Tis' the Season

Tis' the season for non-training excuses.  Too much food, parties, family time, extra house work, too much food, shopping, oh and did I mention food?  All of these are great excuses to hold back from training.  It is definitely a tough season to get through. 

While I might (let’s face it I DO) get mad at myself for missing workouts this past week my family is still #1.  I could have come home from work last night, ate dinner quickly, put Sydney to bed on time and hidden in the basement for a workout, I didn’t.  Instead we had a nice family dinner together, had a tonne of fun with Sydney painting her first tree ornaments, and then decorating the house and Christmas tree as a family.  Yes I missed a training day but I got to spend some fun time with my family. 

Taking time away from training for nights like this one are what keep me grounded and remind me what is truly important.  The Olympic Dream is a small window of opportunity.  Long after Rio 2016, my family will still be there with me.  Many Olympic athletes put off careers and family life until after they have realized their true potential and goals.  I went another route and don’t regret it for a second.  My family has made me who I am today.

If you will excuse me I need to hit the gym……..

David

2 A Day update

Two weeks into my 2 A Day challenge and it is going pretty good.  In the past 2 weeks I have completed 21 workouts in the last 14 days.  A little bit under the possible 28 workouts but still a step in the right direction.  21 workouts in 14 days still works out to 1.5 workouts a day.  Work got a little busy this week and I missed out on my daytime workout.  The last couple of nights have been really great though for getting in my second workout.  Doing one intense workout a day and one recovery has me living in my compression tights and socks to aid in recovery. 

We have a very busy week coming up with several appointments for the new baby and a couple for home reno projects.  Luckily I am off work the majority of this week and will have alot of time to get in some quality work. 

The indoor season started yesterday with the Last Chance meet at the University of Alberta.  I was not expecting to race and did not.....plus I was working.  Capital City had some really great results from some of our younger athletes.  There is another meet this weekend at the University and  no I am not racing. 

I like being an experienced athlete and knowing when I am ready for competition and when I am not ready.  I remember my first full season of triathlon my coach wanted me to get experience.  Experience meant 12 races over the course of our 3.5 month long season.  With experience under my belt I know when I am ready and when I am not.  Because of this not competing does not really bother me that much.  I am just really enjoying training and the variety coach Ron has given me with my workouts.

David

Indoor Season is upon us

November 24 is the Last Chance track meet at the University of Alberta.  It is one of the first track meets of the indoor season.  I do not expect to be racing that weekend as Ron still has me doing sub 100m sprints during most of the workouts.  not to mention I am working that weekend and I still don't have spikes.  I am looking forward to racing, but not at the same time.  I am very competitive and as a 'rookie' sprinter I do not expect great things which is hard for me to go into a meet with that mindset.  Let's face it I have only been track training for the past 3 months and this is not my primary focus. 

As I stare out the window and see the snow covered ground all I can think about is the spring and finally getting to throw.  I am thinking about getting out to throw like I used to think about getting out to ride the bike.  Everyday I go to the track I want to take my Turbojav with me and throw it into the netting, but I want to stick with the workout plans Ron has set up for me.  I trust that Ron and Rob do not have me throwing yet because the have a bit of expertise in training athletes.


David

2 A Day Challenge

Now this title is a little inaccurate.  It is not really a challenge, more a goal to be better.  Simply put, the 2 A Day Challenge is what it says, complete 2 workouts a day.  Well 3 days into it and I am still on track.  Although shift work is making that a bit challenging in the next couple of days.  Not really sure how this popped into my head a few days ago, maybe it was the thought that I was not doing enough to further my strength and ability.  However, I am a firm believer that lifetime mileage pays off in the long run.  What I do today, tomorrow and yesterday will effect how I perform in the years to come. 

Everyone thinks that a workout needs to be hard, intense and make you want to puke.  I have learned over many years of training that sometimes the simplest workouts are just as benificial as the crazy ones.  There is definately a balance but both are equally important.  While training with Ron in September, my lite days were a 22 minute run with a good stretch after.  The run had several pick-ups incorporated into it but was relatively low intensity compared to other workouts.  Every athlete knows that a good stretch session will always make you feel better in the hours and days following training.  So for the past few days I have been trying to balance, work, family and training so that I can reach my 2 A Day goal. 

As I have said before, I am a shift worker.  This means long days and nights at a desk.  Luckily that also means I am practically told by my team leader to take an hour and do something physical.  Fine with me.  So far this week I have had a great weight workout, 45 minutes of core, and tonight I did a sprint workout in our parking lot.  It makes things so much easier at home if I can get my workouts done at work.  Not to mention that while completing workouts at work I am on a strict timeline and dont have time to BS around, the workouts are efficient and hard.  Then when I am at home I have the option for a second workout depending on what is happening.

David

Track struggles

With the snow falling here in Edmonton, training has become a bit difficult on the home life.  The nature of my winter training is a lot of sprint style work.  Not the best to complete on icy sidewalks. 

I am currently working with a group at the University of Alberta Butterdome (200m indoor track) on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  We are meeting at 430pm to start warm-up and start the workout at 5.  The main sets usually end up being at least 60-90 minutes.  Add up the commuting time and I get home around 7pm. 

Not sure how long this is going to last before my wife goes crazy and demands a change.  On the other side of things, if I was still training for Ironman, I would be spending 1.5-2 hours in our basement training.  I guess the difference is that I would be home.  I think it is going to take some time to get used to training with a team again.  With my work schedule it only ends up being 4-5 track workouts a month so I guess it is not really that bad.  I am going to have to have a talk with Ron about things and see what we can do. 

On the positive side I have been having some great weight workouts at my office gym the past few weeks.  Just need to find a way to work on the speed that allows me to have a happy home life.

David

Capital City Track Club

As of a week ago I am officially a member of the Capital City Track Club.  This is not a big surprise since that has been the plan since I started this journey.

At the club's AGM I was able to meet with my throwing coach Rob Fisher and have a chat with him and my current coach Ron Thompson.  Ron's job is to get me fast and strong over the winter so that come spring the prep work is done and I can get right into throwing with Rob.  I love working with Ron as he put's me through circuit, stair, sprint and hill workouts.  The one on one attention he has been paying have helped me so much in the past month.  Ron and Rob are able to talk with eachother constantly.  Ron can update Rob on my progress and training and Rob can point out specific things he wants me to work on. 

Athletics Alberta has already released their 2013 schedule and I am so excited to start competing against the rest of the throwers in the province.  Luckily the majority of meets are in Edmonton or Calgary (2.5 hour drive) so travel will be minimal.  As I look at the schedule I can't help but see the IAAF World Championships in Russia and wish I was at that point already.  Patience is something I am not usually good at but I will have to learn.  No worries Worlds in china are only 30 months away and I will be there.
      



http://capitalcitytrackclub.ca/

David

Ice Crystals Forming

It's mid October, it's Edmonton, it's cold!!   Good thing I love training outdoors when it is cold.  Everything around just seems calmer and quiter.

I headed out to the Millwoods football field this evening for a workout.  I took my 8lb medicine ball and my new 600g turbo javelin.  Now in October in Edmonton it is dark by about 730pm.  Since I got to the field around 8 I was happy to see the peewee football teams on the field and the lights shining bright.  I jogged around the field and went into the endzone to throw the medicine ball around.  I was planning on doing a circuit workout, but the temptation of throwing around my turbo jav was too much to resist.  I spent about 20 minutes tossing around the javelin in the endzone before the players started to head off the field.  Then the groundskeeper turned the lights off.  Now what???  It's dark, it's empty, and it's quiet.  Perfect time to throw.  Throwing down the sidelines with only the parking lot lights to guide me.  As it got later in the night running between throws, ice crystals started to form on the turf as the temperature got lower and lower. 

It has been a long time since an outdoor workout and I have missed it.  Getting ready for a long winter of indoor training, gotta get outside while I still can.

David

A Training First

I have trained on 3 continents and at least 5 different countries.  I have trained in -25C temperatures and +40C temperatures.  I have trained in rain, snow, sleet, hail, wind, lightening, thinder, in the dark of the early morning and the light of the highest sun.  But tonight I trained in something I have never experienced before. 

I am at work tonight, I had jsut left my desk to start a medicine ball workout at 1245am.  The start of my medicine ball workouts encompass several throws so I head outside our office building.  As I step outside i looked up in the cool Alberta sky and see the northern lights dancing in the sky.  I could not help but just stare up at the sky.  Like a ballet dancing in the sky, the blue and green lights stretched and danced accross the sky.  I started my workout and during every rest period found myself staring up at the sky watching the dancing lights.  As my workout headed indoors, I still went outside during rest periods to make sure they were still there.

I love being Canadian and am honored that I have had the chance to represent my country and wear the maple leaf at many international athletic events.  The last time was in 2009 and I was swimming, riding, and running.  The next time I will be throwing a javelin and I cannot wait.  I am so proud to be Canadian, the winters are cold, the summers are hot, the mosquitos are a pain in the ass and the northern lights are amazing, all together they make up my favorite place on earth to live......and to train.

David   

Negativity vs. Realism

By now word is getting out to various friends and family members about my new athletic journey.  After having so much support from everyone the last 10 years I was very surprised at how many people are....hesitant to give me their full support.  I have come up with a couple of reasons for this:

1:  The majority of my friends have at some point in their lives completed a triathlon and/or Ironman.  Alot of my friends have only started racing in the past 3 years or so and I feel like my triathlon career have influenced their training and racing.  I am not taking credit for their individual successes, but part of me wonders if they would be racing had I not had a part in introducing them to the sport?  Because of this influence I think many of them are very surprised with the decision to leave the sport and to return to track and field.

2: And I hope this will change, but they may see the Olympics as an un-obtainable goal.  This is very disappointing to me.  I am a very goal oriented person.  If I want to achieve something I will work my ass off to get there.  Prior to qualifying for the 2005 ITU World Triathlon Championships, my coach kicked my butt and trained me hard so that I would qualify....and i did.  My 2010 Ironman Canada I wanted to race in under 11 hours.  It was my first Ironman and was very excited to be there.  I finished in 11:21, not disappointed, quite the opposite indeed I had a great experience at that race and it taught me a lot.  That goal stayed with me going into my second Ironman race this year.  I pushed myself harder leading up to the race and on race day.  I broke 11 hours by 7 minutes......goal achieved.  I need to throw 80m to make the Canadian qualifying standard (2012),  there is no way I am going to do that in the next 12 months.  I may only throw 50m this year and there is nothing wrong with that because the year after I will work harder and throw 65m, and the year after that I will throw 80m and go to IAAF Worlds in Beijing and qualify for the Olympics. 

There is a big difference between a negative point of view and a realistic point of view.  At Ironman I was realistic that something may not go as planned and the race could take 17 hours.  By mentally prepairing for this possibility I am able to handle it and adapt faster than if I did not.  The negative person would say I am not ready and I cannot do this and not try. 

I know this is not going to be easy, but I know the rewards when I achieve this goal will be amazing and life changing.  I look forward to the skeptics coming around and joining the team.

David

Still Sore!!!

Normally when I was doing my longer triathlon training hours I would be fatigued for sometimes up to 48 hours after the workout.  I am quickly learning the difference to training for Ironman and 400m sprints.  After the circuit workout Ron put me through last sunday I felt great that I had met such a great coach and that we got along so well right off the start.  Monday I was sore which I expected.  Tuesday was worse which was no surprise as two days after hard workouts usually are.  It is friday night and there are still parts of me that hurt from 5 days ago!!!   I have been training everyday during the last, but have been carefiul to eusure I have been having good warm ups and cool downs to ensure I do not hurt myself. 

One of my first true sprint workouts in over 10 years was today.  10-12 X 150m.  2 min recovery.  Me wanting to push myself finished 10 and said ok one more.  Then I finished 11 and said to myself ok 1 more.  Doing the little extra everyday is what is going to get me to the Olympics, not doing the bare minimum my coach asks of me.  It was a hard workout but I was better for it after it was done.

David

New Coach!!!

I met with Ron Thompson at Foote Field this afternoon for a meeting and workout.  The second I saw Ron I noticed him from my track days in high school.  We talked about alot of my past training and track history before starting the workout. 

Ron put me through a 90 minute circuit workout that nearly made me throw-up at least twice.  My shoulders felt like they were going to fall out of their sockets, my hamstrings felt like they were going to rip in two and I loved it.  I forgot what it was like to have a personal coach training with me and keeping me on target. 

I am sure Ron was using this workout to determine many things about me.  Obviously strength and ability but also drive and want.  After sweating and hurting through the workout we sat and talked for another 20 minutes.  I ask Ron if I was going to make it?  He replied, "only as far as your natural ability would take me, you have the heart to do it so we will see."  Thinking about his words they definately sound like a coaches answer.  Of course I wanted to hear yes you will, but realistically I know that would not be the case after one day.

Lucky for me Ron is retiring in October and has offered to work with me around my crazy shift work schedule.  His plan for the start is basic.  Obviousley I have missed the outdoor track season.  Ron is going to turn me into a 400m indoor speed deamon for the indoor track season.  He said it is a great way to build a bas fitness to prep for the 2013 outdoor track season.  We are going to start with 4 main workouts a week, hills, stairs, circuit and tempo run.  Down time will be 'active recovery', which means not sitting on my butt but not throwing up during training. 

I am really looking forward to the indoor season and increasing my track fitness.

David 

First contact with new coach

I just received a text message from the coach I have been trying to get in touch with all week!!  We are meeting at 2pm today for a meeting and workout.  I can't wait to meet with Ron today.  Very excited to get some structure to my training not to mention some technique work.  Will update tonight as to how the session went.  I can't wait to see the look on Ron's face when I tell himmy plan for the next 4 years!

David

Joys of Shift Work

Its 5am and I am just finishing my post workout meal.  Did I wake up at 3am to get a workout in before work?  No I am at work.  For those of you who don't know I am a shift worker 6-6, 5 on 5 off.  Our nights get pretty slow so I am able to take advntage of our gym facilities. 

While training for Ironman this would mean 2 hour spins on a stationary bike at my desk at 3am.  The bike has been put aside and I have discovered the medicine balls in our gym.  I am finding that by changing workout styles I am having better workouts.  For 11 years all I did was swim bike and run.  Time for a change and this is only the beginning. 

I had a really good medicine ball workout.  The majority of the workout was tossing the ball against a brick wall but anyone who has used a medicine ball before knows that your core is almost always engaged.  Strong core fitness is key to successful Javelin throwing (or so I have read).  Even researching Medicine ball training has been exciting.  This is a strange feeling I have not had for a long time.  Looking back it is almost as if I did Ironman training because I had to more than I wanted to.  Now I just want to do as much as I can as often as I can.  I have to slow myself down and remember that this is just the beginning. 

I have been off training for about 3-4 weeks and am feeling a bit sore as a result but that will pass as my body remembers the training and get's used to the new training I am doing. 

David

Life Changing Event

Last weekend I attended the wedding of a good friend of mine, Kevin Gregg.  Kvein is now married to an amazing woman, Kate MacLellan.  While attending their wedding in BC I met Kate's sister Rosie MacLellan.  For those of you who don't know, Rosie recently competed in the 2012 London Olympics and was Canada's only gold medalist.  I have met many medalists before and have had the chance to view and hold multiple Olympic medals.  As amazing as the medals are there is something even more special each Olympian I have met has.  Each Olympian receives a small gold ring with the Olympic rings engraved on top.  A token only available to a special group of individuals.  The ring is what is stuck in my head. 

In 2005 I was working for West Edmonton Mall and was actively promoting myself in order to obtain sponsorship from my employer.  At that time my goal was to compete at the 2012 London Olympics in triathlon.  Somewhere along the way I lost sight of that goal.  Whether it was work, school, or personal life I am not sure.  As the London Olympics happened that once forgotten goal was sitting in the back of my mind.

I cannot get the feeling out of my head that I am running out of time.  The entire 5 hour drive home I was running through scenarios in my head that would make it possible to attend the Rio 2016 Olympics as an athlete.  In high school I threw Javelin with little to no coaching or technique advice.  I ended up finishing 4th in the city that year and thought that was the end of my javelin career.  I turned to football after high school and triathlon soon after.  The last 11 years my athletic career has been dedicated to triathlon.  Don't get me wrong it has been an amazing journey.  I have attended 4 triathlon world championship events and completed 2 Ironman events.  I love triathlon and Ironman events, but I want to be an olympian.

Back to the car ride home, javelin popped back into my head and it has been all I have been thinking about for the past week.  Researching local track and field clubs, javelin workouts, technique and qualifying standards have taken up all of my free time.  For those who think this is not a serious thing, I have placed my $7000 Timetrial bike up for sale in order to prepare for the next 4 years.

My workouts this week have changed from 4 hour bike rides to sprints, strides, weights and medicine ball training.  My search for a coach continues and will hopefully be over soon.  There is a major track meet in Edmonton every summer and I hope to be apart of it next year.  I already have my sites set on IAAF World championships in bejing China 2015 leading up to Rio 2016. 

Please join me on my journey to Rio



David