Riker-Fox

Sunday

2010-05-16T09:35:00.001-07:00

Hi friends.
It is Sunday, and I can't believe I've been back since Sunday. I've more or less rested all week. I did one run and yoga, but this week is all about recovery. I've decided to forego the 5th World Cup in Berlin with the intent to focus on training. It appears I am quite certain to have a spot at the World Cup Final in Moscow (June 17/18) which I'm ecstatic about. A lot of hard work is paying off. The big decision I need to make is whether to go to Valencia, Spain to train for May 26 as was originally planned prior to the Berlin WC. Now, I could go just to train and then return home. I'm leaning towards staying in Calgary however and training straight through to Russia. This means that I'd accept the sunk cost of the flight (unless I can transfer it, which I doubt). Tough decision. My coach will be in Valencia so I know he will want to have me for the week. Ahh, the decisions.... My new webpage is nearing a finished state - www.riker-fox.com, so check it out and leave me feedback, good or bad, if you have some. It still has a lot of work to be done, but it's getting there.
I was on the FAN 960 yesterday with Jungle Jim Hunter. If you'd like to hear the interview, go to this link (http://www.fan960.com/media.jsp?content=20100515_135006_5036)and skip to 1:12 into the show. Jim is a super guy.
I also did an Athlete of the Week profile with CTV last week. I'm still trying to find it online. When I do, I'll post it. From what I hear, it was pretty good, so a big thank you to my supporter Lisa Bowes of CTV Calgary.
Back to training tomorrow and ultimately preparation for one of the season's two biggest meets. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for following.

Budapest World Cup Final

2010-05-12T06:50:00.000-07:00

The Budapest Final went average. I was very pleased to have a spot in the Final and aspired to make the best of it. The fence was mediocre - 16/18. I swam a season best for Long Course - 2:11.98. My goal was to go under 2:12, so I was happy. But, it was still clear that I wasn't performing at a super level yet. Because we have such a long season this year, I understand that improvements will be small and take a long time to achieve. I am ok with that, and believe that in the end, I will put together the strongest performances when it's most important. Following the ride, where I earned 1104 points, I sat in 25th spot. This was not where I envisioned being leading into the final event, but I'd have to work with it. In the run/shoot, I moved up one position to 24th. Overall, not a great performance. But, a good one considering the fatigue, physically and mentally that I've been under. I've competed so much since March and I am feeling it. After some discussion, we decided to do the relay on Monday. Mathea and I finished 12th/18 teams. Again, not a great performance, but good to gain more experience. This competition moves me into 13th spot in the overall World Cup rankings, which should confirm my spot for the World Cup Final. This will not be known officially until after the Berlin World Cup. I will keep you posted. Thanks for following.

Karma?..?

2010-05-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

World Cup 4 didn't get off to a great start. Truth be told, my attitude wasn't super as I've been tired, it's getting deep in the season, I've a couple ok results, and I feel like it's time to train and rest. But, the mixed relay is contested here, so I thought it was really important to do the relay. Pentathlon (along with most sports) is trying to get more events in to the Olympics to increase its medal sets. That's why synchronized diving is in, and the team pursuit in speed skating... not exactly the traditional versions of the sport. So MP is also attempting to get a variation in and it is being contested here. Of course I wanted to perform well in the individual event but I was having some trouble getting really pumped. In the fence I had a brutal start - 2/12. This is embarassingly bad. I turned around the second half with a 8/12 performance. But this still left me in 19th spot, with only 12 making the Final. The swim did not change the positions significantly, dropping me to 20th. I swam a LC season best - 2:12.67, but still much slower than I'd hoped for. Moving from 20th to 12th in the combined run/shoot would be no easy task. However, I did manage to move to 13th. 7 spots is a lot to overcome, and I was really pleased with that performance, although also choked to not have overtook one more position. I was so close. Many lessons were learned along the way in that performance. Things that I will apply in the future,..... and hopefully as soon as Sunday for the Men's Final as Cairo's bad luck (regarding my first bridesmaid...er 13th WC finish this year) was balanced out here. A Hungarian athlete that finished ahead of me in my pool, has pulled out and so I've moved up to 12th. A bit of luck this time. Good karma I suppose. I won't take this opportunity for granted. Thanks for following. I'll keep you posted.

World Cup 4 - Budapest

2010-05-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

I arrived yesterday in Budapest, flying from Calgary. It's rainy here, but quite hot. The only team mate here is Mathea Stevens from Ottawa. Two other girls were to come, but one is injured and the other is at a riding camp in the USA. We have three coaches though, haha. John and Denis, as per the norm. Mathea's fencing coach from home, Paul Ap Simon, is also here. He is the women's foil team coach in Canada I believe as well. He came to get a better idea what Mathea is up against and to apply that to her training at home.
Mathea is competing now. She hasn't had a super day. I believe she is in 26th position now and needs to move to the top 18 in the combined event to make the final. She can do it.
We were really lucky to get massages from Jeremy Kozubeck last night. He is a therapist with the Canadian Speed Skating team and he happened to be in Budapest and contacted us to see if he could help. Last year, he also met up with me here for a massage. Really good guy, super knowledgable.
I had a nice jog late last night, in the rain. Today I had a fencing lesson, and a light swim workout. Everything feels quite good. Our hotel is near the venue which is helpful. We opted to rent a car rather than stay at the competition hotel like most nations. From here, we can take care of our transport and food. It's actually less expensive as well.
I feel pretty good and hope to bring consistency to tomorrow's semi-final. I will keep you posted. Thanks for following. Josh.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

2010-04-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

This is my best performance at a World Cup. I'm not sure where the confidence came from exactly, but with John and Denis's help, I really felt like I could make a jump today. I am ecstatic! I fenced effectively. Again, a slow start like the semi-final, but I brought a strong second half for a 51% success rate. The swim was slower than I hoped (.55 slower than in the semi-final), but it was still fast enough to maintain a respectable position. Going into the ride, which is generally a stronger event for me, I moved from 23rd to 12th position. I made some errors in the ride that I'd hoped to avoid, but never-the-less earned a score of 1140. From 12th, I moved to 8th, in a very exciting final run/shoot. Positions changed constantly. With strong focus, I slowly worked my way up, and on the last lap moved ahead of four other athletes. This result is very fulfilling. Naturally though, I want more. Last thing, I'd like to recognize my sponsors who made this happen-Adam Labs, PowerBar, and Lake Bonavista Dental.

2010-04-09T08:42:00.001-07:00

Below are two seperate posts updating on the Medway World Cup. I did not have an internet connection earlier, so I wasn't able to get it posted on time.
1. I arrived in Medway yesterday. Flights were smooth and travel out of London went well. We are in a roughly 800 year old estate that's been converted to a girl's school. It is expansive and dusty. Typically British. Has a helicopter pad, and only 200 International students, so must cost a bundle to attend. A pub here called The Leather Bottle is down the street and apparently Dickens composed Great Expectations there. Beside the pub is a church built in 1115, that Mel, my teammate, and I ran through on a mini tour/jog yesterday. Internet is really poor here, making life difficult.
Today I learned some frustrating news: In Cairo, two people pulled out of the Final, so I would have competed in it had I stayed. That rarely happens and there is no way to know. My mistake though, I should have stayed. Lesson for future if you are in 13th, better wait and see what happens. That had me really upset today but I've tried to put it behind me. I trained today. All things feel fine. The weather is cold and damp. Facilities are nice and volunteers are very friendly. That's it for now. Will keep you updated.

2. I made the Final! Had a really strong day in each event and finished first in my semi-final. With three semi groups, making top 12 was required to compete Saturday. I started really slow in the fence (1/4), but turned it around for 16/9 (928 points), tying me for 2nd. Next, I swam well - 2:06.28 SC. This matches a best time I've swam a number of times. What is promising is that I did it in a jammer suit, as the FINA rules have changed in terms of racing outfits. No longer are full body suits with synthetic materials approved for races. I was quite pleased and I think I can drop that time a bit more. Finally, the run/shoot. I went out in 4th place. We were a quite tight group and I was aware that remaining in the top 12 would not be easy. I shot rather poorly on the first session, taking 8 shots, and dropping to 9th (I think). I then had two very strong rounds, shooting clean on both and feeling quite good in the run. I ended up in position 1 as the group bottlenecked at the end once it was clear we were in. I had to do drug testing after which was a two hour experience. I made them follow me for a massage while I was waiting (you have a chaperone as soon as you are selected, haha). He got to know me well over that time.

3. So far today, we have 2 girls in the Final. And in 5 minutes, the second qualifying group will race for the remaining 18 spots. We have one Canadian in that group.... Gotta go cheer her on now.

Thanks for staying in touch.

One Week Out From Medway World Cup

2010-04-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

I am starting to feel a tinge of excitement for the next big World Cup. We leave Monday, and I'll compete Thursday in Medway, Great Britain. This is the third World Cup of the season. I will be looking to make further improvements on the results I've established thus far. I am feeling quite good and have had a number of strong workouts since returning from Cairo. I am confident I can achieve my goals.
Below is a video promoting the event. Take a look if you'd like to see what is coming up in a week. As well, www.247.tv will have live coverage.
Take care!
http://vimeo.com/8891625

Back Home

2010-03-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

I didn't have internet access in Cairo so here is the quick update that I intended to give much earlier. The competition was a bit disapointing and I didn't make the Final. I'm still pretty bummed out. The swim and fence went pretty ok, and I was left in 15th place with the run/shoot remaining. There were 74 men, so three qualification groups of 24 or 25, with the top 12 moving into the Final. In the run/shoot, I moved from 15th to 13th, missing the Final by one spot. I shot really poorly so despite moving up a couple spots, it was discouraging. If I had performed even average, I would have made it in.
Getting to and from Egypt is a long haul! I am thinking about the positive aspects of the competition and working on applying those to the next meet. The 3rd World Cup is in Medway, Great Britain, from April 8-11. I have a short period of time to train here in Calgary and prepare for this meet. Time to make the best of it.

Cairo, via Frankfurt, via London....

2010-03-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

The second World Cup of the season commences Thursday in Cairo. Due to funding cuts, our team wasn't attending. However, my local coach and I requested a spot that we would self-fund. We are flying standby as Denis, my coach, works for Air Canada and it can generally reduce the cost of flying substantially. Flights this time, haven't quite gone as planned. Things started out great - Calgary to Frankfurt, had 4 seats to myself, so I slept well and it was smooth sailing. However, in Frankfurt, our Cairo connection was overbooked and we were left without a seat. It seems we should have had a spot, but they agent's made an error in who they let board ahead of us. In any case, we took a flight to London and will fly to Cairo in the morning (assuming no other issues arise). It isn't really a big deal as we'd be paying for a hotel either way.... Although London is bloody expensive. The other downside is we can't really train at all here, and I feel laaaaaaazy. Training actually wouldn't be possible either way as, on top of everything else, our bags are missing! Oh well, take everything in stride. I'm adjusting to the time zone and relaxing so some good has to come of it. That's it for now. I'll keep you posted.

Lifetime Best World Cup Result - 11th at Playa Del Carmen

2010-03-06T19:53:00.000-08:00

I performed decently in the Semi-Final and was happy to get a spot in the Final. I would have been quite disapointed had I not. Having said that, it iis quite competitive, and some top athletes didn't make today's cut. The Final saw a slow start for me in the pool. I was 3.5 seconds slower than my Semi result. After a lengthy discussion with John, I think we know what went wrong. Fortunately things improved immensely that point forward. I had a solid Fence and strong Ride. This moved me to 18th position. I felt quite confident in the combined Run/Shoot and was keen on catching some of the athletes ahead of me. We were tightly grouped, so it was reasonable that I could surpass a big group. I eventually caught 7, moving up to 11th. I was very ecstatic as this is a lifetime best WC result. And, I had great support from Canadian spectators who came down from our hotel to watcand from the parents of some of our athletes (including mine). Coaches John and Denis are credited with today's performance. I am indebted to their time and expertise.

Mexico World Cup Semi-Final

2010-03-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

What an interesting day. I'll keep it brief as I need to go to sleep. I think I am in the final, which would be excellent! However, this cannot be confirmed until tomorrow. I swam well today, given it was my first long course race this year. I was only 3.5 seconds off my best time. I fenced very well to start, but then fell back, which frustrating. This left me in 13th spot in my group. Top 18 get into the final. Half of my semi-final group did the final event (run/shoot), but the sun was getting too dark to run the second half. This is so typically Mexican, and so that second half will have to do their last event tomorrow. I moved up from 13th to 10th, which was quite nice. I was very happy with that aspect of my day. However, I won't officially know my position until all athletes finish. It's funny competing here. Every time we do, there are glitches, and it's important to just let them go, and to keep calm. It was no idfferent today. Everything was late or not organized as well as it could be. I guess one could accept this given the balance of pleasentries here in Playa Del Carmen though. The sun is out, we are in a massive and beautiful all-inclusive resort, and beach isn't far away. So, I guess I will take the good with the bad. At the moment, I am crossing my fingers for the final. I am quite confident that I am safe. It would take 9 athletes surpassing my result for me to be bumped out. Stranger things have happened, but I think I should be safe. I will keep you updated. Thanks for following.

Race 2 at CanWest and Flight to Mexico

2010-03-01T17:40:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe I drove back to Calgary from Edmonton yesterday, packed, trained lightly, and then boarded a plane for Mexico yesterday. But here I am, so I guess it's happened. First, the second race at CanWest. I felt the 1500m had a lot of the same qualities as the 1000m; I wasn't as mentally committed as I would have liked, yet my legs felt good. I was relegated to the second of the three heats, which didn't help my motivation terribly. I took the race out and lead it for about 300m, and then sat back behind four others. With about 400m to go, my team mate Matt Cloutier made a move and the three in front of me didn't respond. I eventually passed them, but never could reach Matt who had a really great finishing kick. He got a best time in the race so he was quite pleased. I ran about 2.5 seconds off my best, so I wasn't super happy. The good news was that I recovered really quickly, just as in after the 1000m, so I think my body is getting into the right stages in terms of adaptation to high quality stress.

I am in Playa Del Carmen now, which is about 45 km from Cancun. The first World Cup of the season starts here thursday. My coach and were to fly through Toronto from Calgary on a red eye flight and then on to Cancun. We were flying standby as well, as it is cheaper. Yeah, it's a gamble too, but our funding keeps getting reduced so we keep looking for creative ways to get to meets. The Calgary - Toronto flight filled up, so we made the last minute decision to haul our butts to Edmonton for its flight to Toronto. As you can imagine, driving back to the city I started the day in, did not put a smile on my face. Anyways, it did work out, we are here now and settled into a small hotel where we will stay for 2 nights prior to moving into the competition hotel. The rest of the team will be here Wednesday so I have a bit of time to settle in.

CanWest - Race 1

2010-02-26T22:23:00.001-08:00

Race 1 is over, the 1000m. It went quite well overall (2:33, 2 seconds off best time). While warming up and even off the start, I didn't feel too great mentally. I just wasn't invested in the race. I think that the emotional high of Vancouver, even though I was just spectating, took a toll on my ability to commit. It is difficult to stay in that super-aroused state for a long period, and matching the excitement of Vancouver last week would be impossible. Interestingly, my legs felt really good. Usually I am mentally sharp, but physically lagging. At the half-way point of the race, I said to myself; 'let's get going, you owe to the team and yourself, and you'll regret not making a move.' This ended up working well, as I moved up to 5th spot where I remained. Unfortunately the 4 folks ahead of me made a move when I was behind another athlete and we just got a gaped a distant I couldn't make up. That'd be my one regret of the race. Lesson learned.
One other aspect is that with the first World Cup of the season next weekend, I am using this event as sharpener and trying to not get too hyped over it. So far, I think it has fit that objective quite well.
Tomorrow is the 1500m, so hoping to put together a half-decent race again. Will update asap.

From Vancouver to Edmonton

2010-02-25T22:37:00.000-08:00

From February 18-22, I was in Vancouver taking in the Winter Olympic Games. I was fortunate to be with four great friends, and we had the adventure of a lifetime. We saw 2 hockey games and a curling game, live. We watched many events on TV, and went to a couple concerts. On top of this, we also enjoyed to privilege of numerous safehouses. Safehouses are retreats for competing athletes, supporters, family, and friends. Our group spent time at the PowerBar Energy House, Canada Olympic House, Alberta House, and our favourite, CANfund House. There are numerous amazing stories to share. Top of the list is the performance each Canadian athlete had while we were there. It was inspiring to be a part of their story, while in a great Canadian city. The city was filled with energy. The memories will stick with me forever. CANfund house was sponsored and hosted by the Shaw conglomerate. We met the Shaw family - great family, very supportive of sport, and very hospitable. CANfund is Canadian Athletes Now (http://www.canadianathletesnow.com/), and they are a leading private supporter of Canada's elite athletes. They are an incredible group that has championed the well-being and performance of our athletes. Check out their web page to truly understand their mission. If their impact could be summarized in one line, it would be: no group centres its energy so purely or with the level of accountability that CANfund does in terms of direct support of Canada's athletes. We had an incredible time, both volunteering and as part of the crows at CANfund house. They were situated in the Shaw tower on West Cordova directly over looking the water and the Olympic Torch Cauldron.

We drove out, so it made for a long travel. But it was so worth it as we were with great friends. In the midst of each day's travel, and late nights, we also enjoyed morning training. We usually were pretty tired, but we managed to fit in as much as we could, which is exactly what one must do on a trip like this.

After 2 days in Calgary, I am now in Edmonton for the CanWest Track Championships with the U of C Dinos team. I will race tomorrow and Saturday. We stay here Saturday night, and then on Sunday late evening, I leave for the first World Cup of the year in Mexico. Things are progressing quickly!

Finally, I have some exciting news. I've landed an incredible new sponsor for the 2010 season - AdamLabs. AdamLabs joins General Mills and Lake Bonavista Dental as leading sponsors for the season ahead. I'll share further information on this partnership as it develops.

Inset is a photo of the crew we had in Vancouver. What an incredible time we had! People in photo are: Igor Gantsevich (fencing), Melanie McCann (pentathlon), Mathew Spendiff (athletics), Shauna Koppang (supporter), me, Rebecca McConie (pentathlon), Lindsy McNicol (athletics).

Take care and thank you for following.

Regina

2010-02-14T13:58:00.000-08:00

I decided to race in Regina at a track meet this weekend. Expectations weren't too high given that Winnipeg was a big improvement last weekend, and the Sask track isn't as fast. With consideration to this, I was still mildly disapointed with my speed: slow in the 1500m - 4:07 and quite slow in the 1000m - 2:36. Mentally I was dead; 4 races in 7 days is a lot. Except for the lengthy bus ride, I'd say the weekend had value in terms of training effect. In terms of racing, it really wasn't too beneficial. Spencer Pootz ran some good races on our team, so that was great to see. The rest of us in distance weren't too sharp. I'm off to Vancouver Wednesday for 4 days of Olympic fun (and training)! CanWest Track Champs are the following weekend in Edmonton. I then leave that Sunday night for Playa del Carmen (via Toronto) for the first World Cup of the season! Things are sure progressing quickly. With the Olympics on TV now, my productivity has slowed dramatically, but my motivation is really high!
Thanks for following.

Winnipeg - Race 2

2010-02-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

Race two went well, but not as well as I had hoped. 4:05, so a 1500m best time. I was boxed in for a lot of the race and most of my attempts to move up were unsuccessful. All in all, a good weekend. Two races in one day, and no injuries. Things are progressing. Gotta keep making progress; the bigger season is still in infancy stage. Thanks for following!

Winnipeg - Race 1

2010-02-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

Good stuff so far in Winnipeg. Raced a 1000m this morning, going 2:31.32; personal best. Achilles has held up, but I'm still really cautious with it. Racing 1500m at 3:20 Central Time today. So, a couple hours rest and back at it.

Taking the Bad With the Good

2010-02-02T09:24:00.000-08:00

So as amazing as the week of the Torch Relay was, last week leading up to today has been significantly less rosy. A number of issues came up at the same time, each which has repercussions. The first item was that the Canadian Olympic Committee, without notice and just prior to our season beginning advised my NSO that they would not be providing any funding for this season. This means that getting to all the World Cups will now be extremely difficult or just not possible. I decided to call the CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee (Chris Rudge) and of Own the Podium (Alex Baumann). Interestingly, I was able to get through to both and each took time to speak with me. Having said that, no real progress was made beyond they more clearly are aware of who I am, and know that I will suffer as a result of this decision. Both explained that money is tight (ultimately the costs of Vancouver explains this), and that the future also looks bleak as resigning sponsors or acquiring new sponsors has not been successful. This is infuriating as our funding suffered in order to shift focus to Vancouver, and now that the "well" will dry up after, there will be little or nothing remaining from the COC or OTP to support us. Somewhat damned either way. The icing on the cake is the reality that the medal payouts in Vancouver will often go to millionaires such as the NHLers - depending on the colour of their medal (which is essentially guaranteed), each athlete will receive $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000. The funding that was rescinded was for $30,000 - a tiny sum, but enough to get a team of us to a couple more World Cups.
Second big item, and more concerning, is that my achilles has been acting up. I've done everything to remedy it, from Athletic Therapy, to ice, Tens, massage, and tomorrow I will see Dr. Lun (the most seasoned of Sports Medicine Doctors). It is recovering slowly, but I can't really afford to lose any time now as the season is right around the corner. And, I'm supposed to race in Winnipeg this weekend. I fenced in Edmonton last weekend, and it went quite poorly. Partially I was physically just not sharp. And partially, I was hesitent to do any explosive movements in case I hurt my achilles further. I don't have a real understanding for the injury yet, and I don't want to take any risks. Perhaps it is good karma that I didn't push it too hard. This is not the time to be tapping the brakes though, it's time to push.
I try to believe that things happen for a reason, so I'm hopeful that both of these difficult situations will ultimately bring something more positive out of them that I can learn from and progress with.
Fingers crossed. Thanks for following.

Olympic Torch Relay video

2010-01-28T09:45:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my brother Joel for taking this video from the Relay.
Thanks Joel!

Amazing Morning!

2010-01-19T11:32:00.000-08:00

I felt so privileged to be a part of the Olympic Torch Relay this morning. I ran the initial leg, that started on the steps of City Hall! I walked down the steps (didn't trip thankfully!), and then made my way down 8th avenue towards City Hall. An incredible experience as many of my friends and family watched. Thanks Rhys for rallying our Dinos team mates! You guys were awesome.

I laughed when our team of 20 runners got onto the bus together, following the dissertation of what we were doing, how to not singe your hair, how to pass the flame correctly, etc, and the bus pulled forward 30 feet, and I got off! Hah, as the first runner, I started essentially where our team bus was already parked. So I walked back up the steps, and my friends chatted and took some pics. The media did their thing. And then the mini cauldron with the flame that's been lit from its initial journey in Athens was brought up (very carefully). With it, my torch was lit. I stared at it with awe. There is a feeling in that moment that one seldom has the luxury of experiencing. I had it in Beijing, and I had it in that moment. With it so dark out, the flame had an immense glow. And, all I could do was stare (with a big dumb smile on my face I'm sure!). The 300 meter walk was too short, but I was truly blessed as I was able to spend more time than most bearers on the course.

Once more - thank you to my incredible friends for making it a experience I will tell my grand kids someday.

I am so fortunate to have had this morning.

Great Weekend

2010-01-18T11:31:00.000-08:00

I had my first full track meet this weekend - Golden Bear Open, in Edmonton. Ran a 1000m and 1500m. Both good tests to see where things are at. I felt good after last weekends raace and some quality training this week. Felt good in the water too last week. In Edmonton, I was mis-seeded in the 1000m, so the race ran odd splits. For a 2:36, I was :30/:32/:33/:30/:30. Negative splitting like that isn't ideal. Despite the time, I was happy with the race as I had solid legs for last 400m. The 1500m had a group of us Dinos up front working together. My splitting was not great again, but I was happy with the end result for an opener - 4:08.83. I spent the last 400m chasing team mate Ryan Russell, but he's got wheels! Overall really happy with the weekend. I got to cap it off at the Chestermere Winterfest. This is my home community and where I went to school. Along with 2-time Olympian in Downhill Skiing, Cary Mullen, and Special Olympian Skiier, Alyssa Hatton, I enjoyed fireworks, some games, and photos with each of us holding lit luminary's in the shape of the Olympic rings, while on Chestermere Lake.

Looking forward, there is a big celebration at Olympic Plaza tonight with Kyle Shewfelt bringing the torch in! Tomorrow morning I get to carry the torch from City Hall down 8th St!!! I'm super pumped as my Dinos track mates are coming out to watch. I feel really lucky.

Focus is on training for the week ahead, then I'll be in Edmonton for Jujie Luan Fencing tournament, then off to Winnipeg for Bison Open Track Meet, then Queen City Track Meet in Regina, and the madness continues through February and March.... It's highly hectic, but a lot of fun. Staying on top of things is rather tough. Speaking of which, I still am sorting out my class schedule. EEE! Attached is a photo of Cary, Alyssa, and myself from last night. Cary lent me a sweater, which I didn't give back as I couldn't find him in the dark. Crap, he's a big guy too. He has the world record for fastest speed hit during a World Cup Downhill race - 97 mph!!!! Amazing. I better find him and get his sweater back. Have a great week.

Olympic Torch Relay details

2010-01-14T17:54:00.000-08:00

Details can be found here:

http://pentathlonalberta.com/resources/Olympic+Torch+Relay.pdf

If you are free and up for an early and brisk morning, I hope you can take part!

Track, torches, and tobogganing

2010-01-10T15:12:00.000-08:00

Each year, I compete in the indoor track season to prepare for the pentathlon season which starts shortly after in late February or early March.

Yesterday I had my first indoor track race of the season. The intention was to race while fatigued, and to sharpen up for our Dinos (UofC) first real test which is next weekend - Golden Bear Open in Edmonton. I was quite happy with the effort. The time was slow, but I ran a collected race while quite tired from the week's training. I'm hopeful this is the start to a strong couple of months of racing.

I will continue to post updated information regarding the Torch Relay. Currently, my route is from Calgary's City Hall to the Telus Convention Centre, running at 6:58 AM on January 19th. Come out and cheer, if you feel like an early and refreshing morning in downtown Calgary, surrounded by the excitement of the Games ahead! I've received my official track suit, gloves, and toque, and I (reluctantly) decided to spend the 350$ on the torch I will carry. I say reluctantly because it is quite a cost. My parents convinced me that not purchasing this once in a life-time item would be a regret. I relented when my mom offered to pay for half as a Christmas gift. Thanks mom!

Finally, tobogganing. Thanks to my track mates who made for great fun last night. If you live in the Mission area and could hear screams of terror at 1:00 AM, that was us on crazy carpets and an old wooden sled attempting to set new land speed records. A couple hours of fun after a week of hard training, and a day's race. It was also a good bye to Jessica O'Connell who's heading back down to West Virginia University to run; the culprit who led us to the late night sledding expedition.

Last neat thing of the week. I've taken part in a photo shoot for Talisman Centre for a 2011 project. I did the first shoot last week. Attached above is one of many cool photos. Thanks to Andras Schram - amazing photographer.

Have a great week. Send Jay Leno a get-well card if you have minute.

Bring on 2010!

2010-01-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

Let's get it out of the way - "I can't believe it's 2010 already." Ok, we've all said and heard that too many times by now. But don't let the words lose the meaning - Canada's Olympics are only just over a month away, it means the Youth Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games are near, and it means spring is around the corner and my season starts soon! Ahhhhh, so much activity and so little time.
I returned from Mexico last night, spending the season with my family. It was great. I made a pledge to avoid the real world while there, meaning I left emailing, text messaging, television, just about everything related to the outside world, 'outside.' I was just reading Alex Orlando's blog (www.alexandra-orlando.blogspot.com) and reminded of how we all share this collective and brutal lead up towards the holidays. I'm so fortunate to have had this reprieve. And it was great, just what I needed. I spent excellent time with family, and Santi, my sister from a different mister. I made some friends too down there. You never know who'll you meet. Ironically made friends with a family that recently started a new fencing club in Edmonton, so we had a lot of discussion about sport in Alberta and developed a good relationship there.
Now I'm back and the big planning and preparation stresses are upon me again. The season ahead, the semester ahead; the anxiety and the excitement!
I'm starting it off with a lovely wedding today - congrats Vanessa and Darrin Horsman!
I've just knocked off the last of over a hundred emails. I'm feeling good!
Back to normal training tomorrow. I did my run workouts in Mexico. Had a great time on the track in PV. Super motivating place with the runners, footballers, and boxers who were all training in this centre. I think the smells, heat, and humidity, have a special affect on me there because I've so often had important competitions in these types of environments. It is nostalgic and inspiring at the same time. I get some looks on the track too, cause I'm clearly not part of the local crowd. Haha. Thanks Joel for taking my splits, telling me I looked ok, and reminding me to go faster when I needed to.
Ok, time to focus now. My mentor and friend, Dr. Schloder, has hooked me up with a mental assessment program and I need to get some homework done with it. Time to train my brain to be the best it can.
Happy 2010. I hope you and yours have a great year. Live boldly.

A great weekend, with a tough week ahead

2009-12-13T17:12:00.000-08:00

Last week was tough overall. On Monday, I had to put down my puppy of 13 years (Ravi, black lab). That was just a difficult process from finding her sick that morning, till burying her that afternoon on my parents acreage. It is odd how things work though, my Jeep wouldn't start that morning, so I was stuck at my folks. My brother was to do the animals, but I thought I'd help because I was stranded. We both found Ravi, looking very ill. She'd been through a lot, and -30c weather was making it worse. I am thankful my Jeep wouldn't start as perhaps I wouldn't have had those last few hours with her. And thankful that Joel had me there so we could talk rationally about what was best. Dealing with these things alone is simply too tough.
The week did improve from Monday on, however! I wrapped up classes, had excellent training sessions, and spent a bit of time with good friends. I also received my track suit for the Torch Relay. This is starting to feel very real! I'm excited. 6:58 AM at City Hall on January 19th in case you are in the area!
This weekend I raced a couple swims at a small meet here and put together some of the faster times I've swam this early in the year. At this point, I typically am not moving too fast yet, so I was really pleased. With a full appetite for fatigue, I did track workout this morning with my Dino teammates and felt surprisingly decent. All in all, these are promising things.
I need to focus on my last project due for school and submit it by Thursday. Following this, I'll be leaving Calgary for some time to be with my parents, Joel, and our good friend Yen.
Thanks for following. All the best in the week ahead.

Landed Home Again

2009-12-06T21:23:00.001-08:00

The last 10 days have been great, but exhausting. Last weekend, we had a training camp in Ottawa from Thursday to Sunday. In the midst of it, we competed in Fencing Nationals. This went quite well, as I was 5-1 in pools, beating a couple of the top Canadian athletes. I had a bye in my first round of the Direct Eliminations, then won the next bout. I lost my last two, leaving me in 18th position, out of 68. Not phenomonal, but as a training exercise, I was pretty happy. The guys I lost to were both very strong, so overall, I rated it as a good weekend, while combined with the training side. It's always nice to spend a bit of time with other pent team mates too.

The last week flew past, with training and school, and I was back on a plane. This time to Toronto for an AthletesCAN board meeting. This was 2 days of critical thinking, and strategy development. As a new board member, I do a lot of listening as I feel I have a lot to learn before I can start constructively sharing the majority of my thoughts. I did learn a lot, but also felt we needed a week to meet the goals we set out at the onset of the meetings on Friday.

There is incredible excitement building as Vancouver 2010 approaches. I am looking forward to taking part in the celebrations, and slowly I am creating a schedule of what I'll take part in. I'll be there with two friends/pentathletes as we are driving out, and we are really looking forward to all the potential activities.

Best news of the week is that my date for the Torch relay has been confirmed (Jan 19 at 6:58 AM, Calgary 8th Ave. Downtown). Very excited.

Beyond this, there is a ton of nervous excitement surrounding the many projects I have going. I finally submitted a document to Sport Canada concerning funding. It highlighted my season macrocycle, previous results, season ahead, and my support staff. Interestingly, the Sport Canada rep conceded in October that I was competing above 75% of the current carded athletes, yet I was not carded. He has been supportive in trying to mitigate this. I'm hopeful it evolves quickly. I also have a sponsorship package that is very close to roll-out, and I'm aiming to get final edits completed this week. And last item, is my new webpage, which is still in infancy stages, but I'm working desperately to expedite its inception. All exciting stuff, all nerve-racking too.

Monday is coming soon, and I need to focus on quality training and wrapping up school. All the best in your week ahead.

Wow, Sunday again?

2009-11-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is Sunday again and I haven't had a post for a week. It has been a whirlwind as always. I've fit so much in. What a blur. Just back from Edmonton this evening after a fencing tournament. It was a good effort for me, under a lot of fatigue. I won, with a number of tough bouts along the way. On Saturday, we had a double swim, so my arms and body in general was not really up to being competitive. It was a great weekend as my parents drove up Saturday evening with me, and we spent the day together, and had a nice drive back.
Next week, I'm off to Ottawa for a training camp and a big fencing meet.
I've been overwhelmed with work on a massive sponsorship proposal, lead in detail by quasi-agent, Matt McCaffrey. He is a smart cookie, and has been so instrumental in the design of this work. Beyond that, I've been focusing on a big document for Sport Canada to try yet again for carding support. This has been a bone of contention for years now. After a great meeting with a Sport Canada official, who conceded that I was performing above 75% of the current carded athletes (roughly 1900 Canadian athletes), that my file should be reviewed. This has been quite a struggle for me, and I'm hopeful to have more success at this juncture.
Working on a new web page, and very much looking forward to it. I'll keep the world posted on when it is published. I'm confident it will be a good tool with greater functionality than current page.
Other than that, focusing on school which is fun.... haha. I think I'll train pretty lightly tomorrow if I can convince coach Jamie. Need to recover a bit before the next big week ahead.

Torchbearer Link

2009-11-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

This is the link to Torchbearer's who have been selected. I am slated for January 19. Drive safe on Deerfoot that day please!
http://www.olympic.ca/en/news/vancouver-2010-olympic-torch-relay-features-canadian-olympians/

Sunday Nights

2009-11-15T20:37:00.000-08:00

I find myself in the same position every Sunday night, attempting to catch up on life. Today is even more consuming as I left for and returned from Saskatoon today for a little fencing tournament. It's my first of the year, finished 3rd in a small group of 11. A good group of fencers who all train together at Salle Seguin.
I competed with a lot on my mind which made today difficult. On Saturday, Alberta Pentathlon held its AGM, and it unfortunately, was rife with confrontation. It sure is interesting how sport in this realm brings conflict and power struggles. And it is really a shame because there are so many people with something valuable to offer, but when challenges arise and the group becomes polarized, those individual pieces of value are diminished or erased. Anyways, needless to say this has weighed me down significantly.
Ok, onto positive stuff. Last weekend I swam in a small meet in Calgary, and felt pretty good about it. Swimming fast hasn't really been top of mind for me, yet I was able to get going relatively quick for this time of year. Nothing truly quick, but I felt ok with the effort.
It was communicated to me about a month ago that I would have the honour to be a Torch Bearer for the 2010 Olympic Games as the torch passes through Airdrie/Calgary. This was to be kept confidential, but a press release came out about this so I guess I can share it now. I'm very excited. When I receive further confirmation, I'll be sure to let you know what day I am on.
Time to do the school work that should have been tackled earlier.

Looking back on the last couple of days

2009-11-05T21:31:00.000-08:00

The XC meet in Edmonton on saturday ended up being really slow. I fell apart at 4 km, with 6 km to go. Really abnormal feeling through my body. It took all I had to not pull out. I knew I was going to put together a terrible time, but I wasn't going to quit. I still haven't identified what the issue is. I went in for a blood test today to see what is low. I will analyze it next week with Dr. Lun at the Sport Centre. I think I may have just pushed too hard the prior week and was not recovered. Having said that, in the last month I've lost 10 pounds, which is fairly significant. So perhaps something is up. It was really disapointing as I was feeling great in workouts.

In any case, focus for this month is a lot of individual event competition. I'll be in another swim meet this weekend. I'm not in terribly good swim shape, and attempting to "race" back into things. This is a painful route to take. But I'm loving it, mostly. Following this, I'm off to Saskatoon the next weekend for a fencing tournament, then Edmonton, then Ottawa (all fencing related, where Ottawa is also a training camp). It is early November, but I feel the season is now racing along as every weekend is slowly being accounted for. Exciting and nerve racking at the same time.

I do have some other exciting news to announce soon, but can't yet. Soon though, I hope!

That's it for now. Thanks for Reading.

Hands Full

2009-10-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

After a 8 day training block going back to last weekend's cross country race in Idaho, and finishing with a swim meet and 96 minute run on Sunday, I took Monday off. And it was great! It gave me a chance to catch up in life and to prepare for the week ahead. My plan was to make this week a bit lighter as I'll be going up to Edmonton for another XC race.
I'm looking forward to Thursday evening - Golden Plates! Golden Plates is COC-sponsored event that brings together Calgary's philanthropists and its athletes, along with Calgary's top chefs. The chefs compete to make great meals, the philanthropists throw down money to take part in the celebration, and the athletes add excitement and stories to the evening. It is a wicked-fun event.
I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
In the meantime, check out this link to my roommate and teammate's article on her XC season with SAIT and her aspirations for London 2012 - https://websitebuilder.1and1.com/xml/wfxdirect/res;jsessionid=0DCA03D8984E47DD834E7ABD12039EDA.TC124a?name=MelSAIT.pdf

Calgary Minor Soccer Association

2009-10-15T22:19:00.001-07:00

I just had a great night at the Calgary Minor Soccer Association's "Rock" event, celebrating the performance of 5 Calgary soccer teams who've just returned from National Championships. Each team finished now worse than 4th, with two of them winning Gold. I enjoyed the position of keynote speaker. It was a great audience to speak to, very keen, and with media and an MLA and Calgary's Deputy Mayor present, a lot of interesting discussion took place. In particular, the same theme of lacking Calgary infrastructure for sport arose again. Apparently this is a real issue, as Calgary has no turf surfaces.
There was a wonderful reception after with delicious looking food. Unfortunately, I've got braces as of wednesday, so I could only look and smell, but not actually savor dinner.
Off to Idaho tomorrow for a XC meet. We will see where fitness is at after a couple weeks of training under my belt...

Heat Stroke Book Launch

2009-10-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

Michael Simonson hosted the launch of his book entitled Heat Stroke, on thursday evening at the Gerry Thomas Gallery. Michael had interviewed me two years ago regarding my perspective of the health of summer sport in Canada. I was thrilled when Michael asked if I could attend the release of his work. This book takes a direct and honest look at the situation Canada faces. There is no other explicit work available that covers this topic. The 2010 and Beyond Commission is discussing the very topic now, which is exceptional. But, with the numerous complications Canada faces, it is hard to know what direction the discussion will take.
I also very much appreciated that included with his book last night, was a letter outlining the Power of Sport campaign. The premise of this project is to call or email your MP and MLA and let them know that sport is a vehicle with the ability to change Canada - both in health and high performance. I cannot stress how important this is. Consider Alberta's yearly health care costs of over 320$ million related to obesity alone. Sport can change this.
If you love sport, if you love Canada, take a look at Heat Stroke. It will open your eyes to the behind the scene reality of what most summer sport athletes face in Canada.
http://www.heatstrokethebook.com/

What's up now

2009-10-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

Hey friends.

Quick update here. Finally I'm back to normal training and feeling good about it. September was a restful month. I trained a lot, but relaxed with no pressure. World Championships next year are in the first week of September, so I really didn't want to rush into things too quickly.

I just returned from Vancouver sunday evening from the AthletesCAN (http://www.athletescan.com/) Forum. It was an incredible 4 days. I spent the first day at the Richmond Olympic Oval sharing my story (along with 15 other National Team athletes) with roughly 800 kids. It was great. The next 2.5 days were devoted to educational sessions. I sure learned a lot. We covered items such as leadership skills, doping updates, transition from sport topics, social responsibility as athletes, and really sensitive but interesting and current topics such as homophobia in sport and dealing with athletes facing the challenges associated with gender transformation. All just incredible stuff. I learned a lot. I highly recommend taking part in this event if you ever have a moment. I also decided, after 2 years of considering it, that this was the year to run for the board of directors. Fortunately I was successful in being nominated and eventually elected. I will serve a 3 year term focusing on improving the Canadian national team athletes' experience.

Today I visited my 4th school of the fall to discuss a new program - PHAT (Positive, Healthy, Active, Today), which is in partnership with the University of Calgary and Fit For Life. I'll visit a 5th school tomorrow morning. All in all, I think I've directly spoke to over 1700 kids over the last 2 weeks. It's been a great start to the year.

On thursday, I'll be attending the book release of Michael Simonson's Heat Stroke (http://www.heatstrokethebook.com/). Check this out - really interesting topic. I may be quoted in the book from an interview two years ago, so I look forward to picking it through it and seeing if my opinions have evolved and how they compare to others.

School is kicking my butt at the moment. More on that some other time. Take care, keep warm, and keep eating those Cheerios!

MP Updates

2009-09-06T10:31:00.001-07:00

MP Updates from Zimbio - http://www.zimbio.com/Olympic+Modern+Pentathlon

Article from Airdrie Echo - September 4

2009-09-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Back-to-back crowns for Riker-Fox - Airdrie Echo - Alberta, CA
http://airdrieecho.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1726793&auth=Scott%20Mitchell,%20Senior%20Reporter

Aspiring Olympian's Reminder

2009-08-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2009/15/c6219.htmlThis is the full press release for the Aspiring Olympian's Program. Awesome!

Webpage to submit code is www.generalmillsathletes.ca.
Check it out and submit those codes please!

Vancouver - National Championships

2009-08-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

National Championships this year were very exciting on the women's side. A close race and a wicked day to watch. Donna Vakalis came out on top, Melanie McCann second, and Kara Grant third. Check out this article regarding the competition:
http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010wintergames/Misunderstood%20sport%20thrills%20crowd/1923881/story.html
I think the article missed some of the really positive aspects of the competition, but it was great having Gary (from the Vancouver Sun) out to cover the event. He knows our athletes well, and did a profile of Monica Pinette leading up to the Beijing Olympics.

MSN Sports Photo of the Day

2009-08-18T12:25:00.001-07:00

Check out this link to a cool pic. I'm not sure how, but it was selected as MSN's sport pic of the day.

http://sports.sympatico.msn.ca/Home/ThePause/PhotoGallery_ThePause.htm?feedname=PHOTO_GALLERY_THEPAUSE_AUG09&pos=4&nolookup=true

World Championships Final

2009-08-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

Today had loads of ups and downs. It began with a mediocre fence. I then swam another best time, taking .31 seconds off my semi-final swim. The ride was the highlight, finishing 4th, and moving me in 16th place. I'm not sure why but I struggled hugely in the final event - run/shoot, and fell back to 27th. I've got a lot of thinking to do now as I analyze what went wrong. At the same time, I do want to celebrate the overall success of this World Champs, as it's the best result I've put together at this level. Thanks to many people who cheered me on through the week, and my devoted coaches for leading the way.

First Time Ever Making the Final at Worlds!

2009-08-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

Today went great and I am so pumped now. Just back at the hotel following the competition and I'm still buzzing. I started in Group B, with the fence at 10:30. This was really nice to have a late start (suckers in Group A started 7:30). There were 32 athletes in each group, comprising a field of 96. So, this is a pretty huge meet. Of the 96, 36 get into the final (top 12 in each Group). My fence went really well, which was so rewarding as I fenced really poorly in the last two World Cups. I finished tied for 3rd at 20 V/ 11 D. Next was the swim, and I wasn't feeling too super, but I had some confidence in all the work I had put in this year, and in the months of non-competition time through June and July. I was really happy to drop a 1.5 second best time going 2:09.93 long course. The swim has always been a weakpoint for me, but as my time drops slowly, it brings me closer to the field. The fastest swim was 1:56. This put me in 5th place going into the final event - combined run/shoot. It went very quite smoothly. My nerves were playing with me big time. Being 5th, but with a tight group, means very little in terms of remaining in the top 12. I hit all five targets in my first series (34 seconds), moving me up to 4th position. The run was smooth, but brisk. In the second series, I stumbled up on my second shot which killed my rhythm and I was stuck for 54 seconds. The second 1 km loop was again smooth but brisk as I fell back to 8th position. I tagged behind a UKR athlete and let him do the work for most of the lap. In the final series, I felt really good and went 31 seconds for the five targets. This left 1 km loop to finish, and put me back into 5th position leaving the shoot zone. I had to continue to run hard as I wasn't totally confident I was safely in until 200 meters from the finish.
All in all, really satisfying day. My first time in the Final at Worlds. My parents were here too cheering me on as they are midway through a Great Britain trip to celebrate my pop's birthday. I feel very blessed today.

Competition-Eve

2009-08-12T09:26:00.000-07:00

The hay is the in the barn, as some put it. I've done all the work I can up to this point and tomorrow is competition day. I am definately feeling the anxiety, but I'm ready to compete as well. This meet is looking really interesting with an incredible venue and should offer an exciting meet. The Brits tend to perfect things like this. Most of the teams must be here now, along with some new faces that I've rarely competed against from Turkey and Ireland (maybe others...). All in all, that's about it. Time for dinner soon. And I'll be sticking with words of wisdom from a past coach - focus on what you can control and have fun.

World Championships Webpage

2009-08-11T02:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.pentathlongb.org/mpwc

In London

2009-08-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

I am safely into London now. After a 6 hr flight from Ottawa that was pretty painless, the 1.5 hour wait in the airport for my pickup was not. Apparently my ride was told to wait at one area, I was told another. Anyways, we found each other eventually and I've settled in. London is huge (10 million pop.) and expensive. Both things that intimidate me a bit.
I'm trying to get a jog and swim in today, but as I've arrived a bit earlier than most athletes, this has proven difficult. Fortunately, the host hotel has a "group" rate at a fitness centre beside the hotel. For the low offer of 15$ CND per visit, I can go for a run/swim. Unbelievable eh?
My parents are in Scotland now celebrating my dad's upcoming 70th birthday! I'm looking forward to seeing them soon.
Ok, 7 minutes left in the internet cafe (hotel internet costs 20$/24 hr period, haha), so I best get moving.
And yes, it really is like Coronation Street here.

Ottawa

2009-08-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

To prepare for World Championships, which begin next wednesday, I've decided to spend 6 days in Ottawa with our coach John Hawes and a group of other athletes to train. It's been great so far, working with different athletes and different environments. And, it's choppeed 2 hours off the time change from Calgary to London England where Worlds are taking place. Megan, my girlfriend is out here too, which has made the time a lot of fun. The weather here is a lot better than Calgary too! That's it for now.

Aspiring Olympian's Press Release

2009-07-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2009/15/c6219.html

This is the full press release for the Aspiring Olympian's Program. Awesome!

General Mills Press Release

2009-07-21T14:45:00.001-07:00

http://www.albertapentathlon.com/resources/Let$27sPaintTheTownRedPR.pdf

This is the press release regarding the Let's Paint the Town Red campaign!

On a Box of Cheerios

2009-07-20T10:30:00.001-07:00

As a youngster, many times I pondered the "coolness" of being an athlete on a box of a Cheerios. Low and behold, this little daydream is now a reality!

General Mills, the maker of Cheerios, has selected me along with an amazing group of other athletes to be a part of their "Paint the Town Red" promotional campaign. This is exciting as I will have the privilege of being on a Cheerios box (as well as on some of their other products)!
The opportunity for me in this promotion lies in a little code inside each box that when input at http://www.generalmillspaintthetownred.ca/, (and I'm selected as the athlete) provides 1$ towards my training and competition expenses.
I appreciate very much that we are constantly inundated with requests for donations/support/time for a number of causes these days. I am hopeful in this case that you think of me when staring into your next bowl of Cheerios! As an added bonus, for each code you submit, General Mills will mail a t-shirt to you in the size of your choice, at no charge that has the signatures of each of the "Paint the Town Red" athletes (http://www.generalmillspaintthetownred.ca/about.html).

Pretty amazing on General Mills' part. I am really pumped they are partnering with me.

It's tuesday and everything hurts already

2009-07-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

The title describes how things are feeling at the moment. But, now that it is evening, I can eat and recuperate with some quality sleep. Training has been great so far this week. I trained the ride, run/shoot, swim, and fence on monday, and felt super after (although sore today!). Today, we had a morning swim as my team's workouts have been moved to the AM exclusively, which works fine for me. Then, I finished the day with a tempo run.
This time of year is always fun because everyone is competing and getting towards the end of their training cycles. It was exciting to have a number of my track team mates qualify for Canada Summer Games this weekend. And, my team mate and room mate, Mel just came back from Taiwan for Pentathlon Junior Worlds. Although she wasn't pumped with her result, it's exciting for me to hear about others' competition seasons.
FISU Games are taking place now, and again some of UCAC's track athletes are superstars bringing in medals. In particular a gold in 4x400m women's relay for Amonn Nelson. Very cool! I was hoping to be a part of FISU Games this year, but along with some of my wrestling buddy's, I was saddened a number of months back to hear that the program would be trimmed down due to expenses, leaving us without the trip to Serbia.
Swim Canada's World Trials were this past weekend, and there were a ton of interesting stories. Top of the list is the brand of suits that people are racing. FINA, the swim world body, has done a real disservice to everyone with it's indecision regarding legal and illegal suits. And, it was clear that the Jaked suit offered a huge advantage. This has had repercussions all over the place, in relation to fairness amongst athletes, but also the legitimacy of past records that are being set. Interesting stuff.
I guess that's about it. I'm going to Ottawa on August 4th for a training camp, and leaving from there to London, GB, for World Championships. All efforts are being directed towards making it a positive experience. I'll keep you posted.

Feeling Good

2009-06-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

Trainin's been feeling quite good the last couple days. I had a best time on the track last weekend, trained through the week and swam a couple races in an in-house meet. Swam decently well considering the lack of warmup and non-existant cooldowns. Just some relaxed races. The CSCC distributed this press release - http://www.canadiansportcentre.com/news/newsletter.php.

I think I'll be on Global Calgary tomorrow night at 11:00 for an interview (Thanks Kevin Smith for contacting me!).

Finished a photo shoot under Jean Becq last week (Becq Photography International), so I'm really looking forward to getting them edited and compiled.

Looking forward to a very relaxing weekend with old friends in a couple days celebrating a good buddy's upcoming wedding. The first good rest/party I'll have had since October. Life is great.

The weekend

2009-06-15T20:01:00.001-07:00

My plan this past weekend was to race a bit on the track to keep sharp, have some fun, and see where fitness stood in that regard. I've been on the outdoor track only about 8 times this year, including 3 races, so I wasn't expecting anything incredible. The 1500 was disapointing hugely; 4:18. I pretty much bonked after the first 4oo. Running a time like that kinda makes you a little angry/embarrased/but motivated to fix what's broken. Given that I've been at sea level a lot over the last couple months and mentally a bit tired, it's not surprising I ran slow, but that slow was not in the realm of my expectations. With the 800m the next day, I was determined to make this a better effort, and I was pleased with the 1:58.05 I ran. I haven't done any 800 work this outdoor season, so it's pretty much raw speed, which I was able to fake for the first 600 meters. The last 200 meters was slow and painfully, painfully slow for anyone watching. But the end result is good for now.
http://www.canadiansportcentre.com/news/newsletter.php

NORCECA Championships - Palm Springs

2009-06-09T09:26:00.001-07:00

It feels nice to put together a good result after a few meets that were regretibly poor efforts on my part. Not poor in terms of desire to perform, but I just couldn't make it work. Walking and chewing gum at the same time became a challenge then. Anyways, NORCECA Champs is not a big meet by any stretch. There were just five nations, Canada, USA, Mexico, Guatemala, and Panama, but the expectation on my part to do well existed non-the-less. The highlight of the day was the run/shoot in which I had what I would consider my best performance so far. I felt controlled in the shooting portion. After going out in third place, I moved up to 1st after the first series, eventually falling back to 3rd as Denis Bowsher (USA) moved up from 6th, and Mexican Inzunza exchanged positions with me several times while reclaiming 2nd towards the end. Unfortunately the Cuban team did not show, which I assume has to do with Visa entry issues, or Fidel having a bad day. In either case, it is always better when they attend as they are quite strong.

My plan now is to train through for a couple weeks, run in a track meet next weekend, and then take 5 or 6 days to relax and reset prior to World Championships (London, Aug 13->). I'll keep it posted.

Canadian Sport Centre Calgary's 8th Annual Golf With an Olympian

2009-05-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day! After getting an early morning workout complete, I headed out to Kananaskis Golf and Country Club to participate in this annual event. It was a great time, and over the course of 18 holes, my patient team taught me a lot about golf. I learned a lot as well. Thanks Jim, Dom, Frank and Jock. This was an exceptional day for sport in Calgary, as the event raises funds for Calgary's sport centre which supports Alberta's National Team athletes. Along with event sponsoring, the tournament included a live and silent auction, and great incentives within the game itself. Our team finished 2nd! And we walked away with golf bags, balls, and some other treats. I have a bit of sun burn, and wasn't able to fit in a run tonight as it got late a little too quick, but other than this - a great day!

World Cup 4

2009-05-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

Finished the semi-final at the Rome World Cup. It was a stronger effort than Budapest, but not strong enough to make the final.. I am disapointed. I don't think the 3 weeks over was without benefit, but I'm not satisfied that it carried a great level of purpose. This has educated me a bit on how to approach things in the future. This combined with the experience gained, has offered some value to the overall outlook.
The outlook ahead is for NORCECA Championships in Palm Springs in two weeks. I'll be looking to put an improved effort and continue to make progress.

Tail End of Hungary

2009-05-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will be my final day here in Hungary. The women did ok in their World Cup, with Monica Pinette finishing 20th. This is the highest result this year for any Canadian at a World Cup. 20th doesn't appear a super result, but due their being only 4 World Cups this season, each is quite competitive and so I thought her result was pretty respectable. The highlight for sure was in the open relay event, where Donna Vakalis, who was on a mixed team with a Brit, Louise Hayler, finished 3rd behind two Hungarian teams. It was great to see the Canadian flag up in the medal ceremony!

Attached is a video showing what the shooting portion of the combined event looks like. The video shows Monica Pinette, who is quite strong in this event. Although, I don't think was a super strong series, you get the jist.

Some Week's Are Wierd

2009-05-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

I knew after the World Cup there would be some adventure getting from Budapest to Szekesfarver, where a women's World Cup started today. I was really worried as I thought I'd be sleeping at the airport or spending some crazy money for a last minute hotel. The plan was to bum a ride to the airport to meet a girl on our team, who hopefully would arrive on time, and would hopefully have a ride waiting to take her to this town that is an hours drive away. Surprisingly it all worked out and I found myself in a hotel, with a hot meal waiting, and clean bed. That made my day.
Now, the intention here was to train for a week prior to Rome, and to support our three women competing. Initially I was told it would be 50 Euros a day, which with food and transport is very reasonable. Unfortunately training hasn't been quite as great as I had hoped, and the cost rose to about 70 Euros a day, which is not so reasonable any longer. I'm kinda bummed as it isn't the ideal setting I had hoped for, but I am making the best of it. Tomorrow, we've organized some good training and so I'll save total judgement for later.
Hungary is a world of contrasts. It is generally beautiful, yet the remnants of communism and poverty linger everywhere. Grafitti on apartment buildings varies from cheers for Skinheads to statements like "I love you." Ironically I find the people to show this contrast too. People vary from incredibly inward, private, and non-communicative, to open, smiling, and willing to help.
Thanks for following and hopefully I'll have better training to report tomorrow.
Oh, and one of our women's team members qualified for the final taking place saturday - http://www.pentathlon.org/ for television coverage.

Where will I be sleeping tonight?

2009-05-11T03:50:00.001-07:00

I am about to head from Budapest to the Airport to hopefully meet one of our women's team athletes, Donna. If all works as planned (which is highly unlikely), she will have a ride waiting for her to Shekesfarver, which is another Hungarian city where a women's World Cup is taking place this weekend. My plan is to stay there until next wednesday when I'll go to Rome for World Cup. This whole plan makes me really nervous. On the other hand, I am sick of this hotel and living without team mates, and the hotel version of CNN. So, getting out of here will hopefully remedy those discomforts.
I did what I could for training this morning, a run, and some shooting drills, but its always tough when you only speak English, and you're in a somewhat disorganized area without a coach. Anything can happen.... Hoping I am settled tonight and feeling a bit more secure.

Budapest World Cup Semi-Final

2009-05-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

The semi-final of the Budapest World Cup was a tough one today. I was definately disapointed to not make the final. I just was not sharp in the fence. I felt good in the swim, but the time was slow. That left me well back in the final event - the run/shoot, and I could only move up one position.
I was further frustrated to receive a 10 second penalty that was incorrectly applied to me. I don't think the 10 seconds would have made a difference to me making it in.
This was definately a tough meet overall, as I had no coach or team mates. But, on the bright side, it was an opportunity for more experience which I desperately need.
I will train for the next 10 days in Hungary, and then head to Rome for another World Cup. Time to analyze, work hard, and hope for a better result.

Back in Budapest

2009-05-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

I am back in Budapest as of 2:00pm, with the semi-final for the Hungary World Cup this friday. The flight over was less than comfortable this time. Flying in general is less and less manageable. Checking in and security is increasingly cumbersome. I guess the H1N1 flu is a factor - security had an interesting computer screen in Budapeast at the airport that visually mapped our body out through varying colours. I imagine if you showed a lot of red on the screen, then perhaps your infected??? Out of good fortune, on the flight back from Cairo, my coach and I were upgraded to first class. I think I am becoming used to that luxury now. Alas, the front of the plane will rarely be reserved for me. I have to laugh at the stock pile of upgrade certificates I've accumulated from Air Canada, that are NEVER useable.

I am at this meet with no team mates and no coach, adding to the adventure. But, I am very fortunate to have Jeremy Kozuback here as a massage therapist. He is with Speed Skating Canada, and happens to be in Budapest during the World Cup. Out of the goodness of his heart, he went out of his way to contact my federation and see if he could help out. I am very gracious!

Cairo World Cup Final

2009-04-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

It was great to be in the final and have another opportunity to compete in the run/shoot. I would have liked to have fenced better and swam a bit stronger. Both these events were weaker than in the semi-final. I found I was not well recovered from the semi, and so the coaches and myself invested some time into better ways to recover and prepare for finals. The ride did little to sort out the field, only eliminating a handful of athletes who rode very poorly. The run/shoot was wear all the action was. I started in 26th, and maintained this position. I overtook some athletes and some overtook me. The exchange at the front of the race was quite interesting as athletes from behind ran up, with Czech 1st, Lithuania 2nd and 3rd, Poland 4th, Egypt 5th, and Belarus 6th.
Finishing 26th here is not "fridge-material" but I am pleased overall with how the meet went as I've consistently improved over the three meets so far this year, and I've also learned a lot. At this point, I think that is what is most important.
Looking ahead - two World Cups remain - Hungary in early May, and Italy in late May. Lots of work in between.

Success (so far) in Cairo

2009-04-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

Today was a very interesting day at the Cairo World Cup. After Mexico City's installment two weeks ago, I was pretty bummed to finish one spot out of the final. I'd like to say I came here with vengeance in mind, but the truth is that I was a bit concerned about making the step upward to put it together here.
The day started out with what I would consider my best fence ever at the World Cup level (928 pts, 21/13). I am not sure how it came together, but I had a great deal more confidence in my actions. The swim was not too bad, a season-best 2:12.35 LC in what some are saying is a slow pool. I felt a lot stronger than in the past, especially Mexico City where the altitude humbled me greatly. This put me in 12th place going into the run/shoot, with the top 18 from my group making the final.
At the first series of shooting, I did awful, taking the full 70 seconds. And I fell from 12th to 26th. Which is horrendous. As I run out of the shoot, I remember thinking "well, you've really done it." Fortunately, I worked myself upward on the second round, although not remotely close to the top 18 necessary. Oddly, in the last series of shooting, which is typically considered the most difficult, I shot my best round, taking me up to 18th. And then I had to run the final 1000m. In my mind I remember my thoughts after Mexico City which were that I wish I could have another chance, because I felt I gave up. So, now was the chance to face this obstacle again. For the first 500 m, I repeated 'do you want this?' and the answer was 'yes.' The next 300 m were not so kind and negative thoughts entered my head and I started making excuses if I were to fail. Behind me, I had three athletes, perhaps 6 - 10 seconds back, of which one was Oscar Soto of Mexico, and Abdel Rouf of Egypt, both fast runners. Somehow, with about 200 m remaining, I put my remaining energy into taking the last qualification spot. It is quite a relief, but not redemption yet, as I need to recover and prepare for the final now.

Trying Again

2009-04-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is strike three if this blog is not successful. My first two attempts on other platforms failed miserably (I am blaming the program's and not the user...). I hope this is more successful for your sake and mine.