Home from the Rodeo.

What a very interesting race! Certainly not the way I had hoped nor predicted the race to unfold. What I did do is I turned a number of rather disappointing and poor situations into a good one. Last week I had a good first 2/3rds of the triathlon. In Austin I believe I am finding my legs in the other 1/3rd. So with round two finished I am fairly pleased with the end result. So here is how it played out pour moi.
Swim:
The swim start was messy but could have been much worse. Close to 50 guys lined up for a deep water start along a rope long enough for about 20 guys. The Horn came quick both for me and the starting rope which was lifted just after I put an arm over it. I got tangled up as I pressed forward hoping they would let go of the rope. Nope. So I untangled myself and here is where I got lucky. At the feet of the two guys beside me, they could have easily squeezed me out. Luckily they held there lines and I swam through the gap to get to the front. On my left was Cameron Dye and my right was Mark Van Akkeren. For the next 800 it was a bit of a battle for who would lead the swim between the three of us. I checked my ego and went to Marks Feet. I looked back to see a gap form including Brian Fleischmann in the mix. My time out of the water ended up being 16.20.

T1:
Fighting for position out of the water I ended up 4th. But with a fantastically smooth and fast transition I was 2nd out of T1. :32sec
Bike:
With a slim lead of 20sec the pace was FAST with some massive pulls by Mark and Cameron. I on the other hand was struggling. I was absolutely as flat as the course we rode, simply no wattage. There was a difference between the break in Austin and the break in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma the pulls were smooth without sudden accelerations. We did extend our gap but in doing so I was unable to react to an effort and was dropped when starting the second lap. I time trialed alone for a lap in no mans land eventually being joined by the very large Second pack. The second pack was actually gaining on the lead pack of 3 narrowing the their lead to about a minute. On the final lap I was setting myself up in a good position leading into the run. At that moment a couple of guys rubbed wheels causing a domino effect where I managed to avoid by bunny hopping over someone’s head. It scattered the pack but a group of us came out unscathed. With about a km to go till the transition I attacked with the plan to lead into T2. I did get a gap. Though it was small it was enough to set me up for a good start to the run. Split: 54:39

T2 was smooth, not my fastest but I got out in a good position. Split: 1.16

Run:
It took me about 500m to get my legs going. Which seemed to generally decide the order of finish. I believe I did play it a bit more on the safe side(Just don't Cramp) and I definitely built into the run. I know that I can take a bit more of a risk next time. The big news of the day was I didn’t cramp. Hydration was good. I ended up catching Cameron and Mark from the lead pack and with a sprint finish with Brazilian, Marcus Vinicius Fernandes for 9th and 10th. I was awarded 9th place with a real lean for the line(Ugly Photo) with a final run split of 32.50

Full Results Found Here.

So, I did a lot right this weekend with a lot of good decisions both before and during the event. Mediocre swim, disappointing ride and a redeeming run. I have made note of the positives to keep me sane. More importantly I have made note of what I need to work on. When I get home I will get right to it. My body feels recovered, so why not.

Let’s keep the ball rolling,
Hope all is well,
Andrew McCartney

Shaving Hardship and Festivities in Austin Tx

Good day, Hello.

Ok someone is going to have to give me a crash course on shaving. It is literally impossible for me not to end up a bloody mess. I'm serious I must have about 20 major cuts. For those of you who are new to my blog, I am not talking about my face. Anyone who knows me, knows that shaving my face is not a problem...Yet. Meaning of course I don't cut my face. Right?

Anyway, tomorrow is round two! In the city where Lance Armstrong resides I will be competing in the 2009 Austin ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup. From the moment I arrived I could tell it was a very active city and that the heat will be a factor. Considering that I had heat issues in Oklahoma I need to be double prepared for this race. I have narrowed down where I went wrong last week and am ready to try a new strategy. Energy was not an issue last week but fluids were. With that in mind we will see how this plays out.

The course is quite similar to Oklahoma, a bit of a false flat heading up to the Parliament buildings within the city with some tight fast corners. Swim is in a river that has been made into a calm lake like swim. The run is flat with plenty of water stations and ice. Woo hoo!

Competition is not as stiff as Oklahoma but still many notable characters and should make for an interesting race. I am going in with a rank of 14th so the obvious goal is to beat this ranking but I will set my sights higher. There is an obvious way I hope this race unfolds but I am ready for anything.

So, I will continue to rest and stretch out the lingering effects of last weeks cramping. Hope all is well up north. A congrats to Hilary Willie for her win at the North Shore Triathlon and Alison Hooper for her second place overall Female. Way to go you two! Only the beginning!

And a big thanks to Michelle and Michael Garel, my home-stays for all the fantastic food and putting up with me for my time here in Austin.

As for tomorrow, I'll let you know how it goes,

Ciao for now,

Andrew McCartney

Times Colonist Article.

Tomorrow's triathletes are OK, Success among Canada's juniors bodes well for the sport

By Cleve Dheensaw, Times Colonist May 19, 2009

Where will the next generation of Canadian triathletes come from when the likes of double Olympic-medallist Simon Whitfield of Victoria eventually hang up the Speedos, bike helmets and running shoes?

You don't have to look too far. Apparently, the kids are alright. Gen Next was on ample display over the weekend as 19-year-old Kyla Coates won the women's junior event and fellow-Victorian Andrew McCartney placed third in the men's Under-23 race at the Pan American championships in Oklahoma City.

"This is a great day and my best race ever," said Coates, in a release.

"It was such a smooth race and things felt effortless today so I am really happy. After last year's finish [fourth place], I really wanted to win today."

The Victorian ate through the 750-metre lake-water swim course, 20-kilometre bike race and five-kilometre run in one hour six minutes, 30 seconds. Rocio Enriquez of Mexico took silver in 1:06:34 and Marianne Hogan of Bedford, Que., the bronze in 1:07:06. Christine Ridenour of Victoria was seventh in 1:08:08.

Coates worked on the run portion of her racing arsenal by clocking 40:12 last month in the Times Colonist 10K, good enough for 31st overall in the women's race.

Expect to see 19-year-old Connor Hammond of London, Ont., extended a future invite to join Coates, McCartney and the others in the Canadian national triathlon training centre in Victoria after Hammond's breakout silver-medal performance in the Pan American men's junior race behind 16-year-old American sensation Luka Verzbicas. Ian Donald of Nepean, Ont., was fourth while Victorians Aaron Thomas and Matt Sharpe crashed the top-10 at seventh and eighth places.

McCartney, a runner and swimmer when he started in sports, says he was inspired to join triathlon by Whitfield's gold-medal performance in the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. McCartney got ready for the Pan Am triathlon championships by finishing 18th in the Times Colonist 10K last month in 32:43. His performance for bronze Saturday in the U-23 Pam Am event placed him 12th in the men's open race. Kerry Spearing, another rising Victoria triathlete, was fifth in the women's open race behind winner Mary Beth Ellis of the U.S.
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist// load up cookied story font size getStoryFontSize();

One More Article from the ITU Website. Click Here

PATCO...meh.

So I will be blunt. Not too pleased with with my performance here in Oklahoma. Ya it is the first ITU in a couple of years, it wasn't what I was hoping but a starting point for the season. I have some tweaking to do before next weeks race in Austin Tx. Well here is what happened:

So race time was 4pm. So I got up at 9 for some continental breakfast Quick 20min jog with JP and back to the hotel for a shave and a nap. Quick lunch at 1pm and a coffee at 2. We hit the road at 2:30 off to the course, loop of the course and set up the transition. Quick Jog, a 20min swim and I was good to go.

Swim:

There was a bit of foreshadowing on the start line as when I dove in my calf cramped up a bit. None the less I managed to get a strong start and had open water early after accidently kicking someone. Sorry. So with clear water I looked to my left and saw another charge. I joined up with them and swam even. On the back side up current and into the wind I went to the front and set the pace and held it to the finish of the swim. So out of the water with a bit of a gap, my legs were already feeling some cramping but I ran hard into transition and exited in good position.

Bike:

A pack of 6 of us got moving working hard. I built into it due to the hard effort in the water. Mat Read, Hunter Kemper, Timothy O'Donnell, Matt Chrabot, Benjamin Collins and I built about a 2min gap over the 40km ride.

Run:

Fast transition on to the run but it became obvious quickly that the cramping was back. First lap was filled with sharp snaps back to reality that I had made a nutritionl mistake. I got into a bit of a damage control mode, unable to apply preasure. Second of four laps was better but the remainder of the run was on and off till a final sprint in for 12th. Not the kind of running seen at the TC 10km. Click Here for results. Triathlon Canada Articl.

So Not the way I would have liked to conclude the race, and not what I believe I am capable of. I am in the middle of making a list of the lessons I will take from this race and apply it to the continental cup in Austin. Top of the list is to figure out my hydration plan. A pinch of salt may be the trick but I will look further into this.

For now it is off to bed and recovery.

Ciao for now,

Andrew

No Cotton Wool.

Pre-Race Report.

Captain's Log Pre-race report, and I'm going to be high as a kite by then... Rocket man....

Tomorrow I along with 67 other athletes will be racing PATCO. It is a strong field down here in Oklahoma and it should be a good race. The swim has been changed a bit to go under a couple of bridges up and down the river. The Bike is flat out and back ride but with strong winds which should add an element to the ride and run. The run is flat as well on a winding paved trail.

A lot of emotions going through my mind going into this race...nervousness, excitement and anxiety. I have found comfort in encouraging words from my parents my friends and of course the quotes that I surround myself with on a regular basis. On special occasions I look back to an e-mail from my more inteligent Sister. She wrote me this before Worlds in 2006. Well here it is:

"As for your big day tomorrow, I have sooo much confidence in your abilities, there really is nothing stopping you. I think that existentialism can be a great motivator in times like these. I use an existential perspective when ever i feel limitations bearing down on me- we often create invisible barriers when we become nervous, when infact these are all manifestations of the imagination. Instead, I am completely free in every moment, and with this freedom i am completely free to choose what I do with that moment. remember that life is only a series moments, thus each moment dangles in time completely separate from past and future- the feeling that past/future pend on you is just a creation of your mind. anyways, you've done all your training in right? you've put all the hours in? of course, so all you can do now is live each moment to it's fullest from here on out."

-Jenny McCartney

Also at then end of my blog posts I have been saying "No Cotton Wool" I have been refering to the quote by Roger Bannister. I believe this is the attitude you need going into a race. here it is:

“When the final came I had built myself up to withstand any set back. I no longer wanted to be wrapped in cotton wool. If my spikes had split now I should have run in bare feet. If I were knocked over I would not feel martyred, but would draw new impetus from my anger.”

-Roger Bannister

Well I will be punctual with a race report. For now I have my nose up against the window looking at the change in weather. It is difficult to see past the amount of rain pouring down sideways outside the window. Well what you can see is the Lightning that is directly above us. Wow I think I got a tan today, and now look at it. You know it is stormy when the ground rumbles.

Well off to bed,

Hope all is well out there,

Ciao for now,

Andrew

No Cotton Wool

Quick Update

I made it! I am in Oklahoma technically it is day two although I arrived at the hotel at about 1am. We had a very interesting flight from Denver to Oklahoma. A very bumpy one. We heard over the PA, "Pardon the interruption but we are hearing about some severe thunder, lightning and Tornado weather around the Oklahoma City area" We circled around the airport threatening to fly on to Dallas. Outside my window was some of the most amazing lightning I have ever seen. Literally right out my window. So bright and so beautiful. Well we did eventually land. I am settled and ready for a swim in the river.

Pre-race report coming soon,

Ciao for now,

Andrew

No Cotton Wool

21 months later....

August 19, 2007 was the last triathlon I did before Sundays event. The Sooke Spring Sprint Triathlon organized by Team X. This was a 700m short course swim, a difficult hilly 20km Time trial through some beautiful roads and a challenging hilly 5km run. The plan was to simulate next weeks more important event the Pan-american Championships in Oklahoma. Strong swim good transitions hard ride and fast off the bike for a couple of kms then cruise it in.

So with a predicted swim time of 7.20(Bit of an exaggeration) I got 4th line in the pool. So starting staggered it began with a bit of a chase. I quickly got into a rythm not really knowing if I was leading the race or not until I excited the pool where I slipped n' slidded around the pool deck to the exit. My swim split ended up being 7.37

T1 was Awesome! Calm, relaxed and error-less.

As for the Bike, I believe I need to figure out the aerobar situation as for the majority of the ride I was in the drops mainly because of the undulating course. Aruss came by me near Otter point and I kept in touch through the hilly far end of the course but he slipped away upon the return home.

T2 was good in-spite of almost overshooting the rack. Quick into my shoes and with some motivation from Scotty, "Aruss dissed your mama!" I responded, "That bugger" On mothers day....
On to the run I felt fantastic. Just smooth, high cadence bounding. I quickly got into a strong pace pushing to the top of the first climb (What I thought to be 2km) Aruss and I ran together for a bit discussing when we should race it in. It was descided that it would be all on at the base of the final hill into the finish line. I didn't want to make it a sprint for the line with him as I am sure he would be stronger, so I went for it on the hill getting enough of a gap to hold on. In the previous heat Stevo rode a wicked fast ride and held it for the overall win. Click here for full results. And here are the swim splits.

It was a nice way to start my comeback into the sport of Triathlon. The way I felt running off the bike is just the encouragement I need going into PATCO next weekend. I will be the underdog these upcoming weekends, but I am ok with that. It is a good position to be in but not to stay.

But more on PATCO later,

For now, I would like you to listen to this song. I just love it.

Hope all is well,

Andrew McCartney

No Cotton Wool.

Hey, How Are Ya!!

So it is the final push towards the race season and its been a good one. Although I am in need of a taper, the body is holding together. To quote a good friend, "Today I am going to destroy myself" haha, she is one tough cookie. Great line! I did something like that, repeating it in my head throughout the day. Today began with a difficult swim in the morning with what I believe to be the 4th "Best Average" set this week. Sets like 10x200s but today it was 4x300. With some accumulated fatigue I think I did a pretty good job at this with some fast-ish swimming, getting down to 3.27. From the pool I grabbed a bite from Thriftys and drove over to PISE for the Heat adaptation session (TORTURE) in the Mobile Environmental Training Unit (MET). Basically it is a trailer with heaters where we go and sweat for an hour and a half. Today was round two of a series of tests. We all leave the trailer in the end staggering to the lab to measure how much sweat we have lost.(A LOT) Problem is you are left with the challenge of re-hydrating for workouts later in the day or just to get rid of that darn head-ache. This afternoon we had a run at Beaver Lake. Felt the lack of hydration in warm up as it felt better to run with my eyes closed. But I snapped out of it for the main set. The set was 4x1km and 4x400m. As much as I wish km markers 8 to 9 were accurate...they are not. Ha ha. Here is the proof; Splits were, 2.52, 2.44, 2.35, 2.35. What ever the distance. The efforts were definitely there. With a pack like, Ausitn, Jeff, Aruss and I, there was always someone who was ready to push the pace. Some gutsy running. The 4oo's (60sec efforts) were good too with the exception of a close encounter with some horses which actually made me run a bit faster. Just the motivation I needed at that point in the workout. Off to the ocean with Austin for some icing and home for a rest.

Another notable experience is Thetis Lake. Yup that's right Two swims in Thetis so far and a third tomorrow. It is still bloody cold but as soon as your face goes numb you are fine. I must say it is fantastic to get out in the middle of a lake. One rainy morning we capped the swim with a nice adventure run around Thetis lake. At this point I would like to apologize for some of the choices of trails. That cliff was pretty difficult to run down.

Ok so NEW MUSIC!
So the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have a new CD out with Lead singer Karen Orzolek who can be compared to the styles of Joan Jett or Pat Benatar. The radio has been playing the track "Zero" Which I totally dig. But one track that doesn't get played a lot and has been in my head all day is "Runaway" What a fantastic track. The entire CD is full of great lyrics and a mix of soft and hard rock. Here are those two.

Click Here to watch: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Zero"

Click Here to Listen to : Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Runaway"


Silversun Pickups have come out with a new CD called Swoon. Well known for there song, and my favourite "Lazy Eye"(Video here, reminds me of lucky bar) I like pretty much anything these guys put out, I am definitely liking the track "Panic Switch" Click here for this wicked song and the Video. Enjoy. The rest of the CD has the same High pace style. Not exactly the music for a relaxed evening.


Well, I might get back to that relaxed evening. Tomorrow I do all this training stuff again and I may just destroy myself again. I can't wait.


Ciao for now,
Andrew
No Cotton Wool.