I have to begin by saying this is my new favourite race. (and not just because this is the only trail race I didn’t earn a new scar from!) This is an extremely well organized event at an absolutely amazing venue. Likely unknown or unheard of to most of us..since when you think Mont Tremblant you likely think […]

Holiday Lake 50K - Appomattox, Virginia - weekend of February 13th, 2010
So I am sure most of you can think of much more romantic things to do on St. Valentine’s weekend than run a 50km trail race. (Or maybe you can’t and that’s why you are part of the team same as me!) Believe me, […]

Day 1 - Kayak 62k (34k down-river, 28k lake)
Day 2 – Trail Run 56k
Day 3 – Mountain Bike 100k 
Day 1
Pre-race was kinda exciting as people milled about scoping each-other’s boats trying to figure out who had the fastest vessel.  With a rule of only allowing plastic […]

Well let’s face it many runners like to have a light shoe for some faster speed sessions or for those who require a bit more shoe, as a race day shoe.
I’ve had the opportunity to wear the Mizuno Wave Precision 10 for a little over a month now and really like them a lot. As […]

Race Report
By Roger Hospedales, Team Running Free
Race:  Ironman Lake Placid
Date:  July 25, 2010.
Website: http://www.ironmanlakeplacid.com/
After 12 years of making my annual trek to Lake Placid to do the Ironman, this past Sunday marked the last time I will do so as an athlete.
I will truly miss doing this […]

This event is always on my list for some reasons I cannot describe. Perhaps I love it is so well-organized, I love the distance (not too short but not too long), I love the the distillery district, I love the view of the Toronto skyline and I love the music the band plays after the […]

Race(s):  Belwood Duathlon & Belwood Fat Tire Tri-a-tri
Location:  Belwood Lake (Fergus Ontario)
Race Site:  www.trisportcanada.com
 So, this past Sunday I decided to pull a Hospedales and race back to back races for the first time.  It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and when a few friends/colleagues had asked about the possibility of me racing with them […]

The Sydenham olympic triathlon was my first post baby race, appropriately nine months after Gabriel’s birth.  In those hazy sleep deprived days, I decided it would be a good idea to jump back in by tackling an olympic, a distance I had not yet completed.  A sane person may have eased themselves into it with […]

Race Report
By Roger Hospedales, Team Running Free
Race:  Gravenhurst International & Sprint Duathlons
Date:  July 17 & 18, 2010.

Location:  Gravenhurst Wharf, Ontario
Sport:  Duathlon
Website: http://www.msctriathlon.com/ms/events/showEvent.cfm?showEventID=90
After logging 25 hours of training the week before, I got the chance to close off a 20-hour training week with this past weekend’s Gravenhurst International […]

5 Peaks at Rattlesnake Point
4.5km trail run
Where: Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area - Milton, Ontario
After doing little running this year (I’ve been spending more time in the gym building strength after coming off of a broken wrist bone) I was reluctant to enter into my first race. Having a close friend who wanted to try their hand […]

Belwood Sprint Duathlon
Run: 3km
Bike: 30km
Run: 7km
Where: Belwood Park - Fergus, Ontario
After competing in the 5Peaks stop last weekend at Rattlesnake Point, I was feeling great. I ran the sport course to share the experience with a friend, and felt strong throughout. I have a new road bike, and although I haven’t been out on it more than a […]

Well this was my second attempt this month at seeing where my fitness level is at for 5k.
More importantly it was also both of my daughter’s second attempt at the 1k. (We discussed pacing alot this week due to last races BONK for both girls at 150m into the race!). My oldest listened with great interest and absorbed […]

 Date:  Sunday July 11th, 2010
Event:  Acura 10 Miler, part of the Canada Running Series
Distance:  10 miles (16.1km)
When I signed up for this race I didn’t realize that it was going to be one of the busiest weeks / weekends of the summer for me.  That realization sunk in early last week and brought back rather […]

Race Report
By Roger Hospedales, Team Running Free
Race:  Acura 10 Miler
Date:  Sunday June 11, 2009.

Location:  Distillery District, Toronto
Description:  10 Miles (16.1km)
Sport:  Running
Website: www.canadarunningseries.com/torontoten/index.htm
Before I get into the details of the race, let me first start off by strongly recommending this race to everyone. I’ve never been disappointed by […]

Heat acclimatization is a concept that has been analyzed by exercise physiologists extensively for almost two decades now, since the big boom in marathon running. Still, many are trying to understand how heat acclimatization can benefit them, or, how the lack of heat acclimatization will harm them. Heat has a funny way of working against […]

By no standard am I an expert on food and nutrition. I do, however, have quite a discerning palate. That is where my expertise comes in to play for this article.I recently brought a friend along to a 5Peaks race, and this was their first ever organized running race. It occurred to me that for […]

I’ve been competing in triathlon for 6 years and since my first year I haven’t attempted to race a Half iron distance event.  Over the last 5 years I have focused primarily on shorter distances from the sprint to the Olympic distance.  Last year I decided it would be good training and preparation for the […]