Thursday, June 26, 2008
SRAM and Shimano dont mesh, dont let anyone tell you otherwise
So, Im in a tiff over this. When i was in Vancouver, I was talking to the owner of a bike store. He had a booth at the Expo and I was admiring one of the Argon18 bikes. We got to chatting about SRAM and how I had to switch cassettes so I could use my road bike wheel (shimano) on my TT bike (SRAM) for training. He told me the two were interchangeable. Um, not on my bike they arent. I dont know what stuff he is talking about but when I went out for my two hour ride last night, I put the wheel with the SRAM cassette onto my Shimano equipped road bike. It worked fine when I spun it around WITHOUT LOAD. My ride started downhill with some 39-26 gearing for a couple short steep climbs out of the 'hood but when I got down to the meat of my ride, the gears were grinding, slipping, crunching, etc. All things you dont want to hear when you have to climb a bit and put a bit of effort on the flats. My massive quad(s?) must have too much power for the axel and it torques so much that the gears just wont work, even with small adjustments so I just rode home after 30 minutes and finished riding on the trainer with the proper wheel for the proper stuff. I hate riding the trainer.
Monday, June 9, 2008
World Triathlon Championships, 2008, Part 2, Race Report
I woke up before the phone rang for the wake up call and lay there, drinking my 700 calorie breakfast bottle. Around 430am I started getting dressed and then the GI started rumbling. It has happened absolutely every race day since I started this crazy triathlon thing. It hasnt affected my race start (knock on wood) before and I just deal with it the best way I know how which I wont get into for obvious reasons. We got in a cab at 515am and we were at the TZ 10 minutes later.
I unpacked all my gear, laid it out, covered my shoes with a plastic bag and checked my tires. There was enough there to get me around but I wanted more. Zipp's are finicky, at least mine are. I have to take off the valve extender, poke the nipple so it is freed up, then try and pump some more into it. I tried for five minutes to get the extender back on, then I started getting nervous because we still had to walk back to the start, about 1km away. I ran and got the mechanic and he tried but had no luck either. He checked my tires and he said that I probably had the proper amount for this particular course due to the road conditions. Thank you for local knowledge. Turned out, he was right, I was just fine. I grabbed my wetsuit, made one more sweep of my area, and left with my "handler" for the start line.
There was a tent there to change in and I skin lubed and got into my wetsuit. We all had to go and get our chip checked out so we got in line and made our way through the sensor. Except the French guy in my category, he didnt wait in line, just walked up to the front...... OK, I wont go into that.
Myself and a few brave souls wandered into the water. It was 12 degrees celsius. Damn cold, around 53F. The air temp was the same. I swam about 20 strokes, turned around, went back to shore all while hyperventilating. I stood there letting the water get into my suit. Then the starter called us over to get lined up. They shortened the swim to 1100m which at first I was mad about as I feel I am a good swimmer and the cold water doesnt bother me but after the gun went off and we got farther out where the water was even colder, I was fine with it. I think I did the swim in about 19 minutes but since the results arent out yet, I dont know. As most of you know, the swim portion was canceled due to rough seas after our group and most of the women's waves had gone. From my viewpoint, the waves were starting to pick up with about 200m to go but it really wasnt noticeable to me.
T1 was a bit of a bear. My sister wasnt able to get back into the TZ in time to help me but one of the ITU guys was there and he stripped my wetsuit off. My fingers and toes were numb as was most of my face. I couldnt smile, frown, or much of anything. I pulled on my new aero Giro helmet (thanks Jen), my Oakley's, and my shoes, stood up, looked around, and decided my other glasses were a better choice due to the lens colour.
Then, get this, about a 400m run in bike shoes, to the bike mount line. This sucked. Not so much for me, but for the amputees. They had to run in their bike leg, way too far in my opinion (as well as many others that watched this). Well, I got on, got clipped in, (which wasnt easy due to the grass and mud that got in my cleats on the 3 minute run, from the bike rack) and quickly got up to speed. Im not looking forward to seeing my T1 time (or T2 for that matter).
Lap 1 seemed slow according to my computer but then I remembered that it started as soon as I unracked my bike and started running for the exit. I averaged 17mph or so according to the computer but I know it was a bit faster. The wind was picking up a bit on the ride and my Zipp 808's were reminding me of that. Thankfully Im as big as I am otherwise Im thinking I would have been thrown all over the road. The hill wasnt as bad as I thought it might be and I averaged 9mph on the climb. On the descent, I was able to get up to 35mph and maintained 24-25 up to the turn for the next lap. I got into a groove and tried to maintain the same output on each lap. I said hi to all the volunteers on the hill on each lap, made people laugh, had a lot of fun. My hip was starting to hurt but not too bad (maybe that last treatment did make a difference afterall) on each successive climb. On the 4th and final lap, the climb got a little tougher but I gutted out a good cadence and maintained the same speed as the last three laps. I said my last farewell to the volunteers and just as I was about to head downhill, some of the 20-24AG females came by. I flew by two of them and slowly went by a third, a chick from Holland judging from her uniform colours. I think I descend very well and I was leaning hard into the turns. After the steep part, there is still a 2% downhill to the turn/end of the bike course and this girl passed me. We were maintaining the same speed and as I was trying to not draft her, I drifted to the right (the way to the finish) and she turned around and started yelling at me for trying to pass her on the right. I held my tongue, smiled and said bye bye, Im done but I dont think she heard me. I had some other things for her if I saw her on the run but I didnt so, I didnt, get it??
Anyway, the dismount area wasnt clear, and as I was flying up to it, volunteers are yelling to stop, etc. I managed to get one shoe off before I realized I had to stop and then I just clipped out of my other shoe. My feet were FROZEN and after I took the other shoe off and started trying to run, my weak leg was dragging on the sidewalk and it was messing up my toes so I hopped onto the grassy area next to the side walk for the 3-400m run to my running gear. I didnt trip but I sure didnt have an easy time of it. I stumbled many times before I got there and had to run through a very muddy area. In the interest of not having mud in my socks, I took my time in T2 and got most of the crap off me before trying to put shoes on my icicles. I had unsnapped my helmet but was told I had to do it up before I could go to my things, 20 feet away. I had to stop to do that. The ITU was very nice and gave all the AWAD's chairs for their TZ so I didnt have to sit on the grass to get my gear on. I havent yet mastered running without socks so my T2's are always longer. I have to wear a sock with my ankle brace anyway so I just use the pair.
After getting my shoes on, I was running out of the TZ, hoping my feet would thaw out soon. I seriously could not feel my toes at all. Granted, I cant feel my right foot anyway, but I knew it was very cold because I couldnt move my toes. There were three out/back sections and we had to do each one three times. I wasnt 200m into the run when my quad and inner thigh started to cramp. I stopped at the first feed station, leaned on one of the volunteers and stretched. I didnt cramp the rest of the day.
By the first out/back section, the feeling was starting to return and I was able to maintain a steady, but slow, rhythm. It was awesome and very motivating to hear people cheering, calling your name, your country's name. "Go Canada" was probably the only thing that kept me from walking at times. Everyone was cheering for everyone. I heard many different accents yelling "go 138, go Canada, you're doing great".
I saw my sister on each lap of the bike and the run encouraging me and on the second lap, I heard my mom yelling and that sent me into a faster pace..... for about 200m. I was so happy that she made it. She wasnt sure she could come but it made me extremely happy that she and my sister were there to share this experience with me.
I passed a group of Kiwi supporters and asked if they had a second wind I could borrow to which they all cheered, called my number and more than enough encouragement to get me through another lap. Im a bit of a ham so every time I went past a big group, regardless of the country they were from, I threw up my hands and got them to cheer me on, it was fun.... I sound like a five year old right now, but oh well, Im immature, deal with it.
I saw Lindsay on my second lap and she looked like she was doing great. I also saw some of my competitors and one of them was walking, only about 200m ahead of me, but I couldnt catch him. I high fived most of my fellow AWADs (the wheelie guys didnt really have time to high five nor did the arm amputees, hmmmm) and was enjoying the experience. I knew I wasnt going to medal and regardless if I did, I still have fun when I race.
The last lap was hell. I was dragging my foot, shuffling, more than I had in the past lap but when I ran down the final stretch to the finish, I probably went from 11 min/mile to 8 min/mile because of all the cheering fans and my family, waiting at the finish line.
I think I was overwhelmed by all of it and when I got past the line and was with the finish line volunteers, I started wheezing. I couldnt catch my breath and it scared the hell out of me so I told Mom and Michelle I would meet them out front in a while. I sat in the medical tent for about 5 minutes while they checked me over and by this time, my breathing was back to normal. I had never experienced this before but I dont think I have put out this much effort at an event before (or at least for a long time). I had to laugh though. The nurse that was checking me over, asked me what country I was from..... I had on my team Canada kit, its red with white and says CAN on the front..... Perhaps it was a question to see if I was aware, but it still made me laugh. I left the med tent and went to the "athlete lounge". They had hard, green bananas, PowerBar products, cookies, salty snacks, and liquids which I took one of everything. I quickly threw out the banana because I couldnt open it, too green. I found Mom and sis and we wandered down to the TZ to pick up my gear.
All in all, it was a great day. I thank my sister, Michelle, and my mom, Val, for being there, my wife, Stacey, and our two wonderful boys, Kelton and Taguen, for their support in my training schedule, my coach, Scott, who helped me get here, the Challenged Athletes Foundation from whom I received a generous grant for this event, and of course the rest of my family, friends, and Ironhead team mates for their support and encouragement. Oh, I cant forget Meyrick Jones, a fellow Team Canada AWAD, because without him, I wouldnt have known I could fulfill my dream of being on the National Team (Team Canada hockey was my original dream but triathlon is just as good), let alone compete at a World Championship.
I unpacked all my gear, laid it out, covered my shoes with a plastic bag and checked my tires. There was enough there to get me around but I wanted more. Zipp's are finicky, at least mine are. I have to take off the valve extender, poke the nipple so it is freed up, then try and pump some more into it. I tried for five minutes to get the extender back on, then I started getting nervous because we still had to walk back to the start, about 1km away. I ran and got the mechanic and he tried but had no luck either. He checked my tires and he said that I probably had the proper amount for this particular course due to the road conditions. Thank you for local knowledge. Turned out, he was right, I was just fine. I grabbed my wetsuit, made one more sweep of my area, and left with my "handler" for the start line.
There was a tent there to change in and I skin lubed and got into my wetsuit. We all had to go and get our chip checked out so we got in line and made our way through the sensor. Except the French guy in my category, he didnt wait in line, just walked up to the front...... OK, I wont go into that.
Myself and a few brave souls wandered into the water. It was 12 degrees celsius. Damn cold, around 53F. The air temp was the same. I swam about 20 strokes, turned around, went back to shore all while hyperventilating. I stood there letting the water get into my suit. Then the starter called us over to get lined up. They shortened the swim to 1100m which at first I was mad about as I feel I am a good swimmer and the cold water doesnt bother me but after the gun went off and we got farther out where the water was even colder, I was fine with it. I think I did the swim in about 19 minutes but since the results arent out yet, I dont know. As most of you know, the swim portion was canceled due to rough seas after our group and most of the women's waves had gone. From my viewpoint, the waves were starting to pick up with about 200m to go but it really wasnt noticeable to me.
T1 was a bit of a bear. My sister wasnt able to get back into the TZ in time to help me but one of the ITU guys was there and he stripped my wetsuit off. My fingers and toes were numb as was most of my face. I couldnt smile, frown, or much of anything. I pulled on my new aero Giro helmet (thanks Jen), my Oakley's, and my shoes, stood up, looked around, and decided my other glasses were a better choice due to the lens colour.
Then, get this, about a 400m run in bike shoes, to the bike mount line. This sucked. Not so much for me, but for the amputees. They had to run in their bike leg, way too far in my opinion (as well as many others that watched this). Well, I got on, got clipped in, (which wasnt easy due to the grass and mud that got in my cleats on the 3 minute run, from the bike rack) and quickly got up to speed. Im not looking forward to seeing my T1 time (or T2 for that matter).
Lap 1 seemed slow according to my computer but then I remembered that it started as soon as I unracked my bike and started running for the exit. I averaged 17mph or so according to the computer but I know it was a bit faster. The wind was picking up a bit on the ride and my Zipp 808's were reminding me of that. Thankfully Im as big as I am otherwise Im thinking I would have been thrown all over the road. The hill wasnt as bad as I thought it might be and I averaged 9mph on the climb. On the descent, I was able to get up to 35mph and maintained 24-25 up to the turn for the next lap. I got into a groove and tried to maintain the same output on each lap. I said hi to all the volunteers on the hill on each lap, made people laugh, had a lot of fun. My hip was starting to hurt but not too bad (maybe that last treatment did make a difference afterall) on each successive climb. On the 4th and final lap, the climb got a little tougher but I gutted out a good cadence and maintained the same speed as the last three laps. I said my last farewell to the volunteers and just as I was about to head downhill, some of the 20-24AG females came by. I flew by two of them and slowly went by a third, a chick from Holland judging from her uniform colours. I think I descend very well and I was leaning hard into the turns. After the steep part, there is still a 2% downhill to the turn/end of the bike course and this girl passed me. We were maintaining the same speed and as I was trying to not draft her, I drifted to the right (the way to the finish) and she turned around and started yelling at me for trying to pass her on the right. I held my tongue, smiled and said bye bye, Im done but I dont think she heard me. I had some other things for her if I saw her on the run but I didnt so, I didnt, get it??
Anyway, the dismount area wasnt clear, and as I was flying up to it, volunteers are yelling to stop, etc. I managed to get one shoe off before I realized I had to stop and then I just clipped out of my other shoe. My feet were FROZEN and after I took the other shoe off and started trying to run, my weak leg was dragging on the sidewalk and it was messing up my toes so I hopped onto the grassy area next to the side walk for the 3-400m run to my running gear. I didnt trip but I sure didnt have an easy time of it. I stumbled many times before I got there and had to run through a very muddy area. In the interest of not having mud in my socks, I took my time in T2 and got most of the crap off me before trying to put shoes on my icicles. I had unsnapped my helmet but was told I had to do it up before I could go to my things, 20 feet away. I had to stop to do that. The ITU was very nice and gave all the AWAD's chairs for their TZ so I didnt have to sit on the grass to get my gear on. I havent yet mastered running without socks so my T2's are always longer. I have to wear a sock with my ankle brace anyway so I just use the pair.
After getting my shoes on, I was running out of the TZ, hoping my feet would thaw out soon. I seriously could not feel my toes at all. Granted, I cant feel my right foot anyway, but I knew it was very cold because I couldnt move my toes. There were three out/back sections and we had to do each one three times. I wasnt 200m into the run when my quad and inner thigh started to cramp. I stopped at the first feed station, leaned on one of the volunteers and stretched. I didnt cramp the rest of the day.
By the first out/back section, the feeling was starting to return and I was able to maintain a steady, but slow, rhythm. It was awesome and very motivating to hear people cheering, calling your name, your country's name. "Go Canada" was probably the only thing that kept me from walking at times. Everyone was cheering for everyone. I heard many different accents yelling "go 138, go Canada, you're doing great".
I saw my sister on each lap of the bike and the run encouraging me and on the second lap, I heard my mom yelling and that sent me into a faster pace..... for about 200m. I was so happy that she made it. She wasnt sure she could come but it made me extremely happy that she and my sister were there to share this experience with me.
I passed a group of Kiwi supporters and asked if they had a second wind I could borrow to which they all cheered, called my number and more than enough encouragement to get me through another lap. Im a bit of a ham so every time I went past a big group, regardless of the country they were from, I threw up my hands and got them to cheer me on, it was fun.... I sound like a five year old right now, but oh well, Im immature, deal with it.
I saw Lindsay on my second lap and she looked like she was doing great. I also saw some of my competitors and one of them was walking, only about 200m ahead of me, but I couldnt catch him. I high fived most of my fellow AWADs (the wheelie guys didnt really have time to high five nor did the arm amputees, hmmmm) and was enjoying the experience. I knew I wasnt going to medal and regardless if I did, I still have fun when I race.
The last lap was hell. I was dragging my foot, shuffling, more than I had in the past lap but when I ran down the final stretch to the finish, I probably went from 11 min/mile to 8 min/mile because of all the cheering fans and my family, waiting at the finish line.
I think I was overwhelmed by all of it and when I got past the line and was with the finish line volunteers, I started wheezing. I couldnt catch my breath and it scared the hell out of me so I told Mom and Michelle I would meet them out front in a while. I sat in the medical tent for about 5 minutes while they checked me over and by this time, my breathing was back to normal. I had never experienced this before but I dont think I have put out this much effort at an event before (or at least for a long time). I had to laugh though. The nurse that was checking me over, asked me what country I was from..... I had on my team Canada kit, its red with white and says CAN on the front..... Perhaps it was a question to see if I was aware, but it still made me laugh. I left the med tent and went to the "athlete lounge". They had hard, green bananas, PowerBar products, cookies, salty snacks, and liquids which I took one of everything. I quickly threw out the banana because I couldnt open it, too green. I found Mom and sis and we wandered down to the TZ to pick up my gear.
All in all, it was a great day. I thank my sister, Michelle, and my mom, Val, for being there, my wife, Stacey, and our two wonderful boys, Kelton and Taguen, for their support in my training schedule, my coach, Scott, who helped me get here, the Challenged Athletes Foundation from whom I received a generous grant for this event, and of course the rest of my family, friends, and Ironhead team mates for their support and encouragement. Oh, I cant forget Meyrick Jones, a fellow Team Canada AWAD, because without him, I wouldnt have known I could fulfill my dream of being on the National Team (Team Canada hockey was my original dream but triathlon is just as good), let alone compete at a World Championship.
World Triathlon Championship, Part 1
What a week! What an experience! There were so many spectators from various nations cheering for any and all. Aside from the fact that I do not know how I did, where I placed etc as of this minute, the event was well run. Funny thing, they have all the preliminary results posted EXCEPT for my category so Im kind of flustered about that. I called the ITU and they said they should have it squared away today sometime.
I arrived in Vancouver after a 5 hour drive. My hip and butt were very sore so I called a chiro office that was listed on the Triathlon Canada website and they said to come in around 6pm which was perfect timing as I got into the downtown area at 530 pm. I saw the clinic director, an ART instructor, and after a full history and exam, he got down to business. Mostly when I get treated with ART, the provider concentrates on what I tell them to but James did his own thing and constantly rechecked range of motion and muscle tone. After he finished, I felt GREAT!!! Better than I have ever felt after any type of treatment. I left there with no limp and no pain.
Accreditation for the Team Canada Olympic distance athletes was scheduled from 6-8pm so I headed down to do that. I still had to be classified but they let me sign in anyway. One less thing to do the next day. The registration tent was almost empty and I was in and out in 5 minutes. I drove back and met my nephew for dinner and then back to his house for the night.
The classifiers for AWADs were open from 730-1300 so I got up early, fought traffic and found a place to park at the team hotel. With the bike racks on top of my truck, there werent many options for parking but the Marriot lot was tall enough. I paid $25 to park for the day, wayyyyy too much if you ask me but it was my room for the day. I went to the Tri Canada office to try and exchange my jacket but they didnt have anything bigger so I was stuck with the one that is too tight in the shoulders. No worries though, its a nice jacket. Back to my room (truck) and changed to my bike gear so I could ride down to the classification area. It was raining pretty good and I was happy I brought my rain gear but was wishing I hadnt lent my rain bike to someone.
I was nervous about getting classified because I wasnt sure how they tested/evaluated the injury. I brought along a letter from a doc that checked me out before as well as some written notes from a physio friend of mine that specializes in treating stroke patients. His evaluation, although very informal, was only of the affected limb whereas the other evaluation was done from a whole body/lifestyle/physical ability point of view. There were two women, an MD physical medicine specialist, and a physio. Both of them specialize in spinal cord injuries so I was happy to hear that. They also had heard of Brown-Sequard Syndrome when not too many others have. I still get frustrated when I have my muscles tested and I cant push back against resistance and it overwhelms me. Its been 5.5 years and I still whell up when someone does a neuro exam on me or when I have to talk about it. Im a big baby, what can I tell you.
After they had done a thorough exam, they put me at ease, telling me I was >15% impaired in my left leg. Now I get an official card that I will take with me to other events so I dont have to be classified on an event basis. I have never been so happy to hear that Im worse off than I thought. After classification, I left their booth and ran into some other AWAD athletes from Canada and other countries and chatted for a while. I had planned on riding a lap of the bike course but when I realized the time, I had to get back to my room (truck) and change into my team kit for the AWAD briefing in 30 minutes. Leisurely rode back, changed, and took a cab to the meeting.
Tri Canada had screwed up, they had scheduled the team meeting at the same time the ITU had scheduled the AWAD meeting. The Tri Canada luncheon (I heard later) wasnt the best. Plus the athletes had to pay $20/person for lunch. The ITU provided lunch and it was very tasty. The technical committee for the ITU had a decent presentation and for the AG athletes, it was probably fine. For some of us gimps, not so much. There were concerns about transferring the wheelie athletes from the water to their chairs. Other concerns about the distance to from T1 to the bike mount area. On the big screen, the TZ was confusing as to how we were to get in and get out of T1 and T2 but they soon sorted it out. Technology (powerpoint) has nothing on someone using their finger or a laser pointer to show the route.
I met some great people at the lunch, other AWADs and the volunteer handlers. At the time, they were going around asking if each athlete needed a helper/handler, and I said no. Later I changed my mind because I wanted my sister to be able to come into the TZ to take photos etc and to help me carry my stuff in the AM so I got her a wrist band.
After the AWAD briefing, all the Team Canada athletes had to hustle back to the team hotel for a group photo. Its a good thing the clothing Tri Canada chose included a rain jacket because it had not stopped raining since I got to Vancouver. There were over 600 athletes outside in the pouring rain but it was fun seeing all the red/white clad people standing on the stairs. We had to wait for Simon Whitfield to come before they could take the photo.
After that, I had nothing to do for 3 hours while I waited for the pasta party to start. I had spoken to some of my team mates and they werent going but I knew my Ironheads team mate, Lindsay, was going to be there for the 530 feeding so I decided to go. Free food, wouldnt you?
The pasta feed was at the Vancouver Aquarium. I used to go there as a kid and loved it. I hadnt been there in probably 20 years or more though so I was excited to see it again. They had it set up so you had to go through all the exhibits to get all the food. At the entrance was beer, wine, water, juice. Next came the salad bar. I ended up talking to some TC team mates from Kelowna and will probably meet up with them for IMC. Pasta bar was next, and of course, the desert room. Lots of fruit, little amounts of sugar desert, good for athletes but left me wanting a big bowl of ice cream. I found Lindsay and gave her and her room mate a ride back to the hotel and drove the bike course on the way. It was just like I remembered from watching the youtube video. The hill didnt look that bad from the truck but I had a good idea how to ride it. Gas was cheaper (not by much though) than the price of the hotels in the area so I went back to my nephews for the night.
Lindsay and I planned on meeting at 10am to ride the course so I was up and gone early again. I did a 15 minute run at 9am (felt GREAT), checked into the hotel, and changed for the ride. The rain had stopped and it was a nicer day than the previous two. I met Lindsay at her hotel and we headed out with another USA team member, Cy. He wanted to tag along since he didnt know the way. It was a nice easy ride and my HR didnt get above 150 on the hill. Mostly it stayed around 110.
After climbing the hill, my back started to tighten up so after we finished, I rode to the chiro's office that I saw on Wednesday. The doc I saw wasnt in on Friday's but one of his associates said he would see me. I should have listened to my gut and passed on the offer but I came back at 2pm and got treated. By that time, my back was even tighter and no amount of stretching was helping. After the treatment, I might say I felt a hair better for about a minute after standing up. After that, I walked back and lay down in my hotel room. I had completely wasted $50 getting the treatment but too late to complain about it.
Bike check in was from 330-830pm and I was still unclear about the TZ and what I was supposed to drop off. I called a team mate and he suggested not leaving anything but my bike down there. I rode down to the TZ and met a few more AWAD's. I walked back with a BK amputee from Austria, Martin. I had offered to have my sister help him at the start and at T1 with his prosthesis as he thought he didnt have anyone to assist him. Turns out, the ITU got volunteers for all the AWAD's and the next day, we found out he didnt need her help.
Met up with my sister, Michelle, and after dinner, I popped a bunch of Advil for my back pain, made sure my bottles were prepared for the next day, packed my T1 bag, and then I tried to get to sleep. I had a 4am wake up call and I was probably asleep by 1015pm.
Race day continued on next installment
I arrived in Vancouver after a 5 hour drive. My hip and butt were very sore so I called a chiro office that was listed on the Triathlon Canada website and they said to come in around 6pm which was perfect timing as I got into the downtown area at 530 pm. I saw the clinic director, an ART instructor, and after a full history and exam, he got down to business. Mostly when I get treated with ART, the provider concentrates on what I tell them to but James did his own thing and constantly rechecked range of motion and muscle tone. After he finished, I felt GREAT!!! Better than I have ever felt after any type of treatment. I left there with no limp and no pain.
Accreditation for the Team Canada Olympic distance athletes was scheduled from 6-8pm so I headed down to do that. I still had to be classified but they let me sign in anyway. One less thing to do the next day. The registration tent was almost empty and I was in and out in 5 minutes. I drove back and met my nephew for dinner and then back to his house for the night.
The classifiers for AWADs were open from 730-1300 so I got up early, fought traffic and found a place to park at the team hotel. With the bike racks on top of my truck, there werent many options for parking but the Marriot lot was tall enough. I paid $25 to park for the day, wayyyyy too much if you ask me but it was my room for the day. I went to the Tri Canada office to try and exchange my jacket but they didnt have anything bigger so I was stuck with the one that is too tight in the shoulders. No worries though, its a nice jacket. Back to my room (truck) and changed to my bike gear so I could ride down to the classification area. It was raining pretty good and I was happy I brought my rain gear but was wishing I hadnt lent my rain bike to someone.
I was nervous about getting classified because I wasnt sure how they tested/evaluated the injury. I brought along a letter from a doc that checked me out before as well as some written notes from a physio friend of mine that specializes in treating stroke patients. His evaluation, although very informal, was only of the affected limb whereas the other evaluation was done from a whole body/lifestyle/physical ability point of view. There were two women, an MD physical medicine specialist, and a physio. Both of them specialize in spinal cord injuries so I was happy to hear that. They also had heard of Brown-Sequard Syndrome when not too many others have. I still get frustrated when I have my muscles tested and I cant push back against resistance and it overwhelms me. Its been 5.5 years and I still whell up when someone does a neuro exam on me or when I have to talk about it. Im a big baby, what can I tell you.
After they had done a thorough exam, they put me at ease, telling me I was >15% impaired in my left leg. Now I get an official card that I will take with me to other events so I dont have to be classified on an event basis. I have never been so happy to hear that Im worse off than I thought. After classification, I left their booth and ran into some other AWAD athletes from Canada and other countries and chatted for a while. I had planned on riding a lap of the bike course but when I realized the time, I had to get back to my room (truck) and change into my team kit for the AWAD briefing in 30 minutes. Leisurely rode back, changed, and took a cab to the meeting.
Tri Canada had screwed up, they had scheduled the team meeting at the same time the ITU had scheduled the AWAD meeting. The Tri Canada luncheon (I heard later) wasnt the best. Plus the athletes had to pay $20/person for lunch. The ITU provided lunch and it was very tasty. The technical committee for the ITU had a decent presentation and for the AG athletes, it was probably fine. For some of us gimps, not so much. There were concerns about transferring the wheelie athletes from the water to their chairs. Other concerns about the distance to from T1 to the bike mount area. On the big screen, the TZ was confusing as to how we were to get in and get out of T1 and T2 but they soon sorted it out. Technology (powerpoint) has nothing on someone using their finger or a laser pointer to show the route.
I met some great people at the lunch, other AWADs and the volunteer handlers. At the time, they were going around asking if each athlete needed a helper/handler, and I said no. Later I changed my mind because I wanted my sister to be able to come into the TZ to take photos etc and to help me carry my stuff in the AM so I got her a wrist band.
After the AWAD briefing, all the Team Canada athletes had to hustle back to the team hotel for a group photo. Its a good thing the clothing Tri Canada chose included a rain jacket because it had not stopped raining since I got to Vancouver. There were over 600 athletes outside in the pouring rain but it was fun seeing all the red/white clad people standing on the stairs. We had to wait for Simon Whitfield to come before they could take the photo.
After that, I had nothing to do for 3 hours while I waited for the pasta party to start. I had spoken to some of my team mates and they werent going but I knew my Ironheads team mate, Lindsay, was going to be there for the 530 feeding so I decided to go. Free food, wouldnt you?
The pasta feed was at the Vancouver Aquarium. I used to go there as a kid and loved it. I hadnt been there in probably 20 years or more though so I was excited to see it again. They had it set up so you had to go through all the exhibits to get all the food. At the entrance was beer, wine, water, juice. Next came the salad bar. I ended up talking to some TC team mates from Kelowna and will probably meet up with them for IMC. Pasta bar was next, and of course, the desert room. Lots of fruit, little amounts of sugar desert, good for athletes but left me wanting a big bowl of ice cream. I found Lindsay and gave her and her room mate a ride back to the hotel and drove the bike course on the way. It was just like I remembered from watching the youtube video. The hill didnt look that bad from the truck but I had a good idea how to ride it. Gas was cheaper (not by much though) than the price of the hotels in the area so I went back to my nephews for the night.
Lindsay and I planned on meeting at 10am to ride the course so I was up and gone early again. I did a 15 minute run at 9am (felt GREAT), checked into the hotel, and changed for the ride. The rain had stopped and it was a nicer day than the previous two. I met Lindsay at her hotel and we headed out with another USA team member, Cy. He wanted to tag along since he didnt know the way. It was a nice easy ride and my HR didnt get above 150 on the hill. Mostly it stayed around 110.
After climbing the hill, my back started to tighten up so after we finished, I rode to the chiro's office that I saw on Wednesday. The doc I saw wasnt in on Friday's but one of his associates said he would see me. I should have listened to my gut and passed on the offer but I came back at 2pm and got treated. By that time, my back was even tighter and no amount of stretching was helping. After the treatment, I might say I felt a hair better for about a minute after standing up. After that, I walked back and lay down in my hotel room. I had completely wasted $50 getting the treatment but too late to complain about it.
Bike check in was from 330-830pm and I was still unclear about the TZ and what I was supposed to drop off. I called a team mate and he suggested not leaving anything but my bike down there. I rode down to the TZ and met a few more AWAD's. I walked back with a BK amputee from Austria, Martin. I had offered to have my sister help him at the start and at T1 with his prosthesis as he thought he didnt have anyone to assist him. Turns out, the ITU got volunteers for all the AWAD's and the next day, we found out he didnt need her help.
Met up with my sister, Michelle, and after dinner, I popped a bunch of Advil for my back pain, made sure my bottles were prepared for the next day, packed my T1 bag, and then I tried to get to sleep. I had a 4am wake up call and I was probably asleep by 1015pm.
Race day continued on next installment
Friday, June 6, 2008
low back pain and what to do 13 hours before a big race
Wow, 13 hours before one of the most exciting events of my tri career and my low back is tightening up as I write this. I felt GREAT this morning when I got up. Im thinking that I slept on my stomach for part of the night last night but the tightness didnt start til about 4 hours after I got up. I ran for 15 minutes and have never felt better. I changed to my cycling gear and met one of my Ironhead team mates, Lindsay, for a ride around the bike course at 10am. Not long after we finished the ride, my back started to seize. I rode over to the chiro office I had gone to when I arrived but they couldnt see me til later. I rode back to the hotel, checked in, unpacked all my gear, showered and then headed back to their office. A little lunch stop on the way, rice, chicken, some sauce I probably shouldnt have eaten, and some water. Oh, and a chocolate chip cookie, Im a weak man, what can I say? I got to the office early, they got me right in and a very new DC started working on me. I have to tell you, it didnt feel REMOTELY like the last treatment I got from his co-worker. When I got up, I felt a little better but as I walked, the muscles started tightening again. This time, it wasnt worth the money I spent.
I have been stretching and trying to do pelvic tilts and hopefully this will help. Perhaps walking around and standing still so much at the Pasta Party caused my back to tighten, who knows, but I am hoping the stretching will help. Im off to take my bike to the transition area now and then waiting for my sister to show up so we can have dinner and then back to the hotel for more stretching and resting.
More on the LBP later
I have been stretching and trying to do pelvic tilts and hopefully this will help. Perhaps walking around and standing still so much at the Pasta Party caused my back to tighten, who knows, but I am hoping the stretching will help. Im off to take my bike to the transition area now and then waiting for my sister to show up so we can have dinner and then back to the hotel for more stretching and resting.
More on the LBP later
Thursday, June 5, 2008
ITU Worlds
Got here Wednesday and after stopping at my aunts to pick up my gear, I headed downtown. I wanted to get in earlier to ride the course but my morning didnt go as planned so I didnt get into town til 5pm. I went to a chiropractors office and had him do some ART on my hip. I have never felt better after a treatment in my whole life and I might be going back on Friday. Im still pain free and I cant believe it. AFter the treatment, it was time to register which didnt take any time at all, very smooth. I called my nephew, Chase, who lives in Vancouver, and we had dinner downtown while we waited for traffic to die down. I didnt have a place lined up to stay so I just stayed at Chase's dorm room.
I got up early on Thursday with the intention of getting classified then going for a ride around the bike course. The juniors were just finishing up when I got to the tent so it would be perfect to ride the course. However, the classifiers were with someone and Ihad to wait for 15-20 minutes. I was very nervous that I wouldnt make the 15% impairment but after they tested me, they said I was more than 15% so i was happy to hear that. I would hate to have been turned away because I wasnt gimpy enough. After classification, I met a few other AWAD team members and realized I had only 45 minutes to get back to my truck, change, and make it to the AWAD meeting. The lunch they served was great and the ITU LOC made everything very easy to follow in the briefing. AFter lunch, I grabbed a ride with a team mate and we went back to the team hotel for photos. It took another 45 minutes or so for them to organize a team of 600+ for a photo and it was pouring rain too. Oh well, we got it done. As I write this, Im waiting for the pasta party to start, which isnt too far away, so i will finish later.
I got up early on Thursday with the intention of getting classified then going for a ride around the bike course. The juniors were just finishing up when I got to the tent so it would be perfect to ride the course. However, the classifiers were with someone and Ihad to wait for 15-20 minutes. I was very nervous that I wouldnt make the 15% impairment but after they tested me, they said I was more than 15% so i was happy to hear that. I would hate to have been turned away because I wasnt gimpy enough. After classification, I met a few other AWAD team members and realized I had only 45 minutes to get back to my truck, change, and make it to the AWAD meeting. The lunch they served was great and the ITU LOC made everything very easy to follow in the briefing. AFter lunch, I grabbed a ride with a team mate and we went back to the team hotel for photos. It took another 45 minutes or so for them to organize a team of 600+ for a photo and it was pouring rain too. Oh well, we got it done. As I write this, Im waiting for the pasta party to start, which isnt too far away, so i will finish later.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
World's, coming fast!!
Only 4.5 days left until the gun goes off in Vancouver BC at the ITU World Triathlon Championships. Im nervous as hell. I havent actually competed against anyone but me for years, before November 1, 2002. I feel that Im ready even though my hip hurts like hell. I need to get a massage tomorrow after I drive up to BC. Sitting for 5 hours driving is going to make it stiffen up like crazy. Some ART would do me right, note to self, must find ART provider before I go. Today Im supposed to bike and run. I will try and run at lunch then ride after I get home. All while I try to finish my laundry and pack my gear for tomorrow. The plan is to get up early, swim, get back home, get the boys up, feed them, take them to school, then head north. If Im on the road by 8am, I should be able to be there by 1-2pm. Im hoping to miss Vancouver rush hour but I need to make two stops, White Rock to drop stuff that mom forgot at our place then Richmond, to pick up my team gear that should be at Aunt Vera's. My great little sister sent it to her while I was working in Oregon. Hopefully it arrived already. I need to ride again tomorrow and Im trying to get my rain bike back from a friend but he is in Hawaii and has yet to return my call. Its pouring rain right now and I want to pre ride the course but I dont want to do it with my TT bike. If I dont get it, I will just ride the Bianchi and have to clean it afterwards..... I hate cleaning my bikes as my mechanic has noticed when he has to replace my drive train more often than he should. Im spoiled.
Well, once again, nervous is my middle name for now but all I can say is THANK YOU SCOTT for getting me in great shape in a shortened amount of time, youre a great coach and one helluva motivator.
Well, once again, nervous is my middle name for now but all I can say is THANK YOU SCOTT for getting me in great shape in a shortened amount of time, youre a great coach and one helluva motivator.
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