Hello everyone – I hope everyone is enjoying these steamy hot days of summer!! Triathlon season is in full swing and I am staying very active in our triathlon community even though I have not been able to race yet this year. Most recently, I was at Viterra Calgary 70.3 helping with the production of that event. I wore so many hats that week from pro and sponsor liaison to awarding finishers with Clearwater slots and handling awards to moving and packing boxes at the expo! I did think about jumping into the event and swimming, biking and running as an athlete ‘encourager’ but I had too many little chores to do on race morning! Racing is much more fun than organizing although everything I did, I did for the athletes and that made it very rewarding!

Prior to Calgary, I was in Lake Placid and Coeur D’Alene co-hosting Ironman Live with Greg Welch. Both were great weekends of triathlon where I interviewed athletes for Universal Sports and then gave play by play commentary and analysis on race day. It was my absolute pleasure to greet fellow Saucony athlete, Linsey Corbin, at the finish of her first Ironman victory and fellow Tyr athlete, Andy Potts, with his first win as well! My next Ironman Live broadcast will be at the Hawaii Ironman in October. Rather than commentating at Ironman Louisville, I will be attending Subaru Ironman Canada and doing a few talks and autograph signings for Subaru and I will coach a swim clinic on behalf of Power Bar. I am hoping to host a few training clinics when I attend these Ironman events – for example a Subaru swim or a Saucony run or a Power Bar bike the run course session. So stay tuned and I will announce them on www.twitter.com/lisabentley.

On the coaching side of things, we coached a wonderful Subaru Success Camp in the middle of June at Deerhurst Resort in Muskoka just before the G-8 landed in Huntsville! It was a fabulous weekend of training and coaching and sharing. A big thank you to Subaru, a big supporter of our camps, Power Bar for providing our nutrition, Saucony for outfitting our camp leaders, The Zone for providing fish oil for all the athletes, Fuelbelt for all of their treats and Cervelo for getting me my new P3 just in time!

We have also coached a few training days in Caledon for our athletes. These days have build a great sense of friendship among our athletes and that will hopefully ingrain triathlon in their lives as a lifestyle forever sport. Everyone is getting faster and stronger. I have a young athlete in St. Thomas Virgin Islands who is likely to qualify for the Pan American Games and he just started doing triathlon in January! He just rode a 62 minute 40 km time trial last weekend missing out on the National Team by 15 seconds (and that wasn’t even the goal – it was just a workout!). Many athletes are racing the Subaru Triathlon Series with their big goal being the Subaru Muskoka 70.3 and others are racing Subaru Ironman Canada. And I have one man who just wants to get his life back under 350 lbs and to finish Subaru Ironman Canada 2011! I have so much to share and I love this new phase of triathlon!

And on the official side of things, I am now certified as a Level 3 Triathlon Coach. I don’t know what those credentials will do for me but I thought it was important to be “official”!

On the racing front, I actually have raced this year!! At the end of June, I raced in the Peachbud 10 km run as part of the Subaru Charity Chase. I was part of the fundraising component where I started the race last and money was donated for every runner I passed. There were 636 competitors in the race and I passed 560 runners to finish in 76th place overall. Yes, I was well off of my PB of 33 minutes but I had a blast and got to raise money at the same time.

This coming weekend, I am speaking at Can-Fit Pro – a Consumer Fitness and Wellness Show. On Friday, I am speaking about Eating for Performance and Wellbeing. On Saturday, I am leading a group on a run and doing a run clinic. Later on Saturday, I am speaking on Living Full and Being Your Best. You can find information on the show at www.canfitpro.com.

From there, I am off to Subaru Ironman Canada and then in mid-September, I have triple the fun on the same weekend – we have Subaru Muskoka 70.3, I am commentating the ITU World Championships on CBC Sports and I am meant to do Ironman Live at Ironman Wisconsin. I think I will be able to do 2 out of the 3 of these commitments but it will be very busy!!

And of course, Fenway is growing and being crazy. We had a blast in Lake Placid watching her jump in Mirror Lake and run around the beach snatching things out of the athlete bags. And when her craziness was over, she slept long and hard!!! She has good choice in running shoes – these are the new Saucony Kinvaras! Stayed tuned at Ironman Louisville for Fenway’s pre race pics and other fun. I will be at Subaru IMC but we are planning some long distance fun so that Fen and I don’t feel left out of the Ironman Live coverage.

Train safe and happy!! Lisa

“The Touch” is the title of this photo of Carter and I crossing the finish line at the Hawaii Ironman 2007. Carter has CF and it was his wish to cross the finish line with me. The Make a Wish Foundation granted his wish and Carter and I created “The Touch”.

 This was a signifigant moment for Carter because it was the first time in his life that he had been touched physically by someone with CF. Infection control with CF is key to maintaining good lung health and so this was a breakthrough moment. Beth, his mom, went onto to paint an abstract of “The Touch” and when Joseph Landry and Brian Gazeley, world renowned sculpters, saw the painting and learned the meaning behind it, they wanted to sculpt Carter and I in our pose mimicking that special finish line moment.

I had no idea what to expect when I flew to Halifax for the plaster casting for the sculpture, nor did I realize how huge this was. Joseph and Brian have sculpted the Queen Mom, Katherine Hepburn, Lincoln, Bush, and the list goes on. They are currently sculpting 20 great Canadians to submit to the National Portrait Gallery in Ottawa – Carter and I are part of those 20 great Canadians – only 1 of 2 full body sculptures being unveiled. But if Ottawa does not re-open the National Portrait Gallery to receive these 20 great Canadians (big faux pas), then the National Gallery in Washington will take them! Regardless, this is a huge opportunity for CF! So many people are contacting Joseph and Brian and wanting to be part of this project and make donations to CF. CBC Maritimes was there documenting the sculpting process!

It was a great 1-day reunion with Carter and Fraser (his brother) and his mom and dad and I am so honored to be part of this project. They cut a bit of each of our hair to be put inside the sculpture so that we will live forever within this statue. We will live but CF will not!!!

Prior to the Halifax trip, I was in Chicago doing a few appearances for Saucony. Within 15 minutes of checking into my amazing hotel, I was out walking and bumped into an old triathlon friend from Toronto! Stefan had recently moved to Chicago to work!

Each night, I did a talk and a visit at a local store. On Tuesday night, I visisted Fleet Feet for their ”Diva Night”! We were launching Saucony’s newest shoe -the Kinvara and chatting with the ladies. It was a fantastic event for all the women, the invited retailers and for Saucony.

The next day, I ran along the Lakeshore and fondly remembered the many times I had raced along that same stretch of pathway – Powerman Chicago, Mrs. T’s Chicago Triathlon and the new Accenture Chicago Triathlon. So many wonderful experiences that I owe to sport. I then met Stefan for a swim at the Eastbank Club which is where Obama and Oprah used to work out!  Then some walking and shopping and then it was off to the next retailer visit at Running Away Multisport in Deerfield. It was another terrific evening – great store, great people and even Dr. Boas from the CF Institute dropped by. I had done a talk at the CF Institute a few years ago so it was quite ironic that I was back there again!!

In between all of these trips, I was at the Mississauga Marathon Weekend cheering on our athletes. Everyone ran so well-most had PBs – Jen, Rob and Bonnie. My sister struggled a bit but the air quality hasn’t been kind to her breathing and Gord went on the marathon course accidentally (he was doing the 1/2) and that added some time to his run (I think he secretly wanted to do the marathon!). Barbara did the 21 km walk in preparation for her 60 km walk for breast cancer in Ottawa. But Barbara did her first every 5 km run in April and 10 km run in May – so we are super proud of her commitment to become a runner! And in Florida, Rob and Risa did the Florida 70.3 and did fantastic! We really missed being there to support and cheer for them.

Lots of other fun things going on – training Fenway is the big joy right now. Yesterday we took her for her first swim. She was amazing. Her little legs just started moving and away she went – a completely natural instinct.

Oh yes, of course there was her first trip to downtown Toronto when I did my CBC work on the Dextro Energy World Cup in Seoul. Fenway’s re-count of Toronto – “lots of noise, horns, cigarette butts and no grass!” Our re-count of Toronto – “it is a long way down from the 13th floor to a small patch of grass especially at 3 a.m.!!” But it was priceless.

Healthwise, it is all status quo at the moment. I am officially infection free but my lungs are really not much better (72% down from 100% last year). Breathing at rest is no problem, but breathing while exercising is tough – every workout feels like intervals and tempo but that is ok – I am slower but I can at least still swim, bike and run. I am going to run at the Peachbud 10 km run on the last Tuesday in June. I will be starting the race last and Subaru is sponsoring me $1 for every person I pass en route to the finish line. The money goes to the charity supported by the race. Should be fun – I wish I still had a 34 min 10 k in me but unfortunately that won’t be happening. I am not giving up on getting back some of my lung capacity – every millilitre I can regain means I can keep up with Dave a little longer!! I cannot let him beat me!!! That 5 km in Barbados was bad enough!!

 This week is a non-travel week but plenty going on. Downtown to the CF Clinic, athlete training day on Saturday, Caledon Kids of Steel and Great Strides CF Walk on Sunday and dinner with family. Next week, I will be in Gatineau, Quebec for the Subaru National Dealer Meeting!

Train safe and enjoy the sunshine! Be well! Lisa

The Cruise to Run (www.cruisetorun.com) has sailed away for another year but we are filled with great fun experiences and new friends and a few more running miles under our belts. Jerry and Jody Friesen of Instride Productions (www.instride.ca) are the organizers behind this amazing cruise which hosts a run in every port we visit. The first day was a running race in St. Thomas (photo above) where runner predict their finish time and the best predicter is the winner!

The next day, was the big mountain run in Tortola where a King and Queen of the Mountain are crowned. It takes approximately 15  minutes to run to the top. Bonnie won Queen of the Mountain this year – she showed such grit and determination beating out some spry young ladies and many men in the process.

This is Bonnie in the rear and Bob in the front of one of the early packs heading up the mountain.

Here is me running up the mountain – notice the ship in the background!!

And here is Davey boy running up the mountain. Honestly, it is a huge accomplishment to be able to run up. Lots of people enjoyed walking up. Here is Marc Roy from Sportstats walking up with his gorgeous daughter, Leah.

And what goes up, must come down! This is everyone walking down the mountain - Doug and Shelley and Mike from Regina (there are not many hills in Regina) and Davey and the Sharatta –  you have to walk!

After the big run up the mountain, we went back for breakfast/lunch and then headed to the most amazing island off of Tortola called Virgin Gorda. It was spectacular – we had to walk through caves to get to the beach. It was the best off ship excursion we ever did.

The next day was a 13 km run in Antigua which began with the runners donating books to the library in Antigua.

After the run, Dave and I gathered about 20 runners and we all went to the beach for a swim.

Thursday was our run in St. Lucia. Every year, I enjoy this run more and more. At this stop, we all donated a pair of running shoes to the runners in St. Lucia without shoes.

And finally, we did our final run – a 5 km race – in Barbados. Many local runners and students join us for this run which makes it extra special. Then, in the afternoon, we all go for a swim at Carlyse Bay and of course, that is really a great excuse to socialize!

I was fortunate to be one of the three guest speakers for our Cruise to Run. Dick Beardsley gave his amazing speech on Tuesday night, I did mine on Thursday night and Bart Yasso, the CRO (Chief Running Officer) of Runner’s World spoke on Friday night. There were also a few socials for all of the runners. And there were even the spontaneous socials when Eon D’Ornelleas sang “Sweet Caroline” and Jerry sang “I am a Cowboy” at Karaoke. There was so much fun to be had – honestly, I need to do some training for the fun stuff for next year’s cruise  (gotta get FIT – Fun in Training). Every night we would go to bed exhausted from enjoying our day and then wake up and do it again!

I was definately using the warm salty sea air (and antibiotics) to try to get over a chronic CF related chest infection that has plagued me for about a year. I did feel better as the cruise went on, but unfortunately I returned to a lower lung function than when I left. I will fill you in on all of that in my next post. But for now, check out www.cruisetorun.com for more info – I have been invited back again next year – so hopefully we can get some new athletes on board! And thank you to Mitch and Janet Fraser for sending me these amazing photos and for lots of fun!

This is my official uniform as Torchbearer number OTR062-070!! On December 30th at 2:24 p.m., I have the honor of being an Olympic Torchbearer in Muskoka!  How ironic is it that after racing so much in Muskoka for the past 20 years, that I would have this incredible opportunity. Apparently, I start on the path at River Mill Park and finish at the McDonalds – quite fitting so that I can dash inside and grab a quick burger and fries – NOT!!! Most of my family and a few friends are coming up for the big run – likely the shortest run of my life. I am doing this Torch Run as a member of Clean Air Champions – a group of environmentally conscience athletes who are ambassadors for a cleaner outdoor living experience.  In fact, I did a PSA commercial for Clean Air Champions a few weeks ago … here it is (not completely TV proof yet – still waiting for a few final touches):

… wait .. I will keep you in suspense until it is a finished product – stay tuned!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas .. more from Muskoka in a few days!!

Last weekend, I was invited on behalf of Subaru Canada to speak at the Triathlon New Brunswick Awards Banquet.  Subaru Canada is the sponsor of the East Coast Series which makes Subaru the dominant triathlon sponsor in Canada with support of races from the West Coast Triathlon Series, our Ontario Subaru Triathlon Series (Trisport), the East Coast Series, Quebec’s races, as well as the king and queen of Canada – Subaru Ironman Canada and Subaru Muskoka 70.3.

The hospitality was unbelievable as we planned out my trip. Peter very graciously picked me up at the airport; Vincent Lee arranged for me to drive the new 2010 Outback; John Russell planned for Carter and his family to attend and then Peter facilitated a run with over 50 runners from the Moncton Running Room. 

I landed at 4:45 p.m. and once I settled into my hotel, I quickly walked over to Carter’s hotel for a short visit with his family. I had not seen them since our finish at Kona 2007!  Then it was off to the banquet at 6:30 p.m. to meet the New Brunswick athletes.

I helped to give out a few awards and then did my slide show presentation and motivational talk. We finished off the evening with some autographs and photos!

The next morning, I was due to run with the athletes at 8:30 from the Running Room but with my flight at 11:30 and wanting to spend a bit of time with Carter, I started to run at 7:15 and then met up with the crew. There were around 60-70 runners assembled. We had a nice 10 km run and then I was off to shower and then a short visit and goodbye with Carter and his brother Fraser and mom and dad and Lightning the dog. It was a very full 20 hours but an amazing 20 hours celebrating sport, meeting new people and treasuring old memories.

In other news, on December 12th, Dave and I are planning a “clean the house and warehouse” sale. I donate most of my slightly used or ‘too small’ gear to a local youth triathlon group but I have a few treasures that need a home. And Dave will clear a few years worth of 2XU samples that need a home and other gear that he cannot sell to his retailers. A portion of all sales will go to the CF Foundation or to a particular family with CF that needs assistance. I am waiting to hear from the CF Clinic which families need some extra support over the holidays. It will take place at the Margaret Dunn Valleywood Library. I will make a little advertisement soon that people can print off and bring to the sale to get in. It is by invitation only.  During the sale we will also be taking orders for our new LBT jerseys, cycling shorts and jackets and race singlets. Everything is cash only since we won’t have the hook up for Visa or MC.

Enjoy the mild weather!  Happy Thanksgiving to our US friends – Lisa

Check out this article in the Times & Transcripts Newspaper in Moncton.
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/sports/article/857296

If you remember back in 2007, I crossed the finish line at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships with Carter. Carter is the young boy with CF who was granted his wish from the Make a Wish Foundation to cross the finish line with me. I have kept in touch with Carter and his family over the years but I have not seen Carter since 2007. He lives out East and as a surprise, his mom and dad are bringing him to Moncton for the Awards!! So this will be a big celebration weekend on many fronts! More from New Brunswick!

So with my top Canadian finish at the World Championships (Emma Carney won for the women and Spencer Smith won for the men) – I qualified for the Pan Am Games in 1995 along with Fiona Cribb and Kirstie Otto who is now married and races with the last name Knaizew. It was my first time traveling to a big race with all ‘real professional athletes’ – athletes who did not work at all. I remember being very homesick and phoning home before the race only to be disconnected 3 times. My phone bill after that trip was well over $400 and that single call home was around $100 for literally about 12 minutes of talk time. How things have changed with long distance communication. We stayed in the athlete village and had amazing perks – lots of good food, good fun, massage, full medical, team support – it was my mini Olympics. We had groovy Canadian uniforms – we had uniforms for travel, for the opening and closing ceremonies, for training, for relaxing, for racing, for podium – and we were sponsored by Roots so the clothes were very cool! Flying over, we were on a smoking flight and all of us were coughing and felt so sick sitting beside all of these smokers! The men’s team consisted of Mark Bates, Andrew MacMartin and Stefan Jacobson. Days before the race, the whole men’s team got the flu – Stefan could not even race! Mark and Andrew were both sick but Mark ended up with the silver. For the women, Karen Smyers won the gold and Kirstie won silver – I finished 7th and the women won the team gold! When we won the gold and went on the podium to receive our medals and hear our Canadian anthem, it was so special – I just could not hold back the tears. Later I was honored to be Canada’s flag bearer in the closing ceremonies!

Sadly, I never qualified for an Olympic Games event but for me, the Pan Am Games was the closest thing to the Olympics and I felt so special representing Canada at this event. And for some of our Canadian athletes in 2015, it will be their Olympics.

For Toronto, this is an amazing opportunity. Many people will think that it is a waste and we have bigger problems that need to be addressed. But the GTA needs this event. We need the sporting facilitiies – we need more 50 meter pools – we need the sports fields – our current facilities need upgrading. And these games create a buzz. If we do it right, our youth will put away the video games and Facebook and embrace sport. And in a society of childhood obesity and less than motivated young people, this isn’t a perk for Toronto but a NEED!!! And it will create 15,000 jobs in the GTA!!

I sure hope that I get to be involved in the Games in a big way – I want to have impact – that has always been my goal in sport. Here is to the Greater Toronto Area’s win – our first win in a long time. Hopefully it will lead to an Olympic’s bid win, but if not, it is a win and our young people will be the true champions.

I coach two athletes who qualified for the Hawaii Ironman so I spent lots of time getting them mentally prepared and helping them put the finishing touches on their performances. It was such a joy to see them racing and smiling and celebrating sport. At one point on the marathon, I was offering some encouragement to Bonnie and the women she was running with asked if I was sad I wasn’t racing. I told her I was racing – right next to her – in the form of Bonnie!  And that is what keeps me going at the moment since I can’t race right now – I will race through other athletes who I am lucky enough to support and share my knowledge and experience with!

It was a crazy day on race day doing the on course TSN coverage. The men’s race was very interesting with Chris Lieto waiting patiently before building his 12 minute lead and watching Craig Alexander – our Subaru Muskoka 70.3 Champion – run away from Chris at 22 miles into the marathon!  It gave me goose bumps!  The women’s race was wild with Chrissie Wellington riding among some of the pro men and the rest of the women racing for 2^nd place. So many women got drafting penalties which led to more normal marathon times around 3:10-3:15 instead of 3 hours like in 2008. Tereza Macel was amazing in her swim, bike and run execution – she is a completely different athlete than in 2008!  And it was an amazing 2:56 marathon for Mirinda Carfrae who also won Subaru Muskoka 70.3 as a warm up!  Yes, there is nothing like the Hawaii Ironman. And it is frustrating to not race but I will be back there when I am 100% healthy.

In terms of my health, over the past 4 weeks since Muskoka, I have gone through a few rounds of antibiotics and other drugs. When I first arrived in Kona, my lungs were very grumpy which gave me a bit of a scare since not only could I not run fast but I could barely run slow without coughing. But after some lung physiotherapy, I was able to clear my lungs and feel much better. I am now infection free but I still have the allergy to the aspergillus fungus growing in my lungs. So that is my current battle.  It is called ABPA or Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergilliosis  (http://www.wellsphere.com/cystic-fibrosis-article/understanding-allergic-bronchopulmonary-aspergilliosis-abpa/255697) I am on day 4 of the nasty drugs. I do not notice any bad side effects yet except that I have way too much energy and I can’t sleep.  My legs ached for the first few days but no fever or bruising or cosmetic changes.  Next Tuesday, I will see the doctor at the CF Clinic and hopefully she will tell me that I am cured and that I can stop taking the drugs. It is so important that I do not go on a long course of these particular drugs because they are very damaging and have bad side effects. I definitely feel better. The key will not getting back to racing too soon. Believe me, after I effortlessly swam away from Dave this morning in our ocean swim, I had serious thoughts of racing the Longhorn 70.3 in Texas in 2 weeks. No, after 8 months of illness, I am 100% dedicated to my health and my off season. 2010 will come soon enough!

And now it is back home to get organized for the winter. Dave and I will focus on establishing our Success Camps in Florida and in Muskoka for 2010 and we are getting  a few coaching requests. We will likely pursue a few of these opportunities since as teachers, we love to share our knowledge but our focus will be on quality as opposed to quantity of athletes. I have also been approached to write a book and do a few new endorsements. And of course, when I get my clean bill of health, I will begin to plan my own races for 2010.

Enjoy your start to the off season! I rode my computrainer for 3 hours today and ran for 45 minutes today – honestly, it is the off season but some routines never change!!  Live full and be happy and keep moving even when the temperatures get chilly!

We left Canada on Tuesday and we arrived in Manila on Thursday about 24 hours later. It was the quickest arrival, custom clearing, picking up bags that we have ever done – we touched down at 4:40 a.m. and we were out the door by 5:10 a.m. with a little necklace of flowers around our necks as our first taste of Filipino hospitality. Moments later, we were having tea with our host – Fred Uytengsu – the brainchild of the Cobra Philippines 70.3 event. We had a full day planned – first breakfast with Fred and his wife Kerri and then off to swim at the Polo Tri Club then visiting a museum and lunch with more of our host athletes from the Polo Tri Team and then a little water run to get my legs functioning after the big trip, dinner, a massage and then bed! Now, keep in mind, that 6 a.m. Manila time is 6 p.m. Ontario time and so if you do the math…lunch at 1 p.m. was like 1 a.m. and my eyes were a little heavy!! The sushi kept me very awake but I certainly was struggling to stay awake by 3 p.m. But I did manage a 60 minute water run and some fun pool time with Fred and Kerri’s daughter, Kayla. Dinner was a huge struggle so you can just imagine how much I slept during the 8 p.m. massage! When I got off of the massage table at 9 p.m., I told Dave that I think she forgot my left leg and my quads! Nope – they still had the slippery residue of massage oil – which means that I must have been fast asleep.

Friday morning came quickly because Dave and I were wide awake at 2 a.m. but managed to stay horizontal until 4 a.m. By 6 a.m., we were spinning through the village on our bikes with Andy, another talented Polo Tri Team member. Then I was off to do a killer treadmill workout with Kerri at Gold’s Gym. I was one great big puddle by the end of the session and I was quite a sight to the poor staff. I think they thought I was from another planet because they wanted to do a photograph with the entire staff before I left. Meanwhile, Cameron Brown – 8-time IM New Zealand Champion arrived and now our team was complete – Lance, Dave, Cam and myself. After a quick recovery hour and then off for a swim, it was time to prepare for the start of our first camp with the Polo Tri Club. We kicked it off with a little chat – I did a bit of a motivational slide show and then Lance laid out the weekend and spoke about race preparation. A beautiful dinner capped off our official day one!

The camp continued on Saturday with an instructional bike ride on a loop on a closed road in a nearby park – cycling in Manila is a challenge but the Polo Team makes it happen by either having rides with escort drivers or riding on this closed loop every weekday morning from 5:30-7:30 a.m. On the weekend, we received  special permission to use the road from 7:30 – 10:30 a.m.  It was the perfect loop for the athletes to gain technical insight on cornering and bike handling from Lance and Dave and to practise high cadence and big gear work with Cam and me. We finished off with a set of hard bike intervals and once again, we were all reduced to little puddles of sweat! The heat here is unlike anything I have ever experienced – on average it is about 34 degrees Celsius each day but apparently the ‘feel’ temp is more like 45 degrees Celsius!

On the drive home from the ride, we stopped by a United States World War II memorial cemetery. There were thousands of little white crosses paying tribute to the soldiers and there was a beautiful display of names carved into the walls of the building.

On the drive home from the ride, we stopped by a United States World War II memorial cemetery. There were thousands of little white crosses paying tribute to the soldiers and there was a beautiful display of names carved into the walls of the building. There is a lot of history here in Philippines and we are definitely learning something new each day. We finished off the day with a swim session and discussion and then dinner and a social.

Our final day was a run focus day back at the Polo Tri Club. It was another hot one but we taught some great running technique tips and did a tough session on their 1 km gravel running track. I did a quick session on water running which offered some relief from all of our sweating during the run session. Brunch, photos and question and answer ended our camp but the camp atmosphere will continue at the race site since every single member of the Polo Tri Team is racing in the 70.3.

Cam and I finished up the day with a 3 hour trainer ride which was the hottest I have ever felt in my life!  I just kept telling myself that taper starts on Monday and we pushed through and got it done.

And now the authentic adventure began. The next day, we woke up at 4 a.m. for our 6:15 a.m. domestic flight to the race site. Following with the supreme efficiency of life here, the driver took our bags first, checked us in and then we followed about 45 minutes later. We met him there, he took us through all the security lines with our baggage tags and boarding passes in hand and off we went to Naga – a 40 minute flight. When we landed, we were treated to an incredible welcome There was a live band and dancers waiting. We thought this was just the normal greeting for arriving passengers but then we saw that they were holding a banner saying “Welcome to Naga – David Cracknell, Cameron Brown, Lance Watson, Lisa Bentley” – it was amazing!  We were greeted by our new hosts here – Marife and Joseph – and they had someone fetch our luggage while we took the van to the race hotel at Cam Sur.

We had breakfast at Cam Sur and had a little swim and then we boarded a helicopter!  The Governor was sending us to a remote island for 2 days – “to unwind”!  Yes, we had been working pretty hard as coaches and athletes while in Manila – but we hardly needed an escape to an uninhabited island!  Ok, so adventure number one was the helicopter ride – unbelievable! The views were amazing!  Our pilot was Canadian – how crazy is that? He came to Philippines for an adventure and the Governor hired him to fly for him.  It was a 30 min ride to the island of Caramoan. We were the only ones there – you cannot run or bike here – the beach is about 200-300 meters long but I am not about to run back and forth for an hour!  The resort on Caramoan is not even open. The Governor owns it and he brought staff in to take care of us while we were there. There was about 10 staff taking care of us!  We each had a little hut facing the water!  It was very beautiful. There was no internet and no television. It is totally remote!  Each day, they would bring our food in by boat from the nearby island of Gota, about 5 minutes away.

Survivor is being filmed on the islands surrounding Caramoan.  So here is how it works. The challenges that the survivor contestants do are on the different islands around here and their camps are on other islands. So on our first day, we took the boat to go hike to see some caves and when we arrived, we saw the obstacle course which is used in the immunity challenges on Survivor!  On Tuesday, we took a boat  to Gota to do a run (more on that later) and when we were done they told us we had to leave because the Survivor competitors were coming to do some challenges. The filming crew is staying on Gota.  Later, we went for another boat ride and we saw one of the camps set up with the team flag and we stopped at another island where Dave and Cam hiked up to a filming tower and found another challenge set up!  So that is how remote it is here – they host Survivor for several different broadcasts. I think they have filmed the French version and now they are filming the Serbian one.  Those overhead shots they show of the islands are really true – that is exactly what it looks like! Lush, tropical, dangerous, untouched and remote!

On Tuesday, Cam and I were taken by boat to do our run on Gota. We had a chaperone – of course – who followed on a motor bike. It was the most spectacular run I have ever done in my life because I saw the raw and pure life of an island in Philippines. We ran by pigs and water buffalos and little dogs. We saw the most beautiful little school children walking to school yelling ‘hi’ and putting out there hands for a high-5!  Picture the happiest little children with big smiles on their faces – that is what I got to see – they were so beautiful!  We saw their schools and their homes – they were all little huts – no running water, no electricity, no video games, no Wii – but everyone looked happy!  We saw children climbing up the sides of a bridge – so high up – like monkeys. We saw a man riding a bike with about a dozen fish freshly caught swinging from his handlebars. We saw the shops – not like we see at home – little huts that are barely standing – but there was life there – it was a busy little town!  Two people even yelled “Ironman” as we ran!  Keep in mind – there are no televisions here and these people maybe will never see another pair of white people in their lives again – and certainly not two people crazy enough to be running and sweating on purpose. One little boy even  ran with us for about 100 meters – and he stayed ahead of us!  It was legendary!

After breakfast, we went for a boat ride to visit some of the other islands. On our way back, we jumped out of the boat and swam to our beach. It took about 40 minutes but we were all scared. I was scared of jelly fish – I saw so many as I was swimming and I didn’t want to get stung. So I hopped onto Cam Brown’s feet as we swam and stayed as close as I could. I was terrified!  Days later, we would see scenes from Survivor (French version) and we saw the island that we swam from and one of the islands we swam to en route to Caramoan!

On Wednesday, we snuck in one more run on Gota and that way Lance and Dave were both able to come and share in our experience and take some pictures! The helicopter picked us up after the run and by 10 a.m., we were back in Cam Sur at the race site!

On Monday, when we left, there was only a slight hint of the approaching race but by Wednesday when we returned, the venue had really taken shape and looked amazing. The food, VIP, sponsor and finish line tents were all up and look awesome. The run from swim to swim was already carpeted (yes we swim 1200 m in one lake and then 700 meters in another one). There were shuttles from one hotel to another. There were meals so that the athletes did not have to leave the race venue searching for food. There are donut, hamburger and hot dog kiosks already set up for quick snacks. There is a welcoming committee at the lobby and posters listing the events for the day.  Yes, this event is the utmost in professionalism! There were little signs draped overhead across the streets welcoming us to town. It is so special to feel welcomed when we are far from home.  There were welcome bags for each athlete when they checked in with a towel and little booklets with the facts about Naga (the surrounding town) and the race course. These are the little details that are so nice for athletes to have.

We managed to get out for a bike ride at 11 a.m. with a driver following us for safety. It was a very nice ride – the people in the villages were waving and very excited to see us. The turnaround is at the ocean and we will all have to be careful not to jump in the ocean to cool off down there – it will be tempting.  When we got back from our ride, we had a beautiful lunch served by Melos – the race organizers have brought in the staff and food from a restaurant in Manila to ensure that the athletes are well fed. Pretty amazing.  Princess Galura – Princess is her first name – has been our key contact here in Cam Sur and she has taken care of us with a big open heart.

Thursday was the start of the next Lifesport Training Camp. Dave and I snuck in a quick bike ride at 5:30 a.m. to try to avoid some of the local traffic and then we were off to our first camp session. I did a motivational slide show again for our new group of athletes and gave them some mental ammunition for their big race day. I went for a pool swim while the group ran and then we had some nice relaxation time, dinner with the training camp athletes and a massage.

Friday was the first day Cam and I did not organize to do any training together and there I was, out running on the run course and when I stopped to loosen my laces and Cam came by. It has been so fantastic having Cameron as my training partner for the past week. Together, we are the “Killer B’s” – get it – Brown and Bentley!!!  That was our nickname on Tri Dubai. The run course is very similar to our special run in Gota and that will be my personal motivation for success. I know that my heart will be filled with such happy thoughts and with that sort of fuel, I will run at my best!

Once the training was done, our day was a reunion day with our new friends from the Polo Tri Club. They are such a special group of people and we feel like adopted members of the team!

At lunch, we met the Governor of Cam Sur – Governor L Ray. His name is everywhere in Cam Sur and he is an incredibly dynamic man. He loves sport and he has resurrected Cam Sur from being the poorest province in Philippines to being the 10^th richest in just 4 years!  He supports Ironman triathlon 100%. He has had roads paved and re-paved. He has had the man-made lakes pristine. He has shut the roads for our race so that we can cycle traffic free! He is so proud of Cam Sur and he has extended every ounce of hospitality to all of us visitors – more than any human could possibly absorb!

We followed lunch with a television interview and then a press conference. Just before the welcome party, I found the race organizing committee celebrating a Catholic Mass upstairs in one of the little meeting rooms. I joined them for this special mass and now I have so many wonderful blessings for a terrific race experience.

The welcome party was spectacular. There was an opening dance performance which seemed just like Cirque du Soleil.

And now, today, is Saturday – the day before our big celebration race day!!  My health has been pretty good for a few days. I finished my last dose of antibiotics on Monday and life was good until yesterday when my cough developed once again. My compressor that allows me to do my breathing therapy is not working – I used a voltage adaptor but for some reason, it will not work so I have been 10 days without my saline solution therapy. Fingers crossed that I will finally be able to race moderately healthy for the first time this year!!!

Dave is racing as well, although I am encouraging him to ‘participate’ and not to race. He has the talent to go quite hard and fast but his fitness is a little bit behind and I fear that he will end up hurting himself and not enjoying the day at all.

This has been the most amazing life experience we have had. Our hearts are so full right now of so much kindness and love and we are so much richer for all of the new friends that we can now call family!

For more photos click on the photo below or go to the gallery page!

I felt pretty good coming into the race. I finally received clearance from the CF Clinic that my lungs were improving and that I could in fact race. I was so excited to be finally healthy enough to race full steam and with full lungs since I had been a bit subpar in both St. Croix and Florida. And that is why I cannot explain why I felt so flat on race day. I swam well exiting close to Belinda Granger and Mirinda Carfrae, but then I lost so much time on the bike. I rode as hard as I could but I never found that magic gear or sweet spot of the pedal stroke but I ploughed along aiming to get every last watt out of each pedal stroke. Granted, I was racing with some pretty tough customers, but still, I have been riding so well lately that this mediocre ride was unexpected. I charged off onto the run and felt great. It was a super hilly run – my forte – and I was sure that I would claw back some time and hopefully some women. But I never got it rolling – it was all effort and no payback. I finished in 11th place just behind Belinda Granger who had won Honu 70.3 the week before – so I was in good company – but I was definitely disappointed. I suppose the accumulation of ‘stuff’ may have caught up to me – 4 months of antibiotics, Brunswick going to Heaven, countless doctor’s appointments. My body and soul got into the fine beauty of Connecticut and went on holiday!!! Regardless, it was a good little hit out with some of the best triathletes in the world and I got to have a great visit with Belinda Granger and Jo Lawn. After our 5 minute grunt match complaining about our races, we were quickly laughing and joking and remembering why we love our sport so much and why personally I have been doing it for 20 years!

No time to dwell on that, the Muskoka Triathlon was the very next weekend. It was now time to freshen up the legs and squeeze another race out right in my own backyard!

I have been racing the Subaru Muskoka Triathlon for over 15 years. The course keeps changing but the general venue stays the same. It is the go-to race for Ontario athletes! It is a super hilly race and pretty darn short by my Ironman standards. I might not be racing Ironman anymore, but my engine is all about Ironman. No matter how hard I try to ‘sprint’, I have no ‘sprint’ available in this body. I am all about slow twitch!

The morning of the race, my bike fell over and a rock broke a spoke in my rear Zipp 404 race wheel. Ouch! I think that this is the last technical issue I am going to have for 2009. I have had the broken shoe, the cracked frame and now the broken spoke. This would not be an easy fix since I ride 650 c wheels and finding a rear replacement would be a challenge. Luckily, within minutes, we found a rear 650 race wheel. We fitted it up – checked the gears – and I was ready to go. It was a clincher and I race on tubular tires so I would have no spare but at this stage, I figured that everything comes in threes, and this was in fact ’3′ – so we were good!

I had my normal swim – nothing super special – and exited about 3 minutes behind race leader and upcoming pro, Jen Coombs. I felt quite good on the bike and started to eat into the lead of the women up ahead. I got to the turnaround and could see that Jen’s lead was down to about 90 seconds and I was gaining on the others as well. That is a bit of catch-22 for me. You see, I coach Jen and I desperately want her to get her first big win but I am also in the race – so part of me is happy I am catching her and part of me is wondering how I am going to make her even faster on the bike!!!

And then ’3B’ happened! If ’3′ was the broken spoke earlier this morning, then my current drama – my chain jamming in between the frame and the derailleur and causing my pedals to lock at 3 and 9 o’clock at 40 km into the ride – must be ’3B’!!!! I couldn’t believe it. My pedals are absolutely jammed and I am just hoping to not crash as I slow my bike down in order fix the problem. I have NEVER EVER STOPPED in a race EVER in 20 years until this year – first for the broken shoe in St. Croix and now for the jammed chain. It has happened before when I go into my very biggest gear but never in a race. I suppose borrowing a rear wheel didn’t help! Anyway, I grabbed the chain and put it back in place and then pedaled off to make up my lost time and did not use that gear again!! Attitude is more important than fact – the fact is that I had to stop and lose time with a mechanical issue but my attitude is that I will get that time back and more over the rest of the race.

Into transition, there were about 4 women within 90 seconds. I headed out to run as fast as possible and by 2.5 km, I was in the lead. Again, it was with a bit of reservation that I passed Jen. I offered her lots of encouragement and advice and took my own ‘coaching’ notes on how we were going to improve Jen’s run so that I don’t catch her anymore. It is all a work in progress and Jen is so talented, I know it will happen in time!

Once in the lead, I ran as hard as I could to hold off the other great women runners and I crossed the line in first for my first victory of the season! I won my first Muskoka Triathlon over 10 years ago and it is pretty special to be winning it now in 2009!

With that race done, I flew to Boulder, Colorado for a super cool photo shoot on behalf of my bike saddle sponsor – fizik. Fizik had gathered its athletes – Craig Alexander, Matt Reed, Luke Bell, Tim DeBoom, Greg Bennett, Leon Griffin, Mirinda Carfrae, Belinda Granger, Chrissie Wellington and me for a photo shoot. These photos may not be seen until 2010 – so stay tuned – they are not to be missed! It was an absolute blast to get to hang out with my triathlon friends outside of a race venue. There was no pressure and no race face. The only competition was the race to the buffet when the shots were done!

With that 24 hour jaunt complete, it was time for our Muskoka Subaru Success Camp on June 26th weekend. It was a fantastic weekend. The athletes were amazing soaking in all of the information, coaching and encouragement and reaching new athletic goals to fuel them toward their 70.3 goal. Our Subaru Success Camp team of Jody, Teresa, Jen and Mike worked seamlessly together. We had a few curveballs