Friends......

When people diecde to set a goal like to complete an Iron Man one of the best things to have is a great support system!
And one of these I have. On top of having a wonderful supportive husband and family...I have the best group of friends a girl could ask for!

When I announced that I was doing this crazy race....which I don't think many of my friends were surprised ;-) I could not believe the response of people who told me they wanted to come watch.
At first I thought well ya people say that just to be polite but who knows if anyone would make the trip...

Well....I can say I am so touched to have so many friends making the trip to watch me take on this challenge!
First off my best bud from Houston Tammy has booked her flight and I know will be one of the loudest cheering people in the crowd!
My sister and her new husband and my parents are also making the trip from Vancouver Island...

Then their is My Okotoks Mammas!! I have lived in Okotoks for about 4 years now and I have met some of the most amazing girls in this town!
A few months ago Sarah (or as Brad calls her Wine Sarah ;-)) made a Facebook group `Candice`s journey to Ironman 2012`and pulled together a group to see if anyone wanted to make the trip to come wacth the event!
Now the wheels are in motion and they are booking accommodation....and I am so touched they are coming to cheer me on!

So now with big team coming to cheer me on the pressure is on!! I cannot disappoint my crew! So this is putting my fuel into my training knowing I have a wonderful team that is going me there cheering me to the end!
I can't wait to give them all a HUGE HIGH 5 as I cross that Iron man Finish line!

Love you all!!

Candice

Back in the Pool....

Well I finally did it.....3 months after my last race I finally got back in the POOL!
Like I mentioned before my "formal" training does not start until January...but I still need to maintain my levels of fitness up to then.
Jen "my coach" told me not to worry to much about "training" right now since I do have a higher level of fitness.
For me though it is mental. I know if I wait till January to get back in the pool those workouts will be that much more challenging. So for now my goal is to get in the pool once a week.
So yesterday I did just that....of course my plan to get to the pool for an hour did not quite work out! Getting two kids into the Rec centre and into the child care room took more time then I anticipated.
So by the time I did that I got ready I had 30 mins to swim...
My plan was to jump in and just swim 1000 metres and check where I was at. So I swam 1000 metres with a few breaks :-) It took me 26 mins.....so I was okay with that.
Of course all I could think about is HOW am I going to go this for over 4000 metres without going crazy?? I guess only time will tell....

I am also feeling it in my arms today.....it is funny how I can do TRX 3 days a week and I go and swim 1000 metres for 26 mins and I can feel that even more! Just shows why we need to cross train and challenge our bodies in different ways.

Working and training.....this is a challenge!!!

Hello!

Well I have not been the best blogger that is foresure...but really it is just due to lack of time!!
It is November 1st today and WOW what a FALL!
When we started our business almost 4 years ago the plan was it to be a nice little "side gig" while we were stay at home moms!
Well I can say in our 4th fall season this is WAYYYYY more then a "Side Gig"....we are sooo happy that C&C Fitness is such a success BUT this has now become a full time job for us!
The good part is I do LOVE IT! I love every minute I put into teaching and the business...the down side is now finding the time to train!

My plan until January was just to maintain. Keep up with teaching my classes (which I teach about 7-9 a week) plus adding some spin class, a weekly run as well as a weekly swim.
So obviously I am teaching all my classes.....plus every week I have been adding new personal training client's as well.
Unfortunately I have only made to to spin 3 times since beginning of September and well I have not been in the pool once! Also the running is a bit of a issue since I hate running in the cold...and really it has not been cold....so I will get out there this weekend!
My plan is to swim this Friday so lets hope all goes according to plan.

I am hoping once my training moves into high gear in January I will be able to balance things a bit better....but if things are going at the same rate they are right now I am going to need many more hours in my days!!

I always said I don't know how people work full time and train for Ironman...but I think I am seeing now how this is quite a challenge!

The battle of the cold and the cold won.......

Well it is that time of year...Cold and Flu season....YUCK!
We are generally a very healthy family...we don't get sick much...usually once sometimes twice a year.
October seems to be the month we tend to get something and this year it was a NASTY cold!

It started with Jade 2 weeks ago it progressed from a runny nose into a full blow hacking cough that kept her up for 3 straight nights....along with her parents. So knowing as a  mom as I am getting hacked on and snotted on my chances were not looking good. So I up my vitamins and drank my Oil or Oregano.......but as much as I did not want it I got it....
Again when I get a cold I can usually fight it off pretty quick...so the first day I thought okay I can handle this....took my Oil of Oregano and went on with my day....
BUT that night it was a whole different story...it started in the evening as I was training my last client I got the chills..felt nauseous and my throat was KILLING me...
I headed home and then realized I had a 6 am class the next day.......So the dilemma do I get up suck it up and sweat it out...or stay in bed??
I chose the later I called a sub and was so happy when she said she could do it!
Good choice since that was night one of a all night cough fest between me and Jade!

The next few days I just did not feel any better. I continued to teach my classes but my energy level was really low and just felt like CRAP!
So Friday I did not have to teach but I wanted to fit in my own workout a SPIN class!
I thought I will sweat this out if it kills me!! Well unfortunately or fortunately the night before Zach my youngest got the cold and was up most of the night......so my idea of spin class did not work out!
In hind sight this was probably for the best since I took the day and rested and took care of myself and the kids.
I have never had a cold hold on this long and even as I type I am still coughing!! I have always said it is just a cold and we can just sweat it out. I think the big difference with me was having me and my kids sick and the lack of sleep was a BAD combination...and nothing but rest was going to beat this one!
This COLD beat the crap out of me and made me sit on my ass and recover.....which is what I should have done earlier in the week ;-)

So lets hope this is our first and last cold of the season and we can now move on!!!

To give Thanks....

Well it is Thanksgiving weekend and I have a lot to be thankful for...

1. I am thankful for my family. I have 2 beautiful children who are my life! They have made me the most proud mom and I love them more and more everyday!
2. I am thankful that I married 6 years ago my Best Friend. I feel I have a friend and a husband who is there for me and supports me in everything I do....
3. I am thankful for having a job that I LOVE!! I spent 10+ years working behind a desk never loving what I did.....now I go to "work" everyday where for one I get to workout! and two I help others empower themselves to become fit and healthy!
4. I am thankful that I am able to pursue my passion of Triathlon and have been healthy and able to do it for the past 15 years!
5. I am so thankful for the many friends I have met over the years that have become such a huge part of my life and I love them all very very much!
6. I am thankful for Facebook...yup I know crazy but really I have been able to connect with so many people from my past and present and it has been so wonderful to have everyone part of my "cyber" life...;-)

I wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving and hope you all as well can sit back and think what you are thankful for as well!

all the best!!!

Fall the best time to RUN!!!

Well I took a bit of a break from running last month but today I laced up my shoes and headed out again!
This is by far my favorite time of year to run. The perfect temperature and the most beautiful scenery!
I am just trying to do one run a week right now just so I can maintain my running until January when the training picks up...
5 km felt really easy which is good...so now I am planning to add some mileage every week since I took a look at my first training week in January and it starts with a 2 hour run! Nothing like starting off easy....Yikes!!

For now I am going to enjoy my runs and take in the fact that they are easy now since I know this feeling will not last....

The need to add some Zen!!

Okay so those who know me or have come to my classes know I am a bit of an "Adrenaline Junkie" I love the feel of an intense workout and pushing myself to my limits...
BUT...with this comes the consequence my lack of stretching and relaxation!

A good example that all my clients can contest to is when there is 10 mins left in class...and where I should be wrapping things up and getting us ready for stretch instead I look at the clock and think "Sweet we can do one more set"......
yes I believe we need to sweat until the bitter end! Of course I do not leave my class without having everyone stretch....is it a nice long relaxing stretch?....no.....but it is a stretch!

With stretching comes the importance of yoga....another thing I know is so important but cant seem to fit into my life.
So for this first quarter of my training schedule I am doing just that..I am going to yoga!
Today was the first day....and well it did not look pretty..it felt good!

Yoga and stretching are Soooooo important for everyone but even more so for the runner/triathlete. This sport is so linear our body gets so stuck in the same range of motion which in turns dramatically tightens our hip flexors, quads, glutes and also our transverse abs...
Without taking the time to stretch and take care of these muscles and continuing to add strain we are risking injury.

So I know the importance of it....and I also train other instructors and trainers on the importance of it...now to just make a more active choice to do it!

Here is to adding more Zen in my life!!!

2012 season is coming together...

So for the past month I cant say I have been doing any specific training. Right now what I am focusing on keeping my fitness status quo..so with that I continue to teach 5-7 classes a week and also attend a spin class.

Looking forward to 2012 I am excited that I have a COACH!! Jen LeBlanc has been coaching our C&C Tri club for the past 2 years. She is a trained Tri coach as well as an Ironman finisher! I was so happy when she said she would work with me to get me ready for Ironman!

This pic is of Jen and I last year after the Turner Valley Tri.....

So the first thing Jen tells me to do is send her a list of what races I want to do next year leading up to Ironman.....so I did.....then I get an email back and she changed them all!!

So first off she wants me to do The Police Half...I have done this race about 5 times and it is NOT my fave...for one I hate the time of year...and second it has a BRUTAL hill. I think she wants me to do it because she is a police officer ;-) But I am listening and I will do it.

She said I can keep the Calgary Marathon so that is good...I know this will help me prepare mentally for the running aspect of the race.

The other big change is not doing the Ride to Conquer Cancer. We are looking at doing a different ride that is in BC where the terrain will be closer to that of Ironman.

The last big change is I was planning a local half Ironman the Chinook. This race looks like it will not run....so.....I am doing The Great White North Half Ironman in Edmonton. I have mixed feeling about this race. I have done it before in 2004...and well I did not train that well and I felt so bad during and after that race. So I said I would never do this race again. The timing for this race is perfect for leading to Ironman so I am doing it. Now I need to prove to myself I can do better in it then I did before...

I am excited this time that I have a friend who is doing it as well. Amber Arnold! So we can train with each other with will be GREAT!

This is a pic of me doing the Great White North in 2004......my time was 7:20 (10 mins slower then my 70.3 time this year and 70.3 was longer).

So things are coming together and I hope in the next month to start getting a training plan in place and get this party started!





Fueling the body the right way....

Well lately I have been doing a lot of reading on nutrition.
I believe I am a relatively healthy eater and feed my family with nutritious choices.
BUT this is an area I also can improve on...

First there is my everyday nutrition. What I have been focusing on lately is Eating CLEAN!! This is the latest buzz in the health and wellness industry. Basically what eating clean is eating food in its most natural state, or as close to it as possible.
In today's society there is WAY TOO MUCH processed food....and this is what we fall back on because it is quick and easy.
So what I try to focus on for my everyday nutrition and my family is choosing foods in their natural state. So fresh veggies, fruit, meats, and low fat dairy and keep away from refined sugars.

I do have a few downfalls in this department...first is breakfast. I think for as long as I can remember I have eaten Special K with blueberries. Where this cereal actually is quite low in sugars and fats it is still considered processed and there are other healthy choices.
My other downfall is snacks for kids.....I tend to pick granola bars, fruit snacks, bags of cookies etc...again because they are quick and easy. What I am working on now is more cut up fruits, veggies, whole wheat crackers etc.

I know I cannot take out all the processed food out of our diets but my goal is to do a 80/20 split on a daily basis. 80% clean eating and 20% "not" so this can be processed or what I call CHEAT foods...yes I can admit I love my ice cream and cookies etc...

For me changing my diet is not about weight loss. I am at a weight I am happy with, for me it is how I feel. I feel better when I am eating good plain and simple.

Another thing I have done for me and my family is we now take a supplement called VEMMA. It is a basically SUPER JUICE! A liquid vitamin and mineral antioxidant. Me and my whole family takes it and I can see the difference in our health in the few months we have introduced it. I love it so much now I even sell it! check it out at www.vemma.com

The last piece for nutrition for me is Spot nutrition. What I eat leading up to a race, and on race day. I think I had this BANG on for the 70.3 this year. So my plan is to do a lot of research and ensure I have this aspect of my training completely on. Bad nutrition can break a race.......and can be avoided with proper guidance and training!
As my journey to Ironman 2012 continues so will be journey about proper nutrition!

Multitasking.......when enough is enough....

So I am a mom of two young kids who all those who have kids know that is a FULL TIME job in itself!

I have always had the personality that I am not the type of person who can sit around and sit still. I can thank my dad for this lovely trait. I am envious of those who I hear who love to sit and read a book and relax....I have never been able to do that...not sure if it is just my genetic makeup but for me I am at my most happy place when I have many things going on at once! When I do relax it is usually at 10pm at night as I sit in front of some trashy TV show!

Currently I am raising my kids, I own a local business, plus I teach courses usually one weekend every month! Now on top of this I train!!

People tend to ask me all the time "How do you do all that you do"......I have sat back many times I thought about how....and really I think for one I am an A type personality...which helps....I can delegate and multi task very well!

Prior to being a mom I was in upper management so I think many of those skills have filtered into this life as a mom as well......

Even though I am good at multi-tasking and I love to be busy I have had to learn over the past few years that I cannot do everything and when I need to let things go...

For me my family is very important and if I feel I am taking too much time away from them then I know something has to give.

For example last year I found on days I was not teaching or working I was cleaning my house....so my solution we got a cleaning lady!! Now those days I can spend times with my kids instead of cleaning.....ahhhhh this was a very good decision!

Another solution was a found child care for my children for 1.5 days a week...this way I had some time to do work and not have to put my kids in front of the TV etc..of course there are days I still need to do work from home but this has helped that I am not doing it as much as before.

Come January when my training starts to rev up and build over the next 8 months again I know I will need to prioritize my time again and this will become more and more challenging as the months move on.

I am so thankful every day to have an amazing supporting husband who is there every step of the way as well I have an amazing supporting business partner who is always there to pull me back when my life seems to be getting a little crazy!!

I thrive when I am busy and running full steam ahead but I still envy those who can take a stroll and smell the flowers!

Ode to my 30's................

Well yesterday was my birthday...I would like to say I turned 29 but that is not the case!
Yes this is my last year of my thirties...
Back when I turned 30 my life was quite different...I was single...working downtown Calgary at a large Non Profit Organization. I partied quite a lot and just enjoyed hanging out with my friends.
The year I turned 30 fitness was not as much of a priority in my life. I think it was a time where I was trying to figure out what I wanted and well yup I can say it "The bar scene at that time was it"....and working out with a hang over was not great fun! I think that year I was probably the heaviest and mostly likely the unhealthiest I have been.....
Then I hit 31.....I met someone who was really into cycling at the time and he got me back into it. I got into Mountain Biking and also I bought my first Road Bike. I also started training that year for my first half marathon. This was a bit of a turning point for me in my fitness life...

The summer when I was 31 I thought what the heck lets do a Marathon and a Half Ironman in the same summer!! So I strated to train and get back into what I knew I loved! It was a great spring and summer training...and I lost a lot of weight and was FIT! In the Spring of that year I met Brad my now husband...and well he took a bit of a back burner that summer since I was so involved in trainin.  I did the Great White North Half Ironman in July then The Victoria Marathon in October..It was after that race I said "I will do an Ironman one day...and that day will be Aug 2012 when I turn 40"!

After that well.......from the age of 31-36.. well I got married...and had 2 kids.....and in that time I once again did not do one single Triathlon!!
At the age of 37 so 2 years ago once again I thought okay lets get back into this and once again I restarted my training..in the past 2 years I have done 4 sprint/Olympic Tris', the Ride to Conquer Cancer, about 4 half marathons and the 70.3 Half Ironman this past July.

So my thirties started off as a single gal who was unsure what her future may hold....but they are ending as a proud mom and wife and soon to be Ironwomen! That to me is the best way to end a decade!!

TRX....my LOVE...HATE Realtionship!!

So along with training for Ironman I am also a group fitness instructor at a studio I own called C&C Fitness. Currently in the off season I teach 5-6 classes a week. Two of these are TRX. For those who don't know TRX is total body suspension training.
This is a pic below

TRX is an AWESOME workout if you have not done it. It works every muscle in your body and focuses alot on core and stability muscles. Which is so good for all athletes. One of the things I tell all runners and triathletes I train is you MUST cross train. Athletes get stuck in I MUST run or I MUST just BIKE and SWIM. You need to cross train to help train your muscles and help them adapt to various situations etc....

During the off season I do 3-5 days of cross training...mostly the classes I teach. TRX, HIIT, Step etc...In the season I still cross train but will bring it down to only 1 TRX session per week.

Now why the LOVE HATE relationship?? Well for one it has been 2 months since I have done a total TRX workout....So this week I did 2 plus a HIIT class and Step....and we can say I am walking like I am about 100 years old!! I am feeling EVERY muscle in my body! BUT.....I love that TRX does that and I know I will see results....the one thing I notice when I am in peak training is I loose a lot of upper body strength. So with the TRX I will get this back and I will get it back FAST!.

So as much as I HATE feeling this sore I LOVE how my body will change and get stronger and will be even more prepared come January when the heavy training begins!



Looking at 2011 results....and wondering....

Today I got sent the link to complete my official registration for Ironman....so all the basic info like address phone number and t-shirt size etc.....My thoughts are they should be asking me if I would like to donate my organs if I die right there on the finish line....maybe the name of my doctor to have on speed dial.....just some thoughts I had ;-)

So after doing this I went and took a peek at the results for 2011 race. Well I found them quite interesting so I thought I would share:

2832 athletes and pros started the race (interesting since 3200 registered)
232 DNF (did not finish) there are time cut offs for each portion of the race these are 2 hours and 20 mins for the swim, 9 hours for the bike and then 6.5 for the run. But if they finish a leg faster then the cut off it gives them more time for the next leg etc....

The overall fastest time for the whole race was 8:28 (This was a Pro Jordan Wrapp)
The slowest time was 16:58 (the cut off is 17 hours!)

Fastest swim 50:18
slowest swim 2:18

Fastest Bike 4:38
Slowest Bike 8:52

Fastest Run 2:53
Slowest Run 8:47

I was quite shocked at the range in times and you can see the range of levels etc when you look at the times....
With a year out my number one goal is to FINISH!!! So obviously I want to do it less then 17 hours...right now my goal is to do it less then 16 hours so to finish before 11pm!

For each discipline I am not too sure of my time goals yet but i am sure as I get closer I will set goals for these as well....

Having a supportive Husband is KEY!!

Well I thought it was fitting I do a post on my husband on our anniversary. Today is my husband and I's 6th wedding anniversary! When I met my husband 8 years ago I was training for my first Half ironman. That first summer I was fully involved in training while we were dating.....so we can say he knew from the start what he was getting into.
I did take a break from Tri's while I was having kids so for about 3 years......so that was a bit of a break for my hubby ;-).
My husband knew my Ironman goal and now with that goal upon us he is ready! He is such an amazing man he knows I need to spend time training on the weekends and evenings but he does not miss a step....he steps in and takes the kids out on adventures or whatever is planned that day.
I think for any mom who takes part in any sport where they take time away for periods of time for training a supportive husband is key! I am so lucky I have that support and I know that even though I will be spending endless hours training over the next year....my husband will be there every step of the way and especially he will be at the finish line cheering louder then anyone there!

My first Post!

Well here it is my first BLOG!

I just returned from holidays with my family and on this vacation I was at Ironman where I had the best time volunteering with my friend Kim Haddad!
It was so inspiring to see this amazing athletes accomplish such an amazing goal.
I volunteered at the finish line where I was able to meet so many athletes...some who came over the finish line and looked like they could do the race all over again. Then there were some who held onto us like they used every last drop of energy to get over that finish line and then they were done! Our job was to help them get whatever they needed once they crossed that line....for some it was nothing for others it was just an ear to listen as the emotion of finishing the race overcame them, and for others it was a can of Pepsi and a slice of pizza! Whatever it was we were the volunteers who gave it to them and I was proud to do it!
Then the next day I woke up went down to the finish line where the night before was a buzz with athletes finishing this amazing race......on this morning it was a line of people not finishing a race but to sign up to do this race the following year.
I stood in this line for 2 hours and looked at that finish line and I visualized myself in one year crossing that line and accomplishing my ultimate life goal!
This blog for the next year is to document my journey......and I hope you all enjoy it and can also help me with the support I know I will need for this journey that  I am about to begin!

Candice