Shannon's 2010 GWN Race Report (coached by Angie)

Shannon... I read this last night and it made meteary. You've been doing this for quite a few years now, and to hear you speak withso much passion and to see you allowing yourself to receive support from the team isrewarding for me in so many ways. You are appreciating the process of executing. You did the same as last year, but you felt better, enjoyed it for the first time ina long time, and earned some well deserved confidence to take you thru to IMC. Happy Reading TTL... Angie

After feeling dejected at Wasa, GWN was really crucial for my mind and thepreparation for IMC. My mind is my worst enemy and as a result, have never had areally satisfying race. The goal as we discussed was to just have a good run whichis always the hardest part for me.The weekend got off to a great start with the banquet. Being there with the team isalways inspiring. It was nice to sit and visit with familiar faces Cindy, Scott and Carla and great to meet Lisa and Angie. Living in Airdrie, I don't get to be aroundthe team as much but this year has been my favourite year so far and the banquet wasjust an indication of how great it is to be around our team. When I got my race number 21 I was pumped too - my youngest son is a November 21st baby so it was agood omen.
Travelled to Saturday team workout with Lesley Ann which was really great forcalming my nerves. First 400 m of swim were not great but enjoyed rest of the teamevent. Seeing the team all excited about the race actually helped calm me in someway. Had a lazy day, went to movie with Ronnie and relaxed rest of day - felt veryrested. Had a terrible sleep that night but that is somewhat normal.

Arrived at Allen Beach and racked my bike. Found Angie and fellow teammates to wisheveryone good luck. Sought out Gord to wish him good luck. Gord lives inCrossfield and I used to work with him. Our training paths have crossed a lot thisyear and it was on my list to see him before the gun went off. Got ready for swimand had a great 5 min warm up - things were still going well. Saw Richelle beforestart of race and that made my nerves calm down - Richelle always makes me smile andI needed that.

Gun went off - started in the middle of the pack and within first 100 m, a footkicked my goggles off. Couldn't get a seal for the next few minutes but finallysettled down and swim went well. I sighted well, around buoys well and was my mostcomfortable open water swim ever. When I got out of the water, things were a blur. Before I knew it, I was standing by the wetsuit stripper and I had not started totake my wetsuit off - what was I thinking! Slowly got wetsuit off with help ofstripper and ran to bike. Got ready, saw Tara beside me and it is amazing how afamiliar face is so calming during the race. Started out on the bike, roundedcorner onto highway where my husband was directing traffic. Not sure why my eyeswelled up but felt very emotional when I saw him there. Legs felt good on bike. About the 10 km mark caught up with Paddy which turned out to be the highlight of myday. We biked off and on together for the whole ride and it kept me going and keptme positive. Thanks Paddy for a great bike. When I started meeting bikers comingback on the loop, I was very distracted looking for our TTL athletes to offer wordsof encouragement. I admire you fast bikers - I hope to be half as fast as you guyssomeday. At the 40 km mark, there was a biker in the ditch who asked me if I had aspare tube. I stopped and after wrestling with my bag, handed over my only tube. Felt sorry for him but after I was driving away, I prayed I did not get a flat -what was I thinking!! Hated the last 10 km into the wind but overall felt greatcoming off the bike. Seeing TTL cheering on way into transition gave me another bigboost.

Transition was a little clumsy - having a hard time with shoes. Took some advil asmy glute was causing me a lot of pain and then headed out. Started run strong andfelt really good for the first half of the race. Seeing all the TTL athletes andgetting high fives along the way made the first half fly by - I was having a greatrun. Seeing Paddy and Trish running together made me smile and gave me anotherboost. JoZ looked so strong and happy when we passed each other - I felt so proudof her. Things got harder after that but I was still happy with how I was feeling -this lasted until the 18 km mark. Lack of proper fuelling made the last 3 kmpainful and long. As I rounded the corner, I still wanted to walk but the TTL crewkept me running - you guys were so amazing. When I rounded the corner, I wassurprised at the clock. It was only a minute faster than last year - how could thatbe? I was so happy with the race and execution so why? Within seconds, thisdisappointing feeling vanished. I had executed better than ever and that feltgreat. I cannot wait for IMC - well, I can wait BUT I am excited about the next 52day journey and then the big day.

Thanks to Cindy, John, Ally, Caroline, Ronnie and the rest of the support team - youguys rocked all day and everytime I turned a corner, you were there. A specialthanks to Richelle because your smile and energy is contagious - if we could bottleyour enthusiasm we would be millionaires!

Thanks to all the TTL athletes and their smiles, high fives and words ofencouragement. We are so lucky to have such a great team.Thanks to my training buddies Cathy, Angela and Christina - you make the longworkouts bearable.

Angie - what can I say. You help me through month by month, through my lows (which have been plentiful this year with being sick so much). You are not just a coach -you are a friend and a great person. I am not a super athlete like some of the teambut you don't care. You want each of us to achieve our goals - no matter howinsignificant they are. Thanks for getting me to this point where I actuallyexecuted a full race to plan. Sorry for being so mushy but as I sit here and type,it is gushing out - guess that's a sign of a great race!!

Take Care
Shannon