A busy weekend for us all.
As you read this on Friday evening, Mark "The Mule" Campbell and Cookie "The Hat" Monster will be setting off on their one person/one blue monster monster trek around the 280km of the Cabot Trail, on foot (and head, in Cookie's case). By the time you wake up tomorrow, they'll be around Cabot High and still more than half of it, and all the mountains, to come. We wish him well, we wish him more than well in fact. We can't guarantee this, but check Facebook, we're sure than members of Mark's support team will update on the status of the run, wireless signals permitting. If you should be on the trail this weekend, take along a Popsicle and hand it up to him if you should pass him.
The TurnAround itself will be at Cabot Trail, doing the whole officiating thing with the tech crew. It looks like we'll also be taking on a mountain leg too. Yes, we just did the Full at Bluenose and no we're not 100% sure why we're doing this. We know many triathletes are on teams at CTR, we'll be sure to say hello.
For those of you who are not at CTR or Mark Campbell, get thyself to the Navy Tridents. Even if the registration deadline has passed (18:00hrs Friday), you can still volunteer at the race in some capacity. It's a fast course and it is always a great event.
Where-ever you are this weekend, have fun, take care and watch out for the moose.
AD
Oh, and Mark, Amy has just about ordered all of the pizzas.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Bluenose Report
Quite the weekend at the races, that Bluenose. It was the first time in seven years they'd had good weather for the event, and in a way after the wind and rain and hypothermia, they were due a good one. Perhaps a bit too good; our view of the full after the Bridge (that is ca. 27km in) was one of carnage with a string of walkers as far as the eye could see! We're not used to such heat so early in the season!
As we mentioned, the Bluenose has come in for it's fair share of criticism over the years, and none-so more than from me (in a personal capacity). We have to say, however, that this year seemed to go really well and that (again in a personal capacity) nothing seemed to go wrong. All events, and all RDs, go through a learning curve and when dealing with 7000 athletes rather than 70, well that's an order or two or magnitude of thing that can go wrong. So, chapeau to Gerry and his team, and thank-you.
The start-corrals seemed to us to be a bit ambitious, four starts in an hour, three in 30 minutes, but they went off smoothly. The half might have been five minutes late, but that's practically on-time as far as these things go and having blown the starters' horn on multiple occasions ourselves, we aren't going to quibble over five minutes (a level of accuracy we'd like to aspire to, but rarely do!).
The full was off first. All eyes were on Mark Campbell; doing his seventh Bluenose full in seven years, and with his finish, we think he's the all-time record holder (David MacLellan has seven starts but one DNF, in the atrocious 2005 event). This was after his 12hr/106km dreadmill run on the Saturday. He finished strong in 4:09 and was still smiling. He even had enough energy for a water-fight with us at the toll-booths on the bridge (at 27km). For those of you wedded to Power-this and Carb-that during your runs (like the TurnAround), it seems Mark's dietary weapon of choice is the humble popsicle!
Elsewhere in the full, Penny Hart finished her fourth BN full in 3:28 for 2nd lady and first in her age-group. Brenda Topliss in 4:28, similarly winning her age-group. Is the Ryan Kemp with a 3:40 the same guy who ran nearly all of TNS' races last year? Probably. We should mention Jonathon Howse, who ran a 3:56. We know him as a humble barista at Two If By Sea (them of the wonderful buttery croissants served at DIFS). However we learned that he was 9th in his age-group at Du Worlds in 2006. If he can knock off a sub-4hr marathon now, what hope for us when he gets into true racing shape? After bunnying the half to a 1:29 and change, we carried on up the wrong chute (sorry Kerry Copeland, who looked really confused and bemused when we did) to complete the full and got a little Boston redemption.
Really though, the action for the TA was in the half, where we were the 1:30 pace-bunny. It was a momentous first half for the TA and we like to think that we were, in our own small way, responsible (in part) for multiple PBs, second and third lady and putting one guy in hospital! It looks like the first triathlete was Laura Keefe, with a 1:27, which also netted her first lady as well as a wildly inaacurate but highly entertaining interview in the Chronic. Her video interview was wonderfully eloquent though, more-so considering most of us tend to either drool or collapse incoherently at the line. Second lady was Stacy Chesnutt, who ran PBs for both the 10K and the half in the same race. Next in was Mac Grant, a 35' 10K kinda guy, who still broke 1:30 in his first try at the distance and still getting a feel for what it feels like to be out there so long. Next in was Dan Thompson and then Kevin Conley. Between us and 1:45 pace-bunny Marie-Claude Grégoire were Caitlin Gillis, Lesley Wilson, Elizabeth Seiffert, Farley MacLeod, Darlene Chapman, Tracy Crowell, Ron MacDougall (race#11) and Rhonda Cooke. Marie-Claude's group included Steve Saunders from BTC. Just because a 1:44 half isn't hard enough, we understand that Steve rode home to Blockhouse (yes rode), later on that afternoon. Headwind all the way too! Just behind her was Ironman Jason Murphy. We know that Bev Richardson, proud owner of a new TNS hoodie came in at the 2:30 mark.
The bunny ears were great fun, in an embarrassing-getting-all-kinds-of-attention kinda way. Cries of "go bunny go" seemed to follow us around all weekend, whether at the Friendship Run on Friday, walking to the start on Sunday or in the race itself. When you're suffering through a bad patch (and there is always a bad-patch in a marathon), a little kid saying "look, a wabbit" really puts a smile on your face and helps you forget how bad you are feeling and how far is left to go. It's like getting that finishing-straight kick at random spots on the course. We understand that one of the bunnies even inspired an off-the-cuff, acapella rap; "Bunny hop hop, bunny hop".
The first name we came across in the 10K was Tom Soehl, with a rapid 38" to his name, and this includes going back and forth over the MacDonald Bridge remember. We see a Ryan MacDonald in there with a 42, we're not sure if this is Provincial Champion Ryan, could be. We see John McInnery in there too. Ian Loughead, more a du specialist, did a 50 and achieved his pre-race goal of staying ahead of the 55 bunny. He's looking forward to racing three duathlons in the next three weeks, and he can spend half of that time sitting down! We know there are more of you in there, but in our defence the list is over 2000 long!
Out of 1400 runners, Conor Friesen ran a short 16' 5K to place second in that event and it looks like Marie Soehl won her age-group with a 21. It looks like the 5K is the place to be for the U20s!
Not all of you were racing, we saw Erin Thibault in Shubie on her MTB, providing assistance to runners, and we can assure you there were many runners in need of assistance once we'd got around to Shubie, which came at the 20 mile mark. The TA may not have seen Tinkerbell, but many did. Kerry Copeland was heavily involved with the Youth Run as she has been in previous years. We also know several TNS members helped out at the water stop in the youth run, take a bow Dianne Chaisson and Linda McLeod.
Full results are at Sportstats. Well, that's all for now. Apologies if we didn't mention you, the TNS member tracking software is as bad as it was last year, but put a comment below and let us know how you did. Congratulations one and all for your races.
Next up, Navy....
AD
As we mentioned, the Bluenose has come in for it's fair share of criticism over the years, and none-so more than from me (in a personal capacity). We have to say, however, that this year seemed to go really well and that (again in a personal capacity) nothing seemed to go wrong. All events, and all RDs, go through a learning curve and when dealing with 7000 athletes rather than 70, well that's an order or two or magnitude of thing that can go wrong. So, chapeau to Gerry and his team, and thank-you.
The start-corrals seemed to us to be a bit ambitious, four starts in an hour, three in 30 minutes, but they went off smoothly. The half might have been five minutes late, but that's practically on-time as far as these things go and having blown the starters' horn on multiple occasions ourselves, we aren't going to quibble over five minutes (a level of accuracy we'd like to aspire to, but rarely do!).
The full was off first. All eyes were on Mark Campbell; doing his seventh Bluenose full in seven years, and with his finish, we think he's the all-time record holder (David MacLellan has seven starts but one DNF, in the atrocious 2005 event). This was after his 12hr/106km dreadmill run on the Saturday. He finished strong in 4:09 and was still smiling. He even had enough energy for a water-fight with us at the toll-booths on the bridge (at 27km). For those of you wedded to Power-this and Carb-that during your runs (like the TurnAround), it seems Mark's dietary weapon of choice is the humble popsicle!
Elsewhere in the full, Penny Hart finished her fourth BN full in 3:28 for 2nd lady and first in her age-group. Brenda Topliss in 4:28, similarly winning her age-group. Is the Ryan Kemp with a 3:40 the same guy who ran nearly all of TNS' races last year? Probably. We should mention Jonathon Howse, who ran a 3:56. We know him as a humble barista at Two If By Sea (them of the wonderful buttery croissants served at DIFS). However we learned that he was 9th in his age-group at Du Worlds in 2006. If he can knock off a sub-4hr marathon now, what hope for us when he gets into true racing shape? After bunnying the half to a 1:29 and change, we carried on up the wrong chute (sorry Kerry Copeland, who looked really confused and bemused when we did) to complete the full and got a little Boston redemption.
Really though, the action for the TA was in the half, where we were the 1:30 pace-bunny. It was a momentous first half for the TA and we like to think that we were, in our own small way, responsible (in part) for multiple PBs, second and third lady and putting one guy in hospital! It looks like the first triathlete was Laura Keefe, with a 1:27, which also netted her first lady as well as a wildly inaacurate but highly entertaining interview in the Chronic. Her video interview was wonderfully eloquent though, more-so considering most of us tend to either drool or collapse incoherently at the line. Second lady was Stacy Chesnutt, who ran PBs for both the 10K and the half in the same race. Next in was Mac Grant, a 35' 10K kinda guy, who still broke 1:30 in his first try at the distance and still getting a feel for what it feels like to be out there so long. Next in was Dan Thompson and then Kevin Conley. Between us and 1:45 pace-bunny Marie-Claude Grégoire were Caitlin Gillis, Lesley Wilson, Elizabeth Seiffert, Farley MacLeod, Darlene Chapman, Tracy Crowell, Ron MacDougall (race#11) and Rhonda Cooke. Marie-Claude's group included Steve Saunders from BTC. Just because a 1:44 half isn't hard enough, we understand that Steve rode home to Blockhouse (yes rode), later on that afternoon. Headwind all the way too! Just behind her was Ironman Jason Murphy. We know that Bev Richardson, proud owner of a new TNS hoodie came in at the 2:30 mark.
The bunny ears were great fun, in an embarrassing-getting-all-kinds-of-attention kinda way. Cries of "go bunny go" seemed to follow us around all weekend, whether at the Friendship Run on Friday, walking to the start on Sunday or in the race itself. When you're suffering through a bad patch (and there is always a bad-patch in a marathon), a little kid saying "look, a wabbit" really puts a smile on your face and helps you forget how bad you are feeling and how far is left to go. It's like getting that finishing-straight kick at random spots on the course. We understand that one of the bunnies even inspired an off-the-cuff, acapella rap; "Bunny hop hop, bunny hop".
The first name we came across in the 10K was Tom Soehl, with a rapid 38" to his name, and this includes going back and forth over the MacDonald Bridge remember. We see a Ryan MacDonald in there with a 42, we're not sure if this is Provincial Champion Ryan, could be. We see John McInnery in there too. Ian Loughead, more a du specialist, did a 50 and achieved his pre-race goal of staying ahead of the 55 bunny. He's looking forward to racing three duathlons in the next three weeks, and he can spend half of that time sitting down! We know there are more of you in there, but in our defence the list is over 2000 long!
Out of 1400 runners, Conor Friesen ran a short 16' 5K to place second in that event and it looks like Marie Soehl won her age-group with a 21. It looks like the 5K is the place to be for the U20s!
Not all of you were racing, we saw Erin Thibault in Shubie on her MTB, providing assistance to runners, and we can assure you there were many runners in need of assistance once we'd got around to Shubie, which came at the 20 mile mark. The TA may not have seen Tinkerbell, but many did. Kerry Copeland was heavily involved with the Youth Run as she has been in previous years. We also know several TNS members helped out at the water stop in the youth run, take a bow Dianne Chaisson and Linda McLeod.
Full results are at Sportstats. Well, that's all for now. Apologies if we didn't mention you, the TNS member tracking software is as bad as it was last year, but put a comment below and let us know how you did. Congratulations one and all for your races.
Next up, Navy....
AD
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Navy Tridents Triathlon
Firstly, please accept an apology from us at the TurnAround. A Bluenose report will come! In the meantime, highlights include Laura Keefe's win in the half (not to mention a wildly inaccurate report in the "newspaper" afterward, they got her name right, anything after that is open to interpretation) and Mark Campbell's run. The day after running 106 km/12hr on a dreadmill, he clocked a 4hr full and was still smiling at the finish-line. There were PBs galore and you couldn't throw a Gu without hitting someone from TNS (especially at the pointy ends of the races). As we said, we'll bring you more soon. In the meantime, if you have any photos or a story, let us know.
This weekend sees the first Triathlon of the season, the Navy Tridents event. We remember going to the first one but it is such a staple of the early season, can any of us really imagine the season without it now? For those of you who didn't do DIFS because "it was only a duathlon", well this is a triathlon, we've seen the water and can attest that is is real, so you're essentially out of excuses.
The action kicks off at 07:00 Sunday morning. The reason for the early start is because the swim is in the pool at CFB Shearwater, and there is a max limit on the number of people in the pool. The are waves all morning. If you've already registered you'll get a start-time by email. As there are waves, there is NO race-day registration, it closes on Atlantic Chip at 18:00 hrs this Friday. So if you want to do this one you can't wait for the final weather forecast before deciding to go; you have to sign up now. It's not so bad if it is raining, besides, it's raining on everyone, not just you!
After you finish the swim, it's a short jog to TZ just outside the pool. Watch your step on the tiled floor, it can get slippery. Once you get your bike (don't forget to buckle y our helmet, it's been a while) it's only a short run to the mount line.
The bike-course is quite easy and no chance to get lost. You go straight up the only hill on the course. At the top, you'll be taking a left turn somewhere along the road, through a gate onto the runway. Yup, you read that right, runway. Wide. Straight. Flat. No traffic, no cars or even even an astray Aurora! There'll be a couple of left/rights as you ride across the apron and taxiways until you get to the runway proper. Once on the runway, you go up side and down the other. It's about a 4km round trip to do once circuit. Listen to the race briefing carefully, there you will hear how many laps you have to do. You are responsible to count your own laps; it's too confusing on the runway for the marshals to know who is doing what distance. As always in the briefing, if you have any questions, just ask the briefers, it's why they are there. Besides, if you are unsure, there is bound to be someone else who is also thinking "did they say three or four laps?".
It does sound a tad confusing but the RD can't post maps because this is an operational CF base and there are security concerns. It is, however, an easy course to navigate. We've gone up with our race-head on and not gone astray, so we can attest to this personally!
After you have done your required number of laps, reverse the way you came and go back to TZ. It's only a couple of kilometers back, so don't forget to spin your legs out on the way back. Rack your bike (then take off your helmet!), do the shoe thing and head out on the run. The course is around the houses at the back of the pool. If memory serves, there's a bit of a hill buried in there somewhere, so be warned. Again, it's multiple laps with the number of laps depending on which race you're doing, so don't forget to check how many you have to do and don't forget to count!
There's a duathlon as well, same course but with two runs and the only water is in cups at the turnaround, which is just the way some of you like it!
A quick look at the registrations and it's hard to pick a winner right now. Greenwood RD, Denis Choquette (have you registered for his race yet?), may be a good candidate, or will one of the Juniors take it, or perhaps (as we learned at Bluenose) perhaps some dude just moved into town and is ready to kick all our arses?
Don't forget, while you're at Atlantic Chip signing up, you can sigh up for other upcoming events such as Cyclesmith and Greenwood! See you at the races
AD
This weekend sees the first Triathlon of the season, the Navy Tridents event. We remember going to the first one but it is such a staple of the early season, can any of us really imagine the season without it now? For those of you who didn't do DIFS because "it was only a duathlon", well this is a triathlon, we've seen the water and can attest that is is real, so you're essentially out of excuses.
The action kicks off at 07:00 Sunday morning. The reason for the early start is because the swim is in the pool at CFB Shearwater, and there is a max limit on the number of people in the pool. The are waves all morning. If you've already registered you'll get a start-time by email. As there are waves, there is NO race-day registration, it closes on Atlantic Chip at 18:00 hrs this Friday. So if you want to do this one you can't wait for the final weather forecast before deciding to go; you have to sign up now. It's not so bad if it is raining, besides, it's raining on everyone, not just you!
After you finish the swim, it's a short jog to TZ just outside the pool. Watch your step on the tiled floor, it can get slippery. Once you get your bike (don't forget to buckle y our helmet, it's been a while) it's only a short run to the mount line.
The bike-course is quite easy and no chance to get lost. You go straight up the only hill on the course. At the top, you'll be taking a left turn somewhere along the road, through a gate onto the runway. Yup, you read that right, runway. Wide. Straight. Flat. No traffic, no cars or even even an astray Aurora! There'll be a couple of left/rights as you ride across the apron and taxiways until you get to the runway proper. Once on the runway, you go up side and down the other. It's about a 4km round trip to do once circuit. Listen to the race briefing carefully, there you will hear how many laps you have to do. You are responsible to count your own laps; it's too confusing on the runway for the marshals to know who is doing what distance. As always in the briefing, if you have any questions, just ask the briefers, it's why they are there. Besides, if you are unsure, there is bound to be someone else who is also thinking "did they say three or four laps?".
It does sound a tad confusing but the RD can't post maps because this is an operational CF base and there are security concerns. It is, however, an easy course to navigate. We've gone up with our race-head on and not gone astray, so we can attest to this personally!
After you have done your required number of laps, reverse the way you came and go back to TZ. It's only a couple of kilometers back, so don't forget to spin your legs out on the way back. Rack your bike (then take off your helmet!), do the shoe thing and head out on the run. The course is around the houses at the back of the pool. If memory serves, there's a bit of a hill buried in there somewhere, so be warned. Again, it's multiple laps with the number of laps depending on which race you're doing, so don't forget to check how many you have to do and don't forget to count!
There's a duathlon as well, same course but with two runs and the only water is in cups at the turnaround, which is just the way some of you like it!
A quick look at the registrations and it's hard to pick a winner right now. Greenwood RD, Denis Choquette (have you registered for his race yet?), may be a good candidate, or will one of the Juniors take it, or perhaps (as we learned at Bluenose) perhaps some dude just moved into town and is ready to kick all our arses?
Don't forget, while you're at Atlantic Chip signing up, you can sigh up for other upcoming events such as Cyclesmith and Greenwood! See you at the races
AD
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Bluenose Expo
Well, the Bluenose Marathon Expo has just finished. The big news from the Expo was. of course, Mark Campbell's 12 hour treadmill run for Brigadoon. He completed his run, as we all knew he did, clocking an amazing 106km in the 12 hrs, not to mention raising over $6000.
The tale of the not inconsiderable tapeHe started at 06:00, 2 hrs before the Expo opened on Saturday, and had already run a marathon by the time most people turned up to collect their for their bibs for the following day. He started off at a conservative 8 kph pace but steadily increased during the day; he was running faster at the end than the beginning!
Not a number you usually associate with a run on a treadmillMark was kept busy by a steady stream of well-wishers, not to mention constant media attention. His final 30 minutes were practically electric and the atmosphere when he finished was enough to bring a tear to even a strong-man's eye; there were very few strong men (or women) at 18:00! He looked strong throughout the day and the odds on him finishing the Great Silliness; that is running the 280 km of the Cabot Trail solo next week-end, are surely shortening.
Yeah, "0", it started at 12:00:00In other news, as you are probably aware, TNS had a booth there, just up from the chip activation booth, and we were very busy for the two-day duration of the Expo.
Just in case you were wondering how it all got put together, the TurnAround turned up on Friday morning a about 09:00 with bags and boxes from the TNS office.
Just in case you were wondering how it all got put together, the TurnAround turned up on Friday morning a about 09:00 with bags and boxes from the TNS office.
and was shown to an empty booth.
Just like race day: a car-load of stuff and an empty space to transform by lunchtime!
We have to admit, it was amusing to see the little sign on the booth telling us we were in the right place...
We have to admit, it was amusing to see the little sign on the booth telling us we were in the right place...
which sport are we again, triathalon?...or were we? Triathalon? Sounds kinda familiar.
Anyway, the first thing we did was unpack all the boxes. If this was triathalon's spot, they were going to have to fight us for it! There is always something of the Tardis about this; how did all that stuff fit in there? Not sure if a five-minute frenzy of unpacking is actually helpful but it does make us feel better.
Then put it all together. The T-shirts on the booth walls, the race-day banner on the back. We played Ron's DVD from the 2006 season on one day, and switched it out for a slide-show from the 2009 Canada Games on the second day.
After about an hour, it was looking good, and we still had time for a seriously strong coffee before doors opened at 11! We were going to need it.
As always, we're trying to improve the booth, and this year we raffled off a TNS hoodie and sold TNS mugs as well has having neat liitle luggage tags for your race-bags as giveaways.
Don't worry if you didn't make it to the Expo, we're sure the luaggage tags and mugs will be making an appearance at a TZ sign-in table near you soon.
As always, the TNS booth seemed to be a bit of a magnet for triathletes old and new; it was nice to see both new faces as well as some old familiar ones. Welcome one and all.
A huge thanks to Linda McLeod and Marie-Claude Grégoire for staffing the booth.
We know many triathletes, and triathaletes, will be racing tomorrow at the Bluenose, because you told us. So good luck all of you. If you are in town but not racing, turn up and cheer on, especially Mark Campbell as he runs his 7th Bluenose full (our mistake in the previous post), a trifling little matter of a run after today's excursions.
See you soon
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Thursday, May 20, 2010
Bluenose
It's the Bluenose marathon (BN) and associated events, half, 10k, 5k and kids run, this weekend (May 21-23). It's pretty much the largest event of it's kind in Nova Scotia, maybe the Maritimes. Of all the events, the full marathon, arguably the Blue Ribbon event of the weekend, attracts about 350 runners, with maybe 1000 in the half, the same again in the 5 and 10k and usually about 3500, or half the weekend's total, in the 4.2K kids run on Saturday.
Bluenose bills itself as the peoples' marathon, which means it has had several run-ins with the local running community over the years, as regards their policies on Elites, prizes, t-shirts, routes, rules and like. Not to mention a spectacular black-eye two years ago. Last year went pretty smoothly though, so they got those problems sorted. This notwithstanding, their self-proclaimed remit is to get Halifax running, and in this respect, they do this very well. Those 7000 people represent maybe 2.5% of the 280 000 or so who live in HRM (yes, we know not all the runners are from HRM but work with us here!). Speaking of dodgy statistics and marathon running, if you look at the Boston start-list a month ago, there were over 100 Nova Scotians, which given the population of Nova Scotia (ca. 1 000 000) means 0.01% of the Province's population ran Boston. That's not bad, is it
The half-marathon, probably the most popular distance among triathletes, takes in a loop and a half around peninsular Halifax. Starting at the Metro Centre, you go around the Citadel, Commons, the north end, down to the Navy on Barrington, Provo Wallis, Hollis, Inglis, Point Pleasant Park, back up to the Common, another little loop of the north end and back to the Metro Centre. A good place to see the race is at Young and Inglis, everyone passes twice, plus the park sorts people out a little bit. If you haven't got the miles in for the half, this is where it is going to start to tell! Apart from Tower in the park, the first half is pretty flat and you might start to wonder where BN gets its reputation from. It gets it from the second half, mwah ha ha!
The full and half run together for the first 21km. The second half of the marathon goes over to Dartmouth and does a loop past Mic Mac Mall, Shubie, Grahams Grove, up the infamous Maple and then back over the bridge to finish. A good place to see the full marathon is at the Timmies on Waverly by Montebello. Why? Well, there's the obvious; coffee (after a fashion) and toilets, but there's another reason. It's the exit from Shubie. The marathon only does two or three kilometers in Shubie, but Shubie is, nonetheless, a magical place where wondrous things happen. Not magical as in Magic Kingdom, but if the marathoners are doing it right, there's still a good chance they'll see Tinkerbell.
...and you don't get the nice Tinkerbell after twenty miles either, you get Kylie's manic, hopped-up-on-Absinthe Tinkerbell
You see, you go into the park at 29k and everything should be feeling OK. You leave at 32 k, the mythical 20 miles, after which nothing in a marathon can be guaranteed! You may not have blown up leaving the park, but be rest assured, it could happen any time in the next 5km, and often without warning. So you're just left wondering when it's going to happen. One minute you're fine, the next, you're a drooling wreck running into trees. And all just in time for Maple. So all things considered, Locks Road is a great place to see the full. Coffee, loos, donuts and the prospect of seeing people in great pain in the name of sport (theirs) and entertainment (yours); "are you not entertained?".
Is this not why you are here?
The 10k usually starts separately and is a simple out-and-back over the MacDonald Bridge to Dartmouth and back. The big draw is you get to run on the span of the MacDonald, not the little walkway. Stop and take pictures, we've seen many who do.
This year the start-schedule seems a bit ambitious with four start times; one each for the marathon, half, 10 and 5 k spread over an hour. If you are running, pay attention. You don't want to start in the wrong wave and inadvertently clock a 60 minute 5 k or something; that'll really screw up the chip timers. This goes double if you're feeling a bit punchy, being half way through the Bluenose Brick. A Bluenose Brick is whereby some of our number rise extra-specially early and clock 100km on the bike before reporting to the Metro Centre, pinning on a dossard and doing the half. No-one, to our knowledge, has ever tried the Bluenose Brick but with the full. It can only be a matter of time (you know who we're talking about).
Triathletes have traditionally done well at this race and occupy many of the places of honor in all of the events, from 5km to 42.2km, from 2004 to now. We think the Cookie Monster has the record for the greatest number of BN full marathons in TNS (and possibly the record full-stop); he ran the inaugural 2004 full and then the full in each of '06, '07, '08, '09 and is down for '10. This is on a par with David MacLellan, who has raced each full (6 total) and who's record stands at five wins and a DNF.
Mark Campbell and Cookie Monster looking suitably grim at the 40K mark in the 2008 Bluenose
We think Penny Hart has the TNS ladies record with three fulls ('06, '07 and '09) and is also down to run the full this weekend. The TurnAround itself has three fulls under our capacious number belt ('04, '05 and '09) as well as a half ('06). We're down to pace bunny the half to a 1:30 but we'll probably keep on going to get marathon 12 in the bag and hopefully some personal redemption following Boston. Marie-Claude Grégoire will bunny the 1:45 half and Cathy Carter, who was handing out medals and water and doing most of the other jobs at Du It For Shelter, will be bunnying the 2:00 half, so between us there will be enough friendly faces to see you home if you're out there.
The weather has always been hit and miss for BN, usually miss. We reckon if you only came to Halifax for BN, you would likely be under the impression we didn't have a harbour, as it is usually obscured by fog; running over the span is like running in a cloudy bubble, and you are unable to see either the tops of the bridge spans or the water below.
The MacDonald Bridge in Bluenose livery
It may be too early to say for sure, but the forecast is looking atypically good for BN Sunday, double figures even, although old hands will say there's still time for snow, just in time for the start.
So we'll see you down the races this weekend then. We'll be at the Expo on Friday and Saturday too, at the TNS booth where we'll be taking memberships, giving out schedules, selling TNS mugs ($5 only, correct change would be awesome), raffling a TNS hoodie and we have a little secret something for members (the password is "what is Mark doing?").
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The half-marathon, probably the most popular distance among triathletes, takes in a loop and a half around peninsular Halifax. Starting at the Metro Centre, you go around the Citadel, Commons, the north end, down to the Navy on Barrington, Provo Wallis, Hollis, Inglis, Point Pleasant Park, back up to the Common, another little loop of the north end and back to the Metro Centre. A good place to see the race is at Young and Inglis, everyone passes twice, plus the park sorts people out a little bit. If you haven't got the miles in for the half, this is where it is going to start to tell! Apart from Tower in the park, the first half is pretty flat and you might start to wonder where BN gets its reputation from. It gets it from the second half, mwah ha ha!
The full and half run together for the first 21km. The second half of the marathon goes over to Dartmouth and does a loop past Mic Mac Mall, Shubie, Grahams Grove, up the infamous Maple and then back over the bridge to finish. A good place to see the full marathon is at the Timmies on Waverly by Montebello. Why? Well, there's the obvious; coffee (after a fashion) and toilets, but there's another reason. It's the exit from Shubie. The marathon only does two or three kilometers in Shubie, but Shubie is, nonetheless, a magical place where wondrous things happen. Not magical as in Magic Kingdom, but if the marathoners are doing it right, there's still a good chance they'll see Tinkerbell.
...and you don't get the nice Tinkerbell after twenty miles either, you get Kylie's manic, hopped-up-on-Absinthe TinkerbellYou see, you go into the park at 29k and everything should be feeling OK. You leave at 32 k, the mythical 20 miles, after which nothing in a marathon can be guaranteed! You may not have blown up leaving the park, but be rest assured, it could happen any time in the next 5km, and often without warning. So you're just left wondering when it's going to happen. One minute you're fine, the next, you're a drooling wreck running into trees. And all just in time for Maple. So all things considered, Locks Road is a great place to see the full. Coffee, loos, donuts and the prospect of seeing people in great pain in the name of sport (theirs) and entertainment (yours); "are you not entertained?".
Is this not why you are here?The 10k usually starts separately and is a simple out-and-back over the MacDonald Bridge to Dartmouth and back. The big draw is you get to run on the span of the MacDonald, not the little walkway. Stop and take pictures, we've seen many who do.
This year the start-schedule seems a bit ambitious with four start times; one each for the marathon, half, 10 and 5 k spread over an hour. If you are running, pay attention. You don't want to start in the wrong wave and inadvertently clock a 60 minute 5 k or something; that'll really screw up the chip timers. This goes double if you're feeling a bit punchy, being half way through the Bluenose Brick. A Bluenose Brick is whereby some of our number rise extra-specially early and clock 100km on the bike before reporting to the Metro Centre, pinning on a dossard and doing the half. No-one, to our knowledge, has ever tried the Bluenose Brick but with the full. It can only be a matter of time (you know who we're talking about).
Triathletes have traditionally done well at this race and occupy many of the places of honor in all of the events, from 5km to 42.2km, from 2004 to now. We think the Cookie Monster has the record for the greatest number of BN full marathons in TNS (and possibly the record full-stop); he ran the inaugural 2004 full and then the full in each of '06, '07, '08, '09 and is down for '10. This is on a par with David MacLellan, who has raced each full (6 total) and who's record stands at five wins and a DNF.
Mark Campbell and Cookie Monster looking suitably grim at the 40K mark in the 2008 BluenoseWe think Penny Hart has the TNS ladies record with three fulls ('06, '07 and '09) and is also down to run the full this weekend. The TurnAround itself has three fulls under our capacious number belt ('04, '05 and '09) as well as a half ('06). We're down to pace bunny the half to a 1:30 but we'll probably keep on going to get marathon 12 in the bag and hopefully some personal redemption following Boston. Marie-Claude Grégoire will bunny the 1:45 half and Cathy Carter, who was handing out medals and water and doing most of the other jobs at Du It For Shelter, will be bunnying the 2:00 half, so between us there will be enough friendly faces to see you home if you're out there.
The weather has always been hit and miss for BN, usually miss. We reckon if you only came to Halifax for BN, you would likely be under the impression we didn't have a harbour, as it is usually obscured by fog; running over the span is like running in a cloudy bubble, and you are unable to see either the tops of the bridge spans or the water below.
The MacDonald Bridge in Bluenose liveryIt may be too early to say for sure, but the forecast is looking atypically good for BN Sunday, double figures even, although old hands will say there's still time for snow, just in time for the start.
So we'll see you down the races this weekend then. We'll be at the Expo on Friday and Saturday too, at the TNS booth where we'll be taking memberships, giving out schedules, selling TNS mugs ($5 only, correct change would be awesome), raffling a TNS hoodie and we have a little secret something for members (the password is "what is Mark doing?").
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Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Hustle for Hunger
I was 'playing' at the hustle for hunger (3k/5k/10k) yesterday. had 45 entries last year and this year they were well over 70, and perhaps 80 and multiple overflowing large bins of food donations.
I had my small tasks done to help out, and was much more rested than last weeks 5k, so threw in some food and my $30 for the 10k. Speedy Juckett, who is hoping to crack a 40minute 10k at an upcoming womens 10k in New York, was out for a fitness/effort test. She had been told by a coach to start harder as her mile pace got much quicker at the end of the Greenwood 10k (Ed - 41:00), so I decided I would abandon my usual social start and run with Stacey to be her pace bunny and keep her motivated to push. not doing any speed stuff, I was skeptical I could keep up however as I was 42:30 on that course last year, the week before Bluenose.
As you know, Shubie/Lake Charles trail is pretty challenging as far as 10k run routes go and not the place for a 10k pb. We ran side by each for the bulk of it but I was using my Vibram 5 fingers again and she really let it loose on the downhills faster than I wanted to, so I would have to work to get back to her side. Only one speedy young guy ahead of us and Stacey and I spent most of the event side by each other. Stacey was really digging deep to stay on pace the last 4k or so, and the last few nasty uphills up off of Lake Charles I did my best Rami impersonation to bring her in. She managed to blurt out, "mules are faster than gazelles on hills". With less than 1k to go I tried to increase the tempo and gave dist/time remaining updates and tried to get her to sprint long and fast. I did cross ahead (my dear wife was watching), but Stacey managed an impressive 40:23 for 3rd overall and a GPS'd 10k, and was ecstatic.
I suspect she should abandon the sub 40min 10k for a rd course, and expect a sub 39, (but actually am thinking sub 38 is possible) quite impressive for her I must say. Trevor Maclean was only 4 minutes behind us pushing his smiling kid in the jogger which was quite an impressive time/feat as well; I think he must have used it as a scooter. :}
alligot4now, see ya saturday,
m-out
Cookie-Monster
I had my small tasks done to help out, and was much more rested than last weeks 5k, so threw in some food and my $30 for the 10k. Speedy Juckett, who is hoping to crack a 40minute 10k at an upcoming womens 10k in New York, was out for a fitness/effort test. She had been told by a coach to start harder as her mile pace got much quicker at the end of the Greenwood 10k (Ed - 41:00), so I decided I would abandon my usual social start and run with Stacey to be her pace bunny and keep her motivated to push. not doing any speed stuff, I was skeptical I could keep up however as I was 42:30 on that course last year, the week before Bluenose.
As you know, Shubie/Lake Charles trail is pretty challenging as far as 10k run routes go and not the place for a 10k pb. We ran side by each for the bulk of it but I was using my Vibram 5 fingers again and she really let it loose on the downhills faster than I wanted to, so I would have to work to get back to her side. Only one speedy young guy ahead of us and Stacey and I spent most of the event side by each other. Stacey was really digging deep to stay on pace the last 4k or so, and the last few nasty uphills up off of Lake Charles I did my best Rami impersonation to bring her in. She managed to blurt out, "mules are faster than gazelles on hills". With less than 1k to go I tried to increase the tempo and gave dist/time remaining updates and tried to get her to sprint long and fast. I did cross ahead (my dear wife was watching), but Stacey managed an impressive 40:23 for 3rd overall and a GPS'd 10k, and was ecstatic.
I suspect she should abandon the sub 40min 10k for a rd course, and expect a sub 39, (but actually am thinking sub 38 is possible) quite impressive for her I must say. Trevor Maclean was only 4 minutes behind us pushing his smiling kid in the jogger which was quite an impressive time/feat as well; I think he must have used it as a scooter. :}
alligot4now, see ya saturday,
m-out
Cookie-Monster
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Racing Roundup
Another quick round-up of TNS-related results from around the Maritimes.
Caryn Small-Legs Nagge ran a 3:39:54 and won her age-group at the Fredericton Marathon on May 9th, the day after volunteering at Stacy's Benny Bulldog 5K in Shubie.
Our summer-student last year, Shawn "you wanted the buoys for a triathlon? Really?" Miller, was 3rd in the Nautilus Harbour Front 10K in St Johns with a rather rapid 35:46, just missing a PB.
We'll bring you results from the Hustle for Hunger when we get them. We think Mark Campbell was involved (whether running or helping out we don't know). We just hope he was getting enough rest in, in advance of the great silliness.
And the Tartan Tally now stands at 10!
As always, as much as we try, there'll always be a race or two we overlook. Let us know if you've raced somewhere interesting and how you made out; comment on the blog or on Facebook or email us at triathlon@sportnovascotia.ca.
See you at Bluenose; pop down the booth at the Expo or catch up with us during the run; triathletes are bunnying the 1:30 and 1:45 halfs, look for the ears.....
AD
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Du It For Shelter race report
The Du It For Shelter Duathlon (henceforth DIFS) event was held last Sunday, May 9th. the course was the same as the old Achy Joint Duathlon ( not Hammerman, as previously and erroneously reported, sorry) but under new management and for a different cause. Sunday's management was courtesy of Stacy Chestnutt and Tim Chestnutt, and the cause was the St Leonards Society that provides shelters and transition houses for the homeless. DIFS was run in conjunction with a 5k in Shubie Park the day before, and between them the two events raised over $4000 for St Leonards. the event was also in memorium for Stacy's beloved bulldog Benny, who passed early this year, hence the bulldog theme branded on everything, including the very chunky finishers medals and some decidedly smart race-trophies. We're not sure if this is coincidence or not, but we wonder if Stacy was hanging around truck-stops nicking hood-ornaments from Mack trucks?
Both the Weather Network and Environment Canada were calling for rain, but the 50 or so who turned up in Musquodobit Harbour on Sunday morning were treated to warm sunshine, albeit somewhat tempered by a blustery west wind, which blew across the bike-course, making for blustery conditions, certainly, we're glad we weren't the bloke who rode on a rear disk on Sunday; big kudos for keeping it upright and level!
There was one, unforeseen last-minute hold-up; after Stacy had herded the cats onto the start-line it was pointed out that Ron MacDougall had left his bike shoes not in TZ but on the roof of his car, so we were held on the line for two minutes while Ron jogged to the car-park, retrieved his shoes and jogged back to TZ to place them with his bike and helmet. Kurt Stevenson wryly pointed out that with the number of races Ron does, you'd think he would have figured out a system by now. Once Ron had rejoined the throng, we were off.
The Piggott lads took off at a great rate of knots. Several hardy (Ed - foolhardy more like) people tried to stay with them, but we were all shelled off the back within a few hundred metres. R1 was a straight 2km shot down the trail, dead-turned around a pylon and back the way we came. Brad and Matt ran easily together with a couple of hundred metres lead at the turn. Shawn Amirault pegged back some time on the way back to TZ. A little further back, newcomer Caitlin Gillis, who we understand is the sister of Erin Gillis, was causing fits and starts amongst the faster women by leading the ladies into T1.
The bike course was a rolling out-and-back on Meaghers Grant Road; the race-distance being shortened slightly due to inclement road conditions further up the road. The course was full of rolling hills and false-flats and was made more sporting by a blustery cross wind that at times was also a head- and a tail-wind both on the way to the turn and the way back. Brad and Matt didn't have the bike all their way, Shawn Amirault was able to peg back the minute he'd conceded on the run to catch and pass the lads at the turn. Shawn was the only rider to break 40 minutes for the 24km test. In the ladies race, Caitlin, riding a mountain bike, conceded time to ladies Provincial champ Heather Doucette, who wasn't, and who led the ladies into T2 after posting the fasts ladies bike-split.
Brad and Matt were both catching Shawn by T2. Brad, leading his brother by 30 seconds, passed Shawn in transition heading out to R2. They both posted sub-15 4ks, in fact Brad's 4K was 13:41, and he took the event in 1:08:57, 50 seconds ahead of Matt, with Shawn in 3rd with a 1:11:12. Heather maintained the lead she had built on the bike to take the ladies race in 1:19:47 with Marie-Claude Gregoire 1:57 back for 2nd and Brigitte Sabourin 4 minutes back in 3rd.
Among the volunteers, we really feel we must mention Kurt Stevenson. He was supposed to run the Fredericton marathon on Sunday and had been training all winter for it. However he dinged his ribs quite badly in a bike-crash four weeks ago and hadn't recovered sufficiently to take the marathon on; but seeing as his helmet was written off in the process, one can see how it could have been much worse. Anyway, instead of sitting on the couch being all grumpy at missing the marathon, he turned up to DIFS instead and worked TZ and mount/dismount. Although healthier than watching cartoons eating cookie-dough (Clif bar cookie dough?) ice-cream directly from the tub, it still can't have been easy to see all those people racing, knowing that he should have been racing too. Thanks Kurt.
Kurt Stevenson taking names (if not kicking ass this time) while Stacy tries to get a medal to a hard-finishing Ian Loughead.
Up for grabs this weekend was also the Shelter Challenge; an overall classement for the fastest aggregate time over the two events (Saturdays 5k and Sunday's du). In all, five individuals were eligible; Shawna Murdock-Moore, Brigitte Sabourin, Marie-Claude Gregoire, Ron McIntrepid MacDougall and your faithfull reporter. The overall classements went to Marie-Claude Gregoire and yours truly. Interestingly, the five Shelter Challenge Folks were all from the militant wing of TNS and can boast between them 65 marathons (not to mention the crazy training runs), 13 Ironman and countless 70.3-type events, long-distance bike events and the likes. Indeed Shawna is quietly approaching Mark Campbell's IM total of 18! This isn't to say the Shelter Challenge was tough and only hardcases need apply; it was less than 2hrs racing. Compared to doing, say, a track workout one day and a brick workout the next, it felt (to the TurnAround at least) easier than training. Like they say, train hard, race easy. Many triathletes seem to be Grand tour afficiandos ( viz the Tour de France) and this may be our only chance to participate in anything like a stage-race; hopefully next year we'll see more out for the Challenge. the overall prize, by the way, was a bottle of Bulldog Gin; martinis and G&Ts all round! Hic!
Thanks to Stacy and Tim for putting on a great event, well two events, and thanks to everyone who turned up, even if we didn't get to eat all the croissants and pain au chocolate.
Next up, May 30th, Navy Tridents at CFB Shearwater. All the runway you could possibly want For those of you who said about DIFS, too early, no swim, well you're out of excuses this time; it's right on schedule and there's a pool full of water just waiting to see you there.
AD
Rae photos courtesy of Ian Loughhead, thanks Ian.
Both the Weather Network and Environment Canada were calling for rain, but the 50 or so who turned up in Musquodobit Harbour on Sunday morning were treated to warm sunshine, albeit somewhat tempered by a blustery west wind, which blew across the bike-course, making for blustery conditions, certainly, we're glad we weren't the bloke who rode on a rear disk on Sunday; big kudos for keeping it upright and level!
There was one, unforeseen last-minute hold-up; after Stacy had herded the cats onto the start-line it was pointed out that Ron MacDougall had left his bike shoes not in TZ but on the roof of his car, so we were held on the line for two minutes while Ron jogged to the car-park, retrieved his shoes and jogged back to TZ to place them with his bike and helmet. Kurt Stevenson wryly pointed out that with the number of races Ron does, you'd think he would have figured out a system by now. Once Ron had rejoined the throng, we were off.
The Piggott lads took off at a great rate of knots. Several hardy (Ed - foolhardy more like) people tried to stay with them, but we were all shelled off the back within a few hundred metres. R1 was a straight 2km shot down the trail, dead-turned around a pylon and back the way we came. Brad and Matt ran easily together with a couple of hundred metres lead at the turn. Shawn Amirault pegged back some time on the way back to TZ. A little further back, newcomer Caitlin Gillis, who we understand is the sister of Erin Gillis, was causing fits and starts amongst the faster women by leading the ladies into T1.
The bike course was a rolling out-and-back on Meaghers Grant Road; the race-distance being shortened slightly due to inclement road conditions further up the road. The course was full of rolling hills and false-flats and was made more sporting by a blustery cross wind that at times was also a head- and a tail-wind both on the way to the turn and the way back. Brad and Matt didn't have the bike all their way, Shawn Amirault was able to peg back the minute he'd conceded on the run to catch and pass the lads at the turn. Shawn was the only rider to break 40 minutes for the 24km test. In the ladies race, Caitlin, riding a mountain bike, conceded time to ladies Provincial champ Heather Doucette, who wasn't, and who led the ladies into T2 after posting the fasts ladies bike-split.
Brad and Matt were both catching Shawn by T2. Brad, leading his brother by 30 seconds, passed Shawn in transition heading out to R2. They both posted sub-15 4ks, in fact Brad's 4K was 13:41, and he took the event in 1:08:57, 50 seconds ahead of Matt, with Shawn in 3rd with a 1:11:12. Heather maintained the lead she had built on the bike to take the ladies race in 1:19:47 with Marie-Claude Gregoire 1:57 back for 2nd and Brigitte Sabourin 4 minutes back in 3rd.
Among the volunteers, we really feel we must mention Kurt Stevenson. He was supposed to run the Fredericton marathon on Sunday and had been training all winter for it. However he dinged his ribs quite badly in a bike-crash four weeks ago and hadn't recovered sufficiently to take the marathon on; but seeing as his helmet was written off in the process, one can see how it could have been much worse. Anyway, instead of sitting on the couch being all grumpy at missing the marathon, he turned up to DIFS instead and worked TZ and mount/dismount. Although healthier than watching cartoons eating cookie-dough (Clif bar cookie dough?) ice-cream directly from the tub, it still can't have been easy to see all those people racing, knowing that he should have been racing too. Thanks Kurt.
Kurt Stevenson taking names (if not kicking ass this time) while Stacy tries to get a medal to a hard-finishing Ian Loughead.
Thanks to Stacy and Tim for putting on a great event, well two events, and thanks to everyone who turned up, even if we didn't get to eat all the croissants and pain au chocolate.Next up, May 30th, Navy Tridents at CFB Shearwater. All the runway you could possibly want For those of you who said about DIFS, too early, no swim, well you're out of excuses this time; it's right on schedule and there's a pool full of water just waiting to see you there.
AD
Rae photos courtesy of Ian Loughhead, thanks Ian.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
In the news
Just a quick wrap up from the racing front.
The Piggotts cleaned up handsomely at the Greenwood 10K, with Brad and Matt posting a 33:40 and a 34:19 respectively to claim the top two spots. Considering the rest of the top ten was either varsity, trains with varsity, ex-varsity or very good Masters, this was an outstanding result.
Elsewhere, Mark Campbell and oppo Jason Murphy did he E2C 24hr orienteerting event and won. They donated their prize to Camp Brigadoon (the same people Mark runs CTR for) and soon everyone was at it. Chapeau, for both a job well done (racing) and for simultaneously raising awareness AND cash.
Finally, the Tartan Tally now stands at 8, with Ron McIntrepid clocking a half-marathon and an Xterra triathlon whilst ostensibly travelling for work. The tri was particularly hard work, with both a flat tyre and a broken chain. Ron will be clocking race#9, and possibly even race #10, for the season this weekend.
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Friday, May 7, 2010
Changing gears
The results of then "what gear should I ride?" poll are in. We know it wasn't up for very long, but not only did we need to give ourselves enough time to change the gear, if that was to be the result, but we needed sufficient time for the penetrating oil and three-foot long spanner to work their magic should the lock-ring have seized on.
So, onto that result. A conclusive mandate from you all for 72" fixed (39 x 14) with all of you saying we should ride it, rather than 68" (39 x 15). Actually, there was one spoiled ballot, the person who said we should ride 48 x 15 (84"). We demurred, saying we didn't have a 48. And have completely overlooked the offer of a 48T 130 BDC chain-ring. Lord of the rings indeed.
Surely numbers that Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg would kill for!
In the interests of transparency and democracy, here is the gear being changed. Firstly, assembly of the tools for the job; a lock-ring spanner, Allen key, and the new sprocket to be installed. As this is an ENO hub, we didn't need the chain whip, but we put it in because it's a slightly scary looking and arcane piece of kit, which would look equally at home in the Spanish Inquisition as it would a workshop!
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. Ha! Amongst our diverse weaponary are fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, a fanatical devotion to the Pope and nice red uniforms, oh sorry, I seemed to have wandered off. Where were we, oh yes. Here's the 15, ready to come off.
A surprisingly quick wrench with the locking spanner took the lock-ring off and then the sprocket just slid off the splines as easily as if it had been installed yesterday. I guess that's one thing the ENO technology has over a "regular" fixed wheel where pedalling actually screws the sprocket on tighter, and after many hundreds of miles they can be a bugger to shift. We'd still be wrestling with it with the penetrating oil and the three-foot long spanner.
It was a but mucky under there, so we cleaned it up, slipped on the new sprocket and put the lock-ring back on. The whole operation took about five minutes, and it wouldn't have taken this long if we hadn't tighten the lock-ring first, but what's a bike-fixing session without getting screwed up by a reverse- threaded component?
So here it is, greased, tightened and ready to go. Fourteen teeth, fourteen. Count 'em! It occurs to us, that perhaps we should have taken this photo with a copy of today's paper to prove this isn't a stock photo and the gear was changed today, but you'll have to trust us!
Of course, you are welcome to come and count teeth in TZ on Sunday morning. It's not as if the bike has to be taken out for a quick spin to get it in the right gear, seeing as there is only the one.
We can tell what you're thinking; aren't derailleurs a wonderful technology? Surely they'll revolutionise cycling! Besides, aren't we missing having 18+ gears at our fingertips just a precisely calibrated click away, changing gears on the fly without inconveniently threaded componentry and a huge spanner? No. And that's exactly what I'll tell you when you come steaming past me on Sunday morning with a 10 mph speed differential. Uphill.
See you on the course
AD
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Bling and croissants
There are still only 28 people registered for the Du It For Shelter duathlon this Sunday. You know, now we think about it, this monster prize-table is only going to be split a handful of ways, so the TurnAround is surely going to win the "Best Red Bike" award, because it looks like she'll have run out of categories before she runs out of bling.
Not all of Sunday's bling will be wearable. Some will be very edible, courtesy of Two If By Sea over in Dartmouth.
They're on Ouchterlony, right by the start of the Natal Day 6 miler, and is the cafe that has made running the Mic Mac Mall/Shubie loop damn well impossible as running past this place with it's veritable cornucopia of pastries while you're feeling a bit bonky, well you get our drift. We understand they are catering croissants at Stacy's race. The croissants might look like this, but without the flower and coffee....
...but they'll still be to die for. On second thoughts, there'll be a load left for me. I'd better remember to bring a spare bag.
No seriously, bling and croissants aside, get over to Atlantic Chip and do what's right. You might as well sign up for Navy at the same time and save a little bit of money while you're at it.
See you Sunday (right......?)
AD
Monday, May 3, 2010
Du It For Shelter Duathlon
After a few "false" starts, racing for most of us will start this weekend (Sunday May 9th) with the first TNS sanctioned event of the year; the Du It for Shelter (but the Tartan Tally currently stands at 7 already!). For those of us with long memories, this race is a resurrection of the old Hammerman Duathlon out at Musquodobit.
The big change in this current incarnation is the addition of a new race director; Stacy Juckett Chestnutt. Stacy is an endurance-athlete extrodinaire and is a role-model to many aspiring triathletes. Don't worry (or perhaps continue worrying) if you think you have seen the last of your finsh-line tussles with Stace, this foray into race-directoring doesn't mean she has forsaken the dossard, and normal service (that is Stacy kicking our collective arses) will be restored soon.
In keeping with a current trend, Stacy is running this event in support of charity; in this instance St Leonards, a charity that supports local homeless shelters. She is also hosting a 5km race in Shubie the day before, so you can channel your inner Ron MacDougall or Mark Campbell (depending on your persuasion) by doing both. Why not? Remember, hosting one event a year is a challenge, hosting two doubly so, hosting two on consecutive days is a feat of endurance unknown here at TNS, but wholly within Stacy's reputation for toughness. Did Mark Campbell just get girlled?
Here at the Turnaround, we missed the old Hammerman and have yet to clap eyes on the course. Gossip around the office tells us the two 4km runs are on multi-use trails and they book-end a smooth, flat 28 km bike. As far as introductions to the race-season go, this race seems pretty beign: no Moose this, just 20 miles of smooth, well prepared roads and trails to play on, without a pot-hole, much less a hill to disrupt your rhythm. Sweet!
We understand the prize-lists will be deep and extensive. Not to mention varied. "Awesome" was a word we heard to describe it.
So after a winter of getting up earlier on Sundays than we do for work, getting rugged up to run even 5km outside without losing an ear, all those endless miles on the trainer ( which feel 1.6 times more boring than kilometers on a trainer), all those intervals on treadmills (Intervals for goodness sake! Dreadmills! Together! Arghhhh) it's time to put it all into practice. Time to find out who's been economical with the truth and who's been getting in the stealth miles. Not to mention welcoming Stacy as an RD and helping her to raise money for a good cause at the same time.
Head over to Atlantic Chip for more information, including registration and map to the start.
See you there
AD
The big change in this current incarnation is the addition of a new race director; Stacy Juckett Chestnutt. Stacy is an endurance-athlete extrodinaire and is a role-model to many aspiring triathletes. Don't worry (or perhaps continue worrying) if you think you have seen the last of your finsh-line tussles with Stace, this foray into race-directoring doesn't mean she has forsaken the dossard, and normal service (that is Stacy kicking our collective arses) will be restored soon.
In keeping with a current trend, Stacy is running this event in support of charity; in this instance St Leonards, a charity that supports local homeless shelters. She is also hosting a 5km race in Shubie the day before, so you can channel your inner Ron MacDougall or Mark Campbell (depending on your persuasion) by doing both. Why not? Remember, hosting one event a year is a challenge, hosting two doubly so, hosting two on consecutive days is a feat of endurance unknown here at TNS, but wholly within Stacy's reputation for toughness. Did Mark Campbell just get girlled?
Here at the Turnaround, we missed the old Hammerman and have yet to clap eyes on the course. Gossip around the office tells us the two 4km runs are on multi-use trails and they book-end a smooth, flat 28 km bike. As far as introductions to the race-season go, this race seems pretty beign: no Moose this, just 20 miles of smooth, well prepared roads and trails to play on, without a pot-hole, much less a hill to disrupt your rhythm. Sweet!
We understand the prize-lists will be deep and extensive. Not to mention varied. "Awesome" was a word we heard to describe it.
So after a winter of getting up earlier on Sundays than we do for work, getting rugged up to run even 5km outside without losing an ear, all those endless miles on the trainer ( which feel 1.6 times more boring than kilometers on a trainer), all those intervals on treadmills (Intervals for goodness sake! Dreadmills! Together! Arghhhh) it's time to put it all into practice. Time to find out who's been economical with the truth and who's been getting in the stealth miles. Not to mention welcoming Stacy as an RD and helping her to raise money for a good cause at the same time.
Head over to Atlantic Chip for more information, including registration and map to the start.
See you there
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