Down Under

Well, it has been an eventful week or so. Last week in Hawaii, while preparing for tomorrow's worlds i went out at 6pm for a light 6k run and about 50m into it something awful went wrong. A sprinklet system that has its maintence "thing" grate on the sidewalk was slightly open by a crack, enough for my leg to fall into it. i fell, smashed my leg and knee and scraped up my back and arms. i was very swollen and unable to run or bike for a few days. As well, while biking in hawaii i ran over something and had a flat....then ran the 2k back to the house to finsd out i now have blisters on my feet. things were not going well! i did manage to get in a few good runs but all my muscles were sore from all the training and were not recovering prpoperly. However, i rested them from the fall and now they weel like they are going to explode....in a good way. Im well rested and want to explode on the start line and tackle the race. thats a good feeling and i am hoping my luck will be on MY SIDE for the race. It is nice down here in gold coast. a bit cooler than the Hawaiian weather...around 23-25 durig the day and 9-11 at night....but brilliant sunshine. Im still getting used to the rules of the road having some close encounters on the roads gere. I Also keep getting lost with my directions. the sun goes from right to left in the sky and points towards the north at noon in the southern heisphere.....its hard to tell N.S.E and west! However, getting up at 5:45 to bright sunrises in a clear sky is a wonderful sight. Tomorrow is my race, which i have been preparing for. Although my foot is now infected with hugh swelling (i forgot to mention that as another god fortune on my part) i am on 1000 mg of IB and not feeling much. I am excited, AND not as nurvouse as last year...we will see how i feel in a few hours when i wake up and its race day. Im gunnning for a fast swim with or without wetsuit ( temperature keeps fluctuating between 21.5 and 22.5 and the border btwn wetsuit and non wetsuit is 22. ) hammer the flat as a pancake bike and rip up the road on the 10k run. wish me luck as i will need it the way things are going.

no matter what happens, ive done my best and thats all i can do.

Scott Takala

Aloha from da kine Hawai'i

So we have arrived in Honolulu and its hot and humid. The trade winds are blowing and keeping the 33 degree temperatures feel like 33 even though humidity is through the roof! yesterday morning i went for a hike on the Lunar looking koko head and it was beautiful. some steep sections and a knap sac filled with bottles of water make it nice pre workout for the afternoon run. In the PM in went for a run at around 2pm in the blazing sun 5k out and back. The workout was to go hard on the way out and easy on the way back. the one thing is that the way out is straight up for 5k to 1300ft. By the time i got to the 3k mark i had goose bumps from being dehydrated and my body saying "what the hell are you doing!!??" i got to the top, stood over the 1300ft cliff over Waimanalo and let the trades cool me down. then it was a easy run down. My heart rate up was super high and is a good way to prep for heat while racing. My body will figure out how to cool properly in the heat within the nexty few days. The weather in Brisbane loks sporatic right now. Some days 30, and some 21. So i ve got to prep for anything. Today im off to the O'ahu club for a swim and then a nice bike in the pm. after surfing at Ala Moana. Tomorrow will be an interval run and the day ater that will be a brick. Cant wait till taper time. Also i forgot to mention that in Vancouver i went to Kitslano beach pool and swam laps. 1 lap being 137m long!
thats all for now.

Scott

Nationals and an Update

So the race went alright in Kelowna. I was super nurvous going into the race when i saw the start list with the likes of Simon Whitfield, Paul Tichlarr, Brent McMahon, Kyle Jones and A.P. B-Smith. Quite the field. I had a small chat with Simon about his o'l city, Kingston and some encouraging words to keep my nurves down. He must have seen i was edgy when he came over to me and talked about doing a relay at K-town tri. that would be fun!
At the starting line the gun blew and it was mad hell in the water. I tried soo haed to make that first pack of swimmers but was dropped by the group as they just made it pout of transition before me. The bike was lonley with just myself and another frenchman alone. out bikes would have been quicker if we all worked in a pack. I think a few guys gave up on the bike and quit...tisk tisk. (9 of them) by the run we were down quite a bit as the main pack worked haed and were much more effieient and saved alot for the run. my group of quys were toast from the bike and we cruised the run as there were not too many of people right behind us. My main goal is to work hard on that swim and make the main pack! The run should be much quicker. all i need is some rest on the bike.

Vancouver is a beautiful city as well as kelowna. We (my mom and brother) climbed Grouse Mountain on the grind ( all 4100 feet up) and got some amazing pictures (will post them in Hawai'i)Now its back to some training, swimming alot and cruising on the run through Vancouver and off to Hawai'i!

Ottawa and Coteau du Lac

So since last time i have done 2 races. I did the Ottawa Riverkeeper in Ottawa and the ITU Premium Pan American Cup race in Coteau du Lac. The rierkeeper went well despite a heavy load of training and no Taper. For the ITU race, there is another story.

Overall i think the race went well. A nice sub 2hr time and an overall good feeling of what is to come. At the start of the race we all line up on a wooden dock stretching almost the width of the river and stand in a marked spot 15cm across. We wait and dive in when the horn blows. Then ALL HELL breaks loose when 40+ men start to make their way to the first buoy. The pack was so tight that there was no real definition to it until 500m in. The swim went well despite being kicked in the head twice and grabed at the feet (he got a nice kick in the head too! ). I got out of the water and managed to make the second pack. There was no communication between then people in my pack and most of them decided to hae a free ride, sit back and let myself, and 2 others work to try and bridge the gap to the lead pack. We did not bridge it but we also did not let them get far ahead. If we ALL did some work on the bike at the beginning of the bike, we may have been able to catch them! By the end of the bike my legs were tired. got into transition and left for the run. By now my legs are screaming! and inside i was screaming when the people who did no work on the bike spead ahead as they had a 1 hr break. I managed to catch a few and hold them off. My run was slow but i managed a 17th place finish. Now i need to work hard on my swim and make the lead packs and have a good shot at some money!

DUMB idea.

So yesterday was a solid run. Did a 7k ez warm up followed by a fast 7k run with a 2k warm down with a 6k cruise in the evening totaling 22k for the day. This morning i met up with Zorian to do an open water swim with some 250m fast repeats. I got there and it was cold, as usual, and put on my wetsuit as i was told it was 61 degrees F. So we dive in, do 1000m warm up and do the set which was 250m hard + 250m ez 4 times through. All went well and at the end we decided to take our wetsuits off and swim the 1000m warm down. As soon as i dove in, my body flushes the 02 from my lungs as it was shocked by the cold water. We start swimming and my body adapts to the cold for the first 250m. By the 500m mark i can feel my chest becomming very cold and my forearms starting to seize. My body was cooling down and sending the blood away from my legs and arms to my chest to keep my organs warm. So it becomes harder and harder to move my arms. Finally we make it to the end and struggle to get out as my arms are low in blood. both of us were frozen. I towel dry and make it to the car and crank the heat to Lava hot and blast the fan to hurricane stregnth.
All in all it was a good set and a reminder that I am Canadian and i would love to see any southerner even dip their toes in the water.

Back to summer??

Well it was the original plan to make my way to Hawaii and get acclimatized to the super humid and warm conditions that make their presence in Ontario during June/July and august but it seems i came back to early. It has been FREEZING compared what i was used to and has its benefits and its downfalls. Its a shame i cant continue to train in the heat and be ready for it but at the same time i am training and can feel the difference on how my body now reacts to the cooler temperatures. Training has been flowing well with one intruption (graduation) last week. I was unable to get on the bike for almost 11 days due to comming home and then quickly leaving for convocation. Swimming is sure different here. Trying to fit into my tight wetsuit and jumping into the 62 degree water after swimming in the 77-88 degree waters of the ocean and hawaii pools was a challenge. But im a Canadian and i got right back into the crap weather we have here. swimming is fine, numbness goes away quick and there are no weeds this time of year! biking on flat terrain is a bonus as well as running on the cat. trail! Just in case of some stomach troubles while running, there is plenty of room to do your business here then in Hawaii...unless your on one of the awesome trails. I did miss it here and im glad to be back but i do miss the heat of hawaii! Where is the warmth!

I have a race this weekend in Ottawa which i am training through (meaning i am not resting prior) and then a race the next weekend in Coteau-du-Lac in Quebec. There is some incredable competition from around the world who are quite expirenced in the international field. It should be a learning expirence for me. I am not expecting to place there but gain valuable lessons!

Thats all for now

Scott Takala

Few more Days

Only a few more days here in Hawaii. Ive had an Amazing time! I hope sunner is like this back home because now im used to it! Today is Memorial Day here in the US. It was also a steemy one. Lat night only got down to 25 degrees and it was hard to sleep. no blankets what so ever. i Ended up doing my track workout at 8 am to avoid the extreme heat but i was too late. By 8 am it was 27 with a humidx of 33. i did 2x1000, 2x800, 2x400 and 2x200 with 400m btwn each set. i was completly degydrated and overheating by then end. Then it was off to Waimanalo to do a open water swim which consisted of 2k cruise and 2k fartlek swim. Yes you can do this swimming too not just a runners
then it was relax time

Vertical Sun

So today while i was lounging in the sun after an incredable workout, i was looking at my waterbottle outside at 12:30 and realized that there was no shadow cast by it. The sun was directly overhead and burning my skull. This is something that only happens whithin the tropics. Antways, about the workout this morning. I decided to do a brick workout before i take a day off tomorrow.

after a 15k cycle and a 2k ex warm up this was the set

5km spin into a 5km hard cycle and right into a 1.5km race pace run

4 times through

i decided to do it early in the morning after traffic (8am) but by then it was already 27 dergrees with a humidx of 33 with no wind and a blaring sun. Very challenging. drank 4 full bottles of water and gatorade and never went to the washroom. shows how much fluids you need to take in during the summer months.

Anyways, day off tomorrow and off to Waikiki.

Scott

Tantalus

Interesting day yesterday. So i headed down to Ala moana beach park at 8am yesterday to get in a nice saltwater swim in before an epic bike ride. The swim was good other than my feggin goggles fogging up after 3 seconds of swimming. Then it was off to ride up tantalus. Tantalus is this giant road that goes up one ridge for 2000 ft and crosses over to another ridge and comes back down. Really steep sections with endless climbs. It takes about 30 minutes to climb and 10 min to decend. I did this twice and my legs are fried! then it was the 30km treck home. The ride was great and it was nice to have the temperature drop5-6 degrees at the top. Some sections there are eucalyptus trees that give off a super potent smell that is really nice. today is a run. Its super hot again here as the Kona winds are back and advisories to stay inside are in effect.....kinda like a smoggy day in Toronto.
thats all for now.

O'ahu

So today i am going to discover south Oahu.....well mostly Honolulu, Ala Moana and Waikiki. Tomorrow i think i am going to take on Koko Crater again and the next day ride up Tantalus (a 2000 ft super steep accent over downtown Honolulu) Yesterday was a nice 7k run and a 4.5k swim. It was well needed due to the workout i did on Monday which was a 3k w/up + 6x1000 on 1:30 rest @ 10k pace. I was able to hold 3:03s this time compared to the 3:11s 2 weeks ago were i only did 4. I am finally getting beter in this heat!. In summary this week i am going to destroy my legs.
i will post pictures as i complete these feats

WHAT?

So yesterday (friday) was one hell of a workout. decided to do a tempo run (2x15min @ race pace) Warm up is ok, a bit stiff from the workout the day before. Its 11:00 am and its already 30 and humid and thank god there were tradewinds! I google maped my run and little did i miss was the elevation gain on the 4.5k loop. about 150 feet on a long and some steep parts hill thats loops around the house. I had taked in 3 bottles of water in the morning but i had the shivers at the 3k mark on the first loop! How do people keep cool?
Next i arrive home, ready for a day of relaxing on saturday. Im sitting in the sun reading the news paper and Leslie ( the people im staying with) asks me what T-shirt size i am. I reply small, why? Oh your racing tomorrow morning at 7am. WHAT! all i needed to do was make 2 small balloon towers for the Jamba Juice 5k run at Ala Moana Park. so i do that and get to sleep, retless and waking up at 3am unable to sleep (probably b/c i went to bed at 7pm) We get to the race, set up and im tired, sore and wondering if i should even do the run. I do it anyways and i end up running a 15:40! all things concidered (heat, long week of hard training and sorness) i was very happy with my run. Did a small swim At Ala Moana beach park, then worked with balloons all day and then did a nice easy 6.5k loose run. mow TOMORROW is a REST DAY!

80k Morning ride

8am in the morning, already 25 degrees (2 degrees up from the night time low) and humid. Great time for a ride! Today i took a scenic route as i did the other day but went twice as far and hitched on the Kahmehamea hwy. I stoped and took some pictures along the way and dipped into the water at Makapuu Beach. I felt pretty good. I didnt realize how far i had gone until i got back and tracked it! i was plamming on hitting the road for a 3k run, 3k swim, 3k run but ill wait until later this afternoon to do that. The Vog is starting to move out slowly and things are still quite steemy without the tradewinds. The Ocean Temperature is around 74-75 degrees, making it super refreshing.

Vog?

So i was watching the news and the weather came on. This means i become very interested. They start by giving the typical forecast and they come accross a term i havent heard before. "Tradewinds will die down and winds will be light to moderate from the SSE creating widespread Vog" What is Vog? Vog is volcanic fog/smog. which kinda looks like toronto during a heatwave. Not the best conditions for training since Vog is sulfur, carbon and a bunch of other crap from Killauea Volcano on the big Island. So this is a bit difficult to train in. I had a good couple of days. On Sunday, just before the Vog came rolling in i swam 3.5k, followed by a 7k run and a 40k bike to Waikiki and back from where i am, on the far east coast in Hawai'i Kai. Suprisingly, there is plenty of space dedacated to cyclist throughout the city and the island. Super wide streets and bike lanes along with "share the road with cyclists" signs posted all over. Also, people are not in the mood to speed up super fast, nearly cut bikers off to get to the red light first. i actually had a car let me go ahead in a construction zone! in a normal city i probably would have been killed.

Last night was a set of 5 x 2000m on the track. My times were a bit slower than normal but i blame the ungodly heat and humidity and Vog on that.........or im getting more out of shape the more i train.

Anyways its Cinco de Mayo today as well as boys day!

Scott Takala

Aloha!
I made it to hawai'i! Comming to a place with Humidity and Heat takes time to adjust to. I have done some pretty tough workouts so far including some sightseeing. Yesterday i tackled Koko Crater. its a 700 foot, super steep dormant crater that has a trail going right to the summit. total milage on that run was 16k. felt more like 35 with the climb! i also road from Hawai'i Kai were i am staying around Koko head and crater on a beautiful highway, through Waimanalo and to the end of the road and back. Its only a 45 k ride but i drank nearly 4 waterbottles, even at 7am!. Ive been swimming at the O'ahu Club pool, which is a 50m pool :) and have hit up the beach as well. ive never seen such massive waves and they were not on the North shore! tonight i will have a swim and take a day off to surf and recover from the double and triple workout days./ im not starting to acclimatize to the heat. its amazing how much it can affect training.

thats it for now

Aloha

DONE UNIVERSITY!

so im done. Finally. great feeling but it hasent hit me yet. it will when i receive my diploma when i get back from Hawai'i. training has been slow for the past 2 weeks due to exams and reports etc. now i can lay down the hammer! off to Hawai'i on Monday. I will be doing the Honolulu triathlon on May 16th. Im going to do the Olympic distance and suffer through it and see what minimal training can do! I will be training like a maniac out there so ill be super fit in June! Now im off for an hour bike and an hour run. get back into shape!

Training, training, training........

School is finally almost over....FOREVER! I have my last 2 exams on the 17th and 18th of April and then i will finally get my undergrad Degree! Then its Game time. Serious training to get ready for the season ahead. I will be off to the Island of O'ahu to train for a month. Lots of time to get in some killer workouts and enjoy the sights! I Cannot wait. Training is goig well, despite interruptions from work and school and others. I can now focus on training and getting myself in amazing shape!

Had a great bike last night, a bit sore today but recovering well
tonight i am doing a run. some intervals and a nice cooldown. everything will soon come together!

New Year

Well, it has been a long time since my last post. It has been a nice small break from the tough year of training but now i am back in the game. I am running well and have started biking. Swimming is slated to start at the beginning of february. I am currently doing some core work and bicep/tricep conditioning for the swim. Running is making up the most of the training schedual. yesterday was a tough 17k run at 3:40/km pace, but it pays off. cycling is going well but i feel the pain as i am waking up the cycling muscles. Anyways, i wll be updating the blog more frequently now as i am back into a routine.
so long for now