Ah, hot yoga. For years, it's evaded me. I have done yoga in my past, (as in a decade ago on the other side of the country), but I had not been able to walk in and sign up, even though it has been across the street from me for the last 5 or so years.
Winter comes, and I begrudge my inability to stay warm while running. Yes, I have appropriate clothing. Short runs I can manage, but trying to train for spring marathons in the winter became the (almost) death of me. Some of you may have heard me complain about body temperature before, but if you haven't, my routine body temp, weather it be long run or ride, is often checked in at somewhere around 33-34 degrees Celcius. I thought it was wrong, but after 3 years of taking temps after coming back inside, I'm consistently cold. It also ties in with a consistency of symptoms such as: slurred speech, uncoordinated movements, and some confusion as to what I'm supposed to do next (aka, "stunned bunny" syndrome).
So, I did what any grumpy runner would do a few years ago, and take up swimming in spite of my total lack of skills & affinity for sucking in pool water into my lungs. Although it feels like trading aquatic environment for aquatic environment at first, at least the temperature is consistent, and there is both sauna & hot tubs should I just get too cold. So, if you know anything about my recent years in athletics, you'll know that fighting through learning to swim worked out well for me (see this post: http://rundriven.blogspot.ca/2012/09/ironman-canada-2012-race-report-or.html).
I have swimming as a weapon against bone chilling hypothermia inducing Vancouver winter training. But....I like new challenges. And we had a Bikram Yoga 20 pass card. And it's across the street from my house.
I fretted about joining up. I'll fully admit I have a complex about being good at sports. I said I would do it in October. Halloween came and went, I continued to envy those who floated in and out of the yoga studio. But then I was had a major hitch in running. As in, I couldn't do it without a great deal of pain. Did I have a hip stress fracture? Who's to say. They say elite athletes often catastrophize the first stage of injury, so either I had a stress fracture or a sore hip. In either case, the treatment was the same. Stop loading the hip. Stop running. Drastic times call for drastic measures.
I went to my very first hot yoga. I read through the postures (I certainly didn't attempt them), I read through what you needed, what might happen, why you shouldn't leave even if every fibre of your being in is escape mode, and what not to eat before you go. I had great fears of doing things wrong, getting singled out, making other people annoyed. So, I packed up my mat, a few towels & water bottles, and donned my only pair of spandex shorts (circa 2002? - 'spandex' literally loosely defined as I had a different body type playing varsity soccer - about 20-25lbs more muscle) and least destroyed sports bra.
I'll tell you about my first visit, and then my general impressions after being a seasoned veteran of 5 sessions completed to date.
I walked in, I think totally overwhelmed to the point I didn't even smell the stink that is the studio, just wanting to find a place for my mat. Phew, accomplished, up at the front, between two ladies going some super intense staring at themselves in the mirror, but whatever, I'm quite over mirrors so they can have at it. Some people actually look dead, they are just lying there and I can't see them breathing. No body talks to each other. I'm blissfully warm and about to exercise so I could care less about the fact Mr. Headband at the back is currently attempting to dislocate his hip.
The teacher comes in, and then asks who is new. Nightmare #1: being singled out. Boom. She reads everyone's names. She finally comes to my name, I put up my hand (this is like the first day of that camp you didn't want to go to), and she says 'Welcome' and then continues to tell me I'm really in the wrong spot (up at the front in the only space I could find - so really how was that wrong?), and would someone change with me (so I could be in the 2nd row to see others). Slightly annoyed very skinny blond (and therefore bendy - I think that's key to their success - no muscles to get in the way) reluctantly nods and moves her mat forward. (Note: she looks annoyed all class. Note #2: I see her again in class later and she always looks that way). As she and I switch, the teacher (or I maybe might call her the 'boss of you'), states "we'll just all wait while GILLIAN switches places"....."no rush" (which always means hurry up). My only saving grace is that my face (and most others) are already red hot and no one can see my embarrassment. And yes, I'm embarrassed by simple things, but I had really hyped myself up before coming into this class about being singled out. And it all happened. Nothing to lose now.
Now, the rest of class is interesting enough, but if you've done it, you know how things go. I managed to do very well for my first class, completing the whole series (like hell I was going to not complete everything in a competitive manner after getting picked on by people who think I'm new and feeble. The one benefit about winning Ironman Canada, is that multiple times in my life (and many different scenarios), I just harden my resolve to do anything by saying "I won Ironman. Of course I can do this", and, superpowers appear.
What I really want to get across to you, is what constantly entertains me (in my 5 visits) to Bikram Yoga. I think you're supposed to be more inner peace-y and more tuned into yourself. No way, I am looking at YOU, and you, and you. I am that person. Now, in no way am I trying to compete with the very well written and humorous, "Yoga Mat for Sale. Used Once." but you may see some of the similarities.
Chronologically, class often goes like this. I'm going to do a point for every degree Celsius I think it is in there.
1. Walk into studio. Sometimes I feel the receptionists smiles are evil. The smiles whisper, "you are screwed".
2. Get changed and sit in hallway with very scantily clad people who suck their stomach in hard enough to crack a nut on. It's pretty obvious. I stick my stomach out as a protest.
3. The studio. The smell. It's just bad. It's my soccer bag from university, minus the grass smell.
4. Devise plan when finding space in room. Up by the mirrors is possible, for those who like staring contests with themselves. I now just settle in at the back of the room. Low on the mirrors, high on the entertainment. Hot as all get out.
5. Look at some people look like they may have fainted and are sleeping it off. Good luck getting up buddy.
6. Watch those that can bend in spectacular fashion do postures that aren't Bikram related. In general , these people are show offs.
7. Listen to cans crack open. First I think, who drinks beer at hot yoga? Then I realize it's coconut water....of course.
8. There is no talking, but it's unwritten. So the new person talks, and they get a "SSSH" very loudly. They get such a loud "ssh" because these guys do breathing exercises for breakfast.
9. Boss comes in, announces who's new. Makes them put their hands up. I am so happy to never put my hand up again. They tell them just relax and do the best they can during the class. That attitude will change once they get their nama-chakra-yogi headpiece microphone on. "LOCK YOUR KNEES!"
10. The first breathing exercise. Thankfully, a friend, Brendan, warned me about this. I didn't know what was going to happen but he warned me I'd think it's nuts. I do. Thank you Brendan. I think it serves to hypoventilate you so you get dizzy and follow all of the bosses instructions even though under normal circumstances, you wouldn't. Yogi Tricksters.
11. Sweat starts to roll off you at about minute 4. I mean roll, not drip. Ike & Tina 'Rolling like a River' sweat. You become a human fountain. I often look around to notice that many girls haven't dripped a drop. And they have pretty shorts & sports bras, and I'm looking more like Mia Hamm (although, who would complain?). I have more in common with the dude beside me that keeps smelling his armpit than I do with the girls, but I persevere (I will later buy yoga shorts, damned if I'm not in the club).
12. I commonly feel like I'm nanoseconds away from fainting, and somehow hyperventilating myself combats this problem. I watch someone go down, and I feel better about myself. I remain standing.
13. Until the day I actually see the lights go dim and I have to sit down. I'm angry. So I stand back up, I lift my foot up to my costume (what a WORD), and I promptly sit back down. I refuse to lay down, and then look at the man beside me peacefully laying down in savasanah.
14. That man later gets berated for lazily 'sleeping' through class. Sucker.
15. In wind-releasing pose, someone always releases as such. It never gets old.
16. I always get a kick out of the phrase "the shaking is good". It means you're on the verge of failure, really. So, verge of failure is good. Actually, that really sums up the whole class. In a good way. I'm not always sarcastic, you know.
17. Tattoos. I don't have one, and that puts me in the minority. Wonder if I should Sharpie my calf next time. Something with 'peace', 'breathe', 'angel', or swirlies seems to make you better.
18. Speaking of tattoos. I sometimes spot the iconic Ironman Canada tattoo. It then becomes very evident we're in the same stretching circle. As in, we can't. We're just doing this so we don't have to run outside today.
19. You're not supposed to fidget in class. Have an itch, stinging sweat in your eyes, shorts half way up your a.....too bad, it's staying like that 'til the end of class.
20. They tell you to bring water then they won't let you drink it for at least 20 min. I can handle it from a lot of time spent dropping my water and waiting with desert-mouth to get more. But a lot of people in the class can't, as most people have water bottles attached to their hands these days. Reach for it and the boss will see, and ask you to put it down. Desperate looks ensue.
21. The river of sweat soon becomes an actual puddle on your towel/mat. Such that at a certain point in class, whenever you lie down for your 30 seconds of relief from spine cramping exercises, you make that squishy "I just sat in my own diaper" sound. But you don't care. Class can be that difficult.
22. You know you're getting pro at Bikrams when you start to complain that the room is too cold. I'm already there - by class 4 I wondered why I wasn't hotter. This was confirmed by tattooed girl veterans in the longest-shower-line-up-I've-ever-been-in-my-life later. I didn't even care I was standing on a public floor in bare feet. I was just hanging on to the sink counter holding myself up. Based on how often I go to the pool, these girls probably have to worry more about me than I do of them.
23. I realize this is a gold mine for any man wishing to meet a beautiful woman in bare minimum spandex. I also realize that the situation doesn't really work the other way around.
24. For example, I really got a kick out of Mr. Hipster Coconut water, who, wore his (some may call 'budgie smugglers') (but I will call 'booty shorts') pants, who I don't think started the class with hipster Derek Cardigan classes, but somehow ended with them on. What? Where'd you hide those? Oh, never mind. Based on the bare essentials (pun intended) you are allowed to bring in, I know the answer. I'm surprised your banana hammock isn't plaid. And ironic.
25. Bonus: no one is allowed their iphones in the studio. I think I might be the only one who wears a watch. I sometimes wonder if it's contraband.
26. It's chic to wear your towel around your neck like a scarf when you walk in if you are one of the coolest girls. I'm not that attached to my towel. I know what I do to it during class. "Squish".
27. Some bosses like the phrase, "It's supposed to hurt like hell". Now I start questioning whether this was a good replacement for a queried stress fracture.
28. I also get a little internal haha smug grin when they say that, because really, this is nothing in comparison to Ironman. Que the "I won Ironman" ego.
29. A new girl comes in wearing full pants. Oh no. I want to tell her to save herself but we're not allowed to talk. This is part of the rationale I think, so we can't warn anyone.
30. In my first class, which thankfully had a lot of new people (albeit all young very pretty university girls with gorgeous yoga clothes - seriously!? they hadn't even tried it yet and they were dressed - I would later put in 3 sessions before I 'earned' my yoga shorts), also had some new people that got up to leave the room. The boss then says "My friend, are you ok? Don't go" (my friend doesn't talk b/c they are on the verge of dropping like a fainting goat), "You should stay and work out your issues" (door opens, slams, person bolts). I don't think calling someone your 'friend' makes them feel better. Again, yogi trickery.
31. One day someone leaves, the instructor follows them out. There's silence and then the instructor yells for some help. Calmly, she returns to class (I should mention we're holding the lunge pose with arms overhead for extra long and I am resenting the girl that probably just fainted and likely smucked her face on the warm cement corridor), and we're all supposed to pretend like that didn't happen. It's like a human sacrifice to the yoga gods. Well, the Bikram gods, anyways.
32. One of my favourite phrases of the instructors is "throat choke". As if it wasn't hard enough already, they often remind us to choke our own throats. Slippery slope yogis, slippery slope.
33. You try holding onto your leg whilst sweating profusely, balance on one leg, extend the other over your head and bring your head to your knee. We're bad ass. We're better than anyone NOT doing yoga right now. Dehydration is kicking in.
34. The you fall over, narrowing missing your coconut water neighbour.
35. Then coconut water guy actually kicks his coconut water over splashing me generously with his precious water. Eff u coconut water man, and p.s. you smell worse than me. I want to take his Derek Cardigan glasses and break them.
36. I wonder if yoga will help me with stress management after all.
37. "Other way, 3rd row blue headband" (note: she doesn't call me 'friend'). I regret wearing a blue headband immediately. But if I don't, my contacts will float OUT of my eyes with all the sweat that runs into them when I turn upside down. I also notice no one else is wearing headbands. Hmm. This is why.
38. As previously alluded to, I am so put off with the smell of the guy beside me. God, guys stink, I should never sit beside guys in class (except that it makes me feel superior in the flexibility department). Then I realize, it's not the guy that stinks. The horror. The truth.
39. At one point my legs are shaking so badly people must think I am totally out of control of my body. Who's to say they're wrong? But I kind of enjoy the thrill of 'verge of failure'.
40. Dehydration leads to a myriad of things, including delusions of grandeur. This is again, I think, the key to success in hot yoga. Fake it 'til you make it, or until you hallucinate that you're totally making it.
41. The final savasanah. As I recall in other classes, this was a reflective and restorative posture, that we spent 5-15 min in (sometimes longer), and practiced absolute stillness. The instructor turns off the lights (and maybe turns down the heat?), mixing fresh air with smelly air and once again reminding me that it smells bad in here. Then there is about 30 seconds of quiet, then people begin rifling for the door. At first I wondered why. Then I found out it's for shower time. See shower comment previously.
42. Line up for shower with huge line of 'fresh' girls. Listen to them ooze on about how hard it was. Seriously, their hair is dry. This is my key indicator. My hair is wetter than when I go swimming. I have a hard time keeping my balance. They are making "like, totally" wild gestures with their hands. I almost fall over putting on underwear and most certainly cannot pull up my pants standing up. I leave with a sense of lightness. I have after all, lost 8 lbs of water weight. The smell is better at the front. I can't wait to go back.
That's it. My summary of my Bikram hot yoga experiences for my 'experienced' status of 5 classes. It may sound like I'm complaining at times, but I'm not. I really like it. I really like the challenge of something new, something that is hard, something that has the element of surprise to it. I may fall over at any minute, I may all of a sudden lock into a sense of stability like a rock. I see the metaphor to it all, but I won't bore you with the philosphy. I think you know it too.
And it's warm. So I'm hypo-hydrated, hyperventilated, but at least I'm not hypothermic. And that was all I asked for. The rest of it is a bonus.
Namaste, my 'friends'.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Powered By Chocolate Milk
I had a super opportunity to do a video filming session for Powered By Chocolate Milk as one of their Ambassadors! Take a look if you haven't seen it already!
Powered By Chocolate Milk - Ambassador Gillian Clayton
A little history on Powered By Chocolate Milk (PBCM) if I haven't caught you up to speed by now. I feel really lucky to have come across such a great organization of happy, positive people! They've chosen ambassadors from all corners of sport and support them like rockstars in their endeavours. It's really neat to see. It's something I like being a part of.
Milk for me is a staple for me. I'd tell you how much milk I drink on a regular basis in training, but you'd think I was lying. So let's just say 'lots'. You could ask my brother for collateral, as I think he can drink as much as me when he wants to. I'm surprised we never teamed up to go into dairy farming. But we're still young, so let's not limit ourselves.
PBCM says it best, and I'm borrowing a cool page from their website (www.poweredbychocolatemilk.com) to get you some info on chocolate milk. It's a no brainer for me, as I have been a milk kid from the early 80's onward and it continues to be an integral part of my recovery (and often, happiness, especially when mixed with chocolate :)
About Chocolate Milk
Why drink chocolate milk as your post sport recovery drink?
Recent studies suggest that drinking chocolate milk 15-30 minutes after vigorous activity can help to speed up recovery and recharge your body, making your next workout better.
Did You Know…
Recent studies show that chocolate milk helps you recover from exhaustive bouts of exercise. Chocolate milk has an ideal balance of protein and carbohydrate, which helps refuel and rebuild tired muscles for the next workout.1
Research shows that a beverage containing both carbohydrate and protein, such as chocolate milk, can be more effective at increasing next-workout performance than a conventional carbohydrate- only sport beverage.1,2,3 Chocolate milk is an excellent source of protein, which is especially important for recovery if you plan to work out again within the next 24 hours. Protein helps enhance recovery by repairing damaged muscle tissue and promoting muscle growth.
During a strenuous workout, your body uses carbohydrate stores, called glycogen, in your muscles for energy. As glycogen becomes depleted, so does your ability to perform at your peak. Chocolate milk, an excellent source of carbohydrates, can help replenish those stores quickly after a workout. The faster these stores are replenished after exercise, ideally within 15-30 minutes, the better you can perform at your next workout.
Chocolate milk can help with hydration. It is 90% water and has a great complement of electrolytes, including potassium and sodium. It has also been shown to be an effective rehydration aid—better than sports drinks—following exercise.4
Chocolate milk is an important source of B vitamins, including niacin and riboflavin, which are necessary to convert food to the energy needed by exercising muscle. Chocolate milk also contains vitamin B12, which helps to keep red blood cells healthy and able to deliver oxygen to tired muscles.
For more information, check out the studies below
- Karp JR, et. al. 2006. Chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery aid. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 16(1): 78-91.
- Williams MB, et. al. 2003. Effects of recovery beverages on glycogen restoration and endurance exercise performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 17(1): 12-19.
- Niles ES, et. al. 2001. Carbohydrate-protein drink improves time to exhaustion after recovery from endurance exercise. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online. 4(1): 45-52.
- Wilkinson SB, et. al. 2007. Consumption of fluid skim milk promotes greater muscle protein accretion after resistance exercise than does consumption of an isonitrogenous and isoenergetic soy-protein beverage. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 85(4):1031-1040.
Do you use chocolate milk for your post-workout recovery and want to talk about it? Contactsocial@poweredbychocolatemilk.com or send us a tweet @pbchocolatemilk for more information.
You can find Powered by Chocolate Milk online at their website, facebook, or twitter! Links are below - go check them out!Online at: Powered By Chocolate Milk
Follow us on Twitter
Like us on Facebook
Thanks Powered By Chocolate Milk for all your support. Can't wait to get skiing this winter so I can up my chocolate milk intake :)
You can find Powered by Chocolate Milk online at their website, facebook, or twitter! Links are below - go check them out!Online at: Powered By Chocolate Milk
Follow us on Twitter
Like us on Facebook
Thanks Powered By Chocolate Milk for all your support. Can't wait to get skiing this winter so I can up my chocolate milk intake :)
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Goodlife Victoria Marathon 2012 Race Report, or, the "I have a good life 2012 rest report"
So, I've been lazy on the writing - but it reflects how I've been going about everything lately - taking my time, finally slowing down. Giving my body & brain a break.
A few things have passed by since I last wrote. Let me touch on the one competitive thing I did - the Goodlife Victoria Marathon on Thanksgiving weekend.
What a day - absolutely perfect weather and great friends to run with. Did I have a perfect race? Nope :) I knew going into this race that psychologically I was on low stock. I had just enough to get me through to a PB, but couldn't reach beyond that, as there was nothing there. No big deal. I ran to my fitness & used whatever I had left over in 'tough girl' stock. That got me to a 2:53:41. 4th place. Juuuuust out of the money. But 3 faster girls were definitely more deserving. Good on those gals. I did receive 3rd place prizing as this race also served as the BC Marathon Championships. Thanks to BC Athletics! It pays to be a member :)
The best thing about the race? I was given a brand new pair of New Balance 1400's. And where did those come from? Ladysport. What a treat! After going through pair # 4 of my 1400s during the tri season, they were looking a bit thrashed and a little....well....let's just say it. Stinky.
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| freshest on top. pair #4 too dirty to be let in living room. |
I love these shoes and wear them into the ground b/c I want to keep wearing them forever (and ever!). So, luckily for me, owner Phil Moore at LadySport came to the rescue in delivering a brand new pair into my hands. And I didn't even have to take the 'normal' shoes laces out of them for elastic tri dork laces. Real laces - what a luxury! A huge thank you to Ladysport for connecting me to New Balance & ensuring my feet will be wrapped up in their favourite outerwear.
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| so fresh and so clean |
So even though I was trying for slightly faster than achieved times on marathon Sunday, my feet where treated to the luxury of springy, fast new shoes. Any runner knows how great that feels. In the same vein, I was able to pop into LadySport as a guest speaker before one of their Monday run clinics after the marathon to say thank you to Ladysport and chat a bit about my experiences over the last year in triathlon - fun!
Mostly I think I told stories about crazy triathlon experiences (ie. Ironman St George), and how things can come good in the end if you stick with it (ie. Ironman Canada), but also to let people know that I think inspiration is most directly sourced from those right around you. I used to be in total shock if someone was a 'pro' and very intimidated, but now I'm realizing that there really is no difference, at least not in the way I thought there was, and that it's nice to see what these people do day to day, in workouts, or in their rest & recreation time. I never thought I would be at this level of athletics, but I always dreamed of getting there.
One of my missions now is to help people bridge the gap - so, if you have questions about moving up in the sporting world, I'm your gal to ask (ah, please no questions about archery or water polo though...). And chances are, you already know what you would need to do to get there, you just need someone to bounce questions off to find about the confidence & psychological gap - which can be the hardest of all, I think.
Back to the newsy catch up. I ran a little ditty of a marathon. And I beat Carl again. Sorry Carl. Oh and Chris. I beat Chris too. What I love about the marathon, Ironman, endurance sports, is that what works out on paper is not an accurate predictor of the outcome. The longer the race, the more variables, and the longer time out there for something to go nut-bar.
In fact, my race went out with me struggling with feeling comfortable at 18km (you cannot be struggling at this point - the body just does not hold out for you), and having to drop off pace and watch the boys run away from me. Insert sad face here. But, I had a race for myself to figure out, so, after about 5km of feeling a bit 'off', I started to come back to form (not really sure what my pace was but I did notice nothing was in the 3:5x market), and start knocking off some girls. All 2 of them. But wait, just wait.....
One of them was a Kenyan.
Add that to the 'things that lift your spirits' list. Especially when you lost your friends and you're hoping your recently sprained ankle that now feels super wobbly is going to stay glued together like the kindergarten popsicle & wood glue project that it is.
So I passed a Kenyan, stayed upright, and then, I found my friends! Woah, wait, that's actually not a great thing (for my friends - who are boys). I saw a very familiar singlet up ahead - grey. Chris. Slowing down but moving forward. Honestly, no lies here, I really like passing guys, so, this was a qualifying pass. Then I saw the most familiar singlet of all - black. Carl. Carl, you'll read this, and enough time has now passed for me to say, as much as I was sad for you that you suffered in the end of the race, I was delighted to pass you in those last kilometres. Now, I wish you hadn't actually been standing, cramp/stretching and actually shouting out something that sounded like maybe it would not be for your children's ears, but, I'll take an ugly 'you got chicked' moment, because in the end, getting chicked is getting chicked.
Plus, I was wearing said "You Got Chicked" singlet & running skirt, and Compressport pink socks. Score one for the girls.
Enough of this. So, that was the marathon, and the icing on the cake of a high I really hadn't come down from yet after Ironman Canada. Plus it was Thanksgiving, & that meant I got to spend time with family & friends, and...eat!
So as I've mentioned previously, I've raced a lot through the year, and a few things have caught up to me. I'm fortunate enough to have a few injuries and fatigue come at the most perfect moment of the year - the off-season. It never fails to amaze me the amount of fatigue athletes can carry through the season, and how long it can take to get back to feeling strong. And I wasn't really even injured (well, I could make a short list...but nothing serious). But I did turn out everything I had to give between my toes (yes, some of them are black) to the hair on my head (I did manage to rip out a chunk attached to an aero helmet), and everything in between in 2012.
I'm perfectly content with my efforts. It's a nice feeling. And I think it's that feeling that has allowed me to finally step back and say, "ok, it's ok to stop". Now the whole point of saying it's ok to finally fully allow myself to stop, I only do because I know I want to come back faster, stronger, and fiercely focused. If I wasn't wanting to come back with great ambitions, I wouldn't worry about disciplining myself now to hold myself back and begin a new building process.
And what has happened since giving my body a break? Everything hurts more. That has been a little scary, for lack of a better word, at first. But it points me down a path of very straightforward explanations and answers. Strength. Stability. Form. Power. Energy. No point in moving forward until I have built a solid platform to move forward from. As tempting as it is to roll on from one race to another in hopes of finding that perfect performance, that perfect moment, I now think it's time to see the perfection in building a stronger body, the perfection in sleep, the perfection in exercising to technique.
That's my upcoming job for the next little while. But in the meantime, no one says you can't drink some chocolate milk and ride your bike in the sunshine. And I did just that - with Powered By Chocolate Milk! And I won't spoil the surprise - you'll just have wait and see what I'm talking about :)
That's all for now. An update, a surprise to come, some reflections on resting. Not bad to sum up October.
All I need now is some snow and a pair of skis.....
Don't forget to turn back your clocks - the one time in the year people actually may get enough sleep! Maybe try turning back your bedtime for a couple of months and see how happy that makes you :)
gillian
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| first triathlon completed. i wouldn't have done it unless my friend Blair had suffered along with me. did the osooyos 1/2 in just under 6 hrs! and was still almost last out of the water :) blair suffered a little longer. |
One of my missions now is to help people bridge the gap - so, if you have questions about moving up in the sporting world, I'm your gal to ask (ah, please no questions about archery or water polo though...). And chances are, you already know what you would need to do to get there, you just need someone to bounce questions off to find about the confidence & psychological gap - which can be the hardest of all, I think.
Back to the newsy catch up. I ran a little ditty of a marathon. And I beat Carl again. Sorry Carl. Oh and Chris. I beat Chris too. What I love about the marathon, Ironman, endurance sports, is that what works out on paper is not an accurate predictor of the outcome. The longer the race, the more variables, and the longer time out there for something to go nut-bar.
In fact, my race went out with me struggling with feeling comfortable at 18km (you cannot be struggling at this point - the body just does not hold out for you), and having to drop off pace and watch the boys run away from me. Insert sad face here. But, I had a race for myself to figure out, so, after about 5km of feeling a bit 'off', I started to come back to form (not really sure what my pace was but I did notice nothing was in the 3:5x market), and start knocking off some girls. All 2 of them. But wait, just wait.....
One of them was a Kenyan.
Add that to the 'things that lift your spirits' list. Especially when you lost your friends and you're hoping your recently sprained ankle that now feels super wobbly is going to stay glued together like the kindergarten popsicle & wood glue project that it is.
So I passed a Kenyan, stayed upright, and then, I found my friends! Woah, wait, that's actually not a great thing (for my friends - who are boys). I saw a very familiar singlet up ahead - grey. Chris. Slowing down but moving forward. Honestly, no lies here, I really like passing guys, so, this was a qualifying pass. Then I saw the most familiar singlet of all - black. Carl. Carl, you'll read this, and enough time has now passed for me to say, as much as I was sad for you that you suffered in the end of the race, I was delighted to pass you in those last kilometres. Now, I wish you hadn't actually been standing, cramp/stretching and actually shouting out something that sounded like maybe it would not be for your children's ears, but, I'll take an ugly 'you got chicked' moment, because in the end, getting chicked is getting chicked.
Plus, I was wearing said "You Got Chicked" singlet & running skirt, and Compressport pink socks. Score one for the girls.
 |
| chicks. dig it. |
Enough of this. So, that was the marathon, and the icing on the cake of a high I really hadn't come down from yet after Ironman Canada. Plus it was Thanksgiving, & that meant I got to spend time with family & friends, and...eat!
So as I've mentioned previously, I've raced a lot through the year, and a few things have caught up to me. I'm fortunate enough to have a few injuries and fatigue come at the most perfect moment of the year - the off-season. It never fails to amaze me the amount of fatigue athletes can carry through the season, and how long it can take to get back to feeling strong. And I wasn't really even injured (well, I could make a short list...but nothing serious). But I did turn out everything I had to give between my toes (yes, some of them are black) to the hair on my head (I did manage to rip out a chunk attached to an aero helmet), and everything in between in 2012.
I'm perfectly content with my efforts. It's a nice feeling. And I think it's that feeling that has allowed me to finally step back and say, "ok, it's ok to stop". Now the whole point of saying it's ok to finally fully allow myself to stop, I only do because I know I want to come back faster, stronger, and fiercely focused. If I wasn't wanting to come back with great ambitions, I wouldn't worry about disciplining myself now to hold myself back and begin a new building process.
And what has happened since giving my body a break? Everything hurts more. That has been a little scary, for lack of a better word, at first. But it points me down a path of very straightforward explanations and answers. Strength. Stability. Form. Power. Energy. No point in moving forward until I have built a solid platform to move forward from. As tempting as it is to roll on from one race to another in hopes of finding that perfect performance, that perfect moment, I now think it's time to see the perfection in building a stronger body, the perfection in sleep, the perfection in exercising to technique.
That's my upcoming job for the next little while. But in the meantime, no one says you can't drink some chocolate milk and ride your bike in the sunshine. And I did just that - with Powered By Chocolate Milk! And I won't spoil the surprise - you'll just have wait and see what I'm talking about :)
That's all for now. An update, a surprise to come, some reflections on resting. Not bad to sum up October.
All I need now is some snow and a pair of skis.....
Don't forget to turn back your clocks - the one time in the year people actually may get enough sleep! Maybe try turning back your bedtime for a couple of months and see how happy that makes you :)
gillian
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Kona Thoughts in a Conch Shell
Well, another Kona in the books. I did some hard core couch spectating yesterday and it's left me more tired than I thought it would. And sore! How can anyone sit around on their butt most of the day? Yeowch!
I have had a few weeks of the written word, and I have still to put up a few bloggo's into the blogosphere, but I feel inspired to write today. And it's pouring rain out too. So a wonderful time to procrastinate a 'jog' in the fog/rain/puddles/wind/grey/muck/leaves/dirt.
It was so interesting for me, to watch the ongoings of the Ironman World Championship all day - these are things you don't get to see when you're in the race. And things you don't really appreciate about the course until you've actually done it - the video footage now makes much more sense than it previously did (yes, I have watched multiple Kona's on the interweb). So it was a treat to watch and armchair spectate - I now have more respect for those that come to watch us compete! And we weren't even in 100F weather (although I would have loved to be.....would trade that for the previously mentioned weather system above).
But these are my own ramblings and likely not super interesting to you. Well, what the heck, I'm going to ramble a bit more anyways. I've not been overly supratentorial lately, likely due to me recovering brain cells over the past 6 weeks. Oh wait, I don't think you can actually get those back. Oh darn.
One of the things that struck me about the women's race (besides the top 5 women being scary tough kick ass women) is that in the top 10 women, a 46 year old with a smile on her face, and a new mom came across the line. For me, this was heartwarming. It means life outside triathlon is possible, it made me feel like there is less of a rush, to surge to the top, to take your time and become better with age and experience. In reflecting on my past year, things went by quickly, and it at times felt like a vice grip having to get better all the time, that only steps forward counted, that steps backward were a waste of time or worse, a fault. At times my year also felt so wonderful that I almost couldn't handle it all too, so, there was a balance. I'd like to think most of the time was spent in the middle ground, which is made up of good solid training without much psychological complication.
Flash forward to yesterday. I am tired from a year of busy and successful racing. I am an athlete who does well regardless of conditions. I do well because I want to. I want to do it because I love it. I define what racing 'well' means for me, you can define it for yourself however you want. I had just raced in the Goodlife Victoria Marathon (race report to come) last weekend and had fun and ran hard, and did well. But the end of the triathlon season still lingered in my mind and my ability to 'race' was compromised. But doing 'well' and 'racing' are really different things. This is all mental. I'll explain.
To get performances out of your body that go above and beyond what you ever thought was capable takes one simple thing. A positive mind. I don't think it is much more complicated than that. To remain positive while you are in a great deal of pain, when you are scared, when you don't know what to do. So, a positive mind (yes, this needs to be trained, no, it's not a genetic hand-me-down) is your platform, really it is the equivalent to the body you have been training all these months. I would say even more important that your nuts and bolts.
Now what you probably think I'm going to write is that I had a semi-positive mind, and then I wasn't quite confident in myself to get up there and run with the top girls. Nope. Guess again. I was quietly confident and positive with myself. I had a race plan and had to readjust part way through, but didn't panic. I missed my goal time by minutes but didn't really mind, I did well given the conditions. And I was happy with it all. It still felt like I won the race coming across the line, and I think that speaks volumes to how much my win at Ironman Canada has affected me - it is becoming more and more firmly lodged in my brain as part of my psyche (It probably helps that Steve King was the announcer for the Goodlife Victoria Marathon!). It is becoming quite a powerful weapon in my psychological toolkit. That is quite cool.
So how does this tie into watching yesterday's race? I knew in last week's marathon that I only had my physiological strength to go on. I have given all I had to give for this year's intense efforts, I don't think there are easy words to put to it, but that mental 'thing' is taking a rest in me. Watching these women gut it out on the pavement of the race, that 'thing' for them is well and lively and completely intact, regardless of whether they've come 1st or 10th. It was amazing to watch. Sure physiologically they are very impressive creatures, but they are roughly the same (maybe apart from leg length - wowza) - it is the brain that separates them. So you have to bring that 'thing' to the race, and it is your responsibility to get that 'thing' to the line, and that is where I see the greatest challenge of all in Ironman, keeping the balance that gets you to be your 'best' when it counts.
For me personally, I think it is easy to get sucked up in a rush of success. It feels good to win, and I think it is very easy to get pulled away from what you 'need' in development to what you (or others) 'want' in development. So in looking at someone like the men's winner, Pete Jacobs, who declared 8 years prior that he would win the World Championship, I'm willing to bet he's put a pretty good plan in place to get what he 'needed', and not always what he 'wanted'. I think similar reports have come out from the famous Brett Sutton, to get his olympic champion athlete to stick to the plan regardless of desire or distaste. But you all know this already - so my point being, it is hard to say 'no' to the flash of being at the top when you have the chance to be there.
I will openly admit that I have fears in stating that I just want to train. I want to improve, and not let racing and that culture of winning, get in my way. I think it is a bit of a red herring, to worry about racing and winning or losing too much, and I think this is something that many, many people are guilty of. I think this holds a lot of people back in their dreams and goals. But racing and winning is so paramount in the culture of athletics, I think, to a fault. This might seem somewhat ironic considering all the praise I've given to the winners of the race, but it's not a black and white issue. Everyone will find their own way through life, but as you may remember from high school, times can be tough when making your own decisions.
I won a big race, and 6 weeks later, I'm still feeling like I am winning the same race as I cross a finish line. And there are even 'bigger' races than the one I won. So I'm wondering if something is lost in the shuffle if you just bang out a race and move onto the next, without fulling appreciating what you've done? And you don't have to win either, because I think people will bang out a crappy race only to try to forget about it and move onto the next. Big mistake in my mind, but that's just me. I think people need to spend more time appreciating what they do instead of just 'doing it' and hurrying along to the next thing. You are spending SO much of your life and resources into training for this one thing and then you whisk it away for the good or the bad too soon? I think life is too short for that.
So if you have just raced Kona, a race that many people dream of racing, my stern advice to you is to really think about the day you had, to appreciate it for everything that it gave you, and you gave to it. Being one who has raced at this race, I know the extent of your life's resources that are invested in such a thing. Be true to yourself and those around you and honestly evaluate what this experience has meant to you. Take your time. Let it sink in. It has surprised me how long things take to come to the surface.
For me, looking down a road where I feel I have potential, I am heartened to see that I can formulate a plan where life exists with flexibility and balance, that it is those that truly stick to their guns that come out on top. That you can do it your way, and make your dream come true. I don't think this is the same in all sports, and I feel very lucky to be part of a sport where I have freedom to be me. It is exciting.
Those are my Kona thoughts in a conch shell. Did I miss being there? Yes, absolutely, was it the right time for me to be there. No, absolutely not. Unless it was a papaya eating championship :)
So, now it's time to run. In the cold, wet, purposelessly and as slowly as my brain or body needs to. I will admit it is a bit odd not to have a target on the wall right now, but I think it is ever important to be in a new space to become a better athlete.
Happy training, and if you're in Vancouver, I feel your soggy laundry piled up pain :)
xo
g
I have had a few weeks of the written word, and I have still to put up a few bloggo's into the blogosphere, but I feel inspired to write today. And it's pouring rain out too. So a wonderful time to procrastinate a 'jog' in the fog/rain/puddles/wind/grey/muck/leaves/dirt.
It was so interesting for me, to watch the ongoings of the Ironman World Championship all day - these are things you don't get to see when you're in the race. And things you don't really appreciate about the course until you've actually done it - the video footage now makes much more sense than it previously did (yes, I have watched multiple Kona's on the interweb). So it was a treat to watch and armchair spectate - I now have more respect for those that come to watch us compete! And we weren't even in 100F weather (although I would have loved to be.....would trade that for the previously mentioned weather system above).
But these are my own ramblings and likely not super interesting to you. Well, what the heck, I'm going to ramble a bit more anyways. I've not been overly supratentorial lately, likely due to me recovering brain cells over the past 6 weeks. Oh wait, I don't think you can actually get those back. Oh darn.
One of the things that struck me about the women's race (besides the top 5 women being scary tough kick ass women) is that in the top 10 women, a 46 year old with a smile on her face, and a new mom came across the line. For me, this was heartwarming. It means life outside triathlon is possible, it made me feel like there is less of a rush, to surge to the top, to take your time and become better with age and experience. In reflecting on my past year, things went by quickly, and it at times felt like a vice grip having to get better all the time, that only steps forward counted, that steps backward were a waste of time or worse, a fault. At times my year also felt so wonderful that I almost couldn't handle it all too, so, there was a balance. I'd like to think most of the time was spent in the middle ground, which is made up of good solid training without much psychological complication.
Flash forward to yesterday. I am tired from a year of busy and successful racing. I am an athlete who does well regardless of conditions. I do well because I want to. I want to do it because I love it. I define what racing 'well' means for me, you can define it for yourself however you want. I had just raced in the Goodlife Victoria Marathon (race report to come) last weekend and had fun and ran hard, and did well. But the end of the triathlon season still lingered in my mind and my ability to 'race' was compromised. But doing 'well' and 'racing' are really different things. This is all mental. I'll explain.
To get performances out of your body that go above and beyond what you ever thought was capable takes one simple thing. A positive mind. I don't think it is much more complicated than that. To remain positive while you are in a great deal of pain, when you are scared, when you don't know what to do. So, a positive mind (yes, this needs to be trained, no, it's not a genetic hand-me-down) is your platform, really it is the equivalent to the body you have been training all these months. I would say even more important that your nuts and bolts.
Now what you probably think I'm going to write is that I had a semi-positive mind, and then I wasn't quite confident in myself to get up there and run with the top girls. Nope. Guess again. I was quietly confident and positive with myself. I had a race plan and had to readjust part way through, but didn't panic. I missed my goal time by minutes but didn't really mind, I did well given the conditions. And I was happy with it all. It still felt like I won the race coming across the line, and I think that speaks volumes to how much my win at Ironman Canada has affected me - it is becoming more and more firmly lodged in my brain as part of my psyche (It probably helps that Steve King was the announcer for the Goodlife Victoria Marathon!). It is becoming quite a powerful weapon in my psychological toolkit. That is quite cool.
So how does this tie into watching yesterday's race? I knew in last week's marathon that I only had my physiological strength to go on. I have given all I had to give for this year's intense efforts, I don't think there are easy words to put to it, but that mental 'thing' is taking a rest in me. Watching these women gut it out on the pavement of the race, that 'thing' for them is well and lively and completely intact, regardless of whether they've come 1st or 10th. It was amazing to watch. Sure physiologically they are very impressive creatures, but they are roughly the same (maybe apart from leg length - wowza) - it is the brain that separates them. So you have to bring that 'thing' to the race, and it is your responsibility to get that 'thing' to the line, and that is where I see the greatest challenge of all in Ironman, keeping the balance that gets you to be your 'best' when it counts.
For me personally, I think it is easy to get sucked up in a rush of success. It feels good to win, and I think it is very easy to get pulled away from what you 'need' in development to what you (or others) 'want' in development. So in looking at someone like the men's winner, Pete Jacobs, who declared 8 years prior that he would win the World Championship, I'm willing to bet he's put a pretty good plan in place to get what he 'needed', and not always what he 'wanted'. I think similar reports have come out from the famous Brett Sutton, to get his olympic champion athlete to stick to the plan regardless of desire or distaste. But you all know this already - so my point being, it is hard to say 'no' to the flash of being at the top when you have the chance to be there.
I will openly admit that I have fears in stating that I just want to train. I want to improve, and not let racing and that culture of winning, get in my way. I think it is a bit of a red herring, to worry about racing and winning or losing too much, and I think this is something that many, many people are guilty of. I think this holds a lot of people back in their dreams and goals. But racing and winning is so paramount in the culture of athletics, I think, to a fault. This might seem somewhat ironic considering all the praise I've given to the winners of the race, but it's not a black and white issue. Everyone will find their own way through life, but as you may remember from high school, times can be tough when making your own decisions.
I won a big race, and 6 weeks later, I'm still feeling like I am winning the same race as I cross a finish line. And there are even 'bigger' races than the one I won. So I'm wondering if something is lost in the shuffle if you just bang out a race and move onto the next, without fulling appreciating what you've done? And you don't have to win either, because I think people will bang out a crappy race only to try to forget about it and move onto the next. Big mistake in my mind, but that's just me. I think people need to spend more time appreciating what they do instead of just 'doing it' and hurrying along to the next thing. You are spending SO much of your life and resources into training for this one thing and then you whisk it away for the good or the bad too soon? I think life is too short for that.
So if you have just raced Kona, a race that many people dream of racing, my stern advice to you is to really think about the day you had, to appreciate it for everything that it gave you, and you gave to it. Being one who has raced at this race, I know the extent of your life's resources that are invested in such a thing. Be true to yourself and those around you and honestly evaluate what this experience has meant to you. Take your time. Let it sink in. It has surprised me how long things take to come to the surface.
For me, looking down a road where I feel I have potential, I am heartened to see that I can formulate a plan where life exists with flexibility and balance, that it is those that truly stick to their guns that come out on top. That you can do it your way, and make your dream come true. I don't think this is the same in all sports, and I feel very lucky to be part of a sport where I have freedom to be me. It is exciting.
Those are my Kona thoughts in a conch shell. Did I miss being there? Yes, absolutely, was it the right time for me to be there. No, absolutely not. Unless it was a papaya eating championship :)
So, now it's time to run. In the cold, wet, purposelessly and as slowly as my brain or body needs to. I will admit it is a bit odd not to have a target on the wall right now, but I think it is ever important to be in a new space to become a better athlete.
Happy training, and if you're in Vancouver, I feel your soggy laundry piled up pain :)
xo
g
Friday, September 14, 2012
The RBC Whistler Gran Fondo, or, "Chicked on a bike"
What a day!
I was lucky enough to participate in the Royal Bank of Canada's Whistler Gran Fondo this past Saturday! A huge thank you to RBC for making this possible! As I've mentioned before, good things come in 3's, and this was the year's 3rd running of the "big bike". So, I wanted to highlight my 3 favourite things about this year's event.
Prima Luce
It's not a race. It's an event. I was so happy about this. I've had my fair share of racing this summer and it does, undoubtably, take it's toll on your psyche. Your psyche affects your physiology, and mine was in definite need of rest time. But that's not to say that a girl can't hop on her bike (yes, tri bike, sorry roadies but I was too lazy to switch my pedals & saddle over to the roadster) and ride to Whistler for fun!
I have never ridden my bike up to Whistler because I think there is a high degree of risk riding on those roads, and as beautiful as it is, I have decided against biking to Whistler. So given the opportunity to ride on a protected course up to Whistler on a sunny Saturday was a dream event! After racing at Ironman Canada, I was ready to just ride.
I love the start of these events - go to any other 'race' and someone is always going fast from the gun, cannon, bull horn, you name it. In these events, the de rigueur is to nice out comfortably & at a friendly pace - what a nice way to start :) Now, that sort of flies out the window once cyclists triple jacked on caffiene all hit the Upper Levels and start mash hammering & passing from both left and right sides, but, until that point it's lovely. You cycle over the Lions' Gate bridge with the sun rising and mountains ahead of you and life just seems like a dream. It had to have been one of the best mornings I've spent outside all year. Simply fantastic.
Being a ride and not a race, it's likely the only event where I'll cycle behind Simon Whitfield. So, again, if that doesn't sell you on doing this ride, what will? (Editors note: I cycled behind him until Furry Creek Hill, then I promptly lost touch :)
Doppio Puntare
This is a great event for anyone to do. If the 122km scares you, it shouldn't. If the mass starts spook you a bit, fair game - but there is plenty of opportunity to start at the back and take your time, and work your way through (and you get a great draft!). All you need is a bike that works, or works most of the time (there were lots of riders participating as Tech Support on course - as there were for Medical as well - props to the organizers for having riders in touch on the course!). And of course, should you need it, there were plenty of ambulancias out on course as well. Thanks guys!
There are beautiful aid stations with clean (yes, clean!) portapotties (a friend of mine even got an award for 'pee of the day' - which he did in a portapotty - but received a free cycling cap for his efforts - awesome!). I even got off my bike to pee, which was a total luxury (for me and others near me) so too bad I missed out on the 'prizing'. The aid stations are beautiful - full of fruit and Honey Stinger WAFFLES and all things sugary and good. I found myself hungry at aid station #2 and delightfully pulled over and stocked up on yummy treats - then ate said yummy treats whilst enjoying the view - things I don't get to do in an Ironman event. I was a very happy girl!
But back to my point - you can do this event. The organizers make it possible. This is not a hard core die hard hammer til you drop or die event. This is civilized. This is pleasant. To me, this event was truly luxurious in it's layout. So, is it worth the cost of $200 odd dollars for a little bike ride? I'd say it's a must do event one time in your life, and most certainly you'll forget about the cost once you've participated and enjoyed your life to the fullest that day. No price point on that, I don't think.
Terza volta e un fascino
I got to wear this...
Bicicletta, l'amore!
I was lucky enough to participate in the Royal Bank of Canada's Whistler Gran Fondo this past Saturday! A huge thank you to RBC for making this possible! As I've mentioned before, good things come in 3's, and this was the year's 3rd running of the "big bike". So, I wanted to highlight my 3 favourite things about this year's event.
Prima Luce
It's not a race. It's an event. I was so happy about this. I've had my fair share of racing this summer and it does, undoubtably, take it's toll on your psyche. Your psyche affects your physiology, and mine was in definite need of rest time. But that's not to say that a girl can't hop on her bike (yes, tri bike, sorry roadies but I was too lazy to switch my pedals & saddle over to the roadster) and ride to Whistler for fun!
I have never ridden my bike up to Whistler because I think there is a high degree of risk riding on those roads, and as beautiful as it is, I have decided against biking to Whistler. So given the opportunity to ride on a protected course up to Whistler on a sunny Saturday was a dream event! After racing at Ironman Canada, I was ready to just ride.
I love the start of these events - go to any other 'race' and someone is always going fast from the gun, cannon, bull horn, you name it. In these events, the de rigueur is to nice out comfortably & at a friendly pace - what a nice way to start :) Now, that sort of flies out the window once cyclists triple jacked on caffiene all hit the Upper Levels and start mash hammering & passing from both left and right sides, but, until that point it's lovely. You cycle over the Lions' Gate bridge with the sun rising and mountains ahead of you and life just seems like a dream. It had to have been one of the best mornings I've spent outside all year. Simply fantastic.
Being a ride and not a race, it's likely the only event where I'll cycle behind Simon Whitfield. So, again, if that doesn't sell you on doing this ride, what will? (Editors note: I cycled behind him until Furry Creek Hill, then I promptly lost touch :)
Doppio Puntare
This is a great event for anyone to do. If the 122km scares you, it shouldn't. If the mass starts spook you a bit, fair game - but there is plenty of opportunity to start at the back and take your time, and work your way through (and you get a great draft!). All you need is a bike that works, or works most of the time (there were lots of riders participating as Tech Support on course - as there were for Medical as well - props to the organizers for having riders in touch on the course!). And of course, should you need it, there were plenty of ambulancias out on course as well. Thanks guys!
There are beautiful aid stations with clean (yes, clean!) portapotties (a friend of mine even got an award for 'pee of the day' - which he did in a portapotty - but received a free cycling cap for his efforts - awesome!). I even got off my bike to pee, which was a total luxury (for me and others near me) so too bad I missed out on the 'prizing'. The aid stations are beautiful - full of fruit and Honey Stinger WAFFLES and all things sugary and good. I found myself hungry at aid station #2 and delightfully pulled over and stocked up on yummy treats - then ate said yummy treats whilst enjoying the view - things I don't get to do in an Ironman event. I was a very happy girl!
But back to my point - you can do this event. The organizers make it possible. This is not a hard core die hard hammer til you drop or die event. This is civilized. This is pleasant. To me, this event was truly luxurious in it's layout. So, is it worth the cost of $200 odd dollars for a little bike ride? I'd say it's a must do event one time in your life, and most certainly you'll forget about the cost once you've participated and enjoyed your life to the fullest that day. No price point on that, I don't think.
Terza volta e un fascino
I got to wear this...
You Just Got Chicked, one of my lovely sponsors, as released a sweet cycling kit that I was lucky enough to get my hands on for the RBC Whistler Gran Fondo! What a treat! I've been able to bust out my You Just Got Chicked gear for running and tri events, but not yet for cycling, so I was super excited to get this gear on and get my tuckus in motion and pass some boys out there.
It never fails! "AH, I just got chicked AGAIN" - it's my favourite phrase to hear as I smile and slice past boys on course. It's a great way to make riding fun (for more than just the rider, I swear - I'm pretty sure the guys love it). In fact, "I LOVE being chicked" was another hilarity someone shouted out as I zipped past. I also have to say, some guys say nothing, and that is pretty satisfying too :)
So ladies - I really think you should call up the Chicked girls and order this kit! The more Chicked girls out there the better - and what wouldn't be sweeter than a pace line of You Just Got Chicked cycling kits?? Um, nothing :)
Happy riding everyone - fall is coming - although luckily in Vancouver we appear to be getting a second shot at summer - just with a crisp morning and evening - not too shabby! Enjoy the outdoor rides before indoor training season is upon us.
Bicicletta, l'amore!
Friday, September 7, 2012
Ironman Canada 2012 Race Report, or "Falling from Cloud 9"
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| David McColm Photography |
Ironman Canada 2012 Race Report
What I am supposed to say?
I'm incredibly happy. I'm still taking it all in. I've been waking up each day and at some point in the morning, realizing I won Ironman Canada. Woah...
Suffice to say, I think I'm still in shock over it all. I've actually been quite overwhelmed with the attention and the outpouring of positivity and support and all the kind words. It's a lot, all at once, and certainly more than I ever imagined it would be.
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All I ever imagined, in my visualization before the race, was how to get to the finish line first. After that, my thought process had stopped. So this is all new territory to me.
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And yes, I just referenced Katy Perry in my report title. When you have a song in your head for 9 hours, it becomes quite near & dear.
Pre-race, or "I'm home":
I'm wonderfully supported by a local resident, Ann, in Penticton. I've been able to stay with her for the last 3 years, for my first Ironman, my 2nd IMC and successful attempt to get to Kona, and my 3rd as a 1st year professional - and win! So I must thank her for being my perpetual homestay and family friend - it's such a comfort to have a 'home' up there.
I finished up work & drove up with family on Thursday afternoon, and it's always magical to drive over the highway pass and start descending down toward the lake - it shimmers and huge boulders of mountains rise up against it. It is the first time my heart did a big 'ka-thump'. We're here. It's race time.
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| David McColm Photography |
I always do the same pre-race workouts, swim at the same times, bike to the same places, run the same hill near our house. It's a ritual. After travelling a lot this year and racing a whole bunch of new races, I'm so comforted to have familiar routines.
The unfamiliar? Finding a tiny nail lodged in my not flat tire 2 days out from the race. So off to the Bike Barn, a likely pilgrimage for so many triathletes pre-race, but I had never been (I was hoping for a Jeff Symonds "Rhymes with Diamonds" sighting but I didn't see him - oh well :) Maybe he's too rich & famous to work anymore?). They are just another testament to the greatness of the community of Penticton - ready to help, happy and smiling. So, a new tire & tube, and I was a much happier girl - thanks Bike Barn!
So I have a functioning bike. I have a pair of shoes. And those are really the only pieces of triathlon equipment I own. I was very fortunate to borrow a wetsuit for this race from my friend Jill who was super kind to lend me her wetsuit for the race (she took pity on me as I was a bit suspicious of the usefulness of my old (like, OLD) wetsuit that had a certain number of large-ish holes in it). So thank you Jill! And, as always, I am in a timeshare situation with a borrowed helmet from my friend Carolyn, who is the owner of the aero-helmet, but I use it most of the time. So thank you Carolyn, a terrific friend and lover of cats, who did a super job of cheering for me on Sunday! So I have the gear...it really does take a community to raise a child....or to equip a triathlete. Or sponsors :)
The race, or "Full gas"
The swim, or "It was long....right?"
Without a bit by bit bore you to tears breakdown, here are my thoughts in chronological order.
"Holy crap, I'm standing beside Lisa Bentley"......"Oh, she's doing the relay, thank god".
As a group of us girls are chatting, one woman asks "Do we even get a countdown"?....2 seconds later...HORN!
(Me, to myself)
"Swim hard, don't be scared"
"Yes, there is a gap forming and you are behind it. Keep swimming hard, hold on"
"All alone at 1/4 through the race. Ok. Empty your head. Negativity is useless. Keep swimming hard"
"You have arms & legs, use them"
"How far ahead am I from the helicopter overhead?" (signaling age grouper chase pack)
"Hmmm....waves. These don't have a thing on Ironman St George - hahaha!"
"Bacon....I smell bacon"
"Ooh, the buoy is that way"
"This woman in the pink cap is kicking my ass" (age groupers start 15 min back of the pro start - it's Susan Williams, Athens Olympic Bronze medallist...oook then)
"My arms feel like bacon"
"I am done - and that was not a fast swim - this race is going to be tough"
The bike, or "Gabe kicks ass"
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| David McColm Photography |
I have no other option on the bike than to cycle hard from the time I jump on my bike. My bike's name is Gabe, and being on my bike holds a special place in my heart. I also know it's time to thrash myself on this thing, because it is my only option to get back in contention. But I can't panic. I just start flying.
And flying is relative, but I am pushing as hard as I can (everything your coach told you not to do, likely). I actually am breathing incredibly hard, my legs are sort of solid cement things, I'm quite cold (it was cool that morning and I'm not a super warm person), and my helmet is semi-stuck on my hair braid in an awkward way. There is a camera in my face and I don't think I shy away from farmer blowing my nose. Classy. We'll see if that makes the cut.
I pray for no tacks on the road, and once I'm through that section I breathe a sigh of relief. A frozen cold hyperventilating state is not a good state to change a tire. I am expecting more guys to be catching up to me but really, very few appear. A huge change from the massive packs of people that accompanied the ride out to Osoyoos last year. Something that likely interfered with the Carl Hansen vs. Gillian Clayton battle, and caused a crash on his end. Boo. But that's all part of the race. Nothing is exceptional and anything can happen. I think that if you know that, and it doesn't phase you, you are bound for success. (Carl finished a very successful debut IM in 10:04. I did however, thrash his time :) Sorry Carl, but you.got.chicked :)
After that, all I do is work hard, I just pretend like there is no marathon and there is nothing to save. I start catching up to the other pro women by Richter's Pass and breathe a sign of relief. I'm back in this. But there is no time to relax because the gap to the front is huge. Someone shouts 13 min, someone shouts 15. Who knows, it's big, and there are good bikers at the front.
There were a group of kids with Mom out on course (I didn't know them) but they were one of my best cheerers on the bike course. "Way to go, PINK SOCKS" - was their cheer. I am a sucker for kids! I waved and smiled every time I could. There are farmers that come down to the side of the road with their families who watch and wave. It's so great...not to mention the hundreds of crazy fans that are out on the side of the hot hot road screaming and you and cheering you on. It's the best bike course I've ever ridden. Probably always will be.
The rest of the bike is a blur. My job is simple. Eat, drink, hurt legs. I feel as if I might fall off my bike going up around Yellow Lake. Thankfully there is a camera right there filming me dragging my carcass up the hill. It almost feels as if there is nothing between my hip socket and my knee joint, and poignantly pointed out by a man of the side of the road, I needed to "just sit and keep spinning". Perhaps he knew if I stood up at that point I'd fall over and he'd have to deal with me. (See #11 on the '20 types of athletes you'll see at an Ironman race')
Unfortunately for me on the way into town, the cramp brigade starts. I have had minor leg cramps before but nothing too serious. As I'm biking along, I mostly just ignore because I know that when I get off and start running they'll be gone. For sure. All of a sudden I'm in T2 and three of us are in there together - what??
The run, or "Chariots of (my legs are on) fire"
Alrighty, what would a race report be without a little nitty gritty? This run wasn't short on drama.
Steve King announces on us exiting T2 that there places 2nd through 6th are within 4 minutes of each other. First place is more than 18 minutes ahead. This, is exciting.
One mile out. "I feel great". One mile and 1/4 out. "Oh....no". Stopped dead in my tracks. Bent over. Full leg cramp. Complete inability to run. There are 3 girls coming within a minute behind me. There is a camera in my face, if I'm lucky filming these super awkward stretch manoeuvres while I am hoping to release the spasm. I am pretending to be a physio and not an athlete. Nothing is releasing. Girls are coming. I am trying not to freak out.
My heart is sinking. I'm not sure I can even walk. A friend shouts encouragement as he runs by. In my mind, there is no other option than to run on extremely uncomfortable legs. So I get going. It's a shuffle, but it's forward momentum. I just want to race. I just want to be in this. I know who I'm racing, I know the numbers, I just have to get my run back up to speed and then have to react to what needs to be done. 42.2 kilometres gives me time.
I run up Main St - people are crazy cheering for everyone! It is so uplifting - and thankfully, distracting me from my awkward running form. I see my friends & family and it's a real comfort. They're there for me. They are what matters. I am going to do this. All along in my triathlon career, I have always relied on the run. This time, it's my new challenge. I catch up to my friend, Chris, who is so supportive and happy to see me back even though I'm slowly running by him. It was great not to be alone out there in that moment. You're never the best judge of yourself when you are under stress and a reassuring few words were so helpful. Thanks Chris!
Finally by OK park I'm back into a rolling & steady running form. I am in a weird scenario though, where I can run and keep cadence high, but I can't push much with my legs or the flickers of cramps come back. So, momentum needs to be my friend. My form might actually be legal in race walking - but it's coming back to me.
Eventually I'm relaxed on Eastside road. I am into 3rd, with a lead biker in front, and for what seems like endless (maybe 10) kilometres I run exactly the same splits behind Janelle Morrison. She looks fantastic - so great it's scary. I'm not sure how I'm going to do this, but it's the marathon, so you have time to think. And I think it's time to wait this out, to be more patient with myself than I have to be with my competitors, and believe in my legs, and more importantly, believe that I will do whatever it takes to win. And yes, the ice went in my pants. And no, I didn't suck the sponges.
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| 321 Photos by Mark Bates |
At the turnaround, there are 3 of us (1st through 3rd) within maybe 25 metres of each other? Okanagan Falls turnaround point was an exciting place to be on race day! All of a sudden there is a car in front of me. What? Oh, it says 'Lead Female'. This is surreal. And girls were driving it - awesome!
I won't go on to describe searing pain and brutal mental toughness from here on, because from here, everything just became very quiet (not literally - people were cheering like crazy for a chick behind a car!) but in my mind, it was simplified. Time to push. I wasn't scared. I was confident, but it's a hard thing to accept. I'm in 1st place with 21.1kms to go. Usually I get to this point on the run and think, "you're a runner, you can do this", but today I was thinking, "you are a triathlete, and you can do this". It's a small switch, but a powerful one. I've raced in races before where I look at the lead females coming through and they don't look like beautiful runners, but they are going fast and they are winning. So previously as a runner with a triathlon complex, I both judged and was jealous of their position, their abilities. And today I was realizing, it doesn't matter if you're pretty. You're winning.
Pretty doesn't win races.
(Editors note: although pretty doesn't win races, I do think pretty can win hearts :) which I believe I make up for in the outfit department - so a huge thanks to Aquadiva Swimwear and Compressport Canada for the keeping me in outrageous pink and green apparel!)
By the time I got up the slow grade hill and into Penticton city, people started to say, "You're going to WIN an IRONMAN". Woah. That was a scary thought to take in, and I really couldn't. My job is run to the line, but then more and more people, people I know - looked maybe a bit shocked but so happy to see me as the person running behind the 'lead female' Subaru. Did things hurt? Probably, could I pay attention to them? Nope. The crowd is going nuts. I just keep eating ice chips, throwing the odd cola cup generally onto my face and probably not much in my mouth, and running on. I'm reminded to enjoy this, and I'm starting to let a little of that in.
You turn onto Lakeshore Drive. The crowd is deafening. I really like this section of the course, but today, I am in LOVE with it. Everyone is so happy! Kids are high fiving! A smile is starting to come out on my face, and I couldn't stop it even if I wanted to. And through the noise I finally start to hear Steve King's voice. This getting hard even to write!
The last minute is not something that I can really put into words. It is an experience that I will have for my entire life. Some days are hard work, hard luck, hardness of yourself upon yourself. A lot of people have said to me, "it must justify all the hard work". I realized when they said that I had no feelings of satisfaction in that sense. I like the hard work. That is why I do what I do, why I train like I train. I love it. So to me, winning this race was the proverbial icing on the cake. It transcends justification or reward. It goes beyond that, and I don't have a word for it. So you'll have to take my other 'words' for it.
It's simply the best feeling a girl could ask for.
And that's that.
A huge thank you to the people closest to me in my life, because you are the reason I have been able to push my limits way beyond what I thought possible. Life doesn't always go according to plans, and I'm sure glad that I somehow got mixed up in triathlon and have had the support ever since to go out and learn so much about myself I never thought possible.
Thank you for reading this and to all of those who have supported me along the way, big hugs and many thank you's!
What a day.
And a thank you to my sponsors for this race~
Aquadiva Swimwear
Compressport Canada
Pacific Multisport
You Got Chicked
The Massage Therapy Clinic at the UBC Aquatic Centre
The coaches - Jerry & Jeremy
Swim help (I need lots) - Nathan
Wetsuit - Jill
Helmet - The Catlady
Everything else - Shawn
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