Friends:

It is also official - Ironman Calgary 70.3 2011. The race is literally in my backyard (the bike route passes our home!). Going on some great advice from my friend Keith Cartmell, hard to pass up a race so close... Only problem is it is on Sunday. Still, looking forward to participating in the event that I volunteered in this year...

DT

Banff Triathlon

The Subaru Banff Triathlon... What can I say. My thought was that given how poor the weather was this Summer, surely Fall would be better so why not sign up for the inaugural event... How wrong I was!

Like the rest of my events this year, weather would become a huge factor in the race once again. First, the water was BITTERLY cold. So cold, in fact, that the race organizers shortened the swim course for both Sprint and Olympic distances. 300 Meters was it for the Sprint and boy was it cold. Made it just fine, however. 1st Transition was very long (given I decided to completely change to avoid hypothermia). That plan worked well for a while except the bike ride (25 KM - longer than usual) was full of a constant rain. Thus, I got wet anyway. Saw a couple of causualties that fell off their bikes on the side of the road... Decided to take it easy and have fun.

The run was curvy but very nice as the sun finally started to come out. Felt really good about the race. Sprint distance is really too short for me, though. Justin and Paula Abel and their family were there - had a great time with them...

DT

Boise Here I Come....

So... It is official. I have signed up for Ironman Boise 70.3 2011. Let the preparation begin.

DT

Kelowna!!!

Well, they say it's good to save the "best for last" and that seems to be what happened for me at Kelowna. Weather was great until race day when it got cooler and threatened rain in the AM. We were 1 degree from not being able to use wetsuits, but fortunately they were allowed. BEAUTIFUL venue, course, volunteers and I really liked the size of the event. Well organized and really no glitches. I ran a great race, for me. Posted a PB at 3:10:00 in the olympic distance. Felt GREAT.

Leaning towards Ironman Boise 70.3 and Ironman Calgary 70.3 for next year...

DT

Canmore - is this SUMMER?

Canmore was next in July. To put it bluntly, it sucked. TOUGH race with lots of hills and the weather did not cooperate at all. Water was very cold and then sprinkled as you got on your bike. Was hard to get dry at all... Regressed in my time but was determined to finish and have a great time doing it. Again, enjoyed the friendship of Brad Johns and his friends and family. Brad and I started the race out together - he just finished a little a head of me. My family was there, though and was the BEST. Love you guys.

DT

Wasa Baby!

Have bounced back fairly well from reinjuring my knee this Spring. That's really what caused me to stop blogging... I admit, I was depressed for a while... Went to see the Dr., decided to get through the season and see how it goes. Fortunately, it has consistently gotton better...

Got through my first Olympic in June at Wasa Lake. What an incredible experience. Took the family camping and experienced it with a good friend, Matthew Williams and his family. Was a beautiful day with great support. Hot towards the end and it took a lot out of me... Still, was the best event I have participated in so far. A real gem!

DT

Cerve'lo

OK, I loved my old bike but I couldn't pass up picking up a brand new 08 Cervelo S1 when I was in the States a few weeks ago. Not carbon, but I don't care. What a difference it makes when you glide down the road - truly a pleasure to pedal. Much faster that my Kona. Makes staying off this slightly wounded knee bearable. Did some riding down in AZ in the Las Sendas area - couldn't have been better. Been outside the last two weekends in Calgary on long rides - 2.5 hours or so. Much better than being in front of the TV on the trainer...

Been a while....

Guess I am finding this blog thing more difficult than I thought... Hard to think of interesting things to say... Still, here I go.

Last two weeks have been great. A lot of training but also a lot of rest. Weather is getting better in Calgary (at least for now). Key workouts have been very good - keeping the heart rate under the anaerobic threshold so it is a bit new for me but I am really liking it. Listening more to my body and adjusting my workouts daily, depending on how I feel and what other stress is going on in my life...

Did a one hour run in Banff last Saturday with my wife - non-stop in the Tunnel Mountain area. Today I did 1.5 hours on the trainer in my Alberta Room - watching a basketball game. A lot of fun!

DT

Coach...

I decided a couple of weeks ago to take this thing to a new level and get a Tri Coach. A lot of good people out there with great qualifications and motivations. It wasn't easy to find someone that would fit my personality type and mirror my holistic view of the sport and training. Fortunately, Grant Molyneux agreed to talk about an approach for this years races and I liked his style.

I had already signed up for Grant's Total Immersion swimming course and I really enjoy it. It made natural sense to extend our relationship to the other aspects of the sport.

Grant and I spent a long time talking about "how I got here", what motivated me and the parameters within which I live my life and approach Tri's. With that, we put together a sustainable training plan with KEY workouts and fillers to help me acheive my goals. He also recommended a great book called "Breakthrough Triathlon Training" by Brad Kearns. After reading the first bit of the book, it really is resonating with me. A balanced, holistic approach to training and approaching the sport. I highly recommend it.

DT

The killers

I ended up getting a bit sick this week - was laid up in bed on Monday and part of Tuesday. Didn't do much training until it passed on Wednesday. Today was a full day, though. 30 minutes of TI Swimming @ Westside (I am getting a lot better...), another 45 minutes on bike (trainer) and then 4.5K in the neighborhood (by the way, the sun made it look a lot warmer than it really was!).

Felt really good until I completely ran out of "gas" about 3/4 of the way through the run. Not enough fuel in the tank. Good learning, however.

By the way, I have been really enjoying using my trainer at home - especially when I can sit in front of some good DVD and just ride! I'm sure people will think I am a bandwagon boy by getting into the killers but I don't care. I think they are my favorite group right now and I have found my training rides go quicker and smoother when I watch their Live from Royal Albert Hall DVD in our "Alberta Room." If you are a fan, it's a must buy. If you aren't a fan, give it a try...

It's all about perspective...

Being an Arizona boy, originally, I have to admit the weather in Calgary can really get to me this time of year - especially when I am training. Visions of a beautiful, warm Phoenix morning are very persuasive when you look outside and all you see is grey... Still, I find that the variety of elements, the challenge of the cold and the varied terrain can become a real advantage and, yes, even beautiful if one has the right perspective.

In an excellent book by Canadian Philathropist, Seymour Schulich, called "Get Smarter" he has a small chapter where he tells a story about a man living in the heat of Africa that longs for the cool and cold temperatures of Canada. We can't forget how good we have it and it's all about perspective.

Went to the gym today - 30 minutes in the pool doing drills. Slow and steady, just trying to get this "Total Immersion" thing down. Then came home and did 35 minutes on the trainer, watching a nice bike simulation video that came with it... After that, straight outside into the "grey" and did 5K. It's weird, I actually run faster after all that previous exercise - how can I actually have more energy... Need to think about that one. Not complaining though...

Why the name....

"DT Wound Tight" was a nickname given to me by some friends/co-workers in my first "real" job years ago at Cargill. I guess they were referring to my natural tendency (at least at that time) to be strung a little tighter than the relaxed mid-Westerners I was working with. I, of course, would never have admitted to it back then, but now that I am older I can see where they were coming from.

Good news is I have learned to be much more relaxed about most things in life - something that I hope will prolong my life well into the future! I guess I can thank a great wife and a wonderful family and kids for a better perspective.

This blog is primarily for me and my personal challenge to keep personally well rounded and heathly. That hasn't always been a priority for me in my life and it certainly is a constant struggle.

This blog will help me be accountable to my goals and my life perspective. If others enjoy it, that will just be gravy!