Race Report for Edmonton World Cup and Training

Well it is about time I do a post-race report. Second World Cup, first World Cup finish. But enough beating around the bush, here is how it happened.

Well I had the absolute pleasure of traveling to Edmonton with Scotty, Patrick and Andrew Russell which made for a fun, relaxing time at the University of Alberta Dorms. I had a few good days on the course leading up to race day which made me quite excited to race.

#65 Andrew McCarntey

Sunday, 3:45 start time and due to my ranking of 65th(again) my start position was on the far right which created the challenge of swimming the extra distance to the front pack but I have done it before so I was ready. So the race began and I managed to move over to the front pack. On this day, "pack swimming" did not like me. I found myself surrounded and taking a beating from those around me. I managed and exited the water front pack and worked the transition zone to ensure a spot in the pack.

A fast transition, a strong first km and hard up the hill, set me up for a good ride. The pace was stiff but I was very excited to be in such good company. Positioning myself correctly in the pack for the hard efforts up the hills and Spinning my legs in the biggest gear on the descents just to stay in the pack. What a pace!

Me, Kris Gemmell and "Big" Mat Reed

A tough swim and a tough ride made for an even harder run. (T2 didn't help either, as my shoe goes flying behind my bike) But on to the run I felt the cramping again and some stomach pain. Thanks to Scotty and Andrew York's cheering I struggled through it for my first World Cup finish. So again not the finish I was hoping for... perhaps this time a few too many calories before the race but hey...all lessons, right?

As for training, I have had three notable rides thus far.

First one was a simple 1:30 ride with Andrew Russell. He chose a brilliant rout leading us up past Durance lake, across Finlesson Arm, over the Highlands along Munn Rd. and back along Prospect Lake. It was sunny, the roads are like you are in the Tour de France and the high speed Cornering practice was great! Good Choice Andrew!

Second Ride was with the entire crystal gang. The ride was similar to the one with Andrew but a bit more of a choose your own adventure and an adventure is sure became. Simon led us through some beautiful roads packed with hills and challenges and beautiful smooth roads. (A roadies dream) Then the skies opened to an absolute down-pour just as we were beginning our climb up into the highlands. This was not a cold rain. With the prediction of a thunder storm the sky was fierce and the rain was steaming up the roads. Drenched, we arrived at the peak and began our descent carving through windy roads watching out for the painted lines. Looking around, everyone had smiles from cheek to cheek. Epic.

Last but certainly not least, the group met early Saturday morning at the Prospect Lake gas station and began the workout with an Old West Saanich Loop as SS effort. I warmed into this as I was feeling the legs from the day before. The main set was 6X Observatory(2.3km) as steady up to the parking lot and fast for the remainder. I took advantage of my power to weight ratio and felt so strong on the climbs. I also worked the descents working on the high speed cornering.

Observatory Climb Record

Bravo Steve!

Well that is all for now,
Keep it cool,
Andrew

Todays Top 5

Top 5 Climbs I want to do in my life:

1. Alpe D'Huz (The Stairway to Heaven)
2. Monte Zoncolan (Giro D'Italia)
3. Tour De Flanders Climb (Chaos on the Cobbles)(Ouch)(Boonen, boonen, boonen!)
4. Passo Dello Stelvio (Hairpins!!)
5. Col du Tourmalet (For its History)

Edmonton Pre-race

Well the last time I was here in Edmonton it had a blanket of snow on it and it was bloody cold. But now it is a comfortable 23 degrees. Off the plane we rented a car and rolled on over to the University of Alberta to see if we could check in early. Sadly at the Dorms the earliest we could check in would be 4pm. So we walked over to the pool for a dip. I felt kind of Lethargic to begin but certainly got into it. Main set was 6x50 build 1-3. Times for the hard were 25.3 and 25.4. We did a 100m TT near the end and I did a personal best of 50.4 from a push start. Only thing is the pool was in yards. Too bad…would have been nice to say my PB is 50.4 for 100 "meters". But it is PB for 100Yards. Lunch at the “Hub” and back to the Residence. The room was still not ready so Scotty, Andrew R. and I sat in the Lounge and eventually fell a sleep on three comfy couches.
--->

Off to the pre-race meeting and the nerves are picking up again. It isn’t as bad as it has been but that is probably because I just found out that I was racing literally two days ago. I had been waiting to see my name on the start list for the world cup and I was thrilled to see it Wed morning. Got the ticket and began working very hard on Recovery. Due to the heavy training that I have had over the past week I am icing in the ocean, chugging back the whey protein and eating a lot of dates! Yes I said Dates. Yum. Lovely dinner with all the athletes and back to the dorms we drove. Scotty and I ran through campus with our shirts off due to the heat of course… a few drills and strides later and we were back in the dorms. Also...very random, we were driving and we saw Rob Fougere aka "Raj Fougere" It was good to see him. Rob is basically who I got my fashion sense from, probably one of the coolest guys.

In the Lobby ready to run with Scotty.

So, as for the race. I have always loved this swim course. I have been waiting for a two lap swim for so long! The Bike is 6 loops with one steep hill, sort of like the Thurlow Hill in Vancouver. It is a bloody fast course. The run is flat and scenic. It should be a fun race. It is the kind of course that suits my racing style.

Well I am off to bed,
Ciao for now,
Andrew

Todays Top 5

Top 5 objectives for Sundays Race: (Plus some good tunes that may or may not relate)

1. HAVE FUN! (Why else would I be here!) (Trooper - "Here for a good time")
2. Fast out of the water and first few km's on the bike (May take an extra effort and be mentally tough) (Fort Minor - "Remember the Name")
3. Stay tough and focused on the Run! ( I know I have it in me.) (Eminem - "Loose Yourself")
4. Ride Smart, corner well and work the hills! (Like Vancouver, this is a crutial part of the race) (Led Zeppelin - "In the Evening")
5. E-Load (Have a nutrition plan!) (U2 - "Pride (in the name of love)")

Major Training Day

Umph, didn't see this day coming, but two more strong workouts under my belt. This morning the main set in the pool was 3x {4x100}. Before we began Simon told me to take a risk and so I began.

Round 1: [1.05, 1.06, 1.06, 1.06]

Round 2: [1.05, 1.05, 1.05, 1.05]

Round 3: [1.04, 1.04, 1.05, 1.05]

I would pay for this a bit in the remainder of the workout but solid solid main set, Thanks Simon.

Coffee at Discovery, zipp home and put my legs up to rest up for a tough Treadmill run. The run was a slight deviation from a classic. The set was 15min at 15km/h, 15min at 16km/h and 15min at 17km/h all at 2% grade. This is a very mentally tough workout especially starting out sore. But now my focus is on Recovery. Finished my Chocolate milk and off to the beach for a dip in the ocean to ice my body. This may take a swim to Seal Island out in Cordova Bay. So both Scotty and I swam out and back not quite to Seal Island but it was a high tide today. Water was pretty warm but got colder as you swam out.

Ciao for now,

Andrew

The History of Bike... very odd and training.

Alternative look at history of one of mans greatest inventions.

Training:

Well it was a bit of a build back into training due to sore legs from cramping in the Vancouver World Cup. But I have had some solid training so far this week.

We had a mentally tough swim Friday Morning. The set consisted of:

800 mixed

MS 1: 2{4 x 50, 4x100 mid race pace}

MS 2: 40 x 50

Main set 1 I averaged 32's and 1.08's for the 100's finishing with .06

Main set 2 I set a goal of sub 34 and managed 33's for the entire set.

In the Afternoon I backed the swim up with a personal best set on the Beacon Hill Figure 8 loop. The Set was 3 times a loop which measures at just short of 3km. Splits were as follows: 9.07 9.00 and 9.02 Good training day, one for the books.

Saturday we were at Durrance Lake doing a swim/bike workout. I saw the great value of this set so I worked it. Set was 2 times 600m (maybe a little long) Steady effort. Then a 350m swim on to the bike. Willis Point hill, which starts out flat but quickly builds into a steep grind to the top for about a km and a half. The guys have given this hill a name that may be rated R but lets just say it is a killer of a hill. We would do this again only with a shorter swim and no wetsuit.

Observatory Hill

Sunday was a bloody tough day on the Observatory Mountain. But what a ride! The Observatory is the perfect hill. Starts out not too steep and curves along the side of the hill for about 2km and after a switchback it really begins to pick up steepening to quite the grind as you ride along-side a beautiful view of Downtown Victoria and then tucking close to a rock wall as you near the peak. What a ride... we did the hill 6 times(about a 6min effort to the Top) I really worked it hard. I tried to get everything I could out of this workout and that I did. Due to the fact that it was sunday and the New Ballence Ironman was on, the hill was closed to traffic!! This made for great opportunities to practice fast descending. Apexing every corner.

Well that is all for now,

Take Care,

Andrew

Todays Top 5

Top 5 Bike routs in Victori

1. Water Front (Great for wind and chasing Cars)


2. Lands End (specifically with the Victoria Wheelers)


3. Highlands (Especially Munns road)


4. East Sooke Ride (98 km of up and down)


5. Finlayson Arm (Steepest climb in Victoria)
   

PS.

The Smashing Pumpkins new Album, "ZEITGEIST" features the first single "Tarantula," now positioned at #3 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. ZEITGEIST represents a powerful rebirth and reaffirmation of THE SMASHING PUMPKINS since there seperation in 2000. Should be amazing, looking forward to it.

Vancouver World Cup Race Report

A picture is worth a thousand words.

(pre-race)

In Honolulu , I finished, but had a miserable race. In Vancouver I posted a DNF but I raced so much better and I am more encouraged by my efforts here. I arrived at my first world cup(Ranked Last). Looking around at some of these guys, it was hard not to be intimidated.

Race morning I got up at 8am to go for a jog with some accelerations and a big breakfast due to a start time of 3pm. Coffee and a bagel at noon and I was ready to race.

Swim Finish

Because of my start position, I had open water from the start. But I knew I would have to really put my head down and go in order to get into the front pack. So within the first 400m I just swung across the front of the pack over to a pack which included Jenkins and Potts.

We exited the water ( I was in 4th position) and I could already feel my legs starting to cramp. I was a little panicy in T1, knowing that there was a chance for me to be riding in the first pack. My transition needed to be perfect and it wasn't. I felt very strong on the bike, especially on the hills.But throughout I had cramping calfs anytime I put too much effort on the the pedals. On the decents I would try and stretch and dig my thumb into the muscle. Although I was able to mix it up. Terrenzo and another athlete were off the front leading into the hill and when the pack arrived , I put a surge in to join them. I worked with Terrenzo to the top of the hill but my legs cramped up leaving me time trialing for a 3/4 a lap. I did not want to enter transition with such a large pack so I surged up the hill for the last time, and soloed the remainder.

My final Breakaway into T2.

I was kind of excited. I was in a great position, had a fast transition and I was off. But right away I knew I was in trouble. 200m in , All the muscles in my legs cramped up. From my quads to the arch in my foot. I stopped and I tried to stretch it out. I tried to get back up and ran 10 steps more. Shit... my first DNF.

So three big lessons from this race:

1) Never drink much more than you would in preparation for any hard workout. I was probably over hydrated for this race, and had probably diluted my salt content and flushed out valuable electrolytes. Thats probably why the cramping started so early in the race.

2)My first transition needs to be unbelievably fast.

3)Confidence. I know I can do this. I can be competitive in a race at this level.

It Was So Great to See Simon at the Top Of the Podium!

Congratulations to Paul and Colin!

Well that's it,

Andrew McCartney

Today's Top 5

Top 5 songs I listened to on race morning: The nice thing about a 3pm start time and a hotel room to yourself is you can totally "rock out" before a race!

1. Hans Zimmer - Injection (As heard in MI2)
2. AFI - Silver and Cold (Very Powerful)
3. A3 - Woke Up This Morning (The Sopranos)
4. 30 Seconds to Mars - From Yesterday
5. Arcade Fire - Rebellion (lies) (This will always be on my playlist)

Honorable Mentions:

Arcade Fire - Intervention (I hope they come out with a music Video)

Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye (I absolutely love this Video!)

Well I don't have much time because I am in an Internet Cafe. But I was in my room and I began to take some pictures and I was reminded of a photographic technique that I have done in the past. So I made this photo seen below: (Click Photo and Scroll Left to Right)

This is the View from my hotel room.

All I can say is,

Not bad, Not bad at all.

Well I will be honest but I am getting quite nervous about the race but Excited Nervous.(which is good) Ran to the race briefing and saw the entire gang again. It was nice to see everyone, Paul, Jordan and all. The course looks tough. The hill up Thurlow seems shorter but steeper than I pictured. But I have always been a "climber," and you can expect a breakaway attempt on this hill on at least one of the 8 laps.(he he or all 8) I will be ready.

Next post will probably be a race report.

Ciao For Now,

Andrew McCartney

Round Two!

Hello everyone,

With Honolulu still fresh in my mind I have been visualizing Vancouver over and over. In the past week and a half I have been very focused on taking advantage of every effort and I know now that based on my training I am setting myself up for something good.

This Sunday will be my first World Cup and better yet it is in Vancouver, the place that I was born and just an hour and a half boat trip away. Not bad. It is a beautiful course. Swimming in English Bay we exit and cycle along Beach Drive. Up a steep climb along Thurlow and back along Davies St. for a 8x 5km loop. The run is similar in that we go out along Beach Dr. and back into Stanley park a 3x 3.3km loop.

2007 Vancouver BG Triathlon World Cup Promo

As for the body, it is sharpening up, with the taper everything begins to loosen off. Energy levels are rising and it is an all round good feeling. We have had a number of beautiful days out in the lakes and did a personal season best of 15.10 for a 1350m loop which will be a good starting point for the remainder of the season. I have got to work on my sighting so I can make the swim more like 1350m and less like 1400. Running has been going well, still stretching out my endurance. It is nice to know that my speed is still strong from the indoor track season as seen in the workout at Durrance Lake the other day. The set was 5km tempo then 10x400m. In the last while we have had some solid sets on the bike. We do this loop called the Waddling Dog Loop. We usually start out with some Motor Pacing which is always so much fun tucking behind either the scooter or the motor bike depending if it is Joel or Steve. Then we split off and do a time trial. We started out doing just one loop and then moved up to two loops Time trialing. My personal best for one loop is 12.04 and for two is 25.20 (splitting: 12.35 and 12.45) So riding is going well. So looking back I know the engine is there, now it is time to execute. Un-leash the "killer instinct."

This song is perfect for Cycling. Cycling is a sport of enduring... enduring that inevitable feeling of hurt. The Hurt you feel nearing the end of a cycling race is un-like any other...like a Lactic-Overload. I found this video to the song "Hurt"... sung by who else than the man in Black. Johnny Cash. The song alone makes you hurt.

Johnny Cash - Hurt

Wow...
Well that is all,
till next time, ciao for now.
Andrew McCartney

Todays Top 5.

Top 5 Alternative European Bands:

1. Peter, Bjorn and John (see also)
2. The Knife (See also)(see also)
3. Beirut
4. Belle and Sebastian ("Stars of track and Field" Vikes you remember this one...he he) (see also)
5. Au Pairs (you will have to download this one Au Pairs - It's Obvious)

PS. Something Interesting

Charley "Mile-a-Minute" Murphy

His "mile-a-minute" feat was accomplished in 1899. At that time traveling faster than the fastest automobile. Notice the large windscreen on the train in front of him which greatly reduced wind resistance. Joel We have to do this next for Motor Pacing. ;)