Team TriLife Race Reports

Sharon's Arizona Mary Race Report

2012-02-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

http://trilifestyles.blogspot.com/2012/01/arizona-rock-and-roll-marathon-january.html

Leslie-Anne's Last Chance Half Race Report - Nov. 2011

2011-11-18T09:43:00.001-08:00

Last Chance Half Marathon
Race Report

For the first time since joining TTL I was able to do this race. The reason being was my beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders decided very early in the season that me doing this race was waaayyyyy more important to them than winning enough games to be in the semi final play-offs that are held the same weekend. So thanks Riders, I appreciate the support.

The preparation for this race was not stressful. I was still feeling pretty good after IMC and had enough in me to focus on this distance during training.
Last weekend’s 8km in Banff was fun and as a result I was looking forward to this race.

The other thing that kept me focused was the fact that fellow TTL’er Tara Beattie volunteered to run with me. Not ahead of me as usual, but with me. She said she wasn’t ready to race but could run it instead. Hmmm, her run pace would be close to my “race pace” but I was MORE than happy to have someone of higher calibre running with me.
We did a couple of runs together and she said it would be a good day. I told her I would love to make or break my PB of 2:08 set at the Harvest Half in 2010. She said no problem, she would “do the numbers” in order for that to occur.
My task was to try and solve my internal challenge that has plagued me at every race since that Harvest Half.

I decided that I had to take something for my internal challenge, spoke to a pharmacist and it was advised that one-hour prior race start I would take on capsule of Imodium. I told everyone that my new friend “Emo” was with me for this race. A lot was riding on this and I was trusting that I wouldn’t be let down.

We (Tara and I) were there to see Kelly off on the earlier start. She was worried that she would be alone for the 9:30am start but there were several runners. Part of me thought I should be starting then too!

Our time arrived and we were off. Pacing was up to Tara and we were a group of 4 as there were 3 TTL’ers and another runner who was hoping for 2:08 as well.
As we continued, I was not talkative but I certainly enjoyed the camaraderie of those around me. I was not feeling any discomfort as we hit the 10k mark at 1:01. Good pacing as Tara kept us all honest. (She said she was feeling nervous being in charge, I say HA!)
We lost one of our party (John, TTL’er from Bragg Creek) as he went ahead, fair enough, he stated he enjoyed the pace as it kept him from going out too fast as he has in past).
The lead runner was heading back around this point, wow, amazing to see such talented athletes and be in the same race.

The turn-around point finally appeared and we were “one of those people” on the return. One thing about out and backs is the chance to see other runners and especially those we know. It was great to see Coach Sharon doing so well and Nate also from TTL (or was!).

Things seemed to be going well, I was a little stressed but not to the point where I was required to slow down. I was thinking this could be the day; I would at least come close to my PB when the ominous signs of me needing to stop began. The verbal barrage of language that went through my head was not good. I tried to ignore the gurgling but it was to no avail. I had to tell Tara that I had to stop. I told her to continue on. I was at 13km.

When I got back on the pathway Tara was waiting for me. It took everything I had not to break down completely at that point. I was embarrassed and really f*cking mad at myself. I struggled with understanding what is it about me? How can I take what is suppose to deter this and yet it doesn’t? Is that my super power? Well no thanks; it is NOT what I would deem a desirable super power.

Tara respected me enough to let me deal with my demons and push them aside. I was mad now and as a result picked up the pace. Later on she told me we were under 6min kilometres for a good 5 km after that.
So now we are 18km out and again, the threat of having to stop was occurring again. I didn’t want to walk. I wanted to keep running but I knew if I didn’t stop an accident on Memorial was going to happen. The question at 19.5km was should I stop or keep walking. The latter as chosen as it was movement of the right kind, going forward.

There is no way at 20km I was going to walk. Only 6mins to the finish, I could make that. So we (Tara was still with me, she is a true friend to have done as such) started back running.
We had a laugh at the gal who sprinted just as we were on her heels in the finishing chute, both Tara and I said, “whatever”. It was I however, that said let’s kick it up as I wanted to be at least under 12:13 and we were. Just.

Great support from the TTL’ers who were at the finish line and within minutes I was off to the Y. No worry about blockage from the Imodium that’s for sure.

We gathered afterwards in the Garage, with a tasty brunch and a chance to relax. I did meet someone who stated it was his second half. He said he was doing these races as he was thinking of getting into triathlons. I told him the 3 of us (Tara, Kelly and I) were triathletes. He figured that out, as we were all wearing our “colours”. He asked me what my time was, and when I told him he said, “Wow, that’s pretty good”. At that moment I agreed, it was. Given the calibre of athletes that were there, had I PB”ed” today it would have only put me up 3 places in my AG. So, I came home at peace about how I did.

A most excellent eastern semi-final football game followed by an exciting western semi-final game helped in the recovery. I now know I will not be watching the Montreal Allouettes OR the Calgary Stampeders in the Grey Cup this year! Works for me!

BBQ’d steak, baked tater, red wine followed by an ice cream at Marble Slab (or is that Marble Flab) has put me in a better space. I didn’t PB today but I worked on my pacing and that was the main goal. Many thanks to Tara who helped me overcome my anger (which is based on fear, pain and powerlessness together or separately) and kept me focused on going forward.

Not sure if I will ever be able to rid myself of this issue but in the meantime I know what I am capable of and can only look to better it.

Leslie-Anne's Banff Winterstart Race Report

2011-11-08T11:26:00.000-08:00

Banff Winter Start
“5 Miler” Race Report

This race was not looked at as a “race” per se, more like an opportunity to go to Banff, run a bit, then go and do some dancing with some friends. Good enough for me to sign up!

After a dismal “10 miler” race a few weeks ago, I decided that the Banff Winter Start was just about fun. This was a good thought process as my runs that led up to this run were excellent.
I have had a couple of opportunities to run with fellow TTL’er Tara Beattie, who in my eyes is a great runner. It is wonderful to have someone to run with, who is very patient when I stop as required and ever so gently gets me to increase my speed.

Car-pooling is the way to go and with everyone in the same race our conversations were varied! A quick check of the course let us know there were some icy spots but not enough to be too concerned. There was more of an uphill that I thought but I was ok with that as I love to run uphill, the downhill is always my concern.
Checked in and off I went to get my race package. A bit of a snack, wee rest and next thing it was time to head out.

There were runners emerging from everywhere! I did not think about how big the race was! Lots of glow stick accessories, costumes (the guy with the Sherlock Holmes cape and hat with just a Speedo “banana hammock” was a bit much I do say) abound. This led to a festive atmosphere that helped calm my nerves and consequently my stomach. The latter was not really happy and I thought at least in the dark, I could dash off the course if need be.

Found a few TTL people but never did see Angie! I heard reports that she was there and did see the race results so I guess she was! 
Gun went off and the race began. Decided to pace myself, the urge to really take off was there but knew that the hill would slow many down so I let people pass and I passed as need be. Cindy Spence and I started together and she gained on me. I let it be.

We were at the hill before I knew it and up I went. I was in 7th heaven! At that moment I was very glad that I live where I do, and the amount of hills that I do just on a regular run paid off. I did not let it bother me that the lead runner was on the bottom of the hill when I was starting. That was his race I was doing mine. I passed all kinds of people and at a nice steady pace. My heart rate was comfortable and I was really pleased with how I was feeling. Turn around was there before I knew it. To be honest I was a bit disappointed, as I knew I would loose some of the ground I had gained, as the downhill is my weak point.

Time: 25:15 (as best I could see, poor light and my eyes “aren’t quite as good as they used to be”

I did ease up for two reasons, the light was poor and not knowing the course all that well I was concerned I’d hit one of the icy spots (there were only a few but still) and slip. The other was my knee. If I go to fast on a downhill it actually hurts so I ease up. Between those two challenges I did have people pass me, including Cindy who passed me right after the turn around.

Once I hit the bottom and the flats I knew I could do something with the remaining course. I began to pick up my pace. Not too much just enough to gain. I knew I was getting close to the finish as the streetlights were looming and I picked up the pace even more. My heart rate increased and I have in past races slowed up as not to wear myself out. I pushed through that feeling of “tiredness” as I know I had it in me to keep it up. I saw Cindy ahead and that was the rabbit that I needed. I kept up my pace and caught up to her.

The last turn to the finisher arch was tight and icy, argh!! I had to ease up not to slip! Last push and we were through. Finishing time 47:03! 17/68 in my age group!

Cindy and I headed down to the post race venue, the parkade of the Caribou Lodge! Lots of water and lots and LOTS of beer (Big Rock Lime!) to be enjoyed by all. We grabbed a beer and found a table to hang out at. Excellent post race vibe!
My internals left me alone for the race (FINALLY) but would not let me finish my beer in peace. That was ok I was done the race! We hung out a bit longer but had 9:00pm dinner reservation so off to the hotel we headed to get dolled up for the evening.

We gathered at the Bear Street Tavern and enjoyed a fine meal. The Sangria Punch Bowl was divine! The pizza excellent! We then headed to the Rose and Crown for a drink and a laugh or two. By the way, the TTL ladies do clean up well! We all looked like a million bucks! Tart tops and dresses abound!
From the Rose and Crown to Wild Bills (Dancing Sasquatch had a line-up) where we managed to shake our booties on the dance floor. Not being a big country fan I didn’t stay long but sure had fun while I was there.

A lovely breakky and we headed back to the big city.

I loved the race and was very pleased with how I executed it. Pacing is my challenge and albeit this was a shorter race, I managed to hold myself back to be able to push it at the end. That was a HUGE plus for me. It is always a plus to learn from every race.

It was a fun race and evening. I hope to do this race again, it is a great way to get out of Calgary and enjoy “the jewel of the rockies” aka Banff for a fun night out.
Thanks to all the TTLers that went, it was fun running and partying with you!

Danny's Halloween Howl Race Report - Oct, 2011

2011-10-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

Swim Run Bike
Distances n/a 10 km n/a
Finish Time n/a 1:05:50 (or so) n/a
Other info n/a Max HR – 178, avg – 150ish n/a

Race Preparation Followed training program. Did take an extra day rest as I wasn’t feeling all that well (fatigue from work, I think, plus a lot of sick people at work).
Tried a new restaurant, House of Kabob, the night before. Wasn’t a great idea as it turned out. Had a decent sleep and all seemed well. I forgot to pick up my race package though and got a mild panic attack.
Race Day Pre-race:
I got up at 7:30 and felt a bit off. Didn’t feel like eating so I had a powerbar and some water. Then I had to go the bathroom for a while. Took some pepto bismal and hoped for the best.
I got to Eau Claire at 8:40 and picked up my race pack. Parking was good at that time. Found Kelly and Mitch, then Pam, Leane and her husband (not running) a little after 9 and we waited inside. I grabbed a coffee and muffin as my stomach seemed to be holding up. We generally agreed that we would “take it easy” for the run.
A lot of people dressed up for the run: some avatar people, a group of “where’s waldos”, the Count from sesame street, numerous superheroes, one glucose test equipment (yes, really), fairies, etc. Steve Wood found us, but he wasn’t dressed as one of the Incredibles as was rumored.

Race
The race start was a bit muddled as few could hear the announcer. The 3km people started first, then the 5 and 10 km people went for the next start time. Since this wasn’t a chip event, they probably didn’t worry about it.
We tried to run as together at the start but there was too many people to stay close. Steve was off to the races (eventual third place finish) and the rest of us were fairly close. I think we were on pace for about 1:10 or so.
My friend Chloe ran by me at the end of Prince’s Island and we started to chat. I didn’t realize she was running as she was leading the pre-race stretch. She didn’t think she was running, but the organizers told her she could run if she wanted to. So she ran.
Her 5 km pace was about 25min but she slowed down to chat. I was feeling pretty good, so I picked up my pace to not slow Chloe down too much and we got ahead of the gang. I was able to keep a conversation going so I wasn’t pushing too hard either. I thought we were about a 60 min pace, until Chloe went to pass a lady on the outside of the path and rolled her ankle badly on the edge of the path. This was at about 2km. I helped her to the bench and she rested. She said she would hobble back to Eau Claire as her ankle was swelling quite a bit.
I told her to take it easy, said see back at Eau Claire, and kept going. While we were at the bench, the gang had passed us. I could see them in the distance, so I picked up my pace to catch up. I caught up to them a little after the 4 km marker. I think I spent a fair bit of energy trying to catch up to them and I could feel it. I was able to keep up with them from there on. I didn’t realize until after the race that they were on a 9 run + 1 walk pace so I just thought they were resting.
I was feeling better and could see that Pam was ready for slightly faster pace so the two of us went a bit faster and got ahead. We had one short walk at about 8.5km before getting back to Eau Claire. We finished pretty strong at about 1:06 and the rest came in closely behind us at about 1:08.

There was only one water station on the route so that was a bit disappointing. I could have used another one.
Post Race I felt pretty after the race, and thought I could have pushed harder to finish at one hour. This definitely not what I thought before the race, but I did surprise myself. I didn’t have any foot, ankle or knee problems and didn’t feel anything out of sorts. I didn’t cramp up (definite concern with my stomach) during the run or after. I didn’t really feel a need to stop either during the race.
If it were any hotter, the lack of water stations might have been a concern though. I’ll have to think about bringing water with me for future races.
I was a bit surprised to see my heart rate was fairly high during the race. I didn’t feel it in my breathing or too much in my legs.
Later in the day, my hip flexor was very tight. It was almost back to normal the next morning. That was about the only thing that came up. Plus my stomach issues came back, but I’ll leave out the details.

Leslie-Anne's Robert Hamilton 10 Miler race report-October 2011

2011-10-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

Robert Hamilton Memorial
“10 Miler”

First race since IMC, a “10 miler” why not?

When deciding which races I would undertake for the fall this one landed on a weekend that I was actually in the city. It was also before an evening event that I did not wish to leave early or say no to a 2nd glass of wine or a single malt scotch because of a race (Halloween Howler) the next day. So I signed up and began training.

As for the training it went well, no problems body felt good, some rust but shook that out. Long runs were in Regina where it is so nice and flat, just like the course here (save for the overpasses). No worries I thought, this should be a good start for the next set of “foot” races I am doing (Banff Winter Start and Last Chance ½).
The goal for this race was pacing. Simple enough wear a watch, check the times as I cross the markers, negative or even split I should be able to do that.

I put all my gear together the night before, made arrangements to park at a friend’s house near the start (as well as a shower and coffee after the race) ate a light meal, relaxed reading and watching the Riders lose (but they did score a touchdown after not scoring one for 4.5 games!) Go to bed and realized I had forgotten to pick up my race package! D’OH! Thankfully we could pick it up race day.

A light meal (toast with peanut butter) and ONE cup of coffee (sans cream) I drag my daughter out of bed and we head to the race start. This time of year it is dark at 7:00am, coolish as well. Got my race package, hung out with Tara for a bit then headed off to do my 20-25min pre race warm up run (prepping for Last Chance ½). This was a good thing as I headed towards Shouldice and the always-open-at-730am-on-a-Sat-morning-hockey rink. The looks I got! Yes Dads, there are other people up with you on an early weekend day! 
Headed back and within moments of arriving the race started. Wished Tara luck and we were off! Purrrrrfect so I thought. No pressure on me as we began.

Hit the 1st mile marker and I noticed my time (yes, I did look and remembered) and thought it was too fast. I eased up a bit and still had not slowed enough by the 3rd marker. There was NO way I would be able to keep that pace, I had to figure out what to do as I eased up some more wham! The cramps started and not a porta potty in sight. The volunteer didn’t know if there were any and I was in a place where I had to duck down off the trail, behind the shrubberies and hope the cars on the 14th Ave bridge were averting their eyes at that very moment (said in a southern belle accent).
Back at it and make the turn around and was beginning to catch up to people that I had already passed! Then wham! More cramps and thank goodness for the River Café.
Back at it and now running with no spirit, joy or even my usual competitiveness.

All I wanted was to get off the f*#king course. To challenge the situation my left foot reminded me that my plantars was not happy and to add insult to injury my right knee began to revolt. At that moment I said “f**k it”, this is not a key race, the Last Chance Half is and I walked when I needed to and ran until my foot and knee said no.

I did run to the finish line and the last 100meters with Heather (daughter) by my side. She is a great incentive not to choke up or swear at myself. Crossed the line and without checking as to date, one of the last ones over I believe.
Got my socks and headed to my girlfriends for recovery time. Nothing a hot shower, the best oatmeal ever, tasty coffee and “gab time” can’t fix. I left there refreshed and good for the day.

I learned once and for all that I have to pace myself especially at the start. As for the internal challenge, I’m thinking I might have to try Imodium. I lost a good 6-7 minutes with both stops, very depressing to say the least. I have been careful as to what I take in the day and night before. A continual work in progress!

A good thing about starting early that day, I got some quality time with my daughter, and later that night I did indeed have another glass of wine. 

Tara's Vegas 70.3 Race Report - Sept 11, 2011

2011-09-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

Vegas 70.3 Race Report (Or What happens in Vegas ISN’T staying in Vegas)

As with many events, this race began long before the start line on Sept 11, 2011. I had a tough year focusing and getting excited about racing. I decided that Calgary 70.3 would be my “A” for the year, and maybe, just maybe, if I executed a great race, I might just get a Vegas spot. I wasn’t trying to put pressure on myself to achieve this, it was just a little extra motivation to get out training for a race I was having trouble getting excited about. So Calgary 70.3 came and went, and all I can say is that the race was hard. I struggled on the swim, I struggled on the bike and I especially struggled from the run. I saw my family at 17K on the run and I couldn’t even muster a “Hi” to my kids. I crossed the finish line 3 minutes slower than when I did this race 2 years ago. I had nothing left in the tank and raced the best I could on that day. Andrew left with the girls and I told him that there wasn’t a chance I would get a spot and that I would get home as soon as Amanda was done volunteering (she was going to take me home) and after Christine finished the race.
After the race was done, Kelly and Mitch came from the aid station to pick me up. I wanted to leave and Kelly convinced me to stay for the roll-down. Long story short – due to the beauty of the roll-down system I GOT A VEGAS SPOT. I didn’t even have a credit card to pay for the registration, so Kelly made Mitch go get his credit card so I could sign up. Still is shock I called Andrew and shrieked “I’m going to Vegas!”. I next called Angie and asked her “Can I go to Vegas!” (of course she said yes!). It looks like I’m going to a World Championships.
The next couple of weeks were challenging as we were going on vacation and I would not have a road bike. But I did have a mountain bike, a lake and lots of roads to run. I also had a mini-training camp in Penticton during IMC weekend to prepare for this race. It was a busy 5 weeks but by the time I left I was ready!
It was going to be HOT in Vegas and all I heard once I arrived was how hard the course was. I ended up having dinner with another athlete the night before the race who was also there alone and all she talked about for 1½ hours was how hard the bike was going to be. After dinner I e-mailed Angie a bit freaked out, and she replied “You train in the Foothills of the rocky mountains – let the race come to you”. That calmed me down. I had my ritual pre-race beer, drank some more water, and some chicken broth and went to bed.
Transition opened at 4:30 in the am and I wanted to be there early so I could pump up my tires and get organized before it got too crowded. Getting there was pretty easy as my hotel was about a 2 minute walk across the bridge to the race start. I quickly got through body marking and I was on my way into the transition area. My bike was racked amidst the 40-44 year old females and most of us were in great mood ready to enjoy the day. I got my tires pumped, my bike computer on my bike, my run garmin into my transition bag and all my fuel put on my bike. At that point I think it was 4:45 . Wow, that was far faster than I thought. I actually considered going back to my hotel room since my wave didn’t start until 6:55, but I decided to stay around and take in the entire morning. I went the porta potty a few times, checked and rechecked my tires and bike computer, checked and rechecked my nutrition and water bottles, hung out, chatted with the ladies around my bike and then it was 6:00 am and we needed to be out of transition. I saw Tanya Saloman and with a quick hug and good luck we were off to get organized. There was a moment of silence to remember 9/11 and then the pros were getting ready to get in the water. The age groupers were being staged along the water and here is where I saw Susan. We chatted for a while and I noticed her calf guards. I asked what it was like to swim with them. She said she didn’t know since she had never done it, but the guy who sold them to her yesterday said it would be fine. I had to chuckle at this point since I was wearing my brand new calf guards that I had purchased the day before as well. What happened to “nothing new on race day”? We shared a quick hug and then I went off to my staging area.
I was remarkable calm at this point. I had gone for a practice swim the day before and although I felt okay in the water I was slow. Not sure why – maybe it was the no wetsuit or maybe I just wasn’t being efficient. I was a bit nervous when I first found out that this race was going to be a non-wetsuit swim. Again, Angie her sage words, calmed me down simply saying “you know Tara, you can swim without a wetsuit”.
Unlike many ½ IM I have done where I have been concerned with “beating” my last time and racing faster, this isn’t what this race was about. Despite the fact this was a world championship, today was going to be a different race. I genuinely wasn’t concerned with my time. I wanted to execute a smart race, hydrate properly, have fun and take in the entire experience!
We finally got into the water about 10 minutes before our wave went off. I did a quick warm up and then treaded water for about 8 minutes. I didn’t expect that to be so tiring. I positioned myself in the middle but near the back. I knew that there would be a lot of speedy swimmers so I didn’t want to get trampled. The gun went and we were off. I was slow and steady. One good thing about the warm water was that I was able to bilateral breath immediately, which is something I often struggle with during races. I quickly realized that I was way in the back, but I wasn’t going to let that bother me. I kept repeating “slow is smooth, smooth is fast”, which worked very well for me last year at IMC. For much of the first part of the swim I had my own paddle-board escort. I don’t know if they were concerned about me, trying to keep me on course or what, but they were there! It was bit tough to sight due to sun, but I plugged on. So I knew that because I was a slower swimmer the waves that started after me would catch up. The first challenge was the 30-35 year old women in the white caps! Boy were they aggressive. It threw me off a bit, but then I got back into rhythm. Then came the green-capped men (who were actually better than the women) and then the blue capped men. Now I should mention that when the blue-capped men caught up to me, I was swimming completely alone – there was no one anywhere around me. So when a blue capped guy came up behind me, grabbed my left leg and actively pulled me under the water, I was not impressed. The visibility wasn’t great so I can understand a bit of contact, but that tactic was completely unnecessary and uncalled for. I recomposed myself and kept on swimming. This swim seemed long. The first 800m to the first turn seemed long and then coming back seemed long. I thought I would never get to the bridge (where we had started and had to swim past to the swim exit). I was trying to swim smoothly and efficiently but it just seemed so slow. Finally I made it to the exit ramp – 49 minutes! Not my quickest, but I can live with that. As I was coming out of the water I heard Richelle, Madi, and Rose cheering. It was absolutely fantastic to see you guys.
The run to T1 was long…..I heard about 400 yards. I got my gear bag and had a wonderful volunteer that helped me get ready. She helped me with my arm “coolers”, bike gloves, socks, race belt and right after I put on my shoes, she handed me my helmet and I was off. I decided before I even left Calgary to go with my vented training helmet rather than my aerohelmet to keep me cooler. I ran to get my bike and lo and behold, there were still 2 other bikes on the rack! I ran up the switch backs to the bike mount line and then hopped on my bike with more cheers from Rose, Madi and Richelle and Jordon snapping pictures (I actually think I waved to him).
As soon as you get onto your bike there is a steady climb to the highway. I had rode this portion a couple of times on Thursday to get used to the grade and figure out what gearing I would use. I got to the top “easy cheesy” (with a number of people passing me) and headed to the highway. At this point the course did a U –turn and went under that highway so we could efficiently change directions, and despite the fact it was a “no passing zone”, I was passed by 2 rather impatient guys. Once onto the highway I settled into a rhythm. I was watching my HR and power and keeping exactly where I was supposed to be. The course was hilly, with long stretches of uphill or downhill. Nothing too steep (I never had to get out of my saddle) just steady. It was a beautiful course. At 20 minutes I began taking in my infinit, and like clockwork I got a side-stitch. This has happened to me in many races in the past, but it rarely happens on training rides. I really have to figure out what is going on. I thought by waiting a bit to take in fuel it would help, but not today. Anyway, it was annoying but not debilitating, so I kept riding and fuelling. At each aid station I took in a new bottle of water for my bike, drank some, and dumped some over my head. I also took salt tablets each hour. The first 40Km were great. I was feeling good, smiling and having a great day. The next 30Km were more challenging. It was getting hotter and I had to work to stay focused. It was getting easier to push the pace, so I had to really watch myself, I didn’t want to overbike and blow up on the run. It was also during this part of the race that I saw 2 drafting penalties given out while going up a hill. I was very mindful of the draft zone, but there is one aspect that I still haven’t figured out about racing. When I would get passed by someone going really fast it was easy – I didn’t have to slow down to get out of their draft zone. However, when I got passed by someone going only marginally faster than I was I would slow down to re-establish 4 bike lengths within 20 seconds. Then as I slowed down, I would get passed by more people who were going slower than I was before I was passed. So I likely lost some time (especially on the uphills) simply making sure I wasn’t in anyone’s draft zone after being passed. But at least I didn’t get a penalty. There were many people in the penalty tents and after the race I heard of a number of blocking penalties being given out as well. I guess they are really trying to clean up the race compared to Clearwater. The last 20Km were great. I knew I was near the end of the bike course. It is a gradual ascent back into town and while I picked up power just a bit, I still remained steady and on track. Coming back into town I saw soooo many people on the run course and I was excited that would soon be me! One of my goals for the race was to execute a gliding dismount that Angie would be proud of. Unfortunately the dismount line was around a short corner and came sooner than I expected. I only had one foot out so I wasn’t very graceful. I handed my bike and shoe to a very helpful volunteer and headed off to T2.
I thought I was being pretty focused and efficient in T2, but it was slower than I would have liked. Clearly I was hydrating properly since I had to make a quite porta potty stop just outside the change tent on the way out to the run.
Now I was out running. Many of you know that I have struggled with my runs this year, especially running off the bike. This course was 3-7 Km loops. I really wanted to run these loops as evenly as I could. I had a goal to run by HR and RPE and not worry about my pace. I headed out feeling good with my HR exactly where I wanted it. I knew that the run would be hard. I’m not normally one for mantra’s or inspirational sayings (other than suck it up princess), but for this race I thought I might need a little something to keep me going. So I copied a strategy that Shannon used for her bike at IMC. She broke her bike ride down into three sections and dedicated them to members of her family. Well, Vegas was a 3 loop run course and I have 3 people in my family. The first loop was for my first born, Nicole. The second was for my husband Andrew and the third was for my daughter Sydney. I put them in this order because I knew I could probably go out and do a decent first loop. Then the second loop would be tough, but Andrew wouldn't care if I was slower on his loop than Nicole's. I put Sydney's last because it would be unfair to her if I ran her loop slower than Nicole's so it kept me focused. So despite the fact that my HR monitor went wonky after the first loop, each of my 3 splits were very close to one another (I actually ran that last loop 1 minute faster than the first loop!). I saw Susan during my first loop (it was an out and back course) and we gave each other some encouragement. Carla Jackman was on the run course spectating and I got lots of cheers from her as well. I took in water, dumped it over my head and arms and took ice at each of the aid stations. It was hot, but I felt like I was managing the heat well. And for the record – that neckerchief that holds ice works amazingly! On the last climb of the run I saw Susan again, and she was heading towards the finish. We stopped and hugged and then went on. Once I got to the last 2K (which was mostly downhill), I felt like I was flying. I was so excited! I was going to cross the finish line at a World Championship. I heard them announce my name and comment on how happy I looked and then I crossed the finish line!
The 2 guys who caught me kept saying lean on me, you can collapse now, we’ll take you to the med tent. At this point I was feeling fantastic. No, I don’t need to lean on you, yes, I would like some water, no, I don’t need to go to the med tent, and can I please have my Hat! I drank about 3 bottles of water, opted to skip the post-race food and found Susan for a quick congratulations and finishers photo! What an amazing day.
All in all I was absolutely thrilled with this race and how I executed it. I many times have questioned how someone’s best time was not their best race (and vice versa). I now understand this. I executed the best race I ever have before. IMC came close, but due to the technical problems I had on my bike I didn’t have to consciously hold back – my lack of gears did that for me. One this ride, I had to pace and control the bike all on my own. That patience set me up for a solid bike and the best run I had this season. I stayed focused during the entire race and did not let any negative thoughts consume me. I acknowledged them, turned them into something positive and moved on. I smiled the entire day and took in the whole experience.
Again, so many thank-yous. First and foremost to my family. I promised Andrew all my training would be finished by August 1 and I told my girls that I would only race in Calgary, Canmore or Banff this year – it didn’t quite work out that way, but they have been very supportive in all of my triathlon endeavors and I am truly grateful. To Kelly for so many things…..first, convincing me to stay for the roll-down and making Mitch pay for my spot (yes I paid them back). You were my IMC training partner, and stuck with me through all my training this year, even when you didn’t have a race of your own. I’m really looking forward to training with you again next year! To all the TTL athletes for the training rides and words of encouragement. To Susan for her inspiration on the run course. For Richelle, Madi, Rose and Jordan for cheering me on – it was great to have the support out there since my family was unable to come.
And finally – to Angie. You got me to a World Championship! I could never have done this without you……Thanks for being my coach and letting me be part of such an amazing team!

Leslie-Anne's 2011 IMC race report

2011-09-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

My Ironman Canada race report. Wow. NEVER EVER did I think I would be writing this.

When I started triathlon training I thought only crazy people did IMC. I mean, come on folks, really? 3.8km swim to an 180km bike then follow that with a 42.2km (as in full marathon) run afterwards? Yeahhhh riiiiiiiiiiiight.
So, here I am one fully certified crazy person who did just that. And to be perfectly honest, I FREAKING LOVED IT!!! 

In deciding to undertake the challenge of IMC, I talked to Angie about what was the training commitment. I was very concerned with the amount of time that I would need to give to prepare for a full ironman. Over a beer (natch) at BP’s in Cochrane one night I was advised that in order to get ready I must love training. It was discussed that I would be giving up weekend days, most weekday nights and would be more tired than I have ever been. Ok, I thought, I could do that. Told Roger about what was needed and he agreed to support me in my quest. I let Angie know that it was a go and the ball was put into motion, I was going to do IMC 2011. Helluva way to celebrate my 50th!

My ironman year fast approached after I got the crap scared out of me at the start of IMC 2010. I walked away sobbing with self-doubt not sure I could muster what was needed to get to the start. Later that night when I was a catcher and saw the athletes come across I began to believe. I really knew I could do it when I caught John Bosma. At that moment he became my hero and I continued to draw from his spirit as I prepared myself for IMC.

As far as the training, that was quite the deal! I was excited to reach the milestones that were set out for me. There were days when a long ride was Regina/Moose Jaw return (a 140km time trial actually, could that road be any flatter?). The long runs where I was plagued with “issues”, when I thought, “Just what the hell am I doing this for? Oh yeah, I will be an ironman” I heard from other TTL athletes about how IMC was “easy” because they were ready for it. I can say the same thing; the training laid out for me had me more than prepared. That was especially true when we all gathered in Penticton for the training camp. The swim was awesome, the bike was stellar and the run had me finally get the monkeys off my back about my “issues”. I knew I was on my way.

Next thing I knew it was “taper time” and our departure day for Penticton arrived! All 9 of us (my parents, 4 kids and my girlfriend Julie from New Zealand who came over just to see me cross the finish line, gee can you say “no pressure”?) headed west.

Our accommodations were out of this world and suited our numbers perfectly. It was an easy drive to join the others in our pre race meetings/workouts. It was funny to hear Shannon say how calm I was as she thought I’d be way more nervous. Ha! Little did she know that I was scared sh*tless and the outside in no way reflected the inside.
During my pre race meeting with Angie I disclosed that all I frustrated with making decisions regarding meals etc. In her calm manner, she told me that I needed to tell my family that I am not to make any decisions that the kids go to any other adult in the house and the meals were the meals were the meals. That helped along with the information regarding my nutrition for the bike. Here’s a tip for other IMC athletes in future, if you are meeting with Angie and it is at Smith and Company, please be sure that Angie’s back is to the door so she can’t see who comes in and they in turn can’t see her. That woman knows everyone and everyone knows her!

I attended the pre-race banquet and a friend of mine joined Trevor, Jason, Ken, Rona, Shannon, Cindy Danielle and I for supper. He had a great time and enjoyed our camaraderie. Numbers quoted that night included an athlete who has done 125 ironmans!

I equated my pre race brain numbness and emotional state to “pregnancy brain”, couldn’t remember anything, only focused on one thing, didn’t want to think and cried at the drop of a hat. I declared I had “ironman brain” same symptoms, same results!
This was particularly true Saturday before race day. Thank goodness for the smiles from Rona and Shannon who both told me to go for a swim and be in the place that calms me the best, the water. Before I could do that I talked to Angie, ok, cried to Angie. She along with my hero, John Bosma helped me to calm down. As John said, all I had to do was get to the starting line and all would be ok from there. It’s all “up here” as he tapped my forehead. What a gentleman to let me cry on his shoulders as I bared my soul and fears.
The swim helped especially sans the “black condom” (although my new-to-me suit rocks!). Later that day I got my bike into transition, ensuring bike bag and run bag in place soooooo weird to just hand it to someone and walk away! Time was drawing near!

The night before the race enjoyed a great meal with two more friends who came out from Calgary to cheer me on. Now there were 11 of us in the house and yes there was still ample room!
I put together my nutrition had just enough Infinit for the day! Yikes! Lucky me. Got my special needs bags ready to go and sat down to enjoy my pre-race ritual of a “wee drop of dram”. In this case about ¼ ounce (neat) of Forty Creek Rye Whiskey, Ken it was m-m-good.
Fell asleep relatively easy and next thing it was 4:00am on race day.

Race Day

Roger and Julie walked me to body marking and I had tears in my eyes as I kissed and hugged them good-bye. The night before I had written “Go TTL” on the road in chalk and smiled as I walked by it.

I handed over my special needs bags and stood to get body marked. I didn’t think I’d see anyone but lo & behold I did. Richelle ahead of me in the line, Michelle (Trevor was good she said, her Mom was there, Dad’s horse ok), and in transition our favourite wet suit “putter-oners” Tara and Kelly and later on Shannon and Trevor. As I walked through that pre race area I know I had “deer in the headlights” looks but I wasn’t alone!
Yeah for just long enough porta potty line-ups, wet suit on and next thing I know I’m walking towards the beach beside Shannon. At the last second before crossing the timing mat I grabbed Shannon’s hand, thank goodness she was there, she squeezed back and I got the internal ok that all would be right.
The Swim

I head for my spot, far left. I knew I would have a slightly longer swim but for me what is an extra 15-25m? Nothing when peace of mind with least amount of body contact is preferred.
What did I see in the distance hanging from the wall? Is that a flag in the green and white of my beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders? Wow, I thought another set of Priders in the crowd? Excellent! Hey, wait a minute that is my gang! WOW! My family got a prime spot. I head towards the flag and my daughter is hanging over the edge, she is crying and I tell her that I will be ok. (Jeez, am I kidding myself or I am I being truthful?). I say good-bye and head towards the far left. I find myself in a good spot, as there are few ahead, behind and to my left. The right side I wasn’t worried about. A quick dunk and “Oh Canada” starts I sing with pride, as I am Canadian! The gun goes and we’re off!

I knew within the 1st 100meters that I was going to have a good day. I was hardly touched and I could see my target. I could hear the helicopters as I began to swim my swim. Even strokes, no counting, and no lane markers I was in heaven! I was ultra relaxed and I simply swam for the sheer enjoyment. I approached “chaos corner” swung wide and used the current to my advantage. The next bit was a tad crazy but nothing to get me in a snit. I hit the second corner wide and see heads bobbing right beside the buoy. As I swam by them I wondered what was the reason they chose that line? Never mind I say, I’m heading home and it was a good feeling. I found the last 800m the most frustrating. Could any of the athletes that I was catching up and passing maintain a straight line? Cripes! I actually had to “sit up” to let two nimnods battle it out with each other without me in the middle! I hear Steve Kings voice, I see the bottom and know I can stand but not on those rocks, I continue to swim even though my hands are touching. I see the sand, I know I can now stand, I see the Rider flag I wave madly, Roger sees me, and I hear my name being called. It is my girlfriend who I’ve known since age 13 and is one of the people who got me hooked on triathlons standing knee deep greeting the athletes. A quick hug as I exit, another person calls my name, her husband! Wow! What a boost for me!
I get my suit stripped, (love that), get my bike bag and head for the tent. I’m in T1!

Time: 1:11:31 (I had more in me but hey, that bike and run were looming!)
8/96 W50-54. Overall place: 817. I’m good with that!

T1 was very cool! Wow, I was helped on with my socks, bike shoes, and glasses out of their case, helmet ready. I was spoiled! Glad I sun-screened pre race but took some extra just in case. A quick loo stop (note to self: Porta potty floors are slippery when wet and dangerous in bike shoes!) T1 Time: 5:52

The Bike

“This is it!” I thought as I got going, 180kms on a course that I had already ridden and for the most part enjoyed. The pre race decent on Yellow Lake was a good thing as I am not a fan of descending but as a result of that I knew on race day that I was going to use the free speed to my advantage. The cheers as I started the ride from the supporters were unbelievable especially those from TTL’ers who were there.

The ride out through town was great, next thing I knew I was at McLean Creek. It was a bit crazy going through the aid station as it was on a slight incline. I got some water and continued on my way. I was determined to enjoy this ride and kept my mantra going through my head “This is a “do” not a race”. I was surprised at the number of athletes who were changing tires and I thought I hope today I would not be one of them. I hit the flats after OK Falls and knew that I was keeping a good pace, staying “easy cheesy” and enjoying myself when all those “young whipper snappers” passed me ‘cause I knew I had them in the water (it’s a game I play what can I say?) lol.

What was that I feel? It’s like I’m riding on my rim, I look down and say out loud, “Sh*t”, SH*T!” a flat. OMG! I have to change a flat. Ok, be calm be controlled, this will get done; you can do it I said to myself as I came to a stop. I looked at my deflated tire. This would be the FIRST time I had to change a flat by myself. No kidding folks, the FIRST time. (See, there are still firsts for 50 year olds). I was in a flat sandy spot. I did not put the bike down, as I did not wish to loose my nutrition in my aero bottle. In hindsight find something to lean the bike up against or simply take the bottle off. I checked my time and then methodically take out my tube, Co2 cartridges, and plastic thingys to remove the tire. Ok I said to self, what did Richelle teach me at GWN? Oh yeah, break the bead, I got that done and removed the tube. Once the tube was out I threw the tube away from me as Richelle said to in order not to get mixed up. What was the next step? Check the tire for anything that might be embedded. I do so and as a result sliced the tips of my left ring and middle fingers. Now I was dripping blood. Nice. What did I rip my fingers on, a finishing tack. I thought it odd that such a thing would randomly be on the road. Later on I found out that this is not an uncommon thing as it has been a problem in the past few years. I also spoke to an athlete after the race that said there was someone from IMC when she went through that area directing athletes away from the sides of the road where the tacks had been spread.
I removed the tack and continued with my task dripping fingers and all. I am stressed and knew that my time was going to go to ratsh*t with this. That being said I had two options, freak out and not get it done or stay on course and get it done. I chose the latter and despite taking a long time I got it done. I stayed calm, as I knew that if I got upset I’d get flustered and that would cost me more. The nicest thing was someone came and offered help but I knew enough to say thanks but no thanks as I did not wish to get DQ’d for that. When I was finished and picked up my garbage a spectator indicated to put the stuff on the ground and they would put it in the garbage for me. How nice of them.
I lost close to 30 mins changing my tire but I did it. Next time it won’t be so long.

To quote a line from Aerosmith “I’m back, I’m back in the saddle again” and was headed down the road. I was mad and had to really work on not wasting energy with crazy riding but rather channelling it to my legs to ride smooth, even paced and relaxed. I stayed focused and kept praising myself for doing the change and getting it done. I take in water and fuel and kept riding. I was passing people and kept riding. I was going to be ok. Before I knew it I was at the base of Richters. Just after the Huskey corner I was behind a guy who was standing on his bike and it wasn’t water that I saw! Yuck! I was almost in a golden shower! Eeewww! I pressed on and utilized the stop just into the climb to pee and check out my tire and of course my fingers. Check, check and check. Good to go. I’m now into a climb and as happy as can be. I was behind someone and a bike marshal said something to me but I couldn’t understand what she said. Is suspect it was a warning (like at GWN), I was too close to someone on the early part of the climb. Must pay heed to that, no need to get a drafting penalty! I continued on and eventually made Richters, loved seeing the GWN north tent at the top. Loved the cheering and signage, favourite of mine as it was for others “You are all nucking futs”. Richters-CHECK!

The descent was awesome as I headed for the rollers. I looked forward to them and they were done before I knew it. Yeah there was a wind but I don’t believe it was as strong as it was at the training camp. Besides, given where we all train and the wind conditions as well, it was just an average day! Now looming was the out and back on the bike. I saw Richelle and Trevor and cheered them on as I headed towards special needs. Met Jason at the special needs point and discussed with him what foods I should take. I let the PB&J sandwich go, gels and my bonk bar. In hindsight I should’ve kept the bonk bar. I just didn’t think I could stomach solids and decided to make it a 100% Infinit day. A slow intake of the solids may have been better for me for later on. As I headed out I began to get a tad nauseous and decided that I slow up a bit while I dealt with the nausea. At one aid station a Japanese athlete was having difficulty with asking where the squirt cap water bottles were. I helped her understand there were none and she moved on. What a challenge I thought, to do a race where English is not the 1st language! Rollers and the out and back (latter was not enjoyed but utilized well)- CHECK!

The next part of the ride was Yellow Lake. I have to say, that climb is much easier on an empty bladder. (During the training camp I had to go and didn’t as we were all meeting at the top and had to get there by a certain time). As I neared the top I decided to use the last of my water to cool off when an aid station person advised me to save my water as they were out. WTF? OUT of water on the top of a climb a hot day climb no less? I got some ice, as I knew it would melt quickly and I’d have some water on the descent. Again, the supporters were amazing at the top and I absorbed the good vibes to focus on the next stage, the final descent into Penticton. I was calm and collected as I began and found myself repeating my new mantra for descending. It’s corny but it worked. “Use the force Luke, right hand rear”. The latter is to remind myself which brake is which! I actually passed people! Whoohoo!!! Skaha Lake and then Main Street that is one long street! I saw the pro leaders finishing and cheered them on. I focused on me; I had made it, 180km ride-CHECK!

Time: 7:16:32, 53/96 W50-54 Overall place 2231 I’m ok with this as I know without the flat it would have been much less. Still, I changed it and it stayed filled!

I was told that T2 was a negative place and to get the hell out of Dodge as soon as possible. I was treated very well by Tanya and regrouped myself with a bottle of water that she found for me. Hit the porta potties, “ a little dab will do ya” of sunscreen and I was off in good spirits for what would be my first marathon. T2 time: 8:00
The Run

I began with a slow run and to my surprise it felt ok. I saw my parents walking and yelled out and was very happy to be able to grab a hug and good wishes from them. They have been to my athletic events in my youth but none as an adult. In all the years I played rugby my Mom saw me once in the 1st years but my Dad never did. Here they were at IMC as very proud parents of an athlete.
Roger, Julie and the kids were further up and I was able to get more hugs and wishes from them. “RUN FORREST RUN” was chanted I loved it! (For those of you that don’t know, my maiden name is Forrest). Saw the female pro leaders finishing as I started as well which was exciting for me.
I was in a good place mentally and continued to enjoy myself. Saw friends along the way that encouraged me and another hug from Debbie and Byron who I met coming out of the water. I kept my emotions in check, as I had to keep breathing normally. Internals were behaving and as I approached Cherry Lane and the TTL tent I was smiling. As Angie checked in with me I told her I was good to go and hoped that I would be able to continue with the pace I was at which was approx 12:15-30 +/- per mile. The saving grace for me for the run was in place, a neckerchief that holds ice and as it melts in the pocket cooled me down. Tanya, you are my saviour. The ice on a sponge under my hat didn’t look cool but kept me cool.

Skaha Lake loomed in front of me, the heat beating down on me I stayed focused. Walked the aid stations, taking in water and getting more ice. I was still happy with everything but had a suspicion the return trip was not going to go as well but would deal with it then. I walked the hills to save my strength and cheered those that I knew on the return trip. I thought, “ I want to be them, I want to be on the return trip”. I flipped a silent bird at the places on the run that I had “issues” with during training camp and that motivated me to go on and next thing it was OK Falls, I was getting near the turn around point and my time was good approximately 2:30 ish. I understood my family would not be there as it was too much of a challenge to get all of them there (2 cars, 8 people)
As I came towards the pylon (gee is that all?) I saw the familiar Rider green and gasped with joy and almost started to cry as my entire family along with two more friends from Calgary that were there to cheer me on. I was going to stop and hug them but was told not to and I listened to them and kept on going. There is a picture of Duncan running beside me at that point. What a difference in my spirit as I turned around to go back, I knew then that I was going to make it. I had one HUGE smile on my face too!
Out I climb from OK Falls, I was one of them I was on the return. I knew Danielle was going to catch me and she did. Way to go Danielle! I saw Cindy, Shannon and Ken. Hugs and high fives abounded as we passed. Man, TTL is the best on course support ever.

Around the 15/16-mile mark I began to have some problems, no energy, nausea and had to slow to a walk. Not happy about that but knew I had to keep going forward. I took in coke, water, and ice and kept going forward. I ran when I could, walked because I had to.
The volunteers at the aid stations became my new best friends they were so supportive. I stated my need for “something” at a station and another athlete suggested the grapes. I hesitated as I had not tried them before and I didn’t wish to set off my internals (which by the way were still behaving) with something new. By the 17-mile mark I had to do something so I tried the grapes. WOWSA!! They became the ultimate thing and I took in grapes along with water at every aid station. The ingestion of the grapes did get things going internally and like GWN “perfectly placed porta-potties” were on the horizon at 18 and 20 miles. No line-ups just in and out. Perfect. I kept my mind on going forward, I enjoyed the music from the party boat, the fact when the sun went behind the mountains I yelled “Redemption is ours! Hallelujah!” The air temperature dropped almost immediately and so did my body temperature.

I continued to “cat and mouse” with several athletes and was no means lonely on that return stretch along Skaha Lake. I kept my run going when I could, walked fast when I could and asked as I approached the aid stations if they had grapes. One aid station volunteer had even taken them off the vines! What service! The grapes saved me from being one of the many athletes that were ill along the course. I did not want that for myself and fought the nausea off.
I made it into town, Wade Church from GWN was cheering athletes on at an aid station and was pleased to see another TTL’er come through. I was struggling but kept pushing on. I felt something on the bottom of my foot, I wanted to ignore it but Angie’s words of “Do not ignore it, as it will just get worse”. I had to check the bottom of my sock just at the entrance to Main St. There was nothing there but wet socks causing some friction. Did I have my spare pair of socks and 2nd skin with me? Nooooo I had forgot to grab them from my bike. I had to think “suck it up buttercup” and just deal with it and keep going forward.

The people that were still on Main St as I continued on were so good to me. “Keep going you are almost there”. I thanked them as best I could. Sometimes I couldn’t say anything I simply nodded and pressed my hands together as if I was praying (ok, I was). “Keep going you are almost there” it began to sound like the response to kids when they asked how much further and I would say, “It’s just around the next corner”.

At one point the streetlights were not bright, there were not a lot of people around I was really struggling with nausea and knew I had to take in some fuel before the next aid station or I was going to fall over. I spun a gel in my hand, struggling with the thought of the taste (vanilla), kept going forward, should I or shouldn’t I take some gel in? I decided to try a bit but with no water the gel was sticky and gooey and not what I wanted but I knew it would help me I kept on taking a tiny bit, I mean barely 1/4tsp worth. I decided that the gel was not the answer and walked up to a bus stop with two people in it. They watched me as I carefully placed the gel in the garbage. They wished me luck but I knew they wondered if I was going to make. At that very moment I went to the dark place in my mind and questioned that as well. Could I? Would I? How could I stop now? How can I keep going when I feel so shi**y? What can I do to finish? I kept going forward.
At the next aid station my intake of red grapes and water followed by a big ol’ belch (a sign of a fine meal in some cultures!) got me past the dark side and yes, I used the force!

I am now closer, there are more people and I catch up and past that I have been walking/running with for the last 5 miles. One person in particular I say, “Tall Guy (he was 6’6” or so), run the rest of the way with me” “I can’t Average Height Person, due to muscle cramps”. I kept on going forward. I am now on Winnipeg St. and Stacey (who is 5 months pregnant) ran alongside me “Are you going to finish this or what?!” I laugh and say “HELL YEAH!” I start telling people “Ohhh look at me, keeping up with the pregnant lady!” She cheers me on. Roger and Konrad are alongside Roger asking if I want to run with the Rider flag across the line. I decline as I have a Rider flag on my race-belt. I now have the BIGGEST smile on my face, I make the corner, I know I have to turn left and what a difficult left turn that is!

I’m on the stretch, could it be any longer? Cripes it is like that ride down Main Street on the last part of the bike! The crowd is cheering me on, everyone and anyone keeps saying “Go Leslie-Anne Go!” C’mon 3085 you are going to do it! The last aid station do I stop or don’t I? I decide to take in a few more grapes as I want to finish strong and I know I will do it with the intake. I finish, inhale, I see the pylon and I hear and see TTL. Angie is there, Tara tells me to give her the neckerchief I decline, as it is part of how I got there and I want it in the picture. I fix my hat ensuring my hair is tucked underneath on all sides and nose is wiped clean as suggested in the TTL Newsletter, thanks Cindy! Angie joins me on this last part. I see the Ken, the guy who got me thru the last part of the GWN run, he recognizes me, how cool to see him again!

Accolades abound and Angie directs them to me. “Can you see the green sign? That is the finish area Leslie-Anne you’re going to be an Ironman” Angie says, “I can and
Angie, slow down I can’t run that fast!” “Can you see the light? That is the finishing line! Leslie-Anne you’re going to be an Ironman” I am smiling more than ever.
Angie tells me she will stop at the blue carpet as that is the finishing chute, I thank her and I am on the carpet. I am going towards the light!

I see the Ironman Finisher arch, I hear people cheering for me, I hear the announcer call my name, I ease up ever so slightly so the athlete in front of me has his moment and more importantly so I can have mine. I grab the tape. I am finished! I AM AN IRONMAN!!

Time: 5:46:47. 49/96 W 50-54 Overall Place 1911 OMG I improved with the run!

I immediately see Bernadette, a co-worker who, along with her friend and daughter volunteered at IMC because of me. I jump up and down with sheer joy. I will admit I had no idea I jumped up and down until I was told and then watched myself later on. She puts the medal around my neck, takes hold of my arm and moves me towards the timing chip removal and picture.

I hear my name, it is Debbie and Bryon, soooo fitting that I see them right then and there, I hug them across the fence. My apologies to the volunteer who had to take my chip off!
I then see John Bosma (that was meant to be!). I thanked him again for all that he did for me as he hugged me as one Ironman to another. He is still my hero.

I get my picture taken; get some water and what I really wanted, a space blanket! For some reason that item was very important to me! Actually I knew once I started to cool down I would need it. I gather myself for a few minutes in the athlete holding area with Mike and Scott checking in on me. TTL once again is there. Our team rocks! I get some water and head off to the designated meeting spot where my family and friends would be.
I see my family; all I wanted was Roger’s arms around me. He smothers me; I shake with joy as I say, “ I am an Ironman”. Konrad and Connor then hug me. Heather and Duncan hug me. The beauty of having twins is the joy of having them hug me at the same time that joy will never fade. Duncan after that hug sobbed in my Mom’s arms. When asked the reason he was crying, “I’m just so proud of my Mommy”. I hug my Mom and cry a bit when I hug my Dad.
I get handed what I was looking for. Sharon and Dale who timed their holiday to watch me cross (and were at OK Falls too!!) handed me one ice-cold Pilsner beer. Oh my my my my did it ever taste good!

I gather my wits, my bike and my gear. We head home, I make some phone calls. One to a friend lives in Virginia who watched me cross. His question was to me, “How did you have the energy to jump up and down after all that you did?” My family are proud of me, I am honoured they took the time to keep track of me during the day. Yeah for live broadcasts!

At the house I grab a much-needed shower, and sit down to enjoy Moet & Chandon champagne. Roger dons his Rider bow tie for the occasion. I toast my family and friends who without I could not have done IMC. I thank them for what they gave me.
I was not feeling 100% and even after the dry toast (not the champagne, but actual toasted bread) I finally succumbed to the nausea that had plagued me off and on throughout the day. I tried to stay awake but to no avail. I thanked everyone, apologized for not being able to enjoy the camaraderie and went to bed.
Time: 11:29pm. My last thought was there were still people out on the course, I wished them well and said one more time, “ I AM AN IRONMAN”.

It is a day I won’t forget. I know already that I will do IMC again in fact I can’t wait to do it again.

Thanks to all the IMC volunteers, the race is because of them. Thanks to the members of TTL the continual support throughout the process and during was appreciated.

Angie asked at my post race meeting if I was physically ready. I was and then some. All the information given was utilized. “Solve each problem as they arise” and I did. Next time I flat I will be faster in fixing it. I look at my finishing time and know that a sub 14 was possible. That being said, the execution of my race was done to the best of my ability and for that reason alone I am mega proud of what I did and how I did it.

My coach gave me the tools that I needed to complete the race. She taught me how to use the tools to the best of what I could do. She reminded me that it is my day and no one else’s. She supported me when I was frustrated and filled with self-doubt. She taught me how to focus on my strength and quite honestly to “use the force”. Thank you Angie.

My family and friends have stated what an experience they had by the whole day. I am honoured that they came for me and cheered me on even when I may not have heard or seen them. Same to those not there but still followed my progress. Their support was unwavering and for that I am grateful.

Roger is undoubtedly my most avid supporter.

He became my manager asking what I had to do training-wise, making sure I ate enough, hounding me to go to bed earlier. How many times did I fall asleep with my head on his lap? He did shoulder everything and was with me every step of the way pre race and certainly during the race.
Without him becoming an Ironman would have been near impossible. Thank-you and I love you.

I realize this is a long report but I have tried to capture my thoughts and emotions as I competed at IMC. Preparing for this event was one of the hardest things I have undertaken.
I haven’t been that focused since I went to school and to be honest, I enjoyed it. Yes there were times when I was more exhausted than I have ever been. I got tired of saying, “I’d love to come but I have to train” “Thanks for the party but we have to go as I have to train in the morning” “Where’s Mommy?” “She’s training.”

When I was in the final stages of the run I have never wanted anything to end so badly and never before have I ever wanted that finish line so badly before either. Crazy huh?
The one thing that kept me going was the sound of the Youtube video that pokes fun at someone who is going to train for an ironman. All I could hear in the electronic tone was “I will be an ironman”.

I am.

Christine's Calgary 70.3 Race Report - August 2011

2011-09-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Ironman 70.3 Race Report

Well, I have a new found respect for all of you. This was hard – and when I finished as I was bawling my head off I was saying "that was really &*$*^%& hard, wholly shit, that was really ^&$*#&% hard – sorry my children – I think some sort of shock was hitting, and Bertha the Truck driver came pouring out. But with that being said, I completed my goals…To not poop my pants and to not look like I have cerebral palsy when I cross the finish line, check and check.

So for me race day started the Friday before when I had a wonderful chat with team mate Amanda. She told me about my box.

How to try to stay in my box the whole race and she shared with me how she stayed in her box during her first half. So my goal was now to stay in my box, not to poop my pants and to not look like I have cerebral palsy when I cross the finish line. From Friday night on, I was trying to not worry, I had done what I could and there was no changing the past – it is what it is, was my mantra.

Staying with Angie and Tara the night before was fun and we shared a great meal – I was trying to be Zen, and I think I accomplished this – nerves were only bad during the bike set up. I went for a great pre-race swim with Carla and a nice guy in a canoe told us where to sight. I was in my element and felt some confidence.

Race Day.

I was excited and ready to go. During the swim – for the first time I stayed in my box. "What do I need to do right now, to keep moving forward", "how do I feel in my body"? I concentrated on my pull stoke and sighting, feeling good, and I was all alone, I think most people swam much further than they needed - thanks canoe guy.

Out of the water I cheered, I am doing a 70.3, wow. Change good, once again, "what do I need to do right now to keep me moving forward", "how do I feel in my body"? My focus was on my equipment – do I have what I need – check. Time 47 minutes (not my greatest time, but it will do)

The Bike

The bike always worries me, this is my weakest event and I am traditionally very slow – I was worried about bike cut off, but that was out side of my box, so I just kept checking in "how do I feel right now", "what do I need to do to keep moving"? Fueling went well, and I actually liked this course, for every up hill there was a good down hill – where I excel. I was able to pass a lot of people on the down and I was not all alone – I actually had to worry about drafting – this is only the second time that I had to worry about this. My biggest issue is with the seat. The pain is excruciating, but thanks to Trevor and his helpful, tingly, cool anit-chafing cream, I was okay – not great, but okay. The last twenty minuets were a bit tough, but as I was checking in I noticed that my legs were getting tired, so I decided to slow down. I did not like to do this as the cut off time was still on my mind, but once again, being in my box, I addresses the legs getting tired, not the worry of the cut off time. I came into transition, yeah, I made the time.

3:55.xx (slow compared to most of you, but the best 94k I have every done)

The Run –

This was tough from the beginning, it was hot, way hotter than any other day of the year – I had been training at about 6:30/km – this was lost and it did not take much to have a super high heart rate. I was able to keep this pace for about ½ to ¾ of the race. Every aid station felt like miraculous oasis in the desert. I just held onto my box as much as possible, one foot in front of the other, and stay in my box. At 7k the most sensational crowed welcomed me, Team tri life was there cheering me on, proud of me, asking me what I needed. This was such a welcome treat, all of you helped me keep moving. JoZ, was great when she grabbed my shirt and sports bra and dumped a freezing cold glass of ice water into it. It was there until almost the next aid station, I sounded like a moving rum and coke – it made me laugh, it made me feel not alone, the sound of ice sloshing in my boobs was a great sound. I also picked up an orange sponge either at the team tri life station or the next station – this sponge became my greatest companion (but more about that later.

I still felt okay but the turn-around and after the first aid station on the way back. It was around 13 -14k that I felt like something was wrong, staying in my box I asked myself - "What do I need to do right now, to keep moving forward", "how do I feel in my body"? I just started to feel not well. I hit the tri life aid station and I said to Sara, I think, something is wrong – I had to pee, really bad. It is amazing that a simple, normal bodily function can set your whole system off when you are pushing yourself to your limits. I also think that I was loosing clarity of my nutrition – I had lost count of my gels, so I peed, had a gel and some coke with a lot of water – AAAHHHH much better. Good to go, I was running again until that masochistic big *&$#@Q* hill that they make us go up near the end of the run. I saw my son and could not look at him because I was hurting and seeing him I started to cry and then I felt like I would hyperventilate (STAY IN YOUR BOX). Another aid station and once again good to go…

And that was the last of my box and being good to go. I made it to about 18 k and totally lost it. I was swearing like a truck driver, why and I &#@$&# doing this, this hurts so #&@#&$ much, what the #$@*& was I thinking, it is way to #&@#& hot, there is no way that I will ever do this &$#@& again, No @#$&# way I could do Ironman. In hind sight I feel bad about the poor families that were there with their kids having picnics with there kids, when a crazy lady swearing like nobody's business, goes walking by. My feet were so sore from being wet for so long (because I would douse myself with water at every aid station). I felt sorry for myself and my only salvation at the time was that orange sponge that I had associated with team tri life. I kept dabbing that into my cleavage and trying to bring up cold water for my face and back. It was just so hot. I bonded with that sponge –it's okay, we'll make it – oh my beautiful sponge". At about 19k, I some how found my box again, and I loudly "Christine get in your box". "What do I need to do right now, to keep moving forward", "Just keep going", because there were several times that I looked at a shady patch under a tree and thought, I could just curl up and sleep – "back in the box", and back I went, knew that I would finish, so I started to run again (I walked mostly from 17k on) – well actually not run, more like a slow jog, but I was going again. I jogged from 20-21.1k. Me and my buddy, the orange sponge made it.
There is a huge jump from Olympic to 70.3 for me.

Run time 2:55 – slowest half, ever.

Do I train as consistently as I should, no, do I struggle with life and my kids and the rough year that I have had, yes, did I go as fast as I would like, HELL NO, did I get there doing the best the I could, with what I have, HELL YES. I finished.

In hind sight, I want to do it again – God what is wrong with me.

Special Thanks

Angie of course – for everything
Amanda – for the company and prep talk – your words were pivotal to me finishing.
Tara for the company and companionship before the race
Sara and Mike - for helping me get my bottle ready the day before the race and helping me stay calm
Steve – for the use of his bathroom
Rochelle – for helping me with my wet suit
Canoe guy – great advice for the swim
Trevor – for the tingly crotch cream
Mike, Angie, Tara, Trevor and Carla – for encouraging me on the run
Team Tri life at the aid station members
Amanda – for the great yell – Christine is coming and your encouragement – it stayed with me the whole race
Kelly – your smile and visible pride, it was tangible
Danny - your cheers, kindness and not letting me drink the bad water
Kelvin – for opening my gel
Paddy and Trish – for your cheers
JoZ – for your being you and telling me that you love me and for the cold water down my pants and shirt, and the ice cold coke
Sara – for your kindness and encouragement when I was coming back and said to you "something is wrong" and you gave me nutrition - what that was – I can not remember – I only remember kindness and encouragement. I also want to thank you for your kindness when I was peeing in the bushes – I still remember saying – "is this okay, this is gross", and you replied - "your doing great, its okay".
Other team mates that were cheering me on, not judging me for peeing in my clothes in the bushes and for the amazing concrete felt support
My Orange Sponge – which I still have, who became my friend during this long day.
Tara for waiting for me and being there at the end
Angie again – I remember being about 18 and watching Kona, and thinking I would love to do an iron man one day. Thanks for helping me reach 70.3 miles of a life long goal.

I know that I am not ready for a full Ironman yet, my kids are still too little and this has been too tough of a year – when my life is more stable I will do an Ironman – maybe on my 45th, three years from now. Next year I will do more half's and master this level more. For now I am very proud of myself and proud of all of team tri-life.

Thanks Team Tri Life

Trevor's IMC 2011 Race Report

2011-09-07T13:22:00.001-07:00

I arrived in Penticton on Tuesday with the family. It was hot!! Hotter than we had been used to in Calgary. Checked into the hotel and checked everything out that the town had for the kids,etc.
I was getting antsy on Wednesday and was happy when others from the team started to show up. I really enjoyed the dinner at Smith & Co on Thursday night.It was really a good way to break the ice with the other families as well as for us to thank our families again for all the hard work they put into this journey for us as well. I had to stare at the fat guy picture of me again on the slide show and finally put to bed the idea that I was still him.
We did a few swims, easy runs, and a descent of Yellow Lake a few days before the race. That was nice to have in the pocket come raceday.
Enjoyed the athletes dinner. Steve King rambled on a bit, but it was amazing to see the Jordan Rapp story again. Was good to sit with the other racers and digest a bit more of what we were going to do in 2 days.
Saturday was a bit stressful as I had to drive up to Kelowna and pick up my M-I-L and change rooms at the hotel. But once that was done, I tried to relax as best I could.

Race morning Michelle and I walked down and dropped off SN bags where we said our good- byes and I met up with Shannon. The two of us got bodymarked, walked to our bikes,etc. I don’t think she realizes how nice it was to have her around at that time. With her being a veteran, she seemed pretty calm and that levelled me off. Saw Cindy,Richelle,Lesley-Anne. I got the suit on with help from some friendly volunteers named Kelly and Tara. Again, they settled my HR down. Waded down into the water and got wet. Saw Danielle and Ken and we wished each other good luck. Had a group hug and then it was go time. O Canada again, then the gun went.
I was a bit emotional as we sang. It's been an amazing 3 year journey from a 255 lb couch potato to here. A svelt 200lb athlete!! This is what I trained for. This is why I didn't do any other Race Report's this year. This was the moment I had waited for.
2851 age groupers for the largest mass start in Ironman history. HERE WE GO!!!

Swim 1:14:00

I had decided against wearing the Garmin in the water. Didn't want something crazy to happen and lose it. So left it in T1 bag. There was lots of action in the water.
I really felt like I was being pulled out to sea in the mass. I started off to the left and a few people back. Thought I could hang in the middle and enjoy the swim. Was a kickfest for the first few hundred metres, but it seemed to settle down for me a bit until the first turn. So much contact!!! Glad I am a bigger guy, and it didn't seem to phase me too much. At one point on the small 400m straight away, I got kicked in the gut. That actually stung a bit. I really questioned at that point how I could get kicked in the middle of my stomach, but I kept going. The 1800m back seemed to take a while, but got to the shore, stood up, looked at my cheap old Nike watch and it read 1:13:xx. I was quite happy with that.

T1 9:47

I got nothing. I honestly have no idea why this took so long. I got out of the water, grabbed my T1 bag, ran into the tent. Opened bag up, got all lathered up in chamois butter, put on jersey,shorts,shoes,etc. Walked out and got sunscreened. Got on my bike.
9:47 was in the bottom 10% of racers. No potty break or anything. I am a talker as you all know. But I didn't sit down and chat. Michelle thought I must have been sick in the bathroom. No explanation for it, other than I guess slow is smooth and smooth is fast??

Bike 6:22:23

It was such a rush coming out of T1. I saw Joz and Angie as I got on the bike. Biking down Main Street with the cowbells and 1000's of people was exciting. I wanted to ride easy today.It was going to be hot, and I needed everything in me for the run. Spun up Mclean Creek. I didn't see any tacks, but saw tonnes of flats. Anyhow, road super-duper easy out to Osoyoos. Turned at the Husky and onto Richter's. Got in the granny gears and rode easy up the 4 tables of Richter's. Chatted with a few people as we were riding all of 10 km/hr. Really enjoyed the crowds once were closing in on the top. Saw Nate and his wife drive by in a convertible. High 5'ed the announcer guy at the top, and then hit 70km/hr on the descent. Few near misses on the way down. Momentum carries me nicely downhill. The 7 rollers weren't all that much fun, but got through them, and onto the out and back. Saw Richelle out there and then I hit SN. Stopped and grabbed my bag, and enjoyed some Salt&Vinegar chips. Took a boy's bathroom break on the roadside, and off I went to Yellow Lake. It's such a slow 17km climb, that sometimes you don't feel like you are climbing. I felt at times like I was just getting lazy on the pedals, as the false flats make you rethink your pedalling. Felt very TourDeFrance-ish as we were all single-laned in by people as we were hitting the top. AHA the top of Yellow Lake. It’s all downhill from here. Except when it's windy, like it was that day. So there was some free speed out there, but a few of the spots I felt like I had to pedal to maintain my balance and speed. But got through there and came back into town. Was great seeing the TriLife tent set up at Cherry Lane Mall. So of course I got a big cheer as I rode in past everyone, and back down to T2. Dismounted and gave my bike to another super volunteer.
Stayed on top of nutrition with the Infinit and some gels. Felt good coming of the bike. I think next time I could push a wee bit harder on the bike. I was pleased with how I executed the ride, but felt like I could maybe have pushed more. First time at the distance though, so I wasn't sure how hard to push.

T2 6:46

Blistering fast pace! Was a little freaky getting into T2, and seeing a guy on a stretcher and a guy puking as I arrived in the tent. I did chat here a bit. Full kit change, and out for the run.
Got sunscreened by the same girl again. I think she was waiting for me. She seemed to apply the sunscreen a little too slowly if you know what I mean. Michelle would have beat her up if she saw what this girl was trying to do to me! Some volunteers have all the nerve.

Run 5:21:46

I had no idea how this was going to go. It was hot. I had this crazy orange scarf that you could put ice into one end and then velcro around your neck. It was a lifesaver. I didn't need to worry about sponges in the top or anything. I looked a little like a boy scout, but looks were pretty much irrelevant at this point. Anyhow, I planned on running 5 min and walking 1 for the first bit. I wanted to keep my HR under control and not get too crazy on the way out to OK Falls. So ran through the first funky out and back in town. I KNEW this is where Michelle and the girls were going to be. I hadn't seen her since the swim, and the girls all day. Sure enough they were there with their "DADDY IS SUPERMAN" and "RUN FASTER DADDY" signs. I really did not want to lose it so early in the run. So I ran to them, gave them all kisses and told them I'll see them soon. Mike H was working the next aid station, so chatted with him as I started to fuel up. Really tried to drink a cup of water at every aid station, and if I wasn’t sucking back Pepsi, then it was a gel. Mentally I had to prepare myself for Cherry Lane. I knew Angie and some of the troops were going to be there, so I wanted to stay in control again. Got a big cheer and of course the dancers came out. Angie ran with me for a bit and I told her I had no emotion. Which confused her. Had I said what I meant “I am trying to show no emotion. I am doing a job right now, and can not show emotion yet” that may have been clearer for her. I saw Scott,Cindy,Carla out at Skaha just before it got smoking hot along the water. Once I hit the hills of Okanagan Falls, I knew I was nearing the turnaround.Saw Steve and Richelle on their way back into town. Got there, grabbed my S&V chips and some notes from the girls. I walked and ate my chips, reading the notes as I walked up the hill out of the turnaround. It sucked not having any water while eating those chips! I have the 3 notes from Michelle and the girls sitting here in our computer room at home as I type this. "Daddy don't give up. Just go again. Run as fast as you can. Daddy be as fast as a Superman.I love you Daddy, you have superpowers." That was Sarah our 4 year old's note. Reading them got me going again. It was so hot out there. Saw everyone on the way back – Leslie-Anne, Cindy, Danielle, Shannon,Ken and Rona caught me. She tried to will me along in the run but I couldn’t keep up with her. Plus she farted ALOT! Every aid station was stocked for me and I took advantage of anything and everything on the way back. Last few aid stations were 2 shots of pepsi, shot of chicken broth and a glass of ice water. Only in an Ironman does that combination sound good. It was nice when the sun FINALLY went behind the mountain top. I hit Skaha Lake and ran into Kelvin. I don’t think he knows how much of a saviour he was there. He was someone I knew. He was someone I could actually talk to and have it mean something. He rode and I walked up that last hill into town. I knew I only had around 8k left, and the day was going to be over. I came around the corner and Angie has waited there. Today was not a day about time goals, but of course we all set them in our mind. She asked me what mine was. I told her I thought 14hrs would be great, but super secret awesomeness goal would be 13:30. I had around 6.5k left and an hour to get there in to break 13:30. So off I went. The crowd started to pick up as I hit Main Street. Turned off left towards the out and back which sucked when the finish line is just to the right. And the damn turn around here is longer than it was on the way out. I kept running down to the turnaround, and once I saw our hotel I saw the family and the team. I lost it. I started crying big time. Ran up to the girls gave them big kisses and I'm sure the hugs were nice and sweaty. I thanked Michelle for being there for me through this all. Or at least I think I did. I was blubbering. I left with Michelle and Angie running with me but I left them in my dust for the last 700m. I was so focused on getting there before 13:15. I passed a few people before the blue carpet. I had it all to myself. I heard my name, looked at the clock and knew I was going to break 13:15. I did a few fist pumps and allowed myself to celebrate a bit, but didn't doddle, and crossed the line.

It was a hot,hot run. I probably could have ran a bit more than I did. But I enjoyed the run. I can't believe I can say that now. But I did feel like I enjoyed it. It hurt some, but I got through it.
I wish I would have celebrated a bit more in the chute. I don't know if I fully enjoyed that moment as much as I could/should of.

Crossed the line, had a couple catch me and grabbed a medal/ tshirt and hat. Mike and Scott bullied their way in and took over to get me a picture and sit me down. We chatted for a bit about the day,and they tried to give me some food but all I wanted was some water. I felt fine. Michelle came and rescued me from the recovery area and we gathered up my bike and bags. Went back to where the team was and ate a couple ham buns and a triple chocolate brownie ice cream cone while watching other come in.

I really enjoyed the day. I enjoyed the training to get me to that point. The late Monday night swims. The Tuesday night rides. The early mornings. All of it.

I can’t thank Michelle and the girls enough for putting up with me and my craziness leading up to this day. They made me feel like a superhero through it all. For those of you who know me well, it’s been an amazing 3 ½ years. I’ve transformed myself back into someone I enjoy being again.

Richelle introduced me to this sport and she was the first person I met in this crazy world. She provided alot to me along the way. She is such an amazing supporter and an overall great person.
Angie and all her hardwork made me feel like an athlete again. She knew what to say and what to do to get me to that finish line in one piece. I learned so much from her through the last few years. But the camp weekend and the ride home chat from taught me so much. Life and balancing it all. Training and family. I truly could not have made it here without her!!

All my training partners this year made all those long rides go by so much faster. Thank you Leslie-Anne,Cindy,Danielle,Rona,Steve,Ken and Shannon. Shannon you settled me down so much this week. Between the ‘short’ walks to the ice cream shop, and Josh entertaining the girls. You totally helped make this week easier for me with my family.

And to the rest of the TTL team – The support out here for each other is second to none. I thank you all for being a part of my journey to my 1st Ironman finish!
I’ll see you all soon!

13:14:41 I am an Ironman

Shannon's IMC 2011 Race Report

2011-09-07T13:11:00.001-07:00

IMC 2011 Race Report
This was supposed to be my first Ironman race. When I signed up for IMC 2011 it was only because I was convinced I would not make bike cut off in IMC 2010. Mentally, it helped me when I signed up the Thursday before the race – it was just going to be another step in the journey. IMC 2010 was the most amazing day of my racing life with one small glitch –I now was going to do Ironman Canada 2 years in a row. Now I was striving to be a 2 time Ironman.
In the training leading up to race day, I was really starting to worry. IMC 2010 was so amazing – this race was going to be different and harder. This was making me really dread the race – why had I signed up again? In the lead up to the race, I was enjoying being around the first timers – I felt so wise and loved supporting their journey. In retrospect, I realize that, yes, the journey should be different and this was one of the ways that made it so enjoyable.
Once we were in Penticton, my sick, bad feeling turned to really good butterflies so I was happy about that. I loved the days leading up to the race once again. Getting to see Angie and fellow competitors Richelle, Trevor, Leslie-Anne, Ken, Rona, Danielle and Cindy helped the week go well. To see their nerves and anticipation made it so real and exciting. As always, Angie was my rock and helped calm me down. Josh was there to support me again (Ronnie and Dylan were there in spirit and via texts), my friends Angela and Bruce were there once again and my parents surprised me by arriving Saturday to there for race day. Good luck emails, texts and bbms flooded in from friends and co-workers. Wow – what great people I have in my life. It overwhelms me as I write this.
Race morning arrived and alarm rang at 5:00 am. Had my breakfast, grabbed special needs bags and headed to body marking. Saw Richelle and was good to get a smile from her. Got into the body marking line with Trevor and got to see Michelle before we headed into transition. Meeting Michelle this week is one of the bonus things about triathlons – met a great person there to support a fellow teammate. Headed to my bike, pumped up the tires and then panic sets in. I have forgotten my solid nutrition!! I had taken it off the bike when checking my bike in the day before and totally forgot about it. I had to run to the hotel which normally would not have been a big deal but today they had us corralled in and I had to do a 1 km of running to get to the hotel. Now I was running out of time. At 7:40 am, I am just getting my wet suit on. I know that Tara and Kelly are supposed to be working in transition so raced there to get there help. Jen, Tara and Kelly saw my panic and they helped me calm down and helped me get into the suit (best fit ever!!). With minutes to spare I headed to the beach for the largest mass start in Ironman history. What a vision! I put the forgotten nutrition behind me and stayed in the box. The gun went off and we started our long day. This swim was for my Grandma who just turned 92. She has not been well for years and I know she would have loved to come to watch. She is the reason I love to swim. Her friend Charlotte taught me to swim when I would visit Grandma in the summers. I love you Grandma.
Last year I went off course so this year I stayed to the left still but made sure I was in the thick of things. I experienced a lot of body contact and one hard punch to the head which brought out the fighter in me. Kept pushing hard and had what I thought was the swim of my life. Was so disappointed when I got out of the water and realized I was 7 minutes slower than last year – this was really deflating. Quickly put it behind me and had a great transition (the staying in the box thing was a common theme all day and it really worked!). My friend Cathy had a message for each of my bags. I ripped the envelope open to read “You are doing this by yourself for YOU and no one else. Be proud!!” This message gave me a boost and I waved to family and friends as I headed out on the bike. My bike dedication this year was a long one. It was for the three most important boys in my life – Ronnie, Dylan and Josh. The first 60 km were for Ronnie. He is my rock and most loyal supporter. He never complains about the hours of training. He helps me clean my bike, gives me encouragement and is harsh with me when needed. He is my best friend. The middle 60 km were for Dylan. My first born and the biggest bone head I know (after me of course). Dylan is a great kid and hockey player but sometimes lacks self-confidence. This part of the ride is where I struggled mentally so I drew energy thinking about him and the way we butt heads because we are so much alike. The last 60 km were for Josh – my baby, my easy going child. Sometimes he is so relaxed he drives me nuts. I used his relaxed energy to “enjoy” Yellow Lake and smile all the way into Penticton. I wish I could be more like him in my everyday life but since I can’t, I used his energy to finish the bike in grand fashion.
It was already hot at 8:30 am – long day ahead of us. McLean Creek came quickly and I climbed it really well. “Easy, cheesy” was running through my mind on way to Osoyoos but my mind and body were not cooperating. My legs felt like lead and my head was having massive doubts about finishing the day. Why the hell do I do this? “You choose to do this” is what Angie told me Saturday morning. Oh yeah, so suck it up Princess. I got to see Leslie-Anne and Cindy on the bike so that helped me keep going and then came Richter. I enjoyed the climb on Richter despite the heat. I got back into a good head space for the bike. My favourite sign of the day was on Richter – “You all are nucking futs!” That is an understatement. I felt ok until about 20 km from Special Needs. Hot feet plagued me and I felt like crying – well maybe there were tears. Remembering words from my wise, old coach (she’s not that old but she is wise) - “Fix whatever is bugging you”. When I got to special needs I gulped down my salted baby potatoes and an Advil and took my shoes off. What a relief! Cathy’s message read “All those bike rides have prepared you for this. You are strong and steady”. When I got going again, the stamped out feet and words of wisdom made a huge difference. Off to Yellow Lake!! My feet started to hurt again and I knew the climb was coming soon. I pulled over, removed my shoes and stomped my feet out. I went to get started (as close to the edge as possible) when I biker did not see I was just getting going again and she hit me. My arm felt broken for an instant and my hand was bleeding. I was in much better shape than the girl who hit me. I waited with her for the ambulance and when it arrived she told me to go. I felt so bad leaving her but I really wanted to get going. I tackled Yellow Lake and with the heat beating down, it was the hardest climb of the day. I was not sure if I was going to get to the top without stopping when I say the lane narrowing sign of 200 m (Kelly has just reminded me of that the day before). I made it that silly hill once again. I descended really well into Penticton and was feeling pretty good until Main Street. I found that last 7 km killer and I couldn’t wait to get off my bike. I had a really quick transition even after reading my message “You have more inner strength than anyone I know. Enjoy the success!!” I headed off on the run with a smile for Cathy. Cathy rode all my long rides last year to help me train for Ironman – now that is a true friend. Mom and Dad, Josh, Angela, Bruce and Angela’s parents were all there cheering me on. I gave Josh a hug and he declared “Gross, you are all sweaty!! What was he thinking – of course I was going to be sweaty after +30 C heat and 180 km bike ride. Josh and Bruce ran with me for a ways. I was really hoping they would give me permission to stop but they didn’t. I couldn’t let my fans down. The first half of my run was dedicated to Linda. She is a true friend that had turned 60 on Thursday. She has a problem hip and cannot run anymore. She has helped me get through a lot of tough times in my life and I wanted to use this to tribute my legs/hips to her. The last half of my run was for my most loyal fans – Angela, Bruce, Mom and Dad. Angela has been with me from day one of my Ironman journey as she came with me in 2009 when I volunteered and signed up for 2010. Angela, her parents and Bruce made “Team Ouellette” t-shirts last year and were there at every transition. Once again they were here for me and there are not enough words to express my gratitude. My Mom and Dad came out last year with their 5th wheel to make my first Ironman memorable and then much to my surprise, they arrived Saturday to surprise me this year. I am an only child (I know that explains a lot) and they have always been here for me. It means so much to have had them here again.
I headed off on my run and caught up with Cindy shortly and it was so good to see a teammate. The run was really tough. It was really a long walk with a little running but seeing Cindy throughout that part of the race was a huge boost. There is something about having TTL colors and positive vibes out there that make things easier. I saw Richelle pushing to the finish line – she is my hero. Steve looked like he was in pain but was looking really strong. Danielle caught up to me and boy was she moving. When I grow up I want to have an Ironman run like her! I was finally at the TTL tent and was so happy to see everyone. I asked Angie why my swim time was so slow. She told me the 2010 swim was shorter and everyone was slower today. I was so glad I had quit worrying about that by putting it behind me – in a 15 hour day what is 7 minutes? I was concerned I was walking so much but Angie just told me to manage the run and keeping moving forward. She also told me “If Ironman was easy, everyone would do it!” As I rounded the corner I saw Rena and she gave me words of encouragement and off I went. I also saw Cindy Chetley-Thomson closer to Skaha and she gave me another much needed boost.
Thank goodness for the ice scarf, hat and holding ice in my hands. They all helped. I couldn’t resist getting sprayed by water but paid for that with the 15 blisters on my feet (well really only 10 but it felt like 15!). I saw Trevor and Rona on the way to OK falls and then Leslie-Anne. I could see in her eyes the feeling I had last year doing my first Ironman. She was loving the day and cherishing every moment. This made me a little teary to see her but in a really good way. I was happy to run into OK falls and get my potatoes and message “Amazing - Strong – Focused. Keep Going.” Despite the positives at the turnaround, the climb out was hell. I saw Ken on the way out so was happy to know our whole team was still battling it out in the heat and doing a great job of that. It started to cool down and then my feet started to really hurt – both blisters and toe nails. I started talking to a girl and we complained about our sore feet for a while. I spectator declared “How neat, 2 Shannons”. I looked at my companion and we started to laugh. We had not introduced ourselves to that point. We finished the last 7 km together with our walking and running routine. At the turnaround heading to the finish line, I saw the TTL crew. Got high fives and hugs from everyone and then Shannon and I headed off to the finish line. Steve King commented on the 2 Shannons and made us laugh. My new friend was younger than me so I told her to go ahead and finish. I stayed back and high fived the people in the finishing chute which was a great way to finish. I was a 2 time Ironman!!
I was so lucky to be caught by teammates Scott and Mike – it was the perfect end to a really hard but satisfying day. Shannon and I got a finisher picture together and headed off to meet our families. I couldn’t get my shoes off fast enough. We said our good byes to my parents and Angela and Bruce then Josh helped me gather my belongings from transition. Josh was a highlight for my whole Ironman week – he was so patient and understanding. Thanks for that Josh. Did not sleep well and it is now 9 days later and I really have not felt tired yet. My feet are giving me grief but I am still on an amazing high. I learned so much about racing Ironman and myself this time. I learned that racing Ironman is hard and each race will be different. I love to solve problems and Ironman is a full day of solving problems.
I really only signed up this year in case 2010 was not successful. It seemed like a good idea at the time. It has been a long 2 years of Ironman training but as I sit here and reflect, I honestly have no regrets. I had an amazing last year of training and I have really matured as an athlete. My family and friends have once again made this journey possible. Coach Angie has helped me realize that even though I am not an “elite” athlete, I am a triathlete and an Ironman and that is pretty damn impressive.
Have I signed up for next year? Not yet…..

Cindy's IMC 2011 Race Report

2011-09-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

Guess What??? I'm an IRONMAN!!! (copied from Cindy's blog-see the original location for the pics: http://graphixdivasblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/guess-what-im-ironman.html )
On August 28, 2011, I joined the ranks of those who proudly call themselves IRONMAN. What a ride!

(NB: I'll post more pics later, including my Finish Line photo, these are some candids).

The day dawned early - the ice machine outside my hotel room was active at 4am. (Sheesh people, it's just going to melt anyways!) I chewed thru my quinoa and cranberry cereal (modified recipe from Quinoa 365), lathered up the sunscreen, even in areas that wouldn't see the sun, suited up in my TTL gear, filled my water bottles with ice (that would promptly melt), and headed into the dawn. Athletes were drawn to the centre of the beach by an unseen magnet, quiet with anticipation. Ah, the atmosphere of an Ironman morning is unmatched for its energy, the air tastes acrid and sweet at the same time. Maybe it's the adrenaline, maybe it's the atheletes knowing that their time, their day, it has arrived.

Getting everything into T1 was easy - uncrowded, unhurried, time seemed to expand. There wasn't even a line at the portapotties! And then time started to contract: people exponentially multiplied, I started to see familiar faces, lots of hugs, back to the portapotty (there's a line now), then off to find my wetsuit fitter; Tara B is far and away the BEST amateur wetsuit fitter I've even known (she should go pro). She wrestled me into that thing, no gaps or pulling away from my neck, a perfect fit. Time shrunk again and I needed to get onto the beach. Angie A snagged me at the line for a good luck hug and some sage advice that likely saved my race (thanks Angie!) - but I'll get to that in a few moments.

The Swim: 3.8km
I found my spot on the beach, then waded into the water. I didn't want to be too far back, as I am a strong enough swimmer that I can handle a few bumps, and I wanted to find some feet to follow. Easier said than done! From the moment my face hit the water, there was constant contact from the other competitors, all of us wanted to share the same space, swim the same line. Egads, it was chaos! In spite of the chaos, I didn't panic - I kept moving forward, one stroke after the other, I found a rhythm in the chaos and pushing and bumping and kicking and punching and shoving. Then came the heel to my left eye. Sheesh, that one hurt. I honestly thought that when I surfaced on the beach I'd have a black eye. And the suction on my goggles got extra tight, like it was sucking my eyeball out!! With all the jostling around, I didn't want to stop to adjust my goggles, so I kept on swimming. The second corner was worse than the first! I popped my head up to sight on the next buoy and ran into a wall of people! I muttered, "Where are we going?" and heard several people chuckle and say "good question!" The swim back to the beach didn't improve much, lots of contact. I tried all kinds of strategies, speed up, slow down, move to either side, but I guess I was just in the mix of it all. And honestly, if I can survive a swim like that, I can survive any kind of swim in the future.
All of that bumping around cost me: based on training swims and previous race results, I had hoped for a faster swim. My swim time is still admirable, I'm just a bit disappointed, because I felt strong, I didn't have to stop and adjust, I swam as smoothly as possible.
Swim: 1:25:36
Swim rank: 110 out of 127 Women 35-39
Swim rank: 2028 out of 2811 overall

T1
Tara B saw me coming and dashed for my bag - thanks Tara! - and I hurried off to claim a seat in the tent. Wow, it was crowded in there, time to get moving and get out of here! The sunscreen station was thorough, thanks, I didn't even get a sliver of a burn all day long (which was one of my biggest concerns). I waved at Madi S and headed for the road.

The Bike: 180km
I love my bike. She's shiny and light and takes me to fun places. Today, she worked hard: the temperature was rapidly rising (it would top out around 35+ degrees) and it was windy and I spilled nutrition and food all over her. What a trooper.
The ride out of town was uneventful, but I was thirsty. Very, very thirsty. So on the way up MacLean Creek road I decided to grab some water at the aid station. Much better. Shannon O and I played leapfrog a few times, as we would all day long, and then I buckled in for the long ride: keep it simple, keep it steady. Drafting was a big problem. I know the marshals did their best, but it was a crowded road and I saw packs of people moving forward. Knowing that the only thing to do was to ride MY ride, I put my head down and kept spinning. The ride up Richter wasn't so bad - everyone complains about it - but I saw Jen S and decided to keep her butt in view the whole way up (as she reminded me, "Let's see if Richelle's spin class pays off!"). At the top I put my foot down for a quick minute to adjust some nutrition bottles and saw Rona S and Leslie Ann M spin past. I gave a quick wave to my support crew Ryan and Emma, then got ready for the fun part: descending Richter's. Wow, I love speed, to the tune of 63km/hour! And gravity is free!
Next up, The Rollers. Now that the sun was viciously beating down on us, the wind also decided to pick up, so the downhill portions were actually hard work. Eventually I made it to the out and back, tore open my Special Needs Bag and devoured some salt tabs, used some chamois butters, and grabbed more water. I know the aid stations ran out later in the day, but rest assured I drank every last drop in the bottles that I picked up. I took the extra salt tabs with me and continued to consume them every hour; I hadn't trained with them, but I bet they saved my body a lot of grief this day. In fact, I was starting to feel a bit nauseous, which I have come to learn means that I'm dangerously close to the limits of exertion. The salt tabs almost instantly took away my nausea. At this point the temperature was ridiculously hot, the sun was beating so hard on my black shorts that they felt like they had spontaneously burst into flame, and I was sweating hard. It was H.O.T.
The climb up Yellow Lake was hard. I kept spinning, I passed people who were walking, I kept spinning, I passed people who were sitting in the shade, I kept spinning. At the top there is no respite, just a short flat stretch before one final climb. I kept spinning, knowing that the downhill into town was within reach. I put a big smile on my face and let my bike carry me home. But wait - the wind was back, right in my face, forcing me to pedal. I kept it light, kept spinning, back to town.
The bike portion was fun: I didn't over-exert myself, I didn't run out of gas, but I did run out of "zip." The heat just sucked it right out of me. My legs weren't heavy, but they weren't full of energy either; I was having an okay day. Did I have expectations for the ride? Sure, I'd love to have been faster, but given the heat, I'm super pleased with my bike results.
Bike Time: 7:19:15
Bike Rank: 121 out of 127 women 35-39
Bike Rank: 2260 out of 2811 overall

This pic was taken by pro Triathlete Jordan Bryden, and I love that I have a smile on my face, sunscreen everywhere, and I'm ready to get it in gear!

T2
In retrospect I should have paid closer attention to the people who took my bike. I crossed the dismount line into T2 and someone grabbed my bike and pointed me in the other direction. That's a lot of trust in a total stranger! Thank-you to the wonderful volunteers who looked after the athletes and our gear.
Into the tent, strip, get dressed, get more sunscreen, get moving.

OUCH!!!!! WHY DO MY FEET HURT!!!!!!

The Run: 42.6km
I have spent countless hours with Sarah PG (thanks Sarah!) at physio sorting out the issues under my toes, and issues with my hips/IT band. Can you believe that neither of these things reared their ugly heads at Ironman? Nope, instead, a whole new problem surfaced: the metatarsals in my feet were THROBBING!!! The big, long foot bones in both feet were screaming at me. Every step was painful. Now what????
I gulped down some Tylenol and set out at a brisk walk, hoping that the pain would go away.
I saw our neighbours Kris and Renata cheering for me, I saw my kids, my family, my sister who came from Ontario to watch me do this crazy thing. Wow, what a rush, the support was overwhelming.
And did I mention it was HOT? I was in danger of overheating, I could tell that my focus was less than perfect, and all I wanted was some air conditioning. I don't do well with heat; I prefer the high-teens to low-twenties for temperature, no humidity, nice and temperate. I melt in the heat, I get instant heat rash, I feel simply wretched in the heat. And now I was faced with running a marathon in the 35+ degree heat. Here is where Angie's sage advice came into play: she suggested that at each aid station I grab a baggie of ice (or a cup of ice) and carry it with me. I could either suck on the ice water, use it to cool myself, or just hold it in my mouth. She was right. I took ice at each aid station and put three cubes down the front and back of my top (I later felt my top and discovered it was deliciously cool, those ice cubes kept my core temp low, to good effect). I avoided the sprinklers as they would simply weigh down my shoes with water and potentially cause blisters. I grabbed a slice of orange and a cup of Coke at the aid stations until my tummy said "eeewww" and I drank water and took salt tabs every hour.
On the way out, I saw Angie and the TTL tent - what a great cheering section! I was disappointed that I wasn't running, but I kept my pace strong. Angie trotted beside me and commented on my fast pace (it's the long legs, Angie) and reminded me that I got to choose how to deal with this dilemma. She was right, I just kept moving forward, no free walking, and then when the downhills approached, I decided to suck it up and run down them (gravity is free!). The running portions got longer and longer, and eventually I passed Shannon (we leapfrogged again - she did wonders for my morale all day, thanks to Shannon for her wisdom and perseverence!) and then she would pass me again. I walked uphill, ran downhill and kept moving forward. I saw my sister at the turn-around in OK Falls, she was pushing Amy, nice to see my family, they all watched me like an exhibit at the zoo as I applied Second Skin to my budding blisters, then I was off again, headed for home. The run back along the lake had cooled down a bit, I actually enjoyed this part of the run, and yes, I was running again, not fast, but faster than walking. I was eating pretzels and soup, sucking on water and ice. By the time I reached town it was dark, kinda eerie. Lots of encouragement from pedestrians along the way, back to town, back to Lakeshore. There was TTL at the turn-around, cheers and high-fives, there was my family, time to get it in gear again. I ran the last kilometer into the finish line, the crowd was fantastic, I had the finisher's chute all to myself, hit the blue carpet and BLISS. I crossed the line! Cindy Spence, you are an Ironman!
I know that my training made it possible to run this marathon. I believe I had the legs for it, that I had the focus for it, that I was ready for it. Once I found my feet (or maybe once they were numbed from the 6 Tylenol I gobbled down), the running seemed easier than walking. I even negative split my marathon, I mean, how crazy is that? I have no ambition to ever run in Boston, and sure, I'd like to improve my 10k PB or feel better running uphill; but, for now, I am pleased with this marathon. I fought back after some serious heat issues, didn't have a single GI issue all day, fueled the marathon portion entirely with on-course nutrition, and finished with a smile.
Marathon time: 6:12:56
Run rank: 1323 out of 167 women 35-39
Run rank: 2195 out of 2811 overall

I love that I'm running with such focus in this photo, I look stronger than I have ever felt, and I'm racing Ironman! (photo courtesy of Jordan Bryden)

Yes, I had to do some walking, but you can see the heat and how much I was sweating in this pic. At least there's a BIG smile on my face!

On Hitting the Blue Carpet: T3
I need to offer up a huge, extra-special thanks to my catchers, Scott and Mike, both from TTL. I was really dazed when I crossed the line, I don't even remember gathering my Finisher shirt or having my photo taken, I think I started to be aware of my surroundings sometime after my first slice of pizza, just as Scott and Mike were saying good-bye. They helped me find a seat, get some food, and stay upright. Thanks guys, you were great.

Over-all Ironman time: 15:14:47
Ironman rank:127/167 women 35-39
Ironman rank: 2197 out of 2811 overall

And now for the thank-you's:
Thank-you to Richelle L, who deserves Coach of the Year for her unending enthusiasm and belief in my abilities, even when I doubted and cursed and raged and laughed.
Thank-you to my sister, Robin M, who flew with my 10-month old niece to be at this momentous event in my life.
Thank-you to the friends who think I've disappeared off the face of the earth (Ironman training is all-consuming, sorry for deserting you) - you know who you are.
Thank-you to the girls who sent me music for my marathon - I thought of you along the journey and call upon your strength.
Thank-you to my daughters, for loving me even when I am a crazy Ironman-in-training.
Thank-you to Ryan, for loving me just because.

I promise to post more pics soon, the official video and pics are coming, they look great, but the download is slow. Stay tuned!

.... what's next?
Well isn't that the question hanging in the air. Yes, I still want to race triathlon. Yes, I miss my mountain bike. Let's wait a few weeks to decide, shall we?

.... and yes, I'm getting the tattoo, I'll post pics of that, too! :)

Cindy IronMan

2011-09-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

Guess What??? I'm an IRONMAN!!!
On August 28, 2011, I joined the ranks of those who proudly call themselves IRONMAN. What a ride!

(NB: I'll post more pics later, including my Finish Line photo, these are some candids).

The day dawned early - the ice machine outside my hotel room was active at 4am. (Sheesh people, it's just going to melt anyways!) I chewed thru my quinoa and cranberry cereal (modified recipe from Quinoa 365), lathered up the sunscreen, even in areas that wouldn't see the sun, suited up in my TTL gear, filled my water bottles with ice (that would promptly melt), and headed into the dawn. Athletes were drawn to the centre of the beach by an unseen magnet, quiet with anticipation. Ah, the atmosphere of an Ironman morning is unmatched for its energy, the air tastes acrid and sweet at the same time. Maybe it's the adrenaline, maybe it's the atheletes knowing that their time, their day, it has arrived.

Getting everything into T1 was easy - uncrowded, unhurried, time seemed to expand. There wasn't even a line at the portapotties! And then time started to contract: people exponentially multiplied, I started to see familiar faces, lots of hugs, back to the portapotty (there's a line now), then off to find my wetsuit fitter; Tara B is far and away the BEST amateur wetsuit fitter I've even known (she should go pro). She wrestled me into that thing, no gaps or pulling away from my neck, a perfect fit. Time shrunk again and I needed to get onto the beach. Angie A snagged me at the line for a good luck hug and some sage advice that likely saved my race (thanks Angie!) - but I'll get to that in a few moments.

The Swim: 3.8km
I found my spot on the beach, then waded into the water. I didn't want to be too far back, as I am a strong enough swimmer that I can handle a few bumps, and I wanted to find some feet to follow. Easier said than done! From the moment my face hit the water, there was constant contact from the other competitors, all of us wanted to share the same space, swim the same line. Egads, it was chaos! In spite of the chaos, I didn't panic - I kept moving forward, one stroke after the other, I found a rhythm in the chaos and pushing and bumping and kicking and punching and shoving. Then came the heel to my left eye. Sheesh, that one hurt. I honestly thought that when I surfaced on the beach I'd have a black eye. And the suction on my goggles got extra tight, like it was sucking my eyeball out!! With all the jostling around, I didn't want to stop to adjust my goggles, so I kept on swimming. The second corner was worse than the first! I popped my head up to sight on the next buoy and ran into a wall of people! I muttered, "Where are we going?" and heard several people chuckle and say "good question!" The swim back to the beach didn't improve much, lots of contact. I tried all kinds of strategies, speed up, slow down, move to either side, but I guess I was just in the mix of it all. And honestly, if I can survive a swim like that, I can survive any kind of swim in the future.
All of that bumping around cost me: based on training swims and previous race results, I had hoped for a faster swim. My swim time is still admirable, I'm just a bit disappointed, because I felt strong, I didn't have to stop and adjust, I swam as smoothly as possible.
Swim: 1:25:36
Swim rank: 110 out of 127 Women 35-39
Swim rank: 2028 out of 2811 overall

T1
Tara B saw me coming and dashed for my bag - thanks Tara! - and I hurried off to claim a seat in the tent. Wow, it was crowded in there, time to get moving and get out of here! The sunscreen station was thorough, thanks, I didn't even get a sliver of a burn all day long (which was one of my biggest concerns). I waved at Madi S and headed for the road.

The Bike: 180km
I love my bike. She's shiny and light and takes me to fun places. Today, she worked hard: the temperature was rapidly rising (it would top out around 35+ degrees) and it was windy and I spilled nutrition and food all over her. What a trooper.
The ride out of town was uneventful, but I was thirsty. Very, very thirsty. So on the way up MacLean Creek road I decided to grab some water at the aid station. Much better. Shannon O and I played leapfrog a few times, as we would all day long, and then I buckled in for the long ride: keep it simple, keep it steady. Drafting was a big problem. I know the marshals did their best, but it was a crowded road and I saw packs of people moving forward. Knowing that the only thing to do was to ride MY ride, I put my head down and kept spinning. The ride up Richter wasn't so bad - everyone complains about it - but I saw Jen S and decided to keep her butt in view the whole way up (as she reminded me, "Let's see if Richelle's spin class pays off!"). At the top I put my foot down for a quick minute to adjust some nutrition bottles and saw Rona S and Leslie Ann M spin past. I gave a quick wave to my support crew Ryan and Emma, then got ready for the fun part: descending Richter's. Wow, I love speed, to the tune of 63km/hour! And gravity is free!
Next up, The Rollers. Now that the sun was viciously beating down on us, the wind also decided to pick up, so the downhill portions were actually hard work. Eventually I made it to the out and back, tore open my Special Needs Bag and devoured some salt tabs, used some chamois butters, and grabbed more water. I know the aid stations ran out later in the day, but rest assured I drank every last drop in the bottles that I picked up. I took the extra salt tabs with me and continued to consume them every hour; I hadn't trained with them, but I bet they saved my body a lot of grief this day. In fact, I was starting to feel a bit nauseous, which I have come to learn means that I'm dangerously close to the limits of exertion. The salt tabs almost instantly took away my nausea. At this point the temperature was ridiculously hot, the sun was beating so hard on my black shorts that they felt like they had spontaneously burst into flame, and I was sweating hard. It was H.O.T.
The climb up Yellow Lake was hard. I kept spinning, I passed people who were walking, I kept spinning, I passed people who were sitting in the shade, I kept spinning. At the top there is no respite, just a short flat stretch before one final climb. I kept spinning, knowing that the downhill into town was within reach. I put a big smile on my face and let my bike carry me home. But wait - the wind was back, right in my face, forcing me to pedal. I kept it light, kept spinning, back to town.
The bike portion was fun: I didn't over-exert myself, I didn't run out of gas, but I did run out of "zip." The heat just sucked it right out of me. My legs weren't heavy, but they weren't full of energy either; I was having an okay day. Did I have expectations for the ride? Sure, I'd love to have been faster, but given the heat, I'm super pleased with my bike results.
Bike Time: 7:19:15
Bike Rank: 121 out of 127 women 35-39
Bike Rank: 2260 out of 2811 overall

This pic was taken by pro Triathlete Jordan Bryden, and I love that I have a smile on my face, sunscreen everywhere, and I'm ready to get it in gear!

T2
In retrospect I should have paid closer attention to the people who took my bike. I crossed the dismount line into T2 and someone grabbed my bike and pointed me in the other direction. That's a lot of trust in a total stranger! Thank-you to the wonderful volunteers who looked after the athletes and our gear.
Into the tent, strip, get dressed, get more sunscreen, get moving.

OUCH!!!!! WHY DO MY FEET HURT!!!!!!

The Run: 42.6km
I have spent countless hours with Sarah PG (thanks Sarah!) at physio sorting out the issues under my toes, and issues with my hips/IT band. Can you believe that neither of these things reared their ugly heads at Ironman? Nope, instead, a whole new problem surfaced: the metatarsals in my feet were THROBBING!!! The big, long foot bones in both feet were screaming at me. Every step was painful. Now what????
I gulped down some Tylenol and set out at a brisk walk, hoping that the pain would go away.
I saw our neighbours Kris and Renata cheering for me, I saw my kids, my family, my sister who came from Ontario to watch me do this crazy thing. Wow, what a rush, the support was overwhelming.
And did I mention it was HOT? I was in danger of overheating, I could tell that my focus was less than perfect, and all I wanted was some air conditioning. I don't do well with heat; I prefer the high-teens to low-twenties for temperature, no humidity, nice and temperate. I melt in the heat, I get instant heat rash, I feel simply wretched in the heat. And now I was faced with running a marathon in the 35+ degree heat. Here is where Angie's sage advice came into play: she suggested that at each aid station I grab a baggie of ice (or a cup of ice) and carry it with me. I could either suck on the ice water, use it to cool myself, or just hold it in my mouth. She was right. I took ice at each aid station and put three cubes down the front and back of my top (I later felt my top and discovered it was deliciously cool, those ice cubes kept my core temp low, to good effect). I avoided the sprinklers as they would simply weigh down my shoes with water and potentially cause blisters. I grabbed a slice of orange and a cup of Coke at the aid stations until my tummy said "eeewww" and I drank water and took salt tabs every hour.
On the way out, I saw Angie and the TTL tent - what a great cheering section! I was disappointed that I wasn't running, but I kept my pace strong. Angie trotted beside me and commented on my fast pace (it's the long legs, Angie) and reminded me that I got to choose how to deal with this dilemma. She was right, I just kept moving forward, no free walking, and then when the downhills approached, I decided to suck it up and run down them (gravity is free!). The running portions got longer and longer, and eventually I passed Shannon (we leapfrogged again - she did wonders for my morale all day, thanks to Shannon for her wisdom and perseverence!) and then she would pass me again. I walked uphill, ran downhill and kept moving forward. I saw my sister at the turn-around in OK Falls, she was pushing Amy, nice to see my family, they all watched me like an exhibit at the zoo as I applied Second Skin to my budding blisters, then I was off again, headed for home. The run back along the lake had cooled down a bit, I actually enjoyed this part of the run, and yes, I was running again, not fast, but faster than walking. I was eating pretzels and soup, sucking on water and ice. By the time I reached town it was dark, kinda eerie. Lots of encouragement from pedestrians along the way, back to town, back to Lakeshore. There was TTL at the turn-around, cheers and high-fives, there was my family, time to get it in gear again. I ran the last kilometer into the finish line, the crowd was fantastic, I had the finisher's chute all to myself, hit the blue carpet and BLISS. I crossed the line! Cindy Spence, you are an Ironman!
I know that my training made it possible to run this marathon. I believe I had the legs for it, that I had the focus for it, that I was ready for it. Once I found my feet (or maybe once they were numbed from the 6 Tylenol I gobbled down), the running seemed easier than walking. I even negative split my marathon, I mean, how crazy is that? I have no ambition to ever run in Boston, and sure, I'd like to improve my 10k PB or feel better running uphill; but, for now, I am pleased with this marathon. I fought back after some serious heat issues, didn't have a single GI issue all day, fueled the marathon portion entirely with on-course nutrition, and finished with a smile.
Marathon time: 6:12:56
Run rank: 1323 out of 167 women 35-39
Run rank: 2195 out of 2811 overall

I love that I'm running with such focus in this photo, I look stronger than I have ever felt, and I'm racing Ironman! (photo courtesy of Jordan Bryden)

Yes, I had to do some walking, but you can see the heat and how much I was sweating in this pic. At least there's a BIG smile on my face!

On Hitting the Blue Carpet: T3
I need to offer up a huge, extra-special thanks to my catchers, Scott and Mike, both from TTL. I was really dazed when I crossed the line, I don't even remember gathering my Finisher shirt or having my photo taken, I think I started to be aware of my surroundings sometime after my first slice of pizza, just as Scott and Mike were saying good-bye. They helped me find a seat, get some food, and stay upright. Thanks guys, you were great.

Over-all Ironman time: 15:14:47
Ironman rank:127/167 women 35-39
Ironman rank: 2197 out of 2811 overall

And now for the thank-you's:
Thank-you to Richelle L, who deserves Coach of the Year for her unending enthusiasm and belief in my abilities, even when I doubted and cursed and raged and laughed.
Thank-you to my sister, Robin M, who flew with my 10-month old niece to be at this momentous event in my life.
Thank-you to the friends who think I've disappeared off the face of the earth (Ironman training is all-consuming, sorry for deserting you) - you know who you are.
Thank-you to the girls who sent me music for my marathon - I thought of you along the journey and call upon your strength.
Thank-you to my daughters, for loving me even when I am a crazy Ironman-in-training.
Thank-you to Ryan, for loving me just because.

I promise to post more pics soon, the official video and pics are coming, they look great, but the download is slow. Stay tuned!

.... what's next?
Well isn't that the question hanging in the air. Yes, I still want to race triathlon. Yes, I miss my mountain bike. Let's wait a few weeks to decide, shall we?

.... and yes, I'm getting the tattoo, I'll post pics of that, too! :)

Scott's 24 hours of adrenaline race report

2011-09-06T12:10:00.001-07:00

Surviving 24 Hours On a Mountain Bike by Scott Thomson with commentary from Cindy Chetley-Thomson

July 2001 – May 2011
In preparing for and completing IMC in 2010, I put into question an accomplishment I completed 10 years ago - the 24 Hours of Adrenalin mountain bike race solo. The concept of the race is to complete as many laps of the course as you can in 24 hours. The course is18.5km with 1620 ft elevation climb and 1620 ft downhill over a mix of easy, technical and difficult terrain. The racers can do this in teams or solo. The ranking is done by highest number of laps, if there’s a tie then time is used. One important rule is if you cross the finish line before 23 hours you must do another lap and complete it finished 25 hours.

I thought I was done with the race and didn’t need to come back to it, but doing IMC made me consider redoing this race because of some core items I learned from the process of truly preparing and executing a race. Prior to IMC I would classify myself as a solid weekend warrior athlete - get off the couch, do what I could, and recover through the week. When I last did the 24H race solo I thought Ironman was just for crazies, who would want to do that? It was just so big. So instead I’d go ride a mountain bike for 24 hours – yeah, they were crazy. Once Cindy started doing Ironman with a coach, I was older and wiser so I figured I too would try a coach instead of the couch to do IMC. I figured I’d survive better, which I did, but in the process I felt like I had unfinished business with the 24H race because I had not been properly prepared.

The key elements I learned from Ironman training (and my wonderful coaches/team mates) were: training, pacing, nutrition, medical, and recovery. Consider my training plan a decade ago: a handful of 2-3 hour MTB rides a few weekends before the race and one 120k cold turkey night road ride from 8 PM – 1:30 AM. Crazy? A bit as my bike lights didn’t last the entire ride, had no cell phone, and enough food for 2 hours not 5 ½ hours. Pacing? What was that? I went out hard and tried to keep moving by bouncing off trees and avoid doing endos. Fuel? Well let’s just say I learned I had no idea back then. I ate the wrong things at the wrong times. OMG! What was I thinking with the exercise on all you can eat PB&J sandwiches. Medically, I didn’t having a frigg’n clue what I was doing to myself by ‘training only on weekends’. I likely made the race harder than if I had just done it cold turkey. I now see myself as lucky to have survived last time, though I did end up with an injury that I didn’t take care of until I started IM training. Recovery at that time was a close descendant of a drinking game known as ‘hair of the dog’, it went like this: it hurts, oh better go do some more. Then post biking going for beer, nachos and wings. What do you think, is that good recovery food? Uh, NO. So 10 years later I thought I was a bit more enlightened. I signed up to re-do the 24 Hour solo race then realized mid-winter I was having difficulty finding the motivation to train so I did Ironman St. George to help me train for it, talk about ass-backwards.

June 2011 – July 22 2011
June was a fast transition from road to mountain bike training to de-rust my technical skills. Really I was working to challenge the TTL coaches with now only 2 months to race date. The hard part of MTB training is the different culture involved, post ride beer and nachos was hard to avoid, and getting dirty is part of the adventure here adding to bike maintenance time and budget. My training consisted of swimming twice a week, running once a week and biking 4 days a week. The biking was a mix between long road rides, moderately long MTB rides and shorter harder hills or technical riding. Five days before the race I got sick and did nothing, kind of a forced taper. The fever broke the day before the race and I could start eating again, yeah. OK, now let’s see how much better I could do than last time ;-).

The night before race start, I went to setup my transition area on ‘pit row’ in the wind and rain only to discover someone else setup in my spot, so I had to take his. My pit had a table for food, a few lawn chairs, and a tent so I could lie down or change as the race went on. It also contained a bike stand, lots of spare clothing, tools, a second bike and acted as shelter for my crew; I had three great pit members Cindy, Chris and Kelvin. One small screw up was the camping tent I brought took up all the space under the 10 x 10 tent borrowed from Carla (thank-you Carla), so I used duct tape and ingenuity to make it take ¼ its initial size and still work. Other solo tents had side panels on their tents in case of rain. We had rain but no side protection so Cindy had to run to town to buy a tarp (I considered using more duct tape instead of the tarp, but didn’t have enough). I also had our travel trailer so staying dry sleeping in a real bed with heat, a bathroom, and a kitchen the night before the race was a significant step up from 10 years prior when we slept in a tent (what was I thinking?). It also made for a comfortable place for my support crew to hang out and sleep in while I was riding.

CINDY: Our pit tent looked like something from a shantytown. We were definitely outclassed next to the sponsored riders with their fancy-shmancy tents, coffee urns, itemized clothing hangers and reclining lawn chairs. Not to be out done, I grabbed a few hangers from the trailer and hung some of Scott’s clothes from the tent. Surveying our buffet of salty junk food and sugar-laden treats, and comparing it to those around us I realized we had nothing of any nutritional value. I made a note to get some fruit and yogurt from the trailer. The tents across from us were mostly crewed by women, none of whom looked like they had any athletic background, a guy who looked like he would be more comfortable sitting in front of a computer, and set of elderly parents. We might not have the schwankiest tent but we had technical acumen, and an in-depth understanding of an endurance athletes needs that can only be achieved by personal experience. We were going to be the kick-butt pit crew.

June 23 2011 – 12:00 noon
Lap 1 (12:00-2:00 pm) Before I knew it, it was noon and race start. It began with a 1 km run to spread the ~300 hundred riders out before hitting the trails. I did a slow jog, and was likely the 4th last rider out on the trail. This was part of my plan as I was happier going slower the first lap to avoid getting injured by someone else (a very common issue for the first lap). The first lap had rain and was extremely muddy. I had to stop a few times to scoop mud out of my gears and wheel clearance areas. The mud was like peanut butter, about 3 jars worth, stuck to my tires, frame and body. I had to scoop out 4 hand-fulls 3 times. It was getting so packed in it was like riding with the brakes on and 3 gears too hard, not fun. I held an excruciatingly slow pace and found when I hit the first stretch of single track it paid off as the line of riders was just as slow and wheel to wheel as far as you could see, about 40 riders were actually behind me at this point, don’t know how I passed them. Then about 1/3 of the way around everyone disappeared and I was riding alone, a bit of a blessing, but also spooky. I figured it was a combination of my middle of the pack climbing ability (holding me with the starting group) and gravitational downhill advantage (lots of weight and comfort with speed) placing me in a gap between the riders. First lap (time 1:57, average speed 8.4km/h) including my pit-row break to allow my bike to have a quick lube and cleaning, not bad holding the pace I wanted.

CINDY: Riders were coming into the pit area with mud-caked bikes. Okay, people let’s see how you handle muddy bikes. Lady across from us pulled out a scrub brush and got to work, elderly couple jumped the fence with their rider’s bike and hit the bike wash. Riders of fancy dressed trio of ladies and computer guy switched bikes, so they used the bike wash. Watching this unfold while waiting for Scott I realize technical acumen we may have, but something to clean Scott’s bike with we do not. Kelvin borrowed the scrub brush from the lady across from us while I scavenged up water. Scott didn’t want to switch bikes so we cleaned what we could, which wasn’t much. So we now had the ugliest tent, the dirtiest bike, the least nutritional food, and our rider was almost last. It was becoming apparent we were going to have to step up our game. I recorded the calorie intake for the lap: Scott – 250, me – 670. Clearly sitting across a table laden with junk food for 2 hours isn’t a good idea. 22 hours to go.

Lap 2 (2:00 – 4:00 pm): I still had lots of space around me on the trail, still a bit spooky being all alone when riding with 300 other bikers, makes you question a wrong turn. The rain and mud were getting lighter. My pace was good and I found it easy to take in the fluids and fuel for aid station 1 and 2 without stopping, but station 3 was too short a leg that went straight into technical single track so I skipped taking anything here for a few laps. I replaced my wet weather gloves with regular bike gloves and dropped the vest I had in my pocket this time.

CINDY: How did those women get those bikes so clean so fast!? I managed to wrangle up a few face cloths and a sponge from the trailer. I filled every spare water bottle figuring Scott’s already drinking from a dirty water bottle it won’t kill him to keep it for another lap. I need to get his bike clean. Those women may be able to keep bikes clean but just wait until they have to handle a mechanical. Then we’ll see who cracks. Computer guy’s rider comes in grumbling that he feels like he’s on lap 7. Kelvin and I exchange a look and snicker. He’s not going to last long.

Lap 3 (4:00-6:00 pm): I think it was about this point that I had finished sweating out the remainder of being sick before the race. My fuel intake was good and pace was right in the range I wanted. I could go faster but knew I’d pay for it if I did. My legs felt really good, power when I needed it, no burning or pain. The other teams had spread out enough now that they passed me on most up hills. It was seldom a problem for them as there was either enough room to squeeze by or I would step off the trail for a moment to let them past. This was part of my plan as I did not want to get hurt by someone only doing 1-2 laps and taking stupid chances to save themselves 10 seconds on a 1 hour lap. I had an 86,400 second race and 10s was not worth risking finishing. I did find I only got passed on the downhill’s by the top riders maybe 5 times through the whole race, this is where my biking is strongest, going downhill fast and technical (ok gravitational advantage), always the reward for slogging up then flying down.

CINDY: Watched an unappetizing display as a pit crew starts pouring rice pudding into Ziploc bags, even more unappetizing was watching their rider guzzle it down through a hole in the corner of the bag. I BBQ some burgers for supper at the trailer. Kelvin starts cleaning Scott’s spare bike. I know Scott’s trying to pace himself but he’s now 2 laps behind the faster guys and still hasn’t passed the old guy across with us who has no muscle tone. I want to tell him to pick it up but bite my tongue instead.

Lap 4 (6:00-8:00 pm): I almost ran over a dead squirrel in the middle of the trail on the corner of a drop, spooked me as I was going 40 km/h and it was getting dusk. Fear not as soon as I hit the uphill my speed dropped like a rock (3-7 km/h, yeah I was slower than a snail, actually think one passed me on lap 5, but it was getting dark so hard to tell).

CINDY: Designer ladies’ rider hands them his bike all agitated and barking orders then hops on his spare bike and rides away. Ha, ha – a mechanical. I watch how they’re going to handle this. One of the ladies wheels the bike our way. “Do you know where the bike mechanic is?” I point toward the lodge. She thanks me then strolls away returning 20 minutes later with the bike fixed. Grrr.

Lap 5 (8:00 – 10:20 pm): Changed bikes and helmets so the crew could mount my lights I had asked the guys to have my backup lights mounted on my spare (non-suspension) bike and helmet. I kind-of forgot to tell them which my spare (secondary) lights were. They did their part and would have been a slick transition if I had not needed the extra rest and sat down in my pit to take off the compression socks, about where I was expecting, they helped but the squeeze they provide lost its comfort and started bugging me.

CINDY: Scott wants us to mount the lights on his bikes and helmet. He mumbles something about primary and secondary lights. We look at the lights. None of us can see a difference between them. We shrug and mount them where ever. I change into my PJs for the night thankful for the cover of darkness as I realize, much to my embarrassment, that with my Ironman jacket, cap, Ironmom shirt, and Ironman flannel pants I’m a walking billboard. I really need some non-athletic brand clothes.

Lap 6 (10:20 pm – 12:43 am): Glad to remount the nice bike with the better lights. The temperature was going down so I put on a vest and arm warmers for this lap, the warmers just didn’t stay up very well (considered using duct tape to fix them but didn’t want to stop). Everything but the butt felt great to this point, butt was only a bit sore, legs were happy to keep spinning and technically everything felt good. My butt was really happy to switch back to the full suspension bike. Most notable on this lap was me and another rider got passed too close by a ‘rookie’ rider that pushed us both off the trial (this is just as annoying as drafting in a race). Unfortunately this caused a hard stop because I didn’t have enough room to clear a tree, ouch and inner swear, same thing for the other rider on the other side of the trail. The rookie seemed to snake past without stopping or falling by narrow dumb luck. Then 20 seconds later I saw the same rookie righting his bike from an endo; obviously he is riding faster than his abilities (isn’t fate cool). I let my emotions ride for 5 minutes here, as he did not wait for a traffic gap to start but cut me off causing me to almost endo with the brake slam. It was on a fast fun part of the trail that is a gentle downhill so I could ride it fast, I’ve been over this part many times already and knew every turn and line so I chased him, hard. I gave him little to no space and pushed him down this part way faster than he wanted as he pissed me off. He kept shoulder checking and was clearly surprised that a solo rider was so close and fast, clearly he had no interest in getting out of the way of a faster rider, if he only knew that come the next hill I couldn’t hold him for the life of me, hey live the moment. Retrospect, this was the wrong way to handle it but I gave myself a 5-minute emotional indulgence to defend my technical riding ability.

CINDY: As soon as Scott is out of sight I leave the other support crews bundled in blankets trying to catch an hour of sleep in their lawn chairs for my castle of luxury with its heat and soft queen bed. I have at least 2 hours. Scott can take as long as he wants. Returning to the pit I grab some free popcorn.

Lap 7 (12:43 - 4:10 am): Start my lap but would have been done if this were IMC, so only 11 hours more to go. Feeling surprisingly good, must have been not having to do a run ;-). It was getting colder so before starting this one changed my shorts, shirt and vest, it did help to remove the hours of soaked in sweat. Crazy part of this lap was I almost hit a deer at 30 km/h on a fast downhill corner on this lap out in the meadow (risk of night riding, heart still works as the encounter definitely gave me an adrenaline spike). So far with the proper training, fuelling and pacing I was feeling better than a decade ago. I finished lap 7, tying the # of laps and 8 hours ahead of what I did 10 years ago. In retrospect this is where my HR also started to change, indicating I was running out of the non-fat fuels, I didn’t notice until data investigation.

Riding alone in the woods in the middle of the night is a strange sensation as all you can see is either the bit of trail you are lighting up or the odd rider off in the distance looking like a firefly. This part of the race is typically the make or break point as riding in the dark tends to take away some of the sensory feedback, leaving you alone with your thoughts. Hills become a bit easier as all you can see is the 10 feet directly in front of you, helping the mental focus to what is controllable and eliminating the rest of the stuff past it. Unfortunately not being able to clearly see what gear you are in is a bit tougher as I often wanted an easier gear and it just wasn’t there. Night riding is an experience that I suggest anyone try, its closest comparison to triathlon is to swimming in a dark murky lake with no visibility, just faster.

CINDY: Return to pit area to see paramedics at designer ladies tent. Their rider gets hauled away in a stretcher. I almost feel sorry for the riderless crew but not quite, they get to go home. Scott just moved up a spot. I notice computer guy’s rider is sitting in a lawn chair still wearing his sunglasses mummified in a blanket. He can sit there as long as he likes, Scott’s tied him laps. No muscle tone guy is hibernating in his tent and has been since midnight. He can stay there, Scott’s passed him up – finally. Scott decides to take a 30-minute break and lays down in the tent. We sit out in the cold. I light a small portable fire can for heat but it’s useless. Practically have to stick my hand in the flame to get any warmth. Chris gives me hot shots to hold. Exactly 30 minutes later I wake up Scott. He says he needs another 15 mins. Grrr. 45 minutes! If he would have just said that at the beginning we could have went back to the trailer. Watch the minutes pass and push him out 15 minutes later as fast as possible so I can return to the trailer.

Lap 8 (4:10 – 8:47 am): Feeling better than before so I gave myself permission to lay down for 20 minutes before beginning lap 8, which turned into 45 and didn’t help me any. Stopping was a bad thing as the aches and pains came out. I lost my power to climb hills, but still had good speed and leg turn over everywhere else. Coldest ride of the day. Struggled through the lap but my mind and body were no longer in it. I had to walk stuff that I should have been riding, I just felt like my motor was miss firing. I started getting clumsy, slipping on parts that I shouldn’t, bounced off a few trees with glancing blows (hurts much more now than 10 years back). Got to see the sun rise as I went through the far meadow, but the typical high it gives was not there. I needed more rest. Got back to the pit-row around 6:30 a.m. and went to the trailer for some real sleep. I gave instructions to be woken up at 8 a.m. to give me the potential for 2 more laps, closed my eyes for what seemed just a second then recall Cindy trying to pull me out of my coma. Actual finish time for lap 8 was at 8:47 a.m., giving me up to 4 hours 13 minutes left to ride. Still felt better than I did for IMSG but I’d be done by the time I started this lap, starting to figure out who the real crazy ones are.

Lesson: no matter how much rest I got at this point it would not be enough to benefit my speed or ability. It only gave the fatigue a way to sink in. Some riders stopped, as it got dark and slept until morning, they also rode each lap faster. I don’t know if the long break helped them or not but I didn’t see many do more than one lap after restarting. My gut tells me they were hurting for this last lap, I know I was.

CINDY: With Scott away all our thoughts immediately turned to crawling into a warm bed for sleep. We get to the trailer. It’s locked. I left my keys inside, so did Kelvin and Chris. Oh this can’t be happening at 4 friggin, freezing AM in the morning! God, I hate this race! I decide to search the cargo space for a spare key even though I know there won’t be one because Scott gave them all to us, but it was something for me to do to keep from FREAKING OUT! I needed sleep and warmth. I was not going back to that cold, dark, pit-tent. The cargo door wasn’t locked. When I open it I realize I can access the space from under the bed, our hydraulic bed. I crawl into the cargo space and I’m able to lift the bed. There’s just enough room for me to shimmy into the storage space under it. I’m in. Oh, I’m happy. Happy. Happy. Happy. I want to cry. I open the trailer door and we all fall into warm beds. Do I feel bad sleeping in my cozy bed while Scott’s riding sleep deprived in the cold dark? Absolutely not. Scott returns at 6:00 AM and announces he’s going to sleep in the trailer until 8 am. I don’t like this idea. He’s only done 8 laps. His goal is double digits. I don’t want to be back here in another few years because he still has “unfinished business” with this race. Doing a mental calculation he’d still have time for 3 laps so I let him stop.

Lap 9 (8:47 – 11:10 am): Dropped all extra clothing, err I mean, back to shorts and shirt. I was feeling better than lap 8 but the legs started to hurt on the uphills. I had nothing left in the reserve tanks. I could keep moving but could no longer speed up. I got back to the pit and it was a few minutes past 23 hours race time. I knew I could not do a sub 2-hour lap, no matter how hard Cindy tried kicking me in the butt to help me to try one more lap, the butt numbness and fatigue overrode her foot motivation methods. Avoiding a DNF was more important as I was happy with the improvement I had made over a decade ago. So I waited a few minutes at the pit and chatted with the crew before trundling in across the line. Total time 23:06, 18th place solo, had I gone straight in after getting back I would have had 17th place, oops, this is where 3 minutes makes a difference (if you actually care, which at that point I didn’t). If I were in contention for second or third it would have been different, but this is where as a racer my mind was not all there and reliance on the pit-crew to tell me what was going on and what to do kicked in.

CINDY: Whoa! Return to pit area and see 3 tents have been packed up. No muscle tone guy has emerged rested and ready to continue riding. Computer guy’s rider is still mummified in his chair – dude, go home already. Rice pudding guy heads out for lap 15. Freak.

Scott says he only has enough in him for one more lap, but he has enough time for 2. As the morning continues the tents around us start rapidly disappearing. I’m worried that when Scott returns the sight of so many riders quitting will make him want to stop. I’m adamant that we’re not packing anything until Scott’s done his lap. At the time creeps towards 11:00 am, the time you can officially end the race, I’m hoping Scott’s not stopped around the corner waiting so he doesn’t have to do another lap. He has to do another lap. I refuse to come back to this race. After 11 a.m. I reluctantly give the go ahead to Chris and Kelvin to start tearing down the pit. Scott doesn’t have enough time to finish the last lap. Crap!

Scott rides in. I make a last ditch attempt to get him back out for lap 10. He says he’s good. He’s happy with how he’s done. I remind him he was happy 10 years ago and here we are. Nope, he says, he’s done. So am I.

Rice pudding guy returns to his pit without finishing his last lap. Wonder if he’s knows he just DNFed?

Similar to finishing Ironman, your mind and body have worked so hard to get you across the line that you either drop to the ground or act like a drunken sailor. For me keeping moving was key to avoid falling asleep. The sleep came quickly after we hit the road. My support crew did an awesome job keeping me going and while they did get a few 90 minute sleep breaks I know their day is often just as hard as racing if not harder, Thank-you very much Cindy, Kelvin and Chris. I could not have done this without you.

Statistics and Finale
I trained on infinit and had it as a big part of my fuelling plan, yeah didn’t happen. I took in one 1 bottle and just couldn’t drink it. Instead I took in ½ of the 30 GU’s they gave me, 1 bag of chomps, 8 bottles of Gatorade and as much chips, cheezies, cheese and crackers, cola, cookies and anything else I could get in during my pit-stops. In all I burned through 8000 calories over the 9 laps and took in between 150-250 per lap (half of plan), so ~5500 cal had to come from my plentiful fat stores. I now have 2 GU flavors that make me gag, not bad for that much intake. My total elevation gain over the 24 hours was 14,500 feet or 4 times the bike portion of IMC. Converted specifically for Kelvin, that is from sea level to only ½ way up Mt. Everest and back in the 23:06.

Mentally doing this race takes a bit more mental strength to keep going as it is more lap driven than time driven, you can do as little as 2 laps and still finish (if you know the DNF rules) so saying you completed the race solo does not express what you actually did. Where as Ironman is more distance and time driven, finish 226 km in 17 hours or DNF. I now see I like the Ironman measurement better as finishing is the same distance for everyone, slight variations in difficulty per location, but that’s OK. Physically Ironman is a harder race, but I think that might come from the changing activities (trying to run after biking), but endurance wise these are very similar. Trying to avoid sleeping is not a huge issue for Ironman but is a big one for the 24H where I had to keep my mind on how my coordination was doing to avoid falling off the bike.

I am really happy with how this race went and don’t need to do it again [Cindy: Thank God!]. I found I managed each of these categories better this time, even with being 10 years older & sick the week prior to the race. I might do the 24H again as it carries many of the similar feeling to an Ironman and it is a really fun race (provided I can find a pit member to replace Cindy, as something tells me she doesn’t want to do it again). I want to do a very special thanks to my great support crew & coaches for getting me ready, keeping me fed, my bikes in clean working order (yes cleaner than I usually have them) and for thinking for me when needed it. I couldn’t have done the race without your help so a big THANKS to all.

Joz's Ironman Arizona Race Report - Nov. 2010

2011-08-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

A very late Ironman Arizona Race Report by, JOZEEE

What you ask am I doing writing this now?? Well it has been 8 months and the other day when I ran for the first time since my surgery I could not believe I had done an Ironman only 8 months ago. Below is the last paragraph of my Ironman Canada 2009 race report. I printed it off to show a newbie triathlete and decided to read it and boy I realized the last paragraph was the start of my IMA report:

“
. A special thank you to Cindy for the beautiful flowers, Kelvin for your words of wisdom, Angie for getting me to the start and always being there, John for your undying patience, Hope for keeping me company on long rides, Caroline and Nola for always listening and my family who did get up at 4 in the morning and were there every moment of my day. I truly believe I am still on my Ironman journey and I will finish it next time. I will take all the positives from IMC this year and all that I learned to my next IM. What an amazing team we have, we are all so blessed.”

So After Canada I went to Arizona with Nola in November and watched and volunteered to see if this would be my next IM. I needed to finish my journey and if that meant it was to be in Arizona than so be it. That Monday morning I registered for Ironman Arizona. My confidence renewed, my determination to succeed and my desire to be an Ironman was set in motion.

I got right back to training as soon as I got home and put my nose to the grind with nutrition. Angie and I discussed the plan and my goals for 2010 with much enthusiasm. I believe we both felt this would be a good year for me. I raced every month starting in April, either a run and or a triathlon. I raced right up to Banff in September. The other 4 girls and I put a lot of miles on our bikes taking advantage of every sunny day. I did the IM camp in July and road the IM Canada course with Cindy and Carla in August. We were able to bike outside right up until the week before we left for Arizona. Loved it.

I headed to Arizona with Stephanie and now X-husband 5 days prior to race day. The condo was beautiful and It was great staying with Trish and Jim. They are wonderful room mates and Jim was good for Kelly. Steph and I enjoyed some light shopping but most of it was pre-rides, swims and light runs with the girls. I fell in love with the bike
Route and felt confident this ride would be good if the weather gods cooperated.

I woke up race day at 4am. Trish and I enjoyed breakfast and coffee together and than we dragged the family to the race start. I was nervous but not like I was at Canada. Angie called me and said it was going to be windy. She said to keep a steady effort and not to give into temptation to go harder and blow up on the run. Excellent advice I would later find out. I Found my bike, pumped the tires, layed everything out, got body marked. I even ate my banana 1 hour from race start, had a gel on the way to the swim. Linda Vandyke stuck with me and kept promising she would get me thru. Her and Cindy were the 2 people I saw thru every part of my day and always told me to keep going.

The swim start was serene. Still dark, cold water and hard to see anything out there. Not good for someone with bad depth percecption. Under the bridge Linda tried to drown me when she hugged me to keep warm. Hard when your treading water. All I kept thinking
Was how am I going to start my watch and tread? You couldn’t hear the countdown or anything and before I knew it the gun went. It was mass caos. People were banging me, hitting me, pulling at me. Bastards!! I just put my elbows out and thought every man for himself. The first half was ok but I was cold. Especially my legs. The booties were full of water and felt weighted down but they were not mine so couldn’t chuck them. Before the first turn I had my first cramps. Both legs, and bad. So bad I yelled Kyak. Hold on, massage, relax, go again. Second cramps just starting back. Same! Yell kyak, massage, relax, go. Third time about 750 to go. I looked at my watch and thought crap. I was at the same time I had actually finished Canada swim. Well get it done and try not to cramp. Not like I could, but maybe mentally I could….lol Finally crawled out at 1:57. Geesh that was disappointing, I let it go. That part was done. But now I was out I actually felt ok. I ran to the change tent.

I was so excited to get on my bike. I felt good, strong and relaxed. I got going on the bike and went thru all my plans. I had 5 bottles of infinit, 1 water, honey bee waffles, gels for 1 per hour. It was windy but Angie’s words “stay steady” played in my head. I kept my HR steady and tried to maintain that. At the end of the first loop it was raining and I was so excited because after a hot Canada this was a breath of fresh air. I could handle the wind better than the heat. The rain did something to my computer and I had to stop and try and fix. All I had was cadence but I could work with that. I think it happened for a reason too. If I had speed and time I would have probably tried to keep it up instead of my steady effort. So its true “all things happen for a reason”. The second loop was a bit harder and fighting the wind was frustrating at times but we got some breaks when we turned. Loop 2 done. Going into the third loop it rained two more times. I was looking forward to the tail wind coming back but it turned and I was fighting it again. I stopped at special needs and grabbed my gingerale that was still slushy. That came with me and was sooooo good. By then that’s all I wanted. I did get my gels in on the hour, and my infinit too. I kept my effort steady and even though I knew It was slower I would be ok for the run. It was actually the swim that lost me 25 minutes for the run. Angie and I were hoping for 7 ½ hours for the run.

When I started running it was 5:10 ish. I new I had to pull this run out of my ass and had to push thru some discomfort. It felt good to run. I don’t even remember running at Canada. This day was different. No gut issues, no nausea..yeahhh. I yelled “I’m running as I left transition” That in itself was amazing for me. The first lap I made up a bit of time and felt good. When I started the second lap my stomach was a bit gurgly. I had to stop and pee than stop and well all the food on the bike needed to evacuate my body. That took some time. It also made it difficult to eat anything, so I chewed on ice the rest of the second loop. Start of the third loop was a “HOLY SHIT, WAKE UP, GET MOVING” moment. I didn’t have a lot of time and I realized what was going to happen if I didn’t reach down inside myself. Nola offered to run with me but I was scared of being DQ’d and only realized a bit later everyone at that point had friends and family running with them. Sorry Nola! You know you were in my heart. A fellow I had met said to stay with him and we would make it. He would pass me on the flats and I would pass him on the hills. Yah I passed him on the hills…lol I could always see him. Allison and Kelly met me on the other side at about 5 km and they were surprised to see me. They said I had really picked up the pace. They ran with me back over the canal and Kelly stayed at transition and Stephanie my daughter who doesn’t run joined Allison and I. She said “Mom if I can do this so can you”. Funny thing was is I knew I could do it. There was moments of oh forget it just quit, just walk but an old familiar disappointment and embarrassment of IMC would pop up. I needed to do this more than anything. This meant so much to me. Stephanie got behind going up the hill in the park and Allison had to remind me that I wasn’t a mom at this point and had to let go of her. She would be fine. Steph managed to find short cuts and catch up. Allison just kept pushing me and helping me to stay in the moment and fight. To be light and quick on my toes. Angie’s text to Kelly saying tell her to tell me too dig deep and do whatever it took to finish this race went thru my head. All my friends and family back home praying for me to finish and sending positive strong thoughts. You were all on my shoulders. As I came off the last bridge I asked the guy how much further. He said 3 Km. I only had 20 minutes to finish which meant less than 7 min km. Ouch!! Ally yelled to tuck in behind her and focus on her IMC finisher jacket. Sue Daniels was there yelling go, go, go. Angie says to keep going, go hard. I had cramps in my feet, my legs had no feeling, my jaw hurt from clenching, my abs hurt, my hands were like sausages, I felt horrible. I tried to stop once just for a second and Sue yelled “DON’T YOU STOP, I PROMISED ANGIE I WOULD GET YOU IN”. So I kept running. I was crying it hurt so bad. Ally said after she would go faster and look and I was still there, she would go faster and I was still there. I did that last 3km in 17:32. That means I ran the last 3km of my Ironman at a 5:50 km. I don’t run that doing speed work. All the way along people were yelling, you have 18 minutes, 15, 13, 12, minutes. Finally one guy yelled you still have 10 minutes your going to make it. Ally had people join in behind so they would finish too. As I came under the last bridge there was everyone who had been there thru this journey with me. Nola who had been there every step of the way, Scott and Cindy who had also raced and came to be there for me and of course Chris hobbling along behind me trying to keep up, giving Angie a play by play of my finish, (Angie you have no idea how much you were there, I felt you every step of the way and you were the first person I talked too and cried with.), and my amazing daughter who ran the last 8km with me and kept me going, Linda Vandyke waiting to hug me and take me for a massage. The Finish. Wow! People yelling, banging, cow bells, the announcer “JOANNE ZAWADA YOU ARE AN IRONMAN”. Wow!
It is all worth it. It is amazing. The most fulfilling, gratifying thing I have ever done in my life. If I forgot anyone I am so sorry, know you were all there, John Bosma my confidant, friend and supporter, Tara supporter and payed it back lending me that amazing helmet and knowing my song at the end was “I’ve had the time of my life” Sarah and Kelvin for always listening and saying the right things, Linda for all your words of encouragement, Carla, Cindy, Trish and Paddy for miles and miles and miles on the bike and so much fun training. Will I do another one? Probably. But not right now….lol

Katja's IM CDA Race Report - 2011

2011-08-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

My race report for Coeur D’Alene is long overdue. I’ve been so busy (mostly with work) since I got back, that I don’t know how I ever found the time to train before the race. Somehow, I just made the time for it. It had, after all, been an 8-year plan to do this race for my 50th birthday. Over those years, I had done 3 marathons, 3 half IM races, and a number of Olympic triathlons. I had always envisioned doing IM Canada, but the timing for that didn’t work this year, so Coeur D’Alene it was. The timing for CDA turned out not to be great either – I was dismayed to find out that neither of my sons would be finished with their final exams (junior high and high school) and so neither they, nor my husband, would be able to come to the race with me.

Luckily, my friend Nola stepped up in a huge way. Nola totally made my weekend!! I’m still blown away by how dedicated she was to making my weekend a success! With 3 IMs under her belt and lots of experience as a support person, she was invaluable. She was with me every step of the way in planning and preparation and helped with so many of the small but important details – like buying neoprene warmers for my bike shoes for me the day before the race, driving the bike course with me, and making sure I did NOT use those brand new laces on my runners. (I now know they would have given me grief on the run.) She also volunteered in the women’s change tent, which meant she could accompany me into transition on race morning and get me off to a good start and then help me at T2 as well. I can’t thank Nola enough!!

The other person that I owe a huge thank-you to is Angie. Angie’s coaching was everything I could have hoped for and more!! I felt absolutely confident in her training plan, knowing how many athletes she has prepared for IM. I knew that because of Angie, I had a rock-solid base of training and was well prepared. Angie had gone through all the details of the race with me and I had complete faith in the race plan.

Everything seemed great until… I got sick before the race! It started as a cold and sore throat and then moved down into my chest, leaving me with coughing up thick green sputum. (I know you just wanted to know that…) I panicked, of course! I did nothing at all for the entire week before the race – no runs, swims, bikes – didn’t even go near the lake or touch the water. (That might have been a good thing.) Nola and I didn’t go to the pre-race dinner, as I still didn’t feel well and had little energy for lining up and possibly being cold in the tent. However, I did go to the pre-race meeting, which served to take away my last bit of confidence. The worst news was that the water temperature was 14 degrees C (56 F), the coldest they’d ever had. It was so cold that booties were legal.

Sure enough, the swim was truly the swim from hell!! Even though I wore a full wetsuit and a cap and booties, it was just too cold for me. The swim start was brutal. I was suited up and moving down to the beach at 15-20 min before gun time, but it was a turtle-like shuffle towards the beach. All the athletes had to go over one mat to get to the beach and there were so many athletes and spectators that it was almost impossible to move. I hadn’t even made it onto the beach when the gun went off! So much for my plan to start out way over to the right… When I hit the water I couldn’t breathe. I’ve had that experience before but it has always gone away within a minute or two. Not this time! Again and again I tried to put my face in the water but just couldn’t cope. So I turned around to swim on my back. (I’ve never done that in a race before.) Well, before I knew it I was completely lost – out amongst the boats somewhere and totally disoriented. While I eventually did manage to put my face in the water and breathe—and re-join the swim course—I never did find a rhythm. I was cold the entire time. In the process I somehow swallowed lots of water and air. At the turn-around on the beach I wondered how I’d ever make another lap because I was already so cold!

When I got out of the swim volunteers kept trying to get me to go into the warm-up tent. In retrospect, it would probably have been a good idea, as I was shivering violently. But I refused and carried on. The first few km on the bike felt surreal. I was so cold, I felt disconnected from my legs. I kept looking down to make sure the bike was ok, as nothing felt “normal”. Luckily, it was a warm day and the sun slowly did its job of warming me up. The race plan was to go “easy cheesy” for the first 60k of the bike. After that I felt much better, but decided I would just keep going at that pace. I rode more slowly than during a normal training ride—I did pretty much the whole ride in HR upper zone 1. I was still coughing (more than ever), and because of the bronchitis, I didn’t know how much energy I had and I wanted to play it absolutely safe. I figured a slow finish time would be fine with me but a DNF wouldn’t…So I carried on, without pushing, gradually feeling better and better on the bike and beginning to appreciate the spectacular scenery, the spectators, and the fact that here I was actually doing an IM!! It was a huge lift to my spirits to see my brother, sister-in-law and niece, who had driven up from Saskatoon, cheering me on with home-made signs that made me smile each time I went by!!

I started the run with some stomach issues and had to use the porta-potties several times in the first ½.
However, gut issues during marathons are familiar to me, and although I was uncomfortable, I’ve had worse in other marathons and ½ IMs. I held a slow pace that felt quite comfortable, walking only in the aid stations as planned. (I was also in upper zone 1 HR for most of the run—being super conservative to ensure I would finish.) To my surprise, I just kept feeling better!! Angie had told me that the race didn’t start until the last 10k, so that’s when I finally dialed it up. It turns out I had a fair bit left at the end, as I was able to increase my pace considerably on that last 10k. It felt exhilarating!! The sun setting over the lake was stunningly beautiful, the crowd support was amazing, and I finally felt confident that I’d make it! I ended up passing so many people in those last 10k as I let my HR climb into the 130’s and lower 140’s and I felt better than I’d felt all day! Seeing Nola and my family at the finish line was a highlight. I’ll never forget the joy I saw reflected in Nola’s eyes as she greeted me.

It has now been over 6 weeks since that day. I’m so happy I embarked on this ironman journey eight years ago and I’m grateful that I was able see it through. I’m thankful to Nola and Angie, and of course to my family who’ve been super supportive and have put up with the seemingly endless training. I miss those long training rides now… Because of many other commitments, it may well be 6 years before I do another IM. But I will be back – Penticton in 2017 anyone??

Cindy's Invermere Race Report - July 2011

2011-07-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

When I think of myself as a racer I don’t think fast. I think good, but not fast. When I got out of the swim Scott told me I was 6th out of the water. I could have sworn there was an entire pack of people ahead of me. When I hit the bike turnaround at the end of the downhill I was in 2nd place, I expected at least 4 others to be ahead of me. Starting back up the climb I could see all the riders behind me. The closest female looked so strong and fast, and there I was slogging up the hill in my granny gear. I knew she was trying to chase me down and accepted the fact she was going to pass me. I ACCEPTED the fact. At that moment I realized not only had I just lost the race, but I was handing it over. Why was I so ready to believe her abilities over mine – I knew nothing about her? What if she couldn’t climb? What if she was on the verge of blowing up? What if she couldn’t run?

While I wasn’t deluded enough to believe I could win, I was disappointed enough in myself that I figured I’d at least make this girl work to pass me. I pushed up the hill with what I had, not caring if I had anything for the run. I focused on the maximum effort I could produce in that moment. My goal was to get as far as I could before the next racer passed me. Imagine my surprise when I got to transition still in 2nd place.

Now did I think I had a shot at winning? Absolutely not. Running is not my strong point, I would eventually get passed – probably in the first 2kms, but I was sticking to my guns to make her work for it. I didn’t look at heart rate, pace, or time. I was going strictly on putting one foot in front of the other as fast as I could. At the run turnaround I was able to see how far back the rest of the racers were. They looked so close. There was the girl still looking strong, fast and even more determined. I was the one in the lead but I felt weak, slow and vulnerable.

I picked up the pace. When I saw the last steep climb I was done. There was no way I was going to maintain my lead up that. I mentally gave myself a shake, - don’t hand over the race. Make that girl work. Stop giving up. Maybe that girl has a stitch and had to walk. Maybe she feels like she has to puke like you do. I focused solely on going as fast as I could up the hill. I did get passed by a young guy, which meant others weren’t far behind but they weren’t there yet so I fought on. Not once did I look behind me because I knew if I did and saw how close the next racer was I would be finished.

When I reached the top of the hill I had 1.5km to go, all downhill. Never did I imagine I could maintain a lead in a race this long. Was I thinking I could win? Nope. I was hurting thinking that 2nd place was good and started slowing down. I gave myself a HARD mental slap across the head. What is WRONG with you? Why do you want to settle for second when first is right in front of you? I increased pace.

Only when I reached the 1 km mark did I believe I could take the win and decide to fight for it. I was so close to the finish. I was not going to be the Tour de France rider who worked so hard the entire race only to be blown by in the final meters. I dug into a well of energy and effort I didn’t know existed and sprinted the final km, hoping I wasn’t going to have to slow down to throw up. For the first time ever in a race seeing the finish line did not defeat me.

I finished 50 secs ahead of the next female. I was that far ahead, and yet up until the last 5 minutes of the race I was ready to concede victory to her because I didn’t believe I was faster. Why? Because I was in pain. I didn’t feel fast. I didn’t feel strong. I didn’t look as fit as her. She had fire in her eyes while I felt like a scared rabbit. I never realized how many negative pre-conceived notions I have in my head. It never occurred to me that maybe all top finishers are in pain. Maybe none of them feel fast. Maybe they all feel weak. Maybe none of them think they look fit. Maybe they all feel like scared rabbits running for the chute waiting to be passed. I’ve never seen myself race. Maybe I do look fast (I just assume everyone who tells me that is being polite and encouraging). Maybe I do look strong. Maybe I do look fit and intimidating.

This race has given me tremendous insight into realizing how many times I’ve mentally buckled in races. In this race, because I was leading, there was a tangible outcome if I gave up – I’d lose my podium finish and I’d know it. Usually I’m never in contention for a win so I’m only racing for my own goals, if I give up on those there’s no consequence and nobody knows but me.

Looking back on some of my races I realize that I’ve let a lot of goals go because for whatever reason I mentally checked out without even knowing it. Stony is a perfect example. I was ready to give the race up 2 weeks before it started because I had ACCEPTED I wasn’t going to PR. Halfway through the race I realized I could actually PR. Get a flat and lose 10 mins, what happens? I mentally check out because my timing to PR is blown. The entire run I’m miserable and just looking for an excuse to quit or walk. In the end I’m only 3 minutes behind my PR with the flat. Without the flat I would have had a huge PR, what a tragedy if I would have decided not to race. Even with the flat, what could I have done if I wouldn’t have mentally quit on the run? I was so sure I couldn’t do it. I thought I was too slow but I wasn’t. I was holding the exact pace I needed, but in my mind I needed to overcome a 10 min deficit, which wasn’t achievable, when in reality I only needed 3 minutes – something which was. What if.

In the future, I’m going to try my hardest to throw out my ill conceived race notions, they do nothing but damage the psyche. I’m going to believe in myself and my abilities, since I’m so quick to believe in other peoples abilities I might as well include my own. I’m going to fight for my race goals. Just because achieving them doesn’t result in a nifty transition bag doesn’t mean they’re not worth fighting for. In fact, they are what I should fight for. A bag gets kicked around and stuffed in a closet; pride in performing your best lasts forever.

Leslie-Anne's Great White North Race Report - July 2011

2011-07-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary,

I just have to tell you about GWN, it was such a learning curve!

The fun began on Friday July 1st when all my TTL friends and supporters met at the pre race dinner. Diary, Cathy was amazing as my support for this race (aka Sherpa Cathy!)

I got the nicest compliment when Toni asked, “Where the other half of Leslie-Anne was?” Diary I was sooooo pleased to hear such a compliment! It was a real ego booster.

Saturday we (TTL and supporters) gathered at Allen Beach to do our pre race stuff. Coach Angie asked that all the strong swimmers start out fast for 200 m and then slow down to race pace.
Well, see if I ever do that again! OMG!! After I did the 200m I had such difficulty regaining my breath there was NO WAY I would be doing that in a race.

That was the 1st lesson learned.

Saturday afternoon hanging around the hotel with every intention of reading when the lovely Richelle stopped by. During the conversation I stated my worst fear was getting a flat, as I didn’t really know how to change one. Now Diary as a triathlete I should know how to change a flat and even Richelle was surprised (and shocked) that I didn’t.
Richelle then spent time with me one on one and coached me through changing a flat. My fear was dispelled and I know now that should I flat during the race at least I would be able to change my tire. Not fast mind you but I could do it.

That was the 2nd lesson learned.

Quiet night, prepped my fuel, clothing, and watched Thelma and Louise, mmmm Diary Brad Pitt was mighty fine in that movie!!! (teehee!)

Race Day dawned a beautiful clear blue sky and I thought wow, I’d be dealing with sun for the 1st time ever!
I enjoyed my breakky and soon we were off to the race.

Diary, you know how I HATE the black condom (aka wetsuit) but Diary I did better in getting most of it on and with Sarah’s hubby to put his hands down my pants pulling form the inside it was on in no time! Diary, you know this has to be done and thank goodness Sarah is cool about Kevin helping out! 

Next thing I’m in the water the for warm up, get a great hug from Coach Angie enroute to my place along the fence.
Diary what happened next surprised even me! I got going in the swim and before I knew it I was starting to have issues! ME~ issues in the swim!!! Just when I got my fecal matter together I saw a male swimmer in true distress. He was having trouble and it was me that got the attention of the vollies in the boats. I made sure he cleared the swimmers before I continued.
Wow, that was a scary thing to see and hear Diary, someone that scared. I did manage to get going and find my groove and when I did, ohhhhh Diary it felt great!

Out of water, found my bike, geared up and headed for the mount line (Ensuring I was pushing from my seat so I was “cool” looking.) I saw Angie and shook my head, as I knew my time was not going to be as I hoped it would be. 36:58 (slower than last year)

Off on the bike! Off comes my fuel bottle, argh, I stopped and a nice person retrieved it for me. Lovely day for bike ride weather wise, not so much road wise. Diary coming through Stony past the construction, hitting one serious bump after another caused my fuel bottle to almost fall out again, thanks to the athlete who told me I saved it. Diary shortly after that I had such a dark cloud of “I don’t want to be here” come over me I knew exactly what Coach Angie experienced during the Calgary Half. I had to make a decision and I did, I would finish the race for the sake of finishing.

Diary somewhere along the way I got back into what I was doing and had SUCH a great ride! Managed not to have to pee until 40k! I faithfully ingested my Infinite and managed to transfer from one bottle to my aero bottle without spilling! I even got a warning for drafting! “Hey Saskatchewan, mind your distance between you and the person ahead of you” We were on a hill! Guess it wasn’t really hill enough. No card though so I thanked the marshall and backed off. (Yes I did eventually pass the guy).
The last 10k into Stony just about did me in Diary. Egad, thank goodness for a sports bra that holds everything in place, as the road was CRAP I tell you!
The last challenge was the car that was trying to turn left up the hill to the dismount line that I almost ran into on my bike! I dropped one loud F-Bomb when I had to brake and drop my gears. I apologized to the spectators and got by the car. Yeesh. Bike time 2:59:01, close to 4 min improvement from last year! 

Diary you know I am not a fan of the run but I had such a good ride that it carried me into the next stage. I forgot my watch at home Diary and I thought it wouldn’t matter but ohhhh it did. The start was a bit dodgy but I managed to pull myself together after 4k or so. Coach Angie saw me at that point, Diary, she is so observant! She knew I wasn’t happy!
The usual gut issues flared but thank goodness for “perfectly placed porta potties”. 

My knee decided to give me major grief very close to the turnaround and I was one ticked off athlete. The others that ran by me as I was limping from tree to tree were so kind to me and one guy even asked if I needed salt. Diary I had to do something as there was NO effin’ way I was going to not finish. I manipulated my knee and it seemed to work and off I headed at a slightly slower pace. (Diary the watch would’ve really helped here). Back towards the home stretch and I was getting hungry, as in nothing in my stomach-start-to-ache-get-dizzy-hungry. Yeah for Heed! I tried the cookies but they didn’t quite work and eventually switched to the oranges, mmmmm tasty!
Just before 19k a man behind me said, “If you keep this pace up I’ll follow you and we will make under 6”
Diary, did I hear him right? He was going to follow me because of my pace! WOW Diary that was an amazing boost for me! 
He was my new best friend and we did get through the last portion of the race. We agreed to walk any hills (he said it would be like adventure racing that way). Diary, I had him on the hills even walking and I did tell him that I would defiantly not walk the last hill to the finish line.
I finished strong but my time for the run was 2:21:18, not what I was hoping for.

My overall time was 5:57:17 most defiantly not what I was hoping for.

Diary, I have to figure out what I can eat that will “stick to my ribs” but not give me too much trouble.
I have to work on my run pace, as I believe I start out too fast. For the 1st time as I neared the last “climb” from the park to the finish line I knew I had more in me, just need to figure out the fuelling thing.
Lesson learned-wear a damn watch!

Diary, this was a learning race and I am glad that I got scared in the swim, as I said to Coach Angie afterwards I tend to get cocky when it comes to the swim. I had a great bike and I learned that I can go faster and I can relax going downhill!
I also learned I need to pace better in the run as I do have a comfortable pace for me and if others like it then more power to me!

Diary for the record I placed 12th in my AG, and I’m ok with that.

Diary get ready for the next push, IMC, here I come!

Cindy's GWN Race Report July 3, 2011

2011-07-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

The Dress Rehearsal: Great White North Half-Ironman Race Report

So with all of the training that Richelle has prescribed and that I have enthusiastically completed, I was ready to see what kind of results I'd get at a longer distance event, like a half-ironman. I wanted to treat GWN as a dress rehearsal for IMC, what a perfect opportunity to let it all hang out without worrying about the outcome or possible disaster.

Here are the distances: swim 2km, bike 90km, run 21.3km. I raced GWN two years ago as my first half-iron, and while the 6:45ish finishing time was a good performance on that day, I was also hoping to up the ante and see what the added training would do for me. I was ready for a dress rehearsal, time to try out nutrition, clothing, strategies etc. And see how far I could push the envelope.

This is how the day unfolded...

Lesley-Anne was kind enough to drive us to the lake, rather than take the uber-early bus (thanks LA!). I quickly headed to transition, organized my bike and other stuff, headed for the port-a-potty line, then worked myself into my (new!) wetsuit. Fits like a glove. I dove into the lake for a short warm-up (yucky murky water at the shore, ugh!), back on shore. I totally ignored all the crazies who natter about wheels and nutrition, I found my quiet zone and worked my plan. After exiting the water, while standing around waiting for the start, I was beside Cindy & Scott, who were sporting their Garmin 310XT's. I usually don't start my watch until the bike, as it is big and bulky and tends to get trapped in my wetsuit. Scott pointed out that because I have the quick release band, I can easily palm and twist off the Garmin. In a split second decision (and primarily because this is my dress-rehearsal race), I ran over to my bike and activated the Auto Multisport function. A huge THANKS to Scott and Cindy for their words of wisdom; this is what I love about our Team, we're good support and share info and experiences in a very open manner, it's awesome. The Garmin was a big success, I like having the extra data from the swim portion, transition info, love it.

Time to hit the water! My race plan called for getting into the mix of it all, taking some bumps and swimming with my peer group. Yep, I was certainly in unfamiliar territory! Lots of bumps, a kick to the chin, someone swam over my back, quite the washing machine! It ironed itself out after the first 400m, I kept swimming thru it all, long strokes, felt like a fish! Wonderful! The first lap was over quickly, sub 20min, then on to the 2nd lap. Not as bumpy, somehow I slowed down a bit, but still a huge improvement over 2009.
2009 swim time: +45min
2011 swim time: 40min

T1 was smooth, I probably could have gone faster, but it was smooth. I heard Angie at the mount line, I saw Danielle M, we gave a little cheer, then I pedaled up the hill.

I don't remember much about my bike ride, other than it was hillier course than I recalled from 2009. I remember trying to cram in my allotted nutrition, but I started to feel nauseous; I was unsure whether it was the nutrition or the exertion level, so I took little sips and prayed they would sustain me until the run portion of the race. The hills really sapped my speed, I lost ground to a lot of competitors on the hills, why oh why am I so slow on the hills, I train on hills, I mountain bike, I'm consistent on the hills with a good turnover rate, for the love of all things holy, why do hills slam into me like a freight train??? Something to work on, I'm sure.... anyhow, I stayed pretty focused, only momentary lapses, and the out and back course was helpful in determining where other teammates were on the course, cheering for them, encouraging them, receiving some cheers back. Nice.
2009 bike time: 3:16
2011 bike time: 3:04

T2 also went smoothly. Again, I could have been a bit quicker, but it felt like I was missing something, so I did a triple check before running out the gate. No harm done.

The half-marathon that they throw at us after swimming and biking is no picnic. Your legs are tired, and running 21.3km's is not what tired legs want to do. I generally pound thru the first 10km and hope that I can hang on; it's between 10-14km that I lose focus, I allow the nagging aches and pains to consume me, and I walk. Today was no exception, I desparately wanted to walk and walk and walk. I was tired, I needed motivation. That's when the TTL people starting appearing, as it was the out-and-back section of the course. TTL rocks, I am so thankful that we give each other a smile, a high five, a "go girl", whatever. It picked me up and pushed me forward, a gentle push to move me ahead. I also thought back to my race planning, and reminded myself that if an 8-year old can run 1km in 5:28, I needed to get it in gear. So I did.

In the past, the run portion of the race seems to have been my achilles heel: tummy trouble, nutrition issues, foot issues. I was determined not to let any of these slow me down. Yes, my foot started to hurt, yes, I grabbed the wrong nutrition bottle this morning so after the first sip I knew I would be doomed if I continued sipping, and yes, my tummy was still nauseous. The important part is how I solved these race-day in-the-moment issues.
1) ignore the foot: pain is temporary. Try to wiggle my feet a bit so that it stretches out, just keep going. I need to go back to see Sarah P again for more ideas for IMC. Post-race I iced it, stretched it, rolled it, and now my foot is back to normal.
2) time to look for alternative nutrition. The aid stations are serving flat cola and oranges, let's see what happens. I took mini sips of flat cola, it seemed to stay down and didn't jiggle in my tummy, in fact the sugar content was yummy, and little sips successfully got me through the run from min 61-110. Then I sampled a couple of orange wedges. Wow, they tasted amazing! And they seemed to work even better than the cola! Who knew?!
3) I decided that being nauseous was a by-product of my exertion level. Richelle had encouraged me to go hard on the bike and still hold steady on the run (similar to Wasa). Well, my bike was certainly a strong ride, and when I hit the run my HR was hovering around 160, where it stayed the entire run, even elevating a bit towards the end. I'm pretty certain that this high exertion level caused my nausea. And since I didn't actually vomit, I think it indicates that I was on the fine line of racing to my limit and totally blowing up.
Turns out the run portion of my race may no longer be my achilles heel:
2009 run time: 2:45ish
2011 run time: 2:22

Total 2009 time: 6:45ish
Total 2011 time: 6:07

Overall, I'm super excited about my results, my performance, my teammates, everything! This dress rehearsal was a huge success!

Now I'm ready for training camp, and I know that when August 28th rolls around, I'll be ready for that, too!

Christine's Chinook OD race report - June 2011

2011-06-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Chinook OD

Warning: the following may include mushiness, personal content and some F bombs.

I had to write this as soon as I got home. As some of you may know, I have had four incredibly hard years. I have spent a lot of those four years training in my head. Every run, bike and swim I have battled what was happening domestically and personally.

Last year was my worst season, every race I had "female issues" and was struggling with low iron as well as feeling utterly shity and sad about my life. The Apple was my only decent race, and I fell at that one.

This year things are slowly getting better. Today was a training day, as I have my eye on the 70.3. Today was about getting my race legs and working out some kinks. I did not think that this would be my best time as I am very tired from fundraising mania, helping my kids get to dance camp in Disneyland. But today I got a lot more than I bargained for.

The swim felt great, as I was trying a new head position and I was just "swimming", I kept bumping into Tara and when I realized it was her – I said "sorry Tara". I got out of the water and still felt good. Then on to the bike, it was a tougher ride up the hill and against the wind – but something was different today. I felt good, I felt strong and I wasn't verbally beating myself up. At this point I could care less about my time – it was fun, I was having fun. I felt so good, no guilt for not doing everything Angie asked me to do – I have been training consistently – I was not frustrated by the people passing me – I barley noticed, I was looking forward, I felt good.

After the turn around I went to this place, a race zone that I don't recall going to before. My mind, body, emotions and spirit were one. I was experiencing harmony and self pride. For goodness sake, I was exercising and moving my body, in a way that not a lot of people do. I was not handicapped or physically incapable of doing this, I was no longer mentally tortured by myself or my life circumstances. I was happy, I was riding for me. I have a job where 100% of me go toward helping other, I am a mother where 100% goes towards making sure they are okay, happy, fed, clean, exercised, schooled, and socialized. 98% of my days are usually about others. Today was about me and ME and my fine self. I love this sport and I love the fact that I can do it. Usually I am so bummed because I am really slow, but I totally did not care or even think about that. I was playing.

As I was heading back after the turn around I came flying down those hills – I thought at one point ”man this seems fast" – I checked and I was doing 60k. "WEEE look at me go" was my exact thought.

I was happy when I came into transition and happy when I left – felt good and kept going. I was once again having this strange experience of joy in my body, mind, emotions and spirit. I felt good. I stopped looking at my watch and just went with it. I was not upset at people passing me (as they always do), I was just running for me. I recall passing a few people and around the 7 k mark I started to see how far I could push it and gave it my all. This year I was not running with the people who looked like they were about to dye. I even had some one say "I thought for sure I could catch you – but I just couldn't. When I was finished I was still happy and glad to be spending time with myself for 3 and a half hour. Yes I know that this is quite slow.

My final time – I really don't fucking care – I had fun, I am a triathlete, and all else fails I put my bid in for voting myself as Miss Congeniality.

Thanks Team, your are all wonderful and thanks Angie.
Christine…slow and happy

Shannon's IMC race report - 2010

2011-06-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

IMC 2010 Race Report
I have taken a very long time to finally get this done. I think part of me thinks once I am done writing this, it’s really over. In the first few weeks after Ironman, I told my IMC story at least once per day. Now I am telling it only once per week so I thought I should get it on paper ASAP. Even though it is late, I hope that my story will help some of our teammates getting ready for their first Ironman this year.
In general, I am an over achiever, A-type personality. Triathlons have been a very humbling experience as I am at the bottom of the heap. This really bothered me my first few years but something changed the week of Ironman. My whole training season leading up to Ironman was full of doubt and the biggest worry for me was bike cut-off. At our training camp in July, this doubt heightened when I could not make it up Yellow Lake. Many of my teammates witnessed my meltdown and throwing of my bike at the top. Angie gave me a stern talking to but the doubt hung over me like a cloud.
Ironman week arrived and our first team swim was Thursday morning in Lake Okanagan. My competitive swimming background was not enough for me to overcome my open water anxiety. Every time I was in open water I would have to use various techniques to calm myself down. It usually took a good 500 m to get into the groove. That Thursday morning I was really nervous with getting the wetsuit on and getting in for the swim. I got in the water and started swimming – something was different. I didn’t need to calm myself down. I actually felt good and comfortable in the open water. It was a huge Ah-ha moment. The week was starting off well.
The team atmosphere was amazing all week. I had great support from my parents, youngest son and my friends Angela and Bruce. My husband and oldest son were at hockey tryouts but kept my spirits up with their updates and checking in on me. I was amazingly calm all week. When I picked up my race package Thursday, the doubt about bike cut-off loomed large. This is the main reason I made the decision to sign up for IMC 2011 that day. It took a little pressure off. If I did not make it, the training f0r 2010 were just necessary steps towards finishing it in 2011.
The night before the race, we had a BBQ with my friends Angela, Angela’s parents, and Bruce. They surprised me with T-shirts they planned on wearing that donned Team Ouellette. It was great to have such enthusiastic support. We had a nice relaxing evening leading up to a sleepless night.
The morning came way too soon but everything went as planned until body marking time. I was in line with Tanya to get body marking when she said she had to change batteries in her watch. Shear panic over-whelmed me. I had forgotten my watch and heart rate monitor. I went hysterical when I couldn’t get a hold of my parents. Tears were flowing!! I had to find Angie. As usual, Angie calmed me down. She told me I could use her watch and to race on feel, not to worry about the heart rate. I didn’t have much choice so I finished the preparation for the swim. Walking to the beach brought on the butterflies. I heard “Mom” and looked up. Josh and my parents had a perfect vantage point for the race start and I got a much needed high five from Josh. I saw Tara on the beach so we stood together waiting for our big day to get started. I reviewed in my mind who I was dedicating each leg of the race to. The swim was for my friend Kim. It was her birthday and I wouldn’t get to talk to her, so I wanted her in my thoughts. The bike was dedicated to Shawn Riley, an employee of mine who died suddenly at the age of 30 years old just a month earlier. His enthusiasm for life had touched me and I wanted to do his memory proud. The run was for my Grandpa who had died the past September. He had had a long illness and was a fighter. I knew I had a guardian angel watching me so I would try to be a fighter like him.
Before I knew it, we were off. My goggles were leaking so I was playing with them quite a bit but felt good. There were not a lot of swimmers running into me so that was a bonus. UNTIL, that is, I heard a volunteer in a canoe say “YOU ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY”. I stopped and looked up and realized there was not a soul around me – I was swimming parallel to shore instead of toward the buoys. My heart sunk. Even though I didn’t want to have “official” time goals, I wanted to finish the swim around 1:30. I pushed that out of my mind and got back to the task at hand. I got back on course and got into a great rhythm. I used Joanne’s mental game of one buoy at a time and I had a great rest of my swim. As I ran out of the water, I glanced at my watch – 1:20! I felt elated – despite my terrible start I had surpassed my secret goal. I think at this point, I had set the tone for the day. T1 went really well. I read my first note from my friend Cathy. She had given me a note for every bag and I was happy to have her around me Ironman day. She was a huge part of my Ironman journey as she had done all my long bike rides with me. She even came to the Ironman training camp to support me despite a bad back. Off to the bike, the dreaded bike. Along the fence I saw Angela, Bruce, Josh and my Mom and Dad. I gave them big waves and smiles and felt choked up. I rounded the corner to the cheers of Team Tri-Life. I really was doing this.
McLean Creek was there before I knew it and that little climb went well. I was going to take the first 60 km easy-peasy as Angie preached. I did that and it worked well. I was getting in the nutrition and fluids. Richter loomed ahead and I viewed that as a big test for me. I did it training camp day but it was hard. The hill was lined with many spectators. I heard Thunderstruck blaring which gave me a huge boost. Gord Clayholt was actually one of the reasons I started triathlons. Through the years we had kept in touch and I was very superstitious about seeing him at races. It was always in the back of my mind that I had to see him. He would be behind me on the swim, but always passed me on the bike. Going up Richter, I heard Gord say “You have got the bike”. This made me smile and deepened my resolve to gut this race it. Before I knew it, I was being greeted by Wade Church (GWN Organizer) at the top. As I told Angie when I saw her on my run, “I climbed Richter effortlessly”.
The Seven Witches were a nuisance but I did ok. The whole time I was doing them, I kept thinking about Yellow Lake. Just before turning onto the out and back, I saw Tanya in front of me and followed her for a while. Legs were tiring so it was nice to see a familiar face. At the out and back I should have gone to the washroom but the line-up was too long. I had not needed to really go yet so I thought I would wait for the run (yes Angie, I never used the washroom until 2 km into my run. I never told you that yet). The weather was a little nasty but I thought it was better than the 39 degrees we had at training camp. I dreaded Yellow Lake from the special needs station until I started the climb. It was lined with lots of cheering people. I looked up and saw the lane narrowing sign Kelly had told me to watch for. I was at the top of Yellow Lake and I really started to believe I would make bike cut-off. Now for the descent. It was liberating. I am a very slow and nervous descender. I felt like I was having a great trip down the hills and I even passed people which was unheard of. Coming into Penticton, I saw Leslie-Ann and Roger

in Roughrider green and their cheering gave me another lift to keep going. The last 10 km was painful and passing people already on the run made we realize it was far from over. Bike cut-off was 5:30 and I wheeled in T2 at 4:00 – I really did it. I was slow in transition but I was just so thrilled that I had done it I was relishing the moment. Heading out on the run, I gave my adoring fans hugs and high fives. I was really choked up at the point when Josh and Bruce ran along the fence encouraging me. I knew I wouldn’t see them until dark.
In the first km I saw JoZ and Richelle. I got much needed hugs and words of support from them. I had the honour of catching Richelle the year before at her first Ironman so it was a really good omen to see her at that point. I ran until around the 2 km mark and decided it was time to go to the washroom for the first time. Had to be done but oh my goodness!! I just about passed out – I had extreme chafing and it was anything but a relieving feeling. I saw Angie at Cherry Lane mall and she ran with me for a bit. I wanted to tell her everything but didn’t have time. Angie you are such a great coach and friend and even though we do this silly sport for ourselves, I felt so happy that you told me how proud you were I had made the bike. It meant a lot. Shortly after leaving Angie, I met up with a young lady, Maya, and we started chatting. It turned out she was also an engineer and we had a great conversation. During this part of the run, I saw Tara and we had smiles for each other – we were doing an Ironman!! Then I saw Ally who was enjoying every second of the day and made me laugh. About the 18 km mark I was starting to fade so Maya said her good byes and took off. I got to see Kelly heading back and boy, familiar faces and genuine smiles go a long way on Ironman day. I caught up to Nola and John and at that point, they were exactly what I needed. We ran into OK Falls and then I continued on to special needs. My salted potatoes were exactly what the stomach ordered. The coke was giving me a little bit of a tummy ache but the potatoes settled it down.
I then started the hardest part of the race for me which was the run back into Penticton. There were less people on the course, Penticton lights far away and it was dark. It took an eternity to get into Penticton. This was the part of the race that had few smiles or high points. Finally, I was in town and had 2 km left. The second last km felt like it took forever. You could see people heading across the finish line and I just wanted to be done. At the 1 km mark, our team was cheering. Angie came up to me with a big hug and I felt so overwhelmed. I just wanted to stay here. Angie pushed me and said “Get it done, you are an Ironman!” A volunteer informed me that I had 6 minutes if I wanted to beat 15 hours. There was no way I could get a km done in 6:00!! What the hell, I wanted to try it. I finished strong and the time was 14:58:55. I was an Ironman and I was getting a tattoo!!! I always thought I would have tears crossing the finish line but all I felt was elation and couldn’t quit smiling. My family and friends found me and took care of me which was awesome. I needed some TLC. Josh declared “Mom you are so fast!!!” He was just so happy I was in at 10:00. I had warned him all week I would probably be out there until midnight and I might not finish.
There is no way a person becomes an Ironman without a lot of support. I want to thank each and every person who has supported me throughout this journey. First, thanks to my coach and friend. I met Angie by fluke at a “learn to run a 10 km” clinic and have been with her since. Her honesty and intensity pushed me to believe in myself. I do finally believe her – I am a triathlete. The other thing Angie has brought into my life is my teammates. Being in Airdrie, I never felt a real part of the team until this last year as it took a while to get to know everyone. Now that I know everyone, WOW!! We are so lucky to have the support of each other. Races and training would not be the same without Team Tri-Life. My husband, Ronnie, and kids, Dylan and Josh, allow me to train and encourage me to do so. Ronnie is honestly the most amazing husband. Do we fight? Of course we do but he is always by my side and my Ironman journey was no exception. Teenage boys don’t say a lot about their Moms but they have shown me they are proud which is very important to me. My parents have always been there for me and it meant the world to have them there that day. Angela and Bruce have stood by me and have been at more finish lines for me than anyone in my life – I was so happy to have them there for my first Ironman. Angela has met me many mornings at the gym for early morning workouts and has offered continuous encouragement. Cathy introduced me to triathlons and I would have not finished the bike if it wasn’t for the tireless bike rides she accompanied me on.
I am not an elite athlete but I love training as a triathlete. I have grown up over the last few years when it comes to my attitude about the finish line. Being able to cope with races, good and bad, is a life skill and my first Ironman was not about the day of the race. The race day was the icing on the cake. I took the whole day in stride and enjoyed every minute (well most every minute) and kept a smile on my face. Becoming an Ironman has been a life changing experience. I AM AN IRONMAN!!!

Leslie-Anne's Calgary Half Marathon Race Report - May 29, 2011

2011-05-31T13:18:00.001-07:00

Calgary Half Marathon

This race did not scare me. I was the most relaxed I have ever been before a race. Not sure of the reason, I will go with I was ready for the distance and knew I would finish it.

I did complete the race. I did not come in time-wise where I would have liked but did come ahead of the Police ½ (both times I’ve done that race).

Early to rise, early start which meant I had to be at the LRT for the 5:20am departure to make the 7a race start. Decided it was a good chance to experiment on the pre race meal so a piece of toast and peanut butter with a cup of coffee some sugar no cream. Worked like a charm. J

I dashed out the door and had forgotten my fuel belt (water and liquid food), which meant my lip balm as well. The belt is like Linus's blanket to him! I did ok without it and next race I will not carry it. Missed the lip balm tho, that I won’t forget!
Met a few other TTLr’s on the train, what a great feeling to know I had people to talk to enroute to the venue.

The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky, which was good as it was a tad chilly to start. Once the sun started to warm things up it was lovely. Pre race warm up with everyone and thanks to whoever it was that said I was “wasting away” WOW! You made my day!!! J
Headed to the start line and we were off!
In the 1st kilometer or so I was asked me when I got my capris, I said a couple of months ago why “They are completely see though, nice thong though” AH!!! I flipped my number around and continued to pull my shirt down and worried about the “view” for the rest of the race! Yikes!
Final (gun) 2:18:11:32, chip time 2:16:23:38. I'm ok with it. I still had some left in me at the end, which is great news!

As the day went on I processed the race and decided it was a good day overall. Not really keen on the time and the fact my knee flared but how I was doing when I was running was key.
Gut issues were right on cue, which means I know when they are going to occur and that is that. I thought I would get away with the last one as I hit the 18k mark but no...I thought I was done but! The best thing happened there were the port-a-potties right then and there with NO line-up! I get in I get out, works for me.

I did notice I got into more "zones" than before and when I did that I was passing people and this occurred more after the turnaround point. I took notice of the people that were beside me when I would stop for the loo or my knee flaring and I would work to catch up. These to me are good signs as I can problem solve and recover.
The knee thing is my meniscus just letting me know it's not happy when I push it so I listen and back off. Must remember to take my "vitamin I" before the race.

My legs were also tired from a very challenging 1hr53min bike ride (on my trainer) on Saturday that was composed of mostly low cadence "hill climbing" along with a time trial that I had the trainer in the wrong setting for! No wonder it was so hard! D’OH!

Early start, early finish! Got home, had a shower made myself a yummy omelet, toast, coffee and read the newspaper all by noon! Even got some errands done and when that was over had a beer and clamato juice, with some nachos on the side while sitting on the deck. I even grabbed a 20min catnap in the sun, ahhhhhhhhh :-) Beer is wonderful!
For a lovely cap of the day a barbequed steak dinner, red wine and my fav dessert after a race: small hot fudge sundae from DQ!

A great day for me, all good as I work towards that little ol’ race the end of August… J

Jenny's Calgary Half Marathon Race Report - May 29, 2011

2011-05-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

My update is funny……

The start of my race was almost like one of my worst nightmares as a ‘runner’. I used to have nightmares about races where I missed the start because I was so late and I ended up having to run like a mad-woman to catch up with the rest of the runners.

Well, Sunday a.m. – I got there with only 4 minutes to spare. I have been so tired with all of my volunteer work (at my kids’ school) & work that I slept in on Sunday a.m.
I always like to have a breakfast & you know…do the bathroom thing before I leave my house. So I actually didn’t leave my house until 6:30!
My warm-up was literally running up that little hill next to Murdoch park to the start line.

I’ve always had a problem with pacing. I wanted to start off conservatively & save energy for the end. However, no matter how hard I tried, my garmin kept showing 5:10-5:13. At times, I was going 4:55. It didn’t feel like I was pushing myself though. I was pretty consistent until about 16km or so & then I started to feel the work in my legs. But this time, I didn’t give up. I kept forging ahead. I told myself words that Angie taught me….countdown to hurt. My milestones were the bridges. Heading east on Memorial….I knew that I had to make it from 14th St. bridge to 10th St. bridge. And then from 10th St. bridge to Centre St. bridge. As soon as I got to Centre St. bridge, I knew I was close to finish.

My chip time said 1:52. It’s faster than my last half, which was Last Chance half. So I feel pretty good, but my goal this year is still to finish in 1:50 or under. I’ve done it before & I know I can do it again!

After the run when I went to get the refreshments, I had the WORST charlie horse cramp in my calf when I was going up the hill from the park to street level. I thought that if I were to straighten my leg my calf would burst. So I collapsed at the steps going up from Murdoch park. I couldn’t believe it when this fellow runner came by & said, ‘…..excuse me…but where did you get the food?’. I thought to myself…..’I’m dying here & you’re not even going to help me?’. One of the race crew members saw me & said she’ll get me medical help. A physiotherapist came to help me up & helped me walk over to the medic tent where I got some ice treatment. It was weird as I don’t usually get Charlie horses. It took a while for that cramping to go away.

Overall, a pretty good day. Now I’m trying to decide whether or not to do Footstock Du and I think I’m going to try for that sub 1:50 at the Stampede Roadrace in July (hosted by Strides Running Store).

Thank-you Angie for your programs. You always push me & challenge me. One of these days I hope to accomplish my goals. I know I can get there!

Jenny

Shannon's Calgary Half Marathon Race Report - May 29, 2011

2011-05-31T13:14:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact I am not finished my Ironman Canada race report, I was compelled to get the race from yesterday completed so it actually is off the plate of things to do.

I woke up Sunday morning and thought of 5 different reasons I would tell you I was not going to race. I did not want to race AT ALL. Not sure why I have felt like this last 2 races but it’s how I have been feeling. Part of it this time was probably just getting over bronchitis and wondering how my breathing would cope during the race. Part of it is the stresses of a sick father-in-law and work. After lying there for 10 minutes I decided I need to get a long run in anyways so might as well do it with the team. Once I was on the road heading to Calgary, I started to feel better.

Walking from the C-train, I heard my name and looked up to see familiar Team Trilife colors on Kelly. Great to see her and Mitch and to meet Jill, Kelly’s sister-in-law. Tried to find team at the starting line – no luck. Heart sunk a little – went to go run a little to warm up and wouldn’t you know there was the team. It was great to see everyone even for a few minutes. Chatted with Nola for a while and found out she was taking it easy as she had been sick and her back was causing here issues. We decided to run together and that was the best thing that could have happened. We started out slowly, slower than I wanted but I really wanted the company. My legs were trying to pick up pace but Nola kept saying, “I am going to slow it down, go ahead if you want”. Part of me wanted to, but more of me wanted to stay with Nola. It was a great run – Nola kept my mind off the time and we had a great visit. You know how bad I am with nutrition. At one point Nola said she was taking her gel. I decided I would to. Without her, I would have skipped the gel. With 2 km left, my stomach started to ache and I wanted to stop more than anything. Nola kept talking to me and helped me get through that feeling and we made it to the end. It wasn’t a PB on the clock (although pretty good time for me all things considered) but it was a PB race for me on the satisfaction scale. I got to spend a great morning with a fellow teammate and friend, I only walked 3 times at water stations, I actually took in some nutrition and I did not blow up in the last 5 km as I always have in the past.

I am taking a few things from this race to use moving forward:

1. I need to pace myself properly. I have tried in the past unsuccessfully. Much more satisfying to start out slow and finish strong.

2. I think nutrition is helpful – LOL

3. Running with a friend is extremely helpful. I train a lot of long distances on my own. I need to find more training partners to help the long bikes and runs.

4. At different times in training there are different circumstances. Adjusting races to these issues and focusing on execution is not only smart, but very rewarding.

Thanks Nola for a great run – you made my day.

Shannon

Scott's Ironman St. George Race Report - May 7, 2011

2011-05-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

Ironman Saint George (IMSG) May 7th Race Report

Pre-race
Three months prior to the race I decided I needed something big to help push me off the couch, so I signed up for IMSG (thinking it should be big enough, yeah it was and then some). The family road trip stopped in St. George a week & a half pre-race for a few days. Swam in the infamous cold Sand-Hollow, where the front gate said it was 64 F but the water felt much colder closer to 60 F (15 C). Water was really clear and a great sight with the blue splashing up against the red rock. Ran ¼ of the run route (one way 10k) in the heat of the day 25 C to experience the hills, yes they are ugly (and all of the 2.6 times elevation climb I expected coming from IMC to IMSG) but so far both the swim & run seem doable.

The next day I biked the 80k loop once, this is where the confidence started to waver. What should have been a ~3h ride turned into 4, the hills were like steps but with false flats after the climbs, then a relentless wind that robbed me of all downhill rest. Hit a 14% grade to climb only ~1k, survived it, then a 3.5k long climb called the wall (17% grade), this hurt, but I survived only to crest into a head wind that punished me to no end. Now I did do my homework but looking at maps, elevation gain/loss and reports of previous riders told me I would be dealing with 30% more climbing on the bike in IMSG compared to IMC, now it was becoming a reality as to how much more this means, add in strong winds that change mid-day making it a true riding into the wind the whole time can be a reality. I was a bit shaken, doing the math and figuring that if race day were like this I might not make the bike cut-off. The following week I go back to the lake to do another swim, only to see the IMSG pole signs torn to shreds by the wind, then I see the 1 ½ foot white caps, I go in anyway, ice-cream headache was instant, water was way colder. I could barely swim 15 minutes as breathing and sighting was impossible, so I swam enough to know I could finish the swim, but was likely not going to like it. On shore I was chatting with a few others preparing and one guy produced his own thermometer and it showed the water at 56 F (not the 62 the entry booth was displaying).

To recap, super cold swim expected to rob me of strength for the start of the bike, super hard bike & run, lots of wind and only 3 months of training, most of which was indoors. My saving grace was the realistic race goals I had to: 1. Finish, 2. Not hurt myself and 3. Get myself off the couch.

The Race
4:30 am get up; get to special needs bag drop and then need to board a bus out to the swim. On the bus some young girls (early 20’s) were talking 90 miles a minute and drinking Rockstar, so not good for getting mentally prepared, but they were clearly nervous. I was so glad to be off the bus, got ready and see Cindy by the fence of transition (spectators had to take a different bus to T1). My bike was directly across from the men’s change tent so no hunting expected. I find out later that the tent design also provided some entertainment for those that were waiting after the swim as the flaps for the tent and changing habits offered some interesting (peep-show) entertainment.

Swim - They called us to the water, I went straight in and swam the 100 meters to the deep water start, was near the front and spent the time getting my face wet to calm the ice-cream effect. Water was calm and back to 62 F, very doable. I look to shore and there is a stream of swim caps that are not entering the water, waiting for the last second or stuck behind lemmings afraid to enter the water, then bang the canon goes, we’re off. Sucks to be those in line, but oh-well might have been their plan? Swim was a bit rough between swimmers but after 1600m I broke to the inside (with 10 feet) of the markers and had nice water. Since the swim course markers never went in before the race and pre-swimming was less than enjoyable, I failed to set sighting markers. The swim markers were not as nice as the ones I was accustomed to for GWN or IMC, they were hard to differentiate from the swimmers. First leg was fine, second leg was hard, into the sun but short, third leg was 1800m nothing really on the horizon to sight either, last leg to shore was fine but I had to re-enter the masses and they were still a bit pushy, I think the cold water was getting to the swimmers. I hit shore and transition went smoothly, I saw 1:15 on my watch, later I also see that I swam 450m extra, not sure where, but maybe the route was a bit long.

T1 - Took my time and made sure I didn’t miss sun screen this time (a step I did miss in IMC), later Cindy tells me I stopped for a massage and manicure instead of sun screening. They were slow & thorough, getting my arms, legs, neck, chest, hands, nose, cheeks, ears … I have a lot of body and these were the screeners that got a lot of free entertainment outside the change tents. 6 m 31s transition, so OK the rub down (uh I mean screening) didn’t take that long.

Bike - Stayed calm took the first portion easy, everything seemed good wind wasn’t too bad 20km to town, average speed was putting me in a happy place, Ok Swim check, bike might not be as bad as my pre-ride. I hit the 80k loop that I have to do twice, not bad, 30, 40, 50k all is good, then the heat went up over 30 C as I hit the hills, and I dropped a bit of speed to avoid exploding later in the day. This is the point I changed my race plan to listen to my body to try to keep the #1&2 race goals achievable. Stayed slow & steady up the hills, heart rate did spike, but luckily the wind was not yet as bad as last time so I could rest on the false flats and few descents. Started the second lap and had moderate confidence on finishing the bike, then a wind advisory was issued (easily hitting 35km/h plus gusts). It was getting harder on some parts but it helped in others. Leading up to The Wall was nice but then doing a 17% climb into a headwind at 34 C was brutal. I recall passing 8 bikers that had passed me earlier trying to hide in the shade, hanging their head on there bars stopped or laying on the side of the road, clearly done for the day. I have never seen so many ambulances busy around a course, lights on, and people to help. Like any race I asked myself many times, ‘Can I go faster?’, often the answer was yes, but I qualified it with a question ‘Should I?’, the answer was no. Finally get up to the top of the climb at 4700ft (again) and am greeted to a wind that robbed me of 10-15km/h compared to the first lap, no free speed, I actually still had work to do even with the 1850ft descent to T2. Added to this not riding outside enough made holding my head up hard at the 140k mark onward. This all said and done I had a 7h 33m bike glad to have the chance to add to the time needed for the run as I knew I would need it.

T2 – Slower than T1, I stopped for another sun screen massage, and had poorly tied my run bag making getting into it tough. Hey 8m 49s was lightning compared to some of the 31, 41 or 52 minute transitions others took (OK so these people still beat me on the race so maybe I should have gone out for a nice diner or had a nap, then started running might have helped).

Run - Happy to be off the bike, actually feeling not too bad (for the first 200m), then I hit the first hill and in the heat and the dry wind I realized I was going to overheat very quickly and likely not recover. Started grabbing 3-4 sponges at each aid station, and then from both sides of the road (aid stations for those on the returning leg) it was strange, soaking the hat, shirt, shorts, bandana carrying sponges and water nothing was working. I would be bone dry before the next station. I guess strong winds, 34 C and 19% humidity does that to you (oh while shuffling through a marathon). The race video has I guy comparing the run to going through a hair dryer, likely the best descriptor I can think of. Some of us did try running down the hills (if you call a death shuffle running). Here again I focused on listening to my body and it was a totally different experience. I could go faster and at times did. It was not the body complaining about the effort but just balance of fluids, fuel, and heat that made the decision. People were dropping like flies, again lots of emergency vehicle traffic and racers just stopped, finding shade or losing the will/ability to continue. The run route goes through a tortoise reserve; they told us the ‘Turtles get right of way. Runners can't touch them but they can jump over them’. I thought they were kidding, but instead all the racers were like turtles so I tried to not touch them and only had to jump over one. I along with everyone else out there in my lap was simply unable to run up any hill, walking was a huge accomplishment at this point of the day. The times I did push a bit harder something would complain, like gut cramps, head-ache, overheat/dry-out or foot blisters, I found I was able to adjust and address each of these (except the blisters) but it made for a very long 6h 18m run/walk through a red-rock super heated oven.

Really happy to see my family cheering and thanks to Cindy for braving the route to catch me more than once. I know the heat & hills you had to overcome to do this, and she was ‘Dried out like beef jerky.’ Many thanks to, Kelvin for the race wheels, Sarah for fixing my almost broken parts (and poking me with needles, still determining is this was for fixing me or her entertainment), Angie for doing such a great job helping me get there, Alfred (yes … Alfred) for putting me on to the amazing ice bandana, I thought of you lots in the run and how you saved my life out there without even knowing, all the Iron Girl harem you don’t realize that helping at your race was the best thing to help me stay calm & prepare for my race, and most of all my lovely girls (Ashton, Ariane & Cindy) for their support and encouragement through the training and the race.

I would definitely recommend IMSG to anyone that likes a challenge and has race goals that are realistic (no matter how awful I make it sound above). It was hard and I accept that only 3 months of training was, umm, stupid … or at least short. I realize that if at any time in this race I chose to use a time/speed/pace/place goal I would have blown up and likely lost accomplishing any goals that I had for this race. Will I go back? Yes, I hope to decide this with at least 4 months notice next time ;-) (I know how hard 3 months was for Angie to build programs for me). Is this harder than IMC? Definitely yes, but I think so many things can change race to race that this race could be great one year and punish the entire field the next. The fact that they had 20% DNF ratio which is worse than 2010 (~13% I think) was surprising. IMSG definitely taught me renewed and greater respect for the IM distance as nothing is a given.

Sarah Van Tine-UBC Olympic Distance Tri!

2011-03-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

Sarah Van Tine’s First Olympic Distance:

For some of you that don’t know who I am I joined Team Tri Life this year and I live in Banff Alberta. Last spring/summer was my first year doing triathlons, all it took was one event and I was absolutely hooked! Then this year I figured it was a good idea to have a coach to help me out along the way, and that is when I came across Angie.

It was now time for me to do my first Olympic distance; I figured I would start off early in the season with the UBC triathlon in Vancouver. March 6 came pretty darn fast and before I knew I was on my way to Vancouver! Who would have ever thought that so many people would be interested in your bike bag when you travel! It was quite the conversation piece… and most people thought it was quite something when I said I was doing a triathlon We then arrived in Vancouver, and by we I mean my husband Jaison, he is such a great supporter in my new found passion, even though I am quite sure I drive him up the wall when it gets closer to races We then drove up to UBC to check out the course, once that was done I felt much better!

I think this could be the first triathlon where I did not have to arrive at the crack of dawn! All you had to do was arrive 1.5 hours before your heat start. This event was so well organized. So it was now time to get out on the pool deck to get things started! My husband had this little bet with me… (but I just could not bring my self to do it) but now I am thinking if I had done it I could have started a new trend in the triathlon industry or, everyone would just think I lost my marbles… Before I left for the triathlon a friend of mine was giving me some breathing techniques for calming nerves, one of the techniques was a karate chop, basically you put your arms above your head with your hands together and then you do a karate chop with a really loud yell, and you repeat 5 times, this apparently releases any tension…. I believe it really would work but I just could not bring myself to do it, maybe next time

This swim was in a 50 m pool which was fantastic! It was now my turn to go, and I was off! All I could think about was pacing myself and not getting into racer mode… I managed to pull it off and it was the best swim ever! Then it was off to the bike… I stop at the change tent, as it was cool outside, and after the Banff Triathlon I have learnt my lesson about what to wear. The bike was great, it was my first time on my new road bike and I loved it Then the run came I was almost there… the first part of the run was great, you ran around UBC in and around the trees, and then the last 3k came, it was the hardest part as I kept getting side craps, and had to walk several times, but I kept going, and got to the finish and felt fantastic! Later that night I thought I would look up my times as I was curious as to how I did, when I looked I almost fell off the chair! I placed second in my age category this for sure came as a surprise.

Now I know I can do an Olympic Distance and I will keep doing then for the upcoming season. Thanks Angie for your support and putting together my programs, can’t wait to dive right back into training! I can’t wait to see fellow team members at races this summer!

You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.
Michael Phelps

Thank you for ready my race update.

Cheers,
Sarah Van Tine (SVT)

Leslie-Ann at St Paddys Day and Canmore Winter Tri

2011-03-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

St. Paddy’s Day 10k - March 12, 2011

I had signed up for this race thinking it would be a good beginning to my race season and use the training and the race day itself to wean me off my skis for this season.

It was not a particularly successful plan as I was skiing very hard the weekend before the race which drained me! As a result pre-race week was more a recovery week!

That being said, I decided it wasn’t going to be a PR race which helped the pre-race prep!

Ohhh, there are times it is good to be a Rider fan! I had my pick of what “green and white” attire I could wear for the race. I selected one of Roger’s green and white striped rugby jerseys and donned a green afro wig! (Roger had the same wig on topped off with a green and white Cat ‘n’ the Hat hat!)

Race day dawned a cool but sunny morning. I wasn’t nervous or stressed about the race itself more concerned with the internal issue that had plagued me. I hoped it would leave me alone and it did for the most part.

Wandered around saying hello to other TTL members, checked out the merchandise and found myself walking to the start line without a proper warm-up (oops)! That had me shift again how I was going to do this race. My error was I was more concerned about Roger as he was doing his 1^st 5k and not wishing to leave him alone!

Off we go and I had to take the 1^st kilometer to literally warm up! As the race continued, the sun came out and the temp rose. This was noticeable to me as I had this rugby jersey on that seemed to me to weigh a ton. I took off my neck scarf (Rider green and white of course!) and that cooled me down. Note to self: Fun to wear fun stuff but if it is not proper running gear it becomes too heavy and too hot!

I did fine on the climbs, not as fine on the down-hills. I began to curse running when I shifted that thought as I decided that 10k was not my distance this year and eased my pace and breathing which eased my mental stress load.

The dreaded internal issue flared around the 8k mark stopped and talked my gut into backing off so I could finish the race. Did so utilizing the downhill towards the finish vs. fighting it!

Time for the race-56:37.75. Placed 80/236 women and 24/52 in the 40-49 category. I’m good with that but definitely know I could have done better.

Recovery for the day was the worst I have ever been through! It looked like I had run farther the lack ‘o’ energy that I had!

I did manage to pull myself together enough and Roger and I went to the post-race gathering. We did not stay long, not because of the day but because I needed to get some sleep as I was on a team that was doing the Canmore Winter Triathlon the next day! Needed to be “up” for my 500m swim portion!

Summary:

I did not have the pre-race running in that I should have nor the rest! Fuelling begins everyday now and I need to figure that out so I am not challenged 1 or 2 days prior with repercussions during the race.

I had fun as it was a special treat to have Roger there as a participant. He ran his 1^st timed 5k and did great! He said he would not run another timed event but would keep up the training. I’m good with that!

Canmore Winter Triathlon - March 13th - Team Event, Swim Portion

I haven’t done a team event since the late 1980’s where I was the swimmer (shocking I know…) for an Olympic distance triathlon.

I posted on FB (Richelle’s wall I believe) that I would do the swim for a team. Next thing I know Allyson contacts me and I’m on a team!

I was thinking the race was in April, good thing I checked earlier in the week!!

I got out to Canmore at 1:30pm poor Allyson was a bit worried that I wasn’t going to make it! I had told her and the other team member I wouldn’t be out until 1:30pm due to family commitments but she didn’t get that message!

Got numbered, set up how our transition would go (Allyson was the runner) and waited on deck until my heat.

I was in a lane with some very fast swimmers! I was the 2^nd swimmer and I did get passed but I used those opportunities to draft. What a fun 25m I had behind a really tall and fast guy!

One of the guys that passed me I managed to catch up to in the last 50m. In fact, I was on his feet within the last 10m. I was just getting warmed up when I had to get out! I figure in a longer distance I would’ve passed that swimmer!

Tagged Allyson and she was off! Met up with the team just as the x-country skier Angela Ripley finished, she was very fast! She had recently medaled at the World Masters Games, wow! Angela made x-country skiing look easy! Glad it was her and not me, I would’ve been on my keister! LOL!

I was unable to stay for the medal presentation which was too bad as our team came in 1^st place! Well done Triple A Spirit!!!

It was a fun race and the swim was exactly what I needed to recover. Yup, love the water!

Good weekend for racing! Bring on the rest of the season!!

Paddy's 2010 IM Arizona Report

2011-03-04T13:53:00.000-08:00

So, it's February and I have not yet completed my race report for Ironman. I'm not sure why. It may be that putting it all down on paper makes it completely all over. My journey started awhile back. I wasn't a real athlete, 48 year old, ex-smoker, and a few pounds overweight. I had hurt my back and promised that I would take a proper running course to improve my 1/2 marathon time. I signed up with Angie Andersons 1/2 marathon clinic... you know where this is going! Angie came to a bunch of us the next winter and we started training for triathlon's! I know for me, the goal was to do a few of these little things...not a real Ironman, the Tinman was challenge enough. But the Tinman turned into the Women's race in Strathmore and then a bunch more smaller races and soon Stoney and then a couple Ironman training camps. When I signed up to do the marathon in Vegas, I knew that an Ironman had to be done.

Joz was signing up for Arizona and Trish said she would sign up as well to support her. Cindy and Carla were in too. So I signed up. Let the games begin!

Race day seemed to come quick even though the training seemed to go on forever! The strain of training and working full time was definitely starting to show. We had biked and we had run and we swam and the day was here. I had my complete race team with me, missing only my daughter and the dogs! I woke up early in the morning and was amazingly calm. All the panic from the day before was dissolved. When I came to transition, I just got ready! Time moved interestingly slow until it was time to get into the water. I sat on the edge of the Tempe Lake and thought...this is insane! It's freezing in there! A kid next to me must have sensed my hesitation as he looked at me and said, "if you go, I'll go...on the count of three"! I jumped, swam to a starting spot and waited for the gun to fire. The swim seemed surreal. Nothing felt like it was moving fast and I just kept moving forward. I remembered Richelle talking about a bubble and I was thinking...no one is hitting me, I must be in a safe little bubble. This thought made me happy and when the smell of gas was in my face or my fingers started cramping, I just kept thinking of my bubble!

Out of the water at last and I moved in a half frozen state to the tent. I was really in frozen slow - mo! I finally got changed and out to the loo where I saw Trish she said hi and headed out to her bike. The race was on! For the first time everything started to feel like a race. I knew I had to catch up to Trish. A quick pee and on to my bike. I was moving not really fast but steadily knowing I had to catch up to Trish. It was great to see everyone on the way out. I finally got Trish in my view and thought that I would ride a bit behind her for the whole race. I thought that would be really funny as she would be thinking she was way ahead of me. I realised that this was an out and back and she would see me long before that so I caught up to her. I had a great bike. I'd pass Trish and she'd pass me. We did this for the whole ride. At one point she had to stop to go pee and we both knew that neither one of us would get off the bike without the other in case someone got ahead! So we both stopped, quick pee and back to it. The wind just made me laugh. We had seen dead dogs, broken glass, tumble weed, the wind was just the icing on the cake and it did not get me down. It was like God's little challenge. Ok God, I'm into it! and as a reward, the wind was on our back on the way home. Yahoo!

The weather seemed to sort itself out for the run and settled into the perfect evening. The first loop of the run was fun. We were running 10/1 and enjoying the people. A guy thought the pace was good and joined us. I enjoyed all of the water stations. The music was great and the volunteers were excellent. The snacks looked good at the tables. This was the first loop. The second loop started to show signs of wear and I took in the speedy massage and our pace slowed a bit. The third loop was the killer! I developed stomach cramps and my toes felt like someone was jabbing knives between them. I even said no to chocolate that a runner offered us at special needs. I kept telling Trish to go ahead, but she said NO. "Just keep Running". So I'd burp, stretch and try to keep running. The last loop took FOREVER! There were some amazing people out there. Everyone seemed so supportive of each other even this late in the day. Even at this point, I was actually having fun and enjoying the day (even though I was bitching pretty much the whole time now!). Finally we were at the last stretch and still moving. I could not run as much as I wanted but we kept going towards the end. Finally we saw everyone and we just had to go the last leg to the finish. Without a doubt, that was the longest stretch of the entire day! But, there it was... the finish line. Trish and I crossed together. Everyone was cheering and I just wanted to cry, or have a shower or lie down or something. (mostly I wanted and got that massage!) I also wanted to scream that "I had done it".

Thanks to Angie, Trish and of course my husband, my kids and family and all of the EE and Trilife gang. Angie was right, it has changed me. I never had the confidence before to think of myself as an athlete, but now I can say, " I am an Ironman!" and I'm pretty pleased about that!

Scott Thompson; Birkebeiner Race Report Feb. 12th 2011

2011-02-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

Pre-race - Mother Nature had a strange sense of humour this year so my ski training was not near the level I was at last year with swings from -20 to +10 weekly. Race day weather, temp +2 start and +5 for the high, so wax from the night before was really wrong. I took my skis to the pro's who were waxing & they cleaned off the stuff I had on and added a layer of klister, really gooey/stick gunk. Had to pee, but the line was too long so I decided I could likely hold it for a while.

Take my intended 5.5kg (12lb) pack to be checked and discover I was at 17 lbs. Did my best to remove some items but only got to 15lbs before race start (thinking what’s an extra 3lbs is over 55 km?) Set-up beside the 5-6 hour pace time, feeling ready to race, looking for Cindy in the crowd, finally catch her eye as the crowd starts to shuffle forward.

The Gun - My glide was smooth & long, felt like I was going overly easy at the start, also felt like I was significantly further back from last year, but no worries, HR in check, all is good. At about 8k mark the 55k and 31k races overlap for 16km, I only had a 30 minute head start on Cindy (who was in the 31k race) so I was worried that she would blow past me like I was standing still. Turns out she had passed that point of overlap well before I got there. Hit the 8k rest station, skipped my planned bottle refill as the crowd was a gong show, my fluid & fuel intake is good and my training has helped. Got water at the next station and added it to the running bottle I had in my jacket that had powdered Infinit already in it (a new blend I had not tried yet, small logistical issues making a month late in arrival, no issues from this other than pre-race stress).

My average pace was significantly faster than last year, at the start at least, with far less effort. About 15k mark I noticed my first wax issues of my ski’s starting to slip going up hills and that jarring impact to the body of having to instantly shift weight and stabilizers to my poles to avoid falling back down the hill and bowling down the dozen or so hot on my heals. By 30k any chance to get up the hill meant pure shoulder strength and duck walk/hop (I’d like to say run but if you saw if you would laugh at the relation of this to being a run). By this point I had made up and was holding about 9-10 minutes ahead of last years’ race. Hit 31k and thought I could be done if I were Cindy (little did I know that she was actually going to finish in a mere few minutes and I still had over 2 ½ hours to go (I’d ask who the smart one is but don’t think I’d like the answer)). 34k mark and I had all I could take & I could slip no more so I finally stopped to pee and try some wrong temperature wax on my ski’s (for those with sick minds this was two mutually exclusive steps one in private & one in public; you choose). From 35-50km the ski slippage decreased a bit and I had a skier decide to use me as a pacer. We started to chat and it was nice as it helped me keep pace a bit more regular and distract me a bit. He seemed to have no intention to pass and if we held that pace would have hit bang on a 5:30 race. Then I slipped and fell going up a hill (should have reapplied the wax 5k prior but didn’t want to stop). My follower seemed almost lost that I fell and reluctantly went pass me. He held the pace and even picked it up a bit once he left me; I lost a bit from that point on. It was then that I actually saw his face and more importantly his back when I realized he was not carrying a 12lb pack I gave myself permission to let him go. I did try to catch him again, saw him many times, but I had no kick wax left on my ski’s so my only propulsion was the very tired shoulders.

Passed the # caller, didn’t hear him this year because as I rounded the corner to the finish, a fellow skier pulled up beside me a challenged me to sprint to the finish. So 1 second doesn’t seem like much in a 5:37:59 55km race but this guy helped me to dig a bit deeper and beat his 5:38:00 time. Again, only after did I notice he also did not have a 12 lb pack either.

Post race - Sore legs, mostly hip flexors & really sore shoulders. Shaved only a few minutes off last year’s time so I call it a win even with adding 10lbs (+15lb pack -5lbs body weight). Cindy takes my pack for a few minutes and tells me its too heavy and doesn’t want to carry it, that’s what I was thinking for over 5 ½ hours, again who is the smarter one?

Cindy's 2010 IMAZ Race Report

2010-12-03T20:41:00.000-08:00

Performance wise this was the best race of my life - especially considering 3 months prior to race day I told Angie I didn’t think doing this race was in best interest of my health. I PR’d every discipline (beating my stand alone marathon time), my pacing for the race was bang on – not a second of time in my control was squandered. My nutrition was dialed in perfectly – no hunger, no cravings, no bloating, no gas. I couldn’t have executed a better race. It was perfect, except for one thing - I did not have fun.

This race couldn’t have been over fast enough for me. Mentally it was the toughest race I have ever done. Despite everything going so great, I was mentally checked-out and I don’t know why, although I do have some theories - beginning with the swim, the worst I have ever experienced.

This race isn’t as well organized as IMC. The entire transition area was loosey-goosey with body marking, special needs (not even in transition), race bags, and bikes spread out in no logical order so it was on the chaotic side. People were putting on wetsuits everywhere so Carla and I haphazardly chose a spot on concrete to suit up at about 6:20. Water temp was 16 C, no hurry to jump in early. I had just slipped my wetsuit over my hips when I felt a pop on my left leg. The inner seam of my suit had ripped. Did I panic? Nope. My one race goal was to handle anything that happened as calm and cool as a cucumber. I went to my bike, ripped off the duct tape I always keep wrapped around my seat post, and slapped it overe the hole. The tape didn’t fit entirely around my leg so to prevent it from curling off I grabbed an elastic from the timing tent and slipped it around my thigh. It held the tape in place perfectly.

Crisis averted, Carla and I walked through swim start when I then realized I had no goggles. They were in my dry clothes bag, which had been thrown on a mound of others in no order. Think cucumber. I pushed my way through a 1000 racers back into transition to find my bag. Fortunately the bag wasn’t buried that deep and I was able to find it quickly. Now, how was I ever going to find Carla again? I didn’t want to start without her. She has this ability to keep me calm and make me laugh, which I was really going to need because I did not want to get into the water. Squeezing through the swim start gate I spotted her still standing where I had left her.

We made our way to the boardwalk. No sedate saunter to the water’s edge for a short warm-up and strategic start entry for this swim. It was the march of the penguins as racers were systematically pushed into the icy, murky water below. The water was cold. Take you breath away cold. As soon as you hit the water you had to move or another racer would be on your head. The swim start was about 100m away so Carla and I headed for it. There were so many people in the water it was impossible to do anything but a stunted breaststroke. It was barely twilight. I couldn’t see the start line. I couldn’t see the swim course. Carla and I had no idea where we were placed in the water. I was effectively blind. My breathing was rapid and shallow from the cold.

All of a sudden the canon went off. No anthym. No countdown. No warning. I started to swim. Or tried to. Limbs were everywhere. If I wasn’t hitting one then one was hitting me. I needed to get my face in the water to get control of my breathing, but it was risky because you couldn’t see the other swimmers and I didn’t want to get beaned in the head. For the first 600m I wasn’t able to find any open water or get in a more than three strokes at once. I thought about Paddy and the other girls and hoped they were doing okay. I imagined Carla would be swearing. I was valiantly trying to defend any space I could get but I was under siege. My breathing was getting out of control. Panic was rising. It occurred to me that I was experiencing my first ‘Ironman’ swim. I was in the middle of a suicidal mosh pit and I wanted out. NOW.

At this point I was fighting an internal war. One side was attempting to calm myself – I was okay, I could do this, take one stroke at a time, blah, blah, blah. The other side was flashing “Danger, danger, danger, get out, get out!” I compromised. I told myself if I could get to a boat I could hold on to it until the crowd thinned out. No boats were in sight, just an ocean of swimmers all around me. I had no place to go but forward, but just giving myself permission to grab a boat was enough to calm me down.

Eventually I was able to grab 15m of open water. My breathing regulated and I was okay. Soon I had a clear path and hit a steady pace. It did cross my mind as to where all the other racers went but I didn’t want to go there. I was in a good place. Then this mean man in a boat started pushing me back to the suicide pit, saying I was inside the swim course. I had no idea where the swim course was - I had yet to see a buoy. Back into battle I went feeling like a guppie in a school of sharks. As we approached the bridge I prayed I wasn’t going to get bashed into a concrete pillar.

The turn-around buoy was insane. Why doesn’t anyone ever swim around these things? Just as I complete the turn I got kicked in the calf and it immediately cramped. My first thought was “But I ate a banana!” I went under. A guy beside me asked if I needed help. “Boat,” I croaked. A boat was right there and I grabbed it. I stretched my calf a bit then took off. It cramped again. I considered pushing through it but decided no, I need to take care of this. I grabbed the boat and continued stretching. When it felt better I took off again. The entire incident was about 30 secs. The swim back was really choppy. I was grumpy. I was aggressive. I was swimming strong. At one point a woman apologized to me. I want to scream at her, “Don’t apologize out here, you’ll getting chewed up and spit out!” The boats guys were militant in driving stray swimmers, attempting to escape the bedlam, back into the fray.

Approaching the exit stairs I saw each set (there were about 6) was about 3-4 deep with swimmers. I slowed my pace to pee, then bee-lined for the shortest line. I grabbed the third stair and hauled my ass out of that water lickety-split. Check my time. I PR’d my swim. How? I don’t really care. I’m glad I survived. I feel beaten, battered, and mentally drained. I put it behind me and immediately began focusing on the tasks ahead. I barely had time to get my watch off before I ran into the “peelers”. They were octopuses! My arms weren’t even out of my suit when hands began grabbing and pulling me, pushing me to the ground. Surprisingly, I didn’t get cold during the swim. The neoprene hat was wonderful and the shirt Angie recommended I wear under the wetsuit worked superb (I wore a white one which isn’t so white any more).

In transition racers were changing everywhere. It was an obstacle course trying to get to the transition tent (IMC is so much more civilized). I snagged a volunteer who helped me put on my socks and shoes. I pushed my way out of the tent looking forward to the bike where I wouldn’t be mauled anymore. I exited the tent and was ambushed on both sides by people with white goo on their hands – aahh!. They grabbed my arms and smeared it on me. Aaahh! I looked like Frosty the snowman! I had to get away from people. I snatched my bike and ran.

Once on my bike, I took up an easy spin and relaxed. People passed, and passed, and passed. I let them go. I had more important things to worry about, like how I was going to get the white paste off my arms before I passed the photographer. What was this stuff, glue? I managed to get most of it off, but my body numbers smeared and I now had it all over my shorts and jersey. That done I settled into my aerobars to drink, take in the scenery and plan my bathroom strategy. Oh look, dead dog on the side of the road, how nice.

I had to pee. The course was busy, so there was always someone behind me. Porta-potty it was going to have to be. Pass an aid station, line-up at potties, no stopping. At turn-around I really, really had to go. Pass porta-potties, big line up – peeing on the bike it will be. Hit the descent (and a headwind) and was able to pee enough to get comfortable. One thing I didn’t take into consideration was that I was wearing compression shorts. Tight compression shorts. Not much gets out and not much gets in. My foresight was telling me this ride was going to get uncomfortable.

Even pedaling easy (I was staying in my small gear ring the entire first lap to keep my effort down) I was soon enveloped in packs of riders. Riders three deep beside, right on my back wheel, right in front of me. Really, people? I had to fight you in the swim and now I have to fight you on the bike? For 20k or so I was really vocal, yelling at people to complete the pass and break up the packs, but eventually I gave up. Why waste my energy? So depending on the situation I either passed them up or let the pack go. Oh look, another dead dog on the side of the road.

My calf was sore where I got kicked. Should I try and stretch it while I can so it doesn’t screw me up on the run? My ribs are aching. Am I getting a side stitch? It’s not bothering me much now but what about on the run? I go through my options. I can: eat, pee, slow down, or speed up. I try all four but nothing changes so I let it be. I start looking for the girls. Did they make it through the swim? One-by-one I see them. As Carla passes I smile knowing she’s probably swearing.

Starting second lap I see Scott bending down fiddling with the camera. Should I call out as I go by? I don’t bother, my throat is hoarse. Got passed by the lead male pro at 70k. I picked up my pace. I peed whenever I got the chance. One time I grabbed the water to rinse off, only it wasn’t water it was Infinit. I applauded myself for catching the mistake before I bathed myself in it, how awful to lose my fuel! I put the bottle back but missed the cage and dropped it. Bonehead. Lucky me I had extra powder in my jersey. Funny, it’s not there. S*$%! I put it in my run bag. Bonehead. I laughed. What can you do? I had enough gels to get me to special needs.

Heading into special needs it started to rain. And hail. And lightening. Oh look, a tumbleweed is blowing across the road just like in the movies. COME ON, REALLY?! This is the frigging desert. It rains three days a year and this has to be one of them! I put my head down and continue to pound it out. What can you do? Pee of course. Chrissy Wellington passes me at 100k. She’s fast. My butt’s not happy and I’m fidgety on my seat.

Third lap I pick up pace again staying one gear easier than I have to. I enjoy the tailwind and speed knowing I’ll have the wind the last 30k. I’m passing everyone. At turn-around the wind has picked-up, the road is wet, and pelatons are still boxing me in – while in their aerobars - this is an accident waiting to happen. I’m still feeling really good but I drop back choosing to stay safe. Whatever energy I don’t burn on the bike I’ll use on the run.

Coming into transition I do a final pee not caring if anyone is my way. I see I’ve PR’d my bike. Who cares. My butt is so raw all I want to do is get off my seat. I take off my cycling shoes and run in socks because the ground is slippery. Grab my run bag, enter the tent, toss of my shoes, rip open bag, slip on runners then grab everything else and head out, putting on items as I go. Exiting the tent I make sure to dodge the psycho sunscreeners.

I start the run fast so I slow down. People are passing me like crazy. Demoralizing crazy. What lap are these freaky people on? Check my watch. Still too fast. Even though it kills me, I slow down. First lap takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R. I really need someone to run with. Look around. No one. COME ON! I spend two-thirds of the race fighting people off and now there’s no one! And of the people I do pass or run by no one is talking. There’s no chit-chat. No banter. Just silence. These people are all demon racers from hell sent to torment me. And why the heck do my feet hurt so bad? They feel like they’re on fire and my toes are cramped.

Cresting the top of the only hill on the course I pull out a gel and suck on it. I’m looking down and happen to see written on the sidewalk ‘Photographer ahead’. Oh, great. I prepaid for my photos I want them to be good. I stick the unfinished gel back into my fuel belt, tidy up my clothes, tuck all my hair under my cap, straighten up my form, paste a smile on my face then speed up. After I pass him I pull out the gel to finish it and wonder why I sped up. It’s a still photo. Bonehead.

Second lap I increase pace but not by much. I can feel my right quad wanting to cramp. None of the announcers have been calling my name as I pass, even when I’m on my own. In fact, no one is, not even the spectators. It makes me grumpy. I look down at my number and see that the entire corner is sheared off so the only part of my name left is ‘ndy’. Maybe I’m the Wendy, Sandy, Andy, Mindy that gets called out when I pass. I feel a bit better.

I have Infinit on me but decide not to use it. Stick with gels as primary fuel, I don’t know why I decide to do this. Take water at the aid stations - following Carla’s advice to take a substantial drink, not just sip it – alternating between cola and chicken soup, let me amend that, not chicken soup, broth. Whenever I asked for soup the response was, “We don’t have soup but there’s broth at the end”. I want to slap my head. Will this race ever end?

Pass through special needs calling my number. Getting closer to my pickup spot and see nobody moving to get my bag so call louder. I pass by still calling. I look back and some guy is holding out my bag shaking it. I call out, “I’m not running back for it.” He lets out a little huff clearly not happy he has to run my bag to me. Well buddy, I’m not happy I now have to run with this bag until the next aid station and it’s all crap anyway.

A little over two hours into the run I’m surprised my glutes and hips are pain-free – this is typically the time they start cramping. In fact, I realize my glutes haven’t complained once this entire race. Very odd since they’ve complained every workout in training and I’ve spent 5 months in physiotherapy trying to get them to shut-up. I figure they’re sleeping and that’s why my quads are starting to ache. Which makes me realize the ache I had in my ribs on the bike is gone and my calf isn’t crampy. Guess that’s why you don’t waste energy worry about things not in your immediate sphere. What I can feel, is a little rub on the back of my shoe. Probably a pebble I picked up on the dirt path. This is my take-care-of-things race so the next aid station I stop and slap on a blister pad instead of ignoring it.

Finally, I start my third lap. It’s dark. Real dark. I hope I don’t trip on something and fall on my face dark. My feet are a throbbing mass of pain. I still don’t have to pee, even with all the fluids I’m taking in. I’m not hungry. I have no cravings. I don’t have to fart. My gut is absolutely silent. Probably sleeping like my glutes. I have no idea what my pace or HR is, or the time. It’s so dark my watch is useless. Passing through transition I looked for Scott so I could dump my fuel belt but I couldn’t find him. Where was he? Having supper with the Ironman Director of Opertations and his wife (which they paid for).

With 5 km left a lady asked another what time it was. “6:50”, she says. I have to admit, my heart sank. With all my PRs that day (I knew I was on course for a run PR) and the great race I was having, I wasn’t going to go sub-12 hours. “Thanks for letting me know, lady,” I thought as my pace faltered. I was mad. So be it. At least I can try for a 4:30 run. I picked up the pace. My quads were not happy. Crossing the final bridge I met up with Joz. She didn’t look like she was hallucinating or loopy. I told her I’d see her at the finish line.

The last 3k was lonely and dark. I wanted to trip every person who passed me, especially if I had seen them walking earlier because the only time I walked was when liquid was going down my throat. Running the final leg to the finish I still wasn’t feeling any race excitement. There was a momentary spark when I took the final turnoff for the finish line but it quickly died when I found myself in a dark parking lot. I shouldn’t be this grumpy so close to the finish.

As I hit the last corner into the finisher’s chute the only thing I felt was a burning desire to get this damn race over with. I did hear Mike Reilly call my name (although he said it wrong) and I remembered to smile as I crossed the finish line (which had no ribbon) although I really didn’t feel like it. My catchers seemed to expect me to be jubilant so I tried to pretend I was happy, but really I didn’t feel anything except how much my feet hurt. I was beginning to wonder if I had stress factures. I wasn’t too stable on my feet so one of the catchers took me to the athlete area (which was super small). She asked me if I wanted a massage but I declined. I could barely stand the pressure of her hand on my arm. All I wanted was water. She took me to get some. There was no place for me to sit. I finally stole a seat from someone who was saving it for someone else. This isn’t a movie theatre, dude, no seat saving!

Then my catcher left. She left. She just left me there. I was going to need food. I was going to need the bathroom. How as I going to get up? How could she just leave me here? I did all that work and I’m just dumped? At IMC you don’t get dumped! Then I spotted Scott, my wonderful husband, at the exit searching for me. Always there when I need him, I knew he wouldn’t dump me.

I lumbered out of my chair like I was pregnant and made a pass by the food picking up what I could. When I reached Scott the tears flowed. He didn’t say anything. Just tucked me under his arm and let me silently cry while he gently guided me to the bathroom to get changed. I released every emotion I had accumulated over day. That god-awful, horrible swim. The raw chaffing on my butt. The pain in my feet.

I really don’t know how anyone can do an Ironman without a ‘Scott’ by their side. He got me cleaned up, took care of all my race equipment, and helped me back to the run course where I plunked down in a chair to watch Carla and the other girls finished. Carla looked as happy as I did coming in. I cheered as she passed and she muttered, “This is a f*&%ed-up race.” I laughed. I wasn’t the only who had a hard time.

The most exciting part of the day was watching Joz come in. There were some tense moments not knowing if she was going to make it. To see her running out of the dark with such a fierce look of determination on her face was a goose-bump moment. Watching Chris Daniels stumbling after her trying to keep up was an America’s Funniest Home Videos moment that had me laughing until the finish line. It was a great way to end a mentally exhausting day.

When I returned home my eldest daughter clung to me. I assured her I was home to stay and would spend all of the next day with her. She asked if I had to exercise. I said no. She cheered. It’s time to rest.

Richelle's 2010 Xterra World Championship Race Report

2010-11-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

What an amazing day!

http://www.richellelove.blogspot.com/

Leslie-Ann's Harvest Half Marathon, Oct 2, 2010

2010-10-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

I went into this race with one goal in mind: execution.

My previous “stand alone” half marathon was the Police Half in April. I had such a hard time completing that race that I was driven to improve. Not necessarily the over all time but how I prepared for the race, carried out the race and recovered from the race.
I had not considered this race until late August when at IMC, Angie asked me what my fall race plan was. She figured I could do the Harvest Half or the Last Chance Half. “It depends” I said, “When is the Last Chance Half?” she replied, “ Mid November” “No can-do” I said, “CFL play-offs, I’ll do the Harvest Half”. I got back from IMC and signed up for a race that conveniently fell on a weekend that I had no other plans. (aka football games!) J

I suddenly found my September/October schedule with a race every two weeks! The Bragg Creek Duathlon, the Harvest Half and mid Oct part of the Ekiden Relay in Banff, nothing like a schedule to keep me honest! Honestly training that is!!
The Harvest Half dawned a perfect day for a race. I ate well the night before and actually went to bed a decent hour, something I tend not to do (yeah yeah I know…). Got 2 of 4 kids up as they were volunteering and off we headed to the deep south of Calgary. In 30 minutes we arrived at the community center, found a good parking spot and headed in to get my race package. No traffic jams at that hour of the day!

Ahhh, the race package, on the Monday of “race week” I thought I would check when the
package pick up is to plan my schedule. To my dismay the package pick-up had been! I had missed the pick-up dates!! I panicked a bit as the site clearly stated “NO PACKAGE PICK UPS ON RACE DAY” (except for out of town participants) I didn’t think that Hawkwood would be considered out of town (all though driving to the race start was further than Cochrane!). I called the Tech Shop and was advised that I would be able to pick up the package at the race and I would be getting an email about the times. Sure enough I did get the email with this statement at the beginning “If you are receiving this email, then you have missed the race package pickup which occurred on Thursday, Sept 23rd and Friday, Sept 24th.

This is our second year for scheduling our race package pick-ups 1 week BEFORE the race. This allows the race committee and volunteers to be more prepared on race day and to offer you a better overall experience. In order to allow for the transition to the early race package pick-ups, we will allow for registrants who missed the package pick-up dates to pick up their race packages on race day for this year only (with the exception of out of town registrants).”

Ok! I didn’t race last year and I will own the fact I forgot! In the line-up (which was very short as a result of the volunteers being so efficient!) lots of us shared stories about not picking up the package. One shared that she was told by the Tech Shop over half had forgotten. Not so sure one-week prior a race is good for package pick-up but perhaps over the course of time it could be!
Anyhow, I’m in good spirits, fuelled and ready to go I had bumped into a couple of TTL people. Wear the jacket and they will come. Tara, Trevor, Ally and I were donned in our colors, such a great feeling for me to be part of this team!
A warm-up, and soon I was on the start line, kissed and hugged the kids and off I went. I did not get what I call my “psychological” pee just before the start (l-o-n-g line-ups) and decided that I could handle that, as I knew there were bathrooms enroute. Never had to stop for that, yeah me!

I had talked to Angie about pacing and I was given my guidelines in 3 - 7km segments, slow, moderate and kick it up. I have an old watch, yes; I wore a watch this time that I decided to time each kilometre, as I could not monitor the splits any other way. This ended up not being a bad way for me to do the race, as I had to keep an eye out for the markers and not run blindly along!

The 1st km was at 6:30, 2nd 6:10 or so, it evened out to be about 6:15/20 per km for the 1st 7. The second set of 7 was very good, I averaged 5:45/55. Got a boost about the 11-12k mark when some friends along the course were cheering runners and were looking for me. I also began to pass people that had passed me in the beginning. I kept Angie’s words in the back of my mind “Resist the temptation to go fast at the start” It paid off when I got to pass people after 10k!

The last 7km.was upon me I was feeling good as I had slowed for the aid stations thus far but not walked. I carried Infinit and water and that proved to be a very good thing as I was able to fuel and hydrate at will. This was an area that I had to improve on and the Infint worked wonderfully. NO GUT ISSUES!J I decided to walk an aid station about the 15km mark as I was getting a wee bit tired.

I continued on and there it was, looming in the distance, “the hill”. I had heard about “the hill” prior the race and at 17km it was a tough one to execute. I have to say I did not do well on the hill and as a result the last 4km were a real challenge. My pacing fell off and I was back to the 6:30 mark, as I had to walk some of the way. That ticked me off and I realized my dream of coming in prior my GWN run time was in jeopardy so I picked up my pace.

I was very glad to come around the corner and see the people cheering the runners along and I used that to bring me across upright and feeling good.
The best part about that finish was knowing who was going to be there. My daughter, Heather, was the one who put the finishers medal around my neck. Proud Mommy moment let me tell you!

She didn’t really like my hug and kiss as I was “all sweaty and stuff’. J My step-son Konrad was also there to give me a hug as well, how cool is that?!
I saw Ally as soon as I finished and thankfully she was able to coach me through my post race hyperventilation. I know I’ve had a good race when I can’t breath for about a minute afterwards. She was very good in keeping my breathing focused and I was soon able to walk AND talk like a human being.

Soon my kids were with me, some post race fuel, and I was feeling brave enough to see my results. Harvest Half 2:08:45 6:07 I PR’d my half-mary time!!
Police Half - 2:24:25 6:51 My GWN run was 2:09:59 6:10
I had mentioned to Angie I would take my bike and spin until the start time. Just might have to try that some time…
When I think of overall execution I am very pleased with how I did. The hill was a challenge but I am still very happy with how I did. I am a runner!

I came home to 18 long stemmed red roses; lunch being made and then watched the Riders win while I enjoyed a cold Corona. I have to say, it is better for me to watch the Riders play in race recovery rather than pre race!

Angie’s Long Overdue Heart of the Rockies Race Report

2010-10-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

I am a tardy race report writer! As of this moment, I have gone to the start line 5 times since I last sat down to write my tales from the trenches of triathlon. (I must be in a mood to “alliterate”!) It there’s a bonus to my procrastination, it is that each report has to be short; something I’m not all that good at but will do my best to accomplish this time round. Here is the first one.

Heart of the Rockies Olympic Distance, July 11th, 2010
This race was important to me. As you may know, my last race at Great White North Half Ironman was what I define a terrible day. I don’t need to relive it her, but it certainly moulded my goals for this race.

What did I want out of this one? Simple.... I wanted to race happy. I wanted to “enjoy” the process, and finish with a smile.

The few days before the race were filled with fun! Rena, Sarah and I had a great time dancing with a few glasses of wine on Friday night in Panorama. Saturday was filled with pre-race workouts with Sebastian, Jeff, Rena, Sara, Trevor, and Alanna.

Race morning I had a bit of chaos. First of all, I talked to way to many people and fell behind on getting ready. Secondly, the battery in my powertap died. I so badly wanted the data from this race to compare to last year. I had a brief moment of panic, the Sarah saved the day with a brand new battery in her HR strap! YAH SARAH!!!!

I got my wetsuit on with minutes to spare... literally! No warm up and the gun was off.
I hoped to stay on Sarah’s feet for at least a few minutes of the swim. “Dream Big Arnold” comes to mind here! NOT A HOPE! She was gone like a flash and I was left to fend for myself. I enjoyed the swim, felt I swam technically well, and was happy with my time.

The bike was fun! I had a ball on the rough road and hills. Last year when I did this race I was grumpy. I hadn’t recovered from GWN I don’t think, and the whole ride and run I made excuses for why I didn’t need to do this race. I was committed to not letting those thoughts override my attitude on this day. I actually thought I rode SO well! I was SURE my watts would be higher than one year earlier. They weren’t... oddly, they were exactly the same although paced differently. Last year I started HARD, and lost watts on the way home. This year I started and finished very close to the same. I didn’t improve my watts, but executed better. YAH ME!

The run was AWESOME! This course is a hilly hard 10k. You climb straight for 6k, get a bit of a break, climb again, then do a hard downhill run to Invermere. Knowing the course this year made it a lot better. Last year I walked a few times and wallowed in my misery. This year I forged on, smiled when it hurt, and hammered downhill! Unfortunately I got passed on the last k and lost 2nd place woman overall. The gal was FLYING! I didn’t mind at all though. I had race a GREAT HAPPY RACE! Process goal accomplished. Third place this year felt SO much better than first place last year. I did a little celebration at the finish line, and joyfully received my beer mug for winning my age group. Our team ROCKED the day as well which made it that much more special. BONUS... I won a free pair of runners from the draw prizes! DOES IT GET ANY BETTER!

I forgot to mention that I PR’d my 10k off the bike. 46:24 was my fastest to date on a tough course. This took me to an OD best time and made the day that much better. Maybe... just maybe... I’m a runner nowJ
I highly recommend this race be added to your calendar next year if you can make it happen. I’ll be back! It was a GREAT race and an even better weekend.

Double Race Report from Nola!!!! IMC and Banff

2010-09-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

I'm finally doing my IMC race report, since I'm so late, I'm also adding my Banff Sprint triathlon report at the end. It may come a surprise to most of you - I don't like writing as much as I do talking! ;-) Anyways, here it goes. A couple firsts came with my third ironman in 3 years - one is I actually rode a 180k bike that wasn't on ironman race day. That was at Angie's ironman camp! Second - I had no niggly injuries/pain such as my knee or ankle as in the previous 2 ironmans. So that was a pretty good feeling. I have to back up first, before going on with the day of IMC. I was having some serious doubts why was I doing this for a third time in 3 years. I have my tattoo, I can call myself an Ironman (or Ironmom by my daughters) and it seems we always had a holiday before I do an ironman. I have such an understanding and wonderful family. Kevin is so supportive and I could never ask to forgo the summer holiday and I can not go because I can't miss out being with the family and our close friends. This is where I had my doubts of WHY am I doing this, so I had a good talk with my self on my last long bike before Ironman and it is because I do love being on my bike, racing, the lifestyle, able to pretty well eat and drink what I want and the incredible friends I have met along this journey.

We arrived in Penticton on Sunday a week before the race. I would have to say it would be the most calm I have ever felt before Ironman. Of course there were little twinges of nerves, but if I didn't have any I would be concerned. I had a fairly good sleep the night before, compared to the previous 2 ironmans and I actually was hungry in the morning. This was a first and I had no trouble eating my breakfast - another first! IMC 2008 I couldn't eat and all I had was a gel before that race. In Arizona (2009), JoZ stood over me the whole time to make sure I ate! I actually was so calm for me that morning that I was actually started worrying why I wasn't why wasn't worrying!;-) No worries though, some anxiety did creep in - but only a little! In transition before the start of the race, the support from fellow TTL athletes was great!

The swim, I always hold back on the start - I think I need to rethink this strategy because then I have to pass the slower swimmers, but if I am closer to the front, I get beat up - so I don't know what is worse. Anyways I had pretty good swim after getting by the slower swimmers. After the 2nd houseboat I found a swimmer who was going at a good pace and I drafted off her. One thing I need to work on is swimming straight, I'm pretty sure it was me that had trouble keeping straight because I was all around her. I did my darndest to stay on her left hip! I was quite happy with my time once I got out of the water.

Transitions - the bain of my existence!! ;-) Here is free time which I seem to always lose. I didn't have anyone help me because I figure it would slow me down. Mantra: smooth is fast and fast is smooth. T1 was relatively fast for me, but more speed is needed. (Plan to actually practice transitions this year.)

The bike, now it can be a good day or not so good day depending on the wind. Since I can't control it - just do your best (another mantra). Had a tail wind out to Osoyoos, knew would have a head wind heading to Penticton. Problem - still go cheesy easy or hammer it to Osoyoos? Chose cheesy easy. Heading up Richter's wasn't too bad - didn't feel the wind quite so much (yet). Probably took Richter's and the rollers too hard, but had a blast coming down! Really noticed the head wind on the rollers and heading to Yellow Lake, I was cold! Thank goodness I missed the rain and hail at Yellow Lake, I couldn't imagine how cold I would have been then. I knew I went too hard on the bike (I was just a couple minutes slower than 2008 which had ideal bike conditions), but I just needed to get off that bike as I was so cold.

T2 - lot slower than I thought I was. I guess I just had trouble moving fast after the bike.

Started off on the run and boy was it ever windy! Sand was blowing in your face as you came towards Lakeshore and before you headed away. John caught up with me about mile 2 and at that time I was trying to hold 12 minute miles and at first we were going too fast and we adjusted accordingly and it worked for a bit and then we weren't and then I just gave up trying to figure it out with pit stops (I needed a few!). So we just kept on going, running and walking (and me talking!). Passed the third way point - I was just so tired, I wasn't sore, no pain, just very very tired. It was great having John there he kept me moving lot faster than if I was on my own. I knew that wind on the bike was going to be hard on me - anytime there is a strong wind I am just knackered and it showed on the run. As we headed back to Penticton we both started feeling better and now we were running more than walking and as we got to the last 2 km - it was incredible! The energy that you get from the crowd - it was great!! I felt so much better at the end than on the whole run! Crossing the finish line with John and seeing Josie and Stephanie catching us was a picture perfect finish (no matter what John says!).

One thing I forgot to say - another reason I do Ironman is to have fun. I did have fun that day. I met some incredible people along the way - on the beach, on the bike and the run. Seeing Team Trilife team mates fulfilling their dream of becoming an Ironman or those overcoming past hurdles to make it that day - it was great to see and be part of it. I may have not have gotten the time I wanted - but nothing is guaranteed with Ironman. I finished my third Ironman in 3 years! I can't believe sometimes that I have done one, let alone 3! I was never considered athletic as a child or teenager and I can't believe how far I have come. This is from incredible coaching from Angie, the support I get from my family and of course the support and encouragement from our TTL family and other triathletes. I always said Triathlon is not really an individual sport, but a team sport. A team sport where friends help out with pumping my tires or adjusting my gears, going longer on the bike ride when I needed an extra 20k, encouragement when things are going a little tough and just having fun together at the workouts and races. Thank you everyone!!

Here is my Banff Race Report. I don't what I was thinking when I signed up for this race knowing it was 2 weeks after Ironman - I guess being the inaugural race had something to do with it;-)! One thing I did do when I got back from Penticton was switched from the Olympic to the Sprint. As well, I wasn't going to "race", I was just doing this for fun. Other than swimming once, I hadn't been on my bike or ran for 2 weeks. Because of how cold the water was, the swim for the sprint was shortened to 300m. I actually was quite comfortable in swim - that is I wasn't cold. But this is what I had on - long johns under my wet suit, borrowed neoprene cap and booties (thanks Ally!) and borrowed large paddling gloves (thanks to my kayak buddy John). So I really wasn't all that concerned with the swim with all this gear - in fact it probably took longer to put on and take off than to do the actual swim! I thought the paddling gloves would act like swim paddles - oops was I wrong! They actually started to fill with water, so it was almost like doing close fist swim drill! Only plus side was my hands weren't cold and the swim was only 300m. Once I got out I had trouble getting the gloves off! Would have better to swim without the gloves, oh well. My main concern was not to be cold on the bike so I planned on doing a total change in the tent. I hadn't counted that it would be raining (forecast was suppose to be dry!! - should have known better) and my plans to be dry and warm after the bike was all for naught. Remember I said I was slow for transitions - well this one will come back to haunt me later (over 13min for T1 - yikes!! but I wasn't racing - didn't matter - right?). Got on the bike, got wet real quick , other than cold feet, wasn't feeling too bad. I started passing a lot a people on the bike, I don't think I was pushing too hard, didn't have my HR monitor hooked up, so I just rode. It was definitely one of the wettest rides I have ever had and it was another time I just wanted off the bike. Got to T2, wasn't too cold - took a little longer than planned. Pulled off my leggings and took off my jacket. No change in socks and put runners and cap on and had a gel before leaving T2. Feet felt ok, warmed up not too badly. I had my Smart Wool socks on and even when wet, your feet don't feel too cold. On the run the sun started to come out and it felt kind of nice. I hooked up my heart rate monitor and HR was ~160+ (I wasn't to concern as it tends to be high after the bike and I just did Ironman 2 weeks ago and I noticed from previous workouts after Ironman that my HR was high with little effort), I felt good, so I just kept on going. Again I was passing people on the run and I just ran my race and finished happy and strong. After the race Ally, John, Jerry and I had fun cheering JoZ and Leslie and doing the "wave" - cheering as triatletes as they came to the finish. Again had another fun day despite the weather. Saw some old friends, made some new friends and had fun with TTL team mates before and after the race. Not long after I got home I got a call from JoZ who asked me if knew that I had placed 5th for my age group!?! No!! I hadn't even thought to look at the race results because I didn't think I would finish that high considering I wasn't "racing". I'll admit I didn't take it easy, but I definitely wasn't pushing it. So here what haunts me, my transitions - if I hadn't dawdled, I would have placed higher without putting more effort. I do not make most of my "free" time (something Angie has told me many times;-) - I truly believed I have learned my lesson on this one) and something I definitely will work on this year! All in all another fun day even though was a bit logistical difficult race (getting set up) and cold lake and wet day!

Joel's First Olympic

2010-09-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

So the race morning wasn’t as early as normal as the race didn’t start until 10am for the OD as they started the half iron before it. I did my run warm up then got ready for the race.

I started the swim way in the back as I was thinking I was going to be slow; I think I only really swam once without major shoulder pain in the last 3 weeks. Needless to say I ended up having to pass one or two people. It was the most swimming I had ever done in the pack, I usually lead the pack and swim alone but definitely not in this race so I was swam over a few times and swam over a few people but I stayed calm and really focused on my hand entry so I didn’t blow out my shoulder! Out of my swim and encountered my “moment of Zen” for the race when I passed 4 or 5 people in the change tent and didn’t even have to worry about drafting.

Then I did a flying mount onto my bike passing another person getting on their bike standing on the mount line. I reset my lap at this point it was 28:50 so I am interested to see what my swim time was. The start of the bike was about ½ km of flat then a 1250 ft switchback climb over 1.5 miles. I kept my HR in check even though I wanted to stand and pass people but I didn’t. The ride on the plateau was really rolling with a pretty big headwind. Then I hit the 12 mile downhill with a 5% grade. It was so long my hips and legs were killing me from being aero at 60-70 km/hr for 15 minutes. So fun and I did not touch my brakes once which was my goal. I definitely had to hold back to keep my HR where I wanted it to be………….I had to keep reminding myself I had a 10km run to do. Then, into transition with a sweet dismount and out onto the run. I made sure to set the lap on my watch to see if I could negative split. The run was hard but I was able to push hard on the last 5 km and negative split by ~1min; 22min out and 21min back. This is likely my first negative split ever. In the end I definitely reached my process goal and even though my bike was slower than I would hope I think it had a lot to do with the course and the wind. I am so amazed that I actually paced myself fairly well!

No results are up yet but I was 9th overall and 2nd in age group with a time of ~2:29. Oh, and the best thing was that I had a summer week-end. It was 20 deg C at race time with a water temp of 19 deg C which made the day that much better. All in all it was a great race and I will be doing more OD tri’s. It makes the training all worth it.

Sharon's Subaru Banff Triathlon Race Report

2010-09-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

Warning: This might be long.

You were warned....Despite frigid water temp, air temp, and looming rain I was in a really good mood before the race started. They had shortened the swim from 1500m to 750m and although I would prefer the full distance, I was okay with that. Ally and John from Team Tri Life were there as supporters and kept us entertained while we were waiting to hit Two Jack Lake. I slipped into the water found a good spot and somehow got pushed into a not so good spot, race started and I have never been so beat up in a race before like I was in this race. Pulled under by a hand/arm on my back/butt 3 times, legs, feet pulled on multiple times...WOW! Not used to that! I was prepared for cold hands/feet/face, but I wasn't prepared for my body to be so cold. It felt so hard to get my arms out of the water, I couldn't keep my fingers together, and I breathed mostly to just one side. It was so HARD! Got out of the water in 10:41 so actually it turned out to be a very good swim for me, although it didn't feel like it at the time. I was so very happy to get out of the water!!

Ran up the hill to T1 not too bad, struggled to get my cap off a bit, ran to my spot and that's where things started to fall apart. I really struggled with all my gear in T1. My hands didn't want to work, couldn't do up my coat, actually physically couldn't! Couldn't get my gloves on...longest T1 of all time. Saw Ally as I was leaving T1 and begged her to do up my coat for me...should have had her put my gloves on too but obviously my brain was frozen too.

Other than wasting time trying to get my gloves on while riding (dumb) and being pretty darn cold, and the rain...the first 20k went pretty well. Then right at 20k the cable for my front delrailer broke. I didn't know what to do, the thought of doing the rest of the ride in my small ring really upset me. After a minute of thinking I hopped off my bike to see if I could but the chain in the top ring manually and leave it there...well darn, I wish I knew more about bikes because that didn't work. At this point I was cold and frustrated at knowing that I wasn't going to have my best ride and put in my best possible result. I got back on my bike and for about a minute very seriously wanted to quit. I was cold, wet, mad...and then I remembered Shane McKechney at the REgina Beach tri, he crashed early on the bike, broke his front derailer and finished the race bruised and bloody and spinning like crazy on the tailwind portions of the bike. Then I thought of Christine, who crashed in Kelowna and finished, then I thought of John Bosma... John!! Who did Ironman after a crash so bad it could have killed him! This was my mantra for the next 2 minutes while I rediscovered my race mo-jo "John Bosma, John Bosma, seriously? Suck it up!!" From that point on I did the best I could on the bike, it wasn't great, wasn't pretty but I put in a half decent bike time (would have been better if I would have just stayed on my bike and kept working!!). Having John and Ally on the course was extremely uplifting, just knowing they were there and cheering me on kept me pushing. When I was coming into town I had the privilege of calling out a cheater who was very blatantly drafting, that was fun....

T2 was another struggle. My feet were completely numb, my hands were partially numb. Marty was right there (he had already finished, 4th in his AG by the way, and 10th overall in the sprint!!!!) on the side of T2 hollering at me to push through it. I changed my socks and put on my runners, an experience that was both frustrating and painful. Marty's encouragement was vital in my getting out on that run. He was hollering that I had to push through the first 200m and then it would be okay...and here I was actually thinking of Running in Socks Angie, she ran the end of a half iron in socks...man suck it up!! Well I actually didn't feel my feet until around 6km but that's when my legs started cramping up...What??? So I walked a little, did some butt kicks, rubbed my quads a bit and the cramps let up enough for me to run again. At this point, knowing that the bike wasn't good and I likely wasn't going to finish where I wanted to I just wanted to put in my best run possible. During the last 3km I kept checking my "status" and it was good so I tried to pick it up...I think this resulted in actually holding pace and I was able to run 42:21- a 10k tri PR!! With a walk to work out leg cramps!!

So all in all...a very tough mental day! Couldn't have done it without my family there cheering me on in the run and John and Ally supporting me out of the water and during the bike. Awesome swim and run times, terribly slow transitions, and the best bike I could muster despite mechanical difficulties. Celebrated after by having a chocolate chai late and a dip in the hot springs. I did end up placing 2nd in my AG, got to stand on the podium and get a medal, but the coolest part was my prize, it was a red and black jacket from IMC!! I told Marty it was foreshadowing...and that if it fit it was a sign....he claims it doesn't fit...LOL!!

Tara's 2010 IMC Race Report

2010-09-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

My journey to Penticton began bright and early Wednesday before the race. Kelly and I were going to Caravan to Penticton and meet at the PetroCan station on Highway 1 at 7:30. Time to go! This adventure was really going to happen. Luckily we had a fairly uneventful drive to the Okanagan. Every now and then on the drive I’d get a little stressed and emotional – however, only a few tears. We arrived in Penticton and checked into Kelly’s hotel. I was going to stay with her that evening, before packing up to stay with Leana and her parents for the duration of the race. We quickly stopped by Angie’s campground to drop off Kelly’s race plan and then we went to the grocery store and bought stuff to make dinner, hung out and then it was a fairly early night since we were meeting the team at 7:30 for a swim workout.

Luckily Kelly’s hotel was right across the street from the Sicamous. We headed out and got our wetsuits on and were ready to swim at 7:30. Tracey was the swim instructor that was leading our workout. We swam fast for the first few hundred yards, got into an easy rhythm for about 600 yards, and then swam hard for the last 200 yards. I felt really comfortable in the water. What is going on with me? Am I becoming a swimmer? After that the team headed out to Smith and Co for coffee and breakfast. After breakfast we headed towards the merchandise tent and registration. I admit it - I bought a few IMC things before the race. Then onto registration. The line-up wasn’t too bad and Kelly and I got through in about 45 minutes. From then on I was sporting my favourite new fashion accessory – my green athlete’s wristband! We headed back to Kelly’s hotel, for a quick lunch and then it was off to see Angie for our pre-race meetings. I had a really good chat with Angie. We went over my race plan and she pretty much didn’t have anything to add. She kept reminding me that patience was the key to my first IM race. As you all know, I don’t do patient very well – but I was sure going to try on Sunday.

After our meetings we headed out to meet the team to descend Yellowlake. A friend of mine lent me an areohelmet for the race. I was grateful for the opportunity to use it, but a little worried that I had never worn it before. After discussing it with Angie she told me to wear it around the hotel for a bit and ride it on the descent that afternoon. I’m sure Kelly was getting a huge kick out of me walking around her hotel room with an aerohelmet onJ. When we headed out for our ride the wind was quite bad. There were a few of us nervous about doing the ride – I’m not great at downhill’s at the best of times, but Angie convinced us that if the conditions got too bad she would call the ride. So off I went with my spiffy new (okay borrowed) aerohelmet. The ride was great. I felt so much more confident than on our long ride at training camp. Angie was at certain spots waiting down the hill to make sure we were all okay. Somewhere along the ride I looked down at my hand – and then I saw it – my green wristband - then it hit me. This was not camp, this was not a training ride, this was it. I’M ACTUALLY HERE TO DO AN IRONMAN! Wow, I began to get so excited. At the end of the ride my comment to Angie was “Are you always right?” Of course it was the correct decision to do the descent! It put me in a great frame of mind for the race. After that, Leana and I headed to West Kelowna where I was going to stay with her parents. When I arrived, her parents were fantastic. Not only did they open up their home to me and my crap (and trust me, I had lot of crap), when Leana and I arrived on Thursday night they had a delicious Salmon dinner waiting! After a fantastic meal, I went to my room (complete with my own bathroom) and settled in for the evening since we had another early morning workout the next day.

On Friday we drove into Penticton for another 7:30 OW swim. This time the workout was to try to swim with people. So Leana and I took turns drafting off on another. Again, I had a great swim. Was I using up my entire swim MoJo before the race? I certainly hope not! We then headed out for coffee and breakfast again however this time Smith and Co was much more crowded and we waited 45 minutes for our breakfast. Just as we were leaving I ran into Kendall from Mercury Rising. We have done a lot of the same races this year, and this was also her first IM. So I hugged her and wished her luck (turned out she had an AMAZING first IM race). Then back to the merchandise tent. I had decided I wanted to pick up a visor and water bottle. We hung out at the expo for awhile and listened to the pro panel. After that we headed back to Kelly’s hotel and grabbed something to eat. Then we went back to the expo to hear Lisa Bentley talk. She was great. Very inspirational (plus I got a free T-shirt for asking her a question). All of this time, I wasn’t feeling emotional or stressed. I was just very excited to be in Penticton getting ready to do my first Ironman. Luckily that feeling would stay with me for the rest of the weekend leading right up until about 45 minutes before the start of the race. Around 4:00 we headed out to the convention centre to wait in line for the athlete’s dinner. It was so awesome to see most of team there. We hung out and chatted until it was time for dinner. Alfred and I made a friendly wager about the race on Sunday J! And then it was time to eat! We had dinner and then sat through some presentations and announcements. It was very exciting when Steven King asked all the athletes to stand who were doing their first IM in Penticton. After dinner we headed out to grab some ice cream. My friends Jacque and Paul had come in from Vancouver to watch the race (and take care of my husband), and Pam had also just arrived in town, so we thought ice cream would be a good way to see everyone before the race. After that it was back to Kelowna.

The next morning, Angie was having a team workout at 7am. Leana and I decided that sleep and relaxation was a better option for us. So we had a leisurely morning and got all our stuff organized to take to the bike drop off. Leana’s dad drove us back to Penticton and helped us get all our stuff organized. I had a great volunteer who helped me rack my bike, put my T1 and T2 bags in the right place and showed me all around the transition area. I met up with Leana, we took a bunch of pictures and then headed out for some RnR to get ready for our big day (we did make a quick stop to Sumac ridge on the way back to pick up some wine though). Shortly after we arrived at Leana’s, Andrew, Jacque and Paul stopped by for a quick visit. Andrew had just flown in from Calgary and my friends had gone to pick him up at the airport. So we chatted for a while, and then they were on their way to prepare for a big day of spectating! Leana and I just relaxed and hung out for most of the day. Later that afternoon we got all our nutrition ready to go (Leana’s boyfriend commented on the amusement of an engineer and a scientist mixing up concentrated bottles of Infinit!). Mr. and Mrs. Keto, again went above and beyond as they made us a fantastic pre-race meal - my favourite – pasta with red sauce, grilled chicken and a green salad. They even provided me with my obligatory pre-race beer (sorry Angie!). For those of you who don’t know, ever since my first marathon 6 years ago, I have drank a beer the night before all my big races – so far it has worked out well for me. I didn’t want to tempt fate and skip this ritual the night before IMC! So after some more vegging out on the couch I went to bed shortly after 9 – tomorrow was IM day!

Surprisingly I slept very well on Saturday night. I woke up only 10 minutes before my alarm went off. I quickly glanced at my watch and thought – uugh, its early go back to sleep. Then – IMG – today is the day I get to race an ironman. With a bunch of excitement and nervous energy I jumped in the shower. I got changed and organized and headed upstairs. Leana’s dad had already make us coffee! I grabbed my pre-race breakfast of granola and yogurt and shortly after that we were on our way. Leana’s boyfriend drove us to Penticton. The drive was actually really relaxing. We got into town and started making our way into transition. We dropped off our special needs bags and then straight onto body marking (it was at that point Leana had to ask me how old she was J). It went by really fast. Then onto our bikes. We had pumped up our tires the day before, but there was no one in the pump line up so I decided to have the folks from the Bike Barn check my tires just in case. Yep – they were good to go. I started putting my nutrition on my bike. Oops, I forgot my honey stinger bar. The one thing I thought I should do differently during the race than I did at camp was to eat a honey stinger bar just as my HR came down after climbing Richters. Oh well, at least I knew I had one in my special needs bag. Off to the porta potty line up (which I did 3 times before getting my wetsuit on). That is when the nerves hit. I saw Cindy and she told me I looked scared. I guess at this point I was. There was girl in line who was yammering on and on about her last IM, this race, how to race, what to do etc. etc. Boy was she annoying. I just wanted to pee so I could get away from her! After that I ran into Alfred. It was 6:15. Wow. Angie said the time would go fast, but that 1 hour and 15 minutes seemed to go by at warp speed. We got on our wetsuits, dropped off our dry goods bags and headed for the beach. We were both looking for our families. Alfred spotted his, but I didn’t get a chance to see Andrew before I started. Probably for the best, I didn’t want to get too emotional. I did however see JoZ and Hope. JoZ was fantastic – what a great person to run into. She wished me luck, told me I looked happy and to remember to stay that way for the rest of the day! Great advice that I did my best to follow! Alfred and I wished each other luck and I went on to get in a quick warmup. There were rumours that the water was cold, but to me it felt fine. I got in for a few quick strokes and then I actually began to relax. Who is this person? Where is the Tara that usually freaks out before a mass swim start? Well, luckily she wasn’t around today and it was the calm Tara that showed up for the race. I saw the pros go out and then was getting excited. Here I was, just 15 minutes away from doing my first IM! I ran into Shannon and we seeded ourselves on the beach off to the left. I felt really good about my decision of where to start. Then before I knew it, we were singing O Canada, and the gun went off.

I remembered what Carla told me at GWN about her swim start with Cindy the year before. They kept walking. Seemed like a really good strategy for me. I walked until the water was chest height and then I began to swim. Since I had seeded myself in the back, there wasn’t too much kicking, punching, or body contact. Then the weirdest thing happened. I began bilateral breathing right away. For the past 2 summers, my goal has been to bilateral breath in an OW race. So far I haven’t been able to do that. I was hoping that I could on race day to make sure I was breathing aerobically and not getting too tired in the water. I told myself I would single side breath for the first 500m or so until I got comfortable and then try bilateral breathing. However, on Sunday I could breathe on both sides right from the start. I settled into a nice rhythm very early on. I also realized that I can swim much straighter when I breathe on both sides J. About ½ way to the first buoy I got jostled a bit, kicked in the face once, but all in all not too bad. A couple of times when I was feeling blocked in, I looked around and found some open water and started swimming again. I kept repeating to myself over and over – “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” (a really good rhythm when you are breathing every 3 strokes). I passed the first houseboat and waved to a scuba diver. I was still feeling okay when I passed the second houseboat. It was the swim back to shore that was the most chaotic. This surprised me because I thought people would be much more spread out. I kept getting hit and boxed in. Someone was drafting off me and felt it necessary to hit my feet with every stroke. Seriously, if you are going to draft can you at least not hit me! I tried to give a quick kick, but then I got a cramp so decided it wasn’t worth it. Every now and then I had to slow down and find some open water (which I easily could). Why is it that in an entire lake, people feel the need to swim on top of one another? Again, found a good rhythm – “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” – great words of advice. I found it much easier to site than I had at training camp and it was pretty cool watching the hotel get bigger and bigger as I getting closer! As I was coming into shore it was pretty rocky so I kept swimming for as long as I could. I stood up and started to make my way out of the water. WOW I did it. I made the swim. I glanced down at my watch 1 hour 20 minutes. WHAT. Did I start my watch at the correct time? I’m sure most of you know that I do not consider myself a swimmer. My goal when I signed up for the race in November was a 2 hours swim. I was thrilled when I got out of the water. I guess all those 9 pm swim sessions paid off. 3.8 Km swim – Check!

I was out of the water and onto the wetsuit strippers before I knew it. I must say IMC has fantastic volunteers. I was out of my wetsuit and someone was handing me my T1 bag in no time. I sat down in transition and was quite chilly. I was shivering. However a great volunteer came help me. Her name was Anne. When she came to help me and saw my race belt she said –“you’re Tara, I met your husband Andrew last night”. I had no idea who she was. She told me that she was friends with Jacque and Paul and they all met up for a BBQ the night before! Small world! She was a fantastic help. Since it was cold, I opted for arm warmers and then the usual socks and biking gloves. But because it was cold and I was wet and shivering, I had a hard time getting them on. Anne helped me get organized (literally dressing me – she even put my race belt on) handed me my helmet and off I went. I found my bike easily as it was very close to the end of the rack. I ran to the mount line and then I was onto the bike course. Transition was a little slower than I had hoped, but the arm warmers definitely ended up being the right call.
Coming out of transition was amazing. I heard Angie cheering and my only response was “I made it out of the water”. After that I saw Andrew and my friends sporting their very own green Team Tara T-shirts. Going out of town I saw a tonne of TTLers all with good wishes. It was great that so many of our teammates came into town to cheer us on! Heading out of town the goal was PATIENCE. I must have been passed by a hundred people. Every time someone passed me, I told myself “cheesy easy” – I can get them on the run. However, knowing that I could push harder it was tough to be passed by so many people. But I knew that it was going to be a long day and that I had to pace myself. Shortly after I started biking my side began to hurt. This happened to me during one of my training rides, but I never figured out what the problem was. Unfortunately the pain stayed with me for the entire ride. Luckily it was manageable and I was still able to drink my Infinit. About 5 Km in, the gadget that I had put on my bike to hold my CO2 cartridges fell off. Nothing too major, and luckily it didn’t get caught in my wheels. I stuck one CO2 tube in my bento box and the other in my spare water bottle that was holding my spare tube. The first part of the ride was pretty uneventful. I made it to MacLean Creek Road and that is where everyone starting getting really bunched up – also where it became very apparent that a lot of people don’t know how to ride up hills. Jeff warned us at training camp that people would be weaving all over the place and boy was he right. But I found my rhythm and started to climb. I made it to the top of the hill feeling pretty good. McLean Creek Road – Check. However it was after that my bike problems began. As I began to descend I tried to put my bike into its big chain ring, however it would not change. I tried to change it while I was in a number of different gears in my rear cassette, but that wasn’t helping either. After fiddling with it for a bit, I finally got it into my large chain ring but that would be short lived. I rode out to Oliver keeping my power and HR in check. I was shocked and disappointed at the drafting and pelotons I saw during this race. I had a drafting penalty at GWN (an unfair call in my opinion, but let’s not get into that) so I didn’t even want the appearance or perception of drafting during this race, plus I wanted to make sure that I rode clean. To that end, I probably under-biked this part of the course. Anytime I was passed, I dropped way back. Anytime I was getting close to someone, unless they were going way slower than I was, I decided to drop back. I didn’t want to kill my legs passing to many people. Not sure if this was the right decision or not, but it was the one I made and I have no regrets. However at some point during this stretch I went back down to my small chain ring and from then on I couldn’t figure out how to get back into the large chain ring. Nothing I did would fix my problem. I was actually pretty pleased with how I handled it. If this was my biggest challenge of the day – I could deal with it. I did keep my eyes open for tech support, but they always seemed really busy with people who needed help to actually ride their bikes. Plus, I was weighing the amount of time I’d lose without my big chain ring with how long it would take to fix my bike. In the end I just kept riding. Also during this part, my stomach started to become really painful. I knew I needed to pee and I hoped that would alleviate some of my discomfort. But as I passed a couple of aid stations, the line ups were really long. I guess I was more concerned about time than I wanted to admit. There was no way I was going to lose 10+ minutes waiting for a porta-potty. So I remembered the sage words I received from Angie and Cindy – I peed on the bike! The pain lessened but didn’t completely disappear, but at least I was feeling a bit better. In no time I was at Richter’s pass ready to climb. CHEESY EASY – that was the goal. I started climbing counting each of the “benches”. Mr and Mrs. Keto and Leana’s boyfriend were at Richter’s cheering us on – what great motivation! Before I knew it I was at the top – What the? That didn’t seem so bad. Richter’s Pass – Check. I went down the other side and onto the 7 rollers (or what I like to call the 7 dwarfs). Going downhill without my big chain was frustrating because I couldn’t get any power, however it probably made spinning up the rollers easier. Now I like to think that I am a somewhat intelligent person. With that, one would assume that I could handle counting to 7. Right? Wrong! I tried to count the rollers but quite frankly couldn’t keep them straight. Was that 3 or 4. I didn’t want to be wrong and do more than I was anticipating. However, got through them all – the 7 dwarfs – check! The ride to the out and back was long. It was long at camp and it was long during the race. Finally made it and was really excited that I could start seeing teammates. I think I saw everyone but Sarah. That was a lot of fun and looking for friends was a nice distraction. I saw Kelly and Leana and both were smiling. I got to special needs and grabbed my 4X concentrate bottle of Infinit, filled my aeorbottle with my extra 1X Infinit, took a honey stinger bar and more gu chomps. I left my spare tube and CO2 cartridge, since luckily I had not needed any yet. I continued on after special needs cheering on my teammates as I saw them. The Out and Back – check!

The ride to Yellowlake went well, but it became quite apparent that the bars and Gu chomps were making the pain in my stomach worse, so from that point on I stuck to Infinit. At the bottom of Yellowlake the wind was getting bad and it was raining. I think it was raining and windy before that, but I really don’t remember. As I started climbing I remembered the markings on the side of the road – each 0.1 Km. The top was at 17 Km. Despite the wind and the rain, this climb was much better than at camp. Andrew, Jacque and Paul were at the side of the road cheering me on. I saw and heard JoZ cheering as well. Just as I was nearing the top (in the rain), Ken and Corey rode by (who bikes up Yellowlake for fun guys?). Then I was at the top. Yellowlake – check! It’s all downhill from here! I started the descent, again getting quite frustrated that I didn’t have my big chain ring, but made the best of it. I tried to pick up speed where I could – I was a little more aggressive than at training camp, but since the roads were wet, not quite as aggressive as I was on Thursday. As I made it back into town I saw Angie at the TTL tent and everyone was there cheering. I also saw Andrew again! At this point I was looking at my watch; I was thinking I might be able to come in just under 7 hours. 180Km bike - Check

As I hit transition, one volunteer whisked my bike away and another handed me my T2 bag. I ran into the tent, changed my tri-shorts and socks, reapplied some Body glide, put on my runners, spayed myself with sunscreen, took a quick inhale of my ventolin, grabbed my gels and was off. Unfortunately I had to make a quick trip to the porta potty in transition. As I was running out onto the run course I realized I had dropped one of my gels. However I thought that 3 would get me to the run turnaround and special needs and if I really needed to I could take a power gel on the course (I prefer Gu gels). One of my goals for the race was to be out on the run, before the lead female finished. As I was beginning to run, I asked a volunteer if the female winner was in yet. I was pleased to hear that she wasn’t.

Now....Off to the run. I was so happy to be on my feet – no risk of a flat tire, mechanical problems, or drafting worries. I love to run. Angie and I had discussed a HR and pace that I should aim for in the first ½. Go slow, be patient. The run was an out and back to as I was starting out, I saw a bunch or pros finishing their marathon (including my buddy Scott Curry, Meredith Kessler, Heather Wuertele and Janelle Morrison) – boy can they run! It was quite inspiring to see. Okay – back to focussing on my own race. I saw Andrew a couple Km into the run. He was at an aide station so I was “allowed” to walk. We chatted, he asked me how I was, I gave him a quick kiss and then I was off running again. Shortly after that I saw Angie and I exclaimed “I’m running a marathon – in an ironman”. She began to run with me for a bit (no walking to talk to her- I wasn’t at an aide station), I mentioned a bit about my stomach and other bike problems but then quickly told her it was in a box behind me and I left it with my bike. Then she asked about my pace and she told me I was running too fast. I believe my comment was that I couldn’t run any slower! She also told me that the only way I wouldn’t make the cutoff time is if I cut off my leg – we were both pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen. After that we separated and I went onto to run a marathon. Surprisingly once I started to run, all my stomach problems disappeared. Unfortunately I was very well hydrated (which was a good thing) but then had to stop twice to pee on the run (which was a bad thing). My goal was to watch my pace and run the entire marathon only walking through the aide stations. I had also given myself permission to walk up any hills if my HR exceeded 150 (which didn’t happen). So I just kept running. My splits were on the faster side of what Angie and I had discussed, but still on track. For the first ½ of the run I had to work really hard to slow it down, but I kept my HR exactly where I wanted it to be, and I knew it was all about setting myself up for a great 2nd half of the run. I saw so many of my teammates on my way out to OK falls – it was great to get some encouragement and encourage them as well. I got to special needs and grabbed my other 4 gels, but left my long sleeved shirt. I didn’t want to tie it around my waist, and at that point I was hoping I could finish before it got too cold. Now all that stood between me and an IM finished was 13.1 miles. I would crawl 13.1 miles if I had too. But at this point in time I was still feeling good. I picked up my pace (just a bit). I kept focused. On the way back I started to “forget” that I was “allowed” to walk the aide stations. I would be running halfway through one and remind myself to walk and take in water. At this point I saw Kelly, Tanya, Shannon, Nola, John and Leana. Everyone was smiling and seemed to be enjoying the day. I kept running. My friend Pam was at one of the later aide stations but was only going to be volunteering until 7pm. I was worried that I would miss her, but NOPE I saw her. She was really encouraging. With 10km left I started taking chicken soup at the aide stations. Not so much because I needed it, but because I really like chicken soup. At one aide station, the soup looked identical to lemon-lime Gatorade – I told the volunteer (nicely) that I thought he had given me the wrong thing, he said “no”, I said “are you sure – it looks like Gatorade” than he told me to try it. OOPS he was right – I yelled back “never argue with a volunteer” – he laughed and wished me luck. Coming back into town was amazing; everyone was yelling my name and cheering me on. When I had 5 miles left (8Km), I almost let myself think that at the end of day I was going to be an ironman. Not yet Tara – you still have some work to do! So I continued to run. My pace and HR were increasing a bit, but all still manageable. I was still walking aide stations until I had just over 3 miles left and then decided that was just wasting my time. I ran and I smiled. I smiled and I ran. Then when I had 2 miles left, I realized that in less that ½ an hour – I was going to cross the finish line. Just before I turned onto Lakeshore drive I saw Andrew! He was cheering me on. He was also on the phone. So I had to ask “who the hell are you talking too”. He was talking to our friends Ryan and Lisa to give them a heads up that I was almost done so they could watch me cross the finish on line. As I turned down Lakeshore towards the Sicamous (yes, the cruellest finish ever to make you run 1Km away from the finish when you are mere metres away) I was feeling good. There weren’t as many people at the end of the street, but as I turned around to head back towards the finish, I heard Angie cheering and Richelle yelling “Tara Beattie!” I didn’t stop to chat, I just kept on running. I noticed to 2 guys in front of me that I was catching. I remember someone telling me it wasn’t nice to pass anyone in the finishers shoot (which I agree), so I had to make sure I passed them quickly. I did, and just kept running. I saw the blue carpet and crossed the finish line! 42.2 Km Run – Check.

Two very nice ladies caught me. I got my medal, hat and T-shirt, Corey took off my timing chip and then Trevor usurped me. The only thing I could say to him is “That was so much fun – you have to do this next year”. I don’ think I could stop smiling. Trevor stayed with me, got my photo taken and got some food. He made sure I was okay and didn’t need to go to medical. I saw Leslie-Anne, who was also catching and ran into Nate who said he a great race. Once Trevor made sure I was okay, I met up with Andrew, Jacque and Paul. Thankfully, they had gone to pick up my bike and gear bags so I didn’t have to worry about that. They also brought me a warm change of clothes and my recovery drink. We then walked down to the end of Lakeshore to meet up the rest of the TTL crew. Angie and I chatted for awhile and then she told me I had to sit down. Mr. Keto let me use his chair and Jacque went to the car to grab a sleeping bag for me. Then we cheered everyone else who was still on the course. I told Andrew that we couldn’t leave until Kelly and Leana has finished – we started this journey together, and I wasn’t leaving until they were done. We stayed until Leana finished and then headed to the campsite.

Wow – what a day. I can’t even begin to put into words how incredible the race was. I can honestly say I had fun for the entire time I was out on the course. I was thrilled with my swim, happy with my bike and ecstatic about my run. I had secret goal of running the marathon faster than my first ever stand alone marathon and I did – by 3 minutes. I even negative split the run by over 8 minutes! I guess all that patience on the bike and first ½ of the marathon really did pay off! Quite frankly I had the perfect first IM! I can’t believe that it is over. I put off writing this race report because I knew as soon as it was finished my IMC journey would be over, and quite frankly I’m not ready for it to end.

Of course there are so many thank you’s! Angie, I absolutely could not have done this without you. You are a great coach and an inspiring athlete. Thank you so much for helping me to become an Ironman. To Kelly and Leana, my training partners - I could never have gotten through all of those long bike rides and frustrating days without you (and thanks for all the times you accommodated my family’s schedule and came out to Canmore to bike) – I’m going to miss the morning string of e-mails discussing our training plans! To Shawna, for helping me learn how to swim when I could barely make it to the other end of the pool. To Jacque and Paul for coming to watch the race and take care of Andrew so I could concentrate on being an athlete for the day. To all the members of TTL – what a great journey! I’m so glad there were so many of you there that I could share the day with. Hey Alfred – where are we going for lunch? Finally, of course my family. You have been so supportive and understanding – thank you for letting me pursue this dream. What an amazing experience.
Ironman Canada 2010 – Check.

John's IMC Race Report

2010-09-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

Well coach, here it is finally. It has been a week and half since the race, and it has been a time of ups and downs, mentally and emotionally. I have been trying to sort out the race and the training program to get there. Thanks Angie.

I don't know how to post this directly to the race report page, so can you do this for me.?

I am not sure where to start because I have so many things to say. This past race at IMC was a culmination of many emotional hurdles that taught me a lot about who I am and where I want to continue to go in my life. The race showed me about why I love this type of lifestyle, and why I love being around people who enjoy it too. This life of mine is not just about triathlon though, even though some days and weeks I wish it was.

August 29, 2010 is a day I will remember for a while because of the journey it took to get there.What kind of person would do a 12 week Ironman training program to complete a race? What coach would even consider that for an athlete? Thankfully I was well coached and only had myself to blame if destruction befell me.

People asked me over the summer what was on my training program. I kept referring back to one statement, "I don't have one". This was mainly due to the fact that I could only do what I could with the time I had. I didn't have time for this repeat or that training session. I only had the time to reflect on what I had learned over 3 years and somehow apply it into some form of haphazard training schedule. For this I was well coached, and I think I had become a good listener.

Race day, going in was to be a fun day. There was only one goal for me, and that was to have fun. The race was to be enjoyable to the best of my ability. Even finishing wasn't guaranteed, even though I had made it to the start line. I could stand on the beach and be proud of all the other people who had made it there too, because there were so many stories that were being lived out that day. Some wouldn't finish the story that day, but they would be back again another day.

So off goes the gun, and we start walking in. Where is the panic that normally befalls me? Nowhere to be seen! One goal in mind on the swim was to start without panic breathing and get into a steady rhythm asap. Well that happened by the first buoy and I knew I was off to a good start. Long easy stoking, stay out of trouble, and look for openings to swim in. Be in my own bubble! I know it is hard to judge ones pace in the water without stopping to look at your watch, but I had my most relaxed swim and didn't work very hard at all. After the second house boat turn,I knew I was doing okay and didn't have to press coming home.

T1 - change outside and don't talk. I would allow that later. Move move move and get going. Things were looking up.

Out on the bike, I could hear TTL screaming before I got on my bike. One can't cry when one is smiling so much. Ooooohh what a feeling! Stop to say hi to the gang and another quick kiss to my wife, one of 6 on the race course. Is that a record? Forgot to ask where my niece was, but somehow knew she was behind me. That would not last long as she passed me before Maclean creek, and I wouldn't see her pass me again. She stayed in front the rest of the way. There was no need trying to keep up or catch, it would not be that kind of day. I still can't figure out why training camp rides are so much harder than race day, but my bike was easy cheesy most of the way. The only issue I had was not stopping early enough to use the facilities when necessary. I stopped when I needed to and stopped where I could. I kept surprising Shannon by passing her 4 times I think because of potty breaks. I need a bigger bladder, or at least a catheter next time. The one thing about riding at the back is that you miss all the rain and hail. I don't know what everyone else was complaining about, our ride was a nice cool training day. The only thing that sucked was how lonely it was going up Yellow Lake. At least 90% of the people had left, but then I heard my cowbells going and up the hill we went. I kept encouraging 3 other guys to keep churning out the spins on the hill, keep turning over those legs to make it to the top. And then I stopped for another kiss! What a way to do a race, no pressure.

T2 - gotta remember the quietness of getting going again. Go pee, get shoes, get going, gone! Running out the gate, better slow it down.

2 things needed to happen on the run course, get out there early enough for my picture to be taken before dark, and don't explode bfore OK falls. Well I met this little lady at mile 2 who I decided would be my check valve. Nola and I ran/walked for the next 24 miles together. We had so much fun together we even got an advisory for 'pacing' each other. What is that about? Next warning would be a penalty. Its after 6pm and we weren't even in OK Falls yet. It gave us another half an hour to talk about something new. I didn't see the camera guy out there, but he must have seen us. We definitely paced each other, walking and talking. Guess who got the most words in edge-wise? We encouraged each other to run when we didn't want to and kept each other going when it didn't seem like a good time was being had by anyone. We plodded along, and we prodded each other to go. We posed for pictures when there was another opportunity, and we made new friends along the way. We supported each other and almost finished together, but ladies first of course. And I had to stop in the chute for one last kiss before the finish line.

One thing I need to remember for next time. Look for the camera or something else besides the 2 crazy ladies jumping up and down at the finish line trying to make you cry. Well it worked and now I have to go back and get a decent finish line photo. 2 tries now and both pictures kind of suck. Next time in 2 years will be better. And one more thing, if I want to raise my arms in victory, next time I better shave my pits too.

So all in all it was a great day of racing. My goals of good race management went as planned, for the most part. I definitely had fun out there on the course, but not in a crazy Ally sort of way. The day was not about me, but watching and hearing how other people were doing on the course was more a priority. Seeing fellow TTL teammates on course, and the spectators cheering us on is an awesome thing to have and hold close to my heart. To have someone jump out and say "I'm so and so's dad or mom" and my reaction is blank for a second until I could remember, was so much fun. To know we had the support of our team and families is what makes it special. Keep up the good work.

In closing, it sure would be nice to race injury free for once in a long time. I'd like to know what I could really do, if healthy. But then I guess I just did that, doing what i could really do under the circumstances given me. I am so thankful to be alive and able to participate with friends! You just don't really know what it means to me. Thank you.

Michael's 2010 IMC Race Report

2010-09-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

What a difference a year makes. 365 days crash free!The days leading up to IMC were busy, with pre-race workouts, preparations,and trying to relax.Race morning started early, although there were people already heading totransition when I woke. Normal breakfast of toast w/ PB&J, and startedsipping on my bottle of Infinit as I headed down for body marking.

Started seeing other TTL athletes, was glad to see everyone was in great spirits; noone seemed too worked up. Did my last minute changes to transition bags, and put my Garmin in T1 bag.Got suited up and headed down to the beach. Didn't really have time for awarmup, just enough to get water down into my wetsuit. I planned to startfrom the left side, about the middle of the pack. At the start, walked outtill most people had gotten down to swimming, and worked to find my rhythmearly.The race plan that I had worked out with Angie was based around Patience.We set some conservative guidelines for HR on the bike, and pace for thefirst half of the run. With a day like this, it is so easy to get caught upand push too hard; I felt I needed reminders. I coached Jacob, when he wascheering, to shout "Patience, Daddy, patience!" I also wrote patience on myarm next to where my Garmin would sit. So when I'd look down to check speed I'd have a counterbalance to the urge to push harder.

Swim started well enough, I wasn't working very hard, and passing people ata steady pace. Halfway to the first turn, things turned ugly. Found myself in a tight pack and was getting knocked around a lot. Some guy's arm landedon my neck two strokes in a row, instead of adjusting he just forced meunderwater. I started struggling to get a good breath, started to panic abit, and had to pull up to regroup. Took me a few moments to find mygroove, and forge on. At about the second turn, noticed my gogs filling fartoo often, discovered that one of the straps had come undone. They werestaying put, but on each roll to breath the strap would hang down in mymouth. Just a distraction, tried not to let it bother me. Took a kick inthe eye right at the end of the swim.

Overall, the roughest swim I've beenthrough. Time: 1:04.

Grabbed my T1 bag and ran to the tent. As I ran out of the tent, I realizedI didn't have my Garmin, so I ran back. My bag had been cleaned up already,no garmin laying on the ground. Spent a few minutes trying to find my bag,finally realized I'd have go on without it. That was a hard time, I feltkind of alone, that the plan was shot already. Saw the TTL group around thefirst corner which provided some cheer. I had to come to terms with thechange in strategy, and focus on RPE to guide me efforts.The trip to Osoyoos felt really good. Was caught in a crowd up Macleancreek which kept my speed in check. Tried to avoid packs, sometimes wouldhold back, sometimes would surge ahead to pass. At Osoyoos, did a sanitycheck, did I go to hard? Richter felt good, a long slow grind. The crowdsthere were awesome. The decent off Richter was a screamer, I had enoughspace to feel comfortable about letting it all hang out. I actually enjoyedthe rollers: easy spin up, as the hill began to level out take a couple ofgears and hammer over the top to get up to speed quickly, and coast down thehill passing all the way. Rince and repeat as required.I also took note of the increasing headwind around there. I was starting toget uncomfortable, shoulders and neck getting sore. But the wind was moreincentive to stay aero onto the out'n'back. Grabbed my bottle on Infinitfrom special needs, stopped for another potty break, and forged on. Idecided not to push so much from there to Yellow Lake (Patience Daddy,patience), and not beat myself up about a slower pace on the incline. Got aflat where the road starts to get a little steeper. Never having had tochange a tubular before, I was a bit worried. Also realized I didn't haveany CO2, only cans of PitStop. I used one can trying to fix the tire, butthe valve stem wasn't long enough, so I pulled that tire off to install thespare. The second can wasn't enough to fill the tire, but just then thesupport car pulled up and filled me up, I was off.The weather had turned nasty by this point, rain and wind, I had been warmenough while I was moving but stopping with the flat had cooled me off. Iknew I just had the last climb and the decent left, so I wasn't worried toomuch about the cold. After a ten minute rest changing the tire, my legs hadlots of zip, I was able to cruise up Yellow Lake. Saw the TTL tent and ahigh five from JoZ, and I was at the top. The decent was dicey at times - Iwasn't confident in the tire or the wet brakes, but there wasn't muchtraffic in front of me so I could make my way down at my own pace.Took it easy riding back into town, saw Ang and the crew at the mall.

Pulled into T2, a quick change, and off on the run. Bike time: 6:18.

Saw my family on Lakeshore, "Patience Daddy, patience!" They had also snuck abaggy full of jellybeans and a note reminding me to have patience into my T2bag. My legs felt good, but heavier than I had experienced in my brickruns. The patience reminders were good, they helped me to not get worked upat going slow, at all the people who were passing me. Angie's descriptionof Richelle's execution last year rang through my head, patience daddy,patience. I think I ran pretty consistently on the way out to OK Falls.Walked the aid stations, ran the hills till they started to hurt, and walkedto the top. Nutrition was working really well. A couple of times I startedto feel full, I was able to back off the pace for a few minutes and thefeeling passed.Reached the turnaround, and sat for a few minutes with Hope while I changedsocks, and another baggy of jelly beans and another note - "Go Daddy, Go!". Hope asked if I had any messages to relay back to Angie, I didn't think ofit till after I left: I should have had her send "I'm a runner now, and I'mout of patience!"Again, a small rest seemed to reinvigorate me. It seemed like I was flying,over the hills and onto the flats; and as promised, the people that passedme on the way out all started to came back. I didn't know my pace, didn'tknow what the total time was at, but it didn't seem to matter that much. Saw all the TTL'ers still on the way out and they all looked great, smilesall around. Ran the last few k's into town with someone, we seemed a goodmatch - were able to push each other when we needed a little help. Comingup Main St. was a blast with the crowds cheering, still feeling strong,pushing a little harder each block - this was the payoff for a day ofpatience. Turned the corner onto Lakeshore; pushing a little harder. Sawthe family, saw the TTL crew at the turn, the last stretch was kind of ablur until the chute.

Run time: 4:31, with a 12 minute negative split. I've never had a race gothis well, to feel so positive throughout, and to finish feeling so strong.

Despite my equipment challenges, I can't imagine a better race, a better dayoverall. Most of my races to this point have always left me falling aparton the run. It was such a thrill to be able to maintain control throughout,and finish stronger that I imagined was possible.With that, my race schedule for the year is done. I owe so much to so many,my family for their support and encouragement, for putting up with the longtraining hours, and even for nagging me out the door sometimes. To Angiefor her advise, wisdom, and encouragement, and to the whole TTL team you'reall so motivating and encouraging. Thank you, everyone, for helping me exceed my goals.

Kelly's IMC Race Report

2010-09-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

I want to start off by saying it was a truly amazing day. It exceeded anything I could ever have hoped for. I was really worried that I would hate it – that I would be struggling to enjoy the moment, the day, the journey. But, the total opposite happened. I loved every second. Even when my feet got hit in the swim, when the wind came up, when the rain fell, when I decided not to run anymore, when my legs hurt, and when I thought there was no way I’d be able to run the last 500m to the finish line. I loved every minute of it.
Angie – you were right.

WEEK LEADING UP TO THE RACE:
I got to Penticton on Wednesday – Tara and I caravanned out. We stopped for breakfast and had a good drive out. We stopped at Angie’s campsite so I could drop off my race report for her to review prior to our meeting on Thursday. I don’t know what was wrong with me but I was an emotional wreck talking to her – I actually cried more that Tara in the week leading up to the race (I had 2, she only had 1 that I am aware of)! The group workouts were good and it helped to calm the nerves. I am sure that I did way more walking than I was supposed to. The registration line was quick, it was nice to talk to John while we waited. It was becoming so real – I had my race package, number, and wristband. We went to the expo on Thursday, then again on Friday. It was Friday that I met Sister Madonna at Smith & Co – she is such an inspiration! I really hope when I am 80 I will be at the Smith & Co with an athlete’s band on my wrist! Leana & Tara both joked that I would pretty much talk to anyone anywhere, but was afraid to go introduce myself to Sister Madonna. Friday afternoon Tara & I went and listened to the pro panel talk. Walked back to our room, and walked back to listen to Lisa Bentley talk. She is a fabulous public speaker and I loved her stories. Saturday did a short workout in the morning, made sure my bike was working, packed my transition bags, and dropped my stuff off. Now, just a matter of time. . . .

RACE DAY MORNING:
I was up at 4am – I like to get up a bit early and have a coffee and eat before I leave. I was surprised that I actually slept a bit – very unusual for me when I am extremely nervous about a first-time race. I followed Lisa Bentley’s mentality and said to myself while I was still laying in bed “I am doing an Ironman today, and there is nothing else I’d rather do today”. It really helped set the excitement for the day. I did not feel sick, which for me was a huge plus. I was nervous, but an excited nervous, not a “I think I’m going to be sick” nervous. It’s hard to explain the feeling in the morning. I actually said to Mitch at 4:30am – guess what? I am doing an ironman today! (this was from Richelle – thank you so much. I took it from you and used it throughout the day – it was a great way to stay positive and excited).

I was very grateful that Mitch had decided to volunteer as a chip-person for the morning swim so he could walk through the body marking and into transition with me – it was really helpful to not have to walk in alone. He really helped me feel calm and I will be forever grateful for him for doing that for me. I really think it helped set my whole day up for success.

SWIM:
Many people on the team know that I am not a big fan of swimming with people. I admit, I am not a bad swimmer – I can hold my own usually. The swim start was a huge anxiety provoker – me and over 2700 other people in the water trying to get to the same place. I was really, really stressed out about not being able to find open water in the days leading up to the race. I have really good swims when I think I am the only one in the water, and I had some really good swims at camp and in our practises on Thursday and Friday. Still, I was a bit worried but had a plan – start at the back and let the mad rush of people go first – I can always pass. Really – I had 2 hours to complete the swim. Even if I had to let everyone else go ahead of me, I’d be okay. Crossing the mat, Mitch was there checking chips and I gave him a quick kiss good-bye and almost cried. Almost, but didn’t! Onto the beach.

I hung out with Leana (thank you so much for staying with me – you helped me have fun and stay happy before the start). We had a great view of the pro start and then our quick warm up. We decided to start at the back in the middle – the middle of all places! Well, there were lots of people left and lots of people right, so in the middle it was. I started in the water, up to about mid-calf and when the canon went, I started walking. I walked for an entire minute (I looked at my watch) before I started swimming. I was so surprised and happy that I found open water to swim in. I did get hit a couple of times, but the few days practise before hand that everyone swam around me was so good – thank you guys so much!!! The houseboat came up so fast. I tried to find the scuba divers, but didn’t find one. I did see the helicopter, which suggests that I am likely lifting my head up too much to breathe, but oh well – I was doing an ironman swim and having fun! Then the next houseboat, then focus on the hotel – that was the way home. On the way back there was a bit more traffic to manoeuvre around, but I was still in a happy swimming place. Before I knew it I was close to home and my hand was scraping on the rocks along the bottom, so I stood up and started walking.

I had a fantastic swim – I wasn’t tired when I was done, I felt great, and I swam with people around me! I was totally thrilled with my time as well – 1:12 (41/144 in age group).
Ironman 3.8km swim course – CHECK!

T1: I got my bag and into the tent. It was so busy! There were no chairs and I had to find myself a little patch of grass. I did have a volunteer help me for a bit and then once I was pretty much done, I said thanks – I’m pretty much ready to go and she could help someone else if she wanted. When I went to do up my bike jersey, the zipper broke! I couldn’t be riding out there with no zipper – I didn’t want my chest hanging out and, more importantly, I didn’t want to be cold. So, I had to find another volunteer to help me find some safety pins to pin up my frontage. It’s a day of managing problems, right Angie? So, I was in T1 a bit longer than planned, but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t about to make a big difference. (T1 was 8:31).

BIKE:
I was happy to be on my bike. I felt so good coming down the first stretch, knowing that the TTL group would be on the corner. I could see the jackets as soon as I started pedalling and it was a great boost right at the start. I yelled that my jersey broke and down main street I went. I listened to Angie and easy-cheesy, cheesy-easy was the name of the game. It is really hard to do this as a TON of people passed me on the way to MacLean Creek. I watched my heart rate and when it had gone down enough, I had my first sandwich. I was hungry and since my HR was down, I thought it would be a good time to have some solid food. It wasn’t actually the best idea. Shortly afterward, my stomach started to feel a bit off. I kept going for a bit but stopped to pee at a run aid station porta-potty in hopes that would help the cramp go away. Big bonus – no lineup there. I kept on my time-line for fuelling (infinit every 10 mins), and I had a bit of a cramp for about the first couple of hours. I was pretty happy when it finally went away. Lesson #1 – don’t eat that soon after the swim even if HR is low.
MacLean Creek was hairy – wow. There were a lot of people and many of them tried to power up the hill, weaving all over the place. I was in my easiest gear, just pedalling away up the hill. One person actually fell, which caused a couple of other people to fall as well, but I was far enough away that I was able to manoeuvre around them. That was one of the craziest times on the bike course.

My HR was a bit lower than I had in my race plan, but I was okay with that – I didn’t want to feel yucky and I was having a good day and I felt good – it was a pace I could hold for the day. People would pass me and I would let them go – I am riding my race and wanting to have a great day. Richter’s came and went, then the seven dwarfs, then the out-and-back. It was great to see people I knew on the out-and-back (Alfred passed me early on and I never saw him again), and Tara caught me at this point. I don’t remember seeing Leana or Shannon but I think Leana saw me. I think I saw Mike, but as I write this now, I’m not sure. I don’t remember seeing Kent at all that day, and I only saw Scott, Ally, and Sarah on the run course. This is where the wind picked up. On the way back from special needs, the head-wind started. At least, it felt like a pretty significant headwind. I knew that my “weak part” was coming up – the road to Yellow Lake. I did stop for a pee break and to have a gel before the false flat and climb up Yellow Lake. I knew it was windy and I just went in an easier gear than I thought I could push so that I’d have legs for Yellow Lake. I passed people that were chugging along, trying to push in a harder gear – maybe they didn’t realize that we were climbing.
Everyone who had done the race before told me that Yellow Lake on race day was way easier than in training. There were people lined up along the side and I really felt like a superstar! They were cheering and the climb did not seem nearly as long or as hard as in training camp. It was totally great to see JoZ at Yellow Lake – I smiled and waved and “wooo-hoooed” as I came up! Then, all of a sudden, I was at the top! I had totally planned to stop at the top as I thought I would need the break. Nope! On to Penticton with a huge smile on my face.
The decent from Yellow Lake was good – much better than the Thursday descent. The change of my front wheel and no traffic made the ride down so much easier and faster. I still didn’t hit the speeds that Nola hits, but it was fast by my standards.
Bike time: 7:07 (87/144 in age group)
Ironman 180km bike course – CHECK!

T2:
T2 was pretty uneventful. I decided not to change my shorts, but I had to change my top as I didn’t want to run in a pinned-up bike jersey. I had the same volunteer that helped me in the morning! I told her that and said thanks again for all her help. Grabbed my stuff and out to the run course.

RUN:
I didn’t really have a plan for the run – just run as long as I could. I wanted to try and run (my 4 & 1’s) for 2 hours. If I could go longer, great but I wanted to try and hit 2 hours. The turn out to Lakeshore drive was amazing. I was pretty happy that I was out on the run course before the first female had finished. As I was running along Lakeshore, I saw a friend of mine Joyce and my friend Jen (Mike’s wife). I stopped and had a chat with them – telling them I had a great swim and a great bike and I was doing awesome – “I was doing an ironman today!!!”. After a couple of minutes I finally said “I guess I better go – I think this is a race”. I was running along and then I was running past the Cherry Lane mall and the team. It was so great to see everyone! Christine – you are the loudest cheerer ever! It was fantastic! I yelled “I am doing an ironman today!!” and did a happy-jumpy dance which Angie scolded me to remember not to hurt my ankle (I keep forgetting about that pesky thing). Angie came and ran with me for a bit (well, I quit running and walked with her). She commented that “I was running” and, I had a smile on my face (there is a photo). I told her I was having a fantastic day and that my plan was to run as long as I could – whatever happened – that would be my day and I would take it, good or bad. I bid her goodbye and off I went.

At the 10k mark (77 mins into the run) my ankle was a bit hurty and I evaluated my run plan at that time – did I want to try and keep running for another 30 mins and potentially aggravate stuff further or do I want just walk from here on out and potentially finish happy. I really considered running a bit more but really, my entire goal was just to finish and to “not hate it” – I was out to have a fun day. Okay, truth be told, – I did have a super-secret goal but I wasn’t racing to hit it. So, I decided to walk – I had run the first 10k – that’s all. For anyone who is hesitant about doing ironman because they think that they won’t be able to run the entire marathon – sign up. There were so many people walking, I couldn’t believe it. Most were happy and some were not, but there were a lot of people walking along the way.

Once I decided to walk, two things happen – first, I keep a much closer eye on my pace. I really try and maintain a 9 min/km. There is no dilly-dallying once I start walking; and second, I start looking for a friend to help pass the time. I met Kyle from Texas. We walked and chatted until the turn-around. There were two gentlemen in front of us that were doing 3 ironmans in 3 days – yep – these two guys did the IMC entire swim/bike/run course on Friday and Saturday, and their 3rd day was race day. By this time, Kyle commented more than once that he was having trouble keeping up. Then, he stopped at an aid station and I was on my own. I then caught up to another lady walking. She was not having a good day and did not appreciate my enthusiastic “we are doing an ironman today!” comment – she called me “peppy”. I said sorry, I was excited that it was my first one and I was having so much fun. She gave me a “look” and commented that this would be her first and only one. So, I left negative-nelly behind – don’t need her bad attitude to ruin my day. Then, I caught up with Dave from Florida. He commented about the wind and the hills. Seems there aren’t many passes in Florida that he can ride on to train. Dave was doing 2 & 1’s by that point, so he started running again. I wished him well and watched him run off. As I passed a gentleman (he was walking too), he commented on my fast pace. As I passed him, he noticed my age and said “and you are not some spring chicken either”. I said I was insulted and the bantering when back and forth for a bit. But alas, they would not walk with me as “I walk too fast”.

During my walk, I got to see the TTL group – I saw Sarah, Tara, and Mike – all looked super strong – as I was going out to the turn-around (they were coming back). I missed Alfred, but saw Scott – he looked like he was having a great day. On my way back into town, I saw Nola and John – it was so great to see them together; and Leana and Shannon. It was so great to see teammates along the way – to cheer them on, stop and hug or slap hands as they go by. Really, the team support out there was so great. I also saw Pam at the aid station! That was a great surprise! We chatted and she asked about Leana. I said that she wasn’t that far behind me and should be along shortly. She wished me well and away I went.

Once I got back into town, my legs started to hurt. I mean really hurt – the inside of my knees would ache with every step. My ankle hurt, the bottom of my feet hurt and I actually wanted to stop and rest for a moment – just to rest my legs. I didn’t because I was afraid that if I stopped, my legs wouldn’t want to start again. Also, I started looking at my time and doing math in my head. I was calculating that if I could hold my pace, there was actually a really good chance that I could hit my super-secret goal of having a “15” as the first 2 numbers in my finishing time – and if I hustled my butt, I might have a “14”. . . .

Those last 4-5km of the marathon were a bit tough, I admit. Stuff hurts and it was dark and hard to see my garmin, and coming back into town seemed to take soooo long. I kept smiling and made a point to thank everyone I saw for coming and watching and cheering. Many said things like “great pace”, “keep it up”, “almost there”, “you’ve got this” and smiled back. When the volunteers would stop traffic I would laugh and smile and say “thanks very much – I don’t think I can stop!” One of them said something along the lines of “it’s easier for them to stop than you to stop at this point – keep going you are almost there”. It is truly great how the community supports this race and the competitors. I can see why the race sells out so quickly and why this is one of the best “first ironman” races – you feel like a star, people cheer you by name, and they are out there cheering in the dark – it seems just as long as you have been out there.

The turn onto Lakeshore was amazing. I knew, really knew at this point that in 2km, I would be an ironman. There was no more doubt and amazingly, the hurtyness went away. I didn’t even try and run – just kept on walking. I got to the turnaround that the team was there. I did an airplane around the pylon and was so excited to see everyone. I walked with my friend Lara – and told her that I was pretty sure that I was going to have to buy Michelle dinner as it wasn’t going to take me more than 20 minutes to walk 1km (similar to Tara & Alfred’s lunch wager. I lost with “14”, not “15” being my first 2 numbers). I past my buddy Kevin – joked with him that I was passing him. He laughed and said that he was prepared to run the last 500m if he had too (he didn’t – I finished 30 seconds ahead of him). I missed my friend Jen who apparently came down from her room for the final stretch. I was too busy taking it all in, talking with Kevin and Lara that I didn’t even see her. I walked with Mike for a bit at the end. I think he asked me if I could believe that I did it – I was almost done. I said no, and it was such a great day. He said he was going to the turn around and I’d see him once I was done. We hugged it up and I began running to the finish line. . . .

Run time: 6:09. I am super thrilled with this as I did 10k in 77 mins run/walking and 32k walking.
Ironman 42.2km run course – CHECK!

THE FINISH LINE:
I don’t remember the song that was playing, and I don’t remember hearing “Kelly – you are an ironman”. I do remember coming down the carpet, smiling like an idiot, slapping hands along the way, and the thundering noise of the crowd along the blue carpet banging on the sides of the chute. It was the loudest, most bestest sound ever! It is totally amazing and nothing can prepare you for this – you feel like you just won the race.

Trevor was there at the finish line to catch me (I hugged him too) and I was still grinning like an idiot. I actually said to him that I had a great day, I was totally fine (didn’t need medical) and if he needed to help someone else, that was okay. Then, I yelled “guess what?? I DID AN IRONMAN TODAY!!!!” Apparently I was giddy with excitement as I did need some help as he needed to shuffle me over to the medal people AND over to the hat people to get my finishers stuff (Thank you so much Trevor! I would have been so sad without my hat and medal) as I had really forgotten all about it. Plus – I had to get my chip taken off me. I saw JoZ & her daughter and my other friends Jenn and Karla – who were also catching – and chatted with them. I am sure that Trevor was getting annoyed with me as I was chatting up a storm and not really paying attention to what I had to do. So, he walked me over to the pop and water and we chatted a bit about the day and he helped me find Mitch.

Thank you so much Trevor for being there at the end and helping me out. I apologize if I annoyed you and/or chatted like 900 miles an hour. I was pretty happy and excited and it was great to have a teammate there at the end to share with. I will repay the favour next year!
I went back to the turn around to watch Nola, John, and Leana finish. Leana, Tara, and I started this together and we put in a lot of time, effort, and emotion together and I wanted to be there for each of their journeys. Then, it is over.

Total time: 14:47:00
Ironman Canada 2010 – CHECK!!!!!

I want to say thanks to my super special training buddies Leana and Tara – you guys made the training fun and it was great to have this to share with you guys – I wouldn’t have wanted to do this without you. We took this journey together and we finished it together – it was an amazing day I was glad to share with amazing people.

Thanks to the rest of TTL – you guys are great and supportive and I could not ask to be part of a better team. A super special thanks to Mitch – he listened and supported and helped make my ironman dream possible. I drag him into a lot of my crazy schemes and he will join in or support me in my quests! He really is a great guy.

And Angie – thank you so much for sharing this journey with me and making my ironman dream come true. Thanks for listening to me and helping through the tough times when my self doubts took over. I can never thank you enough and I truly could not have done this without you. You have helped me reach goals I never thought were possible.

Cindy's Xterra Whistler race report

2010-09-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

Some of you may not know but there a few of us on TTL who prefer mountain bikes to road bikes - and also love getting muddy! Cindy participated in Xterra Whistler which was the National Championships last weekend and she rocked it! She had the best attitude all day and smiled non-stop despite 2 flat tires. It was an extremely difficult course and many athletes said it was harder than the actual world championships! I am so proud of her and even got offered a Maui (Xterra World Championship) roll down spot! Congratulations Cindy!

http://graphixdivasblog.blogspot.com/

What a day!

Kent's IMC Race Report

2010-09-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

Sleep didn't come easily last night post race. A few aches and pains, trips to the bathroom and an insatiable appetite for real food kept me up. It's 5:30 a.m. and I've decided to tackle my race report while everything is still fresh in my mind.

Now I don't plan on going over every detail... for instance, my pre-race routine is probably not unlike everyone else's... get up, get dressed, eat what breakfast you can stomach, get your butt down to check in for bag drop and body marking... yada yada yada. Instead I am going to start at the sound of the cannon.

The swim... I decided this year I would start near the far right hand side (inside the buoys), and gradually work my way back to the outside. I heard a few people mention that this was a good move as there would be fewer people (true), and you would be beat up less (also true... to a point). I found that a lot of people decided this was also a good idea. Although I had a pretty good pocket of water around me for the first 800m or so, I also found that it took a lot longer to edge over to the left side of the buoys as many athletes took their time moving in that direction. By buoy #8 I managed to get on track but it got congested fast. My HR if I could have looked at my watch probably spiked a bit here, but I quickly settled into a steady pace and found feet to follow. The two turns went like clockwork. I didn't swing wide (on purpose). I'm generally a slow swimmer so I didn't want to add time unnecessarily. Instead I kept it tight to the house boats and utilized the single arm pull technique with great effect. I was around the turns quickly and I was not beat up at all. The swim back to transition was long. I was starting to fatigue a bit by the 4th or 5th last buoy as I got a wicked cramp in my left calf! I eased up on the kick and within a few minutes I was able to get things moving again. I PB'd the swim by 4 minutes! 1:14:23.

T1... What can I say... it was slow - (5:02). I actually got changed really fast and had I run straight out to my bike I probably would have been just over 2 min in transition. Instead I HAD to hit a porta-potty. The pre-race bottle of Infinite and any lake water I ingested needed attending to. Enough said.

The bike... I'll sum up by saying I executed exactly to plan. I purposely "lost" every hill climb - something of a challenge for me because I really like to climb. I followed Angie's advice and kept my heart rate below 155 on the climbs. In fact for most of the bike I kept it below 150, saving everything I had for the run. Of course there had to be a hiccup... the head wind that blew up as I turned out of the out-and-back onto Hwy 3 heading to Yellow Lake... brutal!!! For a 10km stretch I was lucky if I made 14km/h. I focused on heart rate instead of speed though. When the wind died down (by Olalla maybe?) I was still feeling really strong for the ride from the Apex Mountain sign to the top of Yellow Lake and beyond. A lot of credit here goes to the crowds who endured some crappy weather (wind and rain) to cheer athletes to the top. I have to admit I got a bit emotional seeing Joz, Ken and other TTL folks there. It really helped make the day! Another PB, this time from IMC 2006 by 20 minutes! 6:11.42.

T2... Really slow!!! 9:28 to be exact. I attribute this to the amount of Infinite I drank on the bike. My efforts to keep my calorie count dialled in, I didn't take into account that I had never consumed that much Infinite in a single day (let alone a 6 hour window). By the time I arrived back at transition I was severely bloated and generally feeling quite uncomfortable. At least half of the time I spent in T2 was spent in a porta-potty trying to rid myself of the gassy build up. OK, sorry for the visuals if I left you with any.

The run... The first 8 miles were spent trying to deal with the bloating problem. 3 porta-potty stops! I generally don't have to stop, EVER. By the time I arrived at McLean Creek Rd. I was coming back to normal. I had brought along an Infinite bottle for hydration, but I ditched it in favour of water and gels. That and a small handful of pretzels which I sucked on for the salt seemed to tune me up. Aside from the gastro issue, I felt GREAT - strong really. I kept my heart rate in the 140's for most of the first half. It was great to see Angie by Cherry Lane. She reminded me that the race begins on the return from OK Falls, but "after" the hills. Hope and Ella were waiting for me there. I gave her my best "I'm loving this" smile I could muster, and actually found that I was in great spirits. This is huge for me, because both previous IMC's I was at pretty low points mentally at the half. The return had a bit of a head wind but it was appreciated. All was going well until mile 25. I had made it back to town, but that final hill coming up from Skaha did me in. My knees and hips were screaming for me to stop. I held out until the aid station, but then I gave in. It was a long walk before I could muster the will to start shuffling again. I easily cost myself 6 minutes between mile 25 and 26. Couldn't be helped though. I did what I had to do to get to the finish. By the time I hit Eckhart Street, I could see the crowds starting to fill in, and the noise level for the cheering gave me that much needed lift in spirit. I was able to shut out the pain long enough to make it to the Sicamous where again I saw Angie - she was going crazy! I gave her the nod, and proceeded to sprint to the finish. I don't know where that final bit of energy came from but I had it in reserve somewhere. I finished feeling strong. Hope and Ella were there at the start of the chute cheering, and the next thing I knew my medal was being placed over my head and my timing chip was being taken off. Really great to see Chad there helping out too! Another PB... by about 3.5 minutes over 2008! 4:48.04.

Overall time was a PB by over 52 minutes! 12:28.38.I have a few people to thank for this result. First and foremost, Hope and Ella. They sacrificed so much to let me train and race. I owe them a lot of my time and attention to make up for the imbalance this past year has introduced. I know that if Hope signs up for 2011 later this morning, I am indebted to help her with training next season as well! Next, Sarah, Scott and Alfred. My three [long training ride] amigos! Thank you for giving me a good reason not to bail on any of the long rides leading up to this race. Your company was truly appreciated. You pushed me to train better and it showed in my results. Lastly, Angie... once again I come to the end of a training season not having communicated with you as much as had wanted or should have. Regardless, you provided me with a plan to follow and it worked. Thanks for being available when I needed your time and opinion. I really listened to your advice and applied it as best I could. The results speak volumes.

Hope, Ella and I leave around noon today for Revlestoke, which means we will miss the awards banquet - we have to get Ella back to Calgary around noon on Tuesday. To all who showed up to race and train this week in Penticton, I wish you all a safe journey home. Take your time; get out and stretch, and watch out for the misdeeds of other drivers!

Kind regards,
Kent Milloy.

Sharon's Kelowna Apple Triathlon Race Report

2010-09-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I had some big outcome goals for this race. I knew the bike was going to be more technical than I was used to, so wasn’t exactly looking for a personal best time, but what I really wanted was a top 3 finish in my age group, and a top 10 finish. Of course knowing that these goals were also dependent on my competition I also decided that if I raced my best race and missed these goals that I would be disappointed but not devastated.

The couple days leading up to the race I had these feelings of dread, like I wasn’t quite ready to bring the pain. Even race morning on the beach I was feeling unready to bring it. Always my number one supporter, my husband reminded me why we were here and that I would bring it as soon as I got into the water. Even during the swim warmup I was having a tough time getting my race “mo-jo” on. I am not sure why I was feeling this way, my only explanation I can think of is I worked my nerves out on Friday and Saturday watching other events and at the prerace meeting and I just wasn’t as nervous as I usually am.

Once the race started I found my mojo in a hurry. From what I could tell after the initial plunge into the water was that I was in second, although I wasn’t sure. I was following the trail of bubbles, losing them from time to time. Around the second last buoy on the first lap I became confused and was looking at one of the buoys on the log boom, a nice kayaker pointed me to shore… At this point I know I slowed down some and felt a couple swimmers on my heels. As I exited the water for the beach run and got back in 3 swimmers had caught me and I was swimming alongside two of them while the third was tucked in behind. This is when I got smart and tucked in behind and we became a pack of 4, 2 in front and 2 getting the draft. This worked well until we started running into some of the men from the wave that went before us and we became a train of 4. Earlier I had realized that this group was swimming pretty darn straight so I had quit sighting and was simply following the bubbles. At one point the lead swimmer had turned to the left too early and was leading our foursome off course. A seadoo came and turned us back on course, but as I was the fourth in the line I was the last to turn back and so lost the pack. I worked hard to catch back up and unknown to me we had become two packs of two. Once I realized this I pulled along side the girl I was drafting and and decided we were doing okay and dropped back behind her. I was 5th out of the 30-39’s out of the water, with a bigger gap between first and second and the next four of us pretty close together.

My transition went pretty well, Marty had made his way to the pathway along side transition and was loud enough that I could hear his encouragement where I was. Could have been a little faster, but all in all, not too bad.

To the best of my knowedge I exited transition in 4th of the 30-39’s and passed 2nd and 3rd (although I didn’t know it at the time) as we ran to the mount line as they were in shoes and I was barefoot and faster! First lap went well, I had some trouble with my rear derailer cable and had to get off my bike at the top of the hill to put it back where it belonged ( it was rubbing on the derailer sprockets as I went up the hill, somehow it became flipped down??). I was a little hesitant on the corners and there was lots and LOTS of bikes I had to pass from earlier waves. I got faster on the second and third lap and saw a female walking a bike on either the second or third lap. I believe she was a lady from my AG, but I am not sure. On the third lap I encountered too much bike traffic at the bottom of the hill, all going pretty slow. I had some good speed and didn’t want to lose it so I took a small risk and went through some hard packed gravel on the left…it paid off and my last climb up the hill was great! Overall the bike was a blast!! The volunteers and crowd were amazing, and it was so great to see and hear my family 3x during the ride. All the corners at the end of the loop were actually fun and I think I had a big smile on my face for most of the ride.

T2 was fast and as I was leaving one of the kids I coached in cross country from a few years ago was there in transition as I went by and yelled out “pick up the pace, coach!”. Thanks, Mike—that was awesome! My pace felt good and smooth, much like it did at Chinook. I did some butt kicks to make sure the quads wouldn’t cramp and I settled into a good rhythm. I was making some passes, but no one with 30’s on their legs, and really didn’t see anyone from my AG chasing me. It was really frustrating not knowing where I was positioned in my AG. Looking back I think I might have been able to push harder in the run and maybe be a little faster, but it felt good at the time. Again, on the run course the volunteers and crowd were awesome! Seeing my family and hearing them cheering me on was such a big boost!! I picked up the pace a bit on the last km and my son and father in law were 300m out to cheer me in. My son started running alongside me up on the grass and he tripped on a hole and did a complete summersault in the grass, it was so funny I started laughing and other spectators were laughing too (not sure if at me or at him). Just made the race that much more enjoyable… My daughter was at the bridge cheering me in and my hubby right at the finish line taking pictures. So cool to run on the blue carpet and have so many people cheering at the finish line! One thing that really stood out in my mind at the finish was the fact that the volunteers weren’t accosting me for my timing chip. I am so used to being ready to fall over and someone wanting me to take that thing off, it was weird, they were all just standing back waiting for the athletes to come to them when they were ready…weird!!

It was so great running into all the TTL athletes at the finish line and hearing how everyone did, and Ally, well I am not sure how one girl volunteers in so many different spots!
Overall this was an amazing race for me. Swims leave little time or energy for thinking, but I can definitely say I biked and ran happy the entire time. I had more smiles in this race than I can ever remember doing in any other race, ever.

Here are the final results:
Swim: 24:24 (20th in the women, 4th in AG), T1: 1:40 (26th W, 6th AG), Bike: 1:08:56 (6th W,3rd AG),T2: 1:00 (20th W, 3rd AG), Run: 42:48 (9th W, 1st AG)(21:20 and 21:29 laps).
Overall time: 2:18:46 7th out of all the women, and 1st in the 30-34 AG.

I very much want to thank my family for the awesome support and putting up with my quirky prerace activities (oh my gosh and putting up with all my training time when it interfered with family stuff!! And I could truly write an entire blog about my terrific hubby!! Maybe I will….), my teammates for being so supportive, and my awesome coach Angie!! You know me so well, kick my butt when I need it and give me “rest” when I need that too, and you are in my head just when I need you to be!

Alfred's Ironman Race Report

2010-09-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

This is my 1st and Last Ironman Race Report:

My absolutely #1 goal was to enjoy myself on race day and have no regrets. Celebrate the accomplishment, let myself feel pride, enjoy the fans and surroundings and take the time to show my appreciation to my supportive family and friends. I wanted to have fun on my Ironman Day, because ultimately, it likely will be my only one. IT WAS A COMPLETE SUCCESS!!!!!

My family was in full force with their pink custom team shirts and I loved every minute of it. They are so awesome!!! I celebrated with hugs and kisses every time I ran into them. I am so lucky to have such a great close-knit and supportive family. I looked so forward to seeing them because they gave me a great boost of energy. We had a blast all day.

Instead of stressing out all week before the race I chose to take the time and energy to reflect on what had happened over the last several years to get me here. I had to overcome a fear of deep water, learn to swim and build up my frail body to handle the punishment of running long distances. I reflected on how fit I’d become over the last few years and all the hundreds of hours in the pool, pathways, roads, physio/chiro/ortho visits, floor exercises and stretching. I reflected on all the great friends I’ve made and the many laughs we’ve had together. I reflected on how I could still run for 3 hours straight at 5am in the morning after working crazy hours and already having fatigued legs from a long bike ride. I reflected on how strong my body had become even though my mind sometimes had me second guessing that.

I was very relaxed in the morning as I prepped my bike. Got bored pretty quick as I was good to go. Luckily the two stooges (aka Ken and Corey) were there to entertain me. When I got out on the beach I found Pam and was able to give her a kiss and say “thank you for everything”. She had done so much for me to get here to the start line. I swam very easy and controlled. However if you look at my ASI photos, I was able to just squeek out a win ahead of the oldest male competitor in the field (a 78 year old man from Japan!!!!). Luckily they don’t have a shot a few seconds earlier where I pushed him aside to take the lead ;) Yes the swimming has come a long way but there is obviously a WHOLE LOT of improvement still there to be had. I left the swim feeling absolutely fantastic, probably too fantastic, but the plan was to be very conservative. It was a major objective to not fall in the common rookie mistake of going out to hard in the race only to suffer an epic crash/bonk later in the day.

I had the majority of my “misadventures” on my bike. Got out of town and then my powertap hub died (out of batteries). What are the chances!?!?!?! For all the times for it to die, it has to be on my IMC race day!?!?!? There goes my ace in the hole. My strategy was all about managing effort via watts (don’t slack off on the flats and down hills, and don’t overdo it on the climbs). Oh well, time to move on but I felt naked without my power (I’m sure Angie can understand). Next, quickly discover my rear brakes don’t work. WTF!!!!!! Had to stop and figure out what the problem was. Someone was definitely messing around with them because they were good to go when I left them on Saturday afternoon (someone had to purposefully unscrew the rear brake release). Finally fixed it and off we go. What next? How about 6 bathroom breaks on the bike!!!!! Obviously I was drinking WAY too much for the cooler conditions and didn’t adjust my fluid intake accordingly. I got so frustrated waiting at the designated porta-potties I just started going all over the place for my last few times. Did some serious “marking” in the Okanagan valley. I don’t want to even think about how much time I wasted due to the bladder. I did stew about this for a bit but then I came back to my ultimate goal à ENJOY THE DAY. I sandbagged Richter’s Pass so bad that I got passed by two guys over 60 years old!!!!!! I definitely swallowed the ego there to stick with the plan.

It was nasty winding leaving the out and back working towards the base of Yellow Lake. I was hardly moving at times. I didn’t know at the time but luckily I had just missed the downpour that hit a lot of the faster riders. I just got spit on by the rain. The roads were soaked at Yellow Lake but I missed the downpour. It was awesome up there even with the terrible weather. A lot of TTLers were there and my family. It was amazing. I felt great at this point, probably too great. I hammered the remaining 30k back into town. In hindsight, this is clearly a point I lost discipline and went too hard. I was feeling great and passed a ton of people here. From a time perspective, I have to admit I was very disappointed/frustrated/angry with the bike, but oh well, I kept telling myself that was not going to dictate my Ironman day experience. I wouldn’t let it. As many people had taught me, after you finish a portion of the race, good or bad, drop it and move on. I think I did a good job of that because I was smiling pretty quickly on the run.

I knew my run was not strong and had to internally accept this for me to have a “happy” day. No need to get frustrated at not being able to hold a pace that you know you don’t have, regardless of how much it bothers your ego. Start of run felt very controlled and comfortable. It was great acknowledging all the nice people calling my name and cheering me on. It seemed so appropriate that Richelle was one of the first people I saw as I really admire her. She is an awesome athlete that is competitive and driven, but first and foremost she is a wonderful human being that sincerely cares about others well being and really understands what’s important in life. I was determined to race like her (except for the performance part of course J) because that’s the way it should be done. Felt very controlled all the way to OK Falls. I was not going fast by any stretch of the imagination but my main goal on the run was consistency. I wanted to run, er, more like jog between the aid stations for the whole course. I didn’t want to have that typical strong run for the first bit then a meltdown. I got amazing notes from Pam and the kids at the turnaround that turned me into mush. My 8 year old daughter wrote “I hope you have fun even if you don’t win” and “I hope you have as much fun as we do” and my 6 year old son (who is really into Star Wars) wrote “may the force be with you”. Too cute.

I kept going until I had to use another porta-potty. As I went, all of a sudden got super dizzy and had to hold the side of the porta-potty to maintain my balance. I thought “oh, oh” I’m in trouble here. I walked like a drunken sailor and ate everything that the aid station was serving and walked on. After about 0.5km the dizziness subsided. I wonder now if it was just the result of suddenly stopping as I heard that can happen after moving for such a long time. I kept looking at my watch as I knew my family would be waiting at the finish line around 8pm. I believe this was the key to achieving a 13.5 hour time vs. a +14.5 hour time. I saw many people casually walking back having nice chats and laughing. Believe me, I am not judging, they are still Ironmen in my eyes. I must admit I was tempted to do the same given I knew at this point I had it in the bag. “Why suffer more?” I asked myself. “I’ll be an Ironman”. But the fact my family and friends were waiting there helped spur me on to get running again. Plus at the back of my mind, I knew I would regret it later that I just coasted in when I had it in me to finish stronger. I was able to maintain the run (what most others would call a jog) between aid stations. The false flat up to Cherry Lane Mall hurt but after that I was clipping along very nicely.

As I turned the last corner by the finish line, I saw my family screaming and I felt like a Rock Star. I ran down towards the end of Lakeshore reminding myself to take it all in. Tried to acknowledge everyone calling out my name in encouragement (quite a challenge given how many people are on the road at this point). Absorb all of it Alfred. I had a special moment when I saw Angie and Ken at the last turnaround. I gave Angie a big hug and told her “we did it”. Angie and I have been together for a long time. It’s been an amazing relationship and I am a better person for it.

As I neared the finish line I ran over to my family and gave them big hugs and kisses. It was awesome to see my good buddy Corey who made the trip down. I know unequivocally I would not be doing these crazy triathlons without Angie and Corey in my life.

Clearly I know I didn’t race THE fasted IMC possible, by a long stretch, but that does not matter to me one bit. I had an absolutely amazing day in which I celebrated, I smiled, I laughed, blew kisses, said “thank you” to a lot of people, gave high fives to countless people I don’t know. I relish the fact I was able to hug my family, coach and friends throughout the day. These are the things that I will remember when I reflect on this in future years, not the 7 stops on the bike or the broken powertap or the sandbagged parts of the race.

What’s next? Definitely not another Ironman. I’ll be the first to admit that IM training is too much for me. Honestly, there were several times during this spring and summer where I was hanging on for dear life trying to handle everything and keeping up with my training program. My family life is too awesome and my job too demanding. I’ve got to enjoy my kids while they still think Daddy is cool. I can’t completely rule out another one I guess but it won’t be anytime soon. Maybe when I turn 50!!!!

To finish, I do want to say “thanks” to some special people. My wife Pam has been absolutely incredible during this whole time. She has been more understanding than anyone could possibly ask for and I can’t thank her enough for all the sacrifices, support and love. There were countless times where I felt truly in over my head and she never stopped encouraging me. To my awesome extended family. I am blessed with a very close knit extended family that spends a lot of time together and it makes everything that much more enjoyable. Many were out in full force on race day, or supporting me on-line from Houston, and also made the week before the race really relaxing and fun. It wouldn’t have been the same without you guys.

Of course there is Angie and the extended TTL group. No matter what happens with my Tri activities or lack thereof I am thrilled to have made so many new great friends. A special shout out to my long ride training partners: Sarah, Kent and Scott. Glad to see you guys weren’t sandbagging too much out there like our training rides ;)

ps. Can’t wait for that fancy lunch Tara ;)

Leana's 2010 IMC Race Report

2010-09-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

Leana had an great day at Ironman and like she quoted "It is not about the time you get, but the time you have getting the time you get" - Steve King, she had an amazing day!

Please take the time to read her race report as she has broken it down to describe her outstanding day!

Scott's 2010 IMC

2010-09-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been avoiding doing this as I am trying to avoid accepting I am done.

Pre Race
Most memorable of the pre-race was the fact that I felt so tired & fatigued that the last 60k ride felt worse than the 160k’ers. Leading up to the race I may not have looked nervous, but I was, to a degree. Not overly bad, but I kept thinking all the races this season that led up to IMC helped me prepare. I look for at least one thing to go wrong each race & thought I might have gotten mine out of the way in the pre-race. Friday morning swim my Garmin worked fine, then I went to charge it that evening and it was dead. Tried every key combination known to reboot or reset it, nothing. So on to the back-up plan of stealing Cindy’s, forgot how long & many settings needed to be changed to get it setup, spent much of Saturday doing this, it helped distract me, so a good putter activity.

Morning of race, actually slept well, everything fell together as planned & scheduled. Kissed Cindy goodbye, entered the chute. Nerves good (2/10), drop special needs, head in to swap around a few things like shirt I had in bike to run bag to swim to bike (mostly because the temperature was seeming to be a bit colder than desired). See a few TTL’ers, glad to see familiar faces, but not really in the mood to chat much. Joined the line for the can, all systems go and then I put on the wet suit. Found my nervousness went up a bit as it was rubbing off from others in the change tent, learned for next time being outside to do this would have been better. Started down to the beach just before the Pro’s started, it was getting more & more real. Walked way to the left as planned, did a few strokes, calming down & feeling good. Chatted with Alfred a bit, then I think we both needed some space to mentally prepare for the race (or control nerves?). Thirty second before the gun, someone behind me called out ‘Who here has size 14 feet?” I actually do, so he said great & worked through the crowd to start right behind me, many chuckled, then bang, we’re off.

Swim
The few in front of me started swimming; I walked & walked until the water was deep enough to actually swim. Goal was to stay calm, long & smooth, it was actually working. Seemed to be with a well suited starting group, only a few contacts, but all was going great. Wanted to try and stay far left, even out of the crowd if I can, but this didn’t work as those to my left kept moving toward the buoys, so I went with the flow. Finally after rounding the second houseboat I could get to my preferred spot & by this time felt lonely, so back in to the pack. Found the swim nice, 90% bi-lateral breathing, may have been so calm because all that training was over & time to actually do what I’ve been preparing for. Hit the beach 1:07, cool, 3-8 minutes faster than expected all the better, grabbed my T1 bag & went to the tent, umm no too busy, changed on the grass outside. Socks inside out, oops, start for the bike, around the tent, relatively smooth T1 happy with 5 minutes spent here.

Bike
Grabbed my bike, recall I didn’t get smeared by the screeners as they were at the tent exit, oops. Back-up plan of spray sunscreen on the bike was there, all good. Hit the start line & notice watch was now saying start T2, hit the button one too many times, oops, fixed it on Main street, no big deal, what’s a few hundred meters over 180k ;-).

Glad to see the TTL’ers cheering, Thank-you. Bike started really nice, may have been going a bit too easy, but as our 2 year old says ‘That’s OK’. Let people pass, while I pass just a few, hit the first real hill and the group bunched, a bit too tight & slow, but no one fell over. Everything was feeling great. Hit 40k and notice back tire was going flat, seems I picked up a staple like piece of metal. Change went slow and calm, didn’t want to make any stupid mistakes. Got the valve extender on, tub in, tire back on, checked to avoid pinch flat, but did not want to pull the CO2 trigger prematurely and waste one. Forgot how fast this fills the tire, pulled it and had no chance to recheck before finishing the fill as it went so fast. Didn’t think to balloon blow it by mouth first (thanks Cindy for telling me this after, oops), got lucky, no pinch. Likely lost 5-10 minutes, but it was a clean change, so calm was better than making mistakes. Nearing the Husky & had to pee, hit the turn, saw the line 10-15 deep & decided to hold it, next station was only 2 deep of a wait, it was worth it. Finished climbing Richter’s, everything was going great, hit the downhill & found I had amazing speed here, happy to let’er run above 60k/h and pedal to that point, passing people galore, biggest issue was people pulling out to pass one or two riders & not going back in but riding the line, had to do lots of yelling to get them out of my way, loved getting over 70-75k/h.

Hit the rollers, first climb slow & with the others, then down fast & hard, up the next the same, slowly pulling ahead of those near me on each downhill, was actually enjoying these as they were so much easier than the last time. Glad to start seeing TTL’ers riding on the out & back. First corner Sarah rocked by, then one by one saw Mike, Jeff, Nate, & Kent, figured out they must have passed me during the tire changing activity. Hit special needs, actually wanted everything I packed, a bit surprising, but happy with choices. Glad to see the other familiar faces of the ladies that were chasing me.

Then the wind & rain started, it was cold and a slog. This actually made me happy, as I am accustomed to riding in this type of stuff and its better for me than being too hot. Didn’t make me much faster, but that wasn’t my goal ;-). Climbed Yellow Lake, happy to hit the crowd chute, Thanks again TTL’ers friends & family, it was greatly appreciated. Hit the top of the hill & while those that slowly passed me going up the hill were recuperating I started dropping gears & going like stink, glad to have gone easy earlier, but found many were not happy with the speed of going downhill and were really slow to move over. So I got blocked ~5-6 times to the point that I had to squeak by yelling my head off to get people to move over, unhappy to have to use my breaks & drop my well earned free speed. Had lots left in my legs at this point and pushed all the way back to town, enjoying the easier start and reward later (maybe a bit too easy, but hey you have to learn something). T2 was good, ~5 minutes again, but this included a porta-potty break, so all was good.

Run
Started first 2-4 k way too fast, but everything was feeling great, typical brick feeling was not there, kept trying to slow down, but was having a hard time doing this. The slowing of the pace came shortly after. Pace felt good, rain felt good, walking the aid stations felt good. Seeing TTL’ers it felt good to cheer them, as I realized this made the race good & happy for me, sorry to those real close to me on the run as I was chatty. Hit special needs only wanted the tic-tac’s, again sorry for those near me as I was noisy on the way carrying these. Knees stopped being happy running up the hills, but a fast walk was still good. Got to the marina, photo opportunity time, mental reminder to remove the sponge from the hat, had a crowd appear around me, saw Cindy, actually had enough in me to sprint past them to get clear for a photo, realized minutes later that the spurt was short lived as I settled back in to my previous pace. Last few k’s I felt faster thanks to the crowd, saw Kent as I turned to the last out & back as he was heading in, the finish was so close I could taste it, then the crowd thinned to nothing, but wait I saw the crew at the turnaround & sped up again. Tried timing the other runners to avoid a clump at the finish, hit the line & was happy to have finished, stalled slightly for the photo opportunity to be right. Well worth the few seconds and a better picture. Time actually was only 3 minutes slower coming back, than the first half, super happy here.

Finish/Post Race
I am an IRONMAN. Happy to be met by TTL’ers at the finish, catchers, medical, chip takers. Surprisingly not feeling as bad as I thought I would, but I did not push into the zones that would hurt as that was not my goal for this race. Not saying the race did not hurt, but I intentionally kept some energy in reserve as I had never put these activities together for this distance and finishing was the goal, not time. I had never done a 42.2k run, so I really didn’t know how I’d do.
Post race I’m not as bad as I thought I’d be, but first real activities still to come. Walking, sleeping, stairs, eating, digesting, all seem to getting back to normal.

By the numbers swim 1:07, bike 6:33 (including a flat), run 4:48, overall 12:38:21. Post race noticed 4 moderate blisters, one toenail definitely going to fall off, and one amazingly supportive family to now focus some of that training time toward.

Sarah's Lessons Learned at IMC 2010

2010-09-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

If you look at my finish time you would think that the title does not fit this report. 11:09:04 finish, 9th place in AG and a 15 min PR for IMC. Don’t get me wrong, I am still happy with the finish, but there were many things that I should have done differently along the way. I never really understood why Angie does not look at her fastest IM race as her most successful one until now. Sometimes the time does not reflect the execution of the race, and a poorly executed race is just that. If I recall with Angie’s PB, there was only one thing she would have changed........for myself there are several. As a coach writing this report is tough in the sense that I should know better and how I race may be thought to reflect on how I coach or change the views of future potential athletes. That being said, I think it is important to see that we are all human, we make mistakes and if we take the time to learn from them, the better we will be in the end.

Going into the race, I had set myself what I now realize was a very lofty goal. A goal that if the whole day came together perfectly might get me a spot to Kona. With this goal, I knew that I would be laying it on the line and taking the chance to blow up.........I think the first problem of this goal, is that I had picked one goal only, one time, with no range. I had my mind set on this goal, forgetting to take in the fact that race day may not be ideal conditions. I now see the benefit of setting a range based on what the day could present like. Lesson 1. The way that I came up with the goal was in a poor manner, a “top-down” approach. I looked at the time I thought I would need and came up with the splits to make it work. (Since the race I have had a huge learning experience, this being part of it, and I can now see how I should have looked at planning my race goals from a “bottom up” approach. Taking in all of my races and times coming into IMC and then setting a goal.) To be a better coach and athlete I believe we have to be willing to learn from our mistakes and acknowledge when we are wrong.

The start of the day: Had a pretty good sleep, ended up waking up before my alarm with a smile on my face. This was a positive moment for me. Kelvin dropped me off at the race grounds and I got myself sorted out, it felt good to know that I had done this before. I felt much more relaxed down at the race grounds even though I just wanted to keep to myself and try and focus on the day. The morning was calm, beautiful and it looked like it was going to be a good day.

The Swim: I seeded myself in the front on the right, not too far over as it was really rocky. I had a very quick warm up as they were calling people back and I tend to get too cold anyways. The swim was perfect for the most part. There were a couple of times when I got knocked around, but all in all it was great. It felt like when I was getting to close to people I would visualize some space and all of a sudden I found myself with plenty of room. My plan was to slow the swim down a little from last year as the race is not won on the swim. I had a very comfortable pace, felt relaxed, yet ended up with a similar time out of the water. Swim time: 1:00:38, T1 2:35, total time- 1:03:03. My goal was 1:05, I was very happy with this.

The Bike: This is where is gets tough. I started out great, in the end I think I pushed it a little too hard. I had told myself to keep my HR at 155 and kept seeing it at 157, I did slow down at times to fix this but found that it still crawled up there. I feel that a big part of this was due to the amount of pelotons and drafting that was taking place. I really wanted to know that I was riding a clean race and in order to not have to be dropping back all the time I was trying to pass to stay out of a draft zone. This was extremely frustrating as there were some certain men that did not like being passed by a girl......so they insisted to re pass, together I might add, and then slowed down and had a nice little conversation. A little karma came their way when one of the guys got a drafting penalty. I’d also like to mention my dear friend Mathew........who I am sure had a great day as I don’t think I saw him leave the draft zone!! Karma will payback!

I ran into a girl that raced IMAz last year, I only recognised her because her name is Polita, not too many girls on the course with that name. We said hi and to have a great day. She ended up passing me going up Yellow Lake and finished 5th in our AG, nice work!

I felt great up Richter’s as I took it easy going up, fantastic over the roller’s, and then hit the stretch to Keremeos........this is where it all began. The winds had come up quite strong and the pelotons were starting again. Once again, I did my best to stay out of them. This cost me a lot of extra energy. Would it have been better to drop back?? I am not too sure. Before turning on the out and back I saw my Dad and Kelvin cheering me on. I rang my Coffee cup bell to let them know I was doing okay. Onto the out and back, I continued to feel good, I picked up my special needs bag and got my nice cold and mostly frozen still Infinite. I looked at my pace and even with the wind was just over where I wanted to be, which felt great as I did not feel I was chasing a time, but riding clean. I knew that going up Yellow Lake that I would loose some of this pace, but thought it would be okay as I would make it up coming down Yellow Lake into town. Boy, was I wrong!

The wind at the end of the out and back was quite strong and then got even worse going up Yellow Lake. I could feel the fatigue set into my quads so I tried a salt tab to see if that would help. The rain started to come down quite hard as I was on the false flats leading towards the climb and I could feel the cold setting in. I put my arm warmers back on and continued the climb. I have to say I was quite impressed by the number of spectators that were still out along the roads in the rain, thank you for that!! I felt like a snail crawling up Yellow Lake and was being passed like I was standing still (only by one girl though.....) I would try to stand and climb but my quads were frozen and aching. I wonder here, how much of this is from the cold weather, the passing the pelotons, or did I really go out too fast?? Lesson 3?? As I reached the top the rain had settled for a moment and I knew we had the decent. Then the skies opened up!!! It was pouring rain and there was light hail. I was shaking and shivering sooooooo bad and could barley feel my hands on the breaks. I tried to take my time descending as there were marshals on the course telling people to slow down due to the conditions. There were ambulances all over the roads, sag vehicles picking people up and other riders standing on the side of the road shivering and not knowing what to do. This was NOT in my perfect day race plan!! I could feel my left quad and adductor start to cramp up, so I slowed down to try to shake it out and warm it up. This was a positive as I was addressing things as they came up before they became a problem.
As I came into town, I got passed by 3 girls in my AG. At this point I was not too concerned as I was just thankful for making it down the hill and knew I would be able to warm up soon. I was excited to be getting out on the run. Bike Time: 5:55:25, 15 minutes slower than my goal time. I was a little disappointed, but glad to be alive. I knew here that my goal was out of reach. What I forgot to remind myself was that it was likely the same for everyone. Lesson 4.

The Run: I felt great as soon as I had my shoes on and headed out on the course. I was on the lookout for the closest porta potty as I could not pee on my bike! Lesson 5- need to practice this. I had to stop twice for this. Right away I had passed a girl in my AG, this gave me some motivation. I looked at my pace and saw that I was going faster than I needed too. Was I chasing time, or settling into an RPE pace? I would say a little of both. Since I raced GWN at a RPE and had such a great race, I thought why not just continue? Lesson 6. I saw Angie and Rena by Cherry Lane mall and let them know that I was doing okay. I felt relatively strong on the first half of the run, but my stomach started to feel heavy. I ran into a gal from Calgary in the 25-29 group who trains with Critical Speed and she was at a good pace, I regret not staying with her and using her as my “Rena”. She was much more talkative than me though and the thought of carrying on a conversation was just too much. At the half way point I saw , my best cheerleaders, Kelvin and my dad again (they were also at several other places on the course), I tossed them my fuel belt and continued on my way. Half way time: 1:55:31, I thought it was faster, but that is with 2 pee stops. I didn’t actually know what I had run until I looked it up online. Lesson 7- should have clicked the lap time, this could have been motivating. The second half of the run was just painful! I have never walked sooooo much in a race. I also struggled to motivate myself at all. I tried to count steps to 100, I would bargain with myself to run to a certain place and then I would walk, I told myself I could walk the hills, I tried it all! I think that knowing my goal was out of reach was starting to get to me. I think the hypothermia that I likely had on the bike was catching up with me. I think that having to push a little harder on the bike to stay out of the drafts was catching up with me. I think that starting out a little fast on the run was catching up to me. So many lessons learned. I was happy to see so many of our TTL athletes doing so well on the course and knowing that they were all going to be an Ironman! Thank you to all of you for your kind words along the way. I had one girl in my AG pass me, then we would go back and forth, but she took me in the end. Then there was one more who caught me in the last 5-7km to go. I saw Lyle at 7 km left to go and he tried everything to keep me going, he said I could easily make it in before 11 hours if I was running. I saw Rena with 5km left to go, she too tried her best to motivate me and made me feel a little better. From here, I ran almost the rest of the way. Thank you to everyone who tried to kick my butt into gear. My head was just not in the game. The last 2km were painful, but I continued with the support of all of the spectators including Richelle and Annie. Second half: 2:12:09, Total run: 4:07:40. Ironically my best run time yet in an IM even with all of the walking. Final time: 11:09:04.

So many emotions, so many highs and lows. Another race with several lessons learned. Thank you for all of you who have supported me in this journey yet again! I am sorry that I did not mention everyone that I saw along the way.