Being Here

I'm back! I've been moved to blog by the absolutely unreal celebratory energy flowing through this great city and country. Every day I am more amazed by the spirit and emotion spreading like wildfire from downtown Vancouver all the way across this country. It truly is a BEAUTIFUL thing!

The picture above was taken during a celebration of the 7th (of 8) goal Canada scored against Norway in the opening game of the hockey tournament. Every goal, every gold, is celebrated with equal vigour to the one before it. That day, I belted out Oh Canada 6 different times, each rendition raising the hair on the back of my neck and sending chills throughout my body.

I've been working right in the thick of the sea of Red and White at the HUGE celebration site at LiveCity Yaletown. 10,000 people gather each and every night to hear some great Canadian and International entertainment and to celebrate the accomplishments of our great athletes. Did I mention...it's a BEAUTIFUL thing!

Today, I head into "work" (this 2 week gig is a secondment from my regular job in the Community Centre) just in time to watch Canada take on the US in the biggest game of the tournament thus far...never have I looked so forward to punching the clock and getting started.

First a short ride and a run...yes I am still racing triathlon! On that note, I'm healthy and looking forward to my first year duking it out with the fast kids in the Pro ranks!

Stay tuned for more on that and more on the last week of these great Games!

Ready?

My training log says I'm not ready.

Fuck the training log, BRING IT!

WE RIDE!

WE RIDE! was the war cry of Clan Young, adopted as they defended the Scottish border country from England. My Dad toasted the passing of his father in July of 2007 with these two words, it was a powerful moment for me to see my Dad so proud of his name, his family and his heritage. A few short days after the passing of his father, Dad underwent tests that confirmed his lungs were filled with hundreds of BB sized tumours.

That was a hard week for all of us and while everyone tried to think positive thoughts - it was pretty clear that we were gonna be in for a tough year. Today is the first Father's Day that I haven't been able to pick up the phone and call or drive over for a visit and that sucks. This weekend with great thoughts and memories running through my head I thought of those two words and decided to bring those memories with me as I rode solo from through the mountains to the ocean and back. If I can't raise hell along the border in Scotland on horseback, I can swing a leg over the bike and pound the pedals for 5 hours wishing I was!

I noticed myself at times passing several minutes with funny memories like the time he asked my permission to sing the "obscene version" of Mony Mony at my wedding (the answer was a resounding HELL YEAH!), or the night around the campfire that a flaming marshmellow was flung out of the fire and into his hair.

Interspersed with the fun memories were some tougher memories from this past year. Exactly one year ago this weekend I took part in the 1st ever Ride to Conquer Cancer. Dad was SUPER pumped to meet me at the finish line in Niagara Falls but we got a call the night before and he was to sick to make it.

Today I've been lucky to have a few hours with my thoughts, remembering the peaceful smile and wave he gave E and I as we left his hospital bed for the last time. Father's Day will always be a tough one but it's been cool to reflect and reminisce - I'm gonna go ahead and say that it has been a Happy Father's Day!

This is me "running"...

It wasn't pretty and I'm feeling REALLY banged up today but I did a little (21km) jog yesterday for the first time in about 6 weeks! After a very controlled yet solid swim and bike I put the runners on and gave 'er a go.

Despite some rather poor turnover and serious over-striding - thanks for noticing Mark!, not too mention the lack of specific fitness - I survived and managed to salvage an 8th place finish amongst a strong pro field.

The Good:

I feel like the swim and bike are "there." I was pretty conservative for most of the first two legs in anticipation of less than optimal run prep. This race was a good confidence builder in that it shows I can hang with the big boys.

I also snuck in a little suffering lesson - you learn a lot when you suffer. That run yesterday had me suffering...but I got through it. I'll remember that in 12 weeks.

The Bad:

I feel like I could have been fighting for a podium spot. I was totally in the mix at the front of this race and prior to this setback I was running well (enough) to be able to stay up there. Similar to 2 weeks ago when I dropped out of the Oliver Olympic with a 4+ minute lead - it sucks to have to have to say: "would've, could've, should've." At some point it will be nice to just do it.

The Ugly:

C'mon this is the Okanagan Valley, nothing's ugly here! I can't wait for IMC!

Game ON!

Oliver Half this weekend...and I can run!
We'll see how the aqua jogging and ellipticaling translate to real live, ground pounding running. Nothing like a 21.1km test after a little swim/bike warm-up.

I'll just be glad to get through this healthy and focus on the next 12 weeks of prep for Ironman Canada!

Cheers, ian

I guess the answer is...injured

I'm still struggling with this yet to be diagnosed hip injury. I've been pretty bummed about it as my prep for the season was STELLAR. I was running better than ever and finally felt like a complete triathlete.

I was pumped to finally kick off the season with a solid result this coming weekend in Oliver. Today I made the decision (along with my PT) to hold off on any running until I get the results from a bone scan. I'm swimming and biking well so I'm still gonna head to the Okanagan and race - I'm just leaving my runners at home and handing in my chip in T2.

I'll get the results on June 4, 2 days before the Oliver Half. If it's just a soft tissue injury - I can make the decision to run based on how I'm functioning at that point. It may get ugly late in Half Mary but I'll be glad to be pounding the pavement!

On another note, I was shocked and saddened to read about the passing of professional cyclist and triathlete Steve Larsen. It definately snapped me out of feeling sorry for myself and made me appreciate the ability to get out there and enjoy moving my body everyday...even if it is aqua jogging!

Be well, IY

"Are you hurt or are you injured?"

For the past couple of weeks, it's been hurt. Little "hurts" come and go when you're training. Right now I've got some pain and inflammation in my right hip flexor/adductors that I've been able to manage over the past few weeks with ice, advil and some ART. Today I woke up and it felt worse than it has in a while. Running was/is going sooooo well and I really hate to miss sessions but I pulled the shoot on today's run until I get the above question answered - hopefully tomorrow!

I've got a great ART practitioner (Dr. Jenn Turner at Moveo Sport and Rehabilitation Centre) who also happens to be a great friend from my university days and one helluva triathlete! I've been seeing her for the past couple of weeks and she's kept me going.

My internet diagnosis has had me freaking out about it - could it be a stress fracture...a torn labrum? My voice of reason: Dr. JT thinks it's muscular and is confident she can fix it! As I said, she's great and I trust her. I mean if she's good enough to be Svein Tuft's personal fixer-upper, she's good enough for me!

'till next time.
IY

OK, Let's keep this thing going...

It's been a while!

Initially I didn't have anything to write about, I enjoyed living life, I swam, biked and ran a bunch but I didn't feel like writing about it. Eventually I started to feel like blogging was a bit self indulgent and really, who cares about what I was doing athletically?

Now, as I'm getting close to toeing the line for the 2009 season I guess I'm hoping that someone (hopefully more!) cares.

I'm pretty motivated, not just for this year but the years to come. Competitively, I'm looking at this season as both a measuring stick and a stepping stone. If it goes well, maybe I'll look at racing "pro" (the quotations mean I'm keeping my day job!).

In any case I will not be satisfied with mediocrity. In my constant drive to be better I may be looking to expand my support team by way of sponsorships, training opportunities, etc. - I think keeping a blog (and having people read it) offers a nice platform to help facilitate those relationships so here I am!!

At worst, my Mom will be happy to keep up to date with my FTP, CTL, and HTFUs. At best a few more will be watching as I race at the pointy end on the West Coast!

Life is good!

Things on the west coast are starting to come together! I have just accepted a job with the City of Vancouver running the fitness and sports programming and managing a community fitness centre in the west end. It sounds like a great opportunity both now and into the future...I'll be glad to get back to work!

I'm also making some contacts within the tri scene and have already started working with a couple of clients, hopefully more to come!

I took the picture above while riding on Sunday, I'm really enjoying finding my way around by bike, the riding around here is great. There's a little more traffic than I'm used to but the scenery is beautiful and I can ride hills, mountains or flats depending on which direction I head.

The sun's still shining in Van City and so far I (we) love it! The true test will come over the next few (8) months when the rainy winter rolls around, right now though life is good!

Cheers, IY

RACING!!

After a summer in which I encountered many life experiences/stressors I finally got a chance to pin a number on this past weekend!

I lined up for the first BC Cup Cyclocross race of the year in Delta on Saturday in the Men's B category. Cross is a bit more relaxed regarding categories and I had thought about racing with the A's but considering 1) I am out of shape and 2) this was my first real CX race I decided to race with the Killa B's!

I went out for a pre ride and quickly found this course to be much more like a mountain bike course than a typical 'cross course. After a nice open grassy section with 2 sets of barriers and a couple of switchbacks we were into some pretty gnarly single track (for a cross bike) with big roots, rocks and logs and lots of tight turns. This was followed by a short, open climb and then we were back into some more swoopy hard pack single track before hitting the meadow again.

Tire pressure is always a hot topic at a 'cross race and today would be no different. I'm still running clinchers (waiting for the tubulars in the mail!) so ran about 45psi in both front and rear tires.

Turns out I probably was running too low for that type of terrain and after a good start and what I thought was a pretty clean ride through the rocky bits, I got a pinch flat going into the second single track section on the first lap while in the lead.

I shouldered my bike, tried to keep out the way and jogged to the start finish area. Not wanting to waste the day I asked an official for a start with the "A" race, assuring him that if I was embarrassing myself or endangering the other racers, I would withdraw to fight another day.

The nice man let me race and I was actually doing OK for the first :40 minutes or so, riding in the top 10, suffering like a dog and loving every minute of it!

The last :20 minutes were a bit ugly and my legs couldn't keep up with my heart. My core and arms were getting pretty worked too but all that will come as my fitness gets better.

Cyclocross is probably the best type of racing for me right now. After a few months with too much on my mind it was nice to clear that all away and just GO! I enjoyed the nerves prior to the start and the numbness in my body as the fatigue took over and the satisfaction of crossing the line (without embarrassing myslef!)

In the end, the official told me I rode well and that I should stay with the A's for the rest of the season...guess I'd better get out for some intervals!

Back in the saddle,
IY

Update time

It's been a while since I've been able to sit down at a computer for an extended period of time, thus the lack of updates.

E and I arrived in Van safe and sound and were just getting settled in when I got a phone call to come back to Ontario as my Dad had taken a bad turn and things weren't looking good. We knew it was coming but I'm the type who doesn't deal with these things until it's absolutely neccessary.

I arrived to find my Dad a VERY sick yet peaceful man, he seemed ready to give up his fight; it looked like it may be hours or at the most a couple of days. Never underestimate a strong (or stubborn) heart and soul, here we are a week later and while very weak, he is still alert and relatively comfortable. He will spend the rest of his days in palliative care but at this point no one really knows how long it will be.

At Dad's request, we are heading back to Vancouver in a couple of days-it doesn't yet feel like home but it will. It's a great city and we can't wait to explore it. I've also got a shiny new cyclocross bike (see above) that I can't wait to make less shiny in the rain and muck of the Wet Coast!

Cheers, Ian

Quick Update from Swift Current, SK

With Uncle Neil providing a great Canadian soundtrack, we've almost made our way through the Prairies. Tomorrow we'll hit the Rocky Mountains and from there it's all down hill to Van City.
The trip has been good, Ontario was BIG, the North Shore of Lake Superior was BEAUTIFUL and the Prairies have been...OK :0)

Some other quick updates for those concerned: the house is SOLD, the dogs have been great and E and I are enjoying ourselves! Oh yeah, and I turned the big 3-0 today!

Will check back in from our new home on the West Coast!

Cheers, IY

Buy Me!!!!

1 Man, 1 Bike

It's a sad and empty day in the Young household today. For the first time in a long time I own only one bike!

I'm trying to simplify this move as much as possible so I've unloaded a lot of the extras. A bunch of little parts that have been sitting in my tool box, some extra wheels and rims - all gone. My cyclocross and single speed MTB - gone. My road bike (as of last night) - gone.

I'm not sure how much space we'll have in Van but rest assured, once we get there and figure out where we're gonna put our stuff the collection will begin again. Until then, the Seduza is the only arrow in my quiver, lucky for me it's the deadliest one!

The Anti Race Report - Riding to Conquer Cancer

Some numbers:
2850 riders
211km ridden
$14, 000, 000 towards conquering cancer in our lifetime.

Thanks to the donations of a great group of friends, family, and even strangers I was privileged to clip in this weekend and ride from Toronto to Niagara Falls with ~2850 cyclists.

To sum it up, it was a pretty special weekend to spend on two wheels. This was the first charity ride I've ever participated in. I picked a good one - it turns out this was BY FAR the most successful fundraising ride ever held in Canada!

Usually I spend my time on the bike thinking about the next interval, the next training session or the next race. My goal for this ride was to simply enjoy the people, their stories and their celebrations. The commitment to ride 200+km over two days is huge for many, couple that with the commitment to raise a minimum of $2500 each and it became quite clear how important it was for people to be involved in the event. I thought about my Dad and how his illness makes this important for me. The $14 million we raised won't help him but he has provided me with a close personal connection to cancer and in his honour I asked people to donate to the cause.

I was able to gather more than enough to ensure my spot on the start line in Toronto and I'm glad to say I accomplished my goal! I enjoyed the ride, didn't worry about pace, power or perceived exertion and was challenged spiritually if not physically.

Again, thanks to all who contributed your hard earned $$ to the ride, I thought of you often throughout the ride and was humbled by your generosity. Thanks to my dad for my "story" and thanks to Steve Bauer (Canadian cycling legend) for stringing our front group out at 55kph with 10km to go....just to give us hammer heads a chance to throw down, that was pretty cool too!!

Making excuses

Mike E just recently posted that blogs were for making excuses, it's funny because it's true. That being said, here goes my excuse filled Muskoka race report!

After spending a week in Vancouver scouting apartments, meeting with prospective employers and getting familiar with our new city I lined up Sunday morning to race the Muskoka Long Course Triathlon (2km/55km/15km)

I flew into YYZ Saturday night around 8:00 and drove straight to the race site, arriving around 11:00. This race hasn't been on my mind as much as it has in previous years and as such I failed to book a hotel room, I decided to bunk up in my car for the night right outside of transition.

I woke up at dawn after a long night feeling OK but not yet in the "racy" state of mind that usually gets me up and at 'em. Upon seeing the familiar faces of the competition, drinking some coffee and a little warm-up things came around and the competitve sensations started to surface.

I got off to a solid start on the swim, distanced myself from the rest of my wave to make sure no one got on my feet then put 'er in cruise control and kept it steady. The swim felt OK actually, it's amazing how a deep background coupled with a great wetsuit can make up for a lack of fitness in the swim!

Onto the bike and the plan was to ease into the ride and see how percieved exertion lined up with my power. The first 15km were uncomfortable. I hadn't been on a bike in over 1.5 weeks and had only been on my TT bike twice since Triple-T. I finally settled in and started to feel more in tune with the bike. This lasted 10km until I downshifted (possibly too hard) on a hill and messed up my front derailleur. I still don't know exactly what happened but when I tried to shift back into the big ring, the teeth of the ring were blocked by the back end of the derailleur cage. I got off, tried to fix it then realized I'd lose more time mokeying with it than I would by riding the rest of the way in my small ring. So off I went, I spent the much of the remaining 30km spinning at 110-120rpms or coasting. I mentally checked out a bit and at that point decided to finish the bike as best I could and mail the run in as an easy training day.

I was glad to get off the bike and get my running shoes on. Any thoughts of mailing it in were replaced with the flow of those competitive juices. Just going through transition it felt like a race all of a sudden. Again, the plan was to start out easy. I wanted to get through some of the steeper hills in town and get out onto the longer stretches of road before picking things up and that's just what I did. I ran very well (for me) for 10km. A lack of training crept up on me with 2km to go but at that point you just HTFU and get across the line.

So yeah, there are a few excuses in there. I was jet-lagged, my bike broke, I'm not as fit as I had hoped. Blah, blah, blah!!! Everyone deals with their own set backs in their preparation and execution. If they haven't they will and if they have it'll happen again.

At one point in the race I was feeling exceptionally sorry for myself, I was upset because I wasn't able to ride or run as fast as I had hoped. Then I thought about my Dad, it was Father's Day and he is spending it laying on the couch sick and weak as chemotherapy drugs course through his body. All of a sudden my excuses seemed very insignificant and I decided that the faster I finished the faster I'd be able to hit the road and visit my Dad. I knew he'd ask me how the race went and I wanted to be able to tell him the truth: that I gave it my best shot on the day.

This triathlon season hasn't been what I had hoped. The good news is that it has been my choice. I'm not sick or injured, I'm just busy. I'm moving to a beautiful part of the country on a great adventure with E. Ironman will still be there next year and I'll be ready. In the mean time I'll keep plugging away at the shorter stuff and I'll try not to make excuses.

Cheers, IY

Triple - T...what a way to spend a weekend!

Wow, I certainly underestimated how hard it would be to do 4 triathlons in 3 days.

I knew it would be a tough weekend but I had no comprehension of how I would feel waking up on Sunday morning with another 5 hours of givin 'er in the swim, bike and run staring me square in the face. To sum it up, I felt like crap.

The thing is, training for Ironman, I've done weekends where my volume has been significantly higher than that of Triple - T, I guess doing it at race pace makes a difference - actually it makes a HUGE difference.

It was a long weekend and if I wasn't still so tired it could be a long report, I'll keep it brief:

Friday - cold, short, rainy, I tasted blood, 1 race down.

Saturday am - cold, bike was HILLY, rode with Gordo, got dropped like a bag 'o hammers by Gordo on the run, all in all, it was a pretty decent race for me.

Saturday pm - Bike was HILLY, saw a guy waving a HUGE confederate flag yelling "I'm gonna get you", got off the bike into my wetsuit, proceeded to almost drown due to cramps in legs (no joke), barely made it to the run course, hobbled for 2 miles before my legs learned to move again, finished tired and sore, never want to do a Bike, Swim, Run format again...until the next time I do TTT

Sunday am - woke up and felt awful, forced down some breakfast, sulked all the way to transition, started anyway and started to feel OK, bike was HILLY, rode with Gordo again, got a flat tire, started the run well, weekend + sub-par fitness took it's toll around mile 7, shuffled home, FINISHED!

So yeah, it was a hard weekend but it was different and fun (with the exception of a few choice miles on the run Saturday and Sunday). I drove down with Mike C from Sudbury and Dave B from Parry Sound, they raced as a team - which I would definately do if I were to enter TTT again. Fefe posted on slowtwitch that she had some openings in her cabin, so we took her up on it and ended up having a great time with lots of laughs. That's really what TTT (and all triathlon, really) is about - everyone is in this craziness together so you just go out and do it, hopefully with a smile on your face and some words of encouragement for your fellow TTT'ers....or you could be a grump like me and walk around like the picture above.

Next up is Muskoka, should be a cake walk compared to this!

King of the Hill, Donkey of the Peleton

I had a pretty interesting day at the Niagara Classic road race yesterday. I raced Cat. 3 again, our race was 7 loops of 12.3km - each lap finishing up a legendary bump in the road called Saylor's Hill a 400m or so power climb at around 12% grade.

The first lap I hung around in the first 1/3 of the pack until the "climb" where I moved up to the front. I wanted to see who was strong so I pushed the pace over the top and stayed on the gas for a while. Looking around, it looked like there were about 10 guys who had the horsepower to get into a selection should something occur - these were the guys to watch.

So I stayed near the front for a while and attacked a few times trying to get something to stick but the boys couldn't/didn't want to get organized. After the 3rd time up Saylor's and a few more attacks (my NP for the 1st hour was 358W) I attacked and somehow got away alone. That was not my plan...after I got about :10 I dialed it back to about 80% and figured that a few guys would try to bridge and that would be it. Well no one came and when I looked back and my gap had grown to around :30 so I decided to try to make a go from there. I kept on the gas and extended my gap to 2:00 over the course of the next couple laps. Approaching the 6th time up the climb however it was as if all of a sudden the effort of the past 2 hours had just made itself known to my legs. I lost ~:50 seconds to the pack on that 400m stretch of road and still had 12km to ride...this was gonna be ugly. Long story short, ove the course of those 12km, I went from 1:10 in front to off the back.

Despite an embarassingly anti-climactic end to my race, I did end up taking the "King of the Mountain/Hill" prize which covered my entry fee, I was the most active and aggressive and really the only one that seemed concerned with making the race interesting. I know I'm not going to win in a 400m sprint up a 12% grade, but I do know that I can grind these dudes down on the flats, rollers and headwinds so that's where I tried to win....oh well! Onto the Triple-T this weekend where hopefully those hours spent off the front yesterday will be put to good use sandwiched between a swim and a run...over and over and over again!

Go West, Young Man!

In a few short months, this is where we are going to be living, working and playing! EWY has accepted a wicked gig with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic organizing committee so we're taking the big step and moving across the country.

Lots still up in the air (ie. a job for me, a place to live that will allow our two pooches, you know just the small details!) but we are very excited for the change of scenery and to finally live together full time.

On a training front, I'm trying to squeeze the workouts in amongst work, getting our house on the market and job hunting but I feel like I'm hitting the main sessions pretty well and skipping the filler aka swimming ;)

The big or actually the first test will be in a little over a week at the DeSoto American Triple-T. It's a stage race consisting of 4 races in 3 days, culminating with a Half Ironman in what is rumoured to be VERY tough terrain on Sunday morning. Looks to be some good AG talent in the mix so it'll be fun to see how I stack up...or if I survive.

I've also got one more bike race this weekend in basically my backyard. The Niagra Classic hosted by the local cycling club runs Sunday. The weather forecast is calling for 30km/h winds and rain, should be epic!

Anyway, that's the BIG news for this update!

Oh, and I don't really know who reads this so if you're someone close to us who is offended to find out that we're moving across the country by reading my blog I'm sorry but you should call us more often...Mom

On the box

I came close to the "W" yesterday but settled for 2nd in the Cat. 3 race (aka " 2nd tallest midget in the circus") at the first Ontario Cup road race of the season. First time ever in a bike race on the podium - they made us raise hands like that...weird!

Anyway for those of you dying to find out how it played out...there was a break of 4 dudes 1:45 up the road with one lap to go. In the first few km of the last lap it looked like the break had disintegrated as a couple of guys were coming back - we had heard there was still one guy holding the gap.

In any case, the front of the race was still 1:45 up and no one seemed overly concerned with catching him for the win so I attacked into a stiff headwind with 15km to go and had a couple of guys follow me. I let them take a couple of turns and it became obvious that they weren't going to be able to help my cause a great deal so I punched it again up a sharp little hill and in doing so ended up alone for the chase with a :30-:45 gap on the bunch.

After about 8km of rolling hills I could finally get a good idea of where the lead was and that I was closing on him. With just over 4km to go we made a final right hand turn and I timed the gap at :40. We had a nice tailwind on this last stretch so deep down I knew it would be next to impossible to close the gap - everyone is good in a tailwind! But I put 'er in the "11" anyway, put my head down and suffered to the line...down :21. I ran out of real estate but kudos to the dude who held on after dangling out front for a good while. Despite (or maybe because of) his pink, purple and blue pastel coloured cycling kit - he toughed it out for the top step.

This bike racing is fun, always new lessons to be learned. It's keeping me busy and fit while we wait for the ice to thaw on the lakes and the start of the real season of racing!