I am an IRONMAN!!

Well I did it!!! I completed my first Ironman and I can truly say it was an unbelievable experience! I crossed the finish line after 14 hours and 54 mins...
My goal was to finish before 15 hours....and I did that YEAH!!

So if you are willing to take the time and read I am about to give you my detailed race report of the day......

I will start with the day before the race...

On the Saturday I spent the morning getting my gear ready and set out. With this race and many other long distance races you need to have all your transition gear in bags...you don’t have you gear set out at your bike like many of the smaller triathlons. So I needed a bag with my bike gear, one for my run gear then also 2 "Special needs" bags...this is a bag you get half way through your bike and your run with things you need, such as food, clothing etc.

After I got my bags packed I was blessed to have so many friends and family who came to Penticton for the race. My lovely friend Kim who house we stayed at hosted a BBQ lunch so I could see everyone before the race. It was great to see everyone. My gang of ladies from Okotoks arrived and they were decked out in some FANTASTIC tu tu's, pink tanks and bling bling bling! It was too bad I never saw the girls in there outfits race day...I was too fast and they could not catch me...LOL...;-) (more on that later).
Here is a pic of my cheer team! (SO AWESOME)

After the BBQ it was time to get my bike and gear to the transition area...
and drop off the bags....
By this time the nerves were setting in a bit...seeing the thousands of bikes and bags and how the whole transition area looked pre race got me a little nervous but also excited!!

After that I dropped the kids with my mom and dad who were taking the kids for the night at the hotel (which was a HUGE help) then I headed back to Kim's where I had a light supper and headed to bed!!!

I was surprised that I actually got more sleep then I expected...I think I got about 6-7 hours so I thought that was pretty good :-)
Alarm went off at 4:45am and I was UP!!!
Had some breakfast (Pancakes (pre made) and some granola) got dressed and we were off...
So glad Kim’s hubby Anthony offered to drive us down so we did not have to worry about parking.
We got down to the start line at 5:20am and it was time for body marking..
Here is the pic..

After that I left Brad and I was off to get ready...I was happy I ran into my buddy Brian and was able to hang with him before the start and calm my nerves a bit..
I should mention the weather at this time was sunny and about 12 degrees!

Then it was time..I proceeded to the beach to find my spot...I knew I wanted to start far left...since this race is a mass start..so 2600 people starting at the same time I did not want to be in the thick of it for the swim..
So I got to the far left...then I saw the balloons of my cheer team!!
I was able to find a spot and right in from of my gang!

Here was a pic before the start..

Now for the race...sorry it took me a while to get here ;-)

The Swim 3.8 km
So I started a bit back since I was a bit nervous about swimming with 2600 people..so I started off and well it was not nearly as bad as I thought. Yes I got kicked and punched a few times but I just tried to weave around people and just kept going.
My goal for the swim was 1:45...I was pretty happy when I got out of the water at 1:30.
here is a pic of what the start looked like...

The swim felt really good...now off to transition!

Got to my bag and they shuttled me off to the girls transition tent. Greeted by the BEST volunteers!! Then helped me get my bike shoes, helmet etc and sent me on my way!

THe Bike 180km
This is the longest and most times the most challenging part of any Ironman! For me this was the section I worried about. I knew I had 9 hours to complete the ride once I got out of the water...and since I had done the course twice before I knew I could do it in about 7 hours....without any issues...
So I headed out...The first section of the ride is about 70 km and that takes you to Osoyoos, it is a relatively flat road and quite pretty as you pass by many winery’s!! I was happy to see parts of my cheer team as I passed through Oliver.
Then I reached Osoyoos and this is where I knew the challenge begins! It is time for Richter Pass! Richter Pass is an 11 km Climb to the top and it is an elevation of 2295 feet. So NOT an easy climb! And this time of the day it was getting HOT...It was about 29-30 degrees during the climb!! Again so HAPPY to see some of my FANTATASTIC cheer team as they followed me cheering as I made the climb!!
I made it to the TOP!! Now it is time for the 9 rolling hills! At this time I was well ahead of my pace and on pace to finish the bike in 7 hours...
BUT then as I am approaching the 6th roller and I attempted to gear down...BAM...my gears JAM! Now I am stuck in my hardest gear!! Not fun when you are trying to climb!
So I should mention they do have tech support on the ride I believe there was about 7-8 bike tech cars on course. Of course I saw all of them before this happened. So I jumped off my bike since I now was unable to get up the hill and started to walk...watching for the support. Got to the top and jumped on my bike and rode down...and next hill jumped off and walked....did this for the last 3 rollers....then I hit the flat....here I was able to ride...it was slow since I was in a hard gear but I could ride. FINALLY after 15 km and ate up about 30-40 mins I saw the techs...stopped and they fixed my gears in about 10 mins and I was back on course...
Now I was behind pace...the issue was my family was watching my progress online to see when I would get to the location they were watching and I hit the senor before the bike mishap...so I was about 45 mins behind where my family thought I was..so they waited a while for me and some even missed me..so that was sad :-(
The next part of the course I hit the out and back...this is a hard part of the course mentally. The reason is you have to back track a part you already rode so you feel you are not making progress..and it is flat and it is HOT!!
Now to the next challenge YELLOW lake..this is the next big climb on the course. This climb is tough for a few reasons one it is a tough elevation gain again this time about 2400 metres. The second challenge is this climb comes about 130 km into the course...so yup we are TIRED!!! This is the LAST big climb then it is smooth sailing into Penticton!!
When I did the course back in July this is where I started to feel not so great...my nutrition was off and the heat got to me...
But this time I felt great!
I worked with a great coach (Charles Miron) who helped me with a nutrition plan and I can say it was BANG on!! I ate on the first half on the ride some "real" food...wafers, PB and jelly sandwich etc..second half when the stomach tends to "shut down" I stuck to Perpedulm tabs (food in a pill really) and I took about 12 electrolyte pills as well!
So anyways I got to Yellow Lake and I felt pretty good so I made my way up...now in talking to my family I was expecting to see them on this climb...so I kept going and looking for their crazy costumes....but nothing....I still made it to the top and felt okay...
I kept going and made the ride back into town I had about 20 km to go now....there was one last small climb to make before town and as I rode over the top of that...There was the CHEER team! YEAH!!! Unfortunately some of the gang had to leave before I got there since they were scheduled to volunteer. It was too bad but since I was about 40 mins behind schedule as well the gang mixed up the location thinking they were at Yello Lake..oops! Oh well...still got to see my hubby dressed up in a DRESS and my kids and parents with the best signs ever!! For example "My Mommy is faster then your Mommy"...LOVE IT!!
So gave them all a quick kiss and into town I went..
Arrived at transition with a bike time of 7 hours and 38 mins...so even with a few set backs I was happy to be finished the bike and ready to the run...
here is a pic on the bike...

The Run 42 km
So here is the HARD part! I had biked the total distance of the race two times before the race BUT I never got off my bike and ran a marathon after...I got off my bike then and collapsed on the ground!!
Not this time I arrived at transition and once again greeted by some GREAT volunteers who helped me change into my runners and get my hat one and of course hit the port a potty...and off I went!
The crowd for the end of the bike and beginning of the run in town is AMAZING! I should note that as I was heading out on my run the finishers of the race were coming in!!! The funny thing is we run one part of the race twice along the beach...the beginning and the end...so as I am running out the leaders are coming in and the crowds are going CRAZY!! It was such a great energy! All the way out of town people lined the streets and cheered....saw my family and friends again and gave a few high fives then out of town we went.
The run course heads out a place called OK falls...it is a real pretty run route along the lake...and stays relatively flat until you get closer to OK falls...then the hills come!
So my plan for the run....walk the hills and the aid stations! So the first 21 km to the turn around I felt okay I kept an easy pace about 6-6:40. Felt good..still walked the aid stations and the hills.
I like the run since I got to run along side so many different people and get to know them and there stories etc..
Like the one girl who has a 3 month old baby and was doing IRONMAN!! Or how about the 82 year old NUN who is the oldest person every to complete an IRONMAN. I never ran with her but I heard her story and to hear she finished the race in 16 hours and 45 mins was incredible!!
So the run out to the turn around I still felt pretty good...but there was a little voice in my head saying "okay you have felt good the whole time is the knee or hip going to give out?"....I felt good and I kept going....I was now approaching the turn around and now all I could think about was my special needs bag and in it was a time for PRINGLES!! and YES I inhaled those chips and chips never tasted that good!
Once I turned around my pace on the way back got MUCH slower...I was feeling the effects of the day now and I was tired and I knew I had 21 km to go..so I took the pace down and now I was running about a 7 min/km and soon after that a 8 min/km...
I kept that up still walking the aid stations and hills..
Then it came to the 30 km mark..and well then it HIT.....my legs felt like they may fall off!! Now people on the road were cheering "You are almost there"...where I did snap back to one and said "No we are not I still have 6 km to go"!!! I remember hitting the 4 km to go mark and thought OMG that was the longest 4 km of my life and I have 4 more!!! I could start to hear the crowd in the distance....I was defiantly NOT running anymore..it was more like the IRONMAN shuffle...kind of how you would run if you had just raced for 14 hours....but I kept moving and got closer and closer into town....Finally hit main street...and the crowds were HUGE!!! I said to a girl running near me "this is the closet to a movie star we will ever get" so let’s do this! I don’t know how I did it but I picked up the pace! Then out of the corner of my eyes comes by me my training partner Tera..she is now sprinting! So I yell..Tera I am going to get you...thinking not sure how...but I did I ran and I ran fast..caught up to Tera and we sprinted to the finish! We hit the finishing shoot and the people were yelling the music was playing and saw Brad and my friends gave them a huge high 5 and I crossed the line with a time of 14 hours and 54 mins...and I crossed into the arms of my DAD!! My dad and 3 of my friends volunteered as catchers at the finish line. and to have my dad caught me at the end of the race was AMAZING!!
What shocked me more was I thought I would want to die when I crossed and I didn’t I felt pretty good.......got my medal got my pic...and all I really wanted to do is take off my shoes! (later to see I had a HUGE blister).

here is a few pics of me crossing the line...
A high five as I reach the finish line..

And in the arms of my catchers...

So that was it I did my first Ironman and man it was incredible! I loved every minute of it..and yes during the race I said to myself and I said again after I finished and I say it again now that will NOT be my last Ironman!!
It was the last Ironman in Penticton unfortunately. But there will be another Ironman in Western Canada and I hope to do it in either 2014 or 2015.

So my last words to you all who took the time to read this to the end.....It does not matter how big or small your goals are you can all achieve them...it is what is inside you that will drive you to achieve and you to can do what you set your mind to and I challenge you all to find that goal and make it your dream and soar!!!

In Pentiction and the excitment is mounting...

Hello All!!

Well we arrived in Penticton last night and got settled into our hotel.
We woke up this morning and this was the view from our hotel..

I looked out on the street as bikers were taking out their bikes for one last ride I looked out the other way to see runners heading out for a short run. Then I looked out to the lake and saw a wave of swimmers testing out the water...

There was a buzz in the air...I thought I would be really nervous once I got here and was a part of it all...but I am really more excited. Everyone is so friendly and everyone seems so pumped and ready to do this!

I headed out with one of my training buddies for a swim in the lake this morning. The water was beautiful!!! Swim was good....except I decided I need to get some polarized goggles.....and well I bought more then that see later in post...

After the swim and we cleaned up we headed to race registration...Well the line up was a few HUNDRED deep...but I was lucky my lovely training buddy Tera was in line and let me slip in so I only had to wait about 10 mins!!!
So we picked up all our numbers etc...
Here is it...

WOW that is alot of stickers...I guess they will know who I am!

Then it was off to the merchandise tent. My main goal was to buy some new goggles (which I got) but then I saw all the cool clothes. Now my issues was there is lots of "finisher" gear and clothes that comes out Monday...but you have to wait early in line to get it..
So I was going to wait until Monday.....but then a very wise man I met in the tent who has done Ironman a few times said "You never know how you will feel Monday and standing in line for hours the next day may be the last thing you want to do...so buy something now so you don’t miss out all together".
So I listened ;-) bought a few shirts for me and a very cool bike jersey and a t-shirt each for the kids....
YIKES.....but you gotta look like an Ironman after the race right??
And if I feel good on Monday....of course I will go back....since I have know there is a cool "finisher" jacket and I would love to have it!!


The plan this afternoon was to have a nap!! Well you all with kids now having a moment to nap is not easy...especially in a hotel! So I did throw on cartoon for some down time and I do have my feet up as I write this blog!

Tonight the kids are taking part in the Ironman kids race...they are sooo excited! They even get to run through the finish line...

I am hoping tonight I get a better sleep...so far the first 2 nights have not been that great for sleep....hard with kids in a hotel room..so hoping tonight will be better!

Tomorrow I am heading out for a bike ride with some of my training buddies then plan to lay low for the rest of the day until my parents and my best bud from Houston arrives! YEAH!!
Then Saturday my gang shows up...I am so touched that so many of my friends are coming all this way to cheer for me...it means the world to me! So I can’t wait to have a nice BBQ with them all Saturday as I gear up and get ready for the big day!

I doubt I will have a chance to blog again before Sunday...so this will be my last post until my post race report! I thank you all you have followed my blog this year. Blogging has helped me mentally prepare for the race and also it is going to be great to look back on in years to come!

So yes I feel ready.....excited.....and ya a little nervous...but I can do this and am excited to say in a few short days I will be a IRONMAN!!!

OMG 1 more week!!

Okay so one week from today I will be reaching the end of my Ironman race.....OMG so hard to believe!!
This week has given me time to think back to the last 8 months of training and preparing for this race.
It has been such an amazing experience and I have met many new friends through my journey and I have treasured it all...

The last 8 months have had there ups and downs....there are times where I have been on such highs...like returning from Training Camps...and some lows...when my knee was buggered up and I had thoughts that I was not sure if I would be able to run any more....but I pushed through and it all lead me to today...one week before Ironman!!

I have had lots of questions this week...
First one "Are you Nervous".....ya I think so....I think that will hit when I get to Penticton this week and see the race set up..the nerves will defiantly set in!
"Are you excited"....yes again I think it will hit when I get there"...

The last question I get "So how long do you think the race will take you"??...
This is such a hard question...
My ULTIMATE goal...is to finish the race before midnight!!
In an ideal world I would like to finish anywhere between 13-15 hours...but I know ANYTHING can happen..so I will just be happy to finish!

If I was to break down the race to what I think may happen...here it is...

The swim 4km...I hope to do in 1:45
The Bike 180km...I hope to do in 7.5 hours
The Run 42 km...I hope to do in 4.5-5hrs..

So that is 13:45 plus transition so 14 hours.......so like I said between 13-15 hours....we shall see ;-)

I have been a weather stalker for the last week...and well the current weather in Penticton...HIGH 30's....BUT...the trend is going down this week and is looking like low to mid twenties for race day....so lets hope that stays true!

I do plan to do another blog entry once I get to Penticton this week....just to touch base on how I am feeling etc..

I do thank everyone for all their support over the past 8 months it means the world to me....If you want to track my progress on race day you can..
The website is www.ironman.com and you can track athletes by entering our number and mine is...#2577

We are off to Penticton on Tuesday and I do have a few light workouts while and I there with the race on Sunday...

Until then....

Let the TAPER begin....

For those who are new to Triathlon or racing in general you may not know the term "TAPER". Basically it means a period of time before the race that you reduce your workload to prepare physically and mentally for the race.

Depending on the length of your race determines how long your taper is...For an Ironman it can be anywhere from 2-4 weeks before your race..
My Taper is about 2.5 weeks...
This week I still had some longer workouts but they gradually reduced...this week I will have the same number of workouts I normally do the main difference is the volume is less....BUT the intensity will stay the same...

So you would think that this would be a nice easy 2 weeks before the race....well it is actually quite different...TAPERING is VERY challenging!
Yes you get a break from the long gruleing workouts but there is so much more in play.

At this point after 9 months of training physically you should be ready to do the race....the training is there...BUT...mentally it is time to prepare.

Taking your training down from 6-8 hour workouts to just 1-2 hours is hard...you think you need to do more...you doubt yourself...you think if I slowdown will I be able to do this??
You start to think about every aspect of the race now.....I think about each transition....how will I feel?...

2 weeks today I will be doing Ironman....it is crazy to think I have come this far...

So what will this next 2 weeks look like for my TAPER..
I will follow each workout laid out for me and know that even though the volume is down I need to keep my intensity up and focus on recovery from each workout.

I will stretch, I will ICE and I plan to get as much sleep as I can :-)
I also plan to focus on my nutrition...Eating as clean as I can....do sugar...no booze and limit caffeine intake...

So that is my plan.....People ask me "are you excited?"....hmmm....not sure if I am excited.....I think when I get there it will hit me....for now I will stay focused and take it one day at a time :-)

Plan for this week:

Monday: 1 hour interval swim/1 hour threshold run
Tuesday- Spin 1 hour
Wednesday- 30 km bike
Thursday- 1 hour steady run
Friday- rest
Saturday or Sunday- Brick (10 km bike/5km run)

Rain....check....SUN....check.......

Well when it comes to possible weather scenarios for Ironman I think I have most of them covered..


When my serious outdoor training started in May/June...I pretty much trained in the RAIN for like 4 weeks straight. So when it came to Great White North (half ironman) July 1st and we had a down pour on the bike....well it did not phase me too much...


Now since about the 2nd week of July it has been HOT....I am not sure if we have had a summer where we have had this many days above 30 degrees!!
In an ideal world I would get up and head out about 5-6am so I can avoid the late day heat.....that is all good EXCEPT for Ironman I will be on my bike in the heat of the day and same with the beginning of the run...so I NEED to get used to it...


I think my hottest training session to date was this weekend...even hotter then when I was in Penticton last month!



We were in Radium this weekend camping...and I had a brick session to do.....a nice short one...30 km bike followed by a 10 km run. We were planning to go hang with our friends (Carlie and Mike) in Windermere...so this worked out great! I hung out with the family in the am at the campground then about 11:30am I headed out.....I biked out to Windermere (added on an extra 10 km since it was not far enough) while I was biking it was 35 degrees out!! I got to the cabin....just as Brad and the kids arrived....grabbed my runners, re filled my water and headed out.....I think it jumped another 3-4 degrees as I ran! I had to stop half way just to splash cold water on my face.....I ended up doing 8.5 km (cut it a bit short since I ran out of water)



So this brick was 2.5 hours in some pretty intense heat...of course much shorter then Ironman but it gave me a chance to play around with when I took electrolytes and water and other fuel etc...
I felt good after...so that was a good sign!


here is a pic as I headed out Saturday

I am defiantly not hoping for high temps for race day....but I think I know how to deal with the various temps and if I had my way a nice day around 24 degrees with some light cloud would be PERFECT!!!


So I am now leading into my taper...I have one more bigger training day this week...then my volume definitely begins to decrease.....now the mental preparation and physical preparation in the means of sleep and nutrition will become very important......discuss more about that next week :-)


This week looks like this :

Tuesday- I teach 5 classes...yikes....1 of them is spin

Wednesday- 3 km open water swim/ 2 hour run

Thursday- MAP run (1 hour)

Friday- 50 km ride

Saturday- Brick 30 km bike 10 km run

Sunday rest

Run Forrest Run....................

So with this last push of training...and only one more week until I start to TAPER..."insert happy dance here"...
My focus has shifted to the RUN....
Coming into my start of training for this race my strongest component was the RUN.......so I shifted my focus to the bike which was my "weak link"....
Then about 3 months ago I suffered from some "over training" and my run got effect with some tightness in the IT band which leads to extreme knee pain on my runs..
So then I really scaled back my running so this could heel...

Now with less then one month till race day my swim and bike are where I want them to be....I have 2 long swims and rides left until I taper....
The true test for me for the run was yesterday....I went out for a 30 km run...prior to yesterday I did not run more then 21-24km.....and after 10 km I was feeling a lot of pain..
So yesterday I went out......and I DIT IT.....30 km.....no knee pain at all!! Such a relief!! I felt some tightness in my left hip......but not to the point where I felt I could not run!
Now of course on race day I will be running 42 km and I will be doing this after I finish a 180 km bike ride....so do I expect big things from this run...NO...do I think I may walk..or even hobble a bit...YOU BET!! If I can run the 42 km in 5 hours that day I will be happy...but I have no idea how it will play out...what I do know is after yesterday I CAN DO IT....my training and listening to all my coaches, therapists etc has paid off...and I am ready to do this thing!!! here is the pic of how I recovered after my 30 km run yesterday..

Here is this weeks plan leading into TAPER.. Monday- Pool swim (hold a pace) about 1000m Tuesday- Spin 1 hour/Run 30 min (plus a run coaching session with Charles) Wednesday- Bike 120 km (last long ride!!) Thursday- Hill Run /Open water swim 2-3 km Friday- Threshold run 20:3x3 Saturday- REST Sunday- Brick 30 km bike/10 km run

Training Camp part 2...

So I am home for a second Ironman training camp...
The first one was on the May long weekend.....where I was happy I did that camp I am so happy I did this one this past weekend....

In May my main focus was to go out to the camp and get a feel for the course so I knew moving forward what to expect. I did get that out of that camp.....unfortunately it was a bit too much volume for me that early and  because of that I believe that is what caused me to get an injury...but live and learn..

After that camp I felt I wanted to head out to Pentiction one more time so I could once again tackle the bike course as well get in the lake..
So I did a search online of camps that happened mid July and I stumbled upon the Solo Sport Systems camp......and I am Sooooooo glad I did..

This camp was so much more then doing some great volume workouts. For example we did a 4 km swim, the entire bike course plus half the run course....as well as a few other workouts..
What I got even more out of this camp was some FANTASTIC coaching...
Charles Miron is the head coach of Solo Sport Systems and this guy knows his stuff! Charles is not only a veteran ultra marathon runner...ya this guy did a race that was 148 km of running...in 1 day!! And you all  thought Ironman was crazy!! beside being CRAZY fit this guy knows his stuff....he gave us insight on racing, coaching, recovery you name it. Charles also had and assistant coach on hand Todd...and Todd is doing 5 Ironman races in 5 years...I think he is on number 3 or 4....Todd as well provided us with us a wealth of knowledge on the Ironman course itself and so much more!!

The other thing I loved about this group is it was just an average group of people training for Ironman....not a group of Elite athletes....and everyone was so welcoming and helpful!!
Loved my convo with "Michelle" in the group about how us moms who have to pee all the time  have to learn to "Pee on the bike"....yup these are the things we discuss....LOL!!

Anyway it was a GREAT weekend....it was a great "Dress Rehearsal" for me...I know I have to work on my nutrition for the bike....had some issues there.....as well some running form stuff I am hoping to work out with Charles over the next week or so....

Here is a pic of our group before our big ride...

Feeling great and ready for this last month of prep before the big day...

here is this weeks plan:

Monday- Rest
Tuesday- teach spin (I shall easy spin...everyone else will be doing a  version of Richer pass...LOL)
Wednesday- 2km Open Water swim
Thursday- MAP run
Friday- Brick 20 km bike/5 km run x3
Saturday- 30 km run
Sunday rest

6 weeks til the race now time to clean the slate!!

Well if you were following Face Book last night you probably know that I took part in a pub crawl. This was the third annual Okotoks moms pub crawl. The last 2 years the event was a crazy night so I knew this one would be no different.
I was hesisdent about this night out since I knew the drinks would be flowing and I knew that with my training this may not be a good thing...

BUT...Jen (my coach) ended up being on the crawl and well I just followed her lead ;-) YIKES!!! So yes there were many many drinks........a few too many,.....it was a lot of fun but yup I am feeliing not to great today.....
The good thing is this week is a light week of training leading up to camp this weekend so hopefully my body will be good and recovered come Thursday when I head out to Penttction for camp.

With that said Jen has also told me that we are now 6 weeks out for the race...so not only will training change over the coming weeks...I will start tapering in about 2 weeks...but with that I need to make changes to my diet..

So starting tomorrow.......there will be NO refined sugar leading to Ironman.....NO alcohol (that should not be a problem after last night) and NO caffeine.

So it is time to get the systems in top shape leading up to the race.
Now I do have a bit of a sugar addiction.  I do eat healthy.....but I do like a little treat each day...so this will be a challenge for me..

But for 6 weeks and to get myself in top shape I will do it!!

This weeks plan is:

Monday- Swim 1500m
Tuesday- spin 1 hour run 30 min Wednesday- bike 30km Thursday- travel to pentction Friday- Sunday- training camp

7 weeks and counting.....

Yes I am now counting......it may be because the training this week seemed to have gotten harder or the fact I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...whatever the case YES I am now counting...
and yup it is 7 weeks today.....YIKES!!

So last Sunday I did the GWN Half Ironman and the official results were posted and yup I did it in 6:13...which for me is a personal best....so I was really happy with that...

This week was hard...in a few ways...first I was back on the training within 48 hours of my race........I had 2 long bike rides this week..a longer lake swim and a short run...and really they all felt HARD!!!
I was not that sore after my race...a bit tight due to my lack of stretching but nothing crazy....it was more I think my body is used to a rest after a race and I was not letting it....so it was a hard week..

Then I had 2 experiences training this week that did not help...the first was on my bike ride Wednesday I came apon the aftermath of a bike/truck accident where the cyclist was pronounced dead on the scene.
I rode my bike along the scene and seeing a mangled bike and a body bag on the side of the road was one of the hardest things I have gone through....I was in tears the rest of my ride back to Okotoks.....I knew it was most likely a freak accident (which it was) but I still kept thinking "this person has a family....and they now have to deal with this loss".....I was so sad for this and felt sick from what I saw...

Then Thursday....I was out running with my run group and when I got home I saw an alert on the Okotoks web that a cougar was spotted right around where I ran just an hour earlier......SERIOUSLY...someone from above was telling me NOT to train this week...

But I pushed on....had a good swim with a friend Friday...thank goodness she was there or I may have just hung out on the beach..

Then I ended the week on a high.....It was the Okotoks Sprint Triathlon. I did this as a team (which I have never done before) So the team consisted of Melissa who is a crazy fast swimmer.....Jen (my coach) who can kick any ones ass on a bike...and then me for the run....GULP!!!
So ya I was a runner coming into Tri's many years ago...but never considered myself "fast"...so now there was some pressure!!!

So a quick update on how this race unfolded....
So the girls hit the lake.....500 m around Crystal Shores lake.....so as expected Melissa appears out of the lake in first place...just over 9 mins.....
She darts to the bike transition  and passes off to Jen....she gets onto the course...there is about 3 ladies hot on her trail.....
Jen does the 20 km bike course out and around Okotoks....the first rider gets into transition and it is not Jen....but then within seconds she appears....in a time of just over 40 minutes....
So the gal in first place is out of transition and on the run course and I got my chip from Jen and I am on her tail....but this girl is FAST!! So my initial thought going into this 5 km is okay I will hold a 5:5min pace and I can do this in just under 30mins...so I take off and I try to keep this girl in my sight...and I look at my watch and well I am under a 5 min/km......around 4:5....CRAP...this is fast...not sure I can hold this...I train for distance not speed....but man I cant let my team down...so I run and I run and I run........I keep the pace and the girl in first place stays about 50 m ahead of me....and that is where she stays...at 1 km to go...I push it more but so does she...so she crosses first...and then I cross.....with a time of 23 mins....CRAZY!! I have never done a 23min 5 km EVER....it felt good.....we ended up coming in first for the teams....and our final time was 1:13...

We were also so happy for all the C&C Fitness triatahles that completed this race...for many it was first lake swim...and they all did so great! It was an awesome day!

So now we move onto another week of training:

Monday: 3 km lake swim
Tuesday: 1 hour Spin followed by 50 min brick run
Wednesday: 2 hour run/60 km bike
Thursday:  1 hour Interval run
Friday: REST
Saturday: 120-140 km bike....then a PUBCRAWL!!
Sunday: most likely hungover so we shall rest ;-)

Great White North Post race report.....

Well I survived!!

So I thought it would be good to do a post race report for one you can get an idea what the race was like and two I can look back it when I do this race again NEXT YEAR!!
Yup I decided already I want to go back and do this race again...and try it a year I am not training for Ironman...

I went into this race hoping I could do it close to what I did it in 8 years ago (that was 6:42)...well did not just come close I nailed it out of the park with a 6:13 (unoffical time).....This shocked me in ALL areas...
What was even better is I did not kill myself on this race a I tried it at a pace I knew I could hold for longer...so next year we are going to take it up a bit and my goal to break 6 hours.....we shall see!!!

So we arrived in Stony Plain on Saturday afternoon it was so HOT about 30 degrees when we arrived. So we checked in and then headed down to the beach so I could check in my bike and they has an open water swim. So Amber and I got on our wetsuits and headed out to test out the lake! It was already HOT outside but the lake was soooo warm....so it made it a nice swim...minus the fact it smelted like goose poop!

After we headed back to the hotel and off for supper.  Those who know me know I have a very sensitive stomach so what I chose to eat the night before was a big decision. That whole day I drank up to 5 litres of water and I ate very clean....no sugars and limited my starchy carbs.....I wanted a clean slate for race day...My mistake for dinner I chose a whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce and spinach. Which sounds healthy....but it was still a bit too heavy and my stomach did not like that during the night....oh well live and learn..

I did not have a great sleep...hotels.....tummy issues etc...but still the alarm went off at 5:50am and I was ready to go...

I let the kids sleep a bit and I headed down to have a quick bit of breakfast...again careful on my choices. So I went with my trusted granola and PB on toast....

Headed back to the room kids were ready to go an we headed out...

Stepped outside to realise the weather prediction which was a mix of sun and cloud was WRONG...it was all CLOUD...and windy!
As we pulled up to the lake it started to rain...not alot but enough...

We got set up in transition then pulled on that ever so sexy Wetsuit...Here is a pic of Amber and I before the race..

We got our self set up on the beach....here is a pic of all the athletes ready to start..

This race was a beach start so once the gun goes you run in and start swimming...I wont say I RAN more like a slow saunter ;-).......got in none the less and started to swim....first 100 metres of any lake swim in tough for me...I feel a bit panicked and hard to catch my breath. The bonus of this race was the water was warm and we were quite spread out on the beach...
After that first 100 metres I got into my groove. THis course was a 2 loop swim around the lake a total of 2 km....I was hoping for a time of 50-55 mins....my watch said once I exited the water 43 minutes....I was pumped....way better then I thought...

here is a pic of me getting out of the water...

So next was transition....here is where I could have been a bit quicker....I spent about 10 mins here (oops) but with the weatheer wet and chilly...I took the time to put on a jersey and arm warmers etc...not easy when you are wet..

Then I was off on the bike course (90km)

What I do like about this race...is this is very FLAT bike course.....which is nice compared to other races. The downside this day was as soon as we started the bike it started to POUR and the wind began...so this added a bit of a challenge....but with that it was still a nice bike...and with it being an out and back course the trip back (45 km) the rain stopped and so did the wind....
On this leg I was hoping for a 3:45-3:50.....my watch showed about 3:13 once I got to transition...so again happy! I did not push too hard on the bike...I held back due to wanting to have a good run etc...so I do know I could have took some time off that bike and pushed even harder...
I also played around with some nutrition on the bike...I ate a whole PB and jelly sandwich and a banana...and did it all without getting off my bike....impressive I know ;-)....it was good and was the right amount of fuel I needed plus my HAMMER liquid supplement.

Then it was the run....I felt strong going into the last leg (21 km run).....I took off and really watched my pace...learned my lesson last time...so I stuck around a 6min/km and held it pretty close to that...I felt good through the run....in my head I just kept think okay I am getting close to 12 km and what is my knee going to do?? 12 km came and went and I still felt great!! This course again was flat...which was nice...and the rain had stopped so just cloudy..perfect weather. I took the time in the run to chat with some athletes..I ran beside 2 athletes that were so inspirational....the first was a 68 year old man...yup 68!! This was his 6th half and he has done 4 Ironmans...he was so sweet and we chatted for a while and I told him how I thought it was so great he did this.....I picked up my pace after that (I knew I could not let a 68 year old man beat me ;_)...I continued next I ran with another women she was 65!! This was her last race...she had been doing half ironman and ironmans for 30 years....CRAZY!!! Again an inspiration!!  I now was at 15 km....6 more to go...I then ran beside a friend who is also training for Ironman so we stuck together to the end and held a good pace...and still no pain!!
1 km to go......I said "What the Hell" picked it up and took off to the finish...felt strong and excited to finish...turned to corner and there was my family...I told my kids they could cross the finish line with me so they were waiting. Unfortunately Jade got hurt a few minutes before so she did not want to run but Zach was ready to go...SO here we are running to the finish..

I crossed the line at 6:13 (my time) official times not posted yet! My time in 2004 when I did this race was 6:42 and my half last year in Calgary 7:20....so I was so happy with this time!! I know my training paid off and so thankful to my coach Jen who helped me get here. I feel confident and ready for Ironman...of course I have 6 weeks of training to go.....but now I know "I can do this"..

The finish....

So I was very happy with my race...now the recovery was a different story......After the race what my plan was to drink my recovery drink......insread I ate a greasy burger....oops....

then I needed to ice and stretch....well since Jade got hurt.....we needed to get to Red Deer..so I jumped in the car and sat for 1.5 hours...got to Red Deer I quickly showered and changed and we went off to Urgent care...there i sat for 5 hours.....so I really started to get sore........

A side note...jade is fine...she has a weak elbow that pops out of joint...so after 5 long hours..the Xray tec got it back in place......

So yesterday I did ice and stretch.....which helped but not ideal foresure!

So now I had 2 days of rest...well kinda I teach spin tonight....for me will be an easy ride but not for everyone else..then I am back at training tomorroow....so here is the plan for the week:

Tuesday- Easy Spin

Wednesday- 140km bike (CRAZY)

Thursday- 45 min steady run

Friday- 3 km lake swim

Saturday- 5 Km fast run (Okotoks Tri) 80 km bike

Sunday- rest....well not really Stampeded day with the family!!

If you took the time to read thanks for reading ;-)





One week till race day....

One week till I will take part in the Half Ironman 'Great White North (GWN)".....now this is not my goal race obviously...but a pretty big one in the lead up..
This race will give me a good idea of where I am at and also I should be able to predict an approximate finish time for Ironman...."should"...

Now I do have 2 half's under my belt leading into this race. The first was GWN back in 2004 so 7 years ago!! The second I did the Calgary 70.3 last summer...

My memory from the last time I did GWN is a bit foggy...all I remember is how I felt when it was over and that was HORRIBLE!! I was sick for a good 24 hours post race....I know now that was mainly due to bad nutrition choices during the race. After that race I actually took a hiatus from triathlon until 2010 when I did a few sprints and 1 olympic then 2011 when I did 70.3.....where I felt 100% better...so good that gave me the momentum to sign up for Ironman...

Now with that said I decided to look up my times from both races to see how they compared and what I had to aim for for this race coming up..

So here they are:

GWN 2004:
2 km swim- 42.22
90 km cycle- 3 hours 51 mins
21 km run- 2 hours 14 min
total time- 6 hours 48 mins

Calgary 70.3 2011:
1.9 km swim- 1:07
94 km bike- 3 hours 45 mins
21 km run- 2 hours 26 mins
total time- 7 hours 27 mins

Now looking back I would have never guessed I did the one in 2004 that much faster then last year...but I must remember I was 7 years younger and this was pre kids!! I had more time to train back then.....also the courses were quite different..70.3 was a more challenging course and the weather last year was also a factor where it was 34 degrees by the time I hit the run..

So looking ahead to next weekend...I have a few predictions....not that I like to make predictions since ANYTHING can happen in a race..
But here they are anyway..

The swim.....Not sure if I can do what I did in 2004...man that was fast (not sure how I did that) so I predict about 50-55 mins this time...my swim has not improved much...it has remained kinda the same since last year...so I could push 1 hour again not sure...

The Bike...now this is the area I have really focused on this year...so I hope this is where I will make the improvements....if I can do it in around 3:40 that would be great.

Now the run......I am still suffering with knee pain once I hit past 12 km...so I not expecting big things in the run...I hope to run as far as I can get...then if I feel alot of pain I may have to walk...I don't want to mess things up for the next 2 months.....so I cant even predict the outcome of the run..
The other factor is my pace I train at right now is slower since my distance will be double this...so I think this will also have a factor in how I do this race...

Overall....if my run goes well I hope to do the race in about 7 hours...but the run may be a major deterrent in that...
What I really want to get out of the day is I get my transitions smooth...my nutrition right and I have the feeling that I can do more once I am done..then I know I am on the right track for my next 6 weeks...also lets hope for some SUN!!!!

here is a pic from 70.3 last year..

So leading up to the race this weekend here is my plan for the week:

Monday- TRX/open water swim
Tuesday- 90 min run
Wednesday- 2000m swim
Thursday- easy 30 min run/ride 30 km
Fri/Sat- rest
Sunday- RACE!!

The Ironman Death March....

Jen sent me this article this week and it is so fitting to how I feel right now...
It is called "The Ironman Death March"
http://www.impactmagazine.ca/workout/articles/welcome-to-the-ironman-death-march.html

What this article talks about is how is a race like Ironman we are expected to feel some sort of pain and discomfort....and also with the high volumes of training...

I am defiantly feeling some "pains" right now....Unfortunately it is every time I go past about 12 km in a run...
I was doing GREAT until about a month ago and I went to a training camp for Ironman....we biked about 300km over 2 days...and I ran 26 km....
I felt great during.....but the following week it all went wrong....attempted a half marthaon and had to stop have way through...
Unfortunately my runs have not got better...
Short runs have been fine......I have done 2 longer runs since...both times feeling pain after about 12 km...
I have been getting treatment....the source is VERY tight IT bands that is pulling laterally on my knee cap..
I think what happened is I did the volume training at training camp but not sure if my body was ready for it and then once I trained the following week my body gave in to the extra stress I put on it...

I was hoping that it would be better by now....but I ran last night and once again at 12 km....PAIN....but the pain was not as bad...so I thought about this article above and took down my intensity and ran through it for another 3-4 km....I could feel it but it was bearable..

My chiropractor Shannon...who also is training for her I think 3rd or 4th Ironman gave me some GREAT advice...since I have a race in 2 weeks (half Ironman) she said go out and have a strong swim and bike...and do the best I can do in the run.......if I have to walk the last 5-8 km I have to walk...this is still not my GOAL race...I might be just looking like the "Ironman Death march" at the end of this race...

So with 2 weeks to go until my first race...my volume is starting to go down in training...which I hope will help my knee...time will tell..

Plan for this week:

Monday: TRX/Spin 1 hour
Tuesday TRX/MAP run / Open water swim 1 hour
Wednesday- Bike 40 km
Thursday- Run 1 hour
Friday- Swim 2500m pace
Saturday- rest
Sunday- Bike 100 km/run 30 min (Brick)

Oh I am going to pay for that....

Well I just returned from my second annuals girls weekend...

This is an annual golf trip...where last year I brought my bike instead of golf and went for a long ride...
So I thought I would do the same this year..

So packed up the bike with the girls and we headed to Fairmount...
Friday night we hung out had a few drinks and a few laughs but I headed to bed early since my plan was to bike about 120 km the next day..

Woke up to pouring rain....I waffled about going...but I stepped outside and the temp was 5 degrees! I did not bring gear for that cold...so I bowed out!

So we spent the morning doing a mini Boot Camp then headed to the Hot Springs...got back to the cabin at lunch and the rain kept coming down...so what else was there to do...we DRANK...and DRANK and DRANK some more...don't get me wrong it was A LOT of fun....but man this 39 year old lady does not do this very often....and I was a hurting unit by about midnight..YIKES!

So today we headed home.,..it was a quieter ride with some sore heads....I did not feel bad but definetly was feeling the effects of the weekend...

So I missed my big ride....may have been not so bad since I had been dealing with an injury for the past few weeks...so maybe the party weekend healed it?? We shall see..

But the show must go on and I move into a pretty high volume week this week and I sure hope when I wake up tomorrow that this booze is out of my system and I am ready to get back at it...

Monday- 1 hour spin/90 min run
Tuesday- Pilates/TRX
Wed- MAP run/swim intervals
Thursday- Ride 100km
FRiday- Swim 2500 Pace
Saturday- Run/bike brick
Sunday- rest

Coach Jen!

One of the best decisions I made in my journey for Ironman as to involve a "Coach"....now Coach Jen is not just any coach...she is also my friend! Jen has completed Ironman about 4 years ago and is a FANTATSIC athlete. Jen is also a police officer and has trained with Tri Cops. Jen last year took her Triathlon coaching and has been coaching the team out of C&C for the past 3 years as well.

So I was so happy when she said she would coach me for this race! Jen sends me the workouts and advises me on things to focus on etc...
What I love also is Jen is a MOM...she know what that is about and that I don't have 20 hours a week to train...so the program I have has balance and I don't ever feel I am taking a lot from my family..and that I love!

So today I went on my first ride with Jen.....She was only able to do the first half of the ride with me then she sent me on my own...it was great since she gave me some great tips on hill climbing...since this ride was full of hills....

Here is a pic of Jen and I today...oh and we did not plan to wear the same jersey! ;-)

So this week I also rode Highwood Pass......this was also a nice ride with some amazing scenery....

After a rough weekend last weekend I had a great week of training.......now we move into next week:

Monday- TRX/Spin 1 hour
Tuesday- Run 3 hours
Wednesday- Intensity swim 2250m
Thursday- run 40 mins/Bike 60 km
Friday- Swim Drills
Saturday- Bike 120-140 km



Sometimes our egos just get in the way......

Yup today was one of those days in my 10 plus years of racing that I would like to forget...

Today I was suppose to complete my 6th half marathon....instead I walked off the course at the 12km mark.....and went home...

So a little background....when I planned my race plan for the year I initially had planned to do the Calgary FULL marathon......then I booked the training camp the week previous and it was advised that a run that close after would be a BAD idea...so I thought okay I will VOLUNTEER...also since at the time my husband Brad was training for the half...

Let’s skip ahead to about 2 weeks ago...(1 week before Training camp) Brad has been dealing with a knee injury for about a month now..so he made the decision not to run. Well I could not have neither of us now do it...so I thought "what the heck I will do the half" so I went in and got my bib changed.

So we know I had training camp last weekend...that was about 16 hours of training in 3 days......so a lot of volume!! I knew I had to take it easy this week..plus now that I knew I was doing this half...

So here is where I went WRONG.....I did take Monday and Tuesday easy last week.....BUT then I was teaching a few extra classes..and thought well I am not doing a lot of workouts...so I will do these classes with the gang.....the class on Thursday was a muscle conditioning class..well it was TOUGH...we did high high reps of strength....and well....I felt that Friday....then I had to teach 2 more classes...I took Saturday off...but I was still mighty sore...

So I got up today and popped a few Advil and thought the run will work this out...since I knew I needed to do this as a NICE EASY training run....here is where I went WRONG again...

I get to the start...the gun goes...and I am OFF....feeling good...got a good pace...I told Brad that I plan to take it easy so will not finish until 2:15....so that is a good easy pace for me...

My last half I got my first sub 2 hours...1:59...so of course I know I can do it...

So what do I see as I am running....the 2 hour "pace buunny"....I think I feel good I can run with him...what will that hurt...

Then I realize I am ahead of him....I get cocky AGAIN...think man I could do BETTER then last time!!

Then I hit 8km.....feeling a bit tight in my left knee....I think "I know I need shoes soon it must be that"....9km it gets worse........now I think "Candice you are being DUMB" so I take down my pace.....the 2 hour pace bunny goes by....I say "that is okay this not suppose to be a race"...

I still feel pain....I take it down AGIAN...now the 2:15 pace bunny goes by...

NOW I AM MAD!!

I get to 10km...and the it really hurts...I stop to walk! I NEVER stop to walk...I am now SWEARING!!

I get over to the side of the road and I start to stretch...

Then I start talking to myself......"Option one I can bite the bullet and just run through it and finish this damn race...and most likely not be able to run for who know how long after"...."Or Option 2 I can stop now and hopefully save my knee and be able to continue my training and finish my races that I am going to finish in 5 weeks...and again in 3 months"!!

I pick option 2.....and I start to walk.....I turn off my Garmin...and I walk....I am now a bit teary....I am not sad I am not finishing the race...I know I can do this distance...I am sad that I let this happen.....I got cocky and did not listen to what my body needed......and maybe I really messed this up....

The pain now is gone...I can walk fine.....I spent the rest of the day shopping and that seemed to help :-)

My plan for this week....is to attempt the training that has been given to me....the swim and bike I do not see a problem...if the runs hurt this week I will take them off and asses if I need to get treatment etc...I just pray that it will be okay...and time will only tell...

I do plan to NOT be doing the classes I teach for the next 3 months...I may throw in the occasional exercise....but now with the amount of training I have I need to take recovery as recovery....not as oh ya I can do this 1 hour class......again need to listen......slowly I am getting this...slowly!!!

So here is my tentative plan for the week:

Monday- Swim (drills)/Spin

Tuesday- Run (suppose to be hills...I am going to attempt just a short easy run)

Wednesday- swim 2500m pace

Thursday- Run 60 mins....I hope ;-)

Friday- Ride 100 km (Highwood Pass)

Saturday- REST

Sunday- Ride 90km/run 1 hour (Brick)

I survived!!!!

Well I am home and I am happy to say "I survived Ironman Training Camp"...

A few months ago I heard about this Ironman training camp through Critical Speed. I was hesitant signing up since I had trained with this group once before and they are.....well pretty
"hard core"!!
But I signed up...the main reason is I wanted to ride the bike course since this is the part of the race that scares me the most!

So as a family we drove out to the Oakanagan on Thursday and went to Brads brothers house. This is where Brad and the kids hung for the weekend and I made the hour drive each day into Pentiction.

So Friday I woke up and headed to Pentiction for Day 1. When I pulled up to the hotel where most of the gang was staying I was nervous since I had no idea what to expect.
Day 1 the plan was to bike 120km for the Ironman course. So we drove out to OK falls and this is where we started our ride....
I will talk more about the course a bit further down so stay tuned...all in all I felt okay on the ride..it got quite hot towards to the end of the ride...someone said it was 31 degrees....I did feel that at the end foresure...and I was ready for it to be over...and I defiantly was thinking "how the HECK can I do 160km  on Sunday?".....
But I did it.....and with that I was happy and ready for Day 2....

Day 2........this morning we headed out for a run...we did not do the IM course since that course is through most of the town so hard to do when roads are not closed etc....So we did a trail run around Saka Lake....it was a beautiful run...once again quite HOT!!! This run ended up being 26 km...my longest run this season to date.
After the run I really felt my knees and hips...I was not used to running on trail and some sand.
So I followed suit with some of the others and went hip deep into the lake after the run....and let me tell you that water was FREEZING!! But felt GREAT on my legs!

The plan was to have a 3 hour break and then we were to drive out to Oilver for a lake swim. After talking to a few of the others  they were opting out of the swim...for various reasons...mostly since they wanted to wine tour! So I did decide not to go since Oilver is an hour drive south so opposite to Kelowna,......and a long drive.....so I went back and hung with the kids and rested up for the next day!

Then there was Day 3....today we rode the course...we had the option to ride the whole 180km course or take out one small part and do 160km...so I went with the majority and did 160km...THANK GOD!!

So here is a pic of the course as well as what the elevation gains look like...

So I give a quick overview of what I thought of the course....

So the part that comes out of Pentiction and follows into Maclean creek we did not do Friday but did Sunday.....it was a nice part of the course with a slight incline but nothing too crazy.

Then we link onto the highway towards Oyossos (this is where we started Friday)....it is about 50-60 km to Oyossos from there.....going through OIlver etc. The big land mark is the huge Canada flag at the Huskey station that is where the rest stop was...and man I was happy to see that....my bladder needed the break :-)

Once we leave the Huskey we start heading West and this is where the FUN begins....we start our climb up Richter  Pass....It involves 3 steady inclines before you reach the top. I did not find this climb as hard as I thought it would be be...but it was quite a bit harder  on Sunday when we had ridden further by that point.

After the summit we go for about 20 km that has about 11 rolling hills....again this was harder on Sunday...when my legs were a bit more baked :-)

After  that is a nice flat through some wine country.....good scenery here :-)  Then we have another rest stop before the next climb...

This one is Yellow Lake.....now I found this one MUCH harder....is it steeper then Richter Pass.....also it is about 140km into the ride so the legs are FEELING it!!!

Once you hit the top of this you are laughing.....we stop for a pee break and a huge breath since we now know the climbs are OVER!! I did feel like I was spent after this climb foresure on both days but especially Sunday......Garry (one of our support guys) was pouring COKE for the athletes at this station and he offered it to me...an I though "COKE...no way".....but he said trust him it works....so I tried it and washed it down with a cookie...and he was right it sure gave me some pep at the end!!!  Who knew coke would be soooo Good!!!!

Now the decent....it  is gravy....there is about 20 km left now....there are 2 little bumps to climb up then it is ALL down hill back into down....and a fast steep down hill!

Whoever planned this course is a GENIUS!!! The hill going in is so perfect it gives you that recovery you need after  all that climbing..

With that said when I reached the end the thought of having to get off my bike and running 42 km was the furthest thing from my mind......I just sat  down and relished in the fact that I got through that! In 3 months I will worry about the "little" run after!

So all in all it was a great camp! It was unfortunate that the coach did not make it to the camp.....having the education piece would have been great! But my main goal was to go and ride the course and as much as I could....knowing the course and that I can do it....makes me so much more confident about this race!

Now I have 3 months...to work on the endurance even more and ready to rock this race!!

So my plan for this week is:

MOnday- rest

Tuesday- Yoga

Wednesday- Swim 1500m

Thursday- Run 45 mins easy pace

Friday- TRX/ride 50 km

Saturday- rest

Sunday- Calgary half marthon!!!

Training Camp here I come.....

Well it feels like I am prepping for the actual race where that is still 3.5 months away!!

This weekend will we be driving up to Pentiction for a 3 day Ironman Training camp...

Why do I shutter in fear when I say that?? Maybe the fact that we will be doing most if not all of the entire Ironman course during the weekend! OMG!!

So today I went out and did a 90km bike ride.....first half was kinda hellish since we were riding into a head wind....second half though I got my "mojo" and felt great! As we finish off Amber (my riding buddy) says "and think that is only half way!!!"......yup 90km is only half of the crazy distance I need to do for this race!

Next weekend will be hard I know it...but I have been told that it is doable at camp....so I am hoping everyone is right!! If not I will just be found on the side of the road in Pentiction once again rocking in the fetal position until someone stops to get me...

So this week I am taking my volume down until Camp...

Monday- 2 hour computrain
Tuesday- TRX/30 mins run
Wednesday- 1500 m swim
Thursday- travel day

Camp:
Friday- Bike 120-140km of course.
Saturday- Run 2-3 hours of course then open water swim for 2 hours
Sunday- ride all or as much as we can off 180km course....."gulp"...

Until next week....

What does not kill you makes you stronger...

Yup this is my motto when I putting my classes through a gruelling TRX workout...I usually yell this out as they are ending there last set and about to die...

Well this week I muttered this saying over and over in my head!!  My weekends now consist of a longer ride and run which is now becoming a bit of a mental game.....where I am okay heading out for 1-2 hours...but now my workouts are 3-4- even 5 hours....I find this more and more of a mental challenge...where I need a lot of self talk to keep going!!

Tuesday was a day I was suppose to have a "shorter"....60 min run...but kinda last minute I needed to cover for our half martahon group so I went and ran with them....and the weather was well....a DOWN POUR....not a little sprinkle....so after this 2 hour run I was drenched from head to toe...and freezing.....not the enjoyable run of my life.

Then there was Saturday......yes it SNOWED....and not just snowed it snowed sideways!! So after my 1.5 hour indoor bike I got my runners on and I headed out...I thought heck just a little snow. Well snow with high winds...equals a VERY unpleasant run!!

Thank goodness for the sun today and my 70 km bike ride was wonderful and just what I needed to head into a new week!

Plan for the week:

Monday- TRX/ 1 hour spin
Tuesday- TRX/20 km run
Wednesday- 3000 m swim
Thursday- 50 min run/ 2 hour computrain
Friday- interval class
Saturday- rest
Sunday- 80 km bike outside!!

Outdoor workouts are offically here...

I write this as I look outside and the grass is turning green and the smell of a fresh rain is in the air! Yes it is spring!  Not that we have had a bad winter...I actually can count on one hand the number of cold bad outdoor workouts I had this winter...and that is a bonus!
Also today was the Police Half Marathon in Calgary. This is a race I have done a few times...and NEVER in nice weather. And today I think this would be a record for how nice it was for that run.....part of me wished I did it....but if I signed up there most likely would have been a snow storm today!

As I did a long run outside today in shorts and a t shirts I loved the feeling of the warmth and how the workouts feels so nice in this weather!
I know it can still snow.....I get that..but for now  I am going to enjoy this weather and the happiness it brings!!

So my workouts for this week are:

Monday- 3 hour indoor ride...followed by 15 min run
Tuesday- TRX/ Run Hills
Wednesday- swim 2000m drills
Thursday- Run 40 mins/2 hour computrain
Friday- rest
Saturday/Sunday- Outdoor ride (I hope) 70-80 km also a 2.5 hour run

I miss those good old one hour workouts....

So this morning my alarm went off at 5:15am and I dragged my butt out of bed, threw on my workout clothes grabbed a banana and headed out the door.

Today I met a fellow Ironman trainee for a 3 hour brick session..which ended up being about 3:20 once we finished...

Shannon who I met, teaches spin and Computrain at Natural High and when I can I go to her classes. I love how she teaches like you ride on the road. So when this week she asked if I wanted to meet her for 3 hour brick on Sunday morning....I said yes....

As much as it would have been nice to get outside on my bike today...this session was great....we did 3- 45 min pushes on the computrainer combined with 3-20 min outside run intervals..

I would have never done that on my own...and to be home and done by 9:30am was perfect for today!

The thought did cross my mind today...I remember last year or even 6 months ago when I did an hour workout about 5 days a week....and that was great for my fitness....and I thought sometimes that was hard to fit in!

Now what I would not give for a 1 hour workout!! Now my workouts are from 2-4 hours.....sometimes split between the day...

Of course I know Ironman will take me anywhere from 15-17 hours to complete...so 2-4 hours is really a drop in the bucket...and I know these workouts will just get longer and longer.......

As much as I am exhausted as I write this today...I still am enjoying every minute of this training and cant wait as the next 4 months unfolds...

So the plan for this week:

Monday- Spin 1 hour with a 1 hour run
Tuesday- TRX/Threshold run 1 hour/swim drills
Wednesday- 2.5 km swim
Thursday- Body Sculpt/computrain
FRiday- rest :-)
Saturday- 3 hour outdoor bike ride
Sunday- 2 hour run

Well I guess all this training is paying off.....

Well I mentioned in my last post that I got to get out on the road when I was on the island and get some miles on my bike.....It was like night and day from last year. I remember clear as day getting on my bike for the first time last year for that first outdoor ride....I remember after like 20 km my knee hurt my butt hurt and all I wanted was it to be OVER.
This time I have 3 months of indoor riding under my belt....I went out side and rode 50 km for my first ride and I felt fantastic I felt strong and really like I could have rode forever!
Now I just need the Alberta weather to cooperate so I can head back on the road again ;-)

As for my run.....so in my first block of training my coach Jen had me do a time trial. It is 2500m....I did it in just under 14 mins...I knew it was slow (I used the excuse that there was a lot of walkers on the track).
So I did the time trial again this weekend.....and well my time was 11:47!!
So huge improvement there!
Now the downfall of this improvement....is what this time trial does is determine the pace I need to be running my certain training runs at..
I was getting quite comfortable running my long runs at a 6:20 min/km.  Now with my improved times my base endurance runs are now 5:41!! YIKES!!!  This will be a big step out of my comfort zone foresure....

The countdown to Ironman training camp is 5 weeks and counting! So with me doing the whole Ironman distances at this camp it is now time to ramp up the volume of training again...so again I was comfortable where I was at (a true sign things need to change)....and now things will change...

So for this week...I have not got the official change to my schedule so I have a feeling this may change a bit..
But for now....

Monday- TRX/Outdoor ride (I hope) 1 hour....teach Spin 1 hour
Tuesday- Interval run
Wednesday- Swim 2km/step
Thursday- Body Scuplt class/Compuride 2 hours
Friday- Swim drills/Run threshold 60 mins
Saturday- off
Sunday- 3 hour Brick session (run/bike)

On the road again.....

First off I want to wish everyone a very happy Easter...I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend and was able to spend time with family and friends!

We are lucky to once again be on Vancouver Island. All of my family live out here so it is a frequent vacation spot for us!

Other then being happy to be able to spend time with family this week I was really excited to get my bike out on the road!
Yesterday I took my bike out for the first time and I rode down the Island highway from Parksville down the island and ended up doing a 50 km ride.
For my first ride out I was very happy how great it felt...I did it just under 2 hours.

Today I went out again and today I rode the same route but went further and ended up doing 60 km and did that in 2.5 hours..

Here is some pics from my ride:

I remember last year at the beginning of the season 40-60 km was a struggle.....this year I know the amount of indoor cycling I have done including the computrain program has made a world of difference..

I know for me I am build for endurance not speed....now you are probably thinking that is a good thing for Ironman....it some ways yes this is good....BUT...for Ironman there are cut off times for all the parts of the race..
I am not worried about the swim...but the bike I have 8 hours to do the 180km....my goal is to do this in 7 hours...this way I have extra time on the run if I need to walk (which I am sure I will ;-))

With my pace today I am not far off this 7 hour goal...but my route today was relatively flat...and the Ironman course is everything BUT FLAT!!

With just over 4 months until Ironman I know I still have lots of time to work on my bike time...

We have 4 more days on holidays and I hope to get a bit more training in...

Here is my plan for the week:

Monday: Heading to the gym with my dad for weights
Tuesday- 2 hour run!
Wednesday/Thursday- Travel days...hope to get a short run in
Friday- Back home....2.5 hour compuride
Saturday- swim 2km
Sunday- possible run or rest......

The Bricks begin...

Well I have been enjoying my training up to this point...I have not found it too intense and I have found I have balanced the workouts well...
Now I am starting the do "Brick Workouts" What are Brick workouts??...."Brick workouts, are one of the most valuable workouts in your Ironman training program. Brick sessions have numerous physical and psychological benefits, such as muscle memory, endurance, and mental fortitude"- Trifuel

The most important Brick workout for a triathlete to train is the Bike to run transition...Ideally you start with a longer ride then add a short run after then continue to build your run on after the ride.

My brick on the weekend was a kind of last minute decision. I had a 2 hour run planned for Saturday...and I just decided to go ride with the Tri group (indoor compuride for 1.5 hours) before...
It was not a true brick in the case that I did have to drive  my bike home then I changed my shoes..so it was about a 15-20 minutes transition..
Also Ideally I should have done a much shorter run in my first brick......with all that said my run felt GREAT!! Not sore after so I am pretty happy with the result!

We leave for holidays this week (Thursday) heading to Vancouver Island for a week. Usually my rule on any vacation is "I don't workout".....well I am bending that rule this time :-( This time I am bringing my bike and I hope to get out and ride once or hopefully twice...I also hope to get in a few runs...
We are only gone a week and we are visiting a lot of family...so I know my training will come down for the week....so because of that the next 3 days I am going hard!!

Monday- 3  hour indoor spin...followed by 20 min run on treadmill..
Tuesday- TRX/ 50 min MAP run
Wednesday- Intervals/Spin 1 hour/Swim 2km
Thursday and Friday- Travel days...rest
Saturday and Sunday- on Island...plan to ride and run outside...distances TBA...