IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant 2013 Race Day Video

IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant put together a pretty awesome video review of the 2013 IRONMAN.

American Olympic Swimmer Missy Flanklin Backstroke Drill: How to Swim Backstroke Faster

U.S. swimmer Missy Franklin, 4-time gold medalist at the Olympics, shows us how to practice head stabilization during backstroke. Keeping your head still while performing backstroke will help you get faster. In an extremely challenging drill Missy Franklin shows us how much stability it requires to become an Olympic backstroke swimmer.

Missy Franklin Backstroke Drill

To perform the Missy Franklin backstroke drill, you'll need a water bottle - ideally bring an extra one, don't use the one that you're going to be drinking from, because it will fall into the pool! Also, you want to be able to adjust the water level. Fill the water bottle about half-way. More full, is more challenging.

Swim backstroke and place the bottle on your head. When your on your last stroke before your flipturn, grab the bottle and turn.

Chris Kemp: A humorous "Day in The Life"

I have another hilarious video for my readers today. Chris Kemp, an Australian pro triathlete, shows us how to make some money while training.

If ever you needed a little inspiration to go professional, I think this video is for you. On his webpage Kempy, Chris reminds us that it's never too late to go professional. He spent several years working as a financial accountant before becoming a pro triathlete.

Kiwis in Boulder Colorado: New Zealand Pro Triathletes Making it Happen

Trying to make it pro? Are you ready to sleep four in a bed? Take a shower while someone brushes their teeth? That's what it takes when your government is unwilling to put hardworking taxpayer dollars to good use so that you can swim, bike and run all day.

These guys are funny. "Stay out of my veggie garden you cheap-ass Kiwis!"

Raw-chicken detox diet. Quick way to lose a couple kilos!

The canoe lift - Come to Canada!

Enjoy!

Is it sad that I've actually crowded around an iPhone like that?



If you enjoyed that, be sure to read: Chris McCormack

Tighten your Thighs and Buttocks Swimming

Swimming is a great form of cardiovascular exercise, but it also provides a very good muscular workout. I wrote an article for eHow fitness explaining why swimming is good for tightening your thighs and buttocks. Check it out:

Is Swimming Good For Tightening the Thighs and Buttocks

Writing for LIVESTRONG: How to Break Nine Hours in the Ironman

I wrote my first article for Livestrong.com, which I find pretty exciting. It's about how to break nine hours in the ironman. It's no easy task, but hopefully these tips help you out!

How to Break Nine Hours in the Ironman

Enjoy the read!

Patrick

Healthy Dinner: Glazed Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf

Tonight my girlfriend made me a super healthy vegan dinner and it was delicious. Added bonus: I didn't have to cook! Although, I was forced to do dishes.



Vegan Meat Loaf: Glazed Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf.

Healthy Salad: Alfafa Sprouts, tomato, spinach.

Balsamic Apple Glaze, salad and dressing.

Dinner was healthy, delicious and vegan.

For the recipe, please check out the Oh She Glows blog:

http://ohsheglows.com/2012/10/05/glazed-lentil-walnut-apple-loaf-revisited/

I came home from three hours of cycling. I was coaching the McGill Triathlon Club: http://mcgill-triathlon.com/. I was starving and dinner was waiting. It was delicious and vegan and very healthy.

Happy training!

Patrick

Canadian Triathlon National Championships at the Toronto Triathlon Festival

Everything was perfect at the Canadian Championships as I finished in third place in my age-group. Every second counted as I passed the third place competitor in the last 500 meters to finish with the bronze medal!

 

Simon Whitfield giving out medals.

Me with the Bronze Medal 25-29 Age group.



Me right after the race wearing the participation medal.

The weather was great for racing. It was nice and sunny, but not too hot. It went up to about 22 degrees Celcius. 

 

The water was freezing even in a wetsuit. I heard 15 degrees, but not sure if that was the official temperature. The start was a little random as I was just talking with some guy and all of a sudden they blew the horn. It took us both half a second to realize what just happened. I'll be ready next year!

Kelly and I after the race.

I had a decent swim. Not great, but roughly what I expected. I let a few faster feet get ahead. I came out of the water with my teammate which was something I had hoped for.

 

Transition was alright. I always feel a little unbalanced coming up those stairs out of the water. Practice makes perfect. I'm going to find somewhere to practice and keep practicing going up those stairs taking of my wetsuit and running. The wetsuit came off much quicker than in past races, although with some room for improvement. The night before the race I cut the ankles and practiced pulling off the suit. I got my time down to about 14 seconds (wetsuit starting at the waist). Start of the bike went okay. Could have been smoother pedaling and getting my feet into my shoes.
 

My cycling was real fast: 31 min 19 s for 20 km, an average of 38.32 km/h. The first 10 km out was tough, against the wind and up a slight gradient. The way back was speedy down a slight slope with the wind at our back. Knowing how easy the way back was, I think I could have given a bit more on the way out.

 

Getting off the Don Valley Parkway was dangerous. There was a hairpin turn that I took too wide and ended up in oncoming traffic. It was nearly a head on collision, but everything turned out alright.

 

My second transition was a little slow. I had trouble pulling on my shoes.

 

I think the run was the place that I have the biggest room for improvement. I ran 20:29 for 5 km, which is far from my PB of 18:46.7.

 

 

How to get back into training (swimming in Particular)

After a long and probably needed holiday rest from training, the difficulty getting back into it remains the same.  Once we get into training it's almost addictive.  How do we get back into the groove?

There is no easy solution.  Sometimes, you just have to go out there and get it done.  Soon enough you will fall back into the habit of training.

Sometimes the trick is to simply start getting active again.  I find that after the holidays playing a bit of pick-up hockey will get the adrenaline flowing and help get me motivated to train hard once again.

The Swim Smooth guys have a few easy suggestions of how to get back into swimming after a break.  I found it quite helpful, you can check it out here: http://www.swimsmooth.com/