“One great City”

Winnipeg's Logo is “One great City” thus the title....

Winnipeg has a banked multi-colored 200m track. The perfect facility for the cold climate. I have been the there when it was -50 but this weekend at the Canada West Indoor Track Meet, it was a balmy -8.

It shouldn’t have been but our travel day from Victoria to Winnipeg via Edmonton and Saskatoon (needless to say Uvic is on a Budget) turned out to be a real long day. Waking up at 5:30 am –flight delay, followed by mechanical problems in Edmonton –arriving in Winnipeg 6pm. We did our usual activation session at the track and had a great dinner at the Keg.

Friday was the big day. My 3000 was scheduled for 7:20pm. So it was important that us 3000m runners would benefit from an early jog just to clear out the “cob webs”. So 9am Logan Burke, David Jackson and I drove to the quiet, empty track for a warm up. These two guys are highly ranked distance runners and have a lot of racing experience. I pretty much follow their lead. We drove home and had a nap. David, Logan and I warmed up together and I felt confident that I was ready for a good race. 7:20 rolled around and with a few “Good luck’s” and shakes of the hands we were off. Unlike past meets I had an awesome start putting me in an ideal position 6 people from the front. I knew during the race that my effort would have to gradually increase. I focused on staying comfortable for the first 800m or so and if someone would put a surge in I would too. First km was a 2.55. This is just ok for me so I knew I had to work the next km as the body turns anaerobic. Km number two was a 3min flat. Km three was where it began to hurt. I just began to race. With the laps ticking down to a strong finish I posted a final km split of 2.58 making for a 4 sec personal best of 8.53.71 on an indoor track.

Although I tied my personal best in the 1500 the next day, I know I have much more in me. The 1500 was an interesting race. The butterflies were flying. I was nervous because thus far I had been having a successful track meet, and I did not want to end on a low note. Stepping up to the line I notice the competitor beside me had his elbow peculiarly high almost in front of my face. The gun went and I got that elbow right in the gut. Oomph. So much for a solid start. So I’m in the thick of the pack, and the carnage continues. I was tripped up 4 times, had to leap over a stumbling athlete and struggled to balance myself in order to stay on the track. All of this happened in the first 200m. I was swearing in my head during the race but after I thought it was pretty hard core. Good preparation for the start of the World Triathlon Championships. I made up a lot of ground in the final portion of the race but it was not enough to make up for the disastrous beginning. Final time was 4.08.16 Nice warm down with fellow Junior National team member Willie Bell and finish the meet cheering on the vikes to an amazing 4X800m relay!

To sum it up, my main focus was the 3000m. With it being a personal best, I am pleased but I know there is so much more I can do. This weekend has been a blast and I am even more excited about the training to come.

Ciao for now and take care,
Your friend,
Andrew McCartney

PS. As a tribute to Tom Skinner. (One hard core cyclist) Happy healing. Here is today’s top 10.

Today’s Top 10:

Top 10 Hard Core racing songs: (Today it is a list of 10 because there are too many good ones)

1. Andrew WK – Party Hard (This is for you Geoff M. It sure works for you.)
2. The White Stripes – Blue Orchid
3. TV on the Radio – Wolf like me
4. Silversun Pickups – Lazy Eye (Great Build to a climax also my current favorite song)
5. Fort Minor – Remember the Name
6. The Cranberries – Zombie
7. Arcade Fire – Rebellion(lies)
8. 30 seconds to Mars – From Yesterday (This video is an example of how Music Video's are no longer just the band up on a stage singing. It is a short story.)
9. Daft Punk – Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (My 2006 theme song)
10. AC DC – Thunder Struck (I know it’s a cliché)