Burning off the freeze!

Wow…what a busy day!!  I had planned to run over lunch but it wound up being a day filled with meetings.  I got out of meeting #3 at 12:30 and my stomach was rumbling and only had a short window of time before meeting #4.  On the plus side there were some really exciting things that came out of my meetings and it is going to be a really interesting time at work in the next little bit!

I scrambled from meeting #4 to the dentist where I had an itty bitty filling that had to happen in one of my wisdom teeth.  According to the girls at the front desk a little activity would help the freezing wear off faster.  So…no excuses to get that run in after I got home, right?

I took my drooling, frozen mouth on a 4+ mile run around the neighbourhood.  I managed to start off with some speed in the beginning but there was some serious huffing and puffing near the end.  Wow, why does it feel like the good runs are so few and far between lately?  Oh well, I got it done!  At the end of the run?  Mouth…still frozen..!!  So much for that theory, eh?

Time for bed, then off to the pool tomorrow!  Have a great night all!

An Evening at Home

The wind was really blowing this afternoon.  I was taking a cardboard box to the garbage and it was almost blowing out of my hands!  Needless to say, no bike ride this afternoon!  I thought about maybe going to the gym and doing weights, but ultimately I decided on a quiet night in at home.  My fur ball Finlay will be off to stay with my parents shortly so I really just wanted to hang out with him.  (For those of you wondering, November and December are crazy busy times at work with lots of overtime, so Finlay goes to stay with his grandparents.  To top it off I have a big project starting in January, so busy times ahead as I close out the year!)

So anyhow, I decided to try making a delicious looking mushroom soup that I found here yesterday.  Check out the link for the main recipe, but I did make a few changes.  First off I sliced up some double smoked bacon and rendered it in a soup pot. 

I removed the bacon once it was crispy and the sweated leeks and onions in the bacon fat.  I deglazed the pan with some white wine instead of sherry since I accidently purchased sweet sherry instead of dry.  It wasn’t labelled either way, but it sure tastes sweet…oops!  I removed those from my pot and started cooking up my mushrooms – oysters, shitakes and button.

After adding the leeks and onions back in with the mushrooms I added the broth in the pot, some thyme and let it simmer away for 20 minutes.  While it simmered I figured I’d better taste test my wine…

Luckily the wine passed the test!  Once the soup was done simmering I blended the soup and added in just a touch of cream.  I topped it with a teeny bit of bacon and served it with a spinach salad, plus a piece of fresh ciabatta with a little goat brie on top.  Yum!

Maybe not the healthiest dinner ever, but it sure was tasty!  Hope everyone else has had a great evening!!

Not an evening person…

When it comes to workouts I like to get them done in the morning or over lunch.  There is just something about getting home after work that zaps my motivation for doing a lot of stuff.  Remind me again why I signed up for a swim class at 9 pm??  Last night it just felt so comfortable sitting on the couch and catching up on Sunday’s episode of the Amazing Race.  I finally pried myself off the cushions and went upstairs to change and pack my swim bag.  Finlay followed me upstairs and decided to go to bed.  I may have been a little jealous of my dog…

When I got to the pool I was ready to go though!  It is always motivating to work out with my teammates.  Richelle gave us a lot of drills to work on that would really encourage us to be mindful of our stroke and make us concentrate on keeping our elbows high in the water.  I’m learning something new every swim class which is amazing!

Sadly our Tuesday night outside rides have been cancelled for the remainder of the year.  It just is getting dark way too early these days.  We start indoor training rides later in October.  I’ll probably try to scoot out of work early to see if I can get in a quick ride from my house instead.  Of course that is weather dependent!  We’ve had some crazy wind storms here lately that would make biking not a lot of fun.  Sigh…just another reminder that winter is on its way here!  And to think we had record high temperatures in the 30s last week…  Oh well, that’s Calgary for you!

Melissa’s 10K Road Race – Race Report

Melissa’s Road Race in Banff is becoming somewhat of a tradition for me as this was my third year running the race.  This isn’t an easy race at all but nothing beats the beauty of the course.  I left Calgary a few minutes later than I wanted to, and since they decided to pave part or Highway 1 in Canmore and direct traffic into one lane that meant that I was cutting things really close.  By the time I parked, made a quick pit stop and got to the race site I had 7 minutes before go time.  I quickly checked my bag, saw a few friends and it was go time.

I didn’t have any thoughts of a PR in my head because my run training has been pretty sporadic.  Sure, I’ve been getting my speed work in, but that is about it.  Just to give you an idea of the course, here is the elevation profile:

The beginning of the race was crowded!  I stuck to the edge of the road and tried to run past some of the slower folks as I didn’t want to get stuck behind them.  Before I knew it we were at Tunnel Mountain.  Time to start climbing!  My goal was to run all the way up the mountain.  What I didn’t realize was that the route had changed slightly and we now had to run farther up the mountain than before.  As we turned a corner and I still couldn’t see where the turn around was I may have said some not nice things about the course, but most of the people around me felt the same way!  I saw my teammate James and he was already on the way down the hill and was looking strong!  Finally I hit the turnaround and it was time to head downhill.

Yippee!  Running down the hill was fun and I just let my legs go as fast as they wanted to.  I had expected things to open up by now but the course was still really crowded around me.  I hit the 5K mark in 30:21.

As the course flattened out it also narrowed.  I wound up getting stuck behind some folks that were going just a teeny bit slower than I wanted to go, but because it was so narrow it was too tough to pass them.  One thing about the course change that I did like was that the last half of the course was quite flat.  Previously we’ve run down a very narrow out and back section along Cave and Basin road.  You run down, then on the uphill on the way out it gets really clogged as people stop to walk and there is no way to pass them.  I was really happy about this section being taken out!

There was absolutely no shot of a PR on this day.  My legs were toast near the end.  So much so that I didn’t even have the ability to sprint it in to the finish.  I was blown past by a ton of people as they all sprinted it in and I chugged along.  Final time?  59:16.  That means I did something today that I have never done before in a 10K race.  Negative splits!  And something else that I really like:
Mile 4: 9:37
Mile 5: 9:34
Mile 6: 9:27
Progressively getting faster in the last half of the race.  Not too bad eh?  So while it may not have been a PR I think I executed the race pretty well.

Chip Time: 59:16
Overall 948 out of 2959
433 out of 2002 Females (Wow, there were a lot more women runners out there than men!!)
Women 30-39 179 out of 793

And one other interesting tid bit?  I raced in running shorts for the first time since April 2006!  I think I still like racing in running skirts better though!

Pessimist or Realist…

We’ve had some record high temperatures here these last few days, but here in Calgary we all know what is coming.  I don’t want to be the first one to mention the four letter word…S…N…O…W…  (Seriously though, it has been 30+C these last few days, although that is going to change soon.)

So I’ve been prepping by picking up a new pair of winter boots, but I’m not sure which pair to keep.  I’m leaning towards the one on the left since I feel like I’m missing some skinny jeans or leggings, a big puffy coat and a trip to Vail with some hot celebrity to go with the furry boots.  Any thoughts?

Workouts have been happening this week too, just nothing too much to write about.  A 45 minute run with strides yesterday.  A swim that I had to cut short due to time constraints this morning.  Tomorrow?  A short taper run, then the Melissa’s 10K on Saturday!  Have a great weekend all!

In with the new!

In keeping with my theme of “out with the old, in with the new” there are plenty of new things for me to tell you about!

Swim Lessons

I really was not enjoying my swim lessons at the Y by the time the summer was coming around.  I was going to just do swim workouts on my own, but Coach Angie pointed my in the direction of some swim classes out in Cochrane.  Richelle teaches on Monday evenings, Angie on Wednesday evenings, and there are classes on Sundays as well.  Last night was my first class and Angie was filling in for Richelle.

This was such a different class!  We spent a lot of time focusing on technique.  Angie gave me more pointers in one hour than I got through three sessions at the Y.  It was so great to focus on how to do things properly as opposed to running through a workout.  I’m really excited about this class!

Bike Gear

More team gear arrived, and I finally have a super cool Team Tri Life bike jersey to wear!  I got to wear it on our ride out in Cochrane this evening where it was an amazing 28C out!!  I cannot complain about the extended nice weather we’ve been enjoying here lately.  It was terrific to ride outside in the middle to end of September in shorts and a jersey.  No need for arm warmers, tights or jackets.  I had a great time riding with a couple of guys on our team, Joel and Scott.  Since my workouts have been a wee bit sporadic lately Angie wanted me to do some intervals and, although the guys didn’t know it, they helped to push me along when I was trying to push hard!

Garmin Gear

With my bike computer going belly up in July I knew I would need to figure out a solution before indoor training rides start.  Knowing cadence is key to really following a great indoor workout!  I picked up the Garmin cadence sensor and used it for the first time tonight.  The install was very easy, and I love the wireless solution.  Having recorded cadence data is a great perk too!  I also picked up the new, more comfortable soft heart rate monitor strap.  Wow, this strap is infinitely better!  Looking forward to trying it on my run tomorrow…

Canadians looking to buy anything Garmin related, be sure to check out GPS City and GPS Central.  Live in Calgary?  Even better as these companies are both based here.  You can pick up your items directly after ordering online instead of paying shipping and handling.  And yes, you can get the new HR strap on its own at both of these retailers in case you aren’t planning on upgrading your Garmin just yet…

Sayonara Blue!

First off, a big congratulations to my mom who raced the Maui Half Marathon yesterday!  My mom is turning into a racing machine.  I have no idea where she gets it from…  Nicely done mom!!

This weekend was a busy one.  Not with training…I had a spare room to tackle!  I have disliked this room from the moment I bought my house – baby blue with a blue patchwork feature wall.  Me and specialty painting techniques?  Not my thing.  I never hung pictures on the wall or did anything to it, besides let junk clutter it, because I was always planning to redecorate.  Um…three years later and it is about time I did something about it!  Here are some before shots: And now after…  The blue is gone and replaced with a warm, buttery yellow.  I finally have some pictures on the wall! 

Plus I had a chance to properly display a few things that are important to me.  I have a collection of Harrods Christmas bears (you know, the big department store in London that the Queen likes to shop at?).  These guys span from 1990 to 2000 and have been sitting in a box in my garage.After I finished putting everything together last night and admiring my handiwork I went across the hall to my bedroom and my heart fell.  Boy that room needs some decluttering and decorating of its own!  The good news is I am motivated to get it done.  A colour has been picked out (ironically, it is blue) and a date has been set for the painting.

Oh…and I promise to get some workouts in this week.  After all, I am racing this weekend!

The Brain is Ready for the Ride

My brain is ready to get back on the bandwagon!  It is funny, I used to feel that if I wasn’t continually training for something I was sure I would fall back into my couch potato ways.  These past few weeks I had no worry that would happen, I just knew I needed a couple of weeks to take things easy.  I would know when I was ready to get back at it.  So far this week I have gotten in some great workouts!  On Tuesday morning I was at the pool and I knocked out 2000m.  I felt fluid and efficient in the water.  My new pink amphibian camo print bathing suit might have had something to do with it.  Or maybe not.  Regardless, it felt good being in the water.

In the evening I went out to Cochrane to ride with my team…for the first time in over a month!  I was a bit late getting there so almost everyone had taken off.  I rode with my teammate Paddy and we just took it easy and chatted the entire way out.  Riding at this time of year is fantastic since it is so social and we just ride with no workouts to think about.  Sadly the shorter evenings are very apparent so despite what happens with the weather our weeknight ride opportunities are quickly dwindling.  Sigh…  I refuse to think about the trainer yet!

Today I got out there for some speed work over lunch.  I had a 50 minute workout on tap with 10 x 1:00 hard/1:00 easy in the middle.  I had a meeting that ran from 9:30 until almost 11:00 so I really didn’t have a great snack.  The hard parts went okay but I really needed to take it easy on the easy parts.  In theory I wasn’t supposed to walk…but I just wasn’t able to stick to that plan.  After the speed work I was ZONKED with a capital Z.  I’m either going to have to make a concerted effort to knock the workout out earlier in the day if I know it is going to be warm, or I really need to make sure I have a good snack to fuel me as I felt like I was playing catch up on nutrition after that run.

And in other news I’ve committed to a few races.  Two are local 10Ks here in October – one for Thanksgiving on the 11th and the other one is the Halloween Howl on the 24th.  Should be fun!  Plus registration opened up for the Great White North half Iron distance triathlon on July 4th.  This was my first half Iron this year and I loved the race.  It works well timing wise as a “see where things are at” before Ironman, plus the majority of my team is racing so it is sure to be a fun event.

Another early swim is on tap for tomorrow, so time for bed!  Hope everyone is having a great week so far!!

Sports Bras…CONT – Moving Comfort Review

Alright fellas, this is another post for the ladies as I continue on my quest to find the best sports bras. Finding ones that are comfortable, supportive, yet not constricting can be somewhat of a challenge. For the record I am a 36B – so I definitely need support, but I don’t want (or need) a really heavy duty bra. Trying to find that happy medium has been really tough.  It seems that bras either have minimal support or they are just way more than I need and are really comfortable.  I’ve also had a tough time finding bras where my heart rate monitor strap will tuck up underneath the band and stay in place through a tough workout.

Some of you may or may not remember that I put five different bras to the test earlier this year to determine which bras would be well suited to a triathlon.  I was recently contacted by Moving Comfort as they were wondering if I would be interested in doing a sports bra review for them. I jumped at the chance, and since I’ve now tried out three of their bras I thought I would let you know my thoughts on all of them.

Diana (A/B)

One of my favourite bras from my triathlon bra experiment was Moving Comfort’s Diana bra. I was really impressed with how it fared as it absorbed the least amount of water and seemed to dry well. I field tested it at the Wine Capital of Canada Olympic triathlon and it was a winner. Super comfortable, zero chaffing, and everything was well supported. This bra is built for high impact activities. The hook and eye closure in the back can be a little challenging for me to close, but that just has to do with my lack of flexibility. The Diana is only available for gals with an A/B chest.

 

 

Phoebe (A/B)

I was impressed with the quality of the Diana bra but keen to try a different style, so I purchased the Phoebe bra over the summer. This one is a pullover without the hook and eye closure and is rated for high impact activities. This is probably one of my favourite bras of all time. I’ve worn it for both of my half Iron triathlons this year. The fabric is lightweight and is a single layer in construction. The support is phenomenal. A lot of compression style bras rely on just smooshing the girls into your chest to eliminate bounce. The support does not feel that way in this bra. There is also no constricting around the band, which also tends to be a problem for me. Once again, I had no chaffing issues at all. There is both an A/B style and a C/D one. The main style difference between the A/B and C/D is that the C/D has a hook and eye at the back.  My heart rate monitor strap tucks in underneath the band with enough room and stays in place…the entire way through a half Iron distance triathlon.

Cameo Racer Back

When I was asked if I wanted to review a bra I picked the Moving Comfort Cameo Racer Back Bra. I wanted to try one that was quite a bit different from my other two Moving Comfort bras. It comes in two styles – a racer and a scoop back. Both styles are pullover and do not have a hook and eye closure in the back.  The Cameo is ideal for gals with an A to C cup, and this one is sized by bra size, as opposed to the other two that run in a small, medium or large. The Cameo bra is for high impact activities. This bra not only supports the girls, but it shapes them as well thanks to a bit of lining.  I wouldn’t wear it in a tri because of the lining…but it is great to run in. I tested it out on runs and found it to be really comfortable, supportive, with minimal bounce, and no tightness around the band.  The fit is terrific with no gaping at all.  There was enough room to fit my heart rate monitor underneath and above the band.  The monitor strap stayed in place and I practically forgot I was wearing it.

Overall Impressions of Moving Comfort Sports Bras

Their website is great – you can either take a quiz to determine the best styles for you, or shop via cup size or style of bra. I have been so impressed with the construction of these bras – well made and no chaffing issues from seams. I love that the high impact bras they have are actually cute and functional – terrific support without looking like your scariest sports bra nightmare. So peruse their website and shop online, or check out their retail locator.

For my Canadian friends, I’ve purchased mine online from Team Estrogen, but I’ve also seen Moving Comfort at Sport Check and several good quality local running stores.

Happy supportive running ladies, and thanks Moving Comfort!

A Relaxing Weekend (of sorts…)

Did I train this weekend?  I was all set to get my 1.5 hour long run in on Friday after work but as the day went on I realized that my brain just wasn’t in to it.  I’m giving myself permission to slack just a teeny bit longer.  It has been a long year of racing and training so I’m not going to push things if my head isn’t in the game.  After all, I went from a marathon in January to a half Iron in July and August!  The next year is going to be a LONG one and I don’t want to risk burnout!  So apart from a nice 40 min run through the neighbourhood early Saturday morning here’s what else went on:

Friday:

I bailed on a long run in order to get some errands done.  I picked up a few paint chips and a roller from Home Depot, then put one of my Restoration Hardware colour testers on the wall in my spare bedroom.  After that it was off to Costco to price out tires and pick up some lamb chops and the new Jamie Oliver cookbook.  I tell ya, I sure know how to party on a Friday night!

*Just a word about the new Jamie Oliver cookbook…love the concept!  He wants you to learn one recipe from the cookbook and pass it on to a friend in an effort to inspire more people to make good home cooked healthy meals.

Saturday:

I met my best riding gal pals Pam and Tara at Diner Deluxe for breakfast.  It was great to see these ladies wearing something other than spandex and the conversation was fantastic!  I relived my Lake Stevens race, the Ironman Canada weekend and we talked about plans for next year.  I feel so fortunate to have met such wonderful people through triathlon in this town, and I cannot wait to keep training with them.

After some amazing chocolate sourdough French toast with fried bananas I took off to Tri-It to check out their end of season sale.  I figured that since my old race shorts developed a hole in them I could probably use a new pair…  Then it was on to Team Aquatic for their end of season sale, where I managed to pick up a couple of Speedo Endurance suits at an amazing price.  I rounded it out with a trip to the Calgary Farmers’ Market to pick up some amazing fresh produce.

And thanks to the lamb chops from Costco plus my bounty from the Farmers’ Market I threw together a pretty amazing dinner:

Grilled Mint Lamb Chops:

Roast lamb with mint sauce is a quintessential British dish and this is my fresh take on the dish.  I concocted a paste of some fresh mint, one clove of fresh garlic, the zest of half a lemon, a little olive oil and salt and pepper:I seasoned two lamb chops with some additional salt and pepper, then spread the paste on and left it in the fridge for an hour or two.
As grill time approached I let the chops come to room temperature for 30 minutes, then I grilled them over medium high heat for 4 min per side.  They came out a lovely medium/medium rare.  Let sit for a few minutes and enjoy!  The flavours are subtle and complement the lamb really well.

I also prepared some baby beets as a side dish by tossing the beets (skin on, but sliced in half) in some olive oil, salt and pepper.  Add in a sprinkle of water and fold in to a foil pouch.  Grill for 10 minutes over medium high heat as well.  My mom deserves the credit on this one as she suggested it to me!I served it all with a bottle of Fox Creek 2004 Short Row Shiraz.  This shiraz is from McLaren Vale in Australia.  I have tried quite a few Fox Creek wines and they are all delicious, so if shiraz is your thing, then check it out!

I hope you all had a great weekend too!

Ask…

…and ye shall receive!!  A few of you asked for links whenever I do something amazing in the kitchen.  I make no promises for the level of amazingness, but I have compiled a bunch of links to recipes – both posts where I talk about making them, and where I found the recipe online.  I’ll be updating regularly, so just look for the DOMESTIC GODDESS link in the purple box on the right hand side of the blog – right between my link to race reports and product reviews.

Speaking of domestic stuff, I plan to be proactive on the painting and decorating front.  I stopped off at Restoration Hardware to grab some paint chips and pick up two sample pots of paint.  Mission – to paint my spare room next weekend!  Stay tuned!

Yakety Yak

I truly believe that it is only a matter of time before I have a barf inducing run.  Not that I am excited about this…but the nausea seems to be hitting me on these fast runs!

Today I had speed work on the schedule – 10 x 2:00 fast with 2:00 of recovery in between.  My chance to run was after work today, but as the clock ticked toward the end of the day there were some nasty looking clouds in the sky.  I shut my computer down and took off just in case the heavens decided to open up anytime soon.  I felt not too bad on the warm up and the first few intervals went not too bad.  Somewhere around interval #3 I got a bit of a stitch in my abdomen.  I probably noticed it more on the easy bits than on the hard ones though.

To keep my head in the game I’d try to pump up each interval.  “YEAH!!  Interval #6!!!  Woo hoo!!!!!!”  It helped me keep track and it did keep me motivated.  I cranked some half decent intervals out.  By interval #7 I developed a pain in my shoulder blade (nothing unusual, happens on fast runs from time to time).  And queue the nausea…  Yuck…  But I still keep running fast, just a bit more walking on my recovery to bring my heart rate down.

After interval #8 I am close to the YMCA so I detour there for a stop at their water fountain.  As I leave there is a guy walking out who drops his sunglasses.  I get his attention but I don’t bend down to grab his glasses for two reasons - #1) There would have been a good chance that we would have head butted if we both bent down.  I suppose it could have been the start to a cute romantic comedy, but I chose to avoid the potential knock out…  #2) It would not have been graceful, and I may not have been able to stand back up properly!  Anyhow, this guy looks at me with a very concerned look as he grabs his glasses.  “Oh my gawd, are you okay?” he asks me.  I must have looked like I was about to keel over!  I told him that I was in the middle of speed work and that it wasn’t always fun.

Two more intervals left to go…  #9 went really well but I was so tired by #10!  No energy left in my legs at all.  It was hard to believe that two minutes could feel so long…  Finally it was up, then it was a quick cool down run back to the office.  I can say without a doubt that this week’s speed session went a lot better than last week’s!

What’s Next?

Ah…so the triathlon season for the year is over.  What now?  It is a little early to start training for Ironman, so…what is on deck for the next little bit?  After the Goofy Challenge in 2008 and the Disney Marathon in 2009 I’m not really up for another marathon in January 2010.  My heart just isn’t in to the distance training right now.  So instead:

• Discover my inner domestic goddess: It is time to get back in the kitchen.  Taking the time to create delicious meals between all of my training this summer was really tough.  But I do love to cook, so it is time to get my nutrition back on track.
• Raid the wine cellar: If you have been reading this blog for any length of time then you know I love wine!  I had a few cases just sitting in my basement thanks to a lack of storage.  It was time to organize so I picked up a new (larger) wine rack from IKEA yesterday.  Going through my collection was fun as I filled up the new wine rack…but it made me realize that I need to start drinking some of it!
• Become one with the paint chips: Um…I’ve lived in my home for almost three years and I still haven’t repainted at all?  Maybe this fall I’ll have some time to put into that.
• Declutter: I still have moving boxes in my garage…that were packed up in July 2006.  Time to finally go through them!  (Although I think I’ve been saying this for awhile…)
• Say hello to a little speed: Endurance training is not conducive to getting faster.  So expect to see a lot of speed work on the run in the next little bit!  And some 10K racing (that Angie says will help me get faster)!
• Set a goal: Don’t mistake all of this cooking, wine consuming and decorating to mean that I won’t be training…  I am setting my sights on the Austin 3M Half Marathon on January 24th.  Why this race?  I have several friends in Texas that I need to visit.  A half marathon in January is a manageable distance to train for – less commitment than a marathon!  If you check out the elevation profile for the race you’ll notice that it is a whole lotta downhill…  So my goal?  To see if I can train to go sub-2:00 on a half marathon.  I still have to register and get a flight down to Texas…so it isn’t a sure thing (I normally wait to make an announcement until the cash is committed) but it is most definitely the plan.

I’ll still be swimming and biking of course too, not to worry!

Leduc Women’s Sprint – Race Report

Pre-Race

D and I drove up to Leduc on Saturday morning. We checked into our hotel, changed into some workout gear, then headed off to the race site to do a little prep work. The bike is a two loop course, so we rode through it once, just to see what it was like. Quite flat, but loads of wind… We were hoping that it wouldn’t be so windy on race morning! On the way in it seemed like I caught a bug in my mouth. I turned my head to spit…while in aero…and nearly bit it. Note to self…don’t turn head to spit while in aero!

For dinner we went to Olive Garden. It seems to have sat well in my stomach for both Great White North and Lake Stevens, so why not? The restaurant was busy, so we hung out in the bar for a bit.

A pint of Big Rock Traditional Ale, salad and breadsticks, plus the Capellini Pomodoro with chicken…dinner of champions I tell ya! We went back to the hotel where I helped D run through a transition practice, we watched the end of Mean Girls, and I was asleep by 10 pm.

Race Morning

We were up early and ready to go. We had made the decision to pick up our packet race day since it wasn’t convenient on Saturday. The only thing we wouldn’t know was our swim time. Apparently heats ran from 8:10 to 8:45. We ate our breakfast at 6:30, then headed to the race. Imagine our surprise when we got to the race and D’s swim heat was 9:45 and mine was 10:25! I got hungry as the race approached, but luckily I had a peach to eat, plus I took a gel just before the swim. I stuffed another gel in my bento box on the bike just in case. Finally my heat was up and it was go time!

The Swim – 750m

I had gone to the pool to crank out 750m on Friday so I had an idea where my time would be at. 16:40. I lined up in the back of my other lane mates tagged at 16 minutes and got in the water. In no time at all the girls in front had pulled ahead so it was just me. I made sure to just focus on my stroke – being efficient and powerful. I felt good throughout the swim. The girl in front wound up lapping me and I tried to hang on to her toes for as long as possible. All of a sudden my swim was up! We exited on the deep end of the pool. Not sure why, but I always forget how to get out of the pool during a race. Let’s just say my exit was less than graceful. Race day adrenalin must be an amazing thing because:

750m swim – 15:31
45th out of 174 overall

T1 – 1:39

Why is it so hard to put socks on wet feet? Despite this being a sprint I didn’t want to take any chances with blisters, so socks it was! I was methodical in getting through T1, took the bike of the rack, and ran out.

The Bike – 20km

I knew my chance to be strong on this race would be on the bike. I’ve been riding quite powerfully on the flats lately so I was keen to have a good ride. As soon as I started riding it was…SMACK..in to the wind. It was brutal! I just got down into my aero bars and tried to pedal away. At first I had a tough time finding a good gear to be in. My small chain ring felt too easy, but anything in my big chain ring felt too hard. Ideally I would have like to have aimed for a 90+ rpm cadence. But here’s a secret…I’ve been riding blind without a bike computer since the end of July. The cadence stopped reading on a Tuesday night ride and the speed stopped reading that weekend. I wasn’t too concerned about replacing it before Lake Stevens but it would have been useful for today. I had a good idea of what 90 rpm felt like, so I just went with it.

I was passing ladies all over the place on the bike. Anytime I went past someone I yelled out, “Great job!” When I hit the turnaround on loop 1 the wind was at my back. Go time! My average pace went from 16.3 mph to 18.3 mph. Good times! This was a double loop course though, so it was back out into the wind. As my brain was telling me how much I hated the wind I tried to change my train of thought. I didn’t hate the wind, I loved it! It was me against nature and I felt awesome! It kind of worked actually. When I hit the turnaround again and had the nice tail wind I told myself that it was go time and time to drop the hammer. It was awesome! Back at transition before I knew it, and I was never passed on the bike. Very happy with my ride!!

20km bike – 37:37 (19.8mph)
7th out of 174 overall

T2 – 1:06

Bike racked, bike shoes off, running shoes on, grabbed my visor and put it on as I ran out of transition.

The Run – 5K

The goal for the run was just to see how fast I could run and to hold on. The run was also a two loop, out and back course. The way out was okay. I was afraid to look down at my Garmin in case the number scared me and I back off. And then at the first turnaround I did. Oops. The way back had a VERY slight uphill and I could really feel it. Plus I was running into the wind now. Uck. 5Ks hurt. D was done with her race by the time I was done on the bike, and it was great to hear her cheering me on as I finished up the first lap.

Lap two I was fading. Why did I look down at my Garmin? I admit I had a couple of short walk breaks to try and bring the heart rate back down. As I was nearing the end of lap two I passed a girl heading out and she just looked at me and said, “Crap, you are fast!” I didn’t feel fast, but what she said totally made me smile. This wasn’t going to be a PR for me, but no worries, it wouldn’t be too far off. I felt perilously close to a post finish line barf…but somehow I held it in. The run was done!

5km run – 27:02 (8:41/mi)
40th out of 174 overall

The Finish

So…here’s the deal…part of the reason why I’ve been beating myself up about my crappy runs this week was because I really wanted to do well at this race. My super secret…how amazing a day it would be…goal would be to see if I could get a top 3 in my age group spot. When I realized what time I’d need to pull off (looking at last year’s results), and that the age group went in 10 year increments instead of 5 I figured my chances would be slim. I figured that as long as I raced well I’d be happy. And I was super happy with my swim, bike and run. Mission accomplished!

I showered and changed, then found some preliminary results. I was floored…but not all the racers were in yet so I wasn’t sure my placing would hold up. D and I waited a bit longer for final results and the awards ceremony. So how did I do??

Final Time: 1:22:55 (that is a 16:13 PR over the St. Albert Sprint Tri a year ago)
Females 30-39: 1 out of 66
Overall: 12 out 174

I am blown away! I never thought it was possible to pull off that amazing of a PR and win my age group. I went up to collect my award (a gift card for Element Multisport in Edmonton) and D snapped a shot. Just as she was taking the picture the race director says to me, “I hate having my picture taken, don’t you hate having your picture taken?” Nope, not when this is my first time getting an award!!!
After that D and I packed up the car and stopped off at White Spot for a celebratory beverage and some lunch. Talk about an terrific weekend! Not only am I super happy about my race, I am very happy that I was able to race with D. She rocked her first tri, and thanks to the staggered start we were able to see each other more on the course than otherwise. I was so glad to share this race experience with her!

Give your head a shake

This week has kind of been a rough one on the training side of things.  As in, I haven’t really been training that much.  I think the exhaustion from the weekend just caught up with me and my legs have been tired.  That and I have a few “life outside of triathlon” things that needed to be taken care of too.

Ah, it is always a balancing act, eh?

So I bailed on a swim yesterday morning, and I ran errands yesterday afternoon instead of riding for an hour.

This morning I did get up early to get in my “long” run though.  45 minutes on the schedule and I went downtown to run around the river.  It was a lovely 11C out and it felt so fresh.  My running was still crappy though.  Over the first two miles my pace was slowing down…and I wasn’t even running that fast.  My legs were feeling like they needed a good stretch or massage.  Finally I just pulled over to stretch things out and give my head a shake.

I haven’t raced a sprint tri in a year…before I started training with Angie.  I want to do well in the race, and I really want to see some improvement.  Plus it is entirely possible that I feel like I need a little racing redemption after Lake Stevens.  I was thinking too much about wanting to be fast…wanting the run to go better than Tuesday’s craptastic intervals.  Too much thinking was really affecting my run.

After stretching and my self evaluation I got back on the pathway.  Lo and behold, my running was feeling better.  And I was getting faster!  Funny how things work out sometimes.  I think I just needed a chance to acknowledge my expectations, but then move past them so that I can just focus on the moment and enjoying one final triathlon of the season.  More important than anything else, I am doing this race with my friend DGB.  Two years ago we were in Seattle to race her very first 10K.  Now this year we are in Leduc so D can race her very first triathlon.

Being there with my friend this weekend matters more than anything else.  I’ve had a great season of triathlons this year, especially considering it was my first year really training for this.  Whatever happens on Sunday happens, but at least D and I will be cheering each other on!

Volunteering at Ironman Canada 2009

Having a chance to volunteer at IMC was an absolutely priceless experience. What an amazing day! I was assigned to transition to help out with gear bags as athletes moved from the swim to the bike. This meant that I got two wristbands, one to let me into transition and one that made sure I could get in first thing in the morning.Although I didn’t have to report until 6:30 am I wanted to get to Penticton early enough to find a half decent parking spot and to try and find my friends racing before they started. I left West Kelowna somewhere around 4:30 am, stopped by Tim Horton’s for the biggest coffee I could buy, and hit the highway to Penticton. Thank goodness Timmy’s drive through is open…possibly 24 hours? Caffeine was the key ingredient for the day given that I had an awful sleep the night before.

In transition I managed to find nearly everyone I knew racing – teammates, Susi, Julie. As we approached the swim start I helped them zip up their wetsuits and give last minute hugs of encouragement. The sight of all of the athletes in the water was amazing…so many people!O Canada was sung and it was go time. A few people take off swimming when the gun goes off, but a lot of folks hung back on the beach and let the fast folks get out ahead.

Once the swim was on it was time to get to work. We ran up and down the rows of gear bags to make sure that everything was in the right order. While the swim was in full gear we heard the announcer call for an ambulance. I got worried, and sadly the outcome was not a good one as a fellow passed away during the swim. Shortly after that we started to see the first few pros come in. All of a sudden it was like panic mode in transition. After the first few pros were in the masses started arriving. They came so fast and furious that unless the wetsuit strippers had a chance to catch their race number we just pointed the athletes in the direction of their bags as it just wasn’t possible to grab bags for everyone. I went to grab a bag for a girl..and…it wasn’t there! She ran off to the change tent in case someone had grabbed her bag by accident and just left it there. I didn’t see her again so I assume she tracked it down.

There was one lady who lost a lens out of her prescription glasses. As transition started to empty we were all looking for it in the grass but never found out. I don’t know if she was able to continue her day at all.

The clock was ticking down and there were still a few athletes in the water. Two were so close to not making the cut off. The announcer, Steve King, instructed the kayakers on the water to come in close to help direct the swimmers in the straightest line possible. The cheering for these two was intense! Steve was saying that if they could just stand up in the water by 9:20 they would likely be allowed to continue. Guy #2 managed to find something in him to surge and they both managed to stand up, barely in time. When those two folks stood up the crowd roared! When they made it into T1 you could tell they had worked hard to make it in time. Sadly there were two or three people that did not make the cut-off. I talked to the first guy to not make the cut-off and I think he was mostly amazed that he just attempted an Ironman. Sad that his day was over though.

Once everyone was out on the bike it was time to start organizing the morning dry gear bags and the swim gear by number. Within an hour of the swim ending we had everything lined up together. They fed us sandwiches, chips and cookies, then it was time for me to go. My parents were picking me up to head down to Oliver for a great lunch at Burrowing Owl winery to celebrate their 40th anniversary. After a lovely lunch, maybe a little bit of wine tasting…they then dropped me off in Penticton as the last few bikers were heading in.
Hmm, that looks like a wee bit of drafting if you ask me… I found a spot at the turnaround on Lakeshore (just before the finish of the run) where I was able to cheer folks in. I managed to see a few of my friends and teammates and even managed to recognize Ray. I would have loved to stay longer, but I needed to get home and try to sleep since I was driving home the next day. What an amazing day though – having a chance to see everyone out on the course was a terrific experience! Once I was home I became “results central.” I was texting back and forth with my teammate Caroline as I tracked half marathon splits. Even though I couldn’t stay until the end I was still thinking of everyone!

Trying to find my inner speed demon

So after letting the cat out of the bag regarding my long term goal I haven’t commented too much on my short terms goals.  Don’t worry, I plan to reveal all soon…  I am actually racing a sprint tri this weekend, but in the mean time…

It was back to work today.  I was pretty bagged after a busy weekend full of early mornings and long days.  Plus a long drive home that saw me get in to Calgary around 9 pm on Monday night.

All signs were pointing towards disaster before I even started my run over lunch today.  Tired brain…  Tired legs…  I was hungry…  It was hot out…
And I had intervals on tap.  3 x 4:00 and 4 x 2:00.
Blech.

My legs felt sluggish from the get go.  My mouth was parched and I stopped at a water fountain right after the first interval but it was not enough.  There was no way I was looking at my Garmin to check paces or anything.  It was hard enough to not focus on how much time was left in my interval.  And I was not even running fast!  With two intervals I debated cutting to the cool down.  But something went in my brain.  I did not want to quit.  Somehow or other I knocked out my final two intervals at a respectable pace (compared to the other ones).  But by cool down my legs were done.  There was minimal running.  When I arrived at the YMCA I stopped my Garmin, grabbed a drink and walked back to the office since there was no juice to run an extra 5 minutes or so to get my back to the office.

This run put the crap in craptastic.
Oh well, tomorrow is another day!