Thursday, January 5, 2012
Back in the Saddle
January 2012... Here we go for another race season and my first full Ironman!!! Just before heading off on Christmas vaca I had the Dr.s go ahead to ease myself back into training..... I'm still learning exactly what "ease" means.... But - I am listening to my body and not pushing myself... I'm giving myself Jan/Feb to regain my fitness and endurance and then March is when the real game will begin.... The reassuring part was getting in the pool this week 2x for 75 mins each time and not drowning... Couldn't do the full workout and had to take some extra rests but - I did it!!!! Tonight the marathon clinic starts again so another attempt at a steady run - 6K.... The Resolution Run was a 5K disaster and I had to stop for walk breaks - but no beating myself up!!!! The surgery was worth it and even though the full results won't be visible until April or so I am sooooooo glad I did it.... Not glad about the fitness loss and extra pounds that ended up getting packed on but - that will be fixed over time!!! Looking ahead - can't wait for ATB, Angus Glen 10 miler, and figuring out what races I'll be doing pre-Tremblant!!!! Plus I've got a long weekend in Florida coming up, as well as some get togethers with friends over the next few weeks!! Life is good!!!!!!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
My Miserable Memorable Marathon.....
Saturday was the omen of weather to come in hindsight. The plan was to meet at the RR in Aurora at 10, load up the cars and convoy on out to Picton to the "Crystal Palace" to pick up our kits and hit the "Expo"... The wind was ridiculous, it was cool/cold and overcast and all any of us could think about was - did I pack the right clothes for the race tomorrow.... Weather reports were calling for 6 in the morning and approx. 1-3mm of rain.. Given that 1mm is the thickness of your fingernail I wasn't too concerned... Smooth drive out to Picton, and that's when it hit me how small this race was... Approx. 380 people registered but historically around 240 actually run the full marathon.. Checked out the Expo - all of 1 vendor but they were a running/tri store in from Trenton and it would be worth the roadtrip out in the Spring just to check out their funky cycling jerseys... Back into the convoy to drive the course- only 2 hills in total and of course both are at the end of the route. The first one is about 36k in and reminded me of "THE" hill in Placid as you're coming into town.. The 3nd was smaller and about 39k in... Ok - I could handle that... Off to dinner - awesome Italian place, great pasta, lots of laughs and very little talk about tomorrow... Back to the hotel to discuss morning plans - Angie our instructor had come up with an awesome plan that allowed us to convoy to the start line vs. having to use the shuttle system.. Back to the room where after some last minute chatting and organizing Chae, Natalie and I watched Run Fat Boy Run... Definitely a stress breaker for pre-race jitters...
Tossed and turned at the start but once I fell asleep I was out.. I did wake up at some point and it was raining - I was really hoping that would be the last of it....
At 6:30 we met up in the parking lot and packed ourselves into the starting line convoy. The wind was crazy, it was cold and while there was no rain it was definitely that damp feeling. We all quickly agreed that the wind wouldn't be so bad on the course as a lot of it was sheltered by trees... Checking the weather report and still only 1-3mm forecasted.. Just as we pulled into Wellington where the race started the "mist" kicked in... Got to the community center, picked up my race chip, and straight to the washroom - real bathrooms inside and not portapotties. This was kind of luxurious!! Spent the next little while figuring out what to wear and how many layers I would need.. Did some active warm-ups that my physio gave me on Thursday... Surprisingly there was no pain or stretch in my hip area - guess that whole rest/recovery concept really does work!! Teehee...
Once we were out at the start I realized just how small this race is.. Especially when for the first 4 km you have an ambulance driving behind you - please God tell me it's going to pull away?? It did.. Whew.. But I had my plan and was sticking to it. I'd printed off and made my own pace tag/card with 3 times on it - 4:55, 5, 5:15.. According to my Midsummer results 4:55 was totally realistic and not a stretch... I also had my fuel belt loaded with 4x10 oz bottles of Cytomax, 8 gels loaded in my flask, and 2 packs of Cliff Shot Blocks for when I felt I needed something "solid". For breakfast I stuck to a banana and 2 Boosts with Extra calories. The route map showed portapotties "around" the aid stations but I wasn't risking it.. I had also learned my lesson on fueling in Muskoka so had a solid plan. Take in fluids on every walk break and start with the gel at the 10K mark and then keep it up every ½ hour... The shot blocks could alternate with the gels when I started feeling the tummy rumble for food.. In the end I had to re-fill 2 bottles with on course sports drink (a new one called Xilirate, not bad and I tried it the night before to test it out), used all the gel, had 2 shot blocks left and also took in a few salt tablets and advil.... The aid stations were every 2 km and with the exception of 1 where the volunteers literally F****D off and drove away the people were AWESOME!!!
> Up to about the 10K mark Chae and I were running together and were on track for 4:55.. We'd agreed to start together and then see what happened - we wouldn't hold each other back... It had been windy when we started but not horrible wind and there wasn't any rain - yet... 12k in Chae was dropping back a bit but I kept my pace. The wind had picked up significantly in that short time and the "mist" was back. By the time I hit 18km we were entering Sandbanks National Park which is STUNNING - on a nice day... It was cold, windy, pouring rain and foggy now... The first "what the hell am I doing" through crept up but I slammed it back down again and kept running.... The fog disappeared the further away from the lake we ran but the wind and rain kept up and at times it really did feel like I was running just to stay in place and not get blown backwards... Chae caught back up around the 21k mark but by 24k she'd fallen back a bit again... Going into the race I was comfortable with the first 32k. I've done that distance in training a few times - it was the last 10.2 that made me nervous. But - I hit my wall at 26k.. There was a bus picking up relayers and spectators to move them along the route or to go to the finish and the thought of getting on and being warm was tempting. Every part of my body ached, was wet and cold.... Somehow I talked myself down and I kept running.... I hate to say it but it is a bit of a blur and before I knew it I was at the 32K marker.. One of the great things with this race is they had every km marked - that was great!!! Also - the ½ marathon markers were exactly 200m behind the full markers so I new when I passed that 11k marker for the ½ I ONLY had 10K to go.. From there it was a countdown.. Got to 9k left and woohoo - I was in the single digits...
> Hit the first hill, ran ½ of it and then walked to the top... I surprisingly felt strong but didn't want to waste that match (that still sticks with me Simon)... Used the same strategy on the second hill and then turned the corner for the final stretch...
> What amazed me and kept me going was a strategy many of my friends and fellow triathletes have shared with me that they use in a race - pick a target, catch them, pass them, pick a new target... I employed that the whole race and was so PROUD to be passing people!! Yup - me!! PASSING people!! Even in that final stretch I was passing people who had that look of defeat in their eyes.. Angie was out waiting for me at around 41k. Took my empty water belt and that's when I realized my race bib was shredded... I ended up having to hold it up as I crossed that finish line... But what a feeling.... I knew I couldn't stop moving or else I'd never get going again so grabbed a bag of chips, chocolate mild and heating blanket and started to walk back out onto the course to cheer Chae on... She came in about 10 minutes behind me and was sooo happy!!! Met up with the gang back at the Crystal Palace - everyone had a miserable race weather wise and not a lot of "happy with the time" comments.... Consensus was that was one of the worse weather conditions but what a beautiful course....
Tossed and turned at the start but once I fell asleep I was out.. I did wake up at some point and it was raining - I was really hoping that would be the last of it....
At 6:30 we met up in the parking lot and packed ourselves into the starting line convoy. The wind was crazy, it was cold and while there was no rain it was definitely that damp feeling. We all quickly agreed that the wind wouldn't be so bad on the course as a lot of it was sheltered by trees... Checking the weather report and still only 1-3mm forecasted.. Just as we pulled into Wellington where the race started the "mist" kicked in... Got to the community center, picked up my race chip, and straight to the washroom - real bathrooms inside and not portapotties. This was kind of luxurious!! Spent the next little while figuring out what to wear and how many layers I would need.. Did some active warm-ups that my physio gave me on Thursday... Surprisingly there was no pain or stretch in my hip area - guess that whole rest/recovery concept really does work!! Teehee...
Once we were out at the start I realized just how small this race is.. Especially when for the first 4 km you have an ambulance driving behind you - please God tell me it's going to pull away?? It did.. Whew.. But I had my plan and was sticking to it. I'd printed off and made my own pace tag/card with 3 times on it - 4:55, 5, 5:15.. According to my Midsummer results 4:55 was totally realistic and not a stretch... I also had my fuel belt loaded with 4x10 oz bottles of Cytomax, 8 gels loaded in my flask, and 2 packs of Cliff Shot Blocks for when I felt I needed something "solid". For breakfast I stuck to a banana and 2 Boosts with Extra calories. The route map showed portapotties "around" the aid stations but I wasn't risking it.. I had also learned my lesson on fueling in Muskoka so had a solid plan. Take in fluids on every walk break and start with the gel at the 10K mark and then keep it up every ½ hour... The shot blocks could alternate with the gels when I started feeling the tummy rumble for food.. In the end I had to re-fill 2 bottles with on course sports drink (a new one called Xilirate, not bad and I tried it the night before to test it out), used all the gel, had 2 shot blocks left and also took in a few salt tablets and advil.... The aid stations were every 2 km and with the exception of 1 where the volunteers literally F****D off and drove away the people were AWESOME!!!
> Up to about the 10K mark Chae and I were running together and were on track for 4:55.. We'd agreed to start together and then see what happened - we wouldn't hold each other back... It had been windy when we started but not horrible wind and there wasn't any rain - yet... 12k in Chae was dropping back a bit but I kept my pace. The wind had picked up significantly in that short time and the "mist" was back. By the time I hit 18km we were entering Sandbanks National Park which is STUNNING - on a nice day... It was cold, windy, pouring rain and foggy now... The first "what the hell am I doing" through crept up but I slammed it back down again and kept running.... The fog disappeared the further away from the lake we ran but the wind and rain kept up and at times it really did feel like I was running just to stay in place and not get blown backwards... Chae caught back up around the 21k mark but by 24k she'd fallen back a bit again... Going into the race I was comfortable with the first 32k. I've done that distance in training a few times - it was the last 10.2 that made me nervous. But - I hit my wall at 26k.. There was a bus picking up relayers and spectators to move them along the route or to go to the finish and the thought of getting on and being warm was tempting. Every part of my body ached, was wet and cold.... Somehow I talked myself down and I kept running.... I hate to say it but it is a bit of a blur and before I knew it I was at the 32K marker.. One of the great things with this race is they had every km marked - that was great!!! Also - the ½ marathon markers were exactly 200m behind the full markers so I new when I passed that 11k marker for the ½ I ONLY had 10K to go.. From there it was a countdown.. Got to 9k left and woohoo - I was in the single digits...
> Hit the first hill, ran ½ of it and then walked to the top... I surprisingly felt strong but didn't want to waste that match (that still sticks with me Simon)... Used the same strategy on the second hill and then turned the corner for the final stretch...
> What amazed me and kept me going was a strategy many of my friends and fellow triathletes have shared with me that they use in a race - pick a target, catch them, pass them, pick a new target... I employed that the whole race and was so PROUD to be passing people!! Yup - me!! PASSING people!! Even in that final stretch I was passing people who had that look of defeat in their eyes.. Angie was out waiting for me at around 41k. Took my empty water belt and that's when I realized my race bib was shredded... I ended up having to hold it up as I crossed that finish line... But what a feeling.... I knew I couldn't stop moving or else I'd never get going again so grabbed a bag of chips, chocolate mild and heating blanket and started to walk back out onto the course to cheer Chae on... She came in about 10 minutes behind me and was sooo happy!!! Met up with the gang back at the Crystal Palace - everyone had a miserable race weather wise and not a lot of "happy with the time" comments.... Consensus was that was one of the worse weather conditions but what a beautiful course....
Friday, September 30, 2011
Pre Marathon Jitters
You would think that having completed 2 1/2 Ironman distance races this past summer that facing down a marathon in 2 days would be a "walk in the park" mentally... Like hell... Right now, while I know I can do this, the concept of running for 42.2 km and somewhere around 5 hours straight seems absolutely NUTS... Honest to God why do I do these things??? Ok fine. I know why.. To test myself, to keep creating new more difficult challenges be they physical, mental, or a combination of the 2.. I'm doing this marathon to prove I can and to build my mental strength... 30K - been there and done that.. Add the extra 12 and the "no mans land" period of the race I keep reading about and well, in a sick twisted way that's the part of the race I'm most looking forward to...
Preparation - well there is the training. Done. Made a pit stop at the Sally Ann last night and bought a $5 sweatshirt for the race start. It's washed and dried and ready. Race gear is laid out. Bottles and all fuel is laid out and ready to be prepped tonight. Room is reserved in Belleville. Carpooling is organized, Saturday schedule is organized. Roomie for the night and I plan on watching Run Fat Boy Run and laughing our asses off pre-race evening... There really honestly truly is nothing more I can do at this point other than to keep hydrating. get to bed early tonight, and once we pull into the race expo location on Saturday just start soaking it all in!!! It's my race, it's my day and at some point in time on Sunday early afternoon I will cross that finish line and get the medal for my first marathon, pre 40!!!
Preparation - well there is the training. Done. Made a pit stop at the Sally Ann last night and bought a $5 sweatshirt for the race start. It's washed and dried and ready. Race gear is laid out. Bottles and all fuel is laid out and ready to be prepped tonight. Room is reserved in Belleville. Carpooling is organized, Saturday schedule is organized. Roomie for the night and I plan on watching Run Fat Boy Run and laughing our asses off pre-race evening... There really honestly truly is nothing more I can do at this point other than to keep hydrating. get to bed early tonight, and once we pull into the race expo location on Saturday just start soaking it all in!!! It's my race, it's my day and at some point in time on Sunday early afternoon I will cross that finish line and get the medal for my first marathon, pre 40!!!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Muskoka 70.3 Race Report
Ahh.. Back to the grind.. Actually it’s hard to believe the race is done and the season is over – it flew by!!! But here’s how my day went on Sunday…
4:30 came way too early – especially given my night of tossing, turning, sleep wake sleep wake cycle… But the nervous energy started to kick in by the time I made it to McD’s with Mr. Beaumont and Simon and Bern and Diana’s mom shortly following… Ok fine – we all know for next time transition doesn’t close at 6:30 – they really need to update the info package… Honestly – even the volunteers were mentioning it at registration on Friday.. Anyhoo…
Parked in the same spot as the day before down by the tennis courts for Hidden Valley, got out of the car and noticed all the stars out.. Stood with my coffee and just chilled for a few minutes star gazing and praying for a good day… Head out to the road and met up with a younger guy heading in to Deerhurst as well – he’d done the Joe’s team sprint tri for the past 2 years and this was his first.. Chatted about where are you from etc. which was a nice way to break the nerves.. Got into transition, pumped the tires up, unpacked the tri gear, got set up and ready… Ran into the gang here and there throughout the morning – thanks again for the coffee Jean!!
Off to the beach.. They were only letting the first wave athletes down to the water start area to warm up so I went over to the side beach where I swam from the day before and got in.. Surprisingly not as cold as I expected – the sun was really starting to warm things up.. Thank heavens I listened to Simon about the nose clip options on my goggles- I was able to wear them and was grateful for the tinting!!! Back out on the beach, ran into Bryan and we watched the elite men’s start – what a scene… Sun was up, water was flat calm, and just across the bay the last of the mist was coming off the water.. Good lord those men can move in the water though… Took my gel and got into the corral of people with blue caps, saw Bryan again and off we go into the water… 2 minutes before start I find a lovely spot – right in the middle and towards the back.. There were a couple of jokers in the crowd already standing with their elbows out and grunting like football players – it was actually quite funny and totally took my mind off the fact that we were about to start. Horn goes off and I start swimming.. Latched onto some feet and just stuck to them to get through the mess and then found my groove… I stayed about 5 feet off the buoy line – that way any of the faster swimmers would miss me! And it worked… When I made that last right hand turn and started into the final stretch I will admit to a shout of joy underwater!
Opted not to do the stripping so started up the hills- saw Jean and got my time check – everything was on schedule… Into transition no issues and out I go on the bike.. And I had an awesome ride!! Was passed by Doug just after that T intersection onto North Portage – he looked great.. Was passing people all along the course, and the legs felt great… Ended up riding for a while with a few of the same guys – similar to everyone else we would pass each other /catch each other on the hills/flats.. Had some great laughs out there and even got a few compliments!!! But here’s where I went wrong – I got so caught up in the moment and the excitement and how well I was doing that I completely ignored fueling… I only took in 2 bottles of gatorde, 3 gels, and a Stinger honey waffle and no salt… Looking back perhaps I should have listened more closely to my body – just around Baysville my hands started cramping – I just thought it was from all the climbing… Passed Andy on Brunel Road – not used to that at all and was a bit worried about him!!
Getting off the bike at Deerhurst was my first real sign something wasn’t quite right – I was wobbly and a bit light headed.. Took my time getting to the rack, shoes on , fuel belt on, took some gel, and a pit stop outside transition… As soon as I headed out onto Deerhurst Drive a co-worker Pat was suddenly beside me – she and her boyfriend were up at their cottage and came over to watch and see me.. Most nice!! Ran all the way to that first left, down the hill and walked the aid station trying to figure out what I needed to do… Thought of the conversation the night before and opted for pepsi… Simon – when you went by your advice was perfect and what I needed!! And Bernadette – ah that smile!! Thank you both! Coming over that hill and seeing my family/friends standing out there really motivated me as well – my head was totally in it but my body was screaming.. Anyway – I spent the first half of the run just trying to keep my heart rate down and take in fuel. Every aid station was pepsi and pretzels and the occasional gel.. The way back was better but I’d already lost a lot of time.. But there wasn’t a chance in hell I was stopping…. Cathy/Ramsay it was awesome to see you on that last hill and thank you as well!!!
Seeing your faces lined up at the finish and crossing over that line was one of the best feelings I’ve had in a long time!!! Now for the stats:
Swim: 48:37
Bike : 3:11:45 (was 4th in my age group on this)
Run (we’re calling it that): 2:53:17
Total: 7:02:39
Monday, August 22, 2011
Midsummer Night Run
So last year I had signed up for this race to do the 15k walk.. But I had started to run with the tri clinic, and then had moved on to the 10k clinic so.. I thought that since I had managed to run 7km I should be able to run 15k... Just hold to the 10:1 strategy and if I need to walk and can't hold the run then so be it.. I would have given it my best... I did manage to run/walk the whole thing with an average pace of 7:51.. But, that was last year...
This year I committed to the 30km distance as part of my marathon training.. AND I DID IT... I set my goal of 3:30 which meant an average pave of 7mins. I came in at 3:25 with 6:50 average pace... And I felt great.. The humidity did get to me and towards the 21k mark I was feeling lightheaded. I wasn't sure if it was the humidity or if I wasn't taking in enough nutrition... So I took more gel and Cytomax but then I started feeling full... So it was the humidity... Eased up on the nutrition and stuck to the plan. At one of the water stations I filled up a bottle with water and added my cytomax to make my own drink - that meant no more walking through the water stations if I wasn't on a walk break. I knew that my pace had slowed - the legs were tired so I had to be sure to not lose my time!
Coming back towards the finish line along Lakeshore and seeing the skyline lit up at night was sooo pretty - that plus the memories of blading through that area almost made me miss living down there.. Almost... Heading back onto Commissioner St. I passed the 28k sign and it hit me. Only 2k to go - where had the past few hours gone??? Seriously, did I miss a turn?? Nope.. Garmin in sync too..
Passing that last km marker it hit me that I had less than the distance to Mavrinac to run.. Then the massive smile broke out on my face.. Next thing I knew there were tears.. I was doing it.. I was running the last km of a 30K race..... HOLY CRAP.. Only 12 more km and it would be a marathon - I can do it on Oct. 2 for sure!! And I really believe I can do it sub 5!
So there's a sure sign of progress and I am getting better... The swim is coming along nicely and I'm keeping up with the boys in the lane - something I wasn't able to do... I worry sometimes that I'm somehow losing fitness or that I'm missing something... But then I have these moments where I prove myself wrong and realize that it is all coming together... Thank god since Sept. 11 is only a few weeks away... Now that scares me............... Good scary but scary...........
This year I committed to the 30km distance as part of my marathon training.. AND I DID IT... I set my goal of 3:30 which meant an average pave of 7mins. I came in at 3:25 with 6:50 average pace... And I felt great.. The humidity did get to me and towards the 21k mark I was feeling lightheaded. I wasn't sure if it was the humidity or if I wasn't taking in enough nutrition... So I took more gel and Cytomax but then I started feeling full... So it was the humidity... Eased up on the nutrition and stuck to the plan. At one of the water stations I filled up a bottle with water and added my cytomax to make my own drink - that meant no more walking through the water stations if I wasn't on a walk break. I knew that my pace had slowed - the legs were tired so I had to be sure to not lose my time!
Coming back towards the finish line along Lakeshore and seeing the skyline lit up at night was sooo pretty - that plus the memories of blading through that area almost made me miss living down there.. Almost... Heading back onto Commissioner St. I passed the 28k sign and it hit me. Only 2k to go - where had the past few hours gone??? Seriously, did I miss a turn?? Nope.. Garmin in sync too..
Passing that last km marker it hit me that I had less than the distance to Mavrinac to run.. Then the massive smile broke out on my face.. Next thing I knew there were tears.. I was doing it.. I was running the last km of a 30K race..... HOLY CRAP.. Only 12 more km and it would be a marathon - I can do it on Oct. 2 for sure!! And I really believe I can do it sub 5!
So there's a sure sign of progress and I am getting better... The swim is coming along nicely and I'm keeping up with the boys in the lane - something I wasn't able to do... I worry sometimes that I'm somehow losing fitness or that I'm missing something... But then I have these moments where I prove myself wrong and realize that it is all coming together... Thank god since Sept. 11 is only a few weeks away... Now that scares me............... Good scary but scary...........
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Lake Placid
July 22-25 I spent down in Lake Placid.. It was a combination of a training weekend, little vacation, and to watch and support some friends who were doing the Ironman on Sunday.
Arrived in LP Friday midday and immediately got ready to head out on the bike... Ok- the first part of that ride was DEADLY... I honestly questioned what the hell I was doing and then began wondering if I'd somehow lost some bike fitness overnight??? Reality was no I didn't lose any fitness I hadn't eaten properly and the "A" team decided to kill us all with a zone 4 start in the mountains.... After we made it into Keene and regrouped I had some gel and gatorade and felt better for the rest of the ride, back to normal... A bit unsettling though... And the jump into the pool followed by a cold beer was an awesome recovery!!!!
Saturday was an early swim then breakfast then another ride... 90k turned into 70 and a run after turned into lounging by the pool.... Here's the vaca part....
Then Sunday - the day of the race... First I did get some training in. After the swim portion was over I got one loop of the swim course in followed by a 14K run... But - the Ironman... WOW. I keep telling people that I have lost count of the number of times I was completely overwhelmed and wanted to cry... From that incredible swim start to watching the pros and age groupers out on the bike.. To the difference between the people on the run course 10 hours in vs. the people out there at 11PM at night with only 1 hour to make it to the oval and cross that line.. When we arrived in Placid the energy in the air was palpable. By Sunday it was like a fog.. While everyone we knew finished the race there were others who did not. Seeing that pain in their faces as a medic walked them outside of the oval, that look of desparation. It really brought it home. You can train. You can mentally prepare. You can be at the peak of your fitness. But there are still factors you cannot control that can end your day early. And then there's your head.. There were those who dug deep and pulled out everything they had to make it across that finish line.. I wonder if the woman on the bike I talked to made it to the end and is an Ironman now.....
So. I have 46 days to Muskoka 70.3 and I have 388 days until Mont Tremblant.... And I have a LOT of work to do! But I will do it because I CAN!!!
Arrived in LP Friday midday and immediately got ready to head out on the bike... Ok- the first part of that ride was DEADLY... I honestly questioned what the hell I was doing and then began wondering if I'd somehow lost some bike fitness overnight??? Reality was no I didn't lose any fitness I hadn't eaten properly and the "A" team decided to kill us all with a zone 4 start in the mountains.... After we made it into Keene and regrouped I had some gel and gatorade and felt better for the rest of the ride, back to normal... A bit unsettling though... And the jump into the pool followed by a cold beer was an awesome recovery!!!!
Saturday was an early swim then breakfast then another ride... 90k turned into 70 and a run after turned into lounging by the pool.... Here's the vaca part....
Then Sunday - the day of the race... First I did get some training in. After the swim portion was over I got one loop of the swim course in followed by a 14K run... But - the Ironman... WOW. I keep telling people that I have lost count of the number of times I was completely overwhelmed and wanted to cry... From that incredible swim start to watching the pros and age groupers out on the bike.. To the difference between the people on the run course 10 hours in vs. the people out there at 11PM at night with only 1 hour to make it to the oval and cross that line.. When we arrived in Placid the energy in the air was palpable. By Sunday it was like a fog.. While everyone we knew finished the race there were others who did not. Seeing that pain in their faces as a medic walked them outside of the oval, that look of desparation. It really brought it home. You can train. You can mentally prepare. You can be at the peak of your fitness. But there are still factors you cannot control that can end your day early. And then there's your head.. There were those who dug deep and pulled out everything they had to make it across that finish line.. I wonder if the woman on the bike I talked to made it to the end and is an Ironman now.....
So. I have 46 days to Muskoka 70.3 and I have 388 days until Mont Tremblant.... And I have a LOT of work to do! But I will do it because I CAN!!!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Mission Accomplished!!!
Sunday July 10, 2011... 8AM standing on the beach at Little Lake in Peterborough, ON the gun goes off and into the water I run along with 401 other people... It's the start of the Peterborough 1/2 Ironman triathlon.
At the beginning of the season I had planned on doing the Sprint distance. Then my coach and fellow athletes who can't suffer alone convinced me to do the 1/2 distance in Peterborough as training for Muskoka in September... So I did. 2K swim, 90K bike, 21.2K run - total time was 6:47.... So....
Swim: I opted to go with the farmer john and my new speed sleeves.. in the pool it's not as tight around my neck and I wasn't getting the choking feeling.. I went out to warm up - swam out to the first buoy, cut across and then back in. Felt good.. But in my head I was still nervous - not doubting myself or panicking but nervous.. So I did the swim and took it easy.. A little too easy according to the clock but - my goal for Muskoka is to do the swim in 45 mins. I did P'bo in 51:59 but that included a 2+ minute walk/run back onto transition... Still - way too slow a pace and when I came out of the water it didn't even feel like I'd been swimming... Far too easy... Plan for the 2 months is to focus on speed in the pool drills and get more open water in at Wilcox for the 2k distance....
Bike- Felt great. I was happy with the pace - kept to the 3 hour mark I wanted and averaged 29.4kph... basically I'll get north as many times as possible and ride the Muskoka course- first outing will in fact be this Saturday!!
Run - total 1/2 marathon time was 2:43:45 with an average pace of 7:48.. ok - that's closer to my first 1/2 marathon race in September of last year vs. my usual 7:20 pace I've been racing at but - this was the first time I was coming off a 90k bike session... So - i'll keep working on my steady run pace and building the distance on those during the week with the RR marathon group... Continuous hill sessions will help too midweek... Then the LSD on Sundays will keep building more and more distance/endurance and I'll add in longer runs off the bike on Saturdays... Keep it around 10K on those and incorporate some mid session speed intervals to really push things...
Not sure what the heck took up 5 minutes of my time in transition on T2 but.... I did have a little discussion with one of the officials- mindlessly I unclipped my helmet before racking my bike... But thankfully just a gentle reminder from the nice older man and no penalty.... So at the end of the day I did what I set out to do - I FINISHED a 1/2 Ironman and pinpointed my training strategy for the next 2 months.... And shared those thoughts with my coach of course!! Ok - on to Muskoka!!!!
At the beginning of the season I had planned on doing the Sprint distance. Then my coach and fellow athletes who can't suffer alone convinced me to do the 1/2 distance in Peterborough as training for Muskoka in September... So I did. 2K swim, 90K bike, 21.2K run - total time was 6:47.... So....
Swim: I opted to go with the farmer john and my new speed sleeves.. in the pool it's not as tight around my neck and I wasn't getting the choking feeling.. I went out to warm up - swam out to the first buoy, cut across and then back in. Felt good.. But in my head I was still nervous - not doubting myself or panicking but nervous.. So I did the swim and took it easy.. A little too easy according to the clock but - my goal for Muskoka is to do the swim in 45 mins. I did P'bo in 51:59 but that included a 2+ minute walk/run back onto transition... Still - way too slow a pace and when I came out of the water it didn't even feel like I'd been swimming... Far too easy... Plan for the 2 months is to focus on speed in the pool drills and get more open water in at Wilcox for the 2k distance....
Bike- Felt great. I was happy with the pace - kept to the 3 hour mark I wanted and averaged 29.4kph... basically I'll get north as many times as possible and ride the Muskoka course- first outing will in fact be this Saturday!!
Run - total 1/2 marathon time was 2:43:45 with an average pace of 7:48.. ok - that's closer to my first 1/2 marathon race in September of last year vs. my usual 7:20 pace I've been racing at but - this was the first time I was coming off a 90k bike session... So - i'll keep working on my steady run pace and building the distance on those during the week with the RR marathon group... Continuous hill sessions will help too midweek... Then the LSD on Sundays will keep building more and more distance/endurance and I'll add in longer runs off the bike on Saturdays... Keep it around 10K on those and incorporate some mid session speed intervals to really push things...
Not sure what the heck took up 5 minutes of my time in transition on T2 but.... I did have a little discussion with one of the officials- mindlessly I unclipped my helmet before racking my bike... But thankfully just a gentle reminder from the nice older man and no penalty.... So at the end of the day I did what I set out to do - I FINISHED a 1/2 Ironman and pinpointed my training strategy for the next 2 months.... And shared those thoughts with my coach of course!! Ok - on to Muskoka!!!!
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