Robb's Ride 2009

380 km in 3 days isn't a WHOLE lot of riding for a competitive cyclist or triathlete. 380 km at close to race pace, with over 2000 meters of climbing on one of the days, is a WHOLE lot of riding!  J0el Johnson, Andrew Sellars, Jason Kilmartin, Michelle Peletier and I were 5 BPR athletes that toed the line of this 3 day NON-race through Castlegar, Nelson, Trail, Rossland, New Denver and Kaslo.

This 3rd year of the event saw better weather than the first 2 years, and a much more interesting 3rd day of riding that took us up 2 major passes - the Bombi and Nancy Green. One mountain section of the road from Trail to Rossland was 10 km and did NOT let up for a minute with pitches at 10-14% throughout. It was there that my training partner Joel really showed what he is now capable of doing now. We started the climb steady, not too hard. I was at my LBP, and a very strong cyclist, Brian Marsh, was leading us out. About 4 km in, I took over the pacing and ramped my heart rate up to about LBP +10-15 and just gritted my teeth hoping that everyone would soon get shed off the back. 4 or 5 guys did, but Joel stayed right there behind me, and about 2 km from the top he made his move, and did he ever make his move! He jumped and had 40 meters on me within a minute, I simply couldn't respond. This was the highlight of the trip for me.

One thing I noticed a lot of this weekend was laboured breathing. My coach Andrew has us doing a fair bit of respiratory training with a Spiro Tiger, and with just awareness of breath when we train. After doing this for almost 2 years, my breathing never gets out of control anymore, even when I'm at 194 heart rate. I compare my 30-33 breaths per minute to those around me breathing 50-60 and I am very grateful that I've trained that system specifically. 

The road racing style of riding this weekend with intensity that fluctuated constantly was very different than my regular training. I think it was really beneficial to have this kind of variety of intensity in my plan this year, and I hope it will pay direct dividends to the mountain bike races that I do in 2009.  As I approach my next race, the Salty Dog 6 hour mountain bike enduro on May 24, I will be doing a bit more functional training in preparation. This will be the first time that I do in 2 years, however, because up until now we've been working on developing the structure necessary to support this kind of intensity. It should be interesting, stay tuned to this blog for results from the Salty Dog... my goal is to do every lap at the same pace consistently which will mean going really easy at the start and really hard at the end!

Thanks for reading,

Mike

Ski 2 Sea Kelowna 2009

Well, it wasn't a BPR team that I raced for last weekend at Kelowna's Ski 2 Sea race, but I flew the blue, white and black with pride on the Fresh Air Concept Team. The Fresh Air team recruited me for the road bike because, well, I think because they couldn't find anyone faster! I was up against a monster Time Trialist in the form of Corey Forrest. There's those guys that toe the line believing that they can beat Lance Armstrong if he showed up. I'm not that guy, I'm a bit more realistic. I wanted to lose less than 3 minutes to Corey and I'd see that as a very positive outcome. We started warming up on our rollers, there were three of us "hard-core" enough to go through all that effort. I looked even sillier than the other two guys because I was at the start line huffing and puffing into my Spiro Tiger at 50 breaths per minute to warm up my respiratory system. For those of you unfamiliar with an ST - think really high-tech balloon that you keep blowing up over and over. Although we were 2 minutes behind after the downhill and cross country legs of the race, our mountain biker kicked some serious butt and came to the start of the road bike in first, sending me off 20 seconds in front of Corey. I hate being in front because I usually have way more adrenaline and I just put the pedal down. So I did that for a bit but was caught after about 10 minutes by Mr. Forrest. From that point on, I was just trying to keep him in sight, which only lasted about another 10 minutes. At the end of the bike I was only down 2:48, which I was very happy about. I think I'm a good TT'er for a triathlete, but there's a difference between that and a TT specialist like Corey. I think a big part of the successful ride was the stroke volume rides that Andrew, Joel and I have been doing lately. Basically, we pin it at LBP-5 for an hour or until our heart rate starts to really drift. They are challenging sessions but pay good dividends. I also took my brilliant coach Andrew's advice and lifted my front end almost 2 inches so that I'm less aero, but my heart rate stays lower when I go into aero position. Without a wind tunnel, it's tough to tell but I think the trade off was more than worth it. In the end and after the run and paddle, the Fresh Air Concept Team was down 1:16 to Total Restoration which took the honors again this year. We were close, but it wasn't quite enough. I'm hoping to get a chance for a rematch next year!!!

Balance Point Racing traing camp Joshua Tree March 15 to 22

Wow, I am one crispy athlete after training with the rest of the BPR high performance team and others for the last 7 days in Joshua Tree California. Joshua Tree is a desert national park near Palm Springs and it was a bit of a shock to the system to go from -15 degrees in Vernon last week to +30 here! This is my first spring training camp ever but it definitely won't be my last. I find it virtually impossible to train 30 hours per week in March and Vernon this year was particularly cold and snowy making it even more difficult. We averaged almost 5 hours of training per day which was mostly biking but there was also great opportunities for trail running, swimming in an outdoor 50 meter pool, and mountain biking. 

It was an amazing week and the best way to start training in earnest after a long winter spent indoors. We trained like pros everyday with all of our healthy meals being prepared by Jorg of Magic Places. A typical day consisted of waking up, eating a big breakfast of oats, yogurt and fruit, training for 5 hours, getting home to take a cold shower, eat dinner and then socialize and recover for the next day by stretching, doing core workouts, and keeping our legs elevated. I could definitely get used to that kind of lifestyle!!!

We were also very fortunate to have a nutritional presentation by Juerg Feldman of FaCT Canada and Mary Ann Kelly, the Dietitian of the Desert. We learned about how crucial a role nutrition plays in recovery and specifically, strategies that ensure the optimal nutrients get to the cells that need them at the right time (chrono-nutrition).
I'm fired up and ready to keep the momentum going now that I've had the chance to establish such a solid training routine!

The highlight of the trip was a 170 km ride on the last day of training from the West gate of Joshua Tree to the South gate and back. Huge mountains were climbed and indecent head winds were faced, but staying strong all the way back home and having a delicious chicken pasta dinner afterwards made the epic ride a memory I won't soon forget.

Thanks Andrew and Ginny Sellars and Balance Point Racing for making it possible for myself and the rest of the high performance team to attend this camp and to get such a good start to the year. 

Yours in training,

Mike Champigny

The ICEMAN cometh

Usually when it's -18 outside I like to stay indoors, close to heat registers and warm blankets. I drink tea and I'll eat whatever is left in the fridge regardless of how many days past it's due date it is to avoid going into the icy cold void that lies between me and the grocery store. Well last weekend me a a couple of Balance Point Racing pals Andrew Sellars and Kevin ventured up North for the annual Prince George Iceman.
For those of you unfamiliar, the Iceman is a multi sport race beginning with an 8km xc ski, then a 10 km run into town to the rink where you skate 5km on speed skates, take em off and run 5km to the pool to complete the race with an 800 meter swim. If it sounds crazy, that's because it is. Crazy is often fun, however, and Andrew and I had a blast doing this race. http://www.mag-net.com/iceman/index.html
The part of the race that was the most fun was the speed skate. I learned how to speed skate on the Tuesday before the race on a pair of skates that were clearly older than I was. I ripped my shoes off, got my skates on and slowly wound it up on the 400m oval. One of the volunteers counted my laps for me, and on the 3rd lap she yelled out "third lap!". Well, I guess it kind of distracted me and as I looked over her way, I went onto the wrong edge of my skate and was suddenly traveling towards her at a very fast rate! Thanks to 7 years of hockey as a kid, I was able to pull it together and not bail at high speed (I guess this is why they made us wear helmets this year!) Thanks to Joanne from the Salmon Arm Speed Skating Club for coming to Vernon to give me a lesson, teach me how to sharpen the skates and lend me a pair of them.
The strangest transition in the race was going from the 2nd run to the pool. You run into the pool, strip down all your layers of clothes until you're just in your speedo and jump in the pool. It felt like jumping into a hot tub after running around like a fool for the past 2 hours in -18. I was a little dissapointed that the water melted the great ice mane that I had developed from having sweat down the back of my head for so long outside. Congrats to Andrew for coming 5th overall in the solo category! I was next in after him so having 2 BPR members in the top 6 isn't bad... but next year watch out you Prince George boys!
Now it's time to prepare for the next non-triathlon multisport event: the Ski 2 Sea in Kelowna: www.ski2sea.ca. I did it solo for the first time last year and it was such a great experience that I'm planning on doing it again... The BPR team will be putting in more than one team as well, so if you're interested, contact Andrew or myself as we have a list going of current team members to put on teams.
Thanks for reading, I plan on writing again this weekend when I go for the first OUTSIDE ride of the year!
Mike

2008

Well, as always, there is change. Change in the form of a great Half Iron in Cranbrook, BC the Prestige Half, being postponed to 2009. I've competed in this race for the last 2 years now and it really is one of the best run races out there. I'm really dissapointed to see it not go in 2008.

So, in the Prestige's stead, I'm entering the Desert Half in Osoyoos on July 6th, a tough and hot race with a ride that goes up Richter pass. For the 2nd year in a row, it's been name the 2008 Canadian long course championships, and despite this it still gets a lot less attention than it's popular brother, the Oliver Half Iron. My CSR teamate Luke Way came 2nd there last year and I'm hoping he'll be too preoccupied with training for IM CDA to do it this year ;)

As for my first love, XTERRA, I'm a little discouraged right now because I've been denied the opportunity to race in the pro field in 2008 despite results that should warrant my inclusion in that group. I'll be pursuing an elite card with Triathlon Canada to try to gain "status" that way, but I'm not holding my breath. If I can't race in the pro category, I'll scale back my XTERRA involvement from the whole 5 race US Series to 2: XTERRA West Championships and XTERRA Mountain Championships.

Training has been going really well despite a difficult transition from eggnog chugging couch potatoe back into triathlon training machine. A huge aid has been the use of Branch Chain Amino Acids or BCAA's. I don't really understand the science behind them, but I supplement with L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine and L-Valine after particularly heavy training days and WOW! The next day I feel WAY less fatigued than I would have otherwise. I use one called "Amino-Mix" by New Roots but I'm switching to a product called "Recover Amino Power" by Sportsquest: http://www.nvo.com/sportquestdir/.

Alright, I'm going to go try riding my powercranks on my rollers... my next post may be from a hospital room ;) Thanks for reading!
Mike

Merry Christmas!

Well my off season was going to be just 2 weeks in November, it's now been 7 weeks since I've done any training that could be considered serious. But now I'm ready to put the hammer down to the grindstone and start another serious 11 months of training.
Until today I've been unmotivated. I tend to think of life in general and human behaviour in terms of motivation... I believe that anything is possible if an individual is properly motivated and what they have to start with is completely irrelevant. So what motivates me to start the 4 hour indoor bike training sessions? Well today I saw a couple guys I know in a Triathlete Canada Magazine; that started getting me going cause I know they are working hard right now. Also, I'm getting fat which is a good thing for me mentally - my brain and mood are affected negatively when I get down to the 160 lb mark, I'm a much better and happier person when I weigh more like 175 lbs. However, being out of shape is a huge motivator for me as well, so I'll get off my freshly padded butt to work some of the eggnog/chocolate/wine off starting now. Regardless of where we want to be in life and what we want to achieve, the first step is to establish a goal, and then find the motivation to achieve it based on the reasons why you are pursuing it in the first place.

Today I had a great swim session - 1200 meters of kick because my shoulder's tweaked right now (I wish shoulders would evolve!). I think I've underestimated the importance of a good kick in a tri swim - the old credo of "saving your legs for the bike and run" is a bunch of garbage. I'm starting to be able to kick on 2:00/100m pace and so if you start with that and add the arms, you're going to go quite fast. A good kick also keeps the body in good position to streamline, which is more important that how many "watts" you can pull in the pool.

I've posted a great article for mountain bikers on the relationship between tire pressure, width and speed at the bottom right corner of this blog. Anyone racing or concerned with speed off-road should read it. The results of some experimentation with pressure and tire width definitely go against what's commonly believed to be true (eg: the fallacy that narrower, low profile lugged tires run at higher pressures are faster).

OK, I'm going training! Merry Christmas everyone, thanks for reading.

Welome to my Blog! A little bit about me...

First off, thanks for stopping by! This blog will be used by me to keep everyone up to date on my life of training and racing as I work towards competing as an XTERRA pro for the first time in 2008. Although I'll enter many local triathlon, mountain/road bike, adventure and running races in BC, my sole focus for the 2008 season is the XTERRA US Off Road Triathlon Series, and the Canadian XTC Off Road Triathlon Series. These races take place in California, Alabama, Virginia, Utah, Nevada and British Columbia.
I'll be posting regularly on all aspects of my training, as well as useful information that I find along the way related to training and racing within multi-sport events.
As for the rest of my life, I work at a youth employment centre in Vernon, BC where I help young people find the work and careers they are looking for. I also dabble in coaching swimming and multi-sports. I feel very fortunate to work at a job that I truly love and gain such huge satisfaction from. Other hobbies of mine include rock climbing, surfing and skiing with my wonderful friends.
I'll try to keep this short, so thanks for checking this out, and keep checking in :)
Mike