The BIG Day!!!

We arrived down in Lake Placid the Tuesday before the race and did some light training as part of our final taper. It was nice to be around other people that had been experiencing the preparation and we enjoyed discussing our training schedules and the little things we had discovered along the way. On Saturday we dropped off our transition bags and bike in the transition area. It felt good having all of that organized with all the little things I would need on race day. The night before the race I had a wonderful spaghetti dinner with all my family and close friends that came down to cheer at the race. At first the week seemed to take sooo long and then finally Sunday was there.

We woke up at 4 a.m. sharp to have breakfast and then walked down to the transition area around 5 a.m. First I pumped up my tires with air, I had let out some the night before to ensure my tubes didn't burst while it sat in the transition area from the heat the day before...the last thing you need on race day is a flat tire to start out. After filling my tires I set out to the area where I would drop off my special need bags. I forgot to get body marked with my race number! Made it back to the body marking area and then went down to the water to see everyone before setting off. Wow, time fly's by...it was 6:30 a.m. and I quickly said my farewell to everyone before getting into the water. I have to admit, it was very emotional for some reason? In the water I decided that since there were so many people (3900 approximately) it really wouldn't matter where I placed myself and figured there was no better place than to get right in the thick of it.

The gun went off at 7 a.m. and it was on! The giant washing machine began and from my perspective everything felt as if it were in slow motion compared to what I had expected. I told myself "you have swam 4 kms before, just not with so many people...you'll be fine". I moved with the herd and dug deep in parts to get past a few and found a solid rhythm in the water. About 5 minutes into the swim I found the line marking the course and navigated around the buoy's with only getting bumped a few times. Two full loops of the course and I was finished the swim in 1 hr 10 minutes. There was a short or long, depending on which way you look at it, up to the transition area.
I located my bike bag and moved into the changing tent, put on all my stuff, loaded up with sunscreen, grabbed my bike and off I went. The bike felt steady and fast, trying to ease into and manage to balance things out that I had learnt in training. I ate either a gel or cliff bar every 1/2 hour along with a salt pill...tried to have a variety and thrown in a peanut butter bagel just for something different and some gummy bears along with my fluids. The first loop went well and it was nice to see everyone coming into town, the crowd really charges you up to go back out again for the final 90 kms. Again, gels, cliff bars, and salt pills with fluids too...I exchanged my eload bottle at my special need bag. I had also packed some twizzlers as an extra treat but didn't end up taking them....everything felt great! The second loop went relatively smooth as well pushing through the different sections and up the rolling hills amongst the Adirondack Mountains. Coming into the last stretch of the bike I tried to let my legs spin gently a bit to prepare for the run. A volunteer took my bike for me and I grabbed my next transition bag for the run and headed back into the changing tent for the final event. Bike time was 6 hrs 50 minutes for 180 kms....much better than I had expected!
As I went out on the run through the crowds there was this amazing feeling of "I can't believe I'm doing this?" with a big smile across my face. Not once during the race did I feel things were unmanageable and I tried to focus on one thing at a time. As I set out of town at the first aid station I stopped to use the washroom which was surprisingly the first time since I got in the water. My fear for the run was that my ongoing hamstring injury would be aggravated the entire run. I had hoped that it wouldn't bother me right at the beginning, I knew at some point it would hurt, the longer I could prolong it the better. Well, the hamstring and my whole left leg cooperated throughout the whole run. I walked for a short period through the aid stations and up a few hills finishing the run in 4 hrs 45 minutes. The spirits were high on the run and I ran on and off with a gentleman that I know through swimming; Gilles. As we rounded the corner of the oval he motioned for me to go first since it was my first Ironman....how sweet! I came in smiling the whole way finishing 13:05:22 truly an amazing day I will never forget!

Fine Tuning

Last weekend I went up to Peterborough for my recovery day to cheer friends who were racing. It was a stinking hot day and I must admit I was a little sad that I wasn't racing for a moment. Everyone pushed so hard and were very glad to see the finish line at the end of the day. The thing I love most about triathlons is there is such a strong community of people who are supportive and proud of each other's accomplishments no matter what. There are so many different types of ages, abilities, and body types in the tri series of races and it amazing to see their test of endurance.

A little more than 2 weeks away....eeekk! I think I've managed to get all my jitters out and after our last big training weekend in Placid I feel ready and prepared for the race. I've done the work and followed the schedule. Things have began to taper this week in preparation for race day. Now I'm making lists of things to bring or of what needs to be done and stocking up on nutritional vices. Last night I went for a deep tissue massage with the famous Cesar who painfully worked out my kinks and knots that have built up from the many hours of training. There were points where I thought as if I would jump off the table and had to take in some deep breathes as he worked through things. He is amazing at what he does and I wouldn't have it any other way as it helps in the recovery of your training, pain is a state of mind.

My bike will go in to see Brian at Enduro after next weekend to get Chip all prepared for Placid. The countdown is on!

Lake Placid Training

Annette and I set off with our friends John and Sarah to Lake Placid for our last BIG training weekend. We arrived on Friday afternoon anxious to hit the road and experience one loop of the bike course; 90 kms, followed by a short run off the bike. Coach John set out a good schedule for us over the weekend which he had used in his previous years training for Ironman.

The town was buzzing with fellow triathletes all down to train on the course as well. Saturday our game plan was to swim one loop of the course; 2 kms, and then cycle the full 180 kms on the bike. Down at Mirror lake we suited up for the swim and took a nice pace along a marked course. There were other people we knew down training for the weekend as well and would periodically see them and could chat about training stories. As we were getting ready to set out for the bike and I was checking that I had all my food and supplies I realized that I had left my water bottles with eload and fly back at the hotel. For those of you who do not know what eload or fly are, they are very important calories that are part of the fuel I need to get through the distance. I opted to get bottles of Gatorade instead of going all the way back to the hotel which at the time seemed like a better idea. One of our fellow cyclist Mark very graciously offered me his bottles of eload and took the Gatorade I bought...thanks so much Mark! He was cycling that day out of pure pleasure and insisted since I was prepping for the race that I should take his bottles. Off we went, everyone at their own pace. It was good to break it up into sections so I could anticipate how far everything was....and it was far! The weather was on and off rainy and warm so it was hard to know what to wear, first I had my rain slicker on then I took it off and then I needed to put it back on again. Hopefully I will not waste so much time in the actual race. On the second loop I began to eat one of my cliff bars when I hit a bump and it bounced out of my hand. Bye bye to my cliff bar, I thought about going back and getting but I just wanted to keep my focus ahead. The descent down Keane is very steep however with the rain I held on tight and made many promises to the man upstairs for a safe trip to the bottom. In the next area known as Jay I began to feel sluggish. I had eaten my bagel, gels, and a cliff bar (the one I had not dropped), plus hydrated with water and the eload drink. I never thought it was possible to fall asleep on your bike, although I came very close, my energy level was going down. This must be what I've heard people refer to as "bonking". Luckily there was a gas station up ahead and I had enough money with me to buy some Gatorade and 2 more protein bars. Once I ate a bar I felt much better...phew, that was close! Well, at least I'm learning and I know what NOT to do on race day. Finished the full 180 kms on the bike and went for a little run to get the legs moving. Back at the hotel we had snacks and prepared dinner, the day was pretty much complete. We still had enough energy to hit Ben and Jerry's for some ice cream before heading to bed. What a day!

Sunday we were back at it again with the full swim of 4 kms down at Mirror Lake. The swim is definitely something I feel comfortable with and is doable. What I do wonder, is how do you mentally prepare to swim with 2500 other people??? I contemplated whether I should tread water for 20 minutes and let everyone else battle it out first. On the other hand, maybe I can round up everyone I know over the next 4 weeks to swim with me down at Cherry Beach. My cousin Melanie has graciously offered to paddle along side of me in a boat and beat me every so often with an ore. It is so nice that no matter what, everyone is so helpful...lol! When we finished the swim I managed a long run of an hour and a half. Things are feeling better with my hamstring and I'm managing to run more comfortably. The key is to not aggravate it again and not increase my time too quickly at this point. Homeward bound to Toronto after a nice big lunch at the Tail o Pub.

We accomplished a lot this weekend and thankful to have a recovery week ahead of us. The next month will move into tapering before the big race. Not long now!

Guelph 2010

It was yet again another big training weekend, with a long ride on Saturday north of the city we ventured through Markham, Stouffville, Uxbridge, etc. for a total of 6 hours and 15 minutes followed by a 1/2 hour run off the bike. These long rides seem to wizz by and the fact that I can walk the next day amazes me! The gradual build up in cycling has paid off and my endurance is building. A celebratory meal at Tim Horton's finished off our training day before heading home. Needless to say I was pretty wiped and between doing some laundry and grocery shopping the day was pretty much done. The days are just flying by!

Sunday was an Olympic triathlon in Guelph. Annette and I set off at 6 am to drive up and prepare to race "tired". Meaning, on top of all our training that week, it was suggested to do a race to practice nutrition and transitions plus tackle an open water swim. It took a bit longer than usual to get out to Guelph and there was a bit of a line to get into the Conservation Area where the race would be starting. We quickly set up in the transition area, collected our race kit, and made one last stop at the washroom before heading down to the water. 1500 meter swim, 40 km bike, and 10 km run...piece of cake, right! I made it down to the water with a few minutes to spare, whipped on my goggles and cap just in time to hear GO!!! It was a mass start with over 600 people in the water all part of the giant "washing machine" in the lake. I kicked hard and tried to dig deep to get out of the pack although I was in quite a thick spot with other swimmers. As I arrived at the first buoy I wondered if it was a double loop, I could not remember and figured, oh well, I'll just follow everyone else. It was a double loop, so when we arrived at the shore we jogged along the beach and went back into the water to do it again. By this time it had spread out a bit luckily. On my way up to the transition area Irene came up behind me and gave me a friendly tap on the shoulder and off we went. The bike was steady with a bit of head wind and rolling hills. It was a beautiful day! Coming in after finishing the bike I prepared to dismount at the line and lost my balance falling off my bike yet again, fortunately with no injury. I have become good at bouncing back from the pavement. I nearly took Claire out who came up behind me and lost her balance. In some ways I was thankful it was her and not some stranger, Claire was ok and we moved in and out of the transition area into the run. The day was pretty hot and I had tried to set myself up to take it at an easy pace and not push it with my hamstring still not being 100 %. It felt a bit tight for the first couple kms and then I managed a comfortable pace finishing just over 3 hours. Phew!!!

There is such a strong community of triathletes always cheering and there for the support of others. After hitting the food tent we usually find our groups and congratulate our peers followed by swapping stories about the race. Everyone pretty much agreed that the swim was BRUTAL! Another successful training weekend completed.

Zephyr

Did you know there is a place called Zephyr? A little town in Uxbridge: Uxbridge is a township in south-central Ontario, in the Regional Municipality of Durham in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. The main centre in the township is the namesake community of Uxbridge. Other communities within the township include Coppins Corners, Goodwood, Leaskdale, Roseville, Sandford, Sandy Hook, Siloam, Victoria Corners and Zephyr.

Reminds me of the children's book: Oh the places you'll go??? by Dr. Seuss. So close to the city, yet so far on your bicycle. This past Saturday's ride left Leslie and Elgin Mills as usual at 7:30 am. The mission was 5 1/2 hours on the bike followed by a 1/2 hour run. We attempted the Zephyr loop which brought us into the small town that had a gas station and convenience store all in one...and that was it! Happy to see the sign "Welcome to Zephyr" we bought some more water and hit the open road again. That day I went somewhere I had never been before.

Later, a little unsure where we had ended up as we tried to make our way back and discovered we were on Brock Road in Pickering which was a bit farther east than anticipated. Oh well, it was good for the mileage...140 kms later and only a bit of rain, it was a great day to ride!

Ottawa

This past weekend I set off to Ottawa for the Rideau Bike Tour. The 39th anniversary of this event is a cycling tour from Ottawa to Kingston on the Saturday and then cyclist return back to Ottawa on the Sunday; a total of 354 kms over 2 days. This was a good opportunity to ride the distance of Ironman. Saturday was a beautiful day despite the weather reports for rain. The first half was relatively flat with some small inclines. With the warm sun heating up throughout the day it was important to stay well hydrated and ensure you took in enough calories. Nutrition was another reason for doing this event and practice carrying your food to eat along the way. Again with water, eload, bagels bites, gels, gummy bears, and cliff bars I felt well prepared for good energy. There were rest stops roughly every 40 kms that had port-o-potties and water. Some of the stops sold food along the way, my goal was to stop as little as possible. There was a little bit of discomfort in my hip for a bit which seemed to surpass. The last half of the first day had more rolling hills, again good climbing repeats. It was so nice to see the "Welcome to Kingston" sign although it gave me the false impression of being close to the end. There were some nice costing opportunities and it was about another 35 kms till we arrived at Queens University around 4 o'clock that afternoon. I felt pretty strong getting off the bike, no big aches and pains. Throughout part of the ride I was experiencing toe cramps, possibly from the heat. It is a very unusual feeling, kind of hot and tingly. I have never been the fastest in cycling and I have come to accept what I am capable of. At times I have felt like a bit of a lone ranger; never fast enough to keep up with the packs but can keep a steady pace. I like my steady pace, it has improved and there is always room to build upon.

Queens University has a beautiful campus that seems to hold a lot of history. My room assignment was in Victoria Hall. Funny enough, I had a conversation with some girlfriends earlier that week about university. Since I never went away to school I had wondered if I missed out on anything and the whole dorm room experience. As I opened the door of my room and looked at my accommodations for the night I instantly realized I did not miss anything, although, the room did resembled something much like I had stayed in Hong Kong...he he he!

That evening there was a massive buffet dinner put on with a variety of food after a long days ride. Having burnt close to 5,000 calories that day I ate as much as I could, then Annette and I went to Starbuck's and had a cookie with our tea before turning in for the night. It was an early night in preparation for an early morning to get a head start on the long ride back to Ottawa.

The next morning we were not so fortunate for nice weather and it rained all day. At first a lot, then a little, then it teemed down, and then it would back off a bit. As if that wasn't bad enough, we had cool temperatures and a strong North East wind coming straight at us. All those nice coasting hills on the way into Kingston were not appreciated enough the day before. We had some pretty hefty hills to conquer that day and it became harder and harder with the weather conditions. I'm sure by now most people are reading saying, what the heck! There were times were I said "WIND, you are not my friend" but somehow you manage to push through. It was a good mental challenge because part of endurance training is mind over matter, you need to get into a bit of a zone and block out those distractions. Realistically the weather is a gamble at any time and you never know what you will face on race day. Again, I practiced nutrition battling the attempts to feed myself with one hand. At one of the washroom stops I utilized my time in line for the port-o-pottie by eating my banana with 2 hands. Suddenly it came my turn and I quickly entered the toilet and sat down continuing to eat my banana. Ewwwww, somehow this did not seem sanitary, although I did not seem to care so much vs. balancing on my bike. There are some things that are probably best unsaid. I really took a lot away from this weekend and feel like my cycling has come along and on track for the Ironman ahead of me. The legs feel good and I feel mentally prepared for the challenge.

My friend Jenn who was waiting for us in Ottawa and driving us back to T.O. was nice enough to take us to her parents house close by for a hot shower and something to warm our belly at the end of it all. We are forever grateful for the hospitality and generosity given by the Tapper family opening their home!

Training Camp

For the weekend of May 28th I signed up for a training camp put on by the Toronto Triathlon Club in Collingwood. We stayed in some great little chalets close to the Blue Mountain Village that seemed oddly familiar. Once inside to unpack I realized these same chalets where ones that I had rented with a large group of friends many winters ago for a ski weekend. Recalling the fun turn of events so long ago I figured that this time would be a much different experience from partying with friends in your college years.

Saturday morning was a bit of a late early morning wake up at 6 am...lol! We started with a nutritious breakfast to start off the day before we set off on our bikes, while others participated in a yoga class. On long training days I try to get the most out of a good breakfast because I know it will be the last REAL food I will be eating for many hours. The 5-6 hr bike rides are usually gels, cliff bars, eload, water, and as a treat gummy bears. I recently discovered from a fellow triathlete that peanut butter on bagels cut up into bite size pieces is a good carb loader, anything to mix it up a bit. A few of us set off at 8 am to get a head start from the others schedule and then looped around to meet them at 9 am. Collingwood is beautiful in the Spring too, I had only been up there for skiing before. There were many rolling hills to practice climbing and I am feeling more and more confident on my bike as the rides get longer and longer. We covered around 120 kms on Saturday and then went for a run off the bike almost immediately after. Poof, there goes the day! The hamstring issue is still lingering unfortunately although I'm trying to do what I can without pushing it too much in the running area.

Later that Saturday afternoon we had 2 clinic discussions with guest speakers. First we had a registered nutritionist talk about balancing your diet and eating during training. It was great to hear all the suggestions she had and I really felt on track with eating properly. Anyone who knows me well enough, knows that I love food and have a very healthy appetite. I began to get involved with the triathlons cause I was tired of the regular gym routine and wanting to stay in shape. I pretty much work out so I can eat what I want.

The other guest speakers where Louise and Dave who are long time triathelete's with many years of racing under their belt. Louise 67 years old and Dave at 71 years have traveled to many places and competed in several distances and just returned from Ironman Utah. Louise has completed 21 Ironman distances....unbelievable! Listening to them speak so passionately about the sport and training made me really realize why I started doing this; a healthy lifestyle and personal strength....and of course let's not forget the food :) She reflected at the end of our discussion to the first gold medal won at the Olympics when Alexandre Bilodeau stated....how lucky are we to be able to participate in such events...well said!

The large group of us went into the village that night and enjoyed a nice hearty meal surrounded by good friends and exchanged training stories. Some of us headed for the hot tub to soak our muscles after. Ben enjoyed being in the mix of all the ladies...big surprise!

Bake Sale

The week of May 24th the children at my school worked really hard to make banana bread, gingerbread, rice krispie squares, and cranberry orange cookies. They enjoyed mixing and measuring the ingredients, stirring and mixing, pouring and scooping...what fun! I carefully supervised the area to ensure no extra little goobers or unidentified objects made it into our tasty treats. On Friday May 28th we had a bake sale at Downtown Montessori as a fundraiser for Victoria's Quilts Canada. A charity dedicated to giving the gift of warmth! Victoria's Quilts Canada is my charity of choice during my training for Ironman, many thanks to those who have donated in support of my journey.

http://www.victoriasquiltscanada.com/

Days leading up to the bake sale the children and I discussed the charity and what they are all about. The children took pride inviting their parents and students of the school to purchase baked goods to support a charity. A charity they described as "People who make special blankets for people who are really sick". One of our generous families also donated 4 blue Jay tickets, an autographed baseball, and autographed baseball, and 2 Bon Jovi concerts tickets prior to the day for additional fundraising. The baseball items were used for a raffle where we sold tickets and the concert tickets were sold in a silent auction. All together that day we raised just under $850.00, how exciting!

The best part was the involvement of the children and families and their willingness to support. For the children it also builds on their grace and courtesy skills during the interactions in our peaceful community. The older children really took pride in calculating the total purchases and were very good at working out the change for the customer. It was a successful day all around for everyone!

The Long Weekend

What a weekend to have off! The long weekend was spent doing some of the other things around Toronto that I enjoy. An enormous lunch at Bikkuri Sushi with a friend where I exercised my appetite and ate some delicious rolls. One of the beautiful days that weekend was spent strolling through The Distillery District followed by shopping on Queen Street West and a late afternoon lunch on the famous Black Bull Patio. Took in the beauty of the beach area I live in along with all the other invaders that set up their tents, BBQ's, badminton nets...etc. Patio's and friends, what better way to take in the outdoors on such an amazing weekend!

Since so much of my time has been scheduled since October, it was interesting how mentally challenging it was to take some time off. Five day felt like 5 months. And although I enjoyed my little break I had all this extra energy ready and waiting. Which made it all the more easier to get back in the swing of things.

Embrace the things you have no control over

A couple of weeks ago I felt a little something in the back of my leg which has turned into a strained hamstring. Originally I thought it would go away quickly and figured I must have done something on a run since that is where it affected me the most. Wrong, I'm into week 3 now and have analyzed it death; which for those that know me, know that this is not uncommon for me to do.

I "think" that I may have aggravated the hamstring on a ride using my road bike and I adjusted the seat...so dumb, if it's not broken, don't fix it. A couple of days later I had trouble running and didn't relate the two. Then to top it off last week I started fiddling with my Kuota...a.k.a. Chip...even more dumb. In 2 weeks I spent $200 in physio and $100 in massage and it has been still lingering. Soooo frustrating!!! I'm going to see Peter this afternoon in hopes that he can put my seat back to how I had it on both bikes and then I am never touching them again. In the meantime a couple days rest is what I have decided to do in order to get rid of this little annoyance (although mentally I'm having a really hard time with it given we are only 9 weeks away...agghhh).

I have realized more this year that endurance training is most effectively accomplished through routine and consistency. Do not make changes too quickly and allow your body to build slowly. Although the 3 sports and distances seem insane at times, the body is an amazing thing that can be pushed to do the impossible with the right mind set and tools.

I've made peace with my decision for this weekend...now I'm like..hell, I have all this time on my hands for the long weekend. It will be well spent doing some other fun stuff!

And the beat goes on!

We are in the thick of it now, May and June will be the heaviest training months. I am currently training 15.5 hrs per week....Wahoo! Ironman training since January has brought me up to a total of 193 hrs 35 mins of activity; that breaks down to 42.45 hrs of swimming, 100.45 hrs of cycling, and 50.45 hrs of running. The strategies continue and I have implemented a deep tissue massage once a month with frequent Epsom salt bathes to try and relieve some of the lactic acid build up. The body can be a well oiled machine if you give it the proper care and although the training is long and hard it has a tremendous ability.

Recently I have been nursing a strained hamstring which has forced me to cut back on a bit of running. With the help of some physio, stretching, ice, and Advil it will hopefully be a small bump in the road.

The weather has been spectacular which makes for an enjoyable Saturday ride when you are up to 5 hours on the bike followed by a 1/2 hour run. Small compartments on clothing or attached to your bike make it easy to store small snacks full of protein and carbohydrates to get you through the workout. My camelpack is my new favorite water storage that holds 70 ozs of fluid to keep you hydrated. The eload gels give me superpowers to plow through and Annette has discovered that gummy bears have 3 grams of protein per 11 little bears! Who would have thunk it!

Aphids

The beaches must be the breeding grounds for aphids! These pesky little bugs pop up throughout the season and for the most part seem harmless except when I eat about 500 of them on a run. Unfortunately they sneak up on you too, you may be running along and then out of the blue you go through a cloud of them right at eye level. This then results in several getting eaten, stuck to the back of your throat, or subsequently stuck to your face. Poor little bugs, they don't stand a chance. Some may say they are extra protein...which is one way of looking at it.

So what are aphids I ask...and this is what I found:

Aphids, also known as plant lice (and in Britain as greenflies),[1] are small plant-eating insects, and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea.[2] Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions.[3] The damage they do to plants has made them enemies of farmers and gardeners the world over, but from a purely zoological standpoint they are a very successful group of organisms.[4]

About 4,400 species of 10 families are known. Historically, many fewer families were recognized, as most species were included in the family Aphididae. Around 250 species are serious pests for agriculture and forestry as well as an annoyance for gardeners. They vary in length from one to ten millimetres.

Natural enemies include predatory lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), hoverfly larvae (Diptera: Syrphidae), parasitic wasps, aphid midge larvae, crab spiders[5] lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), and entomopathogenic fungi like Lecanicillium lecanii and the Entomophthorales.

Aphids are distributed worldwide, but are most common in temperate zones. Also, in contrast to many taxa, species diversity is much lower in the tropics than in the temperate zones. They can migrate great distances, mainly through passive dispersal by riding on winds. For example, the currant lettuce aphid (Nasonovia ribisnigri Mosley) is believed to have spread from New Zealand to Tasmania in this way.[6] Aphids have also been spread by human transportation of infested plant materials.

Aphids are the only known member of the animal kingdom to be able to synthesize carotenoids, an ability they gained by coopting the synthetic genes from fungi.

It looks as if the aphids are a combination of friend and foe; while being the enemy to farms and gardens they serve a very important purpose in their world. I still prefer not to eat them during my runs especially now I know they are also known as plant lice....eeewwwww!

Watch out, they may be in your neighbourhood too!

Good morning......

Last week was hard getting back into the swing of things after Arizona, partially missing the great weather and clear blue sky's surrounded by mountains and to some extent feeling jetlagged. This week I felt a lot better and believe I have the charge back in training. I have to come to realize that I really enjoy the level of activity and how it makes you feel both physically and mentally fit. The mornings roll around early typically at 5 am....gosh it's getting to a point now where my internal clock has me bouncing out of bed without the radio. How sick is that!!! I can't say I have always been a morning person and I'm sure my mother would vouch for that and the many times she called me to get up for school and had to drag me out of bed. I love the morning workouts, it's like a my cup of coffee and gets me off to a good start and then it is out of the way. The training can be at various times for some people and there is no rule that you have to do it in the morning, more my preference.

The beaches is a great place for the early morning vibe! There are always people out and about either going to work, walking their dog, or running/cycling themselves in the early hours of the day. There is so much enjoyment in putting on my runners and heading out to the solitude of my own thoughts. The time allows me to mull over ideas and think about some of the things I need to do, or sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to my thoughts at all. This is the fun part and like I had said in a previous post there are always interesting individuals. People watching can be very entertaining and fellow runners usually have good etiquette and say good morning, wave, or at least grunt as you go by. I would like to mention one fellow "beacher" in particular who remains nameless at this point and may be someone you are familiar with if you live down there. There is a man that walks the boardwalk who brings joy to others by greeting people in a very friendly manner "gooooood mornnning" as if he were singing it. Upon your response he then says "have a wonderful day my dear"! The cheer and happiness that comes out of him is contagious and I always look forward to seeing him on my run. This is someone who does a random act of kindness for no self gain....what a wonderful thing!

I also have a deep appreciation for our swim coach Ayesha who carefully plans our workouts based on different individual skills. The hour and a half session always builds on technique and endurance. However, sometimes painful I think I can speak for most in saying she has a true passion for coaching and setting others up for success.

There are bumps along any road you travel and instead of getting dragged down with the depth of it try and look on the brighter side of things. This morning on my long run the sun came up and began to shine. There was calmness along Lake Ontario at Ashbridge's Bay, a glow along the city sky line, and my little man singing good morning along the boardwalk. There was a slight rubbing of my shoe on the right arch of my foot which made me think that I may be getting a blister. Quickly I tuned it out as I enjoyed the other aspects of my run. Much to my surprise I later realized in the shower that I had my very first blood blister and it is in the shape of a heart!

I dedicate this post to all the special people who have and are supporting and helping me as I achieve my goals, no matter how big or small, it means the world to me.

Arizona

Last week I was in Tucson, Arizona training and boy did I learn a lot! Firstly, what a beautiful place surrounded by mountains with 80+ temperatures and not a cloud in the sky! The famous saying each morning was "oh look, another perfect day". Thanks to Mark and Judy we were able to take in the many spectacular sites on our bikes and gain strength in training. Each morning we set off on an amazing cycling route and quickly learnt that there was no "faffing" about. It was an educational week full of slang words and do's/don't according to cyclist...do you know what squeeb means???

I have to admit the first couples days were particularly frustrating for me getting out on the open road with my new bike and learning the ropes of the gears. It always sucks being the last trailing behind, really puts your ego in check...I realized that I needed to focus on myself and how this sport is both mental and physical in more ways than I had imagined! I read this article in Triathlon Canada that perfectly described and put the sport into perspective: "Training for the triathlon sport requires working through a veritable maze as you try to condition yourself for three sports, choose equipment and deal with the unexpected challenges of racing against a thousand competitors in an unpredictable environment. Triathlon is a sport filled with dramatic ups and downs, curveballs, injuries and moments of pure and positive energy." by Lucy Smith

The challenging climbs and long rides were amazing each day as we cycled through reservation areas and national parks. The first day was Gate's Pass where we cycled for 4 hours and had the exciting thrill of seeing a live rattlesnake on the road, Judy seemed less than thrilled. I wanted to stop and take a picture while she zoomed off at super speed alerting any others in site to keep pedaling. During one of our other rides we had pulled off to the side of the road to use "nature's bathroom" behind some cactus' and much to our surprise were scolded by a ranger who threatened to charge us with indecent exposure. Who said cycling was not daring and adventurous? I, myself gave everyone the privilege of seeing me fall of my bike not once but twice over the course of the week. The "EPIC" first fall ever, took place at a stop light (Thornedale Avenue) where I lost my balance and bounced off the pavement during rush hour with plenty of spectators. Initially I quickly recovered out of embarrassment and later admired my war wounds of bruises where my bike bounce off my knee and I had scraped elbow, overall not so bad. The second fall was a couple days later when I attempted to turn my bike around due to wild dogs up ahead, or so I was told...the heat really does make some people hallucinate. This time I did not get off as easy and received more bruises on top of my bruises, missing skin off the palm of my hand, and road rash on the opposite elbow. Now I'm trying to play the sympathy card!

Some of our rides involved driving out to a starting point in our luxurious bus of a minivan we rented that easily fit our bikes in the back. At any given point we were guaranteed to hear the most popular songs of Tucson repeated over and over again on the radio by artists Lady Ga Ga singing Bad Romance or Lady Annabellum....it's one o'clock in the morning, and some tiresome song "I'm gonna break break your heart". These songs were heard at least 3 times over the course of each day despite the fact that we were in the vehicle for short periods of time....and we still have them stuck in our heads!

Our two big climbs were on Mount Lemmon and Kitt's Peak with a constant incline winding around the mountain. There were certain miles that really stuck out as being more taxing from the next as I slowly trudged up in my lowest gear. The view was breathtaking with stretches of open land that seemed to extend as far as the eye could see with nothing else in sight but valleys and nature. Lemmon is a 24 mile climb and I made it to about mile 9, then wind and speed traveled going down made me want to continue climbing up instead of down....wow! Kitt's peak was later in the week and I was determined to make it to the top of the 12.5 mile steep incline, it took 2 hours and I made it...so pumped!

The weeks main focus was cycling as I'm sure you can tell by now and we managed to squeeze in some running and swimming as well. Overall, 19 hours of cycling, 3 hours of running and 3 hours of swimming. We enjoyed several meals during the day and what appeared to happen was if we were not training or sleeping there was lots of food involved. By the end of each meal we were strategically planning what we would eat next....priceless! There were lots of laughs, a few shopping trips and a brilliant massage to work out the knots at Spa One.

Sorry

Sorry I have not been updating recently as life has been chaotic and busy. Not to mention the crazy shenanigans of the cyber world where you make a post and it disappears. All that hard work can vanish in the blink of an eye. Any who, I have it sorted now and looking forward to giving more posts.

Training begins...

After the 2009 race season there was a nice break before the Ironman training would begin. Awwww, two weeks later it began...lol! Between October and January I maintained my fitness level by swimming 2 days per week, cycling 3 days per week, and running 3 days per week. The idea is to build on your distance gradually and allow time for recovery. I am following a schedule through the Toronto Triathlon Club that builds on distance for three weeks followed by a recovery week. In the Fall I purchased a trainer so that I could cycle indoors through the winter. The contraption fastens to the back of my bike so that it is stationary while having the benefits of riding your own bike indoors. How nice not to worry about the weather conditions and hop on my bike in the comfort of my own living room! As a very essential training tool I watched episodes of Sex and the City to pass the time. After many hours of cycling and watching 94 episodes, as well as, the movie I am unfortunately no closer to understanding the male gender. Now I have moved onto other movies and TV series, I'm hooked on Dexter currently so if anyone has beyond season 2 I would like to borrow, pretty please? Thanks Dave lending me all your DVD's!

By the new year in January 2010 everything became a strategy! Mornings are consumed with training and preparing meals for the day. The night before has been all about packing for the upcoming day. Sometimes I get tired just thinking about, now it is like second nature. Schedules, schedules, and more schedules! One morning I was BBQ'ing at 7:30 am so that I had a nice hearty lunch for the day and a dinner packed for swim that night. Eating has become an event in itself trying to ingest the appropriate amount of carbs or the proper amount of protein and when it is most effective to eat it. Each day I set off with a bag of groceries to fuel me for the day with snacks and meals. The bonus part of training sooo much is that you get to eat every 2 hours and the food is endless....glorious!

The newest addition to my racing passion is a carbon fiber Kuota K-Factor tri bike nicknamed after the profession and very skilled cyclist Mario Cipollini. We call him Chip for short. Given my track record of being accident prone I am certain that this will be a well suited name.


The winter training has been much better than I expected. With the mild weather conditions and lack of snow the outdoor running has been spectacular. Swimming has been consistant from a great coach that constantly encourages strength and technique. I have been able to bank hours on the bike in my living room during the week. Our long rides on Saturdays have been at a very top secret location in Toronto that I am unable to disclose...lol! The cycling group are amazing and extremely motivating with an unfortunate lack of skill in selecting movies. The first part of our workouts usually begin with watching some sort of movie that did not make it into any top listing for theatres and are based on corny humour or some mission to destroy the world with zombies. After the joy of watching something like "Black Dynamite" we continue the remainder of the workout on a simulated course in different zones.

Our training has slowly increased from around 9 hours per week to now doing 14 hours per week and it will only go up....YIKES!!! Overall feeling fit and great!

To be inspired...

Two years ago, I attended my first Ironman event in Lake Placid, New York State as a spectator. I was very excited to go and watch some friends compete in the race that seemed to be an insane distance. My first impression of Ironman when I had found out the length was "who in their right mind would want to do that?".

After training myself for shorter distances I knew that it would be a big commitment to complete this distance. The whole area of Lake Placid was buzzing with excitement that week as athletes were arriving in preparation for the big day. I enjoyed training with the others as they were gearing down for race day! I was convinced to bike one loop of the course on a particular day; 90 kms to get a feel for the terrain. There was beautiful landscaping and many challenging climbs along the course which I thought would never end. Particularly when it began to rain, it pelted down and began to hail at one point and I thought to myself...."aw come on, are you kidding me". Regardless I survived and was thankful I would be cheering rather than racing. There were hundreds of spectators as we set out early that morning at 5 am. I had been advised that many people would be wearing costumes to cheer on the race. I had come prepared with my own patriotic costume to ensure I could be seen and support my group, I have never needed a reason to wear a costume!

The day presented itself to be overcast with the possibility of rain. That was an understatement! It rained, and rained, and then rained some more, my umbrella hat sure came in handy despite how many laughed at me earlier in the day. Regardless of the weather, men and woman pushed their way through the distances with intention and purpose. Men and women who were all different ages and different body types. I was amazed to see the different types of people and how they seemed so dedicated and passionate during a test of ultimate endurance. The finish line was emotional watching friends and many others complete this great challenge. I knew then that I wanted to try myself and sign up. I had booked a trip for Thailand the following February for 6 weeks and understood that there was no way I would be able to race the following year with taking training time off. So, I decided that I would return the following year to cheer again and continue to be inspired and sign up for Ironman 2010.

2009 was another great road trip down to Lake Placid! This time with another fellow triathlete Annette. We both cheered, volunteered, and then signed up for one of the biggest challenges we may ever undergo. The year ahead of us is sure to bring some interesting experiences!

Life is a daring adventure, or nothing - Helen Keller -

Ironman 2010

Welcome to my blog about a journey that will bring me to the Lake Placid Ironman on Sunday July 25, 2010. This triathlon will consist of a 3.8 km swim, 180 km cycle, and a 42 km run; a distance of close to 226 kms - and I have 17 hours to complete the challenge!

I am embarking on this for my own personal reasons and to raise money for an organization that is very near and dear to my heart. Victoria's Quilts is a non-profit organization run solely by volunteers who make beautiful quilts for cancer patients. Please visit their website at http://www.victoriasquiltscanada.com/ All donations are directly used for the materials needed to make unique quilts and to deliver a gift of warmth during a difficult time. The Ironman will be a challenge in a number of ways, but with my training, and your generosity, a real impact will be made!

I love life! I am one of those people who loves to get out there and make the most of each day. I love to run, swim, cycle, play volleyball basically just stay active. It would be hard for me to imagine how my life would change if a doctor ever said to me, “you have cancer” yet I know that thousands of men, women, and children will hear those words each year. They may be faceless and nameless to me and to you, but they have families and friends and busy lives and they love life too!

If you are reading this, then you either care about me or you care about cancer. You may even care about both! It’s possible that you have personally been touched by cancer, and so you know exactly what we’re fighting against.

Recently my Aunt Murial courageously lost her battle to a very aggressive type of Lung Cancer, with the help of Victoria's Quilts I was able to send her a quilt during her chemo and radiation treatments. These quilts can bring comfort and warmth to those in need when there could be little hope. Without these organizations, not only my Great Aunt, but others would be faced with little or no hope at all in battling cancer.

I am committed to raising money for this organization and believe that it touches the lives of those who need it tremendously.

Please give as generously as you can,

Christina xoxo

How it all started...

Once upon time, long ago my good friend Irene suggested I take a "learn to run" clinic. After I contained myself from laughter, I considered it as a new challenge and another good way to stay in shape. This was the beginning of what I never imagined would become possible! I built up my confidence in running by taking the clinic TWICE and began running short distances as part of a regular routine. The same friend later suggested a triathlon, which I happily completed in Orillia using Irene's mountain bike. I was hooked instantly and decided that I needed to invest in a bicycle and improve my swimming so that the next year I was better prepared.

This new beginning helped me build confidence, endurance, and a whole new network of friends. The triathlon experience has enabled me to push the limits and see what a person is capable of when they put their mind to it, really anything is possible! The friends I have met since this journey began have become a family which I can depend on, are supportive, and can laugh with. We have had some super fun weekends racing in different parts of Ontario. As you can see we can get quite silly!

I have trained harder each year and focused on new goals to improve my performance. My biggest hurdle was swimming, which I never thought would be a problem. Early on I discovered that swimming for pleasure and swimming for racing were two completely different things. The nice thing was that I felt comfortable in the water despite my lack of skill. My early races were completed using the breast stroke or more so the doggy paddle followed by catching my breath on my back. In 2008 I signed up for my first masters swim that helped me improve my technique and I quickly went from swimming 100 metres every 3 minutes to now maintaining a 100 metre pace in about 1 minute 40 seconds. You would think I had been swimming backwards before or so I've been told. I traded in my bikini (temporarily) for one of those full piece suits and a wetsuit with goggles and swim cap. Last summer I practised my open water swims with friends down at Cherry Beach and lived to tell the tale. Despite many environmental warnings it was a convenient and friendly atmosphere to swim along the buoys surrounded by the sailboats. It even brought entertainment on a few mornings...once I was greeted by "drag queens" passed out on the beach after an eventful night during gay pride. Another morning a few of us were photographed by tourists that could not believe we were geared up in wetsuits to swim at Lake Ontario!

Selecting a bike was more challenging than I could have ever imagined. Firstly, I spent more time researching bicycles and their components than when I had purchased any of my past vehicles. Some bicycles actually cost just as much as a used car! My Cannondale taught me to be a better cyclist with the help of Peter Oyler who coached me on changing gears, climbing hills, and bike maintenance. What do you mean I need to refill the tires after every ride? At a race in Milton I had my very first significant hill climb known as the beast, and what a beast it was. Others had warned me that if you were not careful in changing your gears you could fall off your bike especially if you lost your momentum and didn't clip your shoes out fast enough. I was terrified but ready for the beast, and there it was, early in the race and I battled the beast, without falling off. What I wasn't prepared for was the 30 kms of rolling hills that followed the beast, how does one sustain the energy? Last year after returning from South East Asia I began training at Wattsup; an indoor cycling group that allowed me to train through the yucky weather and build endurance and strength. For long rides on the weekend I began meeting more people and it really helped to have others to follow on the open roads near Leslie and Hwy 7.

The running has been consistent and overall have a love for it! My first big distance was a half marathon in the Prince Edward County, Picton area where my parents and grandparents live. Picton has a beautiful running route along the sandbanks that brings you back into the Main Street on town. Since then I have made it a yearly ritual and enjoy the crisp October run and have completed 3 other half marathon distances. Next, I challenged the Toronto full marathon which was double the experience. It was the last 8 kms that really did a number on me where I had to talk myself through the aches and pains. I wish I could have tape recorded some of the thoughts that I had, although the finish line at Queens Park made it all worth while when I was able to see my friends eagerly cheering. My best friend's son Ronan congratulated me on finishing without puking. Apparently he had seen some runners finish in a less than glamorous fashion. Helen and Aidan's little Cara surprised me with a little home made trophy for Auntie Anna. Irene had peddaled througout the race route and would pop up and sing an inspiring song to push me through. What a thrill! There have also been some equally entertaining sighting around the city running early in the morning when the freaks don't necessarily just come out at night. My clumsy habits allow me to be a bit of a spectacle when I trip over my own feet and can sometimes be found pretending to superman across the boardwalk or tripping and falling into a bush. If you can't laugh at yourself than who can you really laugh at?

Sooo much to learn and nutrition has been a big part of training with all the electrolytes, protein, and other foreign substances to help replace what you are burning off. The best part is you can just eat! Over the past 4 years I have been able to complete different distances and experience a variety of racing conditions. Rain can be an extra hurdle thrown into the mix at anytime....bring it on!

Thanks to Irene....its all her fault I started this!