Boston Marathon 2010

This past Monday I had the honour and pleasure of realizing a personal goal by participating in the Boston Marathon. Cindy and I drove down on Friday and arrived at the Expo on Saturday morning. We did the usual Boston shopping blitz, after all how many times do you get to go to Boston.
The Boston marathon is vortex, it sucks you in the whole weekend, you can't avoid it, even Cindy felt the effect. Then add onto all of that the Red Soxs, Celtics and Bruins all playing that weekend. The buzz in the city was beyond belief. Cheers, lots of Bars, the Public Gardens, we saw them all.

The race itself is legendary. They bus at runners to the start line, all 23,000. The starting village is a sea of humanity, people from all over the world. Veteran Boston marathoners and just as many Boston virgins. And all of them waiting in anticipation.

The start; all down hill, bikers on the left, Girls and lots of them on the right, drunken Boston College students, folks in costumes, then up those hills. Yes I now know why they call it heartbreak hill. More down hill, some walking, some running, some really enjoying the crowd, then a left turn and you see the finish line. It seemed like a 1km down the road and with people 10-15 deep, the noise echoing off the building there is no way not to fell overwhelmed, inspired and in shear awe of the event. Get shuffled through the tents, pick up your bag and just like that your done. For Cindy and I we had to drive straight home as we both had to work Tuesday so celebrations were short lived.

One of the most amazing things is the support at every inch of the marathon. The support and size of the crowd grows with each mile. it was estimated in the Boston Globe that there were over 500,000 spectators, 8,000 volunteers and 23,000 starting runners. Crowds early in the race were 4 deep with no barriers and as you got closer to the finish they grew to 12-15 deep. Folks handing out goodies, oranges, and beer all that they bought on their own to support the runners. Totally inspiring.

For me personally it was all that support that drew my thoughts back to Barrie and the folks that helped me, as I ran down towards the finish line. In the early days there were many times I could have fallen off the rails like a lot of folks do in the January "phase"of trying just to lose weight. I was also fortune that in 2005 Shawn and Gary kept me interested during Mischele's spin classes and also opened my eyes to a new world of Tri's and distance running. Something that was a dream but never thought to be a possibility, and for that I thank them all.

So next time your on a bike ride or a run remember that person at the back, or that "newbie" who is just starting out. It does not take much to circle back, slow down, let them catch up. You can "hammer" it later. Remember you'll never know what kind of positive impact you can have on them, and maybe just maybe, in some small way, help them in them reaching a personal goal.

The most common & reoccurring question we receive.

We frequently get asked by new triathletes, runners, cyclists or those looking for a healthy life style, "What do i get if I join the Barrie TC ?".
Here's the Golden answer. You can benefit beyond your wildest dreams if you willing to put the effort in. Your savings account is not going to grow by just looking at it once a week. However, being surrounded by Triathletes is invigorating. It pumps you up as Hans and Frans would say. Friendship, synergy, sharing of experiences, knowledge and a "family" support. We have Social Nights, we have weekly runs, weekly biking, weekly time trials (a real favourite), open water swims plus the sense of belonging.
We welcome anyone to come out and meet the gang and try any of our regular events.

New Website!

Hello Everyone
So the new website is launched and the feedback is coming back regarding the look and feel. Although we did notice a few layout bugs with older browsers, we wanted to pass along some advice not only for our website but for a safer, faster and more enjoyable browsing experience across all websites.

As time passes, websites are coded with different technologies and browser developers such as Microsoft (Internet Explorer), Mozilla (Firefox) and even Google (Chrome) have to stop supporting the older browser versions and focus on the newer versions.

That being said. Today's safest and fastest browser out there is Mozilla's Firefox 3. It can be downloading by clicking on the following link:

www.mozilla.com/firefox

For those of you adamant on sticking with Microsoft's Internet Explorer, its version 8 is the latest, safest and recommended version of the browser so if you haven't yet downloaded and installed it, please do so with this link:

www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer

Thanks for the support!

Theo Runs the 115th Boston Marathon

This exact time next Monday, Theo will be hopping a yellow school bus, one of hundreds and be shuttled from Boston to a place known as Hopkinton. There Theo will be dropped off at the local high school and wait. And wait. Theo Bosch is not only a member of the Barrie TC but sits on the Executive. Theo will become the first Barrie TC Baydog to run the Boston Marathon. I have much admiration and respect for Theo. This man can run. Theo might not realize this, but he will have many friends from the Barrie Roadrunners and the Barrie TC tracking his progression as he runs with over 25,000 from Hopkinsville, pass Boston College, pass the screaming girls Wellesley college, pass Fenway Park and the notorious Heartbreak Hill. There will be one individual who will be watching very closely other than his wife Cindy, and that is Kevin O'Neill aka Mr. Speedwork. Theo above all, have fun as I know you will, and know the Barrie TC will be watching your splits. Theo's bib number is 11333.

Back 2 Back Marathons

There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity...that's what my dad used to tell me growing up. Thought I'd try to find out how close I could get by trying to run back to back Marathons. Washington DC on Saturday March 20 and Virginia Beach Va on Sunday March 21. Seemed easy enough back in November when I thought about it. Running back to back long runs in Feb and March in Barrie hmmm. The events themselves were almost a blur... Washington DC just as the cherry blossoms were coming out, running past historical buildings, a great feeling. Hilly course a 3:32 and off the the Beach. a 4 hr drive, eat dinner, sleep up at 5 and do it all over again. Goal was to finish.First 1/2 in 1:43, second 1/2 more walking then running but mission accomplished, minus several toe nails. The hardest part of the weekend a 16 hr drive back home, The weekend was over in a blur.

The good news.... it's not really as hard as it sounds.

Barrie TC first ride of the Season

Simply Marvelous. A great first ride. Thank you everyone for making the Barrie TC inaugural ride a giant success. The Baydogs would like to specifically thank Ted Read for his planning and making the ride an enjoyable one. A big thanks to Trish & Joe for being our photographers. More photos to come. Note to file ~ we had over forty members & friends ride today. Congratulations.