croix by far. I will have to 2nd that...

Onto the run the legs were tired but my goal was to keep the run up and be strong till finish. Had a great plan with nutrition on the bike and went through 2 bottles of CeraSport, 5 gels and tons of salt pills. It was 90% humidity so staying hydrated is key. I started off and felt pretty good. Didn't want to kill myself on the run but was able to pass a couple athletes as I pushed hard up all the hills...there was a lot of them! Finished in 4:38...not to shabby.

Overall, I am happy with the race and the outcome. When Crowie is the only one to break 4 hours you know the race is tough. I am excited to Welland and feeling in 4:10 shape right now which is going to be great. I figured get the tough races out of the way early. Thanks to all my sponsors, Saucony for the Great Suit, Cera Sport for keeping my hydrated during a tough race. Xterra and Sable for keeping me a float ISM for making my bum feel good and Gears for making my bike super fast;)

Recovery time right now

REV3 and Being a Spectator

Last weekend a group of us headed down to the Ottawa Half Marathon. Shannon and her friends were racing well I was on the sidelines watching...

My thoughts after Spectating:

1) Logistically it is a full event on its on. You have to make sure we see them at the start, fit time in for the long line at Starbucks to get a coffee, make it to the 10mile at the time they pass and then see them cross the finish line. If you are not prepared then you will have one unhappy athlete because they will not have seen you.
2) Leading into the event I was a bit nervous. The night before I didn't know how to eat and having a beer was foreign to me. I honestly didn't know how the body would react to race day...for my wife.
3) Cheering is a new language where you have to be careful what to say. "your slowing down, speed up!", is something I don't recommend saying. However after a day in Ottawa, I learned the best response was "Stay Alert!" Oh yes, it is a response, which will make the athlete think. I know if I was racing and someone said that to me I would sit back and go, yes, I must stay alert, instead of someone telling me I look great, keep going. I don't know about anyone else but hearing that making me want to fight someone..haha
4) After Shannon finished the race and did great, I might add. I also felt a sense of accomplishment and how, I two, needed DQ!

Overall it was great to see my wife race. I love her drive and commitment, even if she took the long runs a bit easier;)

REV3 weekend, rest day today then ready to hammer!

JOESTEAM.CA

What a great start to the season! Victoria Duathlon came quick and we had amazing weather to race. The first run was fast and I have been working on a lot of distance so to hammer out 3:17km for the first km hurt just a bit. I came into transition in the 2nd group and knew I would have to hammer the bike. I have put a ton of work in the bike over the winter and the trainer paid off as I was able to make my way into 3rd overall off the bike. Sorry to Karsten, who had a call against him, which ended his day. Sean Killed it the whole way and 2 guys ended up passing me on the 2nd run....story of my life always the zebra getting chased by cheetahs haha. Long bike boys!! I only had 1 bottle of Cerasport on the bike and should have had a bit more but my new Specialized is killer! Funny how the top guys off the bike were riding Transitions;) Thanks Gears! haha

So I need some help! This year I am helping to great causes for cancer. In Ontario I am helping out www.joesteam.ca which is built from a guy named Joe Finley, who is still fighting cancer but wanted to do a triathlon! He is a legend! I want to race 500 dollars for the charity but also am heading down to help out people do their first triathlon. I may even join in the race! Please help out would be great!!

All you have to do is go to www.joesteam.ca, Donate to Tyler Lord and you are good to go!! Thanks everyone for the help and happy racing;)

I push.....

Not to set records.
Not to pass my opponents.
Not because I need to win.
I push because I love speed.
Because it's my passion.
Because perfection is performance.
And for the knowledge that I will:
learn from yesterday. Live for today.....
Never give up

...time to race

April Flowers Bring May Showers?

What a month it has been. May is the time when all the athletes return from training camp, are excited to be back home and out on home turf. Not this year. Ontario has seen an odd mixture of cold, rain and even signs of snow. Muskoka had a blizzard and Colorado still has snow on the ground. I will be the first to admit it is hard to get motivated to go outside and do a bike ride or a run after being in Arizona and not seeing a single cloud in the sky.

I guess where I live I am sort of lucky and have an amazing trail system to get me through this weather. It protects me from the crazy wind and rain so I can take out my cross bike or mountain bike and not spend all my time riding a trainer. Usually, I put in 2 rides on the trainer a week even in season because I find the power output can be sustained and you can't cheat. Another good one is to take your bike and trainer to the track for a brick workout and run repeats off the bike, just make sure you have someone with you watching over your bikes haha. Those are the days I can't go out with the guys to Hamilton to do some major brick workouts!

Running has been going well have been doing a ton of tempo work with the help of the Saucony, and Nicole Stevenson I went into The Mississauga Half Marathon yesterday, without taper and put down a respectable 1:18. On another note Nicole has waged a war because she told me to kick with 2 km left and she kicked at 5km! What is that about..haha

Next weekend is the Vic Duathlon, so excited to meet up with everyone at the start of the season, but the real race is in 3 weeks at Rev 3! First 70.3 of the year and super excited!

Update Time, Simon and Morning Runs

The past couple of weeks have gone by quickly. Shannon and I moved into our new home on Bronte Creek April 14th and 2 days later I was on the road to Boston for the marathon. I got home on the Tuesday and was right back to the gym training clients and just trying to put one leg in front of the other. After hobbling around for 3-4 days training was back in order. Kim Gym in Port Credit has been rammed with clients wanting to get in shape and Steph and I have been putting in the hours to train everyone.

I have to give full credit to Steph for everything he has done with Kim Gym, during this time in our lives. I haven't mentioned this on my blog before but my close friend Simon, who is Steph's brother got into a serious snowboarding accident well I was in Arizona training. Simon crushed is C6 and after many events, which I don't feel like talking about he is on the road to recovery at Lyndhurst in Toronto. Currently he cannot walk and only has function in his 1 arm and and other hand but friends and family are his backbone to a full recovery. It is going to take some time but he will walk again...

These leads me to the other morning. It is tough right now because we are trying to get clients in shape, train ourselves and sleep, (not to worried about the sleep right now). Nicole Stevenson, who is a brilliant runner has helped me with my running and after looking at my training moved my long run to Monday. Understandable that I had a hard tempo run Friday and doing a long run on Saturday is not that good! My normal schedule at the gym is from 5am in the morning till 12pm then I come back for 4pm until 7pm. It is a long, but fun day and on this day doing a 25km run in the middle would have been bad quality so I talked with Shannon and made the decision to run at 3am to work for 5am.

I woke up at 2:30am, let the dog out and strapped my backpack on and head lamp and off I went. The weather was perfect and it was surreal running so early in the morning. I had a ipod but never turned it on. It was great to listen to myself breathe, listen to the wind..and to be honest when I cut through some trials not to get attacked by wild animals..haha I was having a runners high out there and miles just started to click on by. It also was great to think, about what? Life, my wife, work and racing! It was a long run so I was trying to go around 4:25per km but I hit the 13mile mark just under 1:30..not to shabby. It was great to get the run in and not to mention get to the gym just in time to get a coffee, shower and train! Doing this run isn't normal but it really makes me think about the runners who do the 100 mile races and are running at night, totally exhausted and I can see how they get the energy to keep going...it is just cool!!

Other then that my first triathlon is coming up June 5-6, REV3! I think it is important to jump into the biggest and toughest field around straight off the bat! I am excited also to get my Xterra wetsuit on because I have been doing all this swimming and can't wait to see the results from all the hard work!

Laters!

Recovery Week

This week has been all about recovery. To be totally honest, my legs took a beating and my goal was to be smart and recovery before getting back into serious training. I focused a lot on swimming and short recovery runs. Although pushing off a wall in the pool hurt a bit.

After visiting Dr. Mark Scappaticci, B.Sc. (Hons), DAt, FCCSS, CKTI, he gave me, what I like to call, the Holy Grail of sports cream. Going into Boston I had some tight calf muscles so I asked if he had knew anything that would help. He gave me a product called LivRelief (www.livrelief.com). This pain medicine cream is faster acting, more then Advil and it is proven to go deeper into the muscle and decrease inflammation. Mark gave me a pre race cream and a post race cream to try out and I loved it. I rubbed the pre workout cream on during a training run and it instantly warmed my legs up and made them feel loose. The run was awesome and when I was finished instead of jumping into a ice bath I put the Post Workout cream on and I was feeling great.

So because it has hurt to live for the past week because of the race, livrelief has been helping me great through the workouts pain free and not getting injured, which is key!

Check it out!

Boston Marathon Wrap Up!

All I can say is what an experience it was to be part of a race that goes down in history. Also I really don't understand why people want to go back every year! It is a tough friggin race! Harder then any 70.3 race I have ever done and my legs are feeling the wrath of all the hills!

Boston is more then you could imagine. 26 000 runners filling the streets and people on the sides of the roads cheering you on, giving food out, and girls offering kisses at Wellesley College, what more could you ask for. It is truly an experience I will never forget and hurt I will never forget.

We had amazing conditions in the morning with wind coming out of the NW. That meant slight tailwind the whole way. The one problem with that is you can go fast!! I met up with a couple of my Saucony teammates, as we looked pretty good with the Saucony attire and arm warmers, in Corral 1...front of the race. Little tip for anyone in the future wanting to do the race, start a wave back! Being at the front meant we took the first mile out in 5:50...not my smartest move but with people pushing at your back and people in front of you you go with the flow. Flow meant 18min 5km....mmm My goal going in was 2:45, I think on any other course it is possible and maybe even this course, but I went too hard for the first 10 miles and came in around 1:02 at the mark. By the time I hit the bottom of Heart Break hill it was enjoying the experience. My teammate Matt, who is a 2:38 marathoner had the same issue I did so we both enjoyed the experience, no regrets and pushed for the finish...not fast but we made it haha.

My buddy Dave emailed me after the race and asked me, "when did you start to think about putting a bike in front of any of these guys before the run?" I said around 25km haha

To everyone who did the race: Steve, Derm, Brian, Angela, Glenn, Matt, Mike, Kelly and anyone else I didn't mention great work, amazing job and keep running....for me it is about the swim bike run!

Have to also thank Saucony for taking care of me and the other guys in Boston. So glad to be part of such an amazing team!

Trail Running

Oakville, Milton and Hamilton are a few of the best places to trail run. I have a few different routes I usually do to stay away from wind, cars and to be totally honest people seeing me. I always get asked when I run and I tell them hit the trails and you will find me! My shoes get a bit muddy but I stay injury free and field with energy. A study I read one time in Runners World explained that running on the road around cars and inhaling C02 decreases performances by 10% on the given day. After that article I always hit the trails.

As Runners World Puts it..My RAVE TRAILS

NEYAGAWA TRAIL: Take Dundas and head south on Neyagawa Road in Oakville. Park at the baseball diamond and head across the street into the trail. It is a 8.5 KM loop taking the East to West bank trail. There are 2 major downhills and uphills and rollers all along the run. It gets a bit confusing so focus on the signs when you are doing this loop. If I have a hilly run to do or focusing on strength this is the way to go. I also can leave bottles on the side of trail so I don't have to carry them.

DOG PARK Oakville: Take Dundas to Eighth Line and head South until you see the Dog Park on your left hand side across from the church. It is a 9.5km loop, which is my run I use to train for Boston. It is 5km downhill then 4.5km slightly uphill with usually a headwind the whole way back! I usually do 3 and a bit laps when I got to my peak training. Route: Head from Dog Park across street to church. Take trail left across Glenashton and start heading south. Cross over Upper Middle Rd and head down the big hill. Once you come out along the flood line head East over Eighth Line and follow the pipe line until you enter a trail on your right. Take it up until you shoot across Upper Middle Again and head up Grand Blvd. Keep heading North on Grand, which becomes North Ridge and make a left onto another pipe line, which will take you back to the dog park!

16 MILE CREEK TRAIL: Take Dundas, West just before you cross over the bridge and see Appleby Line you want to park next to the School Bus Depot. The entrance looks like a driveway but when you get in you make a hard left and the run is amazing. Not the best footing but so much fun to run in the mood. I usually do an out and back 12km run.

HILTON FALLS: Little Trick is to enter from the road up Sixth Line Hill...you didn't hear that from me;) Once in the loop is a 9.5km Loop along the Beaver Dam Trail. It is good to do once but I find doing 2 loops puts a lot of strain on my ankles and last thing I need is to roll and ankle. Also during the summer there is a lot of walkers and bugs!!

DUNDAS VALLEY: Located off Roaussex Rd up the Mountain. Take the 403 through Hamilton on your way to Ancaster. This is a great trail for MTB and running. You can find many Kenyan runners and McMaster cross country runners out in these trails. Very Similar to Neyagawa so think twice before making the drive out!

Enjoy the season!

Saucony Kinvara

Today I got word that I will be receiving the new Saucony Kinvara shoes. I am super excited to get them on my feet and ready to go fast at the Boston Marathon this Monday!

Here is what Jessica said about the shoe!

All my athletes but one are trying them out and likely racing in them. They're a lightweight trainer, but absolutely great for race day still. To give you a good example, I've had one of the athletes who's competing at Boston, wear them at the U.S. national 1/2 marathon a few weeks ago, and he loved them. He used to be in the Type A3 for race day, but they were just too minimal for him at these distances. The Kinvara was perfect balance of lightweight, cushioning and speed. The men's Kinvara weighs in at 7.7oz, a training shoe typically weighs around 11.5oz, and our lightest racing flat (Type A3) is 6.7oz. You can do the math, but you're looking at a lot of extra cush for the Kinvara.

We've coined the phrase "minimalism meets maximum performance"

Just over a week to go!

Around the Bay Pics

Krista makes the pictures look good..haha Saucony What!

2010 Race Schedule

I have finally figured out my 2010 race schedule. For most of you who don't know the WTC came out with a plan to increase the drug testing in the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races all over the world. I will have to admit going to a race and watching some of these athletes drop a 1:11 half marathon off the bike is very impressive, but we will never know if it was them or something helping them. These tests will put all the comments to rest because each athlete will be tested when getting their Professional Membership to the WTC. The upside to the card is you can race any Ironman or 70.3 around the world with no hassles at all. Just give them a call and you are in. The downside is it costs 750 US. This being said, I decided to focus on the great events in Canada and within driving distance in the states.

The races in Canada, to be honest are the best around. There a few race directors who really care about athletes and the safety of the sport and are not just looking for a fast buck. If you are a beginner or advance triathlete I would look to 1) Trisport Canada 2) Multisport Canada and 3) Esprit Triathlon in Montreal. If you are looking to go abroad then there is a great series called Rev3tri, where Heather has put out some pretty cool prizes for pros and age groupers!

Also if you would like to race and help out against cancer then check out 1) Joe's Team and 2) Half full tri in MD, which helps fights against Cancer in Teenagers. Both are great event that I am excited to help out with.

So after all said and done here is my 2010 race schedule:

APRIL 19th - Boston Marathon

MAY 24th - Victoria Duathlon (Trisport)

JUNE 6th - Rev 3 Tri 70.3 in CT
JUNE 27th - Welland 70.3 (Multisport)

JULY 10th - Joe's Team Sprint in Muskoka
JULY 25th - Muskoka Chase (Trisport)

AUG 8th - Bracebridge 70.3 (Multisport)

SEPT 11th - Esprit 70.3 (Montreal)

OCT 3rd - Half Full Tri 70.3 in MD

Around The Bay Race Report

Before I start I have to give some serious shout outs to a few athletes. Evan, Simon, Mike, Kyle, Mitch, Brian, Mark and Krista had a great race. It was a great field of runners and glad I could be a part of it!

This was my first time doing Around the Bay 30km race. I usually split the 15km Relay with a client and have some fun but because of Boston I had to get a long run in...so why not a race, it's what we do! We had perfect weather with a slight headwind for the first 15km, nothing crazy just enough to make you tuck in behind the bigger guy;) Thanks Roger for the draft! My plan was to go out steady and descend.....and so here is what happened!!

Gun went off and I got excited. I feel into a nice pace, and of course hitting the first km it was 3:32, not 4:10. So I went with it. I figured I was feeling good and if I keep a consistent pace and don't over do it I should be alright. The group finally settled down and we were running around 3:50 per km. This was my marathon pace so I went with it. Because we went out a bit quick when we hit the 10 mile marker we were spot on 60min. This is about the time I got smart...yes everyone smart.

Krista and Roger put a slight surge after getting water and I let them go. I hit 3:50 again and they must have hit a 3:43 km on that 17km split. Later finding out Krista's GPS wasn't working that great and it said she was running slow, where really us old school watch people had the right time...mmmm This is when I put it in cruise control. I felt awesome, the hills felt easy and I was right on pace. I had 3 gels by the 24km point and the legs were still strong as ever. I hit the top of heart break hill and just kept banging off 3:50 per km until I hit Copps. Finishing time 1:56:45. AVG 3:50 per km.

So I woke up this morning feeling fresh and headed to the pool. The legs felt worked but not overdone. I was able to put down a solid 3km swim followed by a cruise 10km run. Legs feel great confidence is up and most importantly I had a ton of fun out there. It was great watching everyone run on such a great day!

Zersenay Tadese 58:23 WR in Lisbon

On March 21st the new Half Marathon Record was set. Check out the video very impressive

Around the Bay Race Plan

The past couple weeks have been a real debate on how I was going to race Around the Bay.

A little background on the race. It is the oldest road race in North America, yes older then the Boston Marathon. It is a 30km route that takes you 15km down hill then into the North Shore for 15km, which is all up and down hills. Many people say it is ideal training for the Boston Marathon and with 4 weeks to go fits right into the game plan of training for a marathon. NOT

Around the Bay races like a marathon. It breaks you in such a way that there is no chance for a solid recovery before the Boston Marathon. My coach, Gord Dickson has won the Bay many times and was pretty up front with me in his thoughts. I have big goals for Boston so beating myself up before it is not the best game plan. So, this is what we decided on.

I am in the front of the pack, so it will be good to go out controlled and not over do it. It will be mentally tough because I know I can run with the guys but I have to hold back! 15km is slightly down hill so I will be cruising around 4:10 per km and looking to come in around 1:03 at the half way point. Mentally I will be raring to go so I am then going to drop down to Marathon race pace, which will be 3:50 to 3:53 per km for 10km. This will put me around 1:44 in time and with 5km to go I am going to pick it up and go for the 2 hour. Not too worried about going sub 2 hour it is more a game plan to see if I can stick with it.

This race is going to be a great confidence booster if I stick to the game plan. I am not looking to crush it just prepare myself for the excitement of Boston and not going out to hard like most people do!

Excited to see everyone out there, and train safe...I will be the one with the new Bright yellow fast twitch shoes from Saucony on. Also keep an eye out for Krista Duchene who is also with Saucony. She is killing it right now and excited to see big things from her this weekend!

The State Of Flow And How It Is Achieved

This is a great article. Gearing up for Boston I am doing a ton of reading. Thanks Yorke

Some days running just clicks. Running feels effortless and can go on forever with minimal strain. The same workout may be hard on some days, but today it is not. As a distance runner, no matter how hard you run you cannot make yourself hurt. This type of running produces utter joy and bliss. Nearly all runners or athletes have experienced this state, but few can explain or replicate it. This is the state of flow, and is described by Csikszentmihalyi (1990) as the optimal balance between skill and demand. The advantage of experiencing flow is sheer enjoyment, which may also result in increased confidence and love for running. If a runner has the ability to achieve objectives in practice and experience flow, that runner will likely have increased confidence come race day.

Flow can be a difficult state to understand, but Jackson and Marsh (1996) created the Flow State Scale (FSS) in an attempt to measure the existence of flow during an activity. Examining the sub-scales of the FSS, as listed below, allows for a better understanding of what flow really is and how it achieve it in an activity. A runner need not meet all the below criterion to experience a flow state, but the sense of flow will be greatest when all the sub-scales are met to the highest degree.

Action-Awareness Merging: The individual is so deeply involved in the task that action is automatic. The performer does not think about running, but just does it. The runner may even feel machine-like because running feels so smooth and automatic.

Clear Goals: Unambiguous objectives give the runner a clear idea of what needs to be accomplished. For example, a clear workout objective may be to run 10 by a quarter in 65 seconds with 2 minutes rest.

Unambiguous Feedback: The runner receives clear and immediate feedback, which could include a time for the interval or instruction from a coach.

Concentration on the Task at Hand: The runner is completely focused on the task. While running, the performer thinks only about running and not about other aspects of life, or even how much running may hurt at the time. During a state of flow, running does not hurt no matter how great the demands.

Sense of Control: The runner has a clear feeling of control, but does not have to focus on gaining control. It is easy for the runner to power up hills or surge on a competitor without experiencing a feeling of great effort.

Loss of Self-Consciousness: The runner does not think about how they may appear, but is rather focused only on doing the activity. This could also include losing consciousness of the crowd, other competitors, or the scenery.

Transformation of Time: The perception of time may be altered, whereby time either feels as if it slows down or speeds up. The former is more likely to occur in ball sports, while the latter is likely to indicate flow during distance running.

Autotelic Experience: The activity is intrinsically rewarding and is done for its own sake. An individual is likely to find utter joy with the act of running itself, and not have a preoccupation with time or performance against others.

Challenge-Skill Balance: The runner experiences equality between situational challenges and personal skills, especially when challenges and skills are at a high level. Runners are certainly more likely to meet demands with required skills when demands are exceptionally low. For example, Dathan Ritzenhein certainly has the skill to jog at 7:30 pace to recover from a workout if Alberto Salazar asks him to do this. Yet that doesn't mean Dathan will experience the flow state since his skills meet the demands of the workout. The flow state is far more enjoyable when the demands are high. So if Salazar asks Ritz to run an 18 mile tempo run at 5:00 pace and Ritz nails the pace, running more effortlessly than he expects, he will most certainly experience flow.

Flow can be mysterious and difficult to achieve, but there are things that every runner can do to increase the likelihood that they will experience the flow state. The easy way to experience flow is to feel good on every run and to hit each workout, even the most challenging ones, with relative ease. This would be the way to match skill with demands. Yet this is easier said than done. Those that run regularly and train heavily realize that effortless feelings while running at challenging paces are difficult to come by, and even more difficult to explain. It is far easier to change mental focus before and during running to increase the likelihood that you will experience flow. Before you run, drop any preconceived expectations that you will have some phenomenal performance. This lessens the level of challenge and makes it more likely that your physical skills on that day will be able to match the challenge, even if you feel suboptimal. By lessening your focus on performance you will allow yourself to enjoy running for its own sake, thereby increasing the likelihood that you will have an autotelic experience. During the run, be sure to associate rather than dissociate (as discussed in a prior column). This will increase the level of action-awareness merging, concentration on the task at hand, and will promote a loss of self-consciousness. It is difficult to do anything that increases the likelihood that you will experience a transformation of time and this is in fact the most illusive component of flow. Yet if you focus on altering the other components, transformation of time may come. You certainly cannot expect to experience flow on a daily basis if you do these things, but you may increase your chances of achieving the state. But a flow experience may provide a great boost of confidence and may be the most positive emotional state in all of running (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990), so it is certainly an experience to strive for.

FLOW = CONFIDENCE

Performance

This is why I ride!

10K Training Tips from the Nike Oregon Project

10K Training Tips from the Nike Oregon Project




February 18, 2010
By Kyle Jones

Last November, a group of Canadian triathletes including two-time Olympic medallist Simon Whitfield, Under-23 National Champion Andrew McCartney and Olympian Lauren Groves took a trip down to Portland, Oregon for a seven-day training camp with American running legend Alberto Salazar. Here’s what they learned, and how you can apply it to your 10K training.

The epicentre of U.S. running, Portland, Oregon is home to Nike’s world headquarters, where some of the best distance runners in the U.S. train under Alberto Salazar, the world-renowned runner turned coach. Salazar has held American track records in 5000m and 10,000m, and won both the New York City and Boston marathons. As a coach, he has helped American athletes like Dathan Ritzenhein and Kara Goucher medal at World Championships events and was instrumental in the creation of the Nike Oregon Project, a high-performance camp for distance runners, aimed at achieving success on the international stage.

Now, Canadians are tapping into some of this knowledge. While most triathletes were either just getting back into training or enjoying a little rest in the early winter, our group decided to take advantage of this opportunity to learn from some of the world’s best runners and coaches. In order to be on the podium in London 2012, the men’s Olympic triathletes will have to run in the 29-minute range off the bike. The focus of the camp was simply to immerse ourselves in a fast running environment, soak it up and learn as much as possible to improve our running speed.
Here’s what we did, and how runners at any level can work on their 10K training:
The Nike campus included a massive grass field the size of two football fields - an ideal spot for doing drills, strides and interval workouts - and a 3K woodchip trail that weaves its way in and around the campus - a perfect loop for warming up or cooling down from a workout.
The Grass Field Workout:


The highlight of the camp was doing an interval workout on the grass field.
The workout: 12×300m focusing entirely on proper running form, and of course staying out of the way of Galen Rupp (27:33 10K) and Dathan Ritzenhein (12:56 5K and bronze medallist in the 2009 World Half-Marathon Championships).
Salazar’s feedback: Getting feedback from Salazar was truly priceless. His passion for the sport shines through when he explains the technical aspects of running.
The Build Run:

Another key workout that stood out was a build run we did with Oregon Project coach Jerry Schumacher and his group of athletes that includes Canadian Simon Bairu, who not long after the camp raced to a dominant victory at the Canadian Cross-Country Championships.
Much like Salazar, Schumacher has a natural and simple way of doing things. After a short warmup we ratcheted up the pace to a moderate intensity level. With impressive smoothness, the runners hit pace times to the second as we knocked off the kilometres on the rolling 5.5K loop. The weather was bad, but no one complained. Simon Bairu, Evan Jager and Tim Nelson put their heads down and shared the lead for one another into the strong headwind as Simon Whitfield and I tucked in and got sucked along in the pouring rain.
Schumacher rode his bike beside the group, giving feedback and cues. Distance running is all about being patient, he told us. The message was clear early on - stay relaxed and “don’t press.” In other words, don’t push until you have to.
Whitfield and I completed 13.6K, while the rest of the guys continued on to run a total of 28K, finishing at under 5:00/mile pace.
Both Salazar and Schumacher’s groups had guys that race anywhere from the mile to the marathon, and although there were individual variations, they all completed a very similar series of key workouts each week.
Below are some of the key workouts that we took away from our camp and will use to improve our 10K run times. These workouts can be used for anyone who is looking to complete a road race ranging from the 5K to the marathon.
Specific Workout Tips:

Build or tempo run: After a 10-20-minute warmup, try to put in at least 30 minutes of work at just under your threshold and slightly slower than your goal race pace. These workouts are key to boosting your fitness and are good race simulations. This is also a good time to test out pre-race meals and the apparel and shoes you’ll use on race day. Finish with a 10-15-minute easy cool-down.
Focus on the footstrike: Most of the tips we got from Salazar and Schumacher related to the footstrike. They spent a lot of time working on decreasing the support time, that is; the time the foot spends in contact with the ground.
Running economy: The group worked on increasing stride frequency while keeping the upper body relaxed, as a way to improve running economy.
Interval run: (800m-2K repeats). This workout can be done on the track, but you can follow the Oregon Project’s lead and use a grass field. Look for a large enough loop of at least one minute of running. The softer surface is easier on the joints compared to running on the roads, which is key to avoiding injury, especially if you’re putting in lots of miles on the road in preparation for your next race. For 10K training a good example of an interval workout would be 8 x 1K with a full recovery rest.
Hill repeats (8-10). Try to find a hill in your neighbourhood, anywhere from 150-200 metres, or about 40 seconds of running. Run each rep at a fairly quick pace, focusing on quick turnover. Walk or jog slowly down to recover for the next rep.
Strength training: Aside from running, the Oregon Project runners also complete 2-4 strength and conditioning sessions each week. Each session consists of anything from plyometrics, to core work, to weights - working the whole body.
Go easy: On easy days don’t be afraid to run easy. Take the time to focus on your form.