Cities

High School City Track Championships finally came on Saturday and I got to race the 3000m as well as the 4x100m and 4x400m relays which I qualified in last week at Divisionals.

The 3000m was really the race I was focusing on as I felt I had a good chance at coming top 2 which qualifies for the Provincial Championships in Edmonton this coming Friday.

I knew the race would go out fast and that racing with both the Intermediate and Junior Boys would only make the start faster. I had a solid start and held on to the lead group for most of the race. With about 1km to go I made my move and went around the leading Senior. At first I regretted not waiting longer to move as I was really hurting but I gutted it out and finished strong in 9:17.12. Good enough to be City Champ!  

Here is a little video of the race:

Next up: Provincials this Friday!

John

Divisionals

Ran in High School Track Divisionals today which qualifies for City Championships next week. There were a lot of great races today from all the Aberhart competitors!

One of the highlights was running in my first 4x100 since I was 12.
(me in orange running the second leg)

I also managed to get into a sprint finish in the 3000m with Mac Kary which couldn't have been much closer.

I think the element of surprise gave me the edge

Pretty good day at the track

John

Prairie Roubaix

Today I raced the 3rd Annual Prairie Roubaix bike race put on by Speed Theory Cycling Team. Being my first bike race, I found cycling has quite a few pros compared to Triathlon including not having to start soaking wet and being able to coast across the finish line on two wheels knowing you don't have to run as fast as you can. I was also surprised by how much talking goes on in a pack of riders during a race. Throughout the race there where conversations between riders about equipment, the course and usually their lack of fitness. This camaraderie was very different from any other racing experience I have had before.

The Prairie Roubaix race course is a 14km loop with a 3km section of gravel road at the end of each lap. The race is 3 loops and a total of 42km. I started the race in the C group (the lowest of 3) with about 40 other riders. The speed picked up slowly but steadily from the start as everyone was jostling for position near the front and there where quite a few nervous riders. By the time we went through 10km the pack had shrunk to only 20 riders as many had started off too strong or had faded on the rollers on the way back to the start. I sat near the back on the first lap until we got to the gravel section of road where I took the lead. The gravel wasn't dangerous but it did get a bit sketchy if you didn't keep your speed up and chose a good line. I stayed on the front until the end of the gravel and looked back to see that the group was now only 5 strong. The second lap was slower than the first and a few other riders had joined back up to the group but it was relatively uneventful. The group stayed together until about 5km to go when another strong rider came to the front and did a big pull, causing the group to dwindle down to 5 again. He stayed on the front until 500m before the gravel and then I took off! I rode to gravel section as fast as I could while still staying in control and didn't look back until I was 200m from the finish. I had gaped the next rider by 50m and I rode hard into the finish for my first bike race win.

Speed Theory did a great job putting on the race and everyone who came out had a good time and a fun race.  I don't think this will be my last bike race either!

C group

End of Lap 1

I need to work on my finish celebration

I also won this unique trophy which has a map of the course and a Jens Voigt quote - "Everybody has to suffer, suffer, suffer until they have had enough."

Best trophy ever



I Am The Best



Had an awesome suggestion from a fan of the blog to post this! Yep I have a fan!



Unfortunately Paula isn't racing at the opening event in the World Triathlon Series in Sydney going on this weekend because of injury. Although others may have an advantage in racing and preparation leading up to the Olympics, Paula is an amazing athlete and I have no doubt that she will do all she can to be at the start line in London in medal contention.

The Venge

Picked up my very own Specialized Venge Expert today and had the opportunity to ride her this afternoon! It was pretty much love at first sight for me and the Venge, but after we bonded out on the open road for the afternoon our connection grew even stronger.

This is, far and away, the best bike I have ever ridden. The FACT 10r carbon used to make the aerodynamic frame is super stiff and makes the ride very stable, the 2012 Shimano ultegra components make for smooth shifting, it has a 52 tooth front chain ring so I can push the big gears, and the Roval AL35 wheelset is sturdy enough to train on on a daily basis but light and aero enough to be used in races as well. Overall, I am super excited to be able to race on this bike in the upcoming season!


John

How to Make Yourself Care About Hockey

No outdoor ride today as there was snow and ice on most of the roads so I set the trainer up in front of the TV to watch the Flames game this afternoon. I also decided to make up some rules to spice things up and to follow the ups and downs of the game during my workout:

During play - 65% (of max Heart Rate)
Stoppage in play - 75%
Power Play - standing, holding 80 RPM
Penalty Kill - 85%
Goal for Flames - Easy, celebrate & exchange high fives
Goal for Dallas - 30 sec All Out Sprint
Fight - big gear holding 70 RPM
1st Intermission - 3x Single Leg = 2x(45sec Right, 15 Both, 45 Left, 15 Both) 1min Easy
2nd Intermission - 3x Cadence = 2x(40sec @100 RPM, 30 @110 RPM, 20 @120 RPM) 1min Easy

Unfortunately the Flames were doused 4-1 by the Dallas Stars in a pretty devastating loss. Needless to say, after almost 3 hours of riding I was so mad I almost pulled a Brent Sutter and took it out on an unsuspecting garbage can.
But I'm not giving up! There is still hope and this is one hardcore fan!




Go Flames!




John

Bazan Bay Video

Some great video from the race this weekend.

Credit to Athletics Illustrated.



John