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 ;-)