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I’ve been on the road and offline for a while, here’s the next post based on the pictures you see here. I think one of the biggest words in my Ultra 520 experience was US. In the Ultra I was part of two US’s. The first US was my crew and me, as I wrote about in my first blog post. The second US was me as part of the group of 14 participants in the Ultra 520K. Take a look at this picture to your right. That’s it. A field of 14. Doing an event over such a long period of time with so few participants was very different than doing an Ironman when you are competing against somewhere between one and two thousand people. The vibe at the event was very much a laid back one. The most obvious example was shortly after this picture was taken at the start of the swim. With such a small field and such a long race, there was no fighting, punching, kicking, or biting, for the first 300 metres of the swim to jostle for position. In fact, drafting on the swim was not even allowed. The start of the swim instead was just a gentle roll out with my kayaker and myself taking a deep breath and heading out for some distant mark on the smoky horizon.

The second picture that you see here, ties in with the title of this blog post with the key word gratitude. All through the first day of the event, I was filled with gratitude: gratitude that I had overcome the meningitis to make it to the start line, gratitude that I had a wife and a family and friends that volunteered their long weekend to help me do this crazy event, gratitude that the currents in Skaha Lake pushed us, gratitude that I had a steady and rewarding job that afforded me the time to train and the money for the entry fee. The list could go on and on but one I want to focus on is gratitude for having an enthusiastic swim coach for the past five years. The not-so-bad-looking swim form that you see in the picture is partly thanks to the efforts of Ryan Clifton. Through his persistence, patience, and expertise in imparting good swimming technique, I was able to make it through the 11 kilometres (ask me about why it wasn’t 10) of the swim. Of course I was of course also grateful to get the heck out of the water as well.After finishing the swim, there was still 150 K of biking to do before US got to the real finish line for the day. More on that part later.

Over the next week or so, Fitspeek will be primarily text and pictures. Fitspeek was designed to be a more permanent place than Facebook to post observations from my racing, training, and interactions with people in the endurance sports community. We start with the picture above. If you didn’t know it, you may think that this was some sort of cult indoctrination ritual. It sort of was and I bought into it 100%.

In this picture, taken at about 6:20 AM on Saturday  August 5, 2017 are some of the most important people in my life at one of the most intense moments of my life. This picture is also sort of a time bridge between my past, present, and future. My first set of reflections deals with people.

At the centre of the circle is Race Director Steve Brown. His masterful organizational skills and compassionate spirit got all of us to the finish line.

On the far right of the outer circle, wearing a green t-shirt and red back-pack is Andrew. He was my paddler for the 10…er 11 kilometres that I swam for the 1st event of the race.

On the left side of the outer circle you will see a guy with a white t-shirt. He is Fitspeek co-host Kevin Watt. Kevin was the crew member responsible for safety, photography, and bike support. He also provided me tremendous wisdom and compassion during my dark moments, and there were many.

What is really cool is that in this picture, is that he is standing between Rob and Heidi Bryden – people that I swam with in my 1st Master’s Swim Course back in Airdrie, Alberta, 17 years ago.

The other guy in a white t-shirt on the left side of the outer circle is Sean David. He was a calming influence in the sometimes crazy and intense 31 hours that I spent out on the Ultra 520 race course. His technical expertise in tracking my calories helped ensure that I had enough energy to go the distance.

Standing to the left of the guy in a beard and a purple t-shirt is a person who has experienced incredible personal and physical growth over the past few years. Rio Glowasky is now a hard-ass runner ready to take on her first marathon. In addition to her athletic talents, Rio was the right-brained creative genius who designed the crew t-shirts, supplied me with buckets of positive energy, and a never-ending supply of Rio Gels! As a side note, Rio may be working with that bearded dude at next year’s Ultra 520!

To Rio’s left is our Crew Chief (although she called herself something else). Elise Reeh organized the crew’s duties, indulged my “princess-like” behaviour over the past nine months, selflessly handled the shell of my body after each of the stages. My amazing wife (Ironman 2005) is also without doubt the most driven and wise person I know. After knowing and loving her for 27 years, my respect and admiration for her continue to grow daily.

In the next few updates, I’ll be posting some pictures about special moments in the expedition!

There may be a high degree of randomness in this one – hang on! First some quick context via a back door brag. I’ve done 9 Ironman Distance Races and about 50 1/2 Ironman Distance Races. Back in the day, when these events used to have a carbo – loading dinner the tone was often like this picture. Whose is bigger, faster, longer, stronger? It gave the athletes (primarily male) a chance to let all the other athletes know (before there was Strava and Facebook) just how good their equipment was and how much they were training. Talk about Power V’s and Deep HEDs and 25 hour taper weeks were table fodder.

My impressions from the Ultraman meet and greet (not really a carbo – loading affair) were much more like this picture. Steve Brown has really crafted a family like (dare I say cult like) vibe. With only 12 other participants, there is no opportunity to be some anonymous blow hard big shot, which I sometimes am at triathlon socials. I did not see one “I raced at Kona, so look at me you poor mortals and despair” t-shirts. Instead, what I saw, heard, and participated in were just a bunch of genuine conversations about why people decided to sign up for the Ultra, some advice giving from those who had done it before, and talk about their home country (there are quite a few non-Canadians doing the race).  Not once did I hear a reference to an 11/58 fixie that dude rode all winter for base training! Just like a group of junkies chatting to each other about their favourite way to rig up, by being with a group of peers who had done eight hour bike rides and four hour treadmill runs seemed to normalize or validate my experiences of the past months.

Right now it is almost 8 AM on Friday August 4th. I’m not really thinking about the race. That is partly because to me, right now at least, it isn’t a race. It is more of an expedition. I have my supplies and my crew. The training did NOT go well but it is done. As average of an athlete as I am right now (2 minute and 10 seconds for 100 metres of swimming, a 5.8 miles per hour running speed average for a half marathon, and an FTP on the bike of 200 watts) one thing that I am good at is playing the hand that I have been dealt wisely. There will be no athletic acts of heroism this weekend, just a relaxed but focused drive for each day’s finish line. To get there here are a few things I need to remember

• Slowing down is ok, so is stopping – but no longer than 1 minute.
• Your stomach is going to hurt, but not for the whole event, peaks and valleys.
• Just because your stomach is hurting doesn’t mean you stop eating, keep trying different stuff.
• Puking is ok. Try it. You may like it. Hit the reset button. Get ugly when needed.
• Draw on tusk power every day.

If your energy or interest is crashing, it means you need more sugar.

That’s it for now. My next post will likely be when this is all done, I might have a few things to write about.

For the next few days I’ll be bringing my Ultraman Blog off of the back page and onto the front. As you may have heard or read, this is the weekend that I am doing the Ultraman 520 in the Penticton area. It’s a 3 day event that has a 10 K swim and 150 K swim on day one, a 270 K bike on day two, and an 84 K run on day three. We are in Penticton right now to do all of the prep. stuff that is required. Today we go shopping for supplies! We also get a chance to pick up the race package and meet all the folks (maybe a dozen) who are doing the event. Yesterday, Elise and I finally got a chance to see the run course. For me it is going to be so much more than a run course. It will be a walk, and maybe at times a crawl course. The stretch from km about 55-70 I suspect will be especially challenging. That is because at that point I will have been on the course for about eight hours and I suspect I will be pretty tired by then. There is a lot of up and downhill during that part of the course, so I’ll have to make sure that my pacing and nutrition are good. Of course in order to be able to get the opportunity to run/walk, I have some work to do on Saturday and Sunday. Keep checking in over the next few days, this could be quite the freak show!

At Fitspeek, one of our goals is to blend the spheres of fitness and leisure. We think that the folks at Parallel Yoga & Raven’s Brewing have it right. On Tuesday August 8, Kara Colemen will be leading a one-hour yoga session at Raven’s Brewing.

Right after the session will be a craft beer tasting event. Hear the details in this Fitspeek Express Interview.

Our most ambitious podcast to date, Fitspeek Sixteen is here. To help you navigate this one a table of contents is in order.

• Zack Neufeld kicks things off with results from the Spring Cultus Lake Triathlon.
• Kevin Watt drops by for his comments on the Positive Spin Cycle ride held in Chilliwack and his Instagram shout-outs.
• Our feature interview is with local cycling powerhouse Galen Keller. The topics range from his training motivations to his massive 64 (you are going to have to listen to find out ).
• Fitspeek’s newest member Chloe Knull gives us a “Tale of Two Races” as she compares her Oliver and Cultus Lake triathlons.
• Bob Babbitt drops by for his final installment of Bob’s Bitts. Want to know the secret to a longer, happier, life? Bob’s Bitts has it.
• Our upcoming events schedule features the Campbell Valley Wine Run and the Coquitlam Crunch.
• The Wenting’s Word of the Week is “Attack!”
• Zack Neufeld closes out the program with his Between The Ears feature on Mindfulness.

Whether you are at the beach, on the road, or are just a Galen fan, Fitspeek 16 is sweet indeed. Hear it now by pressing play.

From competitive mountain biking, to the local crit and time trial circuit, and to the velodrome for some “real speed” over the winter months, Phoenix Velo’s Galen Keller has done many things on the bike, most of them quite well. In this Fitspeek Express interview we get to know the man behind the smile and those intimidating calves! Find out about his motivations, training secrets, and more by pressing play below

Although she has a smile that will light up a room, she has legs and lungs that will crush your soul. Following in the steps of the Fraser Valley’s new crop of fast female cyclists Maggie Coles Lyster and Alison Jackson, this Langley grade ten student is on the fast track to success. With an unsinkable attitude and a wisdom beyond her years, Elle is what my co-host calls “a chainsaw on wheels.” In her first of many media interviews to come, we are happy to introduce you to Elle Bush.

While some teenagers in the Fraser Valley may spend their time away from the classroom just “chillin’out” Mission’s Sheigh Gaudette has a more ambitious lifestyle as she trains 14 to 16 hours a week as a competitive swimmer. So far the practice has paid off with many regional swim records and a trip this summer to the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg. In this interview we get to know Mission’s rising swimming star Sheigh Gaudette.

In our newest Fitspeek we have our Wenting’s word of the week, a recap of the Oliver Half Ironman, a Fit Tip of the Week that focuses on going long in the heat, and feature interviews with Matt Campbell from United Velo and Greg Cowan from F2c. As always we will also hear the latest installment of Bob’s Bitts and have our upcoming events schedule. Press play below to kick start your summer training and racing season.