Fun With Lance

For those on Facebook or iamtri.com this is originally posted at my blog at
http://www.slow-triathlete.blogspot.com/

I found these pretty fun.

It's nice when you can make fun of yourself.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=Nqkf7iv2BDo

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-hi2sc74ySA

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NXj7-55xHn0

Running With (Professional) Inspiration

For those on Facebook or iamtri.com this is originally posted at my blog at http://www.slow-triathlete.blogspot.com/

Across Canada there are hundreds of children's parents paying thousands of dollars to send their little Crosbys and Ovechkins to skate with the pros at hockey camps. Conversely, thousands of triathletes pay hundreds of dollars to have the opportunity to swim, bike and run and suffer alongside the likes of Chris McCormack and Normann Stadler.

Can there be such a thing as a fan of triathlon?

Sure. Why not?

It is tough to follow your sport unless you look carefully and/or know where to point your mouse. There is hardly any TV out there and when there is, it is almost never live. This sad state of affairs is something that makes it pretty tough to cheer on your favourite athletes from your armchair, or better yet, propped atop your trainer gathering motivation.

Attempting to view races after they happen, is hard to become engrossed in, with the winners and drama usually already known. Ironmanlive.com and Triathlon.org, the online homes of the World Triathlon Corporation and International Triathlon Union, allow fans of this sport to watch and listen to the race as it unfolds and on the day it happens. Ironmanlive.com even provides coverage up to a few days before a major race, where fans can take part in almost every aspect of the race, not in the water and on the road, but from the comfort of their own homes.

Online triathlon forums like Slowtwitch.com, Beginnerstriathlete.com etc. are now allowing fans of racing to comment on and 'trash talk' via the web while watching the race in another window. Even the pros get into the act on the forums commenting on their own races with anecdotes, training and race reports from their perched view. It is doubtful that one could find Sidney Crosby on a hockey forum after a play-off game describing how his night went, but within the triathlon community the pros live the same lives as we do, albeit to the nth degree.

Having a favourite hockey player is all well and good to model your style on the ice after, but can a fan find the training regimen of an NHL star? A lot of pro triathletes write articles for magazines on their methods of training and many of the same, as previously alluded to, post their training days in forums and the latest favourite - blogs. Many of the Canadian Olympians, including Simon Whitfield, Paul Tichelaar and Colin Jenkins all have information packed blogs. Jenkins’ chronicle even had postings of his quest to make the Beijing team; detailing his thoughts and training on the journey to the team. Coach Joel Filiol posts scientific and general athletic interest articles on his blog. Another great blog is Kirsten Sweetland's 'Diary of a 19 Year Old In Sport'. It is a great insight into the life of a new pro and a quest to achieve prominence in hers and yours sport - including her candid account of her melt down in Des Moines last season with only about 500m to go and a guaranteed spot on the Olympic squad.

A triathlete's inability to turn on the TV and get a live feed from a race has not inhibited them from becoming a fan of the sport and the personalities within. The intensity of a professional endurance athlete translates well to the page (or screen) and is a tool for any triathlete to cling to and use.

Thoughts On Drugs, Winners and the Grand Tours

For those on Facebook or iamtri.com this is originally posted at my blog at http://www.slow-triathlete.blogspot.com/

So if the Tour de France is the greatest test for a professional cyclist and Alberto Contador is, arguably, the current best grand tour cyclist in the world; is it still the biggest test if he is not there?

Contador and his Astana teammates, including Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloden, were not invited because of Astana's drug related embarrassments last year at the Tour de France and other races. Now Astana is under the masterful management of Johan Bruyneel, the architect of Lance Armstrong's and Contador's wins, and also has few remaining members of the fiasco that was the team last season. Is it at all fair that last year's winner cannot defend his crown? Absolutely not. Is it the right of the organizers to not allow Astana? Yep. Should they? I guess that's where the debate lies.

The organizers of the Tour de France have changed governing bodies and have, reportedly been attempting to change rules for their race. Sure it's historic. Yes it is THE EVENT. But should they be so powerful to be able change rules at will and allow who they want, when they want for whatever reason they want? No frickin' way!!

These 'businessmen' are taking away from the fans of cycling. Pretty soon us folks in North America may lose the Versus feed for the event because there is no one of interest in the race any longer. It could happen. In Canada it is pretty much the only televised bike race available all year long. No Spring Classics. No Tour de California or anything of the sort. I want to be able to watch a sport I love.

Druggies be damned. Kick them out as they are found out. Instead of not allowing 'clean' racers in, test during the race...a lot. Then make certain the names are made known to the world. Embarrass them. Think Rasmussen wasn't a deeper shade of red when he was outed for a possible infraction? Damn right he was. It also likely hit pretty deep in the pockets too. Any endorsements these guys have will be history, especially if a company is clever enough to include a 'moral' clause in the contract.

Now if the Tour wanted to leave a team like Rock Racing out of their race, that's ok by me. Even though I am a big Tyler Hamilton fan, this is a team that prides itself on having the 'bad asses' of cycling. Dopers (admitted or at least proven & those that continue to defend themselves), bad boys and hell even Floyd Landis is associated with the squad. They are there as pure entertainment with good cycling taking a back seat. For the record I do enjoy the show Rock puts on and I only wish I could afford their official kit. Astana, on the other hand, is a great team that is full of grand tour contenders and one hell of a tactician. Oh yeah and they won the Giro d'Italia with only eight days notice.

Just because some former team members have done bad, is no reason to not allow them to race. If the Olympic committee took that kind of stand we'd have Greenland and Antarctica head to head in every sport. Punish those that have done the deed, not those getting past it and rebuilding.

ASO get your head out of your asses and allow Astana to race in a race of champions.

More Cutting, Less Running, More Swimming

For those on Facebook this is originally posted at my blog at
http://www.slow-triathlete.blogspot.com/ ....




So as per my last entry, I am not running but I am swimming a bunch lately.



The last little while I have been swimming every day and am now doing decent intervals...for the shape I am currently in. Warming up with 300-500 warm up free, 200-500 drill with/without paddles or fins and my main set has been consisting of 4x300 descending or 10x100 descending or 20-40 minute endurance swims. I know it's not a lot but I am getting back into shape after the back surgery.



Speaking of surgery...tomorrow morning I am having another small bit of surgery and will be out a few days. As my wonderful wife wrote it on the calendar, 'Brian goes to vet to get neutered'. The only perk is...well there are no perks.



I will keep you all updated whether you like it or not.