Punctuality - For Better and Worse

Is there any trait we associate with the Germany more than punctuality?

Maybe that's one of the reasons I find living here relatively easy. I'm someone who likes things to happen on time. It makes things easier to plan. It removes a certain amount of stress from my day to day situations. It's kind of how I was raised and it's become a part of who I am. Did I mention how much I appreciate the trains and buses here running exactly to schedule day in and day out?

If I may digress for a bit, it was pointed out to me that I haven't posted since my birthday. Over a month has passed and nada from me! How could that be? The short answer is that I was getting a bit burnt out on the blogging. I was also somewhat intimidated by a friend of the family whose travel blog was so incredibly well written it made me feel illiterate by comparison. But, as with many things, time is the great healer and I've decided to make a comeback. For better or worse. So I'm apologizing to my regular followers. All five of you.

Back to punctuality. I've been alone in the office a lot of this week. It's a fairly regular occurence in a small branch office, especially in the middle of vacation season. One morning I was charged with making sure a FedEx package got picked up. Unlike in North America the courier companies here don't have drop boxes on every other corner. Office pick-ups seem to be the norm and I was told this one would occur between 9 and 11am. No problem.

I rode a Share Bike to work that morning as has been my custom since June. I was running just a bit late but by pushing on the pedals really hard I could see I was going to make it to the office with several minutes to spare. So imagine my horror when I came 'round the corner at 8:56 only to see the FedEx truck waiting at the curb outside our building. Already carrying a bit of a sweat I went into full-blown triathlon mode and proceeded to do a fast transition (Triathletes - Be thankful that T2 doesn't generally require you to swipe a card and wait for your return to be registered by the system). I ran to the door, met the FedEx man, went well beyond the depth of my Tourist German language skills and the package was on its way. Taking a step back, what could possibly be more punctual than a FedEx pick-up in Germany.

Remember grocery shopping? I've adopted a more European style of frequent stops for fewer items so as not to overload my tiny refrigerator. Bread, fruit, cheese, yogourt, cereal are among the staples. And of course there's milk. Due to the vagaries of EU agricultural subsidies milk and dairy products are incredibly cheap here. Turnover is high and the best before dates are so laughably far in the future I got out of the habit of checking them. So imagine my dismay while making my morning latte earlier this week and several solid chunks toppled into my cup. Being a guy I of course had to taste test it (we're kind of stupid that way, WHY!).

Impossible! I was outraged. I had just bought that litre three days prior. But before I marched off to the grocery store for an argument (over a 60 eurocent litre of milk) I checked the best before date. Expired the day before. Curses!

Now admit it. In Canada we've been known to take a slightly "relaxed" attitude to "Best Before". Like the man says: "When yogourt goes bad, how can you tell?". Bread? Peanut butter? Quick look, sniff test, Good to Go! But in Germany, much like the trains and the package deliveries, THE MILK RUNS ON TIME. You have been warned. And sometimes, it seems, punctuality may not be a virtue after all.

Welcome back and thanks for reading,
Tom

When is a Triathlon Not a Triathlon?

I arrived back in Nuremberg on Thursday following a 10 day visit home. As always, it was wonderful to see friends and family. My sister in-law made her first ever visit from Quebec after 15 years that we've been here. Kate and I even went on a Dinner & A Movie date. I can't remember the last time that happened. Four Okanys saw The Dark Knight Rises in a span of three days.

But the highlight of the visit had to be the Kenora Borealis Triathlon, two days after my return from Europe. Ever since the Phoenix-like rise from the ashes of the Triple Threat Triathlon Club several years ago the team has used this race as a road trip to train a bit, take part in the race and do some great socializing. This year we scored big in the last category with more members and Significant Others than ever before at the pre-race dinner (team only) and the official post-race lunch. The dinner was particularly memorable as it spanned three generations and ages from newborn to.... well, a gentleman never tells and I don't actually know the precise answer so I'll leave it at that.

So, to the competition. Apart from the Noris Share Bikes I have zero opportunity to ride here. I run regularly and make somewhat sporadic visits to one of two local pools. In order not to embarrass myself on the bike several weeks ago I threw an offer down to my teammates. I would swim and run for one or preferably two relay teams if there was any interest. Boy, was there! I swam for a Sprint Team and ran for an Olympic. I like to think I even had some influence on the entry of two additional teams. This was my first time ever competing in a triathlon or duathlon as part of a relay team.

Let me start off by saying that I think relays do have a part to play in triathlon. Our family's first ever exposure to the sport was when Kate ran 10k as part of a team at the Mt Tremblant Olympic distance tri (There were no sprints then. Seriously). Before the advent of the Try-aTri I think this was how the majority of new triathletes got started. I suspect that a significant number still come in that way.

So how was my first exposure to triathlon relays from "the inside"? Well I really enjoyed the camaraderie. Getting the rest of the team members mentally prepared on race morning was fun. And I certainly felt like I had far fewer things to be concerned about. Goggles - check, swim cap - check, Speedo - Whew!(just checking). Good to go. And then after a very long wait make sure my running shoes, tri-shorts and top, sunglasses and hat are on, grab the timing chip, run to the turnaround and then come back to the finish chute making sure to cheer on all the TTTC folks I encounter. Job done. Time to pack up and go.

But, to be brutally honest, to me it's not triathlon. I missed that mental process in the last 100m of the swim where I start preparing for the start of the bike. I miss the transitions. I miss that feeling in the first few hundred meters of the run when I'm not sure my legs will be able to make the switch from cycling to running yet somehow they always do. I miss having to measure my efforts throughout the swim and bike in order to have a strong run and minimize that final time. And I miss racing head to head over the total distance knowing that my competitor and I have covered the same course under identical conditions with the winner being the best prepared and having the better executed race plan.

So yes, I will race a relay again if circumstances lead me that way. But it will always be a second choice. So next month at Riding Mountain, ready or not, I'll be racing the full Olympic distance race. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for reading,
Tom

Challenge Roth Triathlon - Observations

Marshalling the Swim Start

As one who considers himself a triathlete and a fan I could not pass up the chance to spectate at this year's Challenge Roth triathlon held this past Sunday. It is held in and around the town of Roth, Germany which is a 12 minute train ride from where I'm temporarily living in Nuremberg. So on Sunday I woke to my 4am alarm (much like many of the competitors I suspect) and headed off on a day-long adventure. I won't dwell too much on the transportation and logistic challenges presented to would be spectators, I'll just say that with the Start/T1, T2 and finish areas all being in different areas I would consider it mandatory to have a bicycle available as your prime means of transport. The distance between the start and T2 is approximately 10km. Fine if you're a competitor and your 180km ride happens to finish at a point other than where it started. Not as much fun if you're hoofing it alone with no one to transport your "gear bag" (water and snacks in my case).

From the T1 Exit. You can't quite makeout the crowd on top of the
bridge spanning the canal, 3 and 4 deep watching the start and swim

The back story around Roth fascinates and delights me. I have no ill will towards the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) and their Ironman brand. In my experience Ironman puts on superb races and they create a wonderful experience not only for the athletes but also for their supporters, the volunteers and the spectators. Ironman has created a successful business model and for many reasons they should be commended. Read the history elsewhere but the race now known as Challenge Roth was for many years "Ironman Europe".  Over the years it developed a reputation for being one of the highlights of the triathlon season and a "Must Do" race. I think the attraction was a combination of the beautiful and fast course, the volunteers, the Teutonic efficiency with which the race is put on, the wildly enthusiastic fan support and the aura of Ironman. History leads to a very clear conclusion as to which factors most contribute to the events success and it's unique vibe.

Enjoying food and a beverage before the runners come by for their
first of two loops

Back in the early 2000s there was a divergence of views between WTC and the organizers. The race went from being Ironman Europe to Challenge Roth. Now there is one thing I do dislike about the WTC and that is their complete intolerance of events that compete with their Ironman branded races. As we have seen elsewhere in the world the WTC will use some heavy handed tactics, perhaps not to kill these competing races but certainly to diminish their size and status. Ironman Germany was created shortly after the break between WTC and the Roth organizers. It's normally held on the same day in the region around Frankfurt, roughly 200 km away.



Not normally given to hyperblole.
 In this case the banner fits.



So what's the difference between Challenge Roth and Ironman Germany? The latter has spots for the IM World Championships in Kona. Challenge Roth has everything else.This year Roth had to limit entries to 2900 individuals and 600 relay teams. That's nearly 5000 competitors for a long distance race only. The split has taken nothing away from this race. It turns out Roth's attraction had very little to do with the WTC and Ironman. It's all about the area and the amazing people that contribute to the atmosphere. One need look no further than the legenday Solarer Berg to see what I mean. Solarer Berg is approximately a 1.2km climb going out from the town of Hilpoltstein. Data says it averages about a 5% grade, not exactly Tour de France Cat 1 territory. But don't try telling that to the competitors or the estimated 25,000+ spectators cheering them on. DJs get the crowd whipped up and the athletes get cheered by name. At the lower level there are barriers and signboards to pound on. At the higher level the spectators fill the road, parting at the last moment to let the athletes pass, cheering, clapping, cowbelling, hornblowing, thundersticking, you name it.It's one of those"You had to be there"experiences. 

I was able to witness similar outpourings of enthusiasm at the Start/T1, Eckersmuehlen (Site of the cycling "Beer Mile"), T2 and the section of the marathon route through the old city of Roth. The race culminates in a temporarily erected bleacher stadium where every finisher is greeted by a deafening roar as they make their way down the red carpet. I would be re-miss if I neglected to mention that each of therese areas (except the start) contains at least one Biergarteen. So you won't forget which country you're in.

Solarer Berg - It's not just about the athletes and cheering them on.
One needs sustenance for an endurance event!

So is Challenge Roth a Must Do event for me? Does it make my Bucket List? My honest answer is "No". I'm really itching to have another go at IM Canada in Penticton and I'm already hearing great things about the upcoming IM Mt Tremblant not far from our former home in Montreal. I'd like these to be my next long distance races. But if our life circumstances are such that I/we are looking to travel overseas to race long course, Challenge Roth will be my first choice.

Thanks for reading,
Tom

Just how popular is pro Timo Bracht in these parts? Here's his Fan Bus.
In the finish arena there's a grandstand for his fan club. Timo finished second
to James Cunnama. If you asked a local today about Sunday's Men's race I
suspect they will tell you "Timo finished second to some South African guy" 

Challenge Roth - Nutrition Report

It's time for me to take my turn with the superstars of the triathlon world and share with you exactly what I consumed at yesterday's Challenge Roth long distance triathlon. I'm hoping many of you will be able to benefit from my nutrition strategies. Please feel free to ask any questions or make any suggestions in the Comments section.

Pre-Race Breakfast (Consumed at my apartment)

• Flavoured yoghurt with 2 tbsp Muesli
• 1 piece toast with slice of Swiss cheese
• Nectarine
• Black Coffee with sugar

Pre Race Snack (Consumed on Train/Bus to start)

• 1 large salted pretzel purchased at Nuremberg train station

Water (Consumed Throughout)

• 1 liter bottled still mineral water (sounds like too little but I felt the need to urinate throughout so it was probably about right)

Post Swim - Pre Bike

• 1 Semmel roll with 2 grilled bratwurst. Mustard quantity hard to specify. Tricky squeeze bottle but definitely more than I trained with

During Bike

• Approx 100gm salted roasted peanuts
• 1 100gm pkg Ritter Sport Olympic Chocalate wafers. Contrary to the ads, although I found it "Square" and "Good" it wasn't all that "Practical". I guess Meatloaf was correct and Two Out of Three Ain't Bad.
• 1 Banana

Pre-Run

• 1 X 0.5 liter Radler
• 1 X 0.5 liter Pyraser Helles
• 1 Gyros Pita with Tzatziki
• 1 Apple

It occurs to me that it might have been helpful to have mentioned at the beginning that I was spectating at this race. In retrospect perhaps I should have made that clear. I did spend between 3 and 4 hours of the day walking between various locations of the race site. Good news was that I didn't touch the Peanut M&Ms or Gummy Bears I had brought along. I'll have some more relevant information on Challenge Roth in one or more future posts. Until then,

Thanks for reading,
Tom

A Little More Klezmer

Back in Germany after a great week at home. It went so fast and I did so much, what to blog about now? OK, the Generals and Admirals version:

• 28th Anniversary dinner with Kate that was made extra special when our friends Ken and Heather (caterers extraordinaire!) tipped off the restaurant without our knowledge. We were spoiled rotten. Ausgezeichnet!
• Swam 5 mornings of the available 6
• Triple Threat Triathlon training camp in Pinawa. Another great weekend with the team.
• Four bike rides,Four runs
• Caught up with the guys
• Sent flowers to my Mother for her Day and spoke to her on the phone
• Haircut, dentist and physio who told me I am 90-95% recovered

As soon as I got back to Germany I immediately set off for Bergamo, Italy again. I was reintroduced to Autobahn driving after 15 years - definitely not for the faint of heart but good to get out of one's system. But still the question loomed: What should my first return blog post be about?

Thank God for the CBC. They reminded me that there can only be one answer. And it's these guys.

You know how when you travel you should always bring your tunes? Say for the case where someone is no longer on the flight "for whatever reason" according to the Captain. Then they have to go looking for his bag. And you sit. Maybe for two hours. Well next time I recommend you have the foresight to bring "Toronto's only Balkan-Klezmer-Gypsy-Party-Punk Super-Band" They're called The Lemon Bucket Orkestra and they were on their way to Bucharest where they were invited to play at the International Romany Music Festival. They told the plane they had raised enough money to buy all their air tickets by busking for a month. So maybe the rest of us are in the wrong line of work. The YouTube Video is good but it doesn't do the moment justice. These guys played for half an hour and I must say, they are very good at what they do. If you hunt around you'll find more clips. Now, if only Steve Jobs was still alive maybe he could have gotten them to fit in your shirt pocket.
Here's a link to the CBC News story http://www.cbc.ca/news/offbeat/story/2012/05/16/lemonbucket-orkestra-toronto-flight548.html
Oh, yeah. I missed my connecting flight to Nuremberg and had to wait in Frankfurt an extra two hours which screwed up my evening big time. The "concert" was my only compensation. It didn't cost Air Canada a dime, airline management didn't have a clue it was happening and the musicians were actually a source of revenue. Sigh.

From Nuremberg I wish you a joyous Christi Himmelfahrt Feiertag, which Kate deduced is Ascension Day (It's also Father's Day here). And thanks for reading.
Tom

And Now for Something Completely Different

No, not Monty Python.

I just have to give a big shout out to former Winnipeger, MNTC alumna and our #2 son Mark's former teammate, Sarah-Anne Brault. We can now say that we know someone who has stood on a World Cup podium! This past weekend Sarah finished third at the race in Ishigaki, Japan. I would have to say I was surprised to hear the news. Not because Sarah doesn't work hard or doesn't deserve it. She does both. In spades. But she's only 22 years old and hasn't been racing the distance that long, let alone at World Cup level. I hope this is indicative of further success to come.

I took this picture of Sarah-Anne at Kelowna in 2011 when she won the National Championship

I think our family has known Sarah-Anne for as long as she's been in triathlon and I can say without a doubt that you will not meet a finer young woman anywhere. Smart, friendly, modest, organized and driven. She was and continues to be a role model for all Manitoba triathletes. The last time Kate and I spoke to her was last August in Kelowna, just after she had just won her first National Championship. She had all the time in the world for us and seemed as interested in Kate's race earlier that day and in my upcoming Ironman as she was in the fact she had just defeated the #1 ranked woman in the world a few minutes earlier. Just a super person all around.

Oh yes. The race was actually won by Canada's Kathy Tremblay, her first WC win and much deserved after many years on the National Team. Elles sont vite ces Qébecoises là! I can't claim any personal connection to Kathy but I know Mark has met her at a couple of camps and swam with her at least once.

Here is a link to a race video re-cap: http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/canadas_kathy_tremblay_scores_debut_world_cup_victory_in_ishigaki/

All the best to Sarah-Anne.
And thanks for reading.
Tom

Ironman Canada 2012 - Part 1 of 3

Where to start?

Ironman Canada is such a big event in every sense of the word. The course, the number of entries, the volunteers, supporters, spectators. Perhaps most significantly it's a huge athletic endeavour for every one of us who signed up a year in advance and made the commitment to train in preparation for a single day in August that would last for only up to 17 hours. Along with 1100+ others I would start my first Ironman triathlon in Penticton, BC on August 28.
 
I won't attempt to document the history of this event. It's available from more knowledgeable sources than me. Nor will I describe my training leading up to the event. I'll just start by saying that when I went to bed on Saturday August 27 I felt that I was as physically and mentally ready as I knew how to be. After 17 years competing in triathlon I was prepared to start my first Ironman.

2054 Bike and Gear Bags - Almost Ready to Rock and Roll

As I expected, I woke up a few minutes before my 3:30am alarm. I had my breakfast, did what I needed to do, made one last neurotic check before grabing my special needs bags and left our apartment without waking Kate. From that point on much of the day seemed like a dream. I walked the approximate 1km down from the Lower Bench to body marking in the dark. As I walked I was joined by more and more athletes all converging on the same spot. I mused that it seemed a bit like lemmings but hoped that the similarity ended right there. Just like the videos from Hawaii, the sun starts to rise and the whole event setting seems to materialize from the blackness. Surreal.

It was great to meet up with teammates Paul and Scott in the transition area. Kevin from Tri-Factor was also with us and the four of us were keeping it light as the start approached. As is my habit, I made sure everything was in order and I had my wetsuit on well in advance. I hate to be rushed before a race.

I met Jenn and Fern from Tri-Factor on my way to the water. I had decided weeks (months?) prior that I was going to start to the extreme left, near the front. The two women agreed with me. Paul had his own plan so we shook hands, parted ways and agreed we would see each other on the run.

That's me on the left...Somewhere!

The national anthem was sung and I didn't get quite the emotional rush I had been fearing. Good. The inside of the goggles can stay dry. A horn sounded and I just started swimming. My swim experience was almost the exact opposite of what I expected. With my start on the far left my intention was to maintain a line about 25m to the left of the buoy line all the way to the first turn. In all honesty the first two legs of the swim were no more intimidating (in terms of contact) than a typical Olympic triathlon swim. Of course there was regular unintentional contact but nothing malicious. I kept to my strategy of keeping to the outside around the first two turns and had a very relaxed swim experience. After the second turn I and my 2800 new friends all aimed straight for the shore and from that point to the finish I was making quite a lot of contact. Good thing it only lasted 1800m!

I race without a watch and go by feel so I had no idea how good or bad my swim was but I felt good and deliberately had not pushed hard. I had a pretty good transition (benefits of a long background in short course!)  and as I was riding away on my bike I heard that the race was 74 minutes old. Very happy about that.

I had been warned the ride out of town along Main Street is a group ride. You leave town at about 8k and from then on I tried to ride as much as possible the way I do in any race. I was frustrated by a certain abount of blocking ("Make the pass already!"). and had to go harder than I intended a few times to pass two or more within my 15 seconds. Only once did I find myself in a position that I realized "I'm drafting!" and immediately backed out of the daft zone. Whenever I did get passed I used that opportunity to ease up and eat and drink.

Looking almost like a real triathlete

I was fortunate to hear eventual Pro Men's winner Jordan Rapp speak publicly twice before the race. He said a couple of things that stuck with me. Most important was "the race starts after the top of Richter Pass". So I kept to a dead easy pace until I reached that point at around 70k in. My nutrition was good throughout. I missed one or two bottle hand-ups and some of the sports drink bottle tops were leaking a lot so I made sure to supplement with Fig Newtons (my Plan B) and that seemed to work. I really enjoyed the crowd support on the bike, especially the cheering crowds near the bottom of the Yellow Lake climb. Think Alpe d'Huez. It was definitely single file through there. At no point during the ride did I get that "I really want off of this bike" feeling I remember from my first Half Ironman. Surprisingly, for a guy living in the flatlands for the past 14 years I didn't find either of the two major climbs or the seven (ten?) rollers in between them all that challenging.I was pretty risk averse on the downhills though, stayed mainly on the base bars and never exceeded 72km/hr (Inside joke for the folks back home).

Before I knew it we were wheeling our way back in to Penticton. I'm proud to say that after almost 6 hours I was still able to execute an acceptable flying dismount. Very cautiously though. Seconds don't mean quite as much in Ironman.

In Part 2: The marathon and the finish