Triathlon as been a amazing journee....thank you to everyone over the years! i m leaving happy with great memories

I been in this sport for over 14 years. I done so many races, so many amazing trip. I meet the most amazing people and had the time of my life. This past season was amazing and i realise many of my dreams. I could not be happier right now.

But as i relax here in new mexico, i realise that there is a lot that i want to do in life. Triathlon as taken a lot of my time, took huge sacrifice and commitement and i dont have the energy right now to keep going at the same level i have been in the past few years. I m ready to leave as i feel i accomplish everything i had to and feel in peace with my decision. I also want to eat more and become bigger and pass more time with the womens......

I still have many challenge in front of me. One of them is a big dream that still burn inside of me since i was a kid. I grow up in quebec where the winter is cold and with a lot of snow. I love winter sport and always dreamed of representing canada at the olympic games. I have talk for a long time with Paulo about all this.... he as been a amazing coach for me in triathlon and i could not be more happy to annonce that he will keep working with me in our new challenge to make the Canadian olympic team in the discipline of Skeleton! We have been thinking long and large and will base myself out of Las cruces new mexico for is high altitude caracteristic and rich resources in lifeguards and volleyball player.

now, some of you might think that training in a area without snow could be a potential problem but paulo told me there is no such thing and following the MORE is MORE mentality, we have come to developpe our own way to train. Here s a few pic of my first few training session. I love this sport, you can be heavy and out of shape..... you only have to go down a hill and smile!!!!

ok...... just chatted with paulo and realise i got my ass kick in hawaii this year.... i might postpond the retirement, i will try to do both, race pro in triathlon and make the winter olympic team in skeleton...... after all.... more is more!!!!!

2007.........................2008

The season is over! It was one hell of a ride! a breakthrough year for me and i m very happy about it. I broke 9h for the first time at ironman arizona and finish 6th in a very competitive field. I also reach another goal of capturing my first ever National elite title (Lc triathlon). I had a amazing day at home in penticton finish 2nd at ironman canada and coming in a 8h39. I also won another half ironman during the season and made huge progress in my attitude towards training and racing.

I unfortuntly wraped the season with a trip to hawaii where i got sick the day before the race and could simply not put on a decent performance on that big day!

I m now relaxing and doing different stuff. I m not training, and havent felt the need to. Yesturday, i went to a NMSU women volleyball game and had a blast. The team is awsome and they kick ass!!!! I also went to a football game and the team was also kick ass but i didnt like the experience as much. I just dont like football, the action is so slow with so many breaks.... if you arent eating hot dogs or drinking.... it goes on for ever...... still happy i went!!

what s next??? I will be at Soma triathlon in phoenix to work with the timming company SPORTSTATS. They have been a big supporter of me since my biggining in the sport and i really enjoy my time working with them. I will also be in Panama city for ironman florida and clearwater 70.3 world champ with the sportstats crew!!!! hope to see many of you out there.

ironman hawaii

Well, this as been one of the worst day i ever had in a race. Nothing went right, everything went wrong.... very painfull experience.

The situation is very simple, i got sick friday night and had a few trip to the bathroom, i didn't had much in me.... I felt pretty decent on satruday morning and just hoped for the best. It was obvious from the start that i had nothing in me, i could not swim, i had the worst swim of my carrear and miss the front group. I dont think it s normal for me to get out of the water with people like stadler and company. From there, i rode extremly hard in the first 25 miles to bridge back but had nothing in my legs...

i stoped at mile 40 and sitted on the side of the road for 5 minutes to re group and make up my mind as to what will be next. I decided to keep riding and at least finish the ride and learm more about the course. Unfortuntly, my body was already pretty weak from friday night and i just get myself a nice Heat stroke. The last 6h after the race have been pretty painfull and i go from been cold to been hot and sweating. My body is all over the place and i can see i got a bog or something. I finaly got something solid in me at 11pm.... a bagel with jam.

anyway, my equipement was fine, ironman canada proximity wasnt a problem and the condition were perfect as it was relatively cool and not very windy. I was also very fit. It was just not the real me on the course today. I should have pull out in the first hour of the race.....

i will be back next year for more, hawaii is a very hard race and i want to do well here!

off to bed.............. extremly sunburn and dehydrated.

the night before

Well, it s finaly time, the trip was awsome and i had a lot of fun but i came here to race and been going a bit crazy in the last few days before the race.... i dont like to wait. I dont like to sit in a condo and be quiet.

Tomorow is very simple for me, it s not about a steady day or riding conservative or playing safe. I have the privilege to be at the world championship and i will be racing it. I will swim hard and ride agressive so by t2 i m in a position to be a contender to be on stage on sunday night. I will of course try to pull of a magical run with whatever is left in the tank!

It s going to hurt, it s gona be windy and it s gona bit very hot. I expect to be out of my comfort zone for a lot of it. It s good learning to be in that state. I m not too nervous right now but should be tomorow morning. I m definitly scare and wounder a lot what the other guys will do, but i will be ready to react and make the right choice.

I m excited like a kid that is about to enter in toysUraus..... i want to race now!!!! it s going to be fun.... i m very lucky to be here and be healthy and fit!!!

thanks for everyone for reading!!!!

thank Steve for my new super fast NINETEEN SPEEDSUIT!!!!

good luck to everyone! to my roomates.... danny, miranda and tracey!!! and sherpa paulo and sherpa shawn!

The usual suspect

I m really enjoying my time in hawaii. I m staying in a condo on ali drive and i have 7 nice roomates! Here s some cool shot of all of them!!!!


Miranda the Hurricain

Tracey, the small dog that bark a lot!!!

Shawn, the sherpa,

Danny the rock your can build on.....

Paulo, hummm....welll, i prefer to not say anything....

Me......

Mind games......in Kona

This picture is of me and Danny on our way to the pool, the first mind game of the trip was of me and him taking the back seat in the mini van. Only the cool kids sit in the back seat and i was determinated to take controle of the situation!

Arriving at the pool, proceded to swim the warm up all out as the other swimmer look fast and i didnt want to look stupid. I completly trash myself but left the pool with the feeling that i had made a major statement 6 days before the race!

Got to the grocery store and did the shoping as fast as i could to show everyone i m quick.

got on the bike and big chain ring ali drive surging hard and strong in front of Lava Java and rode hard on the queen K just in case normann would see me. He was there and of course he must have been very concern with my fast pace and good form as i m pretty sure i m the only clown in town that tried to race him 6 days out of the race day to satisfy my insecurity. I m pretty sure he was deeply affected by my mind games!

Kona is really a weird place and it feel like a zoo. Many lions getting ready for a bit fight. I m easy to spot everywhere as i m more like a White polar bear!

I m now relaxing at the condo with Paulo, Miranda, Shawn, Danny, and 5'1. There is a lot of very deep and meaningfull conversation going on...... it s pretty awsome to be around such inspiring and cultivated people.

Tomorow is a triple.... siwm bike run.... and lava java and some more fun conversation with the herd at the condo!

HAWAII living the dream in the cookie house

I been in Hawaii for the past 3 days! It s been amazing so far. I arrived Thursday night and I m staying at my friend Will and Denise house outside of kona near the airport. The house is awesome, there is 7 showers!!!! 5 toilet, 5 rooms, a golf cart, a hot tube, and a amazing view on the valley of the serengethi.

This morning, I as I was having a nice cup of coffee and sitting on the deck, I spoted a few lions finishing there long night of hunting and just chilling in the valley…. It was awesome. I have Miranda as a roommate and also Rock frey and Paul Huddle. These guys are very nice people but a little bit too serious for me. They don’t have a good sence of humour and I been trying to teach them to just chill out as they are both very stress out personality. Rock as this electo stimulator and use it all day, he told me this way, he could train but still only sit at his computer and he is attemping to finish the Hawaii ironman without any training outside…. Everything was done using the electro stimulator…. I m looking forward to the results but he seems very convience it s the new way to go and anyone working full time could now race pro!!!

Actually, Rock showed me that behind the house, there is a gold course and at the Tee off of the 19th hole, there is a little house with 2 big cookie jar! HE told me they are there specificly to be eated by the resident of the house…. So I been doing the trip back and forth from the kitchen to the 19th hole tee off(50meters) and controlling the quality off the cookies so golfers can have a positive experience. I been told there is also another secret place with a giant refrigerator with chocolat bars and any drink imaginable… I m still to find at what hole it is located but should find out tomorrow!!!!

I arrived Thursday night and had a nice coffee on Friday moring with tom evans at the Java on the rock. The day was all about getting food and bike stuff and ready for a good week. I swam bike and run …but very light workouts.

Today was the killer, 5h30 on the bike in the heat and the wind. Saw normann stadler at the turn around in hawi…. Then Natasha badmann and also my good friend Mike Niel. HE is looking very fit and relax and I think he will have a very strong day next week!

Anyway, the ride was hard… Hawaii course is very difficult…it s everything you heard about… the wind is crazy… almost got blow off the road a few times…. And it s very hilly!!! I ran 30 minutes off the bike in the heat and felt great. That was my last big workout before the race and I will now keep the training light and short.

THE FREAKOUT ZONE!!!!!!!!

RESUME OF THE WEEK: as been extremly challenging. Saturday was 6.5h ride in the hills going as hard as i could until i blow up....run off the bike and swim later. i like to do these near a race so it give me a good indicator and evaluation of my fitness and of how much i can risk on race day knowing what kind of effort i will be able to manage and what my limits are.

sunday was a bread and potato day with swim bike run easy and monday, i hit it hard again in the hills and finaly blow myself to peices after 4.5h.... i was not a happy camper!!!!

today was long run day 2h10 swim for 3km easy and 50 minutes run at night. I m now packing and leaving tomorow for hawaii and starting the taper.... almost.

now, THE FREAKOUT ZONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

for those that are getting ready for hawaii, i would like to share my perspective on the week before the race....and mostly the weekend before the race. 8 days out of ironman canada this year was my freakout time.... calling my coach and telling him it wasnt going well, i didnt do enough to get ready for the race.... i was ''unprepare'' but at the same time, i was cook, overtrain, had nothing left, felt like shit.... my legs could not push the pedals. My arms were weak and i could not get normal swimming. I had no motivation and didnt want to get out for my workouts or anything. I was on major FREAKOUT MODE.

a conversation with paulo would go like this.

Jonny: Paulo, i feel like shit

Paulo: yeahh???

Jonny: i have no energy, i m unprepare and overtrain and i think i m getting sick also.... i wont be able to break 10h... i think i should pull out....

Paulo: jonny...you really annoye me, if you dont have anything important to tell me, just shut up.

Jonny: but paulo.... it s not happening....

Paulo: ok, i have to go do something important(quiznos), now, just shut up and go do your ride and just CHILL.... use the chill penny and HTFU

Jonny: you are a idot paulo.... it s not going well, i m not feeling good, i m not ready for the race

7 days later: august 26th ironman canada

Jonny: i told you paulo that i would nail that race..... and now, i m a 8;30ish guy!!!!!! i told you i would do it.... why were you so nervous!!!!

Paulo: you are really annoying me.... you are still a dumbass, just faster but still a dumbass

IF you are in the same situation as me,....please dont worrie about too much, it s just a freaking race and everyone is freaking out the week before... you arent special and your condition arent different.,.. you should be feeling like shit right now and your body will most likely come around in the last few days before the race if you have a good coach and a good taper!

Todays conversation with paulo

Jonny: i m so tired... i have nothing left, i think i m overtrain...

Paulo: yeah???(not really listening and just doing his own stuff like if i what i was telling him wasnt important)

Jonny: yeah, this long run this morning just trashed me, i m definitly overtrain...

Paulo: ok, i understand, now go do your swim and second run.

Jonny: WTF

Paulo: ''gone''