Oh Canada....

We made it safe and sound to Canada, after a scorching hot day in the van. It was 105F at the border!That's it, I am getting a quote on recharging the AC in the van! Woah... Along those same lines, I always wish it was hotter at races. Well, this time I got my wish come true. Let's just hope the temperature gradient between Seattle and here doesn't prove too much, too quickly.

Donovan got a chance to get into Skaha Lake, just minutes from our friends' house. A good idea given how crazy hot it was today. He also played at a park with water-spraying features. As always, he has a good time anywhere we go.

I'm getting used to playgrounds with big lakes in the background....

After a not-so good nite of sleep, I got my act together and headed on out for the organized 'social ride'.  I learned the draw of freebies is powerful, and as such, only 3 of us showed up. S'all good.... 1st, 16th, and 25th in 2010. Let's see what we can do this hot year.

Canada, Ukraine, and Mexico.... representin'

More soon.

Lake Chelan... oh how awesome you are...

Been procrastinating writing a blog thanks to keeping busy with a good and final build for IMC, and a fantastic week-long family vacation we had at Lake Chelan, WA. Man, is that place beautiful!

It is very much like Penticton, in terms of big mountains, big lakes, just an awesome playground. I will say, Lake Chelan is the nicest body of water I have ever been in. It really makes Lake Washington here in Seattle seem like an overgrown, murky petri dish.


Moonrise over the coolest open water pool, seen from backyard.

I got to experience what it must be like to be a non-working, full-time pro, focusing on training & recovery. I actually had to watch how much I was training, as putting in the hours was very easy, and afterall, I was smack in the middle of tapering.

"Hey Donovan, can we go slower? This is WAY over race pace..."

 

Donovan had a blast- We played mini golf, rode our bikes, swam in the pools and in the lake, made sand castles, went to a water park.  He would continuously ask if we could just live there.  After a weeks' time, we made it back, with recharged batteries, looking forward to one last summer trip up to Canada for some racing this coming Sunday, and then getting ready for kindergarten...  fast times....

Ironman Canada Bike Ride, 08/26 Friday

For those of you in Penticton or its vicinity this week, Scott Tremblay and I have organized a bike ride on Friday August 26, departing at 8:30AM from the Northeast corner of Skaha Lake Park.


The plan is to head down Lakeside Rd, check out the McLean Creek climb, and when we get to Ok Falls, hang a right and ride back on the run course. That way, people get to see the steepest climbs on the ride and run. 19mi total, away from stoplights and off highways. The ride will last ~1hr. The pace is easy and social. Bring your friends and family.

If you are in Penticton this week for Ironman, either to race or spectate, come on by, be social with some of the rockstars of our sport- You'll have to come and see who shows up...

Please feel free to contact me with questions or comments.

Happy taper to all.

Does it get better than this?

That's right: #43 is 5yrs old.
Notice an actual timming chip.

Walking to race with his transition pack

 



Goggles that matched swim cap color, very cool.



Easy-peasy. Now, where's my bike?



Happy triathlete with proud Papa.

As a father and tri geek, watching Donovan do his first swim-bike-run race has imprinted one of the coolest memories to date. He was all smiles every time we'd see him. The first words out of his mouth afterwards were "I want to do it again!"  On the days leading up to his race, he was so excited, letting everyone know he was going to be a triathlete.

In true triathlete form, upon finishing, he grabbed some snacks and water, and asked for a massage. And then had fun on the play structure at the park.

IM Cd'A 13 MPro--- A positive race report, 4years in the making....

The water temperature was ridiculous cold to me. It yielded some slow swim times and affected lots of people. With the water temps somewhere around mid-50s, and the air temps at 7AM not much warmer, I knew I was going to be hurting * I F * I managed to get out of the water. Yes, I spent TEN minutes in T1. That is the amount of time the AWESOME volunteers spent trying to warm me up and getting me into dry clothes (I had zero finger dexterity, was cramping everywhere and shivering big time). My B70 Helix wetsuit kept most of my body warm, but unfortunately, not the feet and hands.



Hmmh.. let me check the water temp- yep, it is about FREEZING deg Celsius.

I spent the first 20mi of the ride shivering and with aching muscles, and it took me 70(!) miles to be able to feel my toes again. This was a bit of a blessing, as I hurt my right foot pretty bad whent I tripped getting out of the water. My podiatrist said it probably hurt like all hell but with my feet frozen, I didn't even notice. In fact, the skin abrasions didn't even bleed. That's how cold I was. My Blue Triad was flawless and let me cover the ride using only 3.1w/kg. Thanks Michael for letting me borrow the awesome HED Jet disc wheel, brother!

Arm + leg warmers, gloves, vest, toe covers, and, yes, still shivering all over

Got off the bike, put on my bright green shoes on & got to work. Turns out I bruised a couple ligaments in my foot when I tripped and fell, and this kept me from running my best so I'm a little bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong-I pushed my bruised foot as hard as I could for 26 miles. I am good with the marathon time I was able to put together with this hiccup, and it gives me the confidence to know I can run myself back into it if I don't trip next time.

Push, Papa! Push!!

Coming down the finish, the emotions really overcame me, seeing my beautiful wife and son smiling from a distance, jumping up and down, excited that we had been able to finally put together a positive race at this event that had broken me 3x in a row.  I pumped my fists, grabbed my country's flag, thanked the crowd and felt like the king of the world!  13th place isn't great at all, but what I'm really taking away are the big positives, including figuring out how to pace my OWN race so I can play my strengths, and overcoming less-than-ideal (for me) race conditions.

My nutrition was perfect (finally!). I woke up to an Ultragen shake and 5xgluten-free waffles.  I hydrated from a bottle with nuun while it got time to go. With 20mins to go, I had 1 bottle with 1serving of grape EFS + 1.5scoops of Pre-Race. During the bike, I consumed ~300kcals of EFS per hour. On the run, two flasks- 1 with liquid shot, 1 with 1serving EFS+0.5scoop Pre-Race. I grabbed another 2 flasks of the same at the halfway point. I felt strong all day long, zero GI distress. I am so grateful 1st Endurance has helped me figure out what works for me. I should also add I sodium loaded the day before, anticipating it could get hot on the run.

I would also like to thank our homestay hosts, Al and Dani, who made our stay very relaxing and really took care of us. We had a great trip. Now, it's time to enjoy some sun (and ice cream!)

 

Thanks for reading.

Ironman Coeur d'Alene - 13th MPro

Story soon. I would like to quickly thank all my friends and family for the encouraging messages I got on the days leading up to last Sunday, and my awesome sponsors for their support.

Team Ramirez walks away with a positive experience, ready to ramp it up at Canada.

Meet & greet with fellow IM'ers and ~100kids....

Friday in beautiful and COLD Cd'A. First let me get the complaining out of the way- the water is very cold (to me) and the air temperature is comfortable... in my DOWN Jacket...

With that out of the way, and after the choppy cold 6AM swim, the social ride this AM was good, and we had a good showing.

The guys and gal seemed to have a good time, we discussed race course logistics and got a chance to see the harder of the hills we'll see on Sunday. There were a few that had not ridden the course before and felt relieved to have seen it ahead of time. Everyone sampled and walked away with a smattering of products and water bottles from First Endurance, and with pint glasses from Blue Cycles. Though I suggested using them after the race, more than a few people said they wouldn't wait until then for a beer.

My sponsors are awesome and I'm truly grateful for their support to do things like this. I know I definitely enjoyed the chance to talk to everyone that showed- at the end of the day, we are all the same, we've all trained hard, we're ready to complete this journey.

 Later in the afternoon, I was invited to speak at the Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai, in Post Falls. That was actually really cool, being able to hold the attention of some 100 kids ages 6-12  for about 45minutes.

So you see, all you do is swim, bike and run....

 They asked me all kinds of questions, wanted to know all sorts of things- Does your helmet make you fly? Is it true your shoes are glued to your pedals? Do you have to buy food when you are in the race? How much water do you drink? What is the fastest you've gone on your bike? Can I ride your bike? Is it true volunteers make sure you are ok when you finish? Are you going to win?

Can we touch the bike? Sure, you can....

 It's been a day full of activity. We are tired. Time to watch a movie and call it a night. Thanks for reading.

Dear Cd'A,

I wrote you this brief post last year.
Over the years on your course, I have completed and abandoned;
I have cried with joy, and with pain and frustration;
I have been hot, cold, dealt with stomach pain, even collapsed and been removed by medics;
I respect your choppy water, your sharp hills, and your heat and wind;
5 more days til we meet again. Can hardly wait...

jc