It is an old saying but one that resonates with many…the idea of “acting now, or getting out of the way for those who are ready to take such action”. This is firmly becoming a reality in the recent weeks of my 2013 season.
For those that know me, I apologize for such a long overdue blog…the excuses will follow in point form.
For those that are new to the blog, HI!! My name is Ryan, and I thank you for stumbling upon my ramblings—-and yes they are ramblings.
The excuses:
-after New Zealand I just was plain lazy on my blogging, as i felt i had nothing exciting to share
-in February i was focused on taking part in the Canadian Blind Hockey Tournament in Toronto–a ton of fun-mixed with fear, seasoned with an injury to my piriformis.
-during my injury time (Feb, Mar, most of Apr. I was not focused on racing…i was just focused on running one lap of the track without feeling like somebody was stabbing me in the rear end!
-injury is now “fingers crossed” on the mend and I’ve been back to more regular training.

Ok, that’s the end of the excuses i guess.

Back to my intro. As most of you know, I have been fortunate enough to stumble upon the emergence of Paratriathlon right at the most opportune time. A Triathlon Canada revs up it’s efforts to discover, mold and support a team of High Performance Paratriathletes (in varying disability categories); this blind guy with a 15 year triathlon career, just happened to stumble into the playing field.
Ok, i know some will say that i “deserve” to be be here, however that word indicates entitlement, and I have learned there is no such thing. I worked very hard to become a 6x Ironman finisher and someone who just kept plodding along. However, i NEVER EVER though of myself as a Paralympian, good enough, fast enough, talented enough to be considered for a Canadian Paralympic Team. I do not feel entitled to be in this position…frankly i feel a bit confused on how I seem to be here. I took part in triathlon to years and years ago to test myself, challenge myself and to feel good about myself. I wasn’t a “winner” or someone who was highly competitive. However this new found “position” as a Canadian High Performance Paratriathlete requires me to change that mindset, believe that my “talent” and hard work from the past, is valued and appropriate enough land me as a “podium potential” for Rio de Janerio 2016 Paralympic Team.
With this new found opportunity and challenge –to go from a long course plodder, to a Sprint triathlon speedster—has landed me a chance to be part of something bigger then I had ever even dreamed of. I am a Paralympic hopeful (for now), and being such I needed to very much realize that i need to “piddle or get off the potty”. I needed to decide that even though I don’t feel i dserve to be here, i AM here, and I need to realize that this is a once in lifetime shot that my hard work for 15 years straight, has provided me. I need to decide and have decided that NOW is my shot, take on the challenge, accept the help of professional Triathlon Canada assistance in coaching and other services…..and go for it!!
If i waiver, or linger or in my typical Ryan style “over think” this….I will lose valuable time and resources to make my new dream come true. Rio 2016 is my new Ironman. I put my heart and soul and all my faith in the process of training for Ironman, and I was successful. Rio is a far bigger challenge in some ways, as I am learning to be competitive at my “weaker” distance in triathlon. This actually makes me very excited…to take on a new process, learn from others who are talented in that distance, and trust that my hard work wil pay off in the end—like Ironman did.
So as of the past few weeks I have shifted my mindset, realized that waivering on this opportunity will serve nothing but regret. I like to say i have a “head start” on any others who may chase me down for my spot on the Rio 2016 Team. However for now, let them chase me, I will do my very stubborn best to hold onto this opportunity the best i can.
Therefore I am firmly stating that I am piddling away and have henceforth pulled on my big boy pants, taken a leap into the unknown of the sprint distance triathlon…..and firmly set what’s left of my sight on the Rio 2016 Paralympics & my chance to toe the line along with Syd in our Team Canada uniforms.

As one very awesome and supportive Triathlon Canada director has informed me…. I need to change my thoughts from “WHY ME?” to “WHY NOT ME?!!!”…..for those that know me, this is really hard to do. The world owes me nothing, and it is hard to comprehend that all the hard work has brought me to a door that contains the Triathlon Canada & ITU & Paralympic logo—-and not an MDOT. I always figured it wasn’t my place to open the door, and I’d just stand outside and wait for the rightful owner of the “key” to come along and let themselves in ahead of me. Turns out I found the key somewhere along the way….and I can let myself in first!! What a strange feeling…
So for now i’m off the potty, in the door and hoping that the next 3.5 years of hard work and dedication and professionalism will help me find that plane tickets for Syd and I (& Big AL), to board a plane to Rio in 2016.
Regardless of the outcome, I am honoured to have been afforded the belief of so many people and est assured I will do what i do best—-Put my head down and attack the pile.

Don’t be shocked! I am actually back writing a blog. I know it is exciting, for anyone who actually reads my blog:)
Since my last entry after New Zealand, a few things have happened but not a ton. The much needed mental and physical break was nice, the Christmas Holiday season was great and diving back into the New Year has been fun.
One thing I wanted to touch upon to kick off 2013, was to send out a big thank you to an organization that is supporting me in a big way. If you have not heard of these guys, please check them out and support them in any way you can. This group is called GOODGUYSTRI, and is a group of like minded folks (who happen to love endurance sports), doing good for others.
GoodGuysTri is focused on doing good for good people. They leverage corporate sponsors and donations and turn them around to support those in the endurance world who are doing good things. Their drive is to “pay it forward” in order to see where the ripple affect can go; they want their help and support of people like me, to be manifested into greater things. The folks at GoodGuysTri (based up in Ottawa), believe that what I (and my fellow Paratriathletes) are trying to do in promotion of our sport, is something they wish to support. They have generously donated a few super cool items that I can auction off in order to help with my 2013 season, in hopes that the positive impact of Syd and I racing can reach beyond sport and inspire others to get up and get active. They hold a very similar mindset to me in that they love sport, love swim, bike and run, however they realize the impact on others can be great. We happen to have had our opportunities to get involved in sport and have had mentors of our own….now it is time for us to share our knowledge and experience and be great role models for others.
Sport is characterized by integrity, passion and a willingness to challenge yourslef, despite what athletic talent you possess. The folks who support and are within GoodGuysTri dont’ care how fast you are, they care how you positively impact those around you.
So please, check them out at: www.goodguystri.ca and support them….not just because they support me, but because they deserve everyones support.
Thanks GoodGuysTri!! We will “live life intentionally” in 2013.
Make sure you follow them on twitter: @goodguystri as well as on Facebook.

Stay tuned for the cool items I will be auctioning off for the 2013 season. My big focus on this year is a proper tandem bike box. Shipping your $6000 tandem in cardboard boxes is just not a comfy feeling. I think we’ve been lucky with the baggage handlers and I don’t feel like pushing my luck too much more in 2013.

So….what have I been up to?

Well, after New Zealand I came home and took a 2 week total break…then slowly got back into exercising, but nothing too strict. We celebrated my Mom’s 60th birthday (mom, brother and sister in picture above). Mindy and i moved into our new apartment, and it is wonderful to have our own place again after 8 months of relying on the generosity of our parents.
I (foolishly?) signed up again for Around the Bay 30k in March, more for a reason to log run miles and less of a reason to race. Thus far the training has been going ok.
After coming home from NZ I finally was able to get my hands on the new treadmills…. Thanks so much National Fitness Products out of Toronto for helping me get my hands on these 2 used Woodway Treadmills. They are a bit older but super awesome and built like a tank. Having a treadmill has really helped in consistant and focused running. I’ve not run much outside lately but am super thankful to have the chance to run when I want/need to.

I took the newest one and have the other one as a “parts” machine…although these are so well built I think they should last quite a while!

Hmm, what else.
After volunteering for a few months, I am now officially a Personal Trainer at the YMCA..although I’ve not yet found any clients. We are working on a few ideas and initiatives to find me some clients to work with.

Also…
On family day weekend I will be reliving my youth and strapping on the hockey equipment to play in the 2013 Canadian Blind Hockey Tournament put on by Courage Canada (check them out as well!).

Four teams of blind and visually impaired hockey players, take the ice at the old Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto for a 3 day round robin tourney. Thanks to my buddy Brian Cowie for “talking” me into this.. Truth be told I’m a bit nervous as hockey used to be something easier then walking, so second nature and something I had a lot of confidence in, even if I wasn’t awesome at it.
I now just want to go out and feel like a productive member of the team. Mindy is coming along and I hope she will take some video and pics for me to share. Mission 1 is to not get hurt, Mission 2 is to have fun and feel like a kid again:)

Lastly I guess, I’ve been teaching bike trainer classes at the local running store Up & Running two times per week. It’s been good although sometimes a bit thin in participants.
I find I am confident teacher although not so confident in my music choices!!
After 4 years of hiding away I have decided to take my race bike (Cervelo P2K) out of retirement and actually ride it on the trainer (the new Kurt Kinetic Road Machine I just bought).
Feeling strong on the bike and “like myself” has been tough ever since riding a tandem, as I just didn’t have the confidence that I was still a solid cyclist. Riding my race bike that carried me to so many memorable moments, has definitely reignited my confidence again.

I am looking forward to 2013 and my new focus on getting faster. I am deciding that it is just like Ironman where I am unsure of the outcome but need to trust the new and scary process. It’s tough, its unfamiliar. However with the help of my buddy Jason Dunkerley for running, Matt Wood for swimming and as always Syd for everything inclusive….I will aim to be a much improved Sprint Triathlete in 2013.

thanks for reading the updates!!!

Where to start? It seems that the year had just begun and tomorrow we will be celebrating New Years Eve, ready to ring in 2013.
In thinking of how to best summarize 2012 I looked back through my video evidence….and wow! There are so many stories to reflect upon that I am truly feeling blessed by all the really great things that have happened to me this year.
In the laundry list of my 2012 highlights would obviously include:
-becoming 2012 Paratriathlon Canadian National champion
-selected to Triathlon Canada’s High Performance Paratriathlon Team
-representing Canada with a 4th place showing at the ITU World Paratriathlon Championships in Auckland New Zealand
-being selected Triathlon Ontario Paratriathlete of the Year
-Triathlon Magazine Canada’s Paratriathlete of the Year
-Triathlon Canada’s President’s Team member
-seeing my first star
-meeting new friends in Petawawa (god bless our military BAMF’ers!)
-meeting a new friend and racing with him in the Ottawa 10k
-travelling to San Diego for an ITU race
-finishing my first Around the Bay 30k, with Syd strapped to my side
-moving back to Chatham and becoming re-integrated into the running/triathlon scene
-being selected as TriCK’s new President for 2013 (Chatham’s newest multisport club)
-moving into a new apartment
-speaking at a school in London ON, to a group of gr.8 students about “what IS possible”
……and of course the standards like:
-having a crazily supportive wife (Mindy) and family
-supportive friends in Chatham & Owen Sound that helped cover the trip to New Zealand
-meeting Tracey, Larry, Vincent, Alan and the rest of Triathlon Canada’s passionate paratri administration
-meeting Grant, Jenny, Darren, Charles, Pierre, Lorene and all the other Canadian Paratri’s that inspire me daily
-continuing my friendship with Brian Cowie, an inspiring athlete who’s still kickin butt at 60 yrs old and proving that hard work truly surpasses anything on a birth certificate
-having lots of great guides in my roster (Syd, Daniel, Steve M., Wayne, Trevor, Matt W., Heather of course!!!, Boston Rob & oh god i hope i didn’t forget anyone )
-finally, once again having the support and friendship of my big goofy sidekick Sydney!! –he continues to step up his game higher and higher then mine, making me chase him on a constant basis. It is so awesome to have a fellow student of the sport, to feed of each others energy, strategize and show total respect for each others knowledge, skill and determination for the end goals ….Rio 2016 & to showcase that Paratriathletes can be bad-arses too!
Syd and his entire family (Jenn, Ruby and Wren) continue to sacrifice in their own lives in order to help me feel like an athlete worth having a dream to chase.

Looking back on 2012 there is so much to have gratitude towards, as no matter how much my vision decides to rebel against me, I have so many things that help keep me afloat!

2012 also saw Mindy and I move back to Chatham after a two year “adventure” up to Ottawa and to Owen Sound, now settled back in Chatham we are getting reacquainted old friends and making new ones. We are so pleased to be supporters of the new running store in Chatham–Up & Running, whos knowledgeable and friendly owners Matt and Kim bring a service that is deeply needed in our city. We truly are undertaking a new beginning and are excited for what 2013 will bring our way.
Moving Forward there are so many things to look forward to in 2013 such as the new TriCK club, working with Up & Running on their clinics and teaching a indoor 8 week cycling class, starting a new very part time job at the YMCA, as well as helping to get Chatham-Kent up and off the couch.

This will mark my 15th year in triathlon and looking back on my career (successes and failures), I am inspired that the best is truly yet to come. The goals are the same, as to stay injury free, strong and healthy, but they are also a lot more agressive then in years past. I’ve noticed that in my Ironman training I’ve bcome complaicent in the fact that I haven’t gotten a ton faster in each discipline and I realize in order to become a better Sprint athlete-things need to change. The goals surrounding my expectations in the swim and run are very high this coming year and I obviously wish to maintain my confidence as a strong cyclist.
Drawing upon my theory of silent success, farmboy/chop wood & carry water/ bailin the hail atttitude, I am confident that my athletic potential is yet to be reached. That is all I will say about that however as I am a believer that anybody can talk, can tell you what they are going to do, can do, have done, will do, but we all know that this means nothing in the long run. What truly matters is who shows up on race day to that starting line, where all the swagger, bravado and cockiness will serve you no purpose but to miss out on the learning experience that is each race and the humility that comes with that learning experience.

My advice to others is that in your quest to be the best at what you do, you must simply DO…
don’t chatter on…
don’t brag, don’t boast…
put your head down, accomplish through actions and inspire through work ethic.
I am not often most inspired by the person that wins, I am most inspired by those who work silently, in the shadows, without fan fare, without spotlight, then who show up on the big day and speak loudly with performance.
Be a student of the sport, study swim, bike, run in it’s purest form, without all the gadgets and carbon fibre. Embrace this journey as a triathlete each day when you go out and break a sweat, stumble and fall, then when you get back up.
This is the advice that I would like to give every beginner and veteran alike for 2013…..
embrace the silence of success and let’s let the race course determine who’s got the right stuff.

Triathlon is a beautiful sport that has no black and white answers. In my 14 years of racing I have figured out one thing…..YOU CAN’T FIGURE IT ALL OUT.
Enjoy the flow of swim, bike, run, repeat-make it a passion, make it a lifestyle, put yoru head down and give it all you got.

Most of all be thankful for every day you can get up, get out and do what you live for…no matter how fast or “less fast” because it truly doesn’t matter. We are all just learning as we go and enjoying every minute of it.

Have an inspiring 2013 and when you sit back a year from now at your picture books, be confident that no matter what the race results say, you will have known you gave it your best shot, were grateful for every mile, and had fun along the way!

WHATEVER LIFE BRINGS YOUR WAY…..ASSESS THE SITUATION, ADAPT TO IT THE BEST YOU KNOW HOW & NO MATTER WHAT, JUST KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

Well, I made it back safe and sound from what has been a journey 4 months in the making. Ever since capturing the 2012 Canadian Paratriathlon Championships in July, myself and my guide Syd have been getting ready for our first crack at the World Championships for Paratriathlon, which was held in Auckland, New Zealand on Oct.22nd.
This race report will capture my ramblings surrounding that trip. If you want the short version, skip to the bottom below the pictures and you will find a few short points that will give you a good idea of the day; however if you have time please feel free to read what I am sure will be a somewhat long-ish report.

In the preparation for this event I had undertaken a bit of a fundraising blitz, as Triathlon Canada supported our journey to Auckland, just not quite 100% of it; therefore from July to October I was asking for and receiving tons of support. This is where I would like to once again thank everyone who supported our (Syd and I) journey down to the “Land of the long white cloud”, otherwise known as Auckland. Without your financial and moral support and even motor support to those who helped me run last minute errands-none of this would have been possible. Be assured I thought of you all often while down there and while sitting on the pontoon waiting to start, I thought of you all once again.
If you had asked me two or three or especially four years ago when I started the journey as a Paratriathlete, if I would be in Auckland New Zealand for a World Championship, I would have chuckled and said –”Who and the heck would invite me to a World Championship?”!! Well, as I tell everyone, I feel i’ve stumbled into this great opportunity. Triathlon is a sport I’ve been doing for 14 years and just want to keep finding a way to enjoy. Having thankfully a small enough amount of talent to be able to luckily be noticed and invited by Triathlon Canada is something that I am thankful for. I have never set out to be a “World Champion” or professional Paratriathlete, however that is the place I find myself now. Having the honour to be on the Elite Paratriathlon team, garnering support and respect from my national sporting federation, it is something I do not take lightly. As Mindy and I say, “it is a job” and that is how I treat it. So with that in mind, I prepared over the past 4 months the very best I knew how, with the resources I had at my disposal and a small handful of dedicated and selfless guides (Syd, Daniel, Steve, Wayne); I put my head down and attacked the pile, hoping the result would be worth the effort I put into the preparation.

I won’t bore you with a ton of details on the day to day logistics of the trip, as you can gleen some of them by reading my blog posts over the past week. I will simply start by saying the trip was long, but not terribly uncomfortable (especially on the way there). The return trip seemed to take 3 days and I was very happy to get home. I would like to say that New Zealand is a gorgeous expanse of a country, however I honestly didn’t get much further then about a 10 city block radius in Auckland. That being said, it is a beautiful city filled with amazingly kind people. My only “dissapointment” if you can call it that, was the weather. I was expecting 18C and sunny…well it was 18C and sunny, the day we left! Pretty much the entire trip I was cold and wet! Syd loved it, as he’d been there before and I guess had the local knowledge; I on the other hand did not pack quite the proper clothes for the sporatic rain/sun/wind mix which left me quite uncomfortable for the first three days until I located an AWESOME greeny/yellow fleece sweater! Oh ya, I dress myself!! Ha!
Race week was typical in the sense that you wander around, check out the expo, scout the course, plan tactics/logistics and get mentally prepared to race. Being the ITU World Triathlon Championships, there were a ton of races going on over a 5 day stretch, from U23, Junior, Elite, Age Groupers and Paratriathletes, you surely could watch your fix of the sport. New Zealand knows triathlon and takes it very seriously, with TV coverage and knowledgable commentors and public. That was a pretty refreshing thing to see!
We arrived on Wednesday morning and flew out the following Tuesday evening, with our race taking place on Monday afternoon. Upon arrival we met up with the rest of our Paratriathlon team which including guides for myself and Brian the other blind/visually impaired Canadian, totalled 8 plus two coaches. Throughout the week we did a couple rides on Big Al (my tandem) a run, and a bunch of swims. The neatest was swimming in a 60m outdoor saltwater pool-that is not a typo….it was a long pool! As race day approached, my mission was to stay dry and warm and avoid the nasty cold that had been going around. Happy to say that I accomplished that goal.
THE RACE—
The Paratriathlon race was supposed to consist of a 750m swim, 20k bike and 5k run, however due to the 14.5C water temperature, the organizers cut the swim to 300m. This was for safety reasons in regards to some of the Paratriathletes with different physical challenges that greatly affect their hands or core temp. For once in my life I was at least somewhat disappointed that the swim was shortened, as I have been working very hard all summer to improve my swim and actually I was feeling it to be a bit of a weapon this time. I enjoy swimming but don’t LOVE swimming like Syd, I consider it my weakest of the three events and am usually happy to be out of the water. However seeing how I’ve improved over the summer, the 750m swim I think would have actually played to an advantage to Syd and I. There are some VERY fast runners in the field and I could’ve used the extra :30-1:00 advantage over some of them, but it was not to be.
Paratriathlon is treated in the same esteem to some extent as the pros are, in which I mean that we are given the same comforts of an athletes lounge pre-race with dry and warm places to sit and hang out. This also means REAL bathrooms and no crazy lines-which I get excited about! The coolest thing however is that we get to use the elite transition, which is a “flow through” transition on the blue carpter. It is a wide carpeted, oneway transition area with a very professional feel and look to it; it is awesome! We also get introduced like the pros and really get to feel like athletes (which we are) and not like “good for you special people” athletes, which we can feel like on occasion.
Our race started at 3:15pm and after checking in, setting up our transition area alongside 109 total Paratriathletes (10 tri6 men, 8 tri6 women) –Tri6 meaning blind/visually impaired– we doned our new NINETEEN FREQUENCY wetsuits (these things are once again truly amazing products).
Syd and I walked down the ramp to the pontoon which was located in a wharf within a harbour, and bordered by piers lined with spectators, which was again pretty special. We sat down, side by side with our fellow competitors, feel dangling in the cold but not crazy cold water, and waited for the start.
With approx. 1 minute to the start we were instructed to enter the water and hang onto the pontoon. We were in the first of 3 Paratri waves (which contained Tri6 men and Tri1-wheelie-men and women). Syd and I knew that the 300m swim would be just an all out sprint for dear life and we knew we’d be in the mix. To our left was the British team and multi world champ and to my right was the Brazillians, also talented guys. Syd and I swim front/back, meaning I follow the tether and swim right behind him. Many of the blind guys do this, however there is controversy over the rule as some say it is an advantage…..umm YA! It is drafting, it is an advantage, BUT drafting is allowed in triathlon at every level, so we are not sure what the stress is about this? It is very very obvious if a guide is “pulling” his athlete and of course this should not be allowed, however if I have a permanent drafting buddy, I dont’ see anything wrong with this. In triathlon at all levels people team up in the swim to draft each other and gain hydrodynamic advantage. We are not out to cheat, we are out to race, taking every advantage the rules allow–that is sport.
The siren sounds and the next 4:37 were a blur of white water, yellow bouy, arm, punch, tether, Syd’s feet, yellow bouy, fogged goggles, punch, kick, breathe in mouthfull of water, white water, punch, then exit pontoon. It felt like and Ironman swim at top sprint speed. Syd later said that we hit the pontoon in 3rd place and within 1-3 seconds of the GBR and BRA teams, gapping the rest of the field.
Out in 3rd was ok, and we scrambled up the pontoon in what was the first of 2 not so spectacular transitions by both Syd and I. He had trouble with his wetsuit, I as tripping on the tether, and we were fumbling a bit. Oh well, more practice needed as our Edmonton transitions were nearly perfect, we know we can do much better.
Out onto the 3 loop of 6.7km FLAT bike course, we were 30 sec down on GBR and BRA. Syd and I love BigAl and really feel he is a rocket ship of a tandem. We are confident on him and settled into a hard pace chasing 1st and 2nd. It took the first lap for my legs to come around and for the heart rate to come back down. The 2nd lap we caught and passed BRA for 2nd, still 30 sec behind GBR. Nearing the end of lap 3 the BRA team passed us again and we stayed with them til T2, getting off the bike together.
Again, T2 was a bit of a shambles…as somebody kicked my shoes which had my blackout glasses and tether in them. Plus I sat down to put them on…SAT DOWn?!!! What was I thinking…that is just wasted time. Plus it is much easier to step into your running shoes then it is to pull them on while seated. Best I can figure is it was an instinct when I only saw one running shoe, I hit my butt and groped around blind guy style for the rest. Syd manged to find the blackout glasses and other shoe and I got back up and off we went. I guess at least our dismount into T2 was smooth and pretty, but people watching live feed from home sure enjoyed my T2 performance. “You looked angry”, “you were feeling the ground all over”…..ya, I was definitely giving the ground a good caress, but wasn’t angry….yet!
Off onto the run we were 3rd, as the GBR team now has about 1:20 on us and the BRA had about 15 sec. The run was 4 loops of 1.25km back and forth in front of transition. The crowds were very loud and supportive (although I didn’t seem them due to the blackout glasses) and the roads wee super smooth and nice to run on.
Syd and I took the pace out fairly fast and my legs felt great as we maintained a 30m gap on the 2nd place BRA team. ending the 2nd lap I started getting a pretty back diaphram spasm under my right rib cage, it had started on the bike but eased a bit initially on the run. However this time it was back with a vengence! In a longer race when this happens, you ease off the pace and calm the breathing and it goes away, however in a 5km all out run, you don’t really have time to back off. If I back off, the gap to 2nd gets bigger and who knows if the cramp even goes away. The only option was to hammer away and try to calm the breathing and hope it goes away. It did not. Lap 3 and 4 were a blur of wheezing and praying the stupid cramp would go away. In the early stages of lap 3 the Serbian teeam came running past. Crap:( We wwre now in 4th place and for some reason I initially thought we got passed for 5th place. I immediately went to a head space of “this sucks, I try so hard and I’m going to end up getting passed by everyone”….I right away realized how bad of a headspace this was and fixed it quickly. I asked Syd if we were in 4th or 5th, he said 4th and so I made a decision right there. I realized that I didn’t train that hard, get that much support and work to get all that way to Auckland just to give up mentally becasue my dream of a podium was pretty much lost. That would have been unprofessional, childish, selfish and disrespectful to everyone who supported me. I knew I would not be happy with 4th but I for sure knew giving up mentally and crusing into a 5th place or worse place just because I didn’t see the point in suffering anymore, was a real stupid thing to do. So right then and there with about 2km to go I was determined to hold 4th and by some miracle recover and catch third.
Making the turn for the final lap, Syd encouraged me that is was now or never to make a move on 3rd place but I just couldn’t. My legs felt awesome but my breathing was so shallow I just couldnt’ get any oxygen to power them along. With about 1km to go Syd cheered on the very fast moving Aussies coming from behind and I wheezed to Syd “How far back?”. He proceeded to tell me 150m (which was a bit of exxageration but a tactic for Syd to push me all the way to the line). So for the last 1km of so it was all out suffering to make sure I got to the line in 4th.
We made our final left turn onto the blue carpet finish straight which was about 200m long. I again asked Syd where they were, but don’t recall his answer. I figured I would give it all I had for one last dash, making sure I gave it everything I had, as was the promise to all my supporters. I held my breath, gritted my teeth and went at the line as hard as I could. Turns out I didn’t need to as the Aussies were still a few hundred meters behind but I was proud that I didn’t coast to the line moping along. I ran hard all the way through and ALMOST puked, which I think people had side bets on!.

After the finish I was pretty bummed out as I knew I had third if not even second place within my grasp and failed to deliver the podium finish I thought was so attainable. I knew nobody would be upset with 4th place but I was quite bummed as I really tried hard to mentally prepare myself to have a big day and really believe in my abilities; then to fall short really shattered my confidence.
Later however while I sat with my teammates at the hotel enjoying a drink, we scanned the results. Upon seeing the splits i felt a renewed sense of confidence and pride in my race. As you will see later with the stats, we had a solid race, we were within seconds of the leaders on pretty much everything except our transitions. Now I say OUR because Syd didn’t have great transitions either, BUT he at no point really held me up…so it was a jointly slow transition day. I was encouraged to see that I do actually have the same skills/talent to “hang” with these podium finishers and I was instantly motivated to prove it. So now we move on to 2013 and find a way to improve.
I must once again state that Syd showed up with his A game…he was prepared and fit and could’ve gone faster if I needed him to. I know it is “my” race but I am sure him seeing the BRA team 30m up the road and me not being able to close the gap, must’ve been extremely frustrating for him. He is a competitor who is there to help me yes, but also wants to win too. I do however hope and am sure he knows that I gave it my all and desperately wanted to get on the podium to reward his hard work too. Also that I showed up in the best shape i’ve been in for years, with my swim feeling like a weapon (to me) and my cycling and running being strong. I wanted to prove to him just as much to myself that I was fit and ready to go……but some days your body just won’t cooperate 100%. Mine that day gave me about 90%…however to podium and to win I will need nothing less then 99%, saving that 1% just in case I need it for a sprint finish:) I am obviously very appreciative of his efforts as often the race is as much between him and I as it is with the competition. Think about it…he goes into every race with me knowing he has to lose as he can’t beat me across the line according to the rules BUT he can surely beat me up on the way to the line! He pushes me and helps me step up my game, that is a huge weapon in my arsenal I think!

So below are some pics from the day and some bullet points to sum it up.
It was a great experience, however it honestly wasn’t a big learning curve as it is triathlon and we know a lot about triathlon. It was a lesson though to clean up the untidy stuff like transitions and also a positive lesson that pushing through a crumby run can still make you feel rewarded at the end. Oh ya, I mentioned a lot earlier about “not being angry…yet”. I think you’ll see in the picture that the grimace was equal parts pain and anger. I was ticked at myself and that was a run of anger to the line. I know I can do better and I am angry when I don’t deliver, but next time will be different!

A HUGE THANKS TO:
-NINETEEN WETSUITS, E3, RUNNING FREE, RUDY PROJECT, SPEEDFIL
-Syd and his family for helping me on this journey
-my wife for putting up with me and my stress
-Everyone who gave generously to help get Syd to Auckland
-Steve & Dan & Wayne for getting me out and on the bike and run.
-Leslie for helping me get in the water at Lake Morningstar
-all my family and friends who showed their support from all over Ontario and even the USA and Australia.

FAST FACTS—
Place 4 of 10 Tri6 Male
300m swim- 4:37
20k bike – 30:17
5k run – 20:28
Transitions – SLOW!

POSITIVES-
-2nd fastest swim and bike splits
-solid run split despite suffering cramping
-able to push through that much discomfort for that long=mental confidence
-comparing splits to leaders=we are equally as talented and have potential
-legs felt great
-Syd was fit and ready to rock
-Big Al was awesome again
-NINETEEN wetsuit was amazingly comfy
-New Zealand is a very lovely and friendly place
-Being treated like an elite in all aspects

NEGATIVES-
-4th is close to 3rd but means we need to improve
-transitions sucked
-cramping is never fun
-cold and wet weather

WHAT’S NEXT-
-a little bit of rest
-search for more sponsorships in terms of clothing and shoes and $$$
-some curling!!
-planning for 2013 season once we obtain race schedules

Well we are bout half way through day four here, Saturday in Auckland. This is an off day from exercise so we thought we’d go check out the U23 Women race this morning.
Got out on some of the other back streets of downtown Auckland and enjoyed a good race.
Went and finally got a lovely bright yellow fleece sweater…I love it, Syd thinks it’s goofy, but I don’t care…I’M FINALLY WARM!!! Hope it’s not too little too late, as i do feel a bit sniffly and sore throat but hanging in there!

While we watched the race, Syd spotted Johnathon Brownlee, the men’s Olympic Bronze medallist in Triathlon. He’s racing tomorrow but was watching today’s race as well….so we wandered over and Syd got a pic.
He’s a nice young kid…i say that as i think he’s probably 7 years younger then I. Very nice guy though and he wished us luck.

So now we are having some lunch and waiting to watch pro women on TV.
Stretch out a sore hip…take a nap maybe….who knows what the day will bring:)

Probably nicest day so far though, mostly sunny and fairly warm (so far).

Here is a quick video tour of our digs in Auckland…taken when we arrived on Wednesday morning. Nothing over the top but nice little setup:)

A quick recap of day 3 in Auckland….as i’m heading off for bed now!

a) went for 20k ride along the coast with Brian Cowie and his pilot(son) Sean. Brian is the other visually impaired athlete from Canada…he and I will be in the field of 11 VI male athletes in Monday’ss race.
-we rode
-it was beautiful along the coast
-it was windy…again
-it was 14 C brrrr:(
-we got poured on in the latter half of the ride.

b)The group went for a swim, this time on the actual swim course. We joined many of the age group swimmers which meant a crowded course and short swim
-it was cold water, but surprisingly not really all the bad, you just have to jump right in, don’t ease in!
-The 300m swim course (shortened from 750m because of cold water conditions) is short and quick
-water was merky
-swim course itself is actually pretty cool and will probably rank up there with one of my favorites.
-also got rained on!
-wore wetsuit on the walk back to hotel, keeping me warm:)

c) Group went for a short run and some drills later in the afternoon
-beautiful area along the harbour(when the sun was actually out)
-windy again
-got rained on again!

So needless to say I am getting tired of being wet and cold, but that is ok, most others are in the same boat. Although as Syd points out, my slightly less percentage of body fat doesn’t help me stay warm:(…..I’m not calling him fat or anything, just saying he’s not cold as often as I am!

Was a good day, tomorrow is off day for exercise adn we’ll do a bit of walking around, checking out the womens pro race and try to stay warm.

Can’t say we are seeing much of Auckland and/or New Zealand, as we really can’t go too far without a car… but the city is quite nice, the people are super friendly and it is cool to think i’m on the other side of the world from where I live. If that doesn’t make you feel small and give you some perspective, I don’t know what will!

Anyhow, nighty night from Auckland:)

We made it!!
Syd and I left Toronto on Monday at 6:45pm and flew to Los Angeles, then with an almost nil layover we boarded our 12 hour flight to Auckland.
This flight wasn’t nearly as bad as we’d anticipated as it was overnight, so our bodies really didn’t seem to mind. We also lucked out and get the very last row on this giant plane, so we were just two seats in the very back…allowed us to stay out of the way and get some sleep!

We landed in Auckland at 7am on Wednesday morning, took a shuttle bus to our hotel downtown and settled into our suite. It is a pretty nice apartment style hotel where pretty much all Canadians, able bodied and Para-athletes are staying.

After this Syd and I took a short walk down to the race site to check it out. The race is held in a busy wharf in Auckland but a very nice setup. The weather is chilly-ish, at about 16 degrees and mostly sunny, the wind tends to chill you off a bit.

We found a grocery store, stocked up on breakfast and lunch snacks and then found our way back to the hotel.
Syd was feeling spry, i was not!, so he went off for a 30 minute exploration run, checking out the scenes and I stayed behind and unpacked BigAl.
When Syd made it back we proceeded to walk back to the race site with some of our teammates to watch one of our friends Pierre (wheelie) compete in the Aquathon (swim/run). He ended up winning his category, so that is a nice “warmup” to his paratriathlon race on Monday.

The only bummer of a word we’ve recieved (but not entirely unexpected) was that our 750m swim MAY be shortened to 300m on Monday due to the fact that the water is 15C and for some Paratriathletes this could pose some safety risks. So it will be what it will be, and we will race as fast as we can on whatever the course.

Finished putting Big Al together and headed off with some of the team to a 60m outdoor saltwater pool!! It was awesome, except a bit chilly, we had a good swim, knocked out some of the jetlag and Syd and I tried out our brand new 2012 Nineteen Frequency Wetsuits!! They are sweet for sure…but that is what you get from NINETEEN, pure awesomeness!

So now we are waiting to go for a quick dinner with Brian Cowie and his son Sean. Brian is the other visually impaired athlete for team Canada and a good friend of mine. He’s been a mentor to me for a few years and we always enjoy racing (and teasing) each other.

So that is day 1 (in Auckland)…day 2 all around as the total journey from Syd’s house to the hotel in Auckland took about 25 hours!

Below are some pics!

First couple pics are of the onscreen inflight computer just a bit before we land…

Last two pics…are of the sunrise behind us, as we approached Auckland…camerawork courtesy of Syd!

These two pics give you an idea of where we are swimming…as they were taken at a test event last year in Auckland.
The big white shed with the blue carpeted area in front of it, is where our transition area will be.

Well today is the day, we start our LONG journey down to Auckland… I can’t say I am looking forward to the journey (especally since i’ve been feeling like i’m on the edge of a cold for 3 weeks) but I am very much looking forward to the destination. Putting to work the hard months of preparation and hours on that torturous but lovely Lemond Revolution trainer, laps in the pool and km’s logged on the track….I am cautiously optomistic about our chances of a podium finish.
Syd has been battling a nasty cold (the one i’m trying to avoid and that many people have)…but he is in good form and faster then me, as usual!!

Below there is or should be a couple pictures from the Auckland website showing you the swim course. It is pretty neat, as we swim in a Wharf. Our swim goes pretty much straight out up one side and back in down the other…750m in total. I thought that sould be a teaser for now.
I hope to post regularly with video and pictures to keep everyone up to date!!

Here’s a little video from this morning at Syd’s house…he is taking BigAl out for a quick spin to check on the shifting. I opted out…since I’ve not been on BigAl since Edmonton (he’s been living at Syd’s), I figued another day off from him won’t be a big deal. As long as my seat is adjusted proper, I just need to sit and pedal—hard!

Check back often!
See you from down down down under.

I am learning slowly that with the outpouring of support I have been getting-or shall I say Syd and I have been getting- that there is not an automatic burden of pressure attached to it. This is a very important distinction for me, moving forward as a Paratriathlete.

First off however I would like to send out a huge thank you to everyone who has thus far donated on my website and who have contributed in other ways. I have had and continue to have great support from total strangers willing to donate auction items and support me by passing the word along. I was overwhelmed with the support we recieved this past weekend during out two showings of “Going Blind” the documentary. One viewing here in Chatham saw 29 people attend and the next day in Owen Sound saw 15 come out for the show. Both crowds were very very generous and positive in their comments, helping us raise $300 for the Foundation Fighting Blindness and just under $700 for Syd’s plane ticket to New Zealand.

I often try to figure out why so many people are so willing to help and I have had conversations with my friend Steve about this very issue. I never set out to be a professional Paratriathlete or compete for Canada or aim for a Paralympic spot on the starting line; however these seem to be the goals I am now undertaking. The support I have been told, is because people believe in investing in something real, something they can hang their hat on and an idea that is genuine.
I have and will always be a firm believer that my name (Van Praet) is something to be protected, as it is truly all I own…and that the name should be associated with honestly, integrity, ethics and a genuine nature; what you see is what you get. It is something I strive for, not necessarily to be the best in all that I do, but to be the most earnest and genuine in my approach of doing “it”. I truly thank those that believe in this ideal and line of thinking and I will strive to uphold this daily.

Which brings me to the thought of pressure as it relates to everyone’s generosity. I am a person that is highly optomistic when it comes to others yet admittedly pesimistic when it comes to myself, for what reason specifically i do not know. To me being the unnoticed and underdog and “guy in the corner” is somewhat of a comforting feeling and being a “champion” Paratriathlete is a swing in the opposite direction of my comfort zone. Again I didn’t seek to be a “champion”, I simply sought out to partake in a sport that made me feel alive, equal, fit and happy; all the while allowing me to advocate for others. Therefore being accepting of others generosity is easy but feeling worthy of it is tough.
My chink in my armour as athlete is truly my mental game. The caveate being that I am A++ in the mental game of slogging away, one foot in front of the other but I’d say a C+ in being a person of tacticle genious or competitive edge. Just ask Syd–he and I are far apart in this manner which is quite a big reason why we get along so well. He has the perfect balance of self belief without it spilling into arrogance- I admire that and it helps me tremendously to believe in myself.
Thus when I am seeking to be the wallflower yet asking for support as a “champion”, I inately feel a deep sense of pressure. I feel that people are investing in a “champion” and that if I am not capable or do not deliver a champion performance, then they will feel cheated or robbed. It is a deep source of anxiety for me but one I am working on and one I know I must overcome for the most part, as I strive to compete at an International level. Family and friends often remind me that this is not the case, that there is no pressure to perform, only the pressure to do your best. This type of pressure I can handle, and this type of pressure leads me to thinking of pressure as a responsibility.

To calm to feeling of letting people down or letting Triathlon Canada down or not living up to the hype, I choose and am convincing myself that the pressure I feel isn’t pressure to succeed, yet it is a RESPONSIBILITY to my family, friends, country, supporters and myself, to act in a manner that is befitting of the or an acknowledgment of the support I continue to get.
Oddly enough I can 100% handle the responsibility angle any day of the week, in place of the pressure angle. I was brought up to be responsible and “do what you say” type person. You will notice that i never or very very rarely make statements of fact “I will win”, “I will post XYZ time”, etc… as I feel if i state it and don’t deliver, I am simply a liar….and those who know me, know lying is something that I cannot tolerate. Therefore I am very capable of handling the responsibility that comes with me saying :
IF YOU GIVE TO ME YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY, YOUR SUPPORT, YOUR TIME, YOUR EFFORT….I WILL TAKE UPON MYSELF THE RESPONSIBILITY TO REPRESENT YOU AND YOUR CONTRIBUTION IN THE MOST DEDICATED AND FITTING MANNER.

I will prepare, I will compete and I will represent myself with the utmost professionalism, dedication and stubbornness that is worthy of you all.
I love triathlon, I love being a competitor with myself and others but mostly I love being a role model, a resource, a representative of Chatham (and Owen Sound) and Canada. If I am capable of helping just ONE person in their quest to become a healthier, happier and joyful person, then my mission is accomplished.

I will not promise victory or placing, however I will promise you that I will live up to the standards I have mentioned and will do my best to represent all that have supported me; if for some reason I fall short in living up to my moral code, I invite you to call me on it anytime.

Thanks so very much to all who bid on our ROAD TO RIO AUCTION#1
Colin is our winner with a bid of $700!
Thanks so much Colin…this will be very helpful in getting Syd on that plane to New Zealan!
Thanks all who bid and thanks for the feedback I did get in how to improve the bidding process for next time.

Not sure what item is next up on the auction block but stay tuned!!!