IMFL 2011 Race Video

Race report to follow!!  Please let me know what you think?!

The end of A Long Road?

I can hardly believe we are at the eve of IMFL.  Seems like the lapse of sanity occurred only yesterday - you know - the moment you sign up for an IM?  The journey to this day has been like anything else in life worth the wait - full of sacrifice: professional, family, personal, etc.  While you gain so much on the road to Ironman, you are certainly opening yourself up to potential losses as well.  The balance of becoming an Ironman isn't a daily balance, really, it's an overall balance.  While I had many goals along this road, one was to not tip the scales too far in any one direction.  I remember becoming obsessed with training, nutrition management, and shaving seconds during the summer time.  Then I developed this chronic hip problem that sidelined me for 6 weeks and caused me to miss Muskoka 70.3.  And now, a couple months later, I've gained weight on taper (ate anything not nailed down!), still have a hip problem, but learned something pretty important: for most of us in the AG that have careers, young families, or whatever, we have to focus on walking a middle road.  It, too, is a long one, but it's ok to indulge once and awhile, miss a training session or two, etc.  Pushing too hard sometimes sets you back, and in some cases, behind where you were previously.  Equally frightening, being off balance with priorities, which are dependent on each individual and their situation, can end up costing us a lot more than six weeks on a sideline.

Despite the sacrifice, long hours, pain, and all things that come with IM training, I'm glad to have chosen this road and most importantly, my family is too!  OK, so it got me out of their hair many hours a week, but I believe they are very proud of their dad for setting a goal and doing the work it takes to accomplish it.  This has been a one year journey, and tomorrow, it will, with lot's of luck and determination, be 140.6 miles long.

Kinda windy

24 hours door to door, straight.  2,356 km

No explanation necessary

My race plan:

• Don't get seasick during the swim (like this week during practice).  Don't swallow water, keep mouth closed.
• Muscle relaxant before bike and run, if needed.
• Consume 6 servings of Infinite on bike (6x278 cal = 1,668) and 6 gels (600 cals) = 2,268 cal on bike.  Water to wash everything down, will add IM Perform from aid stations if needed.
• Keep HR around 140 bpm.  If my hip holds up, I should be about 6 hours on the bike.
• Run easy to start, walk every aid station.  If my hip holds up, I'll be happy.  Ecstatic, actually.  Heart rate approx 150, max.
• Run / walk / shuffle / whatever 1 mile at a time.  Think about the sacrifices my family made to get me here.  Don't let them down.
• Believe I can do it and get it done.

You know you have an IM soon when....

You're tired.  I'm sorry to state the obvious and that isn't meant to be funny.  I know it isn't witty, either. Now that race day is in 23 days and volume has been high this last while, I'm truly tired.  Getting to the pool 2-3 x per week at 5:45 am is early and once you add work and life on top of more bike and run, well, it obviously all adds up.  I haven't been able to write or read much blog lately and my family is feeling the effects of cumulative volume as well.  It all comes down to the wire, doesn't it?!

I'd like to share some great photos / experiences of my last long ride (Canada Thanksgiving Saturday last weekend).  Summer had returned to the North East and we hit highs of 25-27 degrees last weekend.  It was truly special and great to get out.  I rode south of Ottawa again to the St Lawrence river and along it first East to Morrisburg, ON, then West to Prescott before heading back east to Cardinal and then North back home.  How awesome is this section along the river? (dontcha love the sound of race wheels spinning?).

As with any great training ride, I learned something really important on this one....hydrate even if you don't feel like hydrating.  I say this because it was warm, low humidity, and very windy.  I didn't know I was losing a ton of fluids as there were no drips of sweat and my tri outfit was bone dry.  The wind dried me off before I could even notice, but at the 120 km mark, I started to literally feel nauseous.  I had to press on for 20km before I hit a store to buy some water and that's when it really hit me.  Once off the bike and sheltered from the wind, it was HOT and I started to near gag from dehydration.  This was after about 4.5 hours of riding and I had consumed 3.5 bottles of infinit and 600mL of another sports drink already.  And that wasn't enough!

Once I started feeling good enough to ride again, I headed out for the final 40km home, thankful the wind was at my back and giving back some energy it had taken from me throughout the earlier part of the day.  I consumed an additional 8 glasses of water once home, further showing me how I misjudged my exertion and sweat rate.  I will NOT make this mistake again.  Had this been Florida in a few weeks, I wouldn't have been running far!

I've been struggling with carrying my tubular flat kit for some time now and I finally took some action.  I had read online that some people carry their kits in an empty water bottle and after a few zip ties and trial and error, I have a relatively aero kit behind my saddle.  As the saddle itself is really forward (most comfortable for me), no "real" cage holder will fit, but nothing beats a good zip tie plinko!  I added a bit of electrical tape to ensure the bottle doesn't launch and I'll clean it up before IMFL.

I'm going to close out with some interesting shots:  The porcupine was on my run, the snake was at our local town fair, the dogs, well, they were chilling in the backyard, and I had to snap the one with the dozer on the massive pile cuz it's one of the weirdest things I've seen in awhile!  Thanks for reading!

A special houseguest

Meet Jamie.  Not sure what his racing name is, but he's one super retired houndie!  How retired?  Well, in dog years, he is 91 years old...13 years on this planet.  I wish I knew more about him because he's a pretty interesting guy and very spry and playful for his age.

In Ottawa, we have a mailing list for greyhound owners to 'greysit' if the owner goes out of town or needs some help.  His 'mom' posted last week and we volunteered but got very few details.  We knew he wouldn't eat our cats and that he liked kids.  Beyond that, I guess we really didn't need to know anything.  So, he's kind of a mystery dog.
The one thing about greyhounds is that they are used to each other - assuming they raced from 18 months to 4 or so years old, they spent every day of their lives with up to 70 hounds in a kennel.  So, they know their kind and generally tend to be more at ease within their breed than with others.  (Disclaimer: general statement, there are exceptions, of course).

When Jamie was dropped off, his owner was late to catch her flight.  She was here maybe 2 mins.  Keep in mind, we don't know her and never spoke but the greyhound community is so strong that owners will always help other owners.  It's really about helping these dogs when it comes down to it.

We introduced our dogs to Jamie outside in the fenced yard and the three of them quickly got their introductions done.  They accepted each other instantly and came inside.

For a 13 year old guy, he is really light on his feet, trots along nicely, but can only walk about 10 mins....his back legs and hips are just 'old'.  But he plays with any stuffy, sleeps on our boys' beds, and can be a bit of a clown.  Keep in mind this dog doesn't know us from anyone, BUT, he is visibly comforted by having other greyhounds around and will follow and learn from them around the house.  How cool is that?


This past week of training was decent, having swam 3x, biked 3 and ran 2.  My plan called for an easy week, bit of a regeneration of sorts.  Long ride was only 3 hours today, thankfully given the 10 C (50F) temperature and 50 km/h (30 mph) wind gusts.  I found riding with the wind comfortable, but the minute I was against it, I got cold.  Shows what an increase in windspeed will do to you on a bike.  I got 2.5 hours in had to turn back early because of the gusts.  At one point, I was leaning sideways into the wind and when you are on a road with cars passing at 50 mph, it got dangerous.  If the wind died suddenly, you had to be really prepared to shift your weight, otherwise the bike swerved into the lane --> not good!  The touch of rain that was hitting me when I was already cold wasn't pleasant either, so I figured I'd cut it 30 mins short.  No big deal, but I hate 'quitting'.

I posted a couple weeks ago about getting a Big Green Egg.  Well, it just landed and we've already done steaks and pizza on it and tomorrow we're planning to smoke a turkey.  The food has been delicious so far!  My only worry / concern is that I'm going to love 2000 calorie ribs a little too much!

In looking at my September training totals, I'm both happy and disappointed.  The first half of the month was devoted to recovery from my hip injury an is 1000 times better than August, but disappointed in that IMFL is 34 days away.  While I know I missed out on some serious building in August, I think I have enough done already to get me across the finish line.  They say the race doesn't start until the last 10 k of the marathon and sitting from where I am today, I can believe every word of that.  I think I can get the first 20 km of the run done relatively comfortably --> it's the last 22 that are going to be gut wrenchers (I mean leg trashers).  Time will tell, I suppose!

September Totals:

Swim - 23.0 km
Bike - 842 km
Run - 107 km

Thanks for reading!

Offerings in the countryside

So much to catch up and be current and I'll do most of it in photos.  Going to keep it brief:

How can I not start off with this baby?!

This was from my Saturday long ride - 115 miles / 185 km.  Longest I've ever ridden and happy to have kept a 30.8 avg km/h over the 5:55.

I past this sign at a good clip, near Brockville, ON but had to go back to it.  I mean, who names a street after triathlon anyway, haha.  I just thought it was cool and it gave me something to think about after 3 hours on the bike at this point.  I was nearing the turnaround to head home.

These 4 souls were part of the 'Run to Remember' - raising funds for the families of fallen Canadian police officers and they were part of a run across (at least) Ontario and I saw them from Brockville to Ottawa.  I cycled past them in the opposite direction, went for about a km, then turned around as I wanted to know what they were running for.  I cycled, they ran, and I took their picture (and spilled my Chomps all over the road when I pulled my phone out of my Bento box for the picture.

I started cycling again and saw another team - perhaps the previous relay team taking a break - so I stopped this time, gave them half of my $40 emergency fund for their cause.  I felt bad I hadn't given it to the first crew, but thought it didn't matter, it'll help anyway, albeit just a little bit.

My route this time took me south of Ottawa, then West along Hwy 2 into Brockville.  The St. Lawrence river is behind my bike and there's an ocean liner heading from the Great Lakes back east down the river, eventually to hit the Atlantic.  Ogdensburg NY is in the background.

I had actually wanted to bike over the bridge from Canada, but on this particular bridge - it is HIGH and has a steel see-through floor - you aren't allowed.  Way to dangerous for cyclists and those on foot.
Oh yeah, some bike bling and race wheels to get used to.

When you have a family, everyone has to make sacrifices in order to do an IM.  On my long run, however, no sacrifices were necessary.  My 6 and 8 year olds cycled the 23 km from our house as I ran.  They are total rockstars, never complaining, never saying it was too far.  They have their own water bottles on their bikes and we brought some snacks for them as well.

The path is a fomer rail line and has been turned into a multi use trail with fine granulars.  For anyone doing IMMT or MT 70.3, this is what part of the run course will be like.

Along the path, there are some look-offs, usually over marshes or fields so if you are so inclined, you can stop and check out the local wildlife.

While I have tried running in true running shorts and/or a running shirt / singlet, I HATE HATE the baggy wear.  I get chafed every single time I wear anything baggy.  Not to mention my 90 minute ride before the long run meant I was already in cycling / tri gear.

As an aside, I bought a new Kiwami Tri Suit and was hoping to wear it at IMFL.  My other suits have become a little baggy - either stretch or weight loss, but they don't feel like the used to.  Anyway, I tested the new Kiwami on my 6 hour long ride - was awesome and worked like a charm.  It's my new official long distance race wear.

This last one is really sad, actually.  I need to get into a new line of work, in animal rescue or conservation or something. Only problem is, it doesn't pay the bills and if anything, looking after animals is really expensive (we have 2 dogs and 2 cats, so I feel the cost daily!).  Anyway, this guy was hit by a car right near my running path.  He (she?) is a Fisher and has surely preyed on wayward outdoor cats and other small animals.  He was gone by the time I saw him but they are such elusive and shy creatures, they are almost never seen.  I can't tell you how bad I feel that a person (accidentally) took his life.  He's got claws and teeth like a Wolverine and the coat of a mink.  Such a majestic animal for his size, he deserved a much more honorable death than he got.  I stopped twice to see him today in the car, wishing I could do something for him.  Sounds irrational to most, but he's such a rare animal around here and deserved far more than he got.

My hip is really improving, though I have to be very careful...the muscles around it, incluing the hamstring are very tight.  I'll keep up my 1x week ART appointment, which has been fantastic.

That's all for now - thanks for reading!

I saw NY State on my bike, and I left from home!

The river in the South is the St. Lawrence.
Canada above, US below!

Woa, what at amazing day!  Aside from hip pain, an awesome ride took me from home all the way to Morrisburg, along the St Lawrence River through a couple towns, then back north to Ottawa.  150km, 5 hours, 30 km/h average speed.  Better than I could have hoped!

The route was pretty straightforward, even though I had never done it before.  The grid pattern in the roads and highways around all the agriculture was easy to follow.  The best part:  the first time I actually came to a stop was in Morrisburg, 2 hours from home!  Loved the fact the few traffic lights were green in my direction, the roads were pretty wide and in decent shape.  I really can't believe I've never ridden southward before!
In prep for IMFL, I obviously need to ride flats and train staying in the aerobars as long / much as possible.  When you think 180km in Florida vs 180 km in Placid, we automatically assume Florida is dead easy in comparison. OK, I'm realistic...the lack of hills will make it easier, I agree.  But, there are still some unique challenges, aside from the distance:  pedalling for ~ 6 hours continuous (no downhills to catch a break on) and ~6 hours in the aerobars.  At least climbing in the hills, your back and hip flexors (d'oh!) will get a break from being in the same position for a long time.  Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

To fuel the day, aside from my pancake breakfast 3 hours before departure, I had an Ensure 30 minutes before leaving at 250 cal and on the bike 3x 270 cal Infinite, 2x100 cal gels, 1x200 granola bar, 1x50 cal banana and 1/2 of a protein bar for 160 cal.   That is about 1600 calories in 5 hours, or 320 calories per hour.  I honestly think I need to gel more during the race so I can get more calories in before the run.  My legs were honestly tired today - aside from hip pain the last 20 km - my legs were still tired.  I maintained a 30km/h avg over the 5 hours though and didn't really slow down at the end.  I didn't push hard if there was a gust of wind or a hill anything, so that slowed me down, but I wanted to make sure I don't overdo anything.  I'm still happy with the 30 k average, though...it's a first over that time/distance



Here's an interesting situation with my coaching plan:  next 4 weeks (IMFL is in 7 weeks), longest run is 2 hours (about 22km).  Seems a little short in prep for a marathon to me.  My coach said the combination of riding long (6 hours) Saturdays and then Sundays with a moderate 2 or 3 hour ride followed by a 2 hour run on will be enough.  With me being unable to ride or run in August, perhaps this is his best angle...get me through a solid bike, have energy left in my legs, then 'gitter done' on the run in the best way possible.  His advice over the next 4-5 weeks (before taper) was to make sure my nutrition is solid, as in his mind, if I fuel well and right on the bike, my legs will carry me through the marathon.  I have to admit I am a bit skeptical, actually kind of scared, but what can I do?  I missed the big build phase and I am barely able to get 150 in on the bike at this point.  It would be better if my hip would cooperate!

I rode 11 AM - 4:30 (stopped a few times to stretch on the way home) and came home to an awesome stew.  When you spend the day outside in bike shorts and shirt and the temperature at18 at its highest, you get a little chill, especially at the end of the day.  Nothing like a hearty meal with veggies, potatoes, and cut up steak.It was totally heartwarming!  

When I was in Morrisburg, I visited a Veteran's Memorial Park and took a moment to pay hommage to Canada's fallen soldiers, from all wars.  A friend of mine lost his brother in Afghanistan a few years ago and I can't imagine the sacrifice such families make to keep the rest of us at peace.  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful spot.

The last pic in the sequence is from around the pool area.  We had a hornets nest growing in the ground and when I went out last night to spray it, I saw the mess that an animal had made getting at it.  I believe it was a skunk who dug the 18" deep hole and pulled out and consumed whatever larvae it could get.  It was a clear message that sometimes nature takes care of itself...I guess we (humans) tend to screw things up a lot!!

More on this later, BUT....we're getting a Big Green Egg soon!!  It's a birthday and anniversary gift from my parents - my birthday (new decade), my wife's, and our 10th anniversary gift all rolled into one.  I couldn't be happier - how awesome!  I see smoked meats of all kinds, charcoaled burgers, and maybe even some fired pizza!  Can't wait!

Thanks for reading!

Solid recovery

Over the last week, I've made some solid recovery gains.  ART is working, along with some stretching and ice, of course, but I am back on track.  You get a rude awakening, however, after 5 weeks essentially 'off'.  The 'edge' you once (thought) you had, is....gone, some endurance and strength...gone.  But there is a bright side:  you get to pay for the last 'x' weeks of sedentarism by lacing your shoes, riding your bars and slicing through the water.  Personally, I'd rather be paying than sitting, so I'll take it.

My chiropractor gave me a 2 hour bike limit.  My coach, eyeing Nov 5 (8 weeks away) as IMFL, is trying not to spew his coffee everywhere.  He basically said I need to be riding 140 - 160km, otherwise it is going to be a really really long day.  On Saturday, I thought I'd compromise and rode a combo of flats and hills for 4 hours - 110km.  Purposely not fast and I'll say the flats were a LOAD easier than the hills.  The overall ride had 3,100 feet climbing and I found myself needing to stretch at the top of all the big hills.  No problem...I took the time and felt it really helped.  Oh, got some new bike bling .... more about that later.

Sunday's long run - 21.5km - started off great and then kind of fizzled.  I just ran out of steam.  It was one of those runs where you have to remind yourself to run faster and not fall off the pace.  The last 2 km were pretty tough, though the whole run was on a railroad turned into multi use pathway.  Nice and flat but unfortunately very little views.

At the turnaround (1 hr mark), I took advantage of the cleanest port a john I've ever seen.  I figured it was just done in prep for the work week coming up, given it was by the airport construction work.  It beat any T zone or run course porta john I've ever seen (which is not many)!

All I could think about over the weekend was that I was missing IM Muskoka 70.3.  I was a DNS - first time and I hate that.  It would have been a great opportunity to meet John, Doru, Peter and race this beautiful fall race in fantastic weather.  In hindsight, I could have done the distance, but I don't think I would have been proud of my time and I certainly didn't want to risk recovery.

I had to post this pic of my girls and one of our hounds - Brucie.  He raced as Doe's Bruciebaby and ran some 115 races at two of America's top tracks.  But that is irrelevant....our boy proves that 1) kids do just fine with greyhounds and 2) that hounds really are laid back and chill with their families.  I know some protect their space, and understandably so, but they aren't ALL like that!

And for the bike bling:  My brother was selling his ZIPP 303's, so I snatched them up!  What a difference from my stock alu wheels.  My race wheels are a HED Stinger 9.0 and 6.0 and this set complements the HEDs perfectly.  I know my bars are high...ya ya ... hopefully as my hip strengthens, I'll be able to flip the stem back and drop some spacers. We'll see!

Thanks for reading!!

IMMT Road Paving Update: Sep 3.

Duplessis is 99% DONE!!   This is the route from the base of Tremblant around to the North side of the hill, towards Lac Superieure.  The asphalt is pristine!  I said 99% done because the first 1.0km (0.6 mile) from the base is not yet paved though it is hard pack dirt/gravel, ready for a top coat.  If one were to do the loop on a bike (I drove, as you can see), you could actually take a winding bike trail through the forest and avoid the unpaved section, though the path is multifunctional so you can expect to ride as slow as you would on the unpaved road.  It would be a good alternative.

The road condition is excellent and as previously mentioned, wider than the pre-construction route.  While there were no lines painted on the pavement yet, you could see there would be about 2-3 of shoulder.  This section of the course is constantly going up and down and turning.  It will be a really fun section and take everyone's mind off the workload of racing IM or HIM.

There is no other evidence of paving at this point in the region but at least the shoulder on the 117 Northbound looks to be in great shape.  It is about 6 feet wide and assuming my hip injury continues to improve, I will hopefully be able to ride it in a few weeks.  We know this section of road climbs a lot at the first turn, but the last 10 km or so before the turnaround is relatively flat as it passes through farmland and meandering waterways (Riviere Rouge).  It is beautiful an very scenic, offering views of Tremblant ski area in the distance.  The southbound section of the 117 has been freshly paved, so you will enjoy that if you are up training on the course these days...only the northbound section will be used during the IM and HIM.

I have no idea when they plan to repave other sections of the route, but the one that needed the most attention, got it.  That's all for now.  Thanks for reading.

August (injury month) totals:
Swim - 7.5K
Bike - 91K
Run - 40K

Motion is clearly lotion

I went to the chiropractor for treatment #3 on Tuesday and felt significantly better afterwards, despite her trying to kill me - or at least make me suffer A LOT - with ART.  She does about 20 minuts of ART, targeting the Psoas muscle in the front hip (known generically as the hip flexor) and the glute mede in the back part of my hip.  She finishes with 10 minutes of electro something or other and an ice pack, which gently stimulates recovery.  I left her office with a hop in my step and a paper with 4 specific stretches to incorporate into my day.  Easy peasy.

I also got a bike re-fit by an awesome fitter I've ridden with a few times this summer.  Not only did he set everything up properly, he took measurements, notes, video, and wrote a report on his findings and recommendations.  I've been fit before by my LBS...by former pro triathletes and I'll say it's always good to get another opinion, even when you think you're dialed in right.  The focus of the re-fit was to open my hip angle a bit more.

I rode an hour on Tuesday, which went well, ran 5K on Wednesday at about 5:15 pace, which is decent, and then rode again today for 1:40.  Everything was going really well until the last 5 minutes today when I felt an instant flash of hip pain that didn't go away.  The pain-o-meter went from 0-60 in 2 seconds so I did a bit of single leg pedaling until I got home.

This is the second of two weeks where my kids are at my parents place at Tremblant and having far too much fun.  Back to school for them next week so they closing out the summer in style.  Their grandparents have taken them fishing, to parties, to Santa's Village, horseback riding, swimming, to the mountain for activities, cycling 20km, and had many campfires in the backyard, roasted marshmallows, did arts and crafts, played checkers, chinese checkers, and a few card games.  We call it 'Camp Tremblant' and are so happy they can all spend so much great time together.  These are precious moments and for us to have an empty nest for two weeks: priceless!

We were up last weekend to give my folks some relief and took some shots of the fun times we had at the base of the mountain:

Some good signage around the base about IMMT.  We didn't go to the beach where the full IM kiosk is, though.

I meant to add this in my last post.  The Source is an indoor pool activity area with a kiddie pool, a few small slides, a tarzan rope, waterfall, etc.  My girls love going and we find the best fun is to imitate the game 'Splatalot'.  It really involves my trying to dunk them on some floating carpets and stuff.  Just good fun.

There are also an indoor and outdoor hot tubs.

Worth a visit for kids, for sure.

The poutine shop is right opposite the finish line of IMMT though 10 bucks says finishing athletes couldn't keep this down right after the race, though, I would encourage anyone and everyone to have one (just one) serving.  But I'd enjoy it the day after the race, if I were you!

What is poutine?

Fries with cheese curd smothered in gravy.

Enjoy on a day when you aren't counting calories!

Smoke's creates about 50 different kinds of poutine.  This is the vegetarian version with peas, onions, mushrooms.  Sounds gross, looks worse, but is not that bad at all.  I prefer the traditional (above), though - it's like missionary poutine.

Rock climbing, please!

Ride the Gondola to the summit

Send your kids to the Euro-bungy!

   

And something everyone in the family can enjoy:  The luge!!  It's not cheap, but it sure is fun.  A pic and a video:  Thanks for reading!

                 

Tremblant at Night

We see a ton of Tremplant pics in the daytime - of course, it allows you to see a lot more.  While walking the hounds tonight, though, I thought I'd capture a bit of the evening character and also make some eatery recommendations.  I got the idea half way through the walk, so I missed some staple restaurants like Le Shack and La Forge.  Will get those next time.

This is a view of the CP Hotel from the base at the top of the Cabriolet

Center Stage at the top of the walkway.

Looking down the walkway

Here is where we get into some eatery (or liquid nutrition) fun stuff.  

The Caribou is famous and has garnered an interesting reputation.  Dancing ON the bar is expected.  As athletes, you aren't likely to party it up too much, but stop in for a pint and if you're on vacation, a night (11 pm onward) here is worth it.

One of my favorites.  Order a smoked Swiss (2 sausages w/ Sauerkraut and fries) and a beer.  It's all micro brews and they have a great patio and atmosphere.  

If your kids are anything like mine, they'll know how to spend your money really fast in here.  It adds up quick, but if you have a sweet tooth, it can't be beat.  Lot's of retro fun stuff in here, like Lik-a-Maid...remember that?  Anyway, there is a ton of bulk candy of all kinds.  Mix and match and watch your kids fly off the deep end.

Like Maple products?  Here's another place to spend money.  Everything maple inside, including taffy in the summer.  The price just went up to $2.50 per popsicle stick, though.

This is right near the finish line (opposite side of Cabriolet) and is a staple for every trip up.  Various kinds of coffee to choose from and you can even spice it up with a shot of your favorite liquid mind elixir.

The last shot I will leave you with, for tonight, is the future finish line.  The run will come under the arch you see and with the downhill slope, should make for some strong finishes.  It's hard to say where they'll put the line and catch area, but I have to believe it will be in the spot that opens into the base area.  I don't see how you could get spectators up any higher ... it's just too narrow.  

You all likely know WTC announced Ironman Mont Tremblant 70.3 today, which will take place June 24, 2012.  It will be a crazy event given it is also Quebec's National holiday - St Jean Baptiste day.  The single biggest holiday in Quebec.

Thanks for your well wishes and comments on my 'rehab'.  The chiropractor I'm seeing is amazing and she's got me feeling better already.  I did a 3K run yesterday without issue and plan to do 5k tomorrow.  I don't think I'll be up to 94K ride at Muskoka with a 21.1K run to follow though - I've actually resigned myself to a DNS.  Life happens, I guess.  Thanks for reading!