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!