Hello followers, I am happy to report that I am much cooler now that a purchase of a portable air conditioner was made. My better half was getting panicky after my threat to scratch out his eyeballs (kidding).
So it's official, I completed my last triathlon before the Calgary 1/2 Ironman which is 3 weeks away! I have 2 -100k bike rides and an OWS swim coupled with some running this week-and then tapering will begin.
The Pinawa triathlon went well although the run part (usually where I feel the best) did not feel so good. It was extremely hot out, my feet were blistering as I was running with no socks through swamp grass which caused uber chafing and I was getting terrible stitches on my side. I am not sure the cause of the stitches and wonder if it had something to do with being in the aero position on the bike and my diaphragm being compressed? I also thought that I drank enough but perhaps I was dehydrating as well?
On the up side, my swim went well-I did not lose my swim cap! Love the latex and have no problem saying good riddance to the silicone! The water in which I swam was supposed to have a current-but either it was really weak, or I was totally freaked out, that I did not notice
it (likely the later). In some ways I wish that it had been a stronger current as I really did want to get the feel for that before Calgary!
So this morning my swim coach assisted me in trying to teach me the Breast Stroke. It is useful for when one panics in water, and that is the reason Mr. P was pretty insistent I learn it. I found this stroke to be very awkward and sloooooow! For me, it was like trying to tap your head and rub your tummy at the same time-complete lack of coordination and likely very laughable! But I suppose with practice I will get used to it.
So for the rest of today, I get to recover, tend to my blistered feet and of course sit in front of the air conditioner!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
HOT
Too hot to post much of anything-no AC....wilting away. Wish me luck followers as I embark on another Olympic Distance Triathlon tomorrow in Pinawa, MB. Picked up some Heat Endurance Powders and Recovery Drinks and Voice of Reason gave me her GPS for my 4am drive out tomorrow. Hope all goes well! Arg!!!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Aerobars
Hello followers, hope you are all well. I hit the wall from exhaustion today and lucky for me that my husband and mother in law were around to take care of the kids as I indulged in an hour and a half nap in the middle of the afternoon. Hopefully that brain of mine was releasing a lot of growth hormone to repair all those tired bones and muscles. My butt is still not back to normal and I have 4 days before my last Triathlon in Winnipeg.
Yes you heard that right, following another Olympic distance triathlon in Pinawa, MB on Sunday,I will begin a 3 week taper period to prepare for Calgary. This is quite unbelievable to me as I reflect back to all the races I have done. It seemed like yesterday I was hyperventilating about the duathlon series in the park-and now I will be doing my 3rd triathlon in 4 days time.
The Pinawa triathlon will be a challenge for me big time. The water I will be swimming in is a river with a current. I need to get this experience in, as I am sure the Ghost River reservoir in Calgary is similar-if not worse! It will likely be a very lonely day-I don't know anyone who will be doing this triathlon, and will be on the road by 4am to drive out to the race site as it is 2 hours from Winnipeg. So if any of my followers want to accompany me -let me know!
So I should also update you, that I met Mr. and Mrs. P for an OWS followed by a lesson on how to use Aerobars. The swim went fine, but I was quite concerned about how Mr. P's hands turned blue (and I mean Really Really Really blue) as he opted not to wear a wetsuit. Now I REALLY understand why the race officials take water temps and insist on wetsuits in Canadian water!
Fortunately Mr P's hands recovered and we were on the bike before I knew it. Once I got into the aero position, I must say that while it was initially quite wobbly, I found it easier to cycle. My legs were fatiguing less and I felt considerably less exposed to the elements. Because my aerobars are the clip on kind, I have to switch position onto my drops to shift gears. This was hard to do and I must practice this because I change gears lots to save my legs. I could almost see myself not changing gears to avoid the discomfort, but will make an honest effort not to get into that pattern!
The other thing about the aerobars is that you can not brake as fast as you can if you were on your drops. So Mr. P and Mrs. P advised me as to what situations one should avoid being on the bars which was +++ helpful. In addition to that practice, Mr P insisted that I get my water bottle in and out of the cage a gazillion times. I still hate it, but think I am making some progress.
At the end of the day, I felt that I learned a lot, and while not entirely confident, I believe with practice I can get there! Must go now and get an Aero (chocolate) bar as that just sounds way more appealing to me at the moment!
Yes you heard that right, following another Olympic distance triathlon in Pinawa, MB on Sunday,I will begin a 3 week taper period to prepare for Calgary. This is quite unbelievable to me as I reflect back to all the races I have done. It seemed like yesterday I was hyperventilating about the duathlon series in the park-and now I will be doing my 3rd triathlon in 4 days time.
The Pinawa triathlon will be a challenge for me big time. The water I will be swimming in is a river with a current. I need to get this experience in, as I am sure the Ghost River reservoir in Calgary is similar-if not worse! It will likely be a very lonely day-I don't know anyone who will be doing this triathlon, and will be on the road by 4am to drive out to the race site as it is 2 hours from Winnipeg. So if any of my followers want to accompany me -let me know!
So I should also update you, that I met Mr. and Mrs. P for an OWS followed by a lesson on how to use Aerobars. The swim went fine, but I was quite concerned about how Mr. P's hands turned blue (and I mean Really Really Really blue) as he opted not to wear a wetsuit. Now I REALLY understand why the race officials take water temps and insist on wetsuits in Canadian water!
Fortunately Mr P's hands recovered and we were on the bike before I knew it. Once I got into the aero position, I must say that while it was initially quite wobbly, I found it easier to cycle. My legs were fatiguing less and I felt considerably less exposed to the elements. Because my aerobars are the clip on kind, I have to switch position onto my drops to shift gears. This was hard to do and I must practice this because I change gears lots to save my legs. I could almost see myself not changing gears to avoid the discomfort, but will make an honest effort not to get into that pattern!
The other thing about the aerobars is that you can not brake as fast as you can if you were on your drops. So Mr. P and Mrs. P advised me as to what situations one should avoid being on the bars which was +++ helpful. In addition to that practice, Mr P insisted that I get my water bottle in and out of the cage a gazillion times. I still hate it, but think I am making some progress.
At the end of the day, I felt that I learned a lot, and while not entirely confident, I believe with practice I can get there! Must go now and get an Aero (chocolate) bar as that just sounds way more appealing to me at the moment!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Crinkles and Wrinkles
Hello followers....OMG it's official it's my birthday today and I am 28. Ha Ha Ha-I am actually 40, but screw middle age I say! Nothing like a little physical activity (OK a freaking lot) and future Botox . My poor husband, it's going to cost him!
In all seriousness, it is weird to think I have walked on this planet for 40 years. I have been fortunate enough to embark on many adventures and have the most wonderful family and friends to share them with! I also love to laugh-and that's likely why I have crinkel's I mean wrinkles on my face.
It's too bad wrinkle's couldn't talk, as they would reveal a lot- like the struggle to take my first steps in life, the happiness I experienced (and yes sometimes jealousy) of having a baby sister and the fear of my Grade 1 teacher who had a propensity to yell at small children. It would tell you about the loneliness of being away from home as a little girl going to Brownie camp, the heartache I felt at having to move away from friend's every 4 years and the sweetness and innocence of being kissed for the first time by a boy. It would also reveal those shy moments of getting your first period or wearing your first bra and the angst of being a teenager. (Girl's in high school can be really mean!) It would also tell you of how hard it is to have your heart broken-whether you are the dumper or the one getting dumped-it sucks either way! It would reveal gut wrenching nearly soul destroying loss of my Dad, and of an unborn child that I believe is in heaven waiting to meet me one day! My wrinkles would also tell you of how all humility goes out the window after you give birth, and of how all encompassing love is for your children (Yes I am a mamma bear and would die for them!). My wrinkles also reveal good fortune in having been able to share a journey with a man who adores me and confirms for me that he still will even when I am 80-God willing! Those wrinkles will also reveal self-doubt, fear and anxiety but are tempered by my Voice of Reason and my dear dear sister, who know always know what to say. My wrinkles will also tell you that I live life with no regret, that my heart is on my sleeve, that I love the human race (except when they do really really bad things) and that there is nothing better in this world to laugh so hard that it hurts!
So there it is followers, I plan on getting an extra wrinkle today when I learn to ride (with self doubt fear and anxiety) my bike with aerobars today with Mr. P!
In all seriousness, it is weird to think I have walked on this planet for 40 years. I have been fortunate enough to embark on many adventures and have the most wonderful family and friends to share them with! I also love to laugh-and that's likely why I have crinkel's I mean wrinkles on my face.
It's too bad wrinkle's couldn't talk, as they would reveal a lot- like the struggle to take my first steps in life, the happiness I experienced (and yes sometimes jealousy) of having a baby sister and the fear of my Grade 1 teacher who had a propensity to yell at small children. It would tell you about the loneliness of being away from home as a little girl going to Brownie camp, the heartache I felt at having to move away from friend's every 4 years and the sweetness and innocence of being kissed for the first time by a boy. It would also reveal those shy moments of getting your first period or wearing your first bra and the angst of being a teenager. (Girl's in high school can be really mean!) It would also tell you of how hard it is to have your heart broken-whether you are the dumper or the one getting dumped-it sucks either way! It would reveal gut wrenching nearly soul destroying loss of my Dad, and of an unborn child that I believe is in heaven waiting to meet me one day! My wrinkles would also tell you of how all humility goes out the window after you give birth, and of how all encompassing love is for your children (Yes I am a mamma bear and would die for them!). My wrinkles also reveal good fortune in having been able to share a journey with a man who adores me and confirms for me that he still will even when I am 80-God willing! Those wrinkles will also reveal self-doubt, fear and anxiety but are tempered by my Voice of Reason and my dear dear sister, who know always know what to say. My wrinkles will also tell you that I live life with no regret, that my heart is on my sleeve, that I love the human race (except when they do really really bad things) and that there is nothing better in this world to laugh so hard that it hurts!
So there it is followers, I plan on getting an extra wrinkle today when I learn to ride (with self doubt fear and anxiety) my bike with aerobars today with Mr. P!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Celebration
Hello Followers, I must report that it has been a CRAZY couple of days!
I think I last posted on Friday-my "recovery" day. I spent a great day with my children as neither had school. In the morning we went to the park with a good friend of mine, and then in the afternoon we went to the Red River Exhibition Fair. I was absolutely exhausted but thought-no problem because my Saturday scheduled workout was a 20 min bike followed by a 10 min run so I could taper a bit more for the Olympic Triathlon on Sunday.
Then........as the sun was beating down on me, and my children were nearing the end of their rope from all the excitement of the fair (not to mention the junk food they consumed), I get a SURPRISE text from Mr. P . He informs me, that I should do a 100 k bike ride with a group of cyclists. I laugh and laugh-text him back and said that I would not be falling for his sick joke. He of course indicated it was no joke, and went on to say it would be important for me to get some practice in so I could get comfortable with other riders being close to me.
Of course I freak out a bit (OK maybe a lot) because here it is that the Olympic Triathlon would be the following day-I could potentially drown in the water due to the exhaustion of the 100 k ride the day before. Ultimately I agree and on Saturday morning I meet the 7 cyclists that would assist me in this journey of learning how to ride in a pack along the Trans Canada Highway and draft.
Upon first reflection, I must admit, that I was intimidated by these cyclists. They are a very experienced group of riders, and obviously had been riding bikes much longer than 4 months. But they were all very kind to me, and helped me so much in terms of learning how to draft. I realized very quickly that if you fall out of the draft pack it is almost freaking impossible to catch up. This happened to me, but I managed to get back in the pack (but my my heart beat went up to 180 bpm-obviously something I would not have been able to sustain for any length of time).
I think I did OK until the last 10 miles or so. Then exhaustion hit and I just did not have it in me to do the sprint at the end and I was left in the dust. The group stopped and waited for me, and I felt terrible about this. They reassured me not to feel bad, and were very kind. One of the cyclists-Mr. J shared that he thought I had the capability for the last 10 miles but because my drafting was not the greatest, he thought I was working too hard on the ride.
Speaking of drafting-that was a tad overwhelming, as in order to derive benefit, you have to ride extremely close to the cyclist in front of you. When you get in the draft zone-it is amazing how much easier it is to cycle. But for me, I was worried about clipping someone's wheel and taking out the whole pack! If that were to happen, I would have been horrified-thus my reticence about following really close! I suppose, like anything, the more experience one gets, the easier it becomes.
Following the cycle, I went home and ate, drank lots and took some baths in preparation for Sunday's Triathlon. My legs felt terrible when I was going to bed, so much so that I needed to take drugs! (Advil). Less than 24 hours later at 4am, my alarm was sounding off.
So at 4am, my legs felt better but boy was my butt sore! I was in my usual anxiety ridden panic mode, and picked up Mrs. B who was racing as well and a newbie like me! Following registering, getting my body markings and setting up transition, an announcement was made that just about sent me over the edge. The race officials indicated that wetsuits would not be allowed due to the water temperature reaching a 23 degree's. They also made a second announcement saying for racers to be careful due to the abundance of weeds on the shore line that one could get caught in.
Now followers you can only imagine how a "weak" swimmer competing in her first Olympic Triathlon (with a 1500 m swim) would feel. But I needed to get a grip because panic would not do anything positive. I thought back to words from my Voice of Reason.
When the horn went off in the mass swim start, and legs and arms are flailing everywhere, and weeds are covering your goggles and twirling around your arms and legs, I began to hyperventilate. But then....I remembered to Breathe. And you know what? It worked! I was able to get in a rythym. The cool water on my body felt so good after the 100 k ride the day before, and I have to say that the swim was the best part of the triathlon. Crazy!
Next was the bike, which was absolutely painful. Not in terms of my legs burning, not in terms of having to cycle into the wind that never stops, not in terms of the heat of the sun, but because my butt was on fire! Every bump was agony (and there were lots of them) .
The run was a relief in that I was no longer on my bike, but I felt I was running at a turtle's pace. I crossed the finish line in 3 hours with my tank on empty! I did it!
Today, is a day for celebration in another way too. It is my beautiful daughter's 4th birthday! So Happy Birthday Little one, mommy is so lucky because of all the baby girl's in heaven-I got the best one!
I think I last posted on Friday-my "recovery" day. I spent a great day with my children as neither had school. In the morning we went to the park with a good friend of mine, and then in the afternoon we went to the Red River Exhibition Fair. I was absolutely exhausted but thought-no problem because my Saturday scheduled workout was a 20 min bike followed by a 10 min run so I could taper a bit more for the Olympic Triathlon on Sunday.
Then........as the sun was beating down on me, and my children were nearing the end of their rope from all the excitement of the fair (not to mention the junk food they consumed), I get a SURPRISE text from Mr. P . He informs me, that I should do a 100 k bike ride with a group of cyclists. I laugh and laugh-text him back and said that I would not be falling for his sick joke. He of course indicated it was no joke, and went on to say it would be important for me to get some practice in so I could get comfortable with other riders being close to me.
Of course I freak out a bit (OK maybe a lot) because here it is that the Olympic Triathlon would be the following day-I could potentially drown in the water due to the exhaustion of the 100 k ride the day before. Ultimately I agree and on Saturday morning I meet the 7 cyclists that would assist me in this journey of learning how to ride in a pack along the Trans Canada Highway and draft.
Upon first reflection, I must admit, that I was intimidated by these cyclists. They are a very experienced group of riders, and obviously had been riding bikes much longer than 4 months. But they were all very kind to me, and helped me so much in terms of learning how to draft. I realized very quickly that if you fall out of the draft pack it is almost freaking impossible to catch up. This happened to me, but I managed to get back in the pack (but my my heart beat went up to 180 bpm-obviously something I would not have been able to sustain for any length of time).
I think I did OK until the last 10 miles or so. Then exhaustion hit and I just did not have it in me to do the sprint at the end and I was left in the dust. The group stopped and waited for me, and I felt terrible about this. They reassured me not to feel bad, and were very kind. One of the cyclists-Mr. J shared that he thought I had the capability for the last 10 miles but because my drafting was not the greatest, he thought I was working too hard on the ride.
Speaking of drafting-that was a tad overwhelming, as in order to derive benefit, you have to ride extremely close to the cyclist in front of you. When you get in the draft zone-it is amazing how much easier it is to cycle. But for me, I was worried about clipping someone's wheel and taking out the whole pack! If that were to happen, I would have been horrified-thus my reticence about following really close! I suppose, like anything, the more experience one gets, the easier it becomes.
Following the cycle, I went home and ate, drank lots and took some baths in preparation for Sunday's Triathlon. My legs felt terrible when I was going to bed, so much so that I needed to take drugs! (Advil). Less than 24 hours later at 4am, my alarm was sounding off.
So at 4am, my legs felt better but boy was my butt sore! I was in my usual anxiety ridden panic mode, and picked up Mrs. B who was racing as well and a newbie like me! Following registering, getting my body markings and setting up transition, an announcement was made that just about sent me over the edge. The race officials indicated that wetsuits would not be allowed due to the water temperature reaching a 23 degree's. They also made a second announcement saying for racers to be careful due to the abundance of weeds on the shore line that one could get caught in.
Now followers you can only imagine how a "weak" swimmer competing in her first Olympic Triathlon (with a 1500 m swim) would feel. But I needed to get a grip because panic would not do anything positive. I thought back to words from my Voice of Reason.
When the horn went off in the mass swim start, and legs and arms are flailing everywhere, and weeds are covering your goggles and twirling around your arms and legs, I began to hyperventilate. But then....I remembered to Breathe. And you know what? It worked! I was able to get in a rythym. The cool water on my body felt so good after the 100 k ride the day before, and I have to say that the swim was the best part of the triathlon. Crazy!
Next was the bike, which was absolutely painful. Not in terms of my legs burning, not in terms of having to cycle into the wind that never stops, not in terms of the heat of the sun, but because my butt was on fire! Every bump was agony (and there were lots of them) .
The run was a relief in that I was no longer on my bike, but I felt I was running at a turtle's pace. I crossed the finish line in 3 hours with my tank on empty! I did it!
Today, is a day for celebration in another way too. It is my beautiful daughter's 4th birthday! So Happy Birthday Little one, mommy is so lucky because of all the baby girl's in heaven-I got the best one!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Believe
Good morning followers,
It is a rest day for me-so weird to have one on Friday-but Mr. P scheduled it that way in consideration for the Tri this weekend.
So it's official-I got my aerobars and water bottle. I am so excited by the prospect that I will not dehydrate and couldn't care less about being in an aero position at this point in time. Mr. C also readjusted my bike frame, so I hope this will work out. I have to trust him.
Speaking of trust, this experience has taught me that you really have to put your faith and trust in people who happen to know something about something-even if you really don't know them. Get it?
Let me explain, prior to October, I did not know my swim instructor. I had to put huge faith into her that she would not only save my life in case I drowned, but teach me the proper form and technique to swim. I had to believe her when she said that my swimming will come and that I would improve.
In Febuary, after meeting Mr. C and buying my bike, I had to put huge faith in him that he wasn't just trying to sell me a bike to make a buck (considerably difficult considering my first experience in another store was not a positive one). I had to believe that he was a genuine person and was looking out for my best interests-especially when it came time to the bike fitting so I could ride the thing without fear of crashing or getting injured.
Shortly after this, I met Mr. P in a coffee shop. I decided to put huge faith into him, that he would be the guy to help me accomplish my goals. So I had to believe him when he told me that I would survive the cycle in windspeeds exceeding 50 km/hr, that I could do an OWS and get hit and still survive or ride 100 km on a highway. I believe in him and believe in the program he has set out for me.
After believing in so many others, now is the hardest one of all. I have to believe in myself. I believe I am getting closer!
It is a rest day for me-so weird to have one on Friday-but Mr. P scheduled it that way in consideration for the Tri this weekend.
So it's official-I got my aerobars and water bottle. I am so excited by the prospect that I will not dehydrate and couldn't care less about being in an aero position at this point in time. Mr. C also readjusted my bike frame, so I hope this will work out. I have to trust him.
Speaking of trust, this experience has taught me that you really have to put your faith and trust in people who happen to know something about something-even if you really don't know them. Get it?
Let me explain, prior to October, I did not know my swim instructor. I had to put huge faith into her that she would not only save my life in case I drowned, but teach me the proper form and technique to swim. I had to believe her when she said that my swimming will come and that I would improve.
In Febuary, after meeting Mr. C and buying my bike, I had to put huge faith in him that he wasn't just trying to sell me a bike to make a buck (considerably difficult considering my first experience in another store was not a positive one). I had to believe that he was a genuine person and was looking out for my best interests-especially when it came time to the bike fitting so I could ride the thing without fear of crashing or getting injured.
Shortly after this, I met Mr. P in a coffee shop. I decided to put huge faith into him, that he would be the guy to help me accomplish my goals. So I had to believe him when he told me that I would survive the cycle in windspeeds exceeding 50 km/hr, that I could do an OWS and get hit and still survive or ride 100 km on a highway. I believe in him and believe in the program he has set out for me.
After believing in so many others, now is the hardest one of all. I have to believe in myself. I believe I am getting closer!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
37 more days
Yup you read that correctly followers-I have only 37 more days until the Big One. I think I am nuts and am now getting regular panic attacks.
This Sunday will be a big test as I plan on doing the Olympic Distance Tri (1500 m swim, 40 k bike and 10 k run). The swim portion of this race is not much less than the Half Ironman, so I will have a good idea of what it will feel like. This race is also employing cut off times and for the swim portion this means 50 minutes- so I really hope I can do this!
Speaking of swimming, I did another OWS and was horrified to discover leeches in the water. Disgusting! Also, I noticed that the water is becoming a lot less clear as it appears that the algae is growing! On the up side, there are no waves or currents to deal with yet-Oh and I haven't seen a shark, poisonous jellyfish or snapping turtle-so I am counting my blessings!
Today is also a big day, as I will be getting my aerobars installed along with a water bottle. I doubt I will have much practice with the bars, so highly unlikely I will use them on the weekend, but am excited that I will be able to drink on the bike! The trick will be to drink enough but not too much so I don't get a stitch on the run-Ahhh more experimenting!
Along with all this training, my bedtime hour keeps getting earlier and earlier. Last night my better half looked in on me, and he advised me that I had fallen asleep with my glasses on and my arms straight out in front of me. He was laughing because he said that I resembled a Zombie. So anyone of you out there that is suffering from Insomnia-I would highly advise you to take up triathlon training-it's a sure fire way to cure you of that affliction.
Along with all this training, my bedtime hour keeps getting earlier and earlier. Last night my better half looked in on me, and he advised me that I had fallen asleep with my glasses on and my arms straight out in front of me. He was laughing because he said that I resembled a Zombie. So anyone of you out there that is suffering from Insomnia-I would highly advise you to take up triathlon training-it's a sure fire way to cure you of that affliction.
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