The tradition of Tuesday morning hills continued for our Whitewater/Sprint training group here in Ottawa. Matching the intensity of the boys and girls ripping up the Causeway in Florida, we switch up locations this morning for some variety. We tackled the vicious Hog's Back Switch Back Stream to Lookout Hill, 6 times on 5 minutes. It was a good change, with a different rhythm to the pitch on this hill, but a similar distance to the top. Mark continued to exhibit his new found form on the hills capturing 4 of the 6 efforts, Johnny once again displayed his stoic consistency and I had a couple really fast laps but still could not find the rhythm to battle Mark on every repeat. It has become a fun and very challenging component of our week, and I hope it will transfer well when its time to strap on the ski's and head for the Gatineau Hills.

Here is a pic of the three warriors from this morning. We are exhibiting some refined starting positioning for the sprint up the hill that Johnny has been working on with CKC staff member and former GeeGees cross country star Peter Neidre. How do we look Pete?

This morning I was up at it early brewing up some coffee and kicking myself out the door to get a hard run in before we went to do weights. I have been trying to get my self back into sharp running shape and decided that I needed one more effort in the sneakers this week. I went out to the canal at ran the classic (those of you who have done a Turkey Bowl know it well) 6km course. I wanted to try and do an evenly split hard paced 6km, and picked a pace time of 3:36 for the KM's. It was a hard pace for me to hold on the way home and I got a couple shocks when I looked down at the GPS when my pace was slipping a bit. I held on alright, but a weak 4/5 km cost me the pace I was looking for. I wanted to hit 21:36, but i got back 21:54...and apparently the course is a bit short. (I did have to go around some construction which cut a corner.) Overall, I was happy with the effort, but the time leaves me with some room to pick up. I hope to nail another 6km before the snow and ice show up.

After a needed POW, it was strait to the gym for a heavy weight session with my boys: Gab, Mark and Angus. We subbed in squats for one of the pulls to mix it up and that plus the run has left my legs toasted. I am feeling strong in the gym, which is a great improvement over some rough experience with heavier weights I have had the last couple years. It was a good session, and a good training day.

Sadly, we were unable to meet our whitewater cousins for a clash of the titans III today. We will be making an effort to pick an event for next weekend and through down the Gauntlet once more. If any C4C fans have any suggestions of training competitions they would like to see us go for, send them out way!

With the Canoe Club torn down, and the building of the new club house underway the clubs training groups have been forced to move to temporary facilities for our weight sessions. The younger athletes have found a new training base at my dear Alma mater just down the road, Brookfield High School. The administration of the school and the board have very generously allowed us to use the facilities over the winter, a big thank you to my great friend Rob Ladaroute who really helped us get use of the great old gym at BHS. I dropped in tonight to do my physio weights while the development and performance groups were working out with Coach Graeme, it was great to be back in the hallowed halls where we had some serious fun in our day.


I am not sure if all the kids will be thanking us for bringing them to the school as much by the end of the winter after they have to listen to Graeme, Corey, Angus and Myself regal them with stories of our past glories at Brookfield. Here the trip down memory (and bragging) lane has begun, with Greame and I pointing out our plaques in the BHS Sports Wall of Fame. In all seriousness, it is an honour that a picture of me hangs in the Rads at the school that I really loved when I was there and that still holds a special place in my heart.

I snapped this on the way home from school on Wednesday. I always say November is one of my least favorite months, but this year I have with out a doubt learned to love it.

This morning John, Mark and Myself completed the third week of our cycle of Tuesday morning hill runs started by Daddy-o on his visit here. We attacked the perilous driveway of doom this morning and had to deal with the new treacherous addition of ice patches as the temperatures over night here in Ottawa are starting to dip. Our teammates in Florida have been hammering out there own hills on the Causeway near our training base in Indian Harbour Beach, but I don't think they are worried about traction on the ice there bud!! Tom Hall is the champ so far in Florida I have heard, and today Mark again showed his form in the sprint events winning the majority of the 10 repeats up the hill. Johnny showed excellent consistency, staying between 75 and 85 seconds for all of the sets. I myself was feeling pretty sluggish today, my legs are a little tired from there hard kicking in 300m swim test we did on Sunday I think (excuses). I was not as fast or consistent as I wanted to be, but still had some really good runs up the perilous pitch, got a really good work out.....and took a strong victory in the all important hill #10. Great work boys......

The last two weekends Michal Staniszewski, national whitewater head coach, has invited us to join in for some of there teams testing. It has been a blast to join in with a group and have some fun running hard and getting the competitive juices flowing again. Last Saturday was the 4km and yesterday was the hotly contested 400m challenge.

The format was a preliminary heat, then two semi's, the best time from these races ranks the competitors and the top 4 go to and A final the nest 3 to a B final.

All competitors raced in the heat head to head. The competitors from the whitewater side where; Cam Smedley, Bed Hayward, John Hastings, Sarah Boudens (did her own time control then helped time and video). On the sprint side was Morty, Mark Oldershaw, Corey Hamilton and Colin O'Neil.

Preliminary Heat







The Semi's were split off the heat times Semi 1: Mark, Cam, Colin




Semi 2: Corey, Johnny (in matching uniforms, "Sandwalk team"), Ian, Ben Hayward




Intense B final - Johnny, Ben, Cam. Watch for the kick from Cam and Johnny's unmatched intensity.




The glory, A final. - Mark, Ian, Corey, Colin. Watch for Corey's eye of the tiger on the start line, then a swift move to the front. The jostling for position on the back stretch and the battle around the turn. Colin seem like the heat MAY have taken its toll. Check it out.









For The Grand Fianle and all the marbles, Sprint and Whitewater squared off in a 4 x 100 m relay with Coach Michal taking a leg for the Whitewater team. Check out the action, special mention goes to Ben's technique for making a quick exchange after his opening leg.

Hello Friends,

Today we were up and at it pretty early, hitting the gym for some endurance weights. Its fun after doing a bunch of heavy sessions in the gym this week, to push up the tempo an crank of some reps. After an interlude for some school work Angus, Corey, Rhys and Myself packed up some boats and headed up to Meech Lake in Gatineau Park to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather we are having.

Corey, Angus and Rhys took there K-1's out for a lap of the lake, which was glassy and absolutely pristine in the late fall sunshine. I went for a great trail run, and then snuck out in Corey's folks wood canoe for a little spin to meet up with the boys on there way back in.

It was one of those amazing afternoon's when the warm sun seems to trick the land back a few months. When the sun seems to just hang on a few more minutes above the hills, just long enough to let us enjoy the fleeting final moments of the on-water season in Canada.

Here is a shot Angus got of one of my favorite spots dans la monde.

Hello Friends,

This morning we continued the program started last week with Tomas Sr. of a hard Tuesday hill running session. For a tough incline we needed look no further than our own driveway. The same pitch which can foil many an all-weather tired car, provides a tough challenge if you are willing to run the length of our road out to the mail box.

This morning we stepped it up for 6 to 8 times the full hill starting every 5 minutes. The rest seemed ample at the start, but by the end it was seeming pretty short. We all had good kicks in different pieces: with Corey taking the glory of fastest trip up with a blazing 1:05 in the first one. Mark showed serious explosive power pulling out a win in the all important final trip up with a 1:07, Johnny was the hero of the final trip up though with a (Usain) bolt to the first check point that left everyone in his dust. I was happy with the effort keeping all of my 8 at or under 1:11. Goose was the most aggressive runner of the day pushing it the whole way and coming back each time with his trademark fight.

Thanks to coach Graeme who braved the cool early morning to get our times and encourage us up at the top.


Goose, Corey, Coach Graeme (with Time Sheet), Morty, Up-gate Agent J (darkened to hid his true identity), Mark-0.


(Not pictured, Mom, who was out for a cruise on the river in our house kayak checking out the Otter family that has moved in around the corner.)

After a solid heavy weight session this morning, and a equally satisfying trip to POW for Bacon and Eggs, I headed out with the one and only John Hastings to hook up with the Whitewater gang for a little run test. I have been trying to get back into a bit better running shape, and decided to go with the Johnny for there 4 km timed test to work on my high speed pacing.

Michal Staniszewski, whitewater national team coach was kind enough to let me join in his group at the old track at Notre Dame High School. (Alma Matter of Kristi Gautier). It was a beautiful fall after noon, and John and I both had solid runs. I tried to pace out a 14 min 4km, which amounts to 1:24 seconds a lap for ten trips around. I was able to stay on pace for most of the effort, but slipped up a bit at the end finishing in 14:13. Johnny PB'ed snapping off a 15:12 and to his pleasure breaking Coach Michal's all time record by a couple seconds. I was happy with it, and am getting motivated to try and push my run times down a bit.

This is Johnny and I post run rocking home in the Vibe!




It was a great day and I had a blast working hard with our whitewater cousins. Here is a perfect pictorial representation of the bond between our disciplines and the shared drive to exemplify the Olympic Spirit!



The Vancouver Olympic excitement is building to point that people are building inukshuks to copy the official symbol of the games all over the place.

Up and fueling for a big weight session with all the boys.


Me and Gab getting pumped, not as serious early-birds as our east coast friends...but who likes worms for breakfast anyway.

Toronto has been awarded the 2015 Pan American Games.

This is truly great news for all Canadian sports fans, and will be a fantastic goal for the summer athletes to keep the public's support and momentum going after this winter's home Olympics in Vancouver.

I personally had the privilege of competing in the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo and had an unforgettable experience. It will be an amazing opportunity for our athletes to compete at home in out nations biggest city. I am sure paddlers will, as they were during the last Pan Am's in Canada in Winnipeg 1999, be counted on for a big contribution to the medal haul, a challenge that I am sure we are more than up for as a sport.

Great news, read more reaction from my Brother on his website.

Read about the vote in the Globe.



Mehak, you can take your bag off your head, Toronto won something!