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My Take on Borscht

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Rest days. As much as they are important for recovery, especially after something as big as the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon, I still hate them. I hate every minute of every one. But, I usually manage to get myself into some sort of trouble on rest days (much to the humour and dismay of coach,) so I figured with an ENTIRE WEEK off I’d try something I haven’t really done: play around with the slow cooker! A slow cooker is fantastic; you spend a little bit of time filling it up with all sorts of good things, and head off to work for the day (or whatever be your plans.) All day long you think about what will appear under that lid after a full day of merging and fusing of flavours, a conglomeration of smells, colours, and tastes! On your way home the excitement grows; as you approach your front door, you can barely contain yourself. As you enter, you’re stuck by an enthralling aroma that captivates your senses. You approach the crock-pot with the excitement of a kid walking towards a christmas tree, and as you lift that lid, you finally get a peek at what has captivated your attention for the better part of the day!

Okay, so maybe I get just a LITTLE too excited about food, but I’m sure this sounds familiar to some. Anyway, I’ve undertaken my first attempt at Borscht, and it turned out just dandy. It’s a meatless variation, but I’ll include instructions how to do it with meat.

All sorts of beet-y goodness! 
Slow-Cooker Borscht

Ingredients:
– 5 big beets, chopped
– 5 carrots, chopped
– 2 large potatos, chopped
– 1 large sweet onion, sliced fine
– 5 cloves garlic, minced (or put through the garlic crusher)
– 1 can (8oz) diced tomatoes, drained
– 1 small can tomato paste (seasoned works well, such as garlic)
– 2-4 cups broth of your choice (veggie, beef, etc) amount depends on size of slow cooker
– ½ head cabbage, cored and shredded (**CHEAT** use the ‘Coleslaw’ salad mix from grocery store, saves time)
– ¼ Cup red wine vinegar
– 3 Tbsp brown sugar
– 1 Tbsp dried dill weed
– 2 Tbsp dried Parsley
– sea salt and black pepper to taste
– Greek Yogurt or sour cream to garnish
– Fresh chopped parsley to garnish
– **OPTIONAL** beef chuck steak or lamb steak, cut into cubes.
Just be aware this is for a BIG slow cooker, and it’ll be full. If you have a small one, perhaps halving the recipe would be a good option for you.
Before it’s cooked. AWESOME colours!
Method to the Madness:
– If you want to use the meat, sear it on a pan on high heat (with a dribble of coconut or canola oil,) just until the outside is darkened.
– Throw everything EXCEPT the cabbage into the slow cooker. Fill the cooker pot up with broth until it is about ½ to ¾” from the top (you want a little bubble room.)
– Cook on low for 8-12hrs (depending on how warm your cooker gets; I had to actually go for 16hrs as mine isn’t very hot,) or on high for 4-6hrs (as with all things slow cooker, you have quite the window of opportunity for cooking. It’s hard to cook it too long!)
– About 45 minutes before serving, throw your cabbage in the cooker (if there’s room!) Set it on high for 45mins.
– Toss into a bowl, hit it with a blob (or two) of greek yogurt/sour cream, and some fresh chopped parsley.
This beauty eats like a meal (I know, it’s what I’ve eaten the last two nights!) Filling but fairly light. It also freezes well; I freeze in single serve containers (actually, used greek yogurt containers.)
Well, time to clock out for tonight. Tomorrow is the first day I get to do SOMETHING even remotely resembling training, and the sooner I hit the hay, the sooner I get to ride. 
Happy and safe training everyone!! Get out into the sun tomorrow (for you Vancouverites.)

Nathan
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Abu Dhabi Race Report: The Lantern Rouge

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Rachel and I flexing some Canadian Muscle day before the race.

Tuesday, February 12th, 2013. Alarm goes off, time to get up to run and get ready to go to Vancouver Island for two days. I grab my iPhone to see what’s going on in the world that day, scrolling through messages and casually scanning emails. A particular message catches my attention, from Simon and Daisy, the athlete representatives and organizers for the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon. An incredibly immediate yet light wave of excitement flows through me, as I open it and see the following message:
“Dear Nathan,
We’re excited to extend to you a confirmed invitation to race in the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon on March 2nd, please respond with the following information……”
I literally jumped out of bed and flew downstairs to report the news to Björn, and at the same time begin to wonder what the HELL I was going to ride?!?!? As you see from my previous posting, that was taken care of pretty quickly by the bike building maestro Björn. Check out the post about the new race rig.
LONG flights took me over some beautiful places
With only 2 weeks until I would be on a plane Abu Dhabi-bound, it was too late to really ‘prepare’ for the race in the literal sense; instead we worked on some fine tuning over the two week lead-up to get me ready. Only having received the new bike 7 days before my flight took-off, I knew it was going to be a bit of a challenge.
The ‘Terminator,’ all tuned up and ready to race.
But I do love a good challenge. It’s only 200km anyway, what could REALLY go wrong?
Double-Compression for the long haul
The trip over was epic unto itself, 26hrs being the longest I’ve ever been in transit for a trip (and with only a few very short layovers, most was spent in the air.) Wearing my Compressport Full-Legs and Full-Socks (as I always do,) had my legs feeling very fresh still by the end. The days pre-race were fantastic, I was able to get in the sun a little and do some light training to get the blood flowing through the body. Apart from almost getting run over on several occasions (we ride on the equivalent of the I-5 during the race,) it was fairly uneventful. The money present in the city was completely overwhelming, extravagance taken to the absolute limit almost everywhere you look. One of my favourite places to see this was DEFINITELY our hotel buffet, where we ate like kings. Almost TOO good at times…..
Standard skyline in town, over 80 stories!!
On to the actual race report now: After an oddly restful and extensive sleep (I pretty much passed completely out around 8pm, waking at 3am on my own account,) I headed to the buffet for my usual pre-race breakfast: two big bowls of oatmeal with banana, honey, cinnamon, and yogurt (unfortunately peanut butter did not exist for us there,) along with two cups of coffee and half an 85% Dark Chocolate bar (Green and Black’s is my favourite!) Pre-race warmup went well, I was feeling alive and ready.
The ‘Terminator’ racked in transition
Race morning temperatures (time/humidity/temp)
There’s something to be said when you’re standing at the start line on the beach with Chris McCormack to the left (for those who don’t know, Chris (or Macca as he’s known,) is an Ironman World Champion,) The ‘Caveman’ Conrad Stoltz to your right, World Champion Normann Stadler in front with the start gun, and various other Ironman champions. It’s very exciting, but very humbling. The gun went, and off we went in a massive fray of arms and legs, fighting for a good set of feet to hang on to. I went hard out of the gate, but their speed was just too much for me to hold and they started to slowly pull away. Tenille Hoogland (one of three women representing Canada) came by me in a pack of three, right at the end of the first loop. I managed to hold off the charging main pack of women, but barely.
Coming out of the water in my Nineteen Rogue
Going into T1, I was feeling great still, and looking forward to seeing what the new Teschner could do. Melissa Hauschildt and Caroline Steffen came by me asap on the bike, and I stayed with them for 45 minutes or so, at which point I started to get some ever-increasing pain in my hamstrings and glutes, forcing me to back off ever so slightly, and fall off the pace. I continued on through to the Yas Marinas F1 race track, where we had the privilege to ride three loops of the course. That, by FAR, has been the coolest thing I’ve EVER done in a race, period! Regardless of the incredible pain building in my hamstrings, I imagined I was a race car, flying around each hairpin turn at high speeds (with, of course, all the necessary sound-effects.) Popping out the back-end of the circuit, it was time for more battle with the winds on the rest of the three loop course, which at this point were starting to whip up pretty strong, knocking me around fairly relentlessly. As the pain in my legs grew to agonizing levels, it was all I could do to keep going, and my pace started to decline. Fellow Canucks Rachel McBride (my most awesomely-awesome Team Ossenbrink Teammate,) and Heather Wurtele (equally as awesome, just a bit taller,) managed to catch me. I put in a good effort to stick with Heather for half a lap, but the debilitating pain caused me to fall off once again, and they took off down the road. My smile never left my face though, and I carried on, relentlessly.
Ripping around the Yas Marina F1 Circuit, killer fun! And yes, there WAS car sound effects (VROOM!)
Pulling in to T2, I made for a quick change into my runners and a brief chat with Joe Umphenour (a USA pro whose bike only arrived at 3am ON RACE MORNING!!!) who unfortunately had to pull out of the race. I remember saying something along the lines of:
“Holy Jesus Joe, my legs are KILLING me! This run is gonna suck BAD. But hey, see you at the finish line!” 

With a smile and a wave, I was out on the run course. There was to be no magical run this day, no miracle fancy-footwork that would bail me out and let me run through the field. After the leg-shattering pain from the ride, it was all I could do to just cruise through the run, all the while cheering on my fellow country-folk (who I’m sure appreciated the cheers on the inside, although they gave me this sort of “Oh man I hate you so bad right now” face,) other competitors and volunteers, never letting my big smile fade for even a moment. With 5km to go, I could see Tanille way up ahead, and just piled on what I had left to catch her. Successfully done, it was nothing but the finish line and some massive congratulations for my Canadian teammates and other competitors.

Never-ending smile, happy to be done!
Heather Wurtele put in a massive run to come in 4th, Rachel McBride killed the whole day for 7th, Tenille Hoogland in 8th, and I managed to drag myself across the line as the 13th pro male. Now, you might remember there were a few more men at the start line, 22 to be exact. With an attrition rate of ALMOST 50%, I am just incredibly proud of myself for pulling through and finishing. Anyone who’s ever ridden long and hard knows, that it doesn’t matter how you slice it 200km’s in the TT position will make you hurt. We all know it’s coming. But with the absolutely incredible, unexplainable pain in my legs, I went to some fairly dark places on the bike just to keep moving. When every inch of my being said to just stop, I shouted out the classic Jens:
“SHUT-UP LEGS!!!!”
Literally too; if anyone heard me they’d have tossed me in the looney bin! It was frustrating, knowing there was so much more potential energy in my legs to go harder, but with the veritable rev-limiter slowing me down, it was an incredible grind. The headwind on the last leg in didn’t help the cause much either. But there’s something to be said about slogging on, continuing when all arrows point to ‘stop.’ Just thinking about all my family, teammates, and friends back home, watching their computer screens and cheering me on, kept my head in the game. I was determined to get to the finish line no matter what, if not for me, for all those who support me and were waiting to see those splits as I crossed over the various timing mats. That was one of my biggest motivating factors to carry on.
Post race we attended the awards ceremony, which included Alistair Brownlee, who had won the ‘Short’ distance race. I had the pleasure of a last supper in Abu Dhabi with Rachel, her parents (who flew in from GERMANY just to watch the race!!!) Heather, and Joe Umphenour. It was a fantastic finish to an overwhelming race. Flying out the next morning, I took advantage of the buffet (to the LIMITS!) You see, I’ve been having to pass by all the tastiest treats at breakfast this week, including the croissants, danishes, loaves of delicious breads, and especially the DONUTS! I mean seriously, who does that to a bunch of tapering athletes, leaving donuts out like that?!? I didn’t leave the hotel hungry, we’ll just put it that way. 
I’m incredibly proud of the Canadian women for their performances, and proud of myself for what I accomplished out there. I’ve yet to DNF, and hell if I was going to Abu Dhabi to do it. As I sit here on the plane home, bringing with me a newfound fire and focus for the season ahead, a broader smile, and one hell of a sunburn, I feel content with my early season performance.
Rachel McBride = 7th
Heather Wurtele = 4th










I sure as hell can’t wait to go back next year, with a whole new understanding of what kind of monster I’ll be up against.
Happy training everyone, the race season is baring down on us!!!
Nathan

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The New Abu Dhabi Doo!

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One of the things I like to do in the week before a race, is cut my (generally) shaggy mane down. I’ve been a little lackadaisical as of late regarding my hair, I think I’ve worn out the phrase “I’ll be cutting it this weekend.”

You know it’s time: you lose combs to it!

Well, Jenn and I set out to give me a fast-as-hell doo for the upcoming Abu Dhabi Triathlon this saturday (March 2nd,) and I think we created something that fits the bill! I was a little apprehensive at first, as the last time Jenn cut someone’s hair (which also happened to be her first time,) there was a little bloodshed. Suffice to say, I left it to faith that I’d survive (couldn’t possibly end up with anything worse than a flesh-wound, right?)

“Ready or not, here I come!”

Jenn came at me with a sense of purpose, and the process began.

The ‘fro must go

After a bit of trial, error, some guessing, a few “OOPS!” and me attempting some double mirror free-hand work on my own hair, we popped out the other end, unscathed (for the most part!)

Some free-hand mirror work

It was an experience, but it’s the most bad-ass haircut I’ve acquired to date. It’s definitely the fastest cut I’ve ever received.

Done deal. Fast haircut!

Now it’s time to pack and kick the legs up for Abu Dhabi. At least if I don’t go fast, I can’t blame the haircut.

Happy Training Everyone!!!!

Nathan

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The 2013 Race Bike: Ready to let FLY!

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After the early morning email I received last week, only two weeks out from the COOLEST race I’ll have ever competed in (the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon,) it was an absolute MAD scramble to get a bike together. In selling my 2012 Cervelo P3C only a month ago, and not planning on even NEEDING a TT bike until May, that left me with only three options:

1) Ride my Cervelo S2 road bike;
2) Ride my Chiru mountain bike;
3 Try my damnedest to get my hands on a TT bike in only a week!
The bike fit with Björn; ensuring max aerodynamics AND comfort!
Lots of this coming for 2013
As you can probably imagine, I was heavily favouring option 3 (as Abu Dhabi is a mostly flat course, completely on paved roads, it wouldn’t lend much of an advantage over a TT machine.) So, Coach Björn was lucky enough to receive a phone call mere minutes after I woke up, me frantically trying to relay the message that I needed a TT bike in a bad way because I was going to Abu Dhabi, him trying to decipher what the hell this half-asleep asylum-case was trying to relay through the phone. Eventually the message was conveyed, and Björn set out to piece together my 2013 race rig, with the help of MultiSport Science. What he came up with was a magnificent specimen of aerodynamic craftsmanship: the 2013 Teschner 703TT. Weighing in at only 19lbs race-line ready (and with the help of some race wheels, will be even lighter,) it is a thing of beauty.
Pushing hard to break her in
But how does it fit, you ask? After an intensive fitting process with Björn at the shop (he specializes in custom bike fits, just recently working with the most decorated and well-known triathlete in the world, Simon Whitfield, to fit his new Quintana Roo long course TT bike,) I did my first training session on it. 
Perfect.
Ready for battle
It will, of course, take some time to get used to the TT position, as I’m a little out of practice (having ridden a road and mountain bike only since september,) but I’m sure a few “shut-up legs” sessions will have me adapted no problem for the upcoming adventure in Abu Dhabi. I’m excited to get it out on the road and test it out, as it is far more aerodynamic than my ride last year, which should help produce some great results this season.

 If all else fails, I’ll most definitely be bringing my spare back-up race bike. You know, just in case. ALWAYS have a plan ‘B’.

The Back-up, plan ‘B’
Happy training everyone!
Nathan
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It’s Abu Dhabi TIME!!

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Late last year, I had been invited to race at the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon in, where else, Abu Dhabi. There were a few critical factors that were holding me back from guaranteeing my participation, but finally, as of the last two days, it is confirmed that I’m GOING! Extremely exciting news, I am incredibly pumped!!! The distance format is an unusual one, heavily favouring the strong cyclists: 3km open water swim, 200km bike, 20km run.

Some people ask me, “Nathan, it’s not even MARCH yet, are you ready for this race?” Well, ready is really just a state of mind. Of course I don’t have the enormous base of volume under my feet like I did last year for IMC and EPIC, but I’ve already got last years volume under my feet, as well as a fairly substantial amount this year (including a LOT of increased strength and power from a lot of additional strength training, that I’ve never done much of in the past.) That, so far this year, has equalled much higher power numbers than even during IMC last year!
 With a world class field, reminiscent of a World CHAMPIONSHIP field (and I’m talking about the ‘BIG’ show in the lava fields here,) it would no doubt be overwhelming to some. But that’s where I know I’m ‘ready.’ It takes a certain mind-set and mental state to go to a large race, this early season. A lot of the pro field is well into their race season already, being from countries that are enjoying their summer at the moment, or they MOVE to those countries for their training. Going in to the race knowing this, accepting this, and leaving that thought in check will help me maintain mental strength. The mind is a powerful weapon, both for and AGAINST ourselves; utilizing it for positives only can be a real advantage, as anyone who has done a long triathlon (or any long, physically demanding foray of adventure,) knows that the mind can be incredibly negative and demoralizing when things turn tough.
Suffering in the heat
My last final saving grace is my absolute LOVE for the heat. I’m not talking about a lovely sunny late spring afternoon with the thermometer hovering around the 20 celsius mark; I’m talking about the energy-sucking, electrolyte-depleting, brain-melting, water-incinerating numbers that you can come across in the middle east. Some of my absolute BEST training days (and races for that matter,) were in substantial heat (last year in Tucson, AZ, my strongest day was an 8 hour double climb day of Mt Lemmon, with time trialling included for a few hours after, with highs of 44 degrees Celsius (for you imperial folks, that’s a whopping 110F!!)) I also spend hours on end with the heat absolutely CRANKED in the ‘pain-cave’ (that I’ve lovingly renamed the ‘Sweat Shop,’) not so much to acclimatize to the heat, but because I love to hurt in a hot place. 
Pure. Speed.

You might be wondering “what is he going to ride there?” Well, since I am only in possession of a mountain bike and a Cervelo S2 road bike, my amazing coach Björn Ossenbrink of MultiSport Science is currently scrambling to build a Teschner 703TT bike for me to race. It will be a wicked fast rig, helping me squeeze every last watt of power onto the road!
Triathlon Top
Arm Sleeves = Sun Protection
I’m also supported by all my other sponsors, who will be getting me to the finish line in the fastest time possible. Troy Hutchinson of Powerbar has sent out a last-minute supply of nutrition for the race, as my nutrition supplies were a bit low (I’ll be using my favourite staples out on the course: PERFORM, Vanilla and Strawberry-Banana Gels, Energy Blasts, and my two favourite flavours of Powerbars, the PeanutButter and Cookies n Cream!) As for my race suit, since there is not enough time to pull a new one together (in LESS than two weeks I’ll be waking up in Abu Dhabi,) I’ll be pairing up some bits from years past to race in. Due to the pastiness of my nicely winter-bleached skin, I may opt for the Compressport Triathlon Shirt and the white Pro Racing Arm Sleeves, to protect me from the rays of the sun (although I’ve been told by the highly informed nutrition expert Noa Deutsch that my skin will be SOOOOO happy with all the Vitamin D I can absorb! Haha!) If you live in the lower mainland, head to Speed Theory Vancouver to grab yourself some of the extensive line of Compressport products, the fantastic crew there will help you out!!
Powerbar will keep me topped up
That’s it for me now, time to head into the veritable ‘Sweat-Shop’ and suffer out for half the day. Enjoy the good looking weather coming our way, happy training and be safe!!

Nathan
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Thai Peanut Stir-Fry Sauce + Training Camp Survival

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Setting sweat records daily!

January means the beginning of the build for the 2013 season, and this includes one of my favourites, training camp!! Although a Vancouver January camp is the shits compared to an April Tucson camp (see: rain & snow,) I still love the day-in, day-out volume of training. I’ve put some epic hours on the trainer in the last few days (today is day 4 of camp,) some long HOOOOOT suffer sessions, and those hard days will pay off when the race season comes around! Long hot indoor bike sessions can leave you depleted of electrolytes, especially with the heat cranked (yup, I ‘enjoy’ pumping it up to 25-30C.) My Powerbar Perform and bars have been helping me keep those electrolytes up, as multiple workouts a day means you need TONS of electrolytes to keep yourself going (without cramping!) The other day I broke my sweat record, after a 4hr spin it was pooling all around the pain cave floor (yes, even sweating is a competition!!)

Powerbar has my back indoors and out!

Another part of training camp (which, I have to admit, is probably my favourite part,) is the endless amount of eating required. BUT, long training hours and the “I don’t feel like moving” fatigue brought along with it leaves little energy or time for cooking or food prep. I’ve found the best way to get through is to make things like sauces, dressings, etc, in bulk, and pre-cook things like rice, quinoa, farro, etc, stored in the fridge. Even chopping different veg into containers speeds the process along. Then eating meals becomes more of an ‘assembly’ than actually cooking. Another speedy cheater is to make huge batches of things like chilli, curry, etc, and freeze them into single or double serve containers. Microwave or heat on the stove and BAM! Easy-peasy meal. HUGE quinoa salads keep well in the fridge for a while, and just taste better day after day. All easy ways for EVERYONE to bring some extra efficiency to their daily lives, to fit every minute of activity in you can (because few people have lots of time to cook all the time!)

Well, I have recently formed an addiction to ‘bowl’ meals, like curries, stir-frys, rice bowls, etc (must be the weather?) Two of my FAVOURITE dishes right now are coconut curry and thai peanut stir-fry! I will have to make a post with my curry recipe (it’s absolutely smashing, I LOVE it, it’s incredibly versatile,) but this post I will share my peanut stir fry sauce.

Making my favourite stir-fry, Spicy Thai-Peanut!!

THAI PEANUT STIR-FRY SAUCE:

I always use a blender for this one, it helps blend and emulsify the sauce. A regular blender will work fine, although I use my vitamix. Even a food processor will work just fine. This will give you a fair amount, I’ve made this sauce for up to 10 people (10 HUNGRY people, any guess where that might’ve been???) But this amount will probably give you about 3½-4 cups worth or so, enough for a few meals.

**NOTE** if you include the chillies in this recipe, it has some BITE! Adjust for your own personal heat level tolerance.

You will need:
– 2C coconut milk (light is a useable substitute, but will not have the same flavour and consistency as full-fat);

– scant ¼ C soy sauce (or tamari, Braggs Soy Seasoning, etc);
– juice from 2 juicy limes (fresh is ALWAYS best!);
– couple plops of hot sauce (preferably something like Sriracha,or the Rooster brand stuff);
– 2-4tsp brown sugar (adjust for taste preference);
– piece of fresh ginger the size of your thumb (maybe 2-3Tbsp worth,) peeled and chopped;
– 1-3 thai red chillies, seeded (unless you’re like me and like the burn from the seeds,) chopped (or a solid sprinkle of dried chilli flakes, for ease);

– 1 to 1 ¼ C natural PB (salted is fine; I almost go with 1.5C as I LOVE the taste of peanuts);
– 4tbsp tahini (*optional* makes it a little thicker and creamier);
– 4 tbsp pure sesame oil, toasted adds a nice flavour but any type will do;
– ½ C toasted nuts (your preference, peanuts go nicely but any will do, the crunch is what we’re after here.)

**NOTE** Thai red chillies are bloody hot little BAMF’s, so watch out! Even when handling and chopping, be sure to wash your hands BEFORE YOU GO TO THE BATHROOM!!!! Trust me, from personal experience, if you don’t it makes for an interesting night. And not so much for you, but anyone else around you witnessing the dancing comedy show you’ll put on.

Now, take the first 7 ingredients (coconut milk to chillies,) and put in a blender. Blend well, so that everything is well mixed.

Add everything else but the nuts, and blend until well emulsified. Taste-test time!!! If something isn’t to your liking, adjust it. If too salty, add some more brown sugar; if it’s too rich, add a bit more lime juice.

Once you’re happy with the flavour profile (different brands and sources of ingredients will yield slightly different results,) add the toasted nuts and just blend ever-so-slightly, until the nuts are chopped up. Now you’re happening!!

Serve it over your choice of steamed veg, fried/grilled chicken, seafood, tofu, tempeh, and rice, quinoa, noodles, etc. Top with chopped and toasted nuts, cilantro, chopped green onions, and whatever else you’ve got a hankering for!

My favourite way to do the veggies, is to put a scant ½” water in the bottom of a covered skillet, bring to a boil; Put the hardest veggies in first, and lightly steam, adding the softer veggies until they’re ALMOST al dente (stir-frys should usually have bright and fresh veggies, not mushy like in a curry.) Uncover, letting almost all the water in the bottom of the skillet evaporate (shouldn’t take long,) and add your desired amount of sauce. Heat just long enough to warm the sauce. Serve that magic on top of whatever and you’re happening!

Appropriately, I store it in old PB jars.

Just a forewarning, this stuff might as well be crack, because I find myself dipping stuff in it and I can’t stop eating it! It won’t last long, guaranteed. It should stay well in the fridge for a while, and you can also freeze it in little batches (or big, whatever works!)

Speaking of time efficiency, time to get out on the new mountain bike for it’s maiden voyage!!! Happy training everyone, be safe out there!!!

Nathan

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A new Dirt(y) Toy!

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Michael’s Chiru

Is it really possible to own too many bikes? If someone ever tells you it is, they’re probably completely full of CRAP! That being said, my collection of rigs has dwindled down to the smallest number in many seasons, although I’m very sure that will change soon once I get my hands on a new TT bike. For now, though, I would like to introduce the newest member to my stable, a brand spankin new Chiru (made in France,) endurance HT 29’er mountain bike! Michael Wegner (the Canadian Power2Max dealer,) was so kind to lend his to me late last year, and after a few minutes on it I completely fell in love with it! Although a size too large, it was incredibly nimble and light on the trails, absorbing all the punishment I could dish out, even throwing some back in my direction (suffice to say it put me on my ass a few times, Elliot can attest to that!) After all the excitement it brought, I set out with Coach Björn Ossenbrink and MultiSport Science to build up a Chiru of my own. It’s finally arrived and I’m ready to test it out in my upcoming early season training camp, which should see some high volume and a few good mountain bike rides.

After ‘getting dirty’



With my new found LOVE for mountain biking, and my continued love for trail running, why not throw them together in the sport that I live and breathe for?!? This year, I hope to race in a few Xterra races, including Xterra Portland, and possibly Xterra Maui Worlds (granted I can bargain with them to let me come play with the Caveman and other big dogs!) The first race I’ll be hitting with the new Chiru will be the Dirty Duo, on March 9th (North Vancouver.) It is comprised of a 25km trail run and a 30km mountain bike (COMPLETELY ass-backwards for us triathlon folks.) Should be a kick-in-the-pants, but an exciting one.







Have safe and happy training out there in this early season; ease back into it, and stay healthy!

Nathan

All MINE!!!! Right off the showroom floor at Multisport Science
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Christmas…it was a BLUR!

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Holy smokes, the last few weeks have just gone by so incredibly fast, it feels like a big blur!! SO many things have happened, let me do a quick recap:

It’s okay to be jealous

– I’ve recently taken up skate skiing (a type of cross country skiing,) and I’ve become incredibly hooked on it! It marries not only an aerobic workout, but also quite a strength tester (especially if you have poor form, which I do.) BUT, I can tell you this, I am ROCKING the retro neon coloured skis and boots (huge thanks to the Holtham’s for lending me their old pair!) I may not be the fastest out there, but damn do I look awesome doing it (think circa 1990’s.) After a couple of weeks of heading to the hills (getting help from Jenn Kohm and David Palermo as how to actually do it,) I’m starting to get the hang of it. So much so (see: over confidence,) that I’ve gone out on a limb and signed up for Sigge’s Payak, coming up on February 23rd. First race of the 2013 season!

Abby: Guardian of the Gifts

– Christmas went exactly as I hoped it would, full of family, friends, fun, and probably WAY too much food (and I don’t mean kale salads kinda food, I mean Aunt Tricia’s ridiculously amazing baked goodies and Uncle Brian’s candied yams (heavy on the ‘candied’) kinda chow!) It also brought with it some amazing presents, two of my favourite being from my parents: a painting that I’ve always admired at my parents house, which they were so gracious to have framed and gave it to me, as well as a Kuvings low-speed masticating juicer (beet juice anyone? Increases your oxygen carrying efficiency!) I spent the day with my folks: making them a rather solid egg scramble for breakfast (and yes, I DID sneak kale into it, so dad has officially eaten kale now!) opening (and more satisfying, watching them open) gifts from everyone, getting out for a stubbornly difficult 21km run, polishing the days festivities off with a huge family dinner and the traditional poker game (where my grandma, bless her soul, proceeded to scrape our pockets clean of every last penny!)
By night’s end I was in the red…..
Slow-speed juicing AWESOMENESS!

My favourite gift, painted by a Coquitlam Fire Fighter.

– New years was spend between Cypress and Callaghan Valley Whistler Olympic Park, where I managed to get some solid skate skiing in with Jenn (as well as some snowshoeing, another first for me!) It was Coconut Curry left-right and centre on NYE and new years day for us, as we cooked up enough to feed us for a week (well, at the rate we eat food, MAYBE two days.) It was stunning, I will have to post up the recipe for the concoction very soon.

NYE sunset at Cypress Mountain
Coconut Apple-Tofu Curry!! Delicious, healthy, and vegan.

Speaking of concoctions, I’ve been told by many people that I need to start blogging my recipes and creations, so I think one of my new years resolutions is to try and post more about the delicious foods and smoothies recipes that I’ve been amassing lately (although, I never was one to make new years resolutions……) But, as I do love to see people enjoy things that I’ve flung together, I’ll do my best. The hardest part is when I’m cooking, there’s not only a flurry of things going in, usually I don’t measure anything, it’s more of a “bit of this, bit of that, needs a touch more of those and a few of them…..” You see where I’m going with this. I’m doubtful I’m the only one who does!

Whistler Olympic Park, Callaghan Valley

Well, the new year is off to a good start already, spending hours skate skiing and riding in the last two days already. What did you do to kick off 2013? Any 100×100 swim workouts? Any big resolutions? Regardless, I wish everyone the best of 2013, I can already tell it’ll be the best year to come by in a long time (including the year they invented sliced bread, although that was a pretty great year.) May all your goals and ambitions be hard-sought but completely attained by this time next year!!!

Happy training, set those goals, eye on the prize, and fight like hell for everything you want to accomplish this year.

I know I will be.

Nathan

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New Powerbars!

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More Snow = More TRAINER!

So I got a delightful present in the mail today, from the great folks at Powerbar. I guess you could say it’s an early Christmas present? Just as I was about to jump on the trainer (yes, with all this snow lately, I’ve been logging some solid hours on the old trusty trainer,) the Purolator delivery man arrived to hand over a package. Expecting a few things (yes, Amazon and Ebay have been frequented lately,) imagine my surprise when I receive NONE of the things I was expecting!

Powerbar Christmas Present!!

But what a surprise it was. I’ve been talking to Troy Hutchinson (the Powerbar Canada rep,) about the newly reformulated Powerbar Protein Plus bars, and my present was a bar of each flavour! Chocolate Fudge, Vanilla Yogurt, Cookies and Cream, and my all-time favourite, Peanut Butter. The delivery was perfect timing, and at the advice of Troy, I tried out the Cookies & Cream bar after the gruelling 3hr trainer ride. As I neared the end of the workout, all I could think about was that Protein Plus bar. Then, finally, I got to crack into the new bar.

Finally, after 3 hard hours, it’s chow time

A. MAZE. ING. All I can say. They are absolutely NOTHING like the old bars, completely different flavour profile and texture. The Cookies & Cream was almost a cake-like consistency, very light in texture but huge flavour. The chocolatey coating landed an ever-so-slight crunch, and the inside had tiny little crunchy bits of cookie. They are smaller than the old bar, at only 210kcals (down from a sometimes hefty 300kcals,) but still packing 20g of protein and 26g of carbs, to help you recover. I still am in awe of how amazing it tasted, I am looking forward to tomorrow’s training sessions so I can try some more (it’s almost sad how excited I am about them! Peanut Butter is next at bat.)

Cookie & Cream perfection. BAM!

Just thought I’d let you all know about the new bars, they are available now, so go get yourself a few and try them out! I liked the old bars, but these bars are a whole new level of rectangular perfection. I’ll be posting soon about all the other exciting new revelations lately (skiing anyone?)

Have a Merry Christmas everyone, and a safe and Happy New Year! (and please, be SMART out there during the holiday season!)

Nathan

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What happens in December, stays in December

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Christmas, it’s the best time of year! Well, it’s my absolute favourite time of year, that’s for sure. It always means dinners, gatherings, and good old-fashioned parties with friends and families! Not even half-way through, and I’ve gotten up to all sorts of things already! First, there was a poinsettia incident. I can bake you almost anything, but trying to keep a plant alive? Not my forte! I’ve been told poinsettia’s are difficult to kill, but I managed to end the life of some poor thing in only a day or two. Sad really.

This spring, I was asked to partake in the filming for an indoor cycling video, SpinFocus, by my good friend Jordan Hurdal. It was a lot of fun, although I only participated in the outdoor portion of the filming. Well, Jordan recently asked me to ride in one of the studio spin sessions, and how could I say no? I think the seller was the fact there would be a room full of good lookin’ ladies, and a kitchen of food 🙂 He knows the way to an athlete’s heart, that’s for sure! It was a blast, we spent a few hours filming. The videos should be finished fairly soon, and trust me, they are solid sessions!

In the spin focus studios!

One of the most exciting things to happen yet, was the Team Ossenbrink Christmas party. Partly because it was with an awesome bunch, but mostly because it was at MY HOUSE! The first party I’ve ever hosted, EVER. I am a big fan of the christmas decorations, I like it to feel very festive, and I tried to go pretty all-out. Maybe beginner to some, but I was pretty happy with my efforts. For my first kick at the can, I’d say successful. Now there are more to come every weekend until the big December 25, which I’ll assist in hosting at my parents house. Absolutely LOVE this time of year! Even though I’m lacking a douglas fir or charlie brown in my living room, I was able to get to my parents house for the annual mulled wine and tree decorating (and for the record, my mum makes THE BEST mulled wine around.) What a treat.

Today was the first day in months I’ve ridden the roadie outside, and what a day to go out! It was sunny the whole time, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone out there today with a bigger smile. I’d attribute the smile to a few things, one of which being that my power numbers were excellent for this time of year, and two being that I recently received an invite to race in the 2013 Abu Dhabi Triathlon in March!! WOO was I ever excited!!!! I am hoping I’ll be able to find my way there, but it will be an absolutely amazing race to do. The perfect way to kick off the season as well.

Anyways, it’s time to pack it in for the evening, happy training everyone, and Merry Christmas!!!

Nathan