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| Training + Supplementation Education (Part 4) featuring Triathlete James Loaring |
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Hello everyone! It's hard to believe that ten weeks have flown by since I have last chimed in. It must be racing season. It must be the heart of summer. I am back home after two months of training in Hamilton, Ontario. Hamilton provided the perfect spring training base, allowing me to swim with the University of McMaster Swim Team, bike along the undulating terrain of the Niagara escarpment, and run along the gorgeous trails of Dundas Valley. With my last race of the season being ITU Cancun World Cup on November 5th, I am now past the half way point of the season. I last chimed in having come home from ITU Mazatlan World Cup on May 5th. Since then, there certainly have been many exciting adventures to touch upon. It has been an excellent season thus far with six wins in twelve starts, and I have gathered valuable experience along the way. Rather than exhaust you with every single race detail, I will instead reflect upon some of the race highlights over the past couple of months.
The Rainbow Cup International Triathlon in Trinidad & Tobago on May 21st was one of the most special races I have done in my career. Race Director Jason Gooding put my girlfriend and me in a beautiful all-inclusive resort along the beach of breathtaking Tobago. I instantly fell in love with the crystal clear waters and the warm and friendly nature that the people of the Caribbean have become famous for. The race was the most difficult course I have ever encountered. The hills combined with extreme heat made it a true test of will and spirit. Despite going out too hard, I was able to persevere and cross the finish line in course record time.
The following weekend was the C3 Kids of Steel Triathlon put on by the Canadian Cross Training Club in Caledon, Ontario. This is the largest kid's triathlon in Canada, and I was happy to be one of the few pros on hand to cheer on the future stars of triathlon. Four of us from the National Team competed in a fun demonstration event so that the young guns could witness how the big boys do it. The four of us staged an 'epic' sprint finish to the roaring delight of the future stars of our sport. While they may have been inspired by the elites, I was truly inspired by them. Don't we all wish we can just go back to being a kid and act like there is no stress or responsibility or worries in this world? Guess what, you can, every time you exercise, just go out there and pretend you are a kid again, smile and have fun. Every time I find myself about to complain in a workout or race, I remind myself of all those kids having a blast trying their best and simply enjoying the moment.
The ITU Brampton Pan American Cup Triathlon was on July 2nd, which also served as the 2006 Canadian Elite Championships. This race was a big one for every Canadian Olympic Distance Triathlete. Add into the picture that many of the world's top Internationals would be competing and that this race was put on by my club-the ranked Canadian Cross Training Club and you have a very important race. With the top twenty ranked Canadians on the start line, it already had the makings as the most competitive Elite Nationals in history. I had a solid race and finished 8th overall, just seconds behind World Ranked #3 Courtney Atkinson, of Australia. I started the run with former Olympic Champion Simon Whitfield, who went on to take the win thanks to a blistering 30:17 10 km run split.
In previous posts, I have talked about the importance of incorporating supplements into your diet such as Xxtra's Quadplex, Myocap, and Power Generation; in order to maximize your potential as an athlete. Consuming these supplements before, during and after exercise will certainly aid with recovery and get you to that finish line faster. What about when you are not exercising? What about when you are not competing? What about the other twenty hours in the day? We are all busy people and there certainly are days when we simply don't have the time or means to have a well balanced diet at every meal. Sometimes when we are traveling, we may even go a couple of days where we eat too much junk food and fail to consume enough fruits and vegetables that are essential for our overall health and wellbeing. That is why I have made sure to take Unicity's Core Health for Men and Daily Produce 24 to, at the very least, act as insurance that I am getting all the essential nutrients into my body on a daily basis. I take my Core Health for Men vitamin pack every day with lunch and take two Daily Produce 24 Fruit capsules with breakfast, and two Daily Produce 24 Vegetable capsules with dinner. Even the most balanced diets are unable to match all the vitamins and minerals that you will obtain from these three fantastic products from Unicity.
On July 30th, I participated in a local 5km run race that was a fund-raiser for cancer. Despite being only 5km in length, what a physical test it was due to a humidex of 44 degrees. We are certainly in the heart of the heat wave and again I am constantly thinking about proper hydration and making sure to keep sipping LowOz. I had a great race despite the heat, and hopefully this race will be the final tune-up needed for a solid performance at the ITU Bridgeport Pan American Cup Triathlon on August 5th. With six upcoming races in as many weekends, I certainly will be keeping busy.
Thanks for listening and stay tuned for more upcoming trials and tribulations!
Cheers,
James
August 4th, 2006
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