Curtis Smith

I've got a soaking wet, slightly disappointed, but overall content Kimberly upstairs here in the hotel.  She had a great race, but just couldn't run as hard as she wanted to - the mind was there, but the leg(s) couold only do so much.  Once I look after the care and feeding of my little triathlete, I'll write more!!

Quiet day in Budapest.  Lots of race prep.  Getting ready to head down to the transition area to drop off Kim's bike - it's rainy, so we are going to get wet!!  Got some nice emails from CF members (including the CDS - thanks sir!!)  Kim seems pretty calm and ready to race, so all is good!!

Well, it was a long and busy day here in Budapest.  Got up early for a team breakfast, followed by a trip (for Kim) down to the race site for registration.  I headed into Pest to recce out the other spots we would be visiting today.  We linked up for the Paratriathlete Briefing at 1330 and went to the Team Canada Meet and Greet at a local sports bar (owned by an expat Canadian and, supposedly, Wayne Gretzky).  This was followed by the Team Canada photo.  While the rest of the team headed out for the opening ceremonies, we headed over to the Hotel Intercontinental to get Kim classified.  So, according to the experts, Kim is actually missing her right leg above the knee - can you see the sarcasm at all?  Anyway, she has officially been classified and can qualify for medals now.

We will head down to the race site again tomorrow, to check out the newly-set up transition area and to drop Kim's bike off.  After that, it is all race prep, all of the time...

I think I will go and drink a tasty beer now...

Hi All,

Overall, another good day.  Did a bit of bike work with Kim this morning.  I (2Legs) then went out for a 16k run (not entirely intentionally...)  Went to the Race site and watched the Aquathon (Swim/Run competition).  Had a good lunch, then a nap, then some mental skills training.  Kim is now writing out her race plan for Saturday, while I am slaving away over this blog.

The race site is pretty nice.  The only issue we are having right now is that the water temp is 14 friggin' Celcius - kinda chilly.  This may stop the paras from going for a pre-race familiarization swim, as they tend to suffer in the water more than the average age-group athlete.  I ran the bike/run course today - relatively flat, so it should be fast!!

Took lots of pictures, so they will be up as soon as I figure out how to upload them!!

Busy day!!  As mentioned earlier, Kim went for a swim with the team.  She got to meet some of the elite Team Canada athletes and had a good workout.  Did some mental skills training later with the coaches, put together her bike and did some transition training.  Had a nice meal at a swanky restaurant and am now thinking very hard about going to bed.  Tomorrow will be a route recce of the bike course and some more mental skills training.  As far as I'm concerned, Kim doesn't need any mental training...

Have a good one.

OK, we made it.  Long flight but all right.  Bit of an adventure to get downtown from the airport, but nothing too crazy.  It is 0900 on Tuesday morning - Kim is off for a Team Canada swim with her para teammates.  There are about 8 of them, along with 2 coaches.  I am off to look for coffee - in my humble opinion, a more important mission than swimming...

Budapest is very nice.  Lots of old buildings and tons of tourists.  It is sunny outside and a bit cool.  All of the triathletes are contemplating what they are going to wear on race day because of the coolness.

Our hotel is nice.  Food is pretty good and cheap - paid the equivalent of $10 last night for a pizza and a 1/2 litre beer - most awesome, I must say!!

We'll put together Kim's bike later this afternoon, then do a transition skills session.  Tomorrow we'll go for a bike ride - you take your life into your hands biking on some of these roads, so I'll have to do a bit of a recce later.

More to follow later!!!

Hello everyone.  1 Leg Reporting - Well, the NYC Tri was a blast.  Had an excellent 1500m swim (00:22:17) which was a personal best, and beat the two USA girls I was told that I would never beat !! Ha ! Swimming in the Hudson River - not so OK.  Salty and the small amount I swallowed (accidentally) caused me some gastro issues that took a week to resolve. Very very humid day, 102 F.  Made the bike hard - made breathing hard.  Great day overall.

OK, a week later and we are off to Lake Placid for the Ironman.  Curtis and I were both a little nervous - me moreso because I was not feeling so great following the NYC Tri.  Remember, I swallowed water from the Hudson.  The weather was absolutely perfect though.  Water temperature equally perfect.  The race started at 0700h.  Off we went.  The first loop for Curtis was uneventful.  He started wide and swam inward towards the buoy.  I drew the straw to wait and then pick my way through the slower swimmers.  Plan A - Curtis' plan - worked like a dream.  Plan B - Kim's plan - sucked !!  I got some dude's big toe up my right nostril that gave me a bloody nose.  Grooming gentlemen…they care called toenail clippers !?!  After I shake that off I run into another kook who's punching out everyone who passes him.  The guy clocked me so hard, it popped my ear plug out and I was seeing stars.  I was so angry, and swam up beside the guy and elbowed him in the gut and then blasted off past him.  Can you say 'jerk' or what?  Guy had issues with being passed by a chick with one leg.  Well get used to it buddy…I'll be back again next year too !!  My race was slower than my norm, but I finished the full swim and that was the goal.  Curtis had a great swim too and a really good bike up until the 120km mark.  His left knee started to bother him so he took it a bit easy for the last 70km.  No biggy, onto the run.  It was a tough run, but he made it through.  CURTIS SMITH YOU ARE AN IRONMAN; 15:25:10.  Long day, but a great one.  I am so proud of my IRONMAN.  He rocks !!

Here we are - Kim and I are sitting in the Starbucks in Lake Placid, waiting for the transition area to open at 5am (it's currently 0429). We are both kinda nervous, but excited too. Actually got a bit of sleep - whenever I happened to wake up, I grabbed a bite of sandwich (peanut butter, of course) or a sip of my Gatorade.
Swim should be fine - key is to stay calm and to swim steady. Same strategy for the bike - easy for the first hour so I can eat and drink, then pick up the pace for the remainder of the first loop and all of the second. Key to the run is to start easy and pick things up (and people off) on the second loop.
Kim is doing the swim. When asked for a quote she said "Blah, blah blah" (I wasn't paying attention...). Actually, she said "Time to get it done. Be glad when it's over!"
More to follow!!


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Hi all - 2Legs here,

Racing season has officially begun!!  My first race was actually last Sunday (Limestone), but this weekend is chock full of goodness!!  I'm doing the Law Day 5K today in downtown Ottawa - nice and easy, just a workout.  Tomorrow (Saturday) is the Cumberland Duathlon with the lovely and talented 1 Leg - I'll do the first run and the bike (2.5k and 20k respectively) and she'll do the final 2.5k run.  Still haven't decided what bike I'm going to use - my old reliable Trek 1000 or my borrowed Quintana Roo Tequilo.  Got some work to do tonight to sort that out!!  Finally, on Sunday, I'm doing some kind of run at the Place d'Orleans race - 1/2 marathon or 10k (depending on how I feel).  Watch here for our results!!

Everyone please take note! I conquered Blair Road hill....me... the chickadee with one leg. It was tough but I now know that I can do it. The tough part was actually coming down the hill. I have no break ability on my prosthetic. So in effect, I'm hopping down the hill on the steep parts. As it slowly flattens out, I can start running again. It was a little 'out of control' on the first time down the hill. I really had no control of the speed, so I decided to just to be one with the wind. Thank goodness I didn't fall - it would have hurt - alot !!

YEAAAAHHHHHH...I did it !! Another mountain conquered.

It's been a while since we've put anything up here and there is A LOT GOING ON!!!

First off, we got an email from Triathlon Canada this evening - Kim has officially been named to the National Paratriathlon Team for the 2010 World Triathlon Championships being held in Budapest this September.  Yay!!!  We've been waiting for this word for a while now and it came at absolutely a perfect time!!

Second, Kim has recently gotten some absolutely awesome support from her coaches and a few sponsors have stepped up to the plate to support her efforts.  We'll blog a bit more about that soon, as we want to give these great people the attention they deserve.

Our training has been going very well.  Kim is running better than ever (as am I) and we are both swimming fairly strong.  More to follow on the biking - we have to hit the roads harder!!!

Stay tuned!!

Hi All,

So, Kim & I had a good solid training weekend. Started off with a 3:15 bike on Saturday (our longest yet) at Cyclelogik. Ian put us through our paces and we left with sore butts!!! Nothing that a soak in the tub couldn't cure, though.

Sunday was the Winterman 1/2 Marathon. I went in with two goals - 1. Beat my time of 1:49 that I laid down in Afghanistan in November, and 2. See how the body reacts to a long post-bike run. I am happy to report that I did beat my Afghanistan time (not by much - depending on who's timing you use, it was either by 5 or 30 seconds!) and that my body reacted fairly well. Sore knees today, but I am walking around reasonably well. On another note, if I had entered the 5km race, I would have (in all likelihood) won my age group - thanks Helen & the Lions!!

Stay chilly!!

Yes, we accepted the challenge and we both made it !?! It was a very tough class but exhilerating at the same time. Using our heart rate monitors, we started at a relatively low heart rate level. The goal was to maintain a good solid spin rate with a stabilized heart rate - something you could easily maintain for an extended period of time (for about the first 60 mins). Then the paced picked up and by about the 2 hr mark, we were spinning at the top of our zone 3 (very hard). While we were up in this range for 3 sets of 3 mins high zone 3 followed by a momentary reprive in the low zone 3 range. OK, let me explain that low zone three is NOT a reprive by any measure. We maintained this tempo for about 12 mins in total. I thought I was going to puke after the 3rd set. Curtis and I were both in the hurt locker. Spinning beside Curtis is always a challenge when we are working hard because he sweats so much. Gadzuks there was a pond developing below his bike and it was heading my way!! When sweat is flying everywhere, the last place you want to be is right beside him. Good thing I love him dearly!! Once our zone 3 sets were over, we started our decline back into the more gentler kinder zone of 2 and then 1. You would have thought that at the end of 3 hr class there would have been a resounding 'hooray'!? But no. There was only silence. I felt great afterwards. My muscles weren't sore and my butt was in good shape, but I didn't want to be the only one to yelp, 'good job'. I must admit that sometimes, I do have the advantage in having only one leg. I only feel half the exhaustion, pain and stress. I can use my prosthetic leg to give my biological leg a break. So if my knee is starting to hurt, and use my prosthetic side more to give my biological side a break. Its particularly advantageous for longer distances. Thank God. I have finally found the one advantage over people with two legs where a prosthetic actually comes in handy. Things to make you go, hmmmmmm !

As promised, here is a video of Kim running 6 months later. See how much more relaxed and smoother her stride is. Awesome!!!

Here's a video of Kim running on an outdoor track in June 2009. Compare it with the video that I am going to put up in our next post. You rock Kim!!

Hi All,

Well, contrary to the idea of a vacation being "relaxing", we have managed to go all out over the past week or so. Kim got a new front door installed here at the house - I will never understand the pure, unadulterated joy that she gets from stuff like that. A door is a door as far as I'm concerned...

We have been keeping up with our workouts and have been steadily improving. I signed up for a running challenge on Slowtwitch.com - 100 Runs in 100 Days. It's kinda tough, but I'm pushing along. Kim is working hard on getting her running up to snuff and is making good progress. We had a great spin bike class last Saturday - 2:15 on the bikes!!! We're both feeling strong and should be hitting the roads in the spring ready to rock.

We're heading up to Napanee to see my Grandmother on Christmas - just a quick up and back. We have a birthday party to go to on the 27th (Happy 4th Nolan!!) and then we are travelling down to Lake Placid, NY for a couple of days of rest and relaxation. Well, maybe not complete rest and relaxation - I want to keep my runs up and have been googling to find out where I can get on a rowing machine down there. The Nationals are only 1 1/2 months away and I've got a bit of work to do!!

Anyway, stay chilly. I'm working on a Facebook page to go along with this blog, so stay tuned for that.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Curtis, Kim, Fiona & Drama

Slightly off-topic, but this absolutely rocks....

Jake Shimabukuro plays "Bohemian Rhapsody" | Video on TED.com

Hi All,

You may have seen my Facebook post from a couple of days ago, asking for you to go to the Pepsi Refresh Project to vote for a project that could have positive consequences for my lovely wife, Kim.  The project is called "Lead A Road Running Revolution for Canadians with Disabilities" and its mission is to invest $100K in putting together a running and funding program for para athletes.

We are being a bit selfish in our support for this project, as Kim is working hard on her running and will tap into it if it is successful - she has been approached by Athletics Canada to potentially become a sprinter and is still working on her 5k time for triathlon purposes.  We are also contemplating putting together our own proposal for the next round of the Pepsi Refresh Project, looking for funds to help create and train the Canadian National Paratriathlon Team.  So, this running project is a bit of an experiment to see if we can harness our extended network to help us out.

The Pepsi Refresh Project is decided through the votes of the masses.  There are projects at the 100K, 25K, 10K and 5K levels, with a total of $200K being awarded each round.  You can vote 10 times per day over the course of 2 months.  You can only vote for a specific project once per day.

Unfortunately, the process to vote is a bit awkward.  To help you out, here is a bit of a primer:

1.  Go to the project page at http://www.refresheverything.ca/comerunwithus
2.  Sign in (lower left corner);
3.  Plug in a throwaway email address;
4.  Cick on the appropriate bubble (Yes or No);
5.  If you are new, go through the sign-up page.  This includes doing the two word confirmation captcha.  If you are returning, you'll still need to do the captcha;
6.  If you get thrown off of the project page, go up to the search bubble and punch in "road running" - that will get you to the right place.

Please vote at least once - the more the better.  If we can harness our networks to make this project a success, then the one that Kim & I are working on will be even easier.  Let us know that you are voting via Facebook, Twitter, email - whatever.

Thanks for your time!!!

Curtis

T-8 days until I start my Endurance Nation Outseason Plan - looking forward to layin' it down...

Attended a sports nutrition seminar yesterday with Kim.  Learned some good stuff that I'll have to let percolate in my head for a bit before I take action.  The figures say that I'll need 4000+ calories/day

Am working on clarifying my 2011 Race Schedule - the only thing in stone right now is Ironman Canada on 28 Aug 11.

Two more races this year - Cookie Run 5k on 6 Nov & the National Cross Country Championships on 27 Nov.  A few more on the edges, but we'll see how I feel.

Toodles...

OK - I am really bad at keeping this blog updated.

I was cleaning up my office here at home today and came across the two training logs that I used this past year. I started keeping the log when I went to Afghanistan last year and kept some pretty good notes. So, here's the summary:

17 Aug 09 - Started log. 230lbs.
6 Sep 09 - Canada Army Run 5k (Kandahar) - 27:30. First 5k race in many years.
4 Oct 09 - US Army 10-Miler (16k) - 1:25:35
24 Oct 09 - First rowing 1/2 marathon (on Concept 2 rower) - 1:43:39
7 Nov 09 - US Airforce Freedom Run (1/2 marathon) - 1:51:00
10 Nov 09 - Concept2's 50k+ Rower of the Week
? Nov 09 - Terry Fox Run 5k - 24:45
25 Nov 09 - Home from Afghanistan - 185lbs!!!
7 Dec 09 - Joined Ottawa Lions Track Club Masters Team
21 Feb 10 - Winterman 1/2 Marathon - 1:48:38
13 Mar 10 - St. Patrick's Day 5k
25 Apr 10 - Limestone 5k - 22:37
30 Apr 10 - Law Day 5k
1 May 10 - Cumberland Duathlon Relay (with Kim)
2 May 10 - Place d'Orleans 1/2 Marathon - 1:45:16
17 May 10 - Limestone Charity Triathlon
6 Jun 10 - Mooseman 1/2 Ironman (1.9k swim, 90k bike, 21k run) - 6:47:36
4 Jul 10 - Sydenham Olympic Distance Tri (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run) - 3:11:19
18 Jul 10 - New York City Triathlon - Acted as Handler/Assistant for Kim in Paratriathlon category
25 Jul 10 - Ironman Lake Placid (3.8k swim, 180k bike, 42k run)- 15:25:11

How do I feel about the past year overall? Pretty friggin' good, I should say. I went to Afghanistan last year with two major goals - 1) to get some operational experience as a Legal Officer, and 2) to get fit again. I had let myself go since my battalion days and with 40 staring at me in the face, I decided to take the opportunity that TFK was offering. There really isn't much else to do, so why not work out like a fiend?

The Ironman was my goal from day 1. I have been a fan of the sport since forever (I gave a speech on the Ironman in my Grade 6 class in 1983!) I signed up for it while on my holidays in Lake Placid last summer, with the full intent of finally knocking the Ironman off my bucket list this year. I had also made a promise to my little guy Keiran that I would do an Ironman for him one day.

Now, Afghanistan isn't the best place in the world for getting triathlon-specific training done. You can run fairly easily, and there are lots of stationary bikes available, but swimming is a challenge (unless you try the poo pond...) I substituted rowing for swimming and managed to pound out 600km worth of it while I was there. I entered and ran every road race that was offered and had a lot of fun. I came back to Canada in better shape than I had been in 12+ years.

The challenge was going to be maintaining the fitness. My lovely wife Kim was aiming to compete in the World Paratriathlon Championships in Budapest in Sept 10, so we decided to team up and work hard in pursuing our individual goals. We joined the Ottawa Lions Track Club, under the guidance of the supremely awesome Helen Cooper. I ran fast for the first time since my RMC days. The improvement in my technique and times was nuts!!

We also started attending an endurance spinning class at Cyclelogik, under the coaching of Ian Fraser. We started with a 1 hour session one Saturday in Dec 09, working our way up to 4 hours by the end of Mar 10. Again, awesome training that helped build a great base for the summer.

Finally, we joined the Swim Ottawa club, under the guidance of Tom Anzai. We didn't have nearly enough time with him (we joined late), but are looking forward to working through the winter with him and the other members of the team.

I was not particularly happy with any of my triathlon times this year - I had some higher expectations, I guess. The Ironman was tough. I am scared to death of the swim, but managed to have a personal best time by 20 minutes. The bike (on my brand new Cervelo P1) was difficult - I definitely need to increase my saddle time by a factor of 2 if I want to compete further. I was a bit of a wreck by the time the run came around, with a pretty sore knee that degenerated into a pretty painful knee by kilometer 20. I was in semi-survival mode for the last half of the run, but finished. You can't imagine the feeling of working for 15+ hours and finally hearing "Curtis Smith, you are an Ironman", the culmination of almost a year's worth of training.

What's next? Indoor track season starts in a couple of weeks and my coach wants to train me for an indoor 5k sometime this winter. Kim & I are heading to Budapest in 2 weeks, where she will do the World Paratriathlon Championships. I am bashing around some ideas for more races to do, which could include something at the Army Run this September, a 24 hour race, the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships in Feb and maybe another Ironman next summer (I haven't told Coach Helen yet - she thinks that this Ironman thing is out of my system!) On a non-competitive note, I am going to be pursuing getting on either the Triathlon Canada or Ontario Association of Triathletes Board of Directors, with the agenda of getting Paratriathlon wider participation and notice. Similarly, I'll be working with Kim, getting her ready for a bid at the 2012 Paralympics in London, where (fingers crossed) Triathlon will be a demonstration sport. Busy stuff!!

Anyway, that's it. Once my schedule gets clarified, I'll put it up here. Check out our other blog - kimandcurtis.blogspot.com - for other updates on what we're doing.

Stay chilly!

OK, it has been almost a year, but I'm back.  I am training hard for Ironman Lake Placid and am currently in Week 10 of an Endurance Nation Ironman Training Plan.

More to follow...

OK, enough is enough. I've messed around with this whole Ironman thing for too long, so I am now drawing a line in the sand. I signed both Kim & I up for the 2010 Ironman USA in Lake Placid and we are going to complete it. It has begun....

The newest issue of "Get Out There" is now available online at http://www.getouttheremag.com/whicheditonmag.htm. Some interesting articles on winter training and gear and a really good event list (especially for Ontario).

The Ottawa Triathlon Club (OTC) is very excited to announce that Samantha McGlone and uber-coach Cliff English will be visiting the OTC on November 15th. The one day clinic will feature sessions on training plans, technique, sports psych and more. We have 5 spots remaining that are now available to non-members of the club. The cost for the one-day clinic is $100. Email geordiem at yahoo dot com to grab your spot.