Aquadiva!

I'm very excited to announce that I have joined the Aquadiva team!

Aquadiva is a wonderful swimwear company from Australia who support a group of girls who are working hard in their water sports.  I am so excited to be a part of their team of absolutely amazing girls!  I would like to congratulate Aquadiva on being so welcoming of another international athlete to their team - I'm proud to be a part of it.  The other athletes sponsored by Aquadiva are amazing girls & I highly recommend you check out their results - so inspiring!

I train in Aquadiva and obviously love their swimwear.  It's so nice to have training suits that you are excited to wear to the pool - and can be comfortable in.  I started swimming a couple of years ago and I've always had the same boring one or two suits that gave me absolutely no happiness when I put them on.  That changed when I found Aquadiva!  Learning to swim was tough - but the rewards have been amazing and swimming is fast becoming one of my favourite sports.  Now I feel like a kid in a candy store with my Aquadivas - so many colours - it makes me excited to swim now more than ever!  And swim faster!

I think to succeed in sport, or life, or just about anything - you need to have fun along the way, and Aquadiva certainly understands that concept.  I'm very excited to have Aquadiva as my first sponsor and represent their gorgeous swimwear.

Click here to view the Aquadiva Sponsorship site.  Aquadiva has been very generous to donate part of their sales directly to the athlete.  So, you can click through my profile and when your purchase is all said and done, you're directly supporting me as an athlete - how great is that?  It's important that you go through this link because that is the only way Aquadiva can track that you wanted to support me.  You may never have heard of Aquadiva, but I encourage you to go and check it out - I bet you'll have a hard time narrowing down what you want to get!

Happy Swimming!

Valley First Okanagan Axel Merckx Gran Fondo

The name is almost as long as the ride.

I had the opportunity to jump into the VFGFAMO (let's call it 'the fondo') this past Sunday, July 10th.  What an amazing experience!  I have to say, I've always been a bit jealous of the more local Whistler Gran Fondo, but have never been able to register for it due to it's proximity to Ironman Canada.  I always thought how fun it would be to be riding my bike in a huge group on the roads - and I finally got to enjoy it!

The Okanagan is a gorgeous place to ride.  I have had the opportunity to ride there many times, whether it be training or racing for a 1/2 Ironman, or Ironman Canada.  The roads up there wind in and along the heart of the desert, the vineyards, the mountain passes, the serene lakes, all of which make up the architecture of the Okanagan.  It is always a luxury to get on your bike and ride there.  The warmth, local fruit & wine are also a wonderful bonus.

A tremendously well organized event was this fondo from start to finish.  I think bike culture is a wonderful culture.  Sure, there are some dark parts to the most competitive arenas of cycling, but to the average ridership of you and me, cycling is a genuinely healthy and positive event.  And yes, bikes can be as expensive as you'd like them to be, but if you just ride your darn bike, you can be as good (or better) than those with the fanciest cycles.  So you get out what you put into it.  And it was clear on Sunday that a lot of people had put a lot of hard work into developing the fitness to do a lengthy and challenging ride.  Plus, no one was wearing aero helmets - finally, a race I can wear my regular helmet and feel like everybody else :)

I had gotten up early to bike in an extra 15 km from Summerland into Penticton (because 160km isn't enough? no...because I feel that others should get to sleep in when they're on vacation).  An absolutely perfect weather day, 25-ish C with some cloud cover, we lined up our bikes behind the Peach in downtown Penticton. I have to say, and I've said it before, that when I hear Steve King's voice, I feel instantly comforted.  And without fail, he was announcing at the fondo.  It's ingrained, the positivity and encouragment that resonates from this man's efforts to speak to each and every single participant who brings their own hopes and dreams to the starting line.  It was great to hear him there on Sunday.

The course wound around Penticton & Summerland, and then out to McLean Creek Rd, to those who ride the Ironman route, over to Oliver and then onto the Oliver 1/2 Iron route, then making a left hand turn up to the mountains just before arriving in Oliver.  After climbing (and climbing....and a little climbing) you pop back onto the gorgeous finish of the Ironman course once again as you descend into Penticton, that familiar sweet downhill to the finish line.

The ride is long and the ride isn't easy.  It was great to ride a new route through the White Lake hills and countryside, as I'm more accustomed to the IMC route.  I didn't really have a great idea of where I stood in the biking world, as I had never done a bike race outside of a triathlon before.  I had received an entry in a contest through IMPACT Magazine, (big thank you to IMPACT!!) so I hadn't prepared for this ride per se, but, training for IMC leaves you with a substantial reserve for jumping into endurance events.  As I would have been doing a training ride anyways, this was a total luxury to have a fully supported ride, company, and some terrific swag (honestly, a beautiful wine glass, a musette bag and more = awesome).

I had no intentions of smashing this ride and racing anyone.  I managed to hold off any competitiveness for at least 90km.  I think that's pretty good willpower.  However, as the crowds began to thin out (the Mediofondo, 90km) I was so thrilled to be on the open road with speedy company, so it was nice to stay with them, and occasionally ride in groups - something I am totally unaccustomed to being a cyclist who does non-drafting racing only.  Let me tell you, it is FUN to ride fast in a big group, especially a big group of boys who block the wind, as my brother calls it, "like a garage door".  And everyone was so friendly.  I've been a little intimidated by big serious groups of cyclists, but really, I think because there were so many individuals, you just naturally work together to get where you're going faster.  It was great!  It's fast paced, so there isn't a lot of chatting going on, but it's focused and positive work.  That's what cycling is all about.  Putting in the miles.

There were lots of great memories about this ride, but I'd like to share a couple that stood out.

When we started the race, you ride out on a flat, take a couple of turns, and then you start climbing up a hill.  At this point, I was riding beside a guy who said out loud to himself, "Wow, that is so cool" and he was referring to the sea of cyclists that were packed together peddling themselves up the hill en mass.  He was right, it was totally cool and I'm glad he said it - it made me appreciate that I'm surrounded by a whole bunch of people that were feeling they were part of something special.

Secondly, as we were climbing a heck of a climb up towards White Lake, the chatter in the group basically ground to a halt.  This was hard work and we had already cycled 120km I'm sure, so you're not feeling your freshest at this point.  People who neglected nutrition or hydration were probably feeling like they were about to fall into a fresh type of hell.  As we climbed in silence for minutes, as I watched one guy get helped up the hill with a double push on the back of his seat, a man slightly behind me said, "I'm hot".  Then silence followed.  Then I said, "Me too".  And that seemed to stir up a bit of laughter in the crowd, and then we were all happily cycling again.  Camaraderie is everything sometimes.

Lastly, after it was all said and done, I had to congratulate one of the men on the bike in our group, who did a heck of a lot of front of the pack work.  He must have been 6 feet tall at a minimum, and not the slightest guy on the block although quite fit, and obvious target for folks who like to draft.  Honestly, it's like watching mosquitos go after a plump juicy steak of a person.  After resting my little legs behind this guy for quite a while, I did take a couple of turns at the front of the group, although I did eventually get passed again when my front riding offered some respite to the group (and when I began to die off the front - it is HARD work up there).  At the end of the ride, this guy looked shattered.  I told him it was great riding behind him.  He said he wondered if he should start charging a toll to the pack behind him.  I laughed.  I told him he was a great garage door.  He laughed.  I found him later lying on the grass with one of the wonderful ice cold towels we got upon finishing on his head, looking tired.  I had two popsicles.  I offered him one and said that was my toll.  He looked thankful.  It made me happy.

As I left to ride off to meet my friends, all I could see at this event were smiles.  I couldn't help think to myself, am I ready to do this again and then run a marathon?  I tried not to second guess myself, and just told myself it would happen when it needed to happen.  I felt very privileged to have been a part of this event.  So again, a big thanks to IMPACT Magazine for this opportunity!  I really do think this is something that every cyclist should do at least once in their lifetime - and by the looks of things there are going to be lots of opportunities in amazing places to do so as more and more fondo's pop up.  The europeans know what they're doing when it comes to bikes - and I'm elated to see Canadians taking notice and following suit.

In the end, I finished 23rd for women, and 341st overall.  It wasn't a race, really, but it was fun to see where I stacked up in my first 'bike' race.  It definitely improved my group riding skills, and quadrupled my appreciation of drafting.  I'm going to miss that when I go back to triathlon.  Oh well.  I finished in about 5:04 with maybe 5-6 minutes of stopped breaks, so I was pretty happy with the result.  Training does work after all.  Who knew?

That's it for me.  Enough of the fun stuff, it's time to go into lockdown and focus on IMC.  I am excited - and the fire has been stoked after being up in the Okanagan on my bike this weekend.   Can't wait.

Keep working kids.  Pedal hard, wear your helmet and don't bonk.  It's that simple :)

Vancouver 1/2 Iron Race Report or, the 'Tortoise & the Hare'

The UV Index is generally at it's highest point between 12pm-2pm.  I have the luxury of being able to be up & finished my first workout (or two) before noon.  I try my best to be out of the sun and get back to 'work' sometime around 3pm or later.  If training is my 'job', then the sun's rays are a major work hazard.

So, I found time today to collect some of my thoughts on this weekend's Vancouver 1/2 Iron, which took place along the very scenic shores, roads and trails of my neighbourhood.  In short, it was great!  I managed another whopping PB of 19 minutes over the 1/2 Iron distance, cutting my last PB in May at the Shawnigan Lake 1/2 from 4:57 to 4:38.  Even I impress myself sometimes.  I ran into a person I met when I did my first 1/2 Ironman up in Oosoyos.  She asked me what my time was there, and I told her I was just under 6 hours (5:58 I think).  She seemed a bit shocked, and when I thought about it a little more, I was a bit in shock too.

That's the short.  However, I have a tendency to write long though, so, here you go.

Cutting to the chase.  Why alternatively entitle my blog the Tortoise & the Hare.  Not for the reason you think.  Not some clever take on my race strategy or competition.  It is simply because, on an easy run the week of the race, as I was running along the trails, I almost tripped over a large turtle (is that the same as a tortoise?).  I thought of it as a good luck omen.  Then, as I was biking on my black Nishiki Rally super awesome commuter bike at 5am, yes, wearing a black aero helmet (I felt like a ninja), I decided to bike along the seawall to get to the race start, I found myself biking among bunnies galore (is that the same as a Hare?).  So I laughed as I pulled in to lock up my bike, perhaps the theme of the race would be the Tortoise & the Hare.  In reality, I don't think it has any meaning.  It's just cute.

Ok, ok, the race.  In an attempt not to bore, and drone on in large sentence format, I'm going to go for the race in step format.  So, just like the New Kids, step by step.  I grew up in the 90's.  I'm allowed this indulgence.  And as a side note, I do believe this was one of the first tapes I owed.  And if you have to ask what a tape is...


Step one: 'We can have lots of fun'
Swim time: 33:03

My first ocean swim.  I do believe the best way to start off your swim is to swim straight into somebody during warm up.  I mean solid contact.  I took quite the punch to the face while swimming into shore pre-race.  I did quite frequently check to make sure I had space to swim in prior to the start, but this shark man came out of no where.  I immediately knew I split my lip, and laughed.  It can't get too much more exciting for that, so it settled me before the swim.  So, look out, if you see me warming up at the next race, I'll be the girl intentionally trying to swim into you.  I'm not kidding.

This was quite the exciting swim & I really have no complaints, just as always, I would like to keep getting better at the strategy of the swim.  I have insider tips now, so, I will be employing these at IMC.  The current was noticeable as I noticed going around buoy #2 that I slid metres to the right as I tried to go left, but, I seemed to make it back to shore in ship shape.  And I did it all over again - I have to say I love the challenge.  It's not my forte but as you make gains it is just so motivating to keep working hard at it.  I love the swim - and to love it, I think you have to have a sense of humour.  I can help you with that, just come see me in warm up.  It would give true meaning to the term, 'sucker punch'.


Step two: 'There's so much we can do'
Bike time: 2:38:36

The bike is so familiar to me and I love it.  I love climbing hills.  If I had it my way, Ironman would be a 180km climb.  But, that's a bit radical, so I'll take IMC the way it is and I also really liked this course.  I don't think you really know what you can do on the bike until you try it, and after doing the sprint course in Victoria a couple of weeks ago, I got to ride fast and see what my legs felt like after.  I think it's really hard to replicate this in training.  So, I worked on the bike and I certainly was rewarded.  I managed to bike faster than the last half in Shawnigan while covering 3 more kilometres (88 vs 91km) than last time. Success!

I am now a total convert of knowing a course and seeing the result when you race it.  Racing a new course is always fun, but if you're looking for speed, knowing what is coming is such an advantage.  And, speaking of advantages, Sunday was the debut of my head in an aero helmet.  If nothing else, they keep your ears lovely warm.  I'm sure it made a bit of a difference.  At least 6 seconds I'm sure....


Step three: 'It's just you for me'
T1: 2:18
T2: 1:05

This lyric makes very little sense in terms of the race.  I can't seem to come up with a clever analogy of transitions - both of which, by the way - where stunningly fast compared to my previous attempts.  I did worry that the aero helmet would get stuck in my hair and I would have to run in it.  That would be amazing, but alas, the helmet came off.  Compared to my previous transition times, in retrospect, I could have baked a cake in the time it took me to get in and out of there.

Step four: 'I can give you more'
Run time: 1:23:38

I really felt a bit short-changed during the last 1/2 at Shawnigan.  I had raced a marathon 4 weeks prior, and my legs were toast.  I can only imagine that my muscles probably resembled something of swiss cheese consistency.  So, the run soured my race slightly, as I knew I could do better than that.

And clearly on Sunday I did.  My strength has always laid within my ability to run.  Now that I am trying harder and harder to swim and bike with the big girls, I'm realizing just how different/difficult running becomes when you are really stretching yourself to your physiological limits.  That said, I am still a good runner in the sport, and after having a solid, consistent run on Sunday, now I'm really to go to the edge my next time out.

It's a scary thing, to someone who is very accustomed to the physical feelings of a open road race, to start a race of the same distance feeling less than fresh.  To say it's a different sport is an exaggeration, but it certainly takes a different approach.  If I had to sum it up, road running to me is mechanical and mathematical, with a heaping dose of guts & courage at the end.  Triathlon running is a waiting game, an art, an act of faith with your dose of guts coming about half way through the run.  Very different.

Step five: 'Don't you know that the time has arrived'
Final time: 4:38:39
4th place Female, 1st place non-elite and W30-34.

I looked at my watch at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd km splits.  Then I stopped.  I checked it again at roughly the half way point (10km), at about 41 min, which was just fine with me, and I never looked at my watch until about the 18 km point, and although I had a hard time computing km splits, I do believe I was around 1:30.  Math is tricky when you are also considering peeing your pants at the same time.  So, I just left that to chance.  Left what to chance you ask? Ha.

I knew I was in fourth, I knew no female without a tremendous Usain Bolt like sprint was near, and I knew I was getting tired & just needed to get to the finish line.  I have to now plug that I (and others) had TREMENDOUS support out there on the race - it seemed people where in each and every one of our corners and I can't express how wonderful and how much of an advantage that is.  Guys in the finish chute with me commented on how great my fans where - I couldn't agree more.

I finished, stunned as usual, and I stopped my watch.  4:38:39.  That really didn't sink in until much later in the day, when I realized what a great time that was.  I had left time expectations to the back of my mind seeing that although I was feeling good and ready to work hard, I had been sick for about a week, 2 weeks prior to the race.  It happens.  What it really meant was that I got more rest, and a little bit less training, so I don't think it affected me at all - psychologically though, I was worried I wasn't ready to handle pain.  But that punch to the face was really truly key.  When I could laugh about that, I knew I was ready to race.

Everyone says the course is beautiful and the volunteers are great - it's all true.  This really is a great event, and to be able to sleep in my own bed, eat at home, ride my wicked Nishiki past the tortoise & the hares and drag my butt 3kms back to my house (actually more like the floor, where I had the most delightful tuna sandwich there ever has been), is just the best any girl could ask for.

Now it's break time before the last push toward IMC.  Very exciting.  I just got the wonderful opportunity to ride the Axel Merckx Penticton Gran Fondo this weekend while we're up in Penticton, so that will be quite a treat - a nice relaxed, 160km ride.  No really!  A fully supported ride is such a treat, and that doesn't happen often.  And, should I get a glimpse of Trevor Linden that wouldn't be so bad either.

So rest & relax, staying out of the shade and enjoying easy swims, rides and runs is the theme of the week.  I'm very excited to be a spectator at a "My first triathlon" where many of my friends are participating - it's so inspiring to see them all tackle the challenge.  I hope they have fun - in the end, it may not be all that matters, but it's so important.  No matter how good you are.

To all of you working hard out there - keep up the great work!  Enjoy the sun, but protect yourself & be smart - I don't think there are many excuses for sunburns anymore.  Or just do what I do - the number one sun protection?  The nap.

Enjoy summer - we've certainly deserve it!

no more arm warmers! yahoo!

Victoria Sprint Triathlon - Race Report

Rest day is always a good day to catch up on a report, and quite exciting for all is that super photographer Shawn was at the race this weekend with his trusty camera - and I get to do a photo essay race report!  How exciting :)

1.  We slept in our super van at a super lake.  A very convenient unnamed lake.  Look how excited I am to race my very first sprint!

2.  Start of the Sprint Swim. This picture is awesome because one guy is actually going the wrong way.  I wonder how his day turned out.  I realized minutes before the start of the race that this swim had 200-ish people going 150m and then turning right.  Ha!  At one point I found myself launched up onto a very nice man who thought it was as funny as I thought it was that he was going to piggy back me around the first bouy.  Thanks nice guy!  Sprint swim = awesome!

3.  The swim exit.  Usually I try to swim all the way up until my nose hits the sand (or close) but these girls were playing a pretty awesome underwater Battlestar Galatica - so I pulled up early and did some awkward water running.  I should really try to smile for the camera one of these times because this really was one of the more fun, chaotic, swim survival manoeuvres I have ever pulled off!

4.  I love this photo.  For anyone who knows anything about my T1 times, they'll know I like to take about 4-6 minutes getting my butt in gear.  So in an attempt to get competitive, I've upped my game.  I think I got out in under 2 minutes and I'm pretty darn proud.  This photo should be in the National Geographic feature on triathletes, wild, in their habitat.

But instead of David Attenborough announcing, it was the lovely Steve King.


5.  The bike course was lovely and I really enjoyed blasting through it with little consequence.  I only had to run 5km!  So, pedal power!  My hands were almost warm enough to shift gears (what a treat!) and I even felt somewhat yearning to continue on to the 1/2 Ironman course and not turn off for the sprint (but that would be silly) so off I went to the finish.  This photo is two fold.  Firstly, it is public shaming of myself for being too chicken to take my feet out of my shoes while nearing the dismount line.  I feel like if I put it out there, I better not do it again.  It makes running so awkward.  Secondly, and more humourously, what I want to know is what is this guy looking at?  Perhaps my decoy German tri shorts has him all befuddled.

6.  Triathletes in the wild Part II.  The native triathlete returns to their habitat, a cold and unlikely place to store their valuable trinkets they have acquired over the winter months.  They shed their protective shells and don new toys with stretchy laces.  Look, as the spectators do, in amazement of the rare triathlete at home.

 This show, narrated by the lovely Steve King, told me & many others that I was in 2nd place - wow - a surprise to me!  Shawn also gave me the information that I was at least 2 minutes back of the first place woman, and, as I was running down out to the trail, he told me the 3rd place woman had just come into transition.  So, a little more stuff to think about rather than just get my legs moving, so, that was a nice little challenge.  Knowing who was in 1st place was a bit of a kicker because I was sure she wasn't a slow runner, and I'd just have to figure out the damage at the turnaround point.  The gap was sizeable, albeit shrinking, and I just told myself to keep working hard and not to let up as this was only a 5km and I had better do it in under 20 minutes.  I did.

7.  Now, the fun part was on.  Before this race started, there was conversation between me and my friend Joerg.  We were both doing the sprint.  We both have our talents and they are both in different arenas.  So, the challenge was obviously on, and it was a challenge to Joerg to get a big of a gap as possible so I couldn't catch him on the run.  Too bad Joerg.  At about 150m to go, I hit the sprint button (fitting, because this is a sprint) and ran him down.  I won by 2 seconds.  Now, just wait for the sequel, which will be coming in the Vancouver 1/2 Ironman.  Joerg is back & I'm sure looking for revenge.

8.  My last post was entitled, "4th race, 5th place".  Now I could title this "5th race, 2nd place" but then the next post I'd be in the minuses and that is neither possible nor encouraging, but I can say I did finish in 2nd place, and won my age group.  Not bad for my first Sprint distance triathlon!  Coming in under 70 minutes was the goal, and that was definitely accomplished.  I really paid no attention to the running clock until I crossed the finish line, so that was a nice surprise.  And within 10 minutes of rest, I felt like I could do it all over again - what a difference from what you feel like after a 1/2 or full Ironman.  No wonder so many people like short course triathlon!

And that's that.  A story in pictures.  This was a great race and a really fun way for me to try a sprint triathlon.  Now it's back to the long stuff - and that is exciting too - doing a shorter race faster makes you want to do the longer race faster too.  How do you know how fast you'll go until you try it?

In my ever evolving thoughts on triathlon, two new features have seemingly become paramount.  First, you need to be good at getting your body to adapt and change to the newest demand put upon it, whether that is in training or in racing.  Second, you also need to have some type of short term amnesia, to trick your body into doing a whole new sport all over again, and this applies to training and racing also.  "What, no, I didn't just swim in a thrashing pirhana tank.....I'm just going for a bike ride......What, no, I'm just going for a run, but I have no idea why my legs feel like the Pokey and Gumby figurines".

It's been pointed out to me on several occasions by the people I love that at times, I'm called "unobservant".  Like when I didn't notice we had a new somewhat large flat screen TV.  Or, perhaps the time I didn't notice we had a new car (granted, it was the same colour as the old one....).

So, perhaps it has always been in my DNA to be a triathlete.  Time will tell.

Next stop.  Vancouver 1/2 Ironman.

Let's go Vancouver girls & boys.  It's our turf (and surf).  And anyone who rides in Vancouver owns the UBC hill.

Crush it kids :)  Happy training everyone!

4th race, 5th place

Let the games begin!

Last Sunday was my first triathlon of the season at Shawnigan Lake 1/2 Ironman.  Great races are a pretty wicked way to start your racing season.  Especially when it's your 4th one.  Now, mind you, even though it's the 4th, I've only picked long ones, so to be fair, I've had a good amount of race time for only 4 races.

My history of triathlon is short.  And it goes like this:

#1 - "Triathlons are fun"
2009: Oosoyos 1/2 Ironman: 5:56:58
33rd place (F), 5th in my AG
My swim was 51 min, including panic attack, plus, off course swimming and a chat with the kayak guy.  "Do you want to finish the race"....uh, yes please.  I now know this time was on the slow side.  I came 97th out of the water, of, 104 women.  But as they always do for me, things got better and I ran it into a sub 6.

#2 - "Swimming can be scary"
2010: Oliver 1/2 Ironman: 5:21:19
38th place, 9th in my AG (to be fair, a more competitive race, despite my 35 min PR)
Swim was 45 min.  But this included a fairly lengthy cold water panic attack, 50m of breaststroke, and about 750 of backstroke.  This really makes you take a beating in the energy department, but, if you go with the concept that moving forward is good, you'll get there.

IMC 2010: just delightful (photo credit to JH)

#3 - "Ignorance is bliss"
2010: Ironman Canada: 10:58:13
I believe top 50 F (including 16 pros), and 10th in my AG.
It was great.  Point to point.  I loved it and during the run I got sad because I didn't want it to end.  A blissful 1:17:17 swim, and it just got better from there.  On that day, ignorance really was bliss.  I had no idea what to expect and I got everything I ever wanted.


Finally...
#4 - "Cut to the chase"
2011: Shawnigan Lake 1/2 Ironman: 4:57:38
5th place, 2nd in my AG (only a 24 min PB, rats)
Now, the game has changed.  I swam a 34 min something.  Remember, I swam 51 not so long ago.  Non-swimmers take heed.  Anything is possible.  I'm not going to be the fastest swimmer, but, I have a feeling I'm going to become one of the best chasers.  Some people are fishy swimmers, rockets on bikes, stars in transition, my secret weapon is going to become the chase.  Be afraid, I'm-ma comin' to getcha.

So that's the long and short of it.  4th race, 5th place.

Ok, to the race report.....

Shawnigan 1/2 bulleted Race Report (because the Canucks are playing and this is intermission):

-Yes, this was a cold swim.  My best advice to others is buy a neoprene cap and strap that sucker on (they allowed gloves and booties - who knew??? not me, or else the only skin you would have seen on me would be my chin)

-This was a cold swim, but it wasn't uncomfortable (when your hands are numb they're not painful, they're just numb).

-I got the feeling back in my hands by the 2nd lap of the bike.  That's not too shabby.  Feet came back about the 3rd.  No worries there, as that's great timing for a nice 4th lap and a trip to transition.

-I biked harder than I had in previous races, not really knowing how it would feel - it felt pretty good actually - I'm going to try that again.

-The run.  Ouch.  That's what you get for not running for a month.  Ok, lies, I ran, but not very much, and I didn't really like it.  A marathon on May 1st took a meat tenderizer to my legs and didn't let up, for what seemed like an eternity.  I was told speed wouldn't be there.

Well, that was certainly true.

In the second half of the run, sufferfest began, things got ugly, and then a little uglier.  However, going
back to great depth of triathlon experience, one thing always holds true, 'going forward is good' - and you just can't quit.  Don't quit.  You might lose time, but you certainly gain some character.

legs.  love hate. loved them then, hated them now.

So, cobwebs dusted off after focusing on running up until May and not doing a triathlon since last August,,  I am getting very excited (finally, not feeling scared!) to race the next race, and the one after that, and on and on.

Victoria, see you in two weeks :)  Vancouver, see you in 4.

And I looked up "chase" just to make sure I was picking the best secret weapon.  Mmmmm, gamey triathletes.  My vegetarian roots just might be in trouble.  I smell spandex.

chase ¹  (chs)

v. chased, chas·ing, chas·es

v.tr.

1. To follow rapidly in order to catch or overtake; pursue: chased the thief.

2. To follow (game) in order to capture or kill; hunt: chase foxes.

3. To seek the favor or company of persistently: chased me until I agreed to a date.

4. To put to flight; drive: chased the dog away.

Crazy?  Maybe.  But I'm having fun.

seriously. this is me having fun :)

arms, legs, lungs

Getting back in shape.  It's tough.  It's so much easier when you're feeling fit and everything is easy.  You don't even think about the mechanics of running b/c it just comes to you - your limbs are pre-programmed and effortless.  You still work hard when you need to, but you have a sharp sense of control.  You've got gears and you can shift.

In the post marathon wasteland, you've got nothing.  Well, I had nothing.  I wrote before about the mental struggles and the downtime I found myself in, whether I liked it or not.  Slowly I began to enjoy exercise again - mostly in the swimming and biking domain.  And, for anyone who knows me, for me to say that swimming was my favourite....woo boy, I was definitely not into running :)

biking.  more fun than running.

It was nice to get outside again, exploring on my bike, very little pressure but set goals for the day, time, speed, whatever it was (making it to Steveston for croissants...Deep Cove for doughnuts...you see the theme?).  Even in the pool, I was happy to lend a little more focus to what I was doing, and all of a sudden, I realized I was improving in the water, but I have been so focused on the marathon that I didn't even notice.  That may be the blessing and downfall of triathlon - your mental energies can only be spent in so many places, but, simultaneously, you can't get too worked up about any one thing because your next workout is usually only a few hours away (if that).  

Now maybe I'm totally off the mark because I really don't consider myself a 'real' triathlete - coming from the outside as a runner, it's been hard to identify as such.  However, I do now feel like I belong on the start line, whereas before I felt like a total fraud.  Man, I was SO stressed about it all.  I was talking to Shawn and joking about how awful it must have been to be around me before my 1/2 Ironman last year (he wasn't around for the 1st 1/2 Ironman, which is just fine, because I was so sick he probably would have locked me in the car).  He confirmed, yes, it was awful, I was stressed, it was not enjoyable.  Lucky for both of us, it got better.

But for 1/2 Ironman #2, everything made me feel awful - tuning up my bike (I was worried it would screw it up - the opposite effect of most tune ups), going into get my race package (they know I'm a phonie!!), going into transition to rack my bike (look at these crazy fast bikes!), making sure I had all these tidbits of gear that I had only vague ideas of what to do with, showing up race morning and looking around at all these totally intimidating looking people, and on and on.....I felt awful.

I never got excited, I was never happy (only when I got out of the wetsuit and onto my bike, did a glimmer of happiness occur - and then true happiness occurred for me on the run), and I was so stressed that I'm sure I did not reward anyone who was being supportive as I could only see down the small black tunnel that lay ahead of me.  And I was no stranger to racing, but all this was totally uncomfortable.  But I'm also a person who believes in getting out of your comfort zone, so I did have a belief, however uncomfortable I was, that I was doing the right thing.  I was just going through some serious growing pains.

Ironman Canada came around and things were very different.  I was more nervous about the physicality of the task, and really only about how to manage effort levels throughout the day.  I was less hung up on gear and procedural tasks - I understood those better now.  I had more energy to put into thinking about how to move my body through 140.6 miles, and more time to remind myself of all my training, my survival of two panic attacks in  two race swims, my ability to complete an absolute hellish training ride from Oosoyos to Keremeos and back (on my Nishiki!), and my consistent toughing it out in the marathon.  I had a mental toughness bank and I was fully prepared to make some withdrawls if needed.

proof of happiness during IMC!

So finally, I could put to rest all the worries and chatter and start reinforcing my belief in myself - finally!  I think when you've been in a sport for a while, you forget how much mental energy 'new' athletes have to spend on everything but the pure basics that move them forward - arms, legs, lungs.  It's really that basic, but not when you're new at this.  Then it's anything but.

Now I'm going back to triathlons.  It's great because although I am now just feeling ready to compete again, I don't think I could be doing it in any other venue except triathlon.  Talk to me about a running race only.  Yuck.  No thanks.  But do a 1/2 marathon during a 1/2 Ironman.  Sure, sounds good.  Triathlon running is very different.  It's a chase, for me at least, and it's fun!  Maybe also because I'm signed up for a few triathlons this year, there is much less pressure on performance and end targets and more focus on learning experiences in each part of the sport, and more so in tying them all together and seeing what happens.  There'll be more pressure perhaps toward the end of the year, but I am a believer that you can only put on so much pressure before your cooker explodes, so you need to use it wisely.  I am just coming off a fairly highly concentrated race in the marathon, so I'm happy to just race and enjoy it.  How novel.

Maybe this is a case of not-yet-got-the-pre-race-gitters, and I always seem to fall into the zone I need before a race, sometimes sooner than others, but I'm not there yet, and I'm pretty happy about it.  I'm so relaxed at this point I keep worrying (see, worry is still here - I'm not immune) I'll forget my helmet or my cycling shoes or something stupid like that.  Running races are quite simplified compared to a tri race.  But they're not as complicated as I originally thought.

So, while I'm digesting oatmeal and chilling with my feet up, I'm building strength and peace in my body for the upcoming race this weekend.  I'm excited to get out there.  The strange thing to me about triathlon is that the last race I did was last August!  That was a long time ago!  Seasonally, triathlon rules where running is a year round standard.  So I'm excited to see the gains I've made in the last 5 months.

I'm even considering getting elastic laces.  So maybe I am a little bit triathlon after all...

Lots of races coming up this weekend so good luck to everyone out there - don't forget to have a little bit of fun along the way - it might just make you go faster :)

this made me go faster & have fun!

the three R's: a reflection, a report and some rest

my only ability to move post race - on a bike

I'm not really sure how to start this report.  I've had a degree of ambivalence about this race since I finished it.  I don't think that's a bad thing.  But I will say that going faster isn't linearly related to happiness.  Happiness does, however, seem to be related to the ability to understand oneself, and that is the process I seem to be going through now.

I've wrote to a few people after the race to try and explain how I felt the race went, and I'm not really sure if I had any success in translating my thoughts.  This was a big goal for me, it's taken a number of weeks and months to prepare for it.  I executed my plan and my goal within seconds over a distance of 42.2km.  I think, to my defence, if I sound a bit blase, I am quite tired from the whole effort.

A year ago I would have thought that a sub 3hr marathon would have brought elation beyond all comprehension to my running career.  Maybe I set my expectations too high.  Maybe, just maybe, I was underestimating myself and my potential to be even faster.  Because at sub 2:55, I can still see how to get faster - and I can see that this isn't the end.  That may sound annoying to a lot of people reading this, but, it's honest.

I am tremendously proud of my race effort and do feel very connected to the sense of work and discipline I put into that race - the process of the thing.  I do get emotional when I think of how overwhelming my friends and family have been in supporting and congratulating me.  It's astounding, and in the case of this particular race, I have really leant upon the messages from others to help keep things in perspective for me.

perfect moments in the marathon

Some race reports read all the brutal details of mishaps, boring pace splits and humoured happenings along the way, with the apex of positivity resulting in the final time.  My race report is somewhat backwards in that sense this time.  For me, this race meant the process, not the final result.

The race itself was beautiful, I hit my splits like a Swiss watch.  It is green and winding, across rivers and along heavily laden support on community roads - it was a treat to run.  I could go on, but it's probably just better that you come to run the course if you want to know more.  Eugene itself is a quaint little college town, that really does honour its runners - and for a new-ish marathon, it is building quite a bit of momentum.  I'm sure this will eventually be on the "to do" list of many long distance runners alike.

truly track town usa

As marathons go, I felt like I was out for an easy jog up to about the 1/2 way point - you always want to go faster but you shouldn't.  With a couple miles being a bit too fast, I easily scaled things back and tried not to get caught up in the 'bank the time' game and switch gears to the 'trust the process' game.  Once I went through the half way point, I attempted to try and sit into a pack of men, hoping they'd run the pace I needed to go at, but after a mile split, sadly, they weren't going fast enough, so I had to do almost all of my running alone, quite literally, in no man's land.

As I often caught onto the back of run packs in the 16+ mile stages, they always seemed to disintegrate, and I moved on (not that I'm complaining - I like passing people).  I know at a point a ways past the 1/2 way mark, a man was counting out #'s.  I was #92.  I finished in 68th, so I definitely picked off some people along the way.  Women in particular, are always the best to pass.  When I was reviewing the race with Carolyn, I came to realize that no woman passed me beyond the turn off to the half marathon race point, and only one lone red-shirted fellow, after I passed him during the final mile, came back with guts like Pre to out kick me on Hayward field, in the final 300 yards of the race.  But he was the only one.  Good stats for him :)

To be hitting your splits mile after mile is a reward in itself.  I can't really even say I looked at anything cumulative either than 10km and 1/2 marathon markers.  I just work split to split and trust that if I get that done, the total running time will fall into place.  At the end of the race, that last 6 miles, I just can't think much about numbers anymore - it just becomes a fight.  So that's what I did.  I am ever grateful for my super-fan Carolyn's support along the course and at this point it became more important than ever.  There was a bit of a lull for me and it happened at mile 23.  It carried into mile 24.  And when I saw my watch creep up for the 2nd mile I knew I had to claw back and put whatever energy I had left into the last two miles.

p-a-i-n

Splits dropped back down but I felt like hell.  I've never had leg pain like I did in this race.  The funny thing is, even though this one was more acutely painful, there really was less fatigue, and I was able to start creating great big fat lies to myself and actually believe them.  Such as the "you LOVE this feeling in your legs", "this pain is just AWESOME".  Lies.  Big fat ones.  But I sort of embraced it and got a kick out of how much they hurt (delirious? possibly, but I had stuck to a great fuel plan).

hydration - a beautiful thing :)

I reached a point in the last 1/2 mile or so that I had nothing left in me to speed up, but I wasn't slowing down, and my body just seemed to mechanically take care of itself and run itself all the way to the line.  As I reached the final bend and saw a low 2:54:something on the clock, I knew I had accomplished my goal.  Seconds at this point were quite secondary.  I had made it.  And then I almost hit the deck after finishing, but those nice ladies really don't let you fall - thank you catcher ladies :)  After that is a blur of chocolate milk and sunshine - you can't ask for anything better.

From that point on, I've just felt a bit stunned about the actual time goal.  I think it's still sinking in - and this is over a week later.  And I think it's a good thing.  Too often I think we finish a race only to start bouncing ideas around about the next one, the next time, the next goal.  Take a little bit of time to think about the thing you've been working on for weeks and months.  Don't discard it and move on.  It is tempting for me just to start focusing on the next thing (and of course I have races lined up, but I'm not yet ready to put the mental energy into them like I did for this one) but I am still sorting this one out.  It will come.  The next step is going to take a lot of work, and I think I just need some peace & quiet to absorb this experience before I move on.

Now the strangest thing is going to be changing gears from running to triathlon.  Even though I've been training all year in all three sports - I am finally going to be going back to racing triathlon after doing my last race at Ironman Canada last August.  That's a long time ago.  It's exciting, but I'm not quite ready to accept that I have to do it yet.  Give me a couple of weeks.  Let me get my wetsuit back on and smell that neoprene smell.  Please mother nature, have a sense of humour and shoot some sun our way for a while.  I'd ask you to turn up the temperature too but I'm pretty sure that would be asking too much.

So I hope to all of you who have had big races in the last couple of weeks, or have big races yet to come, that you enjoy the process as much as I did.  I hope you also get a great recovery after, as I did with the ability to slowly cruise my bike along the spectacular Oregon coast with saltwater taffy and fudge stops along the way.

the taffy

the fudge

Here are some photos trips out and about on the Oregon coast - enjoy :)

florence, OR

sea lion cave!

Heceta Head lighthouse