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Sunday, July 16, 2006

Toronto Triathlon Race Report

Well, the day has finally arrived, reluctantly of course.  After 20 years of talking, it’s time to put up or shut up….

Let’s take this back a step, to the eighties, a sports fan enjoys the annual made-for-television spectacle that is Ironman Hawaii, sand-whiched in-between the Dallas Cowboys and Hockey Night in Canada.  “Wow, now that would be something to compete in”… Dreamer….

Fast-forward to 1986, 2nd year at York University, and in November with the snow falling I find myself trying to impress a girl so I enter this Tin-Man triathlon, as I exited the swim DEAD LAST I’m on the deck getting my clothes on for the bike ride outside, and it’s snowing uncontrollably outside.  Crap, what a lousy day, it must be easier to do this in the summer I imagine.  I did manage to finish, and even beat some world-class triathlete who had recently returned from Hawaii (he did have a flat…

Now it’s 1994, and I’ve just watched the Ironman on t.v. again, and start to seriously give thought to this now “obsession”.  In the spring, I ran into a friend downtown who was working for the 1994 Toronto Marathon. It was Saturday night, I was off to a bar, he was about to pull an all-nighter, getting the finish line ready and stuff like that.  I was going to get up early the next morning to watch.  Of course, it rained liked cats and dogs that day, so I stayed in bed.  “Suckers” I thought, having to run in this flood…

I had a great summer of competitive tennis, and started to make a name for myself in the Adult Class “A” Men’s Tennis circuit, GTA only of course, but I was enjoying the competition and figured I needed some physical improvements (read – training) to take my decent game another level higher, as I could still not win a title, always close….

I joined the Fitness Institute that fall / winter, as they had a deal – join the tennis bubble and get free access to the gym, which is exactly what I needed.  My first day the Trainer introduces me to a stress test, to see “where I’m at” and what type of exercise program I should follow.  “Your cardio sucks” was the feedback (delivered of course in a politically correct way naturally).  “You need to hit the stationary bike and treadmills before you hit the courts”.  Okay I thought – I can deal with this, after all, I was a pretty good runner in grade school, played soccer, I can manage this.  So, I’m on the treadmill, in my tennis shoes and clothes, and I have to run 1-mile, do some weights, then I can play tennis.

You can see where this is going….

Within 45 days, I am introduced to the idea of a marathon clinic, starting in January, 2005, with a new outfit called Marathon Dynamics.  Neat, that’s what I need, isn’t that what they do at the end of the Ironman, a full marathon, 26.2 miles…?  I guess the timing is perfect, after all, I am running now.  So, with tennis still on my mind, I decide to mail-in my application for the Shopper’s Drug Mart Toronto Marathon, May 2005, and with a couple of miles here and there on the treadmill, in my tennis shoes, I consider myself “a runner”.

Fast-forward to the marathon, a 3:01 debut, top 100, and the running bug has really got me – New York, Boston, sub-3, sub2:50, no time for Triathlon…

Over 200 races later, 5 Boston Marathons, Rome, Iceland, 5-10km’s almost every weekend it would seem, a high-end of 75 miles per week, 33:20 10km p.b., 1:16 ½, 2:49 marathon,  Adventure Races, Mountain Bike Events, a couple of Duathlons and Tri-relays here and there, now it comes to this.  My first triathlon in 20 years, finally I can hear the waves of Hawaii…

To be Continued…