Gavin Lumsden completes the Fredericton Marathon May 13, 2012

Today I celebrated Julie and other mothers of children afflicted with frightening and insidious mitochondrial disease - Gavin Lumsden

MOM’s THE WORD

(an excerpt from Gavin’s weekly email to his Running Room Marathon group that he coaches in Ottawa).

Happy Mother’s Day.

Hope you had a good run today and have taken the rest of the day to celebrate the special ‘Mothers’ in your life. Of course, EVERY day should be mothers day…right?  And if you are a special Mom yourself, here’s hoping you got the right hugs, and the right words from the folks who can’t possibly appreciate you enough.

Today, I celebrated two special moms. The first was my own – who has endured more that her fair share of challenges, and that doesn’t include carrying me in her belly for 9 months. She is amazing in so many ways.  We traded emails this morning so I could remind her.

I had to resort to email –for now – as I am out of town, in fact celebrating another incredible Mom. You all know her, because she was one of our guests speakers, early in the clinic.  You’ll recall back in Week 5, Julie Drury told us the story of her incredible daughter Kate, who is coping with Mitochondrial disease.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katedrury   ( click on “Read My Story” )

Hard to adequately express in words the kind of special people the Julie, Brian, Jack and of course little Kate are. It is clear that each of them has extraordinary resolve, that they are forced to summon far too often. Julie frequently shares some of the trials and tribulations that her family experiences, and with each dispatch my admiration for this family grows deeper.

So today I celebrated Julie and other mothers of children afflicted with frightening and insidious mitochondria. I ran the Fredericton Marathon this morning. Great weather –cool and overcast – on a very, very easy course for the Maritimes: flat, crushed gravel and negligible wind. I’ve had some strong runs in the last couple of weeks, so I was hoping for a sub-4:00. Not to be. From the very start I felt tension in my quads- which is something new. By 10k, my cardio was fine, but my thighs, especially the left, were on fire and I was ready to stop.

But I couldn’t. Instead I took what was probably a 3-4 minute walk break, and re-focused. Wearing the Team Mito-Can jersey that Julie gave me, my thoughts turned to little Kate, who has endured far, far worse than crampy legs. I slowed down considerably, and took regular breaks as the need arose, but managed to maintain focus, even as my goal time ticked away with 2 km to go.  I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see a finish line. As I limped across it, I started laughing out loud at the irony of hurting like hell, but feeling great!

And so, with a big assist from an inspiring little girl, marathon #39 is now on the books in 4:06, or 4:05:16 for you “gun-timers”.

Some takeaways here:

1)    If I can do this, you can too.

2)    If your race isn’t going quite the way you want it to, stop refocus and start over.

3)    Your inspirations can carry your further than you ever imagined. Today I had Kate on my mind and, as always, Terry Fox in my shoe.

4)    You are now in full “taper” mode. This means you are resting and not logging any addition mileage, no matter how strongly the urge may strike. No hills, no stairs of death, no “tacking on an extra 5km” between now and race day. You need to rest up, relax, and focus in preparation for May 27. This is extremely important. My race yesterday is first hand evidence why. The pain my thighs is almost certainly related to an aggressive run last week in the K2B. I don’t think my “old” legs had sufficient time to heal. So tough as it is to do, rest up!

First I should say that if you are looking for an event report from someone with blazing fast times…don’t read any further!

This was my second sprint distance triathlon – Race number 111 (Heat 1; Lane 1; Number 1)

I signed up for the BGMI to see if I could improve on my first sprint I did in Key West in December, 2011 and to keep motivated to stay on the bike and water. Also, to give me race mode preperation for the Olympic distance at Regina Beach and ultimately the 70.3 in Miami in October.

I was not as prepared as I had wanted for this event, but I was still oh so excited to participate!

When I did the Splash’n Sprint at the end of March, I did improve my swim time by 15 minutes and improved my run time by 7 minutes compared to Key West. Of course, there was no ocean swim or heat to contend with… but still, it was an improvement never the less…;)

As triathlons are not my main sport, only for cross-training and injury prevention – I had a 6 hour training run the day prior to the Icebreaker Tri. I was not sure how I was going to feel, so I decided to set small goals and be happy if they were achieved.

My goals for the tri were: to break 23 minutes on the swim (yup, I am that slow – but for teaching myself to swim, I’ll take that!); to get under 2 hours; not be last out of the pool and have lots and lots of fun!!

The night before the tri I didn’t get much sleep. I woke up at 5:30 and got ready. Everything was packed and ready to go, I just needed to have some food; pack a bit more food as my swim didn’t start until 9:10.

As I don’t like being stressed before events, I arrived very early (6:30) for the transition to open at 7 – not a sole in sight, except volunteers setting up the course. I scoped out the bike transition area and asked where we exit the pool area and were we start out on the bike and go for the run portion, more of a visual for me as I am a newby.

I unloaded my bike and gear and headed to the transition area and waited for it to open. I was third in line and the lady manning the transition area, said that we were going to have great Karma today, as that was the most organized she had ever seen the participants wait. I’ll take that! ;D

I organized everything very maticulously on my towel and put my bike on the first rack out of the transition. After a bit of a wait and manditory race meeting it was now…

GO TIME!

Swim: 22:03 (goal achieved) I was first swimmer in Lane one (111). I was not sure how I felt about that, as I don’t like people watching me. So I just plugged away at the swim. My other goal was not to be last out of the pool, which I was for the Splash’n Sprint. I miscounted the number of laps I needed to complete the 750 swim – for some reason I thought I needed 30 but I only needed 15. So I was going slower to pace myself and not get burnt out. Then I heard that another person was on their last lap…and I was like What?! So I pushed the last lap and touched the lady infront of me to let her know I wanted to pass…as I would have been last out of the pool. Goal achieved!!

BIKE: 55:48 - a bit of a head wind going one way. The other way was great as I was in the arrow position most of the way on each lap (total 6 laps needed). I was just finishing my 5th lap and there was a gust of wind that pushed me towards the curb, I tried to correct and get out of the arrowposition – but couldn’t. I ended up with my front wheel in the groove and into the curb I went. My knee and hip hit the curb and my head hit the grass pretty hard on the back. After a check over from a very nice gent, who was apart of the event, asked if I was ok and checked my eyes, I pressed that I was good to go. I wanted to get on the bike and finish the last lap. I did and headed back to transition for the run. Slower than Key West, as I was probably on the curb for 5 minutes…;(

Going with the wind....Yah Baby!

Run: 29:23 - quicker than Key West by 8 minutes; quicker than Splash’n Sprint by about a minute (Goal Achieved!) The run was really good. I felt super relaxed and enjoyed the cool air and all the people I knew running. It was so fun!

All done!

Total event time: 1:47:13 – Goal Achieved!!

Re-check goals: Not last out of the pool-check; Do better than Key West-check; Get under 2 hours-check; Don’t fall on the bike coarse -EPIC FAIL; Have lots and lots of FUN- check check check!!!!!!!

Definitely a great event and I would do it again!

Next up…Olympic Distance at Regina Beach.

First Team MitoCanada Road Cycling Team Event: Gran Fondo San Diego 2012

Location: San Diego California, USA

Event: 4th Annual Gran Fondo San Diego (http://www.granfondo-world.com/sandiego-news)

Date: April 16, 2012

Details: 107 Miles, 6594 ft of climbing, 8 hours of riding

Riders: Kyle McLaughlin, Jason Lord, David Lendrum

Route: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/168627784#.T4ubWxBuAt0.facebook

Summary: Awesomely Epic.

On April 16th, 2012 three riders from team MitoCanda joined a field of over 1400 riders from around the world to take place in the 2012 San Diego Gran Fondo.  These Gran Fondo events promote a long ride with a less competitive feel.

In this particular race, it was a mass start from Little Italy in downtown San Diego that quickly left town towards the hills to the East. Highlights included riding past the waterfront including the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier, riding through the U.S.A. Olympic training facility and tackling the Honey Springs climb for the “King of the Mountain” competition. This was a timed ~7 mile climb with an elevation assent of nearly 2000ft. Kyle got 12th overall (3rd in AG), Dave was 61st overall (14th in AG) and Jason despite fighting technicals was 135th (48th in AG).

With near perfect weather, flowing back country roads and endless Aid Stations the Mito Crew enjoyed riding the 107 miles together. Fortunately, all riders finished the race feeling strong, had smiles on their faces and were proud to wear the team MitoCanada cycling kit.  There were many inquiries into “what exactly is team MitoCanada” and we were each happy to fill them in all the details of the charity.  The best line of the race was “are you guys seriously from Canada?… that’s so cool”.  Cool indeed sir, cool indeed.

We all look forward to future events with the MitoCanada cycling team and have a number more Gran Fondo’s booked in our racing season.
For those of you who don’t know what a Gran Fondo is, these are a new trend in North American cycling, but has been around in Europe for years.  In Italian it apparently means “going the distance” or “the long ride”.  To me, it means a great ride, usually in a beautiful location with lots of friends and plenty of support along the course.  I guess technically it isn’t a race as they sometimes don’t even time these events, but there certainly is a bit of a “race feel” to the events.  (http://granfondocanada.com/)

This past Saturday myself and the Speedy Gagnons (Amy and Marc) represented Team MitoCanada at the Canmore Winter Meltdown off road winter triathlon. Shane Munro from Ascent Physiotherapy organized another fantastic event with racers nordic skiing for 10km, mountain biking (on snow) for 10km and finishing with a 5km trail run in competition for the Winter Xterra Provincial and National Championships.

The race started with a mad double-pole frenzy. Not surprisingly for a Canmore event, leading the charge were a sprinkling of ex-national team members, previous Olympians and World class pro Xterra triathletes.

Having skied most of the winter with Team Mito Athlete Marc Gagnon I seeded myself next to him and hoped to just hang on. With fast snow and me finally getting my wax right for once, I had a great first leg to the race. Success for me in nordic skiing is defined by the absence of me falling flat on my face on a steep decent into the Nordic Centre stadium area in front of friends and family… so luckily I achieved my first goal. I passed a few people and ended up ahead of where I expected to be.

Once on the bike I wrestled with the concept of how hard I should go. Having never raced a mountain bike event I had no idea. So around the 2 loops of the 5 km course I went just trying (again) not to crash. On my second lap, as I ascended a climb I saw a shadow of some monster-climber coming up from behind me. It wasn’t until I felt someone pinch my rear that I knew it was one of the Gagnons… Not surprisingly it was my friend Marc. In my attempt to keep up with him and crashed on a tight turn and gave up 30 seconds to my teammate.

After a shaky recovery from the crash, I finished the bike and got back into my “comfort zone”… the run. With no foreign sporting equipment to challenge my sense of balance, I tore off after Marc and attempted to catch up to a few more racers. Feeling way more comfortable with run pace and effort I let it rip on the down hills and enjoyed the single track running in light snow. Unfortunately, I was too far behind to make much of a move in the final standings but put in a great effort.

As I approached the final 200 m I was greeted by my boys Finn(6) and Will (4). Finn set the pace for the final sprint and joined me crossing the finish line. In the end, I finished 7th place in the expert category.

The womens title went to Team Mito Member Amy Gagnon who is officially the Provincial and National Winter Xterra Champ. Congrats Amy!

In the Mens Sport category, Team Mito was represented by Marc Gagnon in 3rd place. Way to go Marc!

Congrats to all the racers and teams for a great race and a huge thanks to race organizer Shane Munro for another great year. Let’s plan on doubling the racers next year.

Last week close to 50 cyclists rode at the Ascent Physical Therapy and Performance Lab Computrainer indoor cycling suite to raise funds for MitoCanada.  In the end, through the generous donations of the riders, local businesses and Ascent Physical Therapy and Performance lab we were able to raise $1055 for MitoCanada!

Thank you all for your generosity and a special appreciation goes to Alicia Evans for having the vision, the effort and the heart to organize, market, ride and cheer on the event. My deepest gratitude to all involved. Shane from Ascentput together this small video of the event: http://youtu.be/1PsrCI66SRc. Here’s the race report from Alicia Evans:

Inspiration comes to us in many ways. It may be in the written word such as a card or quote, a performance we are watching, or a place we visit that leaves a temporary or a lasting memory. On Tuesday 21^st and Thursday 23^rd February teams of local riders from the Bow Valley came together at Ascent Physical Therapy & Performance Lab in support of MitoCanada.The sense of community that was created on these nights was truly inspirational.

Silence fell upon the room when riders and spectators watched the Running on Empty Documentary, many contemplating the impact such a change would have on their lives and how they would cope in the circumstances. The night would prove to be more than just a race and the message was clear. Both Blaine Penny and Kyle McLaughlin’s words proved incredibly motivating and were etched in my mind, as they were with many others throughout the ride. Our suffering would prove temporary, unlike all those children fighting mitochondrial disease. And unlike those affected by mitochondrial disease, we have the choice to get on our bikes and compete.

The tunes were pumping, the riders were at the ready, the races began. A 16km flat Team Trial that would test the mental and physical ability of every rider. One by one they crossed the line. Some in a sprint finish, others fighting the voice in their head that told them to stop and then there were those who regardless of the pain, would have continued to push on and on as they pictured a little boy who’s life would never be the same. 

An enthusiastic team of supporters stood by and cheered on the teams creating an atmosphere that lead to a number of outstanding performances. Kyle McLaughlin and Darren Robinson lead the mens teams home and while the power was high, we knew that this performance was more than just physical. The Individual and Mixed Teams events were equally inspiring and brought together complete strangers, cycling buddies and families with Sara and Leighton Poidevin storming home to claim victory in the mixed category.

Ultimately, it wasn’t about winning but a realization that we take many things for granted in life and that each day we do many things that others can’t. Riding is just one of these.

I am only just beginning to understand the challenges faced by charities. To get recognition in order to begin to make a difference requires unique individuals with a strong desire to make a difference. I felt privileged to be in the company of people such as Blaine and Sarah and Kyle and Carrie who have made a commitment to finding a cure for Mitochondrial disease. If you felt inspired by the efforts of these riders, please JOIN Team MitoCanada to help raise awareness for mitochondrial disease at mitocanada.org/team

I congratulate and thank all riders and spectators who were a part of this event. I would also like to acknowledge the following individuals and businesses who donated prizes for the event. Your generosity was greatly appreciated.

:0) Kevin McDonald – TransRockies Events

:0) Angela Gabaldon – Two Wolves and Monod’s

:0) Suzy Buckley – Culinary Adventures Catering

:0) James Kendal – Cellar Door

:0) Brian McClure – Yamnuska

:0) Shane Munro – Ascent Physical Therapy

:0) Dave Carlson – Unlimited Sk8 & Snow

:0) Blaine Penny – MitoCanada

Race Results:

Individual Time Trial:

1. Colwin Cantello – 25.01

2. Jeff Perron – 25.06

3. Marc Schwann – 25.51

Mixed Team Time Trial (combined time):

1. Sara & Leighton Poidevin – 51.00

2. Rochelle & Tony Harding – 51.40

3. James Kendal & Angela Gabaldon – 52.38

Mens Team Time Trial (combined time):

1. Darren Robinson & Kyle McLaughlin – 47.30

2. Kyle McLaughlin & Grant Robertson – 48.30

3. Richard Greaves & Grant Hvizdos – 48.36

 Total money raised = $1055!

Door Prizes!!! The following people were lucky enough to be drawn out of my pocket and receive a door prize

Tara Kabatoff  - Yamnuska T-Shirt

Brent Bitner – Unlimited Sk8 & Snow voucher

Jeff Perron – Monods Icebreaker Bandana

Ric Rowan – Rim Rock Pasta Buffet

Darren Robinson – Cellar Door Voucher

Jeff Lockyer – Yamnuska Bottle

James Kendal – Yamnuska Bottle

Sarah Poidevin – Culinary Adventure Catering

This past January the Ottawa based Facebook group Triathlon Training Buddies oganized a fitness challenge to help get training momentum started for the New Year. Many ideas were tossed around, and all agreed to settle on a “plank” challenge.  Over a couple of days this little idea grew into a charity event where “plankers” would sign up for the event and keep track of their daily planks – donating 75 cents for each plank performed daily.  As the challenge grew, we had over 120 people join in on the ‘fun’ to work their core fitness.  The organizer of the event, Brenda Ross, chose MitoCanada as the charity to support via this challenge. Brenda and I met through a local triathlon club in Ottawa and Brenda has followed my daughter Kate’s mito-story over the past 4 years.

As a Facebook based event, we are pretty happy with how the little challenge grew and the commitment that the ‘plankers’ showed to the challenge.Even our own MitoCanada CEO, Blaine Penny, was up for strengthening his core – post workout beer in hand of course.

The Plank to Plunk Down Challenge for MitoCanada has raised over $2000 for MitoCanada so far.

A big thank you to all who participated in the event, we look forward to doing it again next year and making it even bigger.

Julie Drury

Team MitoCanada Ottawa

Myron had a fantastic race in Panama last week. In it’s inaugural year Panama Ironman 70.3 attracted a lot of high profile pros like Lance Armstrong along with high profile Team Mito member Myron Tereault.
On top of having to work through the normal pre-race stresses, Myron had to deal with his airline losing his bike (it was returned… with a bent rear derailleur) and a frantic search in Panama City for some CO2 cartridges.

Once the race started he wasted no time. His 1.9km swim was clocked at 21 minutes! He humbly attributed that to the current but coming out 1st in your age group (36th overall) is no fluke.

Once on the bike he settled in and latched onto one of his age group competitors. At round the 75km he got a flat. After working on that for about 10 minuted he got back onto his bike only to have a second flat soon after. He rolled into T2 a little further back then he wanted to (3rd in his age group) but set out onto the run determined.

The run was hot… at least 41 degrees. Myron slowed his pace to account for the heat but still finished with a gutsy 1:35. This was good enough for 2nd place in his age group and  87th overall. 

With his placement he qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas next September. Way to go Myron!