Thursday, March 31, 2011

Keep on rollin'

A shot of my little Civic (aka the tank) at the end of a great training day. Recovery week this week, so not too much volume. Ordu is there following a tough 30 minute time trial with Leading Edge. Backpacks full of clothes, books, food, and all sorts of training paraphernalia.



Just barely visible in the footwell is my DeWalt circular saw (don't really know why I own that)...

And yes, those would be rollerblades.

---------

Story goes like this. I have been training with the fabulous Rachel Kiers the last couple of weeks on Thursdays. We took our off-road bikes through UBC last week, and were planning on a core session this week, when I got the following in my inbox ...


From: Rachel Kiers
Sent: March-28-11 5:17 PM
To: doug@speedtheory.ca
Subject: Re: Sneak Peak... don't share until next week.

Great! Glad you're in!

I want to do something thursday morning but I already recorded my video ideas...

Want to go for another ride--maybe through Stanley's trails this week?

You don't rollerblade do you?

-------

Oh, I own rollerbladez





So on what ended up being a sunny morning, we met at Iona beach ...


Did you know that it's 4 km out to the end of the jetty? 8 km return? Sounds like a race to me

We wore our fancy new Speed Theory kits, and our helmets of course



and did some fancy moves



and, as always, I wore my Garmin to track the workout. Fastest speed was 30 km/h. That's a pace of 2:00 per kilometer.

By comparison, Clara Hughes won bronze at the 5000m long-track in a time of 6:55. That's an average pace of 1:10.6 per kilometer.

I guess I have some work to do



~ liquid

Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Secret's Out

No, this post isn't about the 'Power of Positive Intention'

We've all heard of people who engage in the act of "secret training" in order to get an edge on their competition (people in your swim lane, that one chick whose better than you, Cam)


I don't think this photo has yet made it onto the internet - you're welcome

Secret Training is generally understood to be any workout that you do:
- Solo; or with training partners that you don't know
- too early or too late in the day for others to reasonably join you
- unplanned or unlogged (and without the approval of your coach)

In an effort to play fair this year, here's a list of things that you can do to keep up with me and my awesomeness training


Remember to be aero at all times, like here at the 2009 Dave Marsh Invitational BBQ

1. When you're out for dinner at a restaurant, don't waste those hours! Instead, quietly tap your foot against the leg of your chair, or better yet the legs of the table. Constant fidgeting keeps your metabolism revved up, and keeps your highly-tuned body in a constant state of readiness should some impromptu sprinting need to occur. If the other people at the table complain that you're shaking the table, it's just because they're jealous of your superior training plan.

Go ahead 'n have some yam fries

2. When you have to take the dog out, or head outside for any reason, why just walk? Instead, use the time to practice your dryland swim technique. When at the grocery store, or heading to the local coffee shop, practice your catch, pull, body roll, and recovery. I'm sure it helps

You could also use this time to visualize a perfect Clean & Jerk (but it's a little hard to do without holding a broom or similar piece of equipment)

3. When there are simply too many people around to properly practice your swim stroke (such as on the path by the beach), use the slower moving 'non-athletes' to practice your drafting and passing skills. Remember, when you enter someone else's draft zone (7 meters for long-course racing) you only have 30 seconds to pass them or else you'll need to drop back and try again.

4. Incorporate your Training Periodization into everyday life. When your wife asks if you can do the laundry, explain that it's your 'Recovery week.'

And that's the real reason that NHL players sport playoff beards - they're 'tapering' their shaving. Keeping those shaving muscles extra-rested might just give you the edge you need

5. Let's face it, it's hard to get the recommended 8 hours of sleep per night when you're trying to fit in all your run, bike, and swim training. Which should you sacrifice, adequate sleep or your training?

Well, what if you didn't have to choose. I've been Sleep Training for several years now, mostly running and cycling. The best advice I can give young padewan athletes is to keep a high cadence, keep your arms and legs moving at all times, and be sure not to be wearing overly restrictive clothing.

Wear your heartrate monitor for optimum results

And watch out for those pesky 'dream curbs' and other dream hazards. Remember - anything. can. happen

Remember, train in your dreams, to achieve your dreams.

~ liquid


(But not the dreams when you get attacked by a giant squid)

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Dirty Duo 2011

Sorry, no witty title on this one. This post speaks for itself!

I've wanted to race the Dirty Duo for several years now, but it's timed so early in the year that I have always missed it.

Until now.

Plus, I'm a terrible mountain biker. As I definitely learned this past Saturday as I "raced" this epic mountain biking and trail running event on Mount Seymour.

Special thanks to Rachel and Jeremy for encouraging me to do the full Duo (run & bike); and thanks to Coach Calvin for recommending the conservative approach.

Like many trail races in North Van, this one started at Jaycee House next to Capilano College (unlike the provincial government, I've yet to recognize it's university status - mostly a name thing)


Look at that focusing on my jacket - it's like they knew I was coming!

To the race started with a 25 (ish)km run up to the Seymour Demonstration Forest, down to Twin Bridges, then up along Bridal Path to the Old Buck Trail that heads straight up Mount Seymour. From there you traverse over to Ned Atomic Dustbin (technical mountain bike trail on Mt Seymour). Oh yeah, it was covered in a couple feet of snow. Down Ned's, onto Bottle Top, then back across Twin Bridges, and back to Jaycee House.

Here's the map



Then hop on your mountain bike and do it all again. Plus a little extra. As riders who actually know how to ride these trails are passing you


Local Lambert rep Kevin Calhoun. Example of a rider who is good on these trails. Plus anyone wearing a Steed Cycles kit - those kidz have mad skillz

To be fair, when most of the cyclists saw my race number (denoting a "Run & Ride" athlete) their reactions were uniformly you must be exhausted, you're doing great



Five and a half hours later, covered in mud, I crossed the finish line. Damn that was one fun day!

~ liquid

Here's a link to the race files, if you're into that kinda think

The Run

The Bike

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Super secret project with a Super awesome company

In my line of work that I've somehow ended up in, I come across some very interesting and amazing people. And companies.

If you ever thought that bike companies don't listen to the average age grouper or recreational rider, think again! Even after a short 5 years in the industry, I have seen several product developments happen due to rider feedback.

Sorry readers, can't say much more, but there are some amazing things coming down the pipelines

~ liquid

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

If you happened to be driving in West Vancouver on March 1st...

... you might have gotten a glimpse of the brand new Speed Theory kit for 2011.

Official launch details to come soon, but here are a couple of sneak peaks.



The entire kit was designed inhouse @ Speed Theory, and features some of Sugoi's top cycling apparel



~ liquid