Sunday

Hi friends.
It is Sunday, and I can't believe I've been back since Sunday. I've more or less rested all week. I did one run and yoga, but this week is all about recovery. I've decided to forego the 5th World Cup in Berlin with the intent to focus on training. It appears I am quite certain to have a spot at the World Cup Final in Moscow (June 17/18) which I'm ecstatic about. A lot of hard work is paying off. The big decision I need to make is whether to go to Valencia, Spain to train for May 26 as was originally planned prior to the Berlin WC. Now, I could go just to train and then return home. I'm leaning towards staying in Calgary however and training straight through to Russia. This means that I'd accept the sunk cost of the flight (unless I can transfer it, which I doubt). Tough decision. My coach will be in Valencia so I know he will want to have me for the week. Ahh, the decisions.... My new webpage is nearing a finished state - www.riker-fox.com, so check it out and leave me feedback, good or bad, if you have some. It still has a lot of work to be done, but it's getting there.
I was on the FAN 960 yesterday with Jungle Jim Hunter. If you'd like to hear the interview, go to this link (http://www.fan960.com/media.jsp?content=20100515_135006_5036)and skip to 1:12 into the show. Jim is a super guy.
I also did an Athlete of the Week profile with CTV last week. I'm still trying to find it online. When I do, I'll post it. From what I hear, it was pretty good, so a big thank you to my supporter Lisa Bowes of CTV Calgary.
Back to training tomorrow and ultimately preparation for one of the season's two biggest meets. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for following.

Budapest World Cup Final

The Budapest Final went average. I was very pleased to have a spot in the Final and aspired to make the best of it. The fence was mediocre - 16/18. I swam a season best for Long Course - 2:11.98. My goal was to go under 2:12, so I was happy. But, it was still clear that I wasn't performing at a super level yet. Because we have such a long season this year, I understand that improvements will be small and take a long time to achieve. I am ok with that, and believe that in the end, I will put together the strongest performances when it's most important. Following the ride, where I earned 1104 points, I sat in 25th spot. This was not where I envisioned being leading into the final event, but I'd have to work with it. In the run/shoot, I moved up one position to 24th. Overall, not a great performance. But, a good one considering the fatigue, physically and mentally that I've been under. I've competed so much since March and I am feeling it. After some discussion, we decided to do the relay on Monday. Mathea and I finished 12th/18 teams. Again, not a great performance, but good to gain more experience. This competition moves me into 13th spot in the overall World Cup rankings, which should confirm my spot for the World Cup Final. This will not be known officially until after the Berlin World Cup. I will keep you posted. Thanks for following.

Karma?..?

World Cup 4 didn't get off to a great start. Truth be told, my attitude wasn't super as I've been tired, it's getting deep in the season, I've a couple ok results, and I feel like it's time to train and rest. But, the mixed relay is contested here, so I thought it was really important to do the relay. Pentathlon (along with most sports) is trying to get more events in to the Olympics to increase its medal sets. That's why synchronized diving is in, and the team pursuit in speed skating... not exactly the traditional versions of the sport. So MP is also attempting to get a variation in and it is being contested here. Of course I wanted to perform well in the individual event but I was having some trouble getting really pumped. In the fence I had a brutal start - 2/12. This is embarassingly bad. I turned around the second half with a 8/12 performance. But this still left me in 19th spot, with only 12 making the Final. The swim did not change the positions significantly, dropping me to 20th. I swam a LC season best - 2:12.67, but still much slower than I'd hoped for. Moving from 20th to 12th in the combined run/shoot would be no easy task. However, I did manage to move to 13th. 7 spots is a lot to overcome, and I was really pleased with that performance, although also choked to not have overtook one more position. I was so close. Many lessons were learned along the way in that performance. Things that I will apply in the future,..... and hopefully as soon as Sunday for the Men's Final as Cairo's bad luck (regarding my first bridesmaid...er 13th WC finish this year) was balanced out here. A Hungarian athlete that finished ahead of me in my pool, has pulled out and so I've moved up to 12th. A bit of luck this time. Good karma I suppose. I won't take this opportunity for granted. Thanks for following. I'll keep you posted.

World Cup 4 - Budapest

I arrived yesterday in Budapest, flying from Calgary. It's rainy here, but quite hot. The only team mate here is Mathea Stevens from Ottawa. Two other girls were to come, but one is injured and the other is at a riding camp in the USA. We have three coaches though, haha. John and Denis, as per the norm. Mathea's fencing coach from home, Paul Ap Simon, is also here. He is the women's foil team coach in Canada I believe as well. He came to get a better idea what Mathea is up against and to apply that to her training at home.
Mathea is competing now. She hasn't had a super day. I believe she is in 26th position now and needs to move to the top 18 in the combined event to make the final. She can do it.
We were really lucky to get massages from Jeremy Kozubeck last night. He is a therapist with the Canadian Speed Skating team and he happened to be in Budapest and contacted us to see if he could help. Last year, he also met up with me here for a massage. Really good guy, super knowledgable.
I had a nice jog late last night, in the rain. Today I had a fencing lesson, and a light swim workout. Everything feels quite good. Our hotel is near the venue which is helpful. We opted to rent a car rather than stay at the competition hotel like most nations. From here, we can take care of our transport and food. It's actually less expensive as well.
I feel pretty good and hope to bring consistency to tomorrow's semi-final. I will keep you posted. Thanks for following. Josh.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

This is my best performance at a World Cup. I'm not sure where the confidence came from exactly, but with John and Denis's help, I really felt like I could make a jump today. I am ecstatic! I fenced effectively. Again, a slow start like the semi-final, but I brought a strong second half for a 51% success rate. The swim was slower than I hoped (.55 slower than in the semi-final), but it was still fast enough to maintain a respectable position. Going into the ride, which is generally a stronger event for me, I moved from 23rd to 12th position. I made some errors in the ride that I'd hoped to avoid, but never-the-less earned a score of 1140. From 12th, I moved to 8th, in a very exciting final run/shoot. Positions changed constantly. With strong focus, I slowly worked my way up, and on the last lap moved ahead of four other athletes. This result is very fulfilling. Naturally though, I want more. Last thing, I'd like to recognize my sponsors who made this happen-Adam Labs, PowerBar, and Lake Bonavista Dental.

Below are two seperate posts updating on the Medway World Cup. I did not have an internet connection earlier, so I wasn't able to get it posted on time.
1. I arrived in Medway yesterday. Flights were smooth and travel out of London went well. We are in a roughly 800 year old estate that's been converted to a girl's school. It is expansive and dusty. Typically British. Has a helicopter pad, and only 200 International students, so must cost a bundle to attend. A pub here called The Leather Bottle is down the street and apparently Dickens composed Great Expectations there. Beside the pub is a church built in 1115, that Mel, my teammate, and I ran through on a mini tour/jog yesterday. Internet is really poor here, making life difficult.
Today I learned some frustrating news: In Cairo, two people pulled out of the Final, so I would have competed in it had I stayed. That rarely happens and there is no way to know. My mistake though, I should have stayed. Lesson for future if you are in 13th, better wait and see what happens. That had me really upset today but I've tried to put it behind me. I trained today. All things feel fine. The weather is cold and damp. Facilities are nice and volunteers are very friendly. That's it for now. Will keep you updated.

2. I made the Final! Had a really strong day in each event and finished first in my semi-final. With three semi groups, making top 12 was required to compete Saturday. I started really slow in the fence (1/4), but turned it around for 16/9 (928 points), tying me for 2nd. Next, I swam well - 2:06.28 SC. This matches a best time I've swam a number of times. What is promising is that I did it in a jammer suit, as the FINA rules have changed in terms of racing outfits. No longer are full body suits with synthetic materials approved for races. I was quite pleased and I think I can drop that time a bit more. Finally, the run/shoot. I went out in 4th place. We were a quite tight group and I was aware that remaining in the top 12 would not be easy. I shot rather poorly on the first session, taking 8 shots, and dropping to 9th (I think). I then had two very strong rounds, shooting clean on both and feeling quite good in the run. I ended up in position 1 as the group bottlenecked at the end once it was clear we were in. I had to do drug testing after which was a two hour experience. I made them follow me for a massage while I was waiting (you have a chaperone as soon as you are selected, haha). He got to know me well over that time.

3. So far today, we have 2 girls in the Final. And in 5 minutes, the second qualifying group will race for the remaining 18 spots. We have one Canadian in that group.... Gotta go cheer her on now.

Thanks for staying in touch.

One Week Out From Medway World Cup

I am starting to feel a tinge of excitement for the next big World Cup. We leave Monday, and I'll compete Thursday in Medway, Great Britain. This is the third World Cup of the season. I will be looking to make further improvements on the results I've established thus far. I am feeling quite good and have had a number of strong workouts since returning from Cairo. I am confident I can achieve my goals.
Below is a video promoting the event. Take a look if you'd like to see what is coming up in a week. As well, www.247.tv will have live coverage.
Take care!
http://vimeo.com/8891625