This race has been on my schedule for awhile and I finally signed up for the olympic at Lake Miguelon last weekend after some soul-searching as I didn't know if I was in the mood to race. Having a taper week definitely helped with that! Although last week, I was still trying to find reasons to not go…smoke from the fires in BC, rain in the forecast, my horoscope told me not to etc.
Saturday morning, after porridge and coffee, Joel and I headed out to the Camrose area. I had a few pre-race workouts to do, and Joel had a 70 km ride to do (no tapers for sprint racers!). The day had actually gotten relatively nice; the sun was out when we pulled into the parking lot. Lake Miquelon is a provincial park that the province just did a lot of work on, so there are lots of paths, trails, and washrooms, plus picnic tables on the beach. We put our suits on while watching a few other racers come in from their swims. There was a few comments about the grossness of the water but I thought I would judge it for myself as they had never done an open swim before. The buoys were already out so we did a 500 m swim. The water wasn't too cold and very murky so you didn't really see anything which is fine by me as I don't want to see the bottom. It tasted pretty bad thought…kind of soapy and salty so I did my best to not drink it.
We went back to Camrose for the night, had supper and were in bed by 9 for the early morning. I was worried that it would be raining when we got up as it was in the forecast for Sunday.
Up at 5 am…ate porridge that we brought to make and some yogurt from the Ramada breakfast bar. No rain yet! Drove to the race start and were probably getting our numbers by 6:30. The sprint started at 8:10 and the olympic at 9 am. In June at Wasa, I made the mistake of not eating anything between my porridge and the race start. This time I had a banana about an hour before the race and I felt better for it. I watched the half iron and sprint racers go off, then did a little run to warm up before putting on my wetsuit. I was a little anxious about the race, not having really any one I knew around but I settled down with my mp3 player.
Then a quick warm up swim to get used to the water and pee!..and then off we went. The swim was relatively uneventful. I tried to concentrate on rolling and pulling with both arms when I remembered…I couldn't really see anyone in the water until you were on top of them but you could feel the turbulence. I had a really hard time sighting as haze/fog had set in, plus one of the buoys was white so I spent some time just sighting on people and the rest trying to make sure I was going towards a buoy and not the middle of the lake…so I think I lost some time here….overall swim time was 34 min and change.
Finally out of the water..and who do I see wet suit stripping, but Joel…he helped out after finishing his race wherever he could. So I got my wet suit off and ran up to my bike…a few 100's meters. Both people beside me were getting their stuff on and even though I was putting on a jacket, I still left transition before them. Transition was not that easy as we ran along the grass than up a dirt/gravel hill to the paved road. Finally on the paved road, and I was excited to get on my bike. I settled down with some gatorade to get rid of the lake water taste from my mouth and found a pace I wanted to hold. Which meant that I started to pass some people while a few men passed me. I think I caught about 10ish people and about 10 men passed me….I'm guessing some olympic and half iron man on their second loop cause they were passing me with fancy wheels and tri bikes. I ended up averaging 30 km/hr on the bike portion which was 43 km long…so a little longer than usual. There weren't a lot of cars and the course was a little rolly with lots of wind. I went back and forth on HR between upper zone 2 and zone 3 and had a hard time deciding what I wanted. I think I could have gone harder…I'm really torn with my effort here. I didn't want to kill my legs for the run but wasn't sure if my HR was just lower than normal due to the cooler temps….so finally back into transition…down the dirt/gravel hill, and I think it was pretty quick…I looked at the olympic rack and thought…hey at least half the bikes aren't back yet. Yay me! I'm turning into a cyclist.
Then onto the run. T2 was quicker than T1 and I used the tips from our camp in May. Turn your foot into your shoe, stay bent over while you do this. I ran out for the 10km trail run portion which I had assumed would be relatively flat. Well I was wrong. If you want to do a hilly 10 km, come to this race. It is a 5 km loop. There was a climb out of transition and then it was up or down for the next 4 km. There was a 1 km flat stretch near transition. I kept my effort in zone 3 and walked a couple of hill on the first loop, passing a few people and a few people passed me and then got up to zone 4 on the second loop. Here again, I wasn't sure what to do with effort. The last 20 min were starting to hurt and I was grimacing going up the hills. I had to tell myself that I had been running zone 4 intervals in training, and it was time to pull that out. I drank water and walked for a few seconds at the aid stations.
So in the end, I finished at 3hr 11min…
And my thoughts…I thought I would be faster. Why not? Swim - I wasted a lot of time sighting as I would sight and not be able to see the buoy, so had to sight again. I also felt I was going off-course a bit so changed my sighting from every 9-12 strokes to every 6 so I think I lost some time here. Bike - 3 km longer than typical length. I could have gone harder. Run - HILLY…I did this 10 km in 1:01 which is probably reasonable for my current flat 10 km time of 56:xx…still I could have picked it up in the first lap.
This was a fun small race..about 200 people in try-a tri, sprint, olympic, and half iron. Great campground if you wanted to come with families. Well run…volunteers where they needed to be. I'll probably do it again…as long as I do some hilly run training! It would be a hard half iron to run the hilly loop 4 times but it was a qualifier for world's.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Richelle's Xterra Race Report
OK, 5 weeks of racing in a row is totally ridiculous - I know. But, I had so much fun at Xterra it was unreal. Now for some rest before the Bow 80 in September.
www.richellelove.blogspot.com
www.richellelove.blogspot.com
Monday, August 16, 2010
Cindy's Xterra Race Report
Since finishing 70.3, we have hiked into Mt Assiniboine (where we hiked approx a half marathon for four days while carrying 30+lb packs), and I went to Edmonton and back for work. I'm tired! In a good way...so I decided to cut back at this weekend's XTerra Alberta triathlon. I've ridden the full distance course a few times, it's simply wonderful and technical, but I wasn't up to racing it just yet. Instead, after discussing with Richelle, I decided to dial it back to the sprint distance for today, but to keep Whistler at the full distance.
Here's how it went:My family decided to spend a holiday weekend on Canmore, we arrived on Friday night. The condo that we rented is amazing, it's got lots of room for the five of us plus it is close to downtown for walking and bike riding. On Sunday morning, we dropped off my bike at T1 by 7am and were waiting around in the lodge talking with other athletes as they arrived. I felt pretty calm, ready for the day. Thanks to Aly for helping me fit into my wetsuiit! And then the sprint women were off! It was one of my best open water swims. Admittedly it was a short swim of 500m, but I had long smooth strokes, and was out of the water in 10:30. Nice!
T1 was okay, then off on my bike. I passed a few girls on the way up to the Nordic Centre, then watched ,y heart rate climb as I went up the big hill. Once at the top, it was a fun descent, a few more climbs, then I hit the pavement at full speed.
T2 was very smooth, and I felt strong heading out into the run. Wow, my brick training has paid off this year, I'm much stronger at recovering my legs in the early stages of the run. The run course was fun, and while I wasn't particularly fast, I enjoyed the trail. Richelle and I had agreed that on hitting the pavement I would give it everything I had and cross the finish line ready to collapse. Well, there were three gals ahead of me that I was watching on the back half of the run, and I decided to go get them. It was a strong push to the finish and I managed to catch them all! Yay me!
Thanks again to Aly for catching me at the line and walking me around. I was spent! Overall, a.much better race than last year, I had a blast, hung out with some great new friends, what a great day in the mountains. Official results aren't posted yet, but I will add them soon, along with some photos. Promise!
Here's how it went:My family decided to spend a holiday weekend on Canmore, we arrived on Friday night. The condo that we rented is amazing, it's got lots of room for the five of us plus it is close to downtown for walking and bike riding. On Sunday morning, we dropped off my bike at T1 by 7am and were waiting around in the lodge talking with other athletes as they arrived. I felt pretty calm, ready for the day. Thanks to Aly for helping me fit into my wetsuiit! And then the sprint women were off! It was one of my best open water swims. Admittedly it was a short swim of 500m, but I had long smooth strokes, and was out of the water in 10:30. Nice!
T1 was okay, then off on my bike. I passed a few girls on the way up to the Nordic Centre, then watched ,y heart rate climb as I went up the big hill. Once at the top, it was a fun descent, a few more climbs, then I hit the pavement at full speed.
T2 was very smooth, and I felt strong heading out into the run. Wow, my brick training has paid off this year, I'm much stronger at recovering my legs in the early stages of the run. The run course was fun, and while I wasn't particularly fast, I enjoyed the trail. Richelle and I had agreed that on hitting the pavement I would give it everything I had and cross the finish line ready to collapse. Well, there were three gals ahead of me that I was watching on the back half of the run, and I decided to go get them. It was a strong push to the finish and I managed to catch them all! Yay me!
Thanks again to Aly for catching me at the line and walking me around. I was spent! Overall, a.much better race than last year, I had a blast, hung out with some great new friends, what a great day in the mountains. Official results aren't posted yet, but I will add them soon, along with some photos. Promise!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Lake Chaparral Sprint Race Report by Candace
May I just begin by saying that I had the best day! Today ended up being a lot less about my times, and a lot more about finishing happy and healthy.
I got there super early for check-in and hung out until my 10 am startand watched the Olympic distance athletes. After getting beyond inspired by a female AWAD athlete, I felt excited to get started.
The Swim: I love the water, and I'm not sure I ever have anything else to say about the swim. It felt great, I got push around, I pushed back a little bit, and I finished under my goal time (even under my Secret goal time, by 43 secs!)
The Bike: Hills will be the death of me! The route was tough for me, and I had to tell myself a few times to suck it up and push harder. Today on the bike reminded me of how much work I have to do still, but still felt like a solid effort right through to the finish. I passed the same awad athlete on my first lap of the hill and on my second I came back around and she was having to call it a day at the top of the hill (and she was still giving shout outs from the van). This lady was really something special for me today. Came in below my goal, and just a few secs or so off my secret goal.
The Run: I love (and hate) that I got caught up in my personal goal of trying to just keep moving. No walk breaks. I didn't feel the soreness in my leg until the last 10 mins or so, and that just reminded me that it was an appropriate goal for this race. (still no definite word on if the injury is indeed a re-stress fracture of the old one, but is feeling better none the less). I could tell I was running far too slow when I was told there was 2 blocks left and I still felt fantastic..... I took the old man shuffle approach I guess.... so time, way under my goal, and I'm okay with that (this time).
At the end of the day, I'm happy, and re-inspired (which is what I've been yearning for). The race reminded me that it's time to get back into athlete mode, and to push past that feeling of being satisfied with finishing because that's just not my style. This was only my second ever triathlon, but it feels so nice to compete again, and I can't wait until I'm back to the athletic level I used to be (or at least closer).
On a side note, I can't believe how much support there is just because of the colors we wear. People have no idea who I am, and yet give specific encouragement to team tri life athletes. My favorite part of the day was when I was trucking along on the run and one of the Olympic men flew past me on his last lap (and I really do mean flew), but he let up for just a moment to shout back to me "Keep pushing Team Tri Life, make Angie proud!!"
What a great day.
I got there super early for check-in and hung out until my 10 am startand watched the Olympic distance athletes. After getting beyond inspired by a female AWAD athlete, I felt excited to get started.
The Swim: I love the water, and I'm not sure I ever have anything else to say about the swim. It felt great, I got push around, I pushed back a little bit, and I finished under my goal time (even under my Secret goal time, by 43 secs!)
The Bike: Hills will be the death of me! The route was tough for me, and I had to tell myself a few times to suck it up and push harder. Today on the bike reminded me of how much work I have to do still, but still felt like a solid effort right through to the finish. I passed the same awad athlete on my first lap of the hill and on my second I came back around and she was having to call it a day at the top of the hill (and she was still giving shout outs from the van). This lady was really something special for me today. Came in below my goal, and just a few secs or so off my secret goal.
The Run: I love (and hate) that I got caught up in my personal goal of trying to just keep moving. No walk breaks. I didn't feel the soreness in my leg until the last 10 mins or so, and that just reminded me that it was an appropriate goal for this race. (still no definite word on if the injury is indeed a re-stress fracture of the old one, but is feeling better none the less). I could tell I was running far too slow when I was told there was 2 blocks left and I still felt fantastic..... I took the old man shuffle approach I guess.... so time, way under my goal, and I'm okay with that (this time).
At the end of the day, I'm happy, and re-inspired (which is what I've been yearning for). The race reminded me that it's time to get back into athlete mode, and to push past that feeling of being satisfied with finishing because that's just not my style. This was only my second ever triathlon, but it feels so nice to compete again, and I can't wait until I'm back to the athletic level I used to be (or at least closer).
On a side note, I can't believe how much support there is just because of the colors we wear. People have no idea who I am, and yet give specific encouragement to team tri life athletes. My favorite part of the day was when I was trucking along on the run and one of the Olympic men flew past me on his last lap (and I really do mean flew), but he let up for just a moment to shout back to me "Keep pushing Team Tri Life, make Angie proud!!"
What a great day.
Steve Wood's hilarious 70.3 recap
The 70.3 was my first half. Had the best day the day before, Kelvin andSarah, Angie, Reena and some other non-team triathlete/cycling friends cameout for dinner to our place at Ghost lake. Kelvin stayed the night with us to get an extra hour of sleep but it was agamble as there was a three yr old in the house. My daughters told everyonein the village daddy was having a sleep over with a friend and his name isKelvin! NICE It was also Regatta Weekend at Ghost lake village and usuallythey have fireworks on Sunday. This year it was Saterday,1145PM..TERRIFIC......Then more fireworks of the natural kind at 0230. I am really starting to wonderabout this. Looks terrible outside at 0430. Might have stayed in bed if it wasn't for Kelvin reassuring me that the weather would be okay, I would not freeze to death etc.....
T1 was a mosquito infested swamp of mud and muck. Hate those stupid valveson race wheels, have not mastered how to pump up enough pressure (would appreciate advice on this). Never enough time, barely get to the start.Tread water for the start, bit odd but whatever...Swim was nice, no sun inthe eyes for a change, easy to sight.Then the race plan: Don't do anything stupid on the bike: LISTEN TO YOUR COACH. Held back as instructed, did nutrition on the bike (for once) asinstructed. Thanks to all of you at the aid station for coming out in a lessthan perfect day that was a HUGE boost. Bit after the Cochrane hill on 22was very nice and seemed shorter than expected. Coasted the last 10km. T2 okbut had to pee so bad. Can't do it on bike yet. Stop to water bushes for waytoo long. Get running REMEMBER ANGIE's voice in head: Hold back for first5km, DO NOT go out as hard as you feel like going. Legs felt really good,better than Olym distance so good thing I listened.Cramped up on first little hill at 3km!, scared me silly. So start holdingback more, feel good to the turn around. So pick it up a tiny bit for11-13km, now in pain, cramping on small hills. Reach point in race whereinsufficient blood flow to brain. Neglect to use gels in pocket asplanned,,,try coke, feel great for 1-2min after then crash again. Verypretty girl, not in race has been cruising the course, each time I see hershe tells me I look great....Delirious enough now to believe her....Hill outof the weasel head really really sucks, Left leg cramps all the way up (myhip adductors , why? they haven't done squat all day!) keep running, justwant this to be done. Thought I had something for the last 2km...didn't. Stumble along to finish line, some 30yr old kid passes me at 200m to go. Want to hurt him....Finish with chocolate gel I ate on the bike smearedall over my face.....see Sarah, she wipes it off but only after taking picture...
Have to say that afternoon and the next day I did not feel very keen to ever race again. Seemed like that was too much.I have to send RESPECT out to all of you who do the full iron man. Can'timagine it, not for me.Good luck to everyone at IRON MAN Canada. I will be watching. Stay looseand cramp free.
T1 was a mosquito infested swamp of mud and muck. Hate those stupid valveson race wheels, have not mastered how to pump up enough pressure (would appreciate advice on this). Never enough time, barely get to the start.Tread water for the start, bit odd but whatever...Swim was nice, no sun inthe eyes for a change, easy to sight.Then the race plan: Don't do anything stupid on the bike: LISTEN TO YOUR COACH. Held back as instructed, did nutrition on the bike (for once) asinstructed. Thanks to all of you at the aid station for coming out in a lessthan perfect day that was a HUGE boost. Bit after the Cochrane hill on 22was very nice and seemed shorter than expected. Coasted the last 10km. T2 okbut had to pee so bad. Can't do it on bike yet. Stop to water bushes for waytoo long. Get running REMEMBER ANGIE's voice in head: Hold back for first5km, DO NOT go out as hard as you feel like going. Legs felt really good,better than Olym distance so good thing I listened.Cramped up on first little hill at 3km!, scared me silly. So start holdingback more, feel good to the turn around. So pick it up a tiny bit for11-13km, now in pain, cramping on small hills. Reach point in race whereinsufficient blood flow to brain. Neglect to use gels in pocket asplanned,,,try coke, feel great for 1-2min after then crash again. Verypretty girl, not in race has been cruising the course, each time I see hershe tells me I look great....Delirious enough now to believe her....Hill outof the weasel head really really sucks, Left leg cramps all the way up (myhip adductors , why? they haven't done squat all day!) keep running, justwant this to be done. Thought I had something for the last 2km...didn't. Stumble along to finish line, some 30yr old kid passes me at 200m to go. Want to hurt him....Finish with chocolate gel I ate on the bike smearedall over my face.....see Sarah, she wipes it off but only after taking picture...
Have to say that afternoon and the next day I did not feel very keen to ever race again. Seemed like that was too much.I have to send RESPECT out to all of you who do the full iron man. Can'timagine it, not for me.Good luck to everyone at IRON MAN Canada. I will be watching. Stay looseand cramp free.
Sue's Calgary 70.3 learnings:
Sue's learnings from 70.3 - always great to take away what your learned!
Other than being cold, had a good day. Some of the highlights include:
1. swim - about the same as last year, but OMG I got caught in a group of nasty women. I have never been pulled, pushed etc. like that - hightailed it to the side. Sighting went pretty good until the final leg, and then fogged up. Overall swim was okay.
2. transition 1 - I checked my time from last year, it wasn't as bad as I remember. 8:28 slow but because it was so wet, I actually used a bench, and I needed help from a volunteer to find my bag - it was kicked into the wrong row. 1/2 a check mark.
3. altered my goal of keeping a cadence of 85 (forgot how hilly the course is). But kept it to mid 70's for the most part on the hills, and 85 to 90 on the flats. And for Marc I never rode in a cross gear. Overall it is a check mark of that goal.
4. tried riding in the moment - that was hard. When it was raining I was so blastedly cold all I could think about was getting coffee at the end of the race. With the wet conditions I did slow down, I never ride in the rain. An attempt - needs work.
5. run - felt good, 2:14:05 including changing socks, bathroom break, and getting a rock out of a shoe. But ran the whole thing. Did the picking off the runner ahead thing (I guess that counts as running in the moment). Overall a big check mark.
6. nutrition - worked - I think I'll keep slamming the carb pro at transitions - it seems to work. Another check mark.
7. I was to report on the best calves. Failed miserably - but I can tell you about all the cute dogs on the course. In some ways I'm pretty pathetic.
8. goal of no involuntary release of bodily fluids - big check
9. having Carole and Dave as support at the end - double big check
10. found a new recovery ritual - stopped at a neighbourhood coffee shop on the way home, ordered an expresso malted milkshake and a large coffee. Sat in a hot bath and drank both of them. Never could do the contrast cold bath after a race, but I will do the cold/hot contrast on my innards anytime!
11. biggest thing, had fun - maybe I should just throw away my watch for races.
Other than being cold, had a good day. Some of the highlights include:
1. swim - about the same as last year, but OMG I got caught in a group of nasty women. I have never been pulled, pushed etc. like that - hightailed it to the side. Sighting went pretty good until the final leg, and then fogged up. Overall swim was okay.
2. transition 1 - I checked my time from last year, it wasn't as bad as I remember. 8:28 slow but because it was so wet, I actually used a bench, and I needed help from a volunteer to find my bag - it was kicked into the wrong row. 1/2 a check mark.
3. altered my goal of keeping a cadence of 85 (forgot how hilly the course is). But kept it to mid 70's for the most part on the hills, and 85 to 90 on the flats. And for Marc I never rode in a cross gear. Overall it is a check mark of that goal.
4. tried riding in the moment - that was hard. When it was raining I was so blastedly cold all I could think about was getting coffee at the end of the race. With the wet conditions I did slow down, I never ride in the rain. An attempt - needs work.
5. run - felt good, 2:14:05 including changing socks, bathroom break, and getting a rock out of a shoe. But ran the whole thing. Did the picking off the runner ahead thing (I guess that counts as running in the moment). Overall a big check mark.
6. nutrition - worked - I think I'll keep slamming the carb pro at transitions - it seems to work. Another check mark.
7. I was to report on the best calves. Failed miserably - but I can tell you about all the cute dogs on the course. In some ways I'm pretty pathetic.
8. goal of no involuntary release of bodily fluids - big check
9. having Carole and Dave as support at the end - double big check
10. found a new recovery ritual - stopped at a neighbourhood coffee shop on the way home, ordered an expresso malted milkshake and a large coffee. Sat in a hot bath and drank both of them. Never could do the contrast cold bath after a race, but I will do the cold/hot contrast on my innards anytime!
11. biggest thing, had fun - maybe I should just throw away my watch for races.
Jill (Christine's daughter) at KOS
A proud mom is Christine! What an amazing day for Jill!
It is funny and strange to discuss her race day, while trying to convey thatI am not a weird "Triathlon Mom". She learned a lot yesterday.
She underestimated her swimming capabilities. She put herself at the back at the farside. She spent most of her swim fighting with adults and kids, once she gotout of the pack she cruised. She then got mad at her shoes and started tocry. In my kindest most loving way I said "if this is too stressful it is okay to stop - this is about fun, right". She was so sweet, she stood upstraight and said, no it is okay, I'll keep going. She was pretty casual onthe bike, I think that most of the "game" was out of her by that point. She finished the run with a bad cramp.
We talked about it afterwards and I asked her if she was able to learnanything about her race. She said that she should put herself up front inthe swim, wear different shoes and drink more ( I suggested that the crampsare from not enough water - that's what happens to me". She asked me whatwas my favorite part of the day and I said it was when I asked her if she wanted to stop - I was very calm and loving her as best I could when thingswere rough, and then she decided to work through the tough part. I also liked that we did it together. She was proud and I was proud. I also toldher, that is what makes good athletes, those that can work through theharder aspects of sports. She was a great athlete yesterday.
It is funny and strange to discuss her race day, while trying to convey thatI am not a weird "Triathlon Mom". She learned a lot yesterday.
She underestimated her swimming capabilities. She put herself at the back at the farside. She spent most of her swim fighting with adults and kids, once she gotout of the pack she cruised. She then got mad at her shoes and started tocry. In my kindest most loving way I said "if this is too stressful it is okay to stop - this is about fun, right". She was so sweet, she stood upstraight and said, no it is okay, I'll keep going. She was pretty casual onthe bike, I think that most of the "game" was out of her by that point. She finished the run with a bad cramp.
We talked about it afterwards and I asked her if she was able to learnanything about her race. She said that she should put herself up front inthe swim, wear different shoes and drink more ( I suggested that the crampsare from not enough water - that's what happens to me". She asked me whatwas my favorite part of the day and I said it was when I asked her if she wanted to stop - I was very calm and loving her as best I could when thingswere rough, and then she decided to work through the tough part. I also liked that we did it together. She was proud and I was proud. I also toldher, that is what makes good athletes, those that can work through theharder aspects of sports. She was a great athlete yesterday.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Katja's 2010 Calgary 70.3 Race Report
In 2003, as a relatively new runner and new triathlete, I set a goal of doing a full ironman in 2011, when I turn 50. The plan was to do 3 full marathons and 3 half-IMs in the years leading up to 2011. With Calgary 70.3, I’ve now completed all 6 of these pre-IM races. Because I only do a big race once every year or two, this ½ ironman represented a fairly important race for me, and I knew it was my last triathlon before the “big one”: IM CDA in June 2011.
I’m so glad I had you as a coach, Angie (and thanks Nola!). I enjoyed the novelty and variety of your workouts in the 2 months leading up to the race. You’ve been awesome!!
Richelle’s pre-race meeting and race briefing on Saturday was hugely helpful in getting me prepared and knowing what to expect. Thanks, Richelle, for answering all my many questions!! It was also cool to meet other Team TriLife athletes. I wish I had time to train with others, but due to time constraints (full-time job, plus writing books, plus 2 kids) I’ve had to do all my workouts on my own. It felt good to be part of a “team” this weekend.
Things did not go well for me before race start. Waking up to and boarding the bus in pouring rain was disconcerting. Also, I had worried about whether I should bring my own bike pump, but ended up not bringing one knowing Angie would bring hers. Not wanting to wait, though, I borrowed one from another athlete. That’s when things went badly wrong – rather than pump up my tires, I managed to deflate one tire and bend the valve stem of the other tire into a 90 degree angle! I don’t know what happened, but the other athlete (bless her!) tried to help me and was also unsuccessful with either tire. Luckily the bike mechanic was able to deal with it (even with the badly bent valve stem) but lining up for help with the bike cost me tons of time and left me scrambling to put my wetsuit on and use the porta-potty in time. It also left me feeling panicky and rushed… I didn’t get a chance to do a last-minute bike check or mental run-through of anything. If I had, I might have noticed that my Profile bottle Velcro strap had come unthreaded (and fixing that cost me valuable time in T1). Thanks so much, Angie, for being there to help me with some of the last-minute stuff!
After that, the swim went remarkably well. I calmed down and relaxed more than I have in other races. In future, I’ll try to get over my fear of the mass start and start further up front. Starting toward the back forces me to pass people and makes it hard to find “fast feet” to follow. Even so, my swim time was fine.
T1 was incredibly slow – almost 7 minutes!! Fixing the Profile bottle was one thing that cost time, and somehow everything took far too long.
The bike ride felt comfortably hard, but not very hard. I followed the nutrition plan of one bottle of Infinit per hour and it felt like I was absorbing it. It was really neat to see Angie and others in familiar Team TriLife colors at T1 – wish I knew more of you!! Thanks for volunteering at the race and for cheering on a fellow TriLife athlete!!
The race plan was to “hold back” during the ride and keep my HR under 145 for the first 1/3 and then under 150 and under 155 for the subsequent two 1/3s. What amazed me during the ride and even now, was that I found myself riding a PR pace (31 km/hour) at a much lower HR than expected. (Avg HR of 132 and Max of 148)!! That avg HR was just 1 beat above my bike zone 2!! And this in spite of the fact that, to my consternation, my front derailleur wasn’t working! I’d checked my gears Friday after bringing it home from Speed Theory after a full tune-up, and again Saturday before dropping the bike off at Ghost Lake. It was fine then, but during the race, it refused to shift down from the higher sprocket until about ½ way to 2/3 of the way up the long hills. For the short hills I was totally out of luck… At first I worried about how that would affect me (and my quads), but it seemed to be ok. Over all, I’m extremely happy with my ride!! I think I can credit Angie’s training plan over the last 2 months, and before that, all those dark cold winter commutes with my studded tires up and down Edworthy Park hill and Home Road.
The run was another story. Stomach problems!!. Lots of pain and four (yes 4!) bathroom breaks!! I’m frustrated!!! Using Infinit and holding back on the bike was meant to deal with this… Now I’m not sure what to do…My goal was a sub-2-hour run. With 2:01:13, I was short of that goal, but it’s still a best run in a 70.3 so I can’t complain, I guess…It’s just frustrating because I know I could run better if I could only conquer the gut issues. Angie’s training plan had made sure I was more than ready for those hills!
Overall, I’m happy with this race, though. It was just 16 seconds short of a PR. (But as you reminded me, Angie, the bike is 4 km long, so really it was a PR of sorts…) I’m actually incredibly consistent – all 3 of my full marathons and all 3 of my 70.3s now have been within 5 minutes of each other in overall time.
It was really cool to have a coach at a race – a first for me - and to be part of a team! And, most importantly, I feel one step closer to my ultimate goal of a full IM.
Lessons learned:
· I will _always_ bring my own pump to a race after this.
· I will try to start a bit further up front in the swim.
· I can use Aid Stations on the bike and the run! (I’d always carried all my own fuel and water before. not feeling confident in my ability to grab a bottle while riding or to drink from a cup while running.)
· It’s ok to walk at aid stations during the run.
· Even if things go wrong before race start and I don’t have time to regroup or mentally prepare, I can still turn the day around and have a good race anyway.
I’m so glad I had you as a coach, Angie (and thanks Nola!). I enjoyed the novelty and variety of your workouts in the 2 months leading up to the race. You’ve been awesome!!
Richelle’s pre-race meeting and race briefing on Saturday was hugely helpful in getting me prepared and knowing what to expect. Thanks, Richelle, for answering all my many questions!! It was also cool to meet other Team TriLife athletes. I wish I had time to train with others, but due to time constraints (full-time job, plus writing books, plus 2 kids) I’ve had to do all my workouts on my own. It felt good to be part of a “team” this weekend.
Things did not go well for me before race start. Waking up to and boarding the bus in pouring rain was disconcerting. Also, I had worried about whether I should bring my own bike pump, but ended up not bringing one knowing Angie would bring hers. Not wanting to wait, though, I borrowed one from another athlete. That’s when things went badly wrong – rather than pump up my tires, I managed to deflate one tire and bend the valve stem of the other tire into a 90 degree angle! I don’t know what happened, but the other athlete (bless her!) tried to help me and was also unsuccessful with either tire. Luckily the bike mechanic was able to deal with it (even with the badly bent valve stem) but lining up for help with the bike cost me tons of time and left me scrambling to put my wetsuit on and use the porta-potty in time. It also left me feeling panicky and rushed… I didn’t get a chance to do a last-minute bike check or mental run-through of anything. If I had, I might have noticed that my Profile bottle Velcro strap had come unthreaded (and fixing that cost me valuable time in T1). Thanks so much, Angie, for being there to help me with some of the last-minute stuff!
After that, the swim went remarkably well. I calmed down and relaxed more than I have in other races. In future, I’ll try to get over my fear of the mass start and start further up front. Starting toward the back forces me to pass people and makes it hard to find “fast feet” to follow. Even so, my swim time was fine.
T1 was incredibly slow – almost 7 minutes!! Fixing the Profile bottle was one thing that cost time, and somehow everything took far too long.
The bike ride felt comfortably hard, but not very hard. I followed the nutrition plan of one bottle of Infinit per hour and it felt like I was absorbing it. It was really neat to see Angie and others in familiar Team TriLife colors at T1 – wish I knew more of you!! Thanks for volunteering at the race and for cheering on a fellow TriLife athlete!!
The race plan was to “hold back” during the ride and keep my HR under 145 for the first 1/3 and then under 150 and under 155 for the subsequent two 1/3s. What amazed me during the ride and even now, was that I found myself riding a PR pace (31 km/hour) at a much lower HR than expected. (Avg HR of 132 and Max of 148)!! That avg HR was just 1 beat above my bike zone 2!! And this in spite of the fact that, to my consternation, my front derailleur wasn’t working! I’d checked my gears Friday after bringing it home from Speed Theory after a full tune-up, and again Saturday before dropping the bike off at Ghost Lake. It was fine then, but during the race, it refused to shift down from the higher sprocket until about ½ way to 2/3 of the way up the long hills. For the short hills I was totally out of luck… At first I worried about how that would affect me (and my quads), but it seemed to be ok. Over all, I’m extremely happy with my ride!! I think I can credit Angie’s training plan over the last 2 months, and before that, all those dark cold winter commutes with my studded tires up and down Edworthy Park hill and Home Road.
The run was another story. Stomach problems!!. Lots of pain and four (yes 4!) bathroom breaks!! I’m frustrated!!! Using Infinit and holding back on the bike was meant to deal with this… Now I’m not sure what to do…My goal was a sub-2-hour run. With 2:01:13, I was short of that goal, but it’s still a best run in a 70.3 so I can’t complain, I guess…It’s just frustrating because I know I could run better if I could only conquer the gut issues. Angie’s training plan had made sure I was more than ready for those hills!
Overall, I’m happy with this race, though. It was just 16 seconds short of a PR. (But as you reminded me, Angie, the bike is 4 km long, so really it was a PR of sorts…) I’m actually incredibly consistent – all 3 of my full marathons and all 3 of my 70.3s now have been within 5 minutes of each other in overall time.
It was really cool to have a coach at a race – a first for me - and to be part of a team! And, most importantly, I feel one step closer to my ultimate goal of a full IM.
Lessons learned:
· I will _always_ bring my own pump to a race after this.
· I will try to start a bit further up front in the swim.
· I can use Aid Stations on the bike and the run! (I’d always carried all my own fuel and water before. not feeling confident in my ability to grab a bottle while riding or to drink from a cup while running.)
· It’s ok to walk at aid stations during the run.
· Even if things go wrong before race start and I don’t have time to regroup or mentally prepare, I can still turn the day around and have a good race anyway.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Trevor's 2010 Calgary 70.3 Race Report
THIS AIN’T NO GWN
I was not doing this race this year. But then I realized I can’t/won’t next year, so I did a last minute sign up and ponying up the big bucks to do it. After a great GWN, I think I underestimated what this course could do to me.
Wow, what a difficult day.
Waking up at 2am with the thunder was not a great start to the day. Then very shortly after up with the alarm at 3:30.
Got out to Ghost, got marked/set-up then back into a friend’s car until wetsuit time. Rain was starting to let up a bit, but it was kind of gross out there. Was cool seeing Mirinda Carfrae doing these swimming moves with an elastic band on the T1 fence.....and of course Linsey. I heart Mrs. Corbin. Just saying.
Anyhow, pros go off, then time to quickly get wet. Not too bad out anymore. Saw a few team peeps before the gun. Kelvin,Sarah, Johnny B,etc.
( side note- I love this team! When you are feeling down and grumpy there is always someone hollering your name. )
Swim was uneventful. Bumped around a bit, but was happy with the time. Got out of the water grabbed my T1 bag, and ran and found a rock. Funny- I sit down, recognize the guy next to me, chat with him, then Kelvin and Mikey Howard come out as well. 4 of us sitting on the rocks chatting putting on the gear. Wow was it wet in T1.
Bike was good. Fast out of the Ghost Lake area, then the slow rough part of Grand Valley Rd. I was feeling like of yucky at the end of Grand Valley, but knew this awesome aid station was going to be around the corner. Got there, tried to grab some water, dropped it, then successfully teamed up with Tara to get some H2O. Really enjoyed the whoops and hollers from everyone shouting my name. Definitely got be back into the mood of riding a bike in the rain. Of course by then, yes the rain started again and was pelting that little bit of exposed skin on my shoulders. Feet were getting soaked and cold, but on we went. Climbed out of Cochrane and heard Ken holler my name. Got chicked on the road by Springbank airport, she was wearing a nice little white half-shirt. You go girl! Coming down Lower Springbank road I was ready to be done. Wind,rain,cold,wet you name it. But then I heard my name again and it was Kelly and Mitch. So couldn’t stop now. Came around the casino, and saw some guy a few hundred metres in front of me and realized it was Mikey H. who had passed me way back on Grand Valley. So about 300m from the dismount I came roaring by him to get off the bike first. Wow Trevor competitive much? I’m sure all the spectators around were wondering why I dismounted to fast.
Side-note: So many tubular flats out there. I bet I saw 10, and I was in the first wave.
Got into T2, and decided to put on dry socks. I needed the kid to hold me up or I would have tipped for sure. My feet were numb.
Ran out of T2, and could tell things were not ‘right’. Mike and I started off running together, but I had to let him go as I was getting a stitch. I never seemed to be able to shake it either. So I ran a bit, walked a bit. Not sure if the Infinit on the bike was too much for me, but my tummy was not agreeing with calories either. So then I made a really smart decision(read:not) to try some pepsi. Felt good going down, but it almost came back up as quick. Enough said, run wasn’t great. Still had lots of support out there. Saw a bunch of random people calling my name, and I was trying to place how I knew them when I realized my name was on my bib. That is when I knew things weren’t going great. Saw Steve coming back on my way out. Your 44? Aweome. Rena comes blowing by me. Holy crap girl!! And then Kelvin. We chatted a few times on the course. I could tell he wasn’t having that much fun either, but I also knew he hadn’t been training much lately. I do have to apologize to Kelvin, as I’m sure there were times that he was yelling at me and I failed to acknowledge. I just felt so crappy out there.
After all was said, came up Weaselhead, heard all the TTL cheers again, and thought I could still break 6hrs. Damnit why make me go another 4k when I get to the top. Let me finish already. Demoralizing to have to run past everyone and then go again for another 30 minutes.
Danielle picked me up a few hundred from the line and made me run with her to finish off strong in just under 6hr 3minutes. I was pretty beat up at the end. Felt like garbage. Kelly/Christine/Ally everyone picked me up, but I just didn’t feel that good. Tummy/head did not feel good at the end of the race.
Tuesday Reflection
It was a long season for me. I started really early with the ½ iron in Texas in April, which made for a season which really started to build for me in December.
I am totally psyched about getting out to Pentiction to catch all the crazie at the finish line this year, and get up early Monday to sign up for 2011!
For my 2nd season I am stunned - I did 3 ½ ironman’s this season!! I need to be proud of that. So what if my execution and body let me down on this last one. A year ago, I thought maybe I could do one ½ to end this year, not 3 in a season. I had a really good chat with Angie a couple hours after race. I can not be disappointed in what I accomplished the year, and I do know that. It’s hard though sometimes when your body but moreso your mind lets you down. Expectations can be a biatch sometimes!!
I am soooo much stronger physically now, and I am starting to get there mentally as well. Slowly though. I have a marathon on tap in Vegas in December. I really feel that I need to run this marathon, to finally prove to that little voice inside my head that I am a runner. Whether i run it in 4hrs or 8hrs, I am an athlete again. I will do this.
I was not doing this race this year. But then I realized I can’t/won’t next year, so I did a last minute sign up and ponying up the big bucks to do it. After a great GWN, I think I underestimated what this course could do to me.
Wow, what a difficult day.
Waking up at 2am with the thunder was not a great start to the day. Then very shortly after up with the alarm at 3:30.
Got out to Ghost, got marked/set-up then back into a friend’s car until wetsuit time. Rain was starting to let up a bit, but it was kind of gross out there. Was cool seeing Mirinda Carfrae doing these swimming moves with an elastic band on the T1 fence.....and of course Linsey. I heart Mrs. Corbin. Just saying.
Anyhow, pros go off, then time to quickly get wet. Not too bad out anymore. Saw a few team peeps before the gun. Kelvin,Sarah, Johnny B,etc.
( side note- I love this team! When you are feeling down and grumpy there is always someone hollering your name. )
Swim was uneventful. Bumped around a bit, but was happy with the time. Got out of the water grabbed my T1 bag, and ran and found a rock. Funny- I sit down, recognize the guy next to me, chat with him, then Kelvin and Mikey Howard come out as well. 4 of us sitting on the rocks chatting putting on the gear. Wow was it wet in T1.
Bike was good. Fast out of the Ghost Lake area, then the slow rough part of Grand Valley Rd. I was feeling like of yucky at the end of Grand Valley, but knew this awesome aid station was going to be around the corner. Got there, tried to grab some water, dropped it, then successfully teamed up with Tara to get some H2O. Really enjoyed the whoops and hollers from everyone shouting my name. Definitely got be back into the mood of riding a bike in the rain. Of course by then, yes the rain started again and was pelting that little bit of exposed skin on my shoulders. Feet were getting soaked and cold, but on we went. Climbed out of Cochrane and heard Ken holler my name. Got chicked on the road by Springbank airport, she was wearing a nice little white half-shirt. You go girl! Coming down Lower Springbank road I was ready to be done. Wind,rain,cold,wet you name it. But then I heard my name again and it was Kelly and Mitch. So couldn’t stop now. Came around the casino, and saw some guy a few hundred metres in front of me and realized it was Mikey H. who had passed me way back on Grand Valley. So about 300m from the dismount I came roaring by him to get off the bike first. Wow Trevor competitive much? I’m sure all the spectators around were wondering why I dismounted to fast.
Side-note: So many tubular flats out there. I bet I saw 10, and I was in the first wave.
Got into T2, and decided to put on dry socks. I needed the kid to hold me up or I would have tipped for sure. My feet were numb.
Ran out of T2, and could tell things were not ‘right’. Mike and I started off running together, but I had to let him go as I was getting a stitch. I never seemed to be able to shake it either. So I ran a bit, walked a bit. Not sure if the Infinit on the bike was too much for me, but my tummy was not agreeing with calories either. So then I made a really smart decision(read:not) to try some pepsi. Felt good going down, but it almost came back up as quick. Enough said, run wasn’t great. Still had lots of support out there. Saw a bunch of random people calling my name, and I was trying to place how I knew them when I realized my name was on my bib. That is when I knew things weren’t going great. Saw Steve coming back on my way out. Your 44? Aweome. Rena comes blowing by me. Holy crap girl!! And then Kelvin. We chatted a few times on the course. I could tell he wasn’t having that much fun either, but I also knew he hadn’t been training much lately. I do have to apologize to Kelvin, as I’m sure there were times that he was yelling at me and I failed to acknowledge. I just felt so crappy out there.
After all was said, came up Weaselhead, heard all the TTL cheers again, and thought I could still break 6hrs. Damnit why make me go another 4k when I get to the top. Let me finish already. Demoralizing to have to run past everyone and then go again for another 30 minutes.
Danielle picked me up a few hundred from the line and made me run with her to finish off strong in just under 6hr 3minutes. I was pretty beat up at the end. Felt like garbage. Kelly/Christine/Ally everyone picked me up, but I just didn’t feel that good. Tummy/head did not feel good at the end of the race.
Tuesday Reflection
It was a long season for me. I started really early with the ½ iron in Texas in April, which made for a season which really started to build for me in December.
I am totally psyched about getting out to Pentiction to catch all the crazie at the finish line this year, and get up early Monday to sign up for 2011!
For my 2nd season I am stunned - I did 3 ½ ironman’s this season!! I need to be proud of that. So what if my execution and body let me down on this last one. A year ago, I thought maybe I could do one ½ to end this year, not 3 in a season. I had a really good chat with Angie a couple hours after race. I can not be disappointed in what I accomplished the year, and I do know that. It’s hard though sometimes when your body but moreso your mind lets you down. Expectations can be a biatch sometimes!!
I am soooo much stronger physically now, and I am starting to get there mentally as well. Slowly though. I have a marathon on tap in Vegas in December. I really feel that I need to run this marathon, to finally prove to that little voice inside my head that I am a runner. Whether i run it in 4hrs or 8hrs, I am an athlete again. I will do this.
Mr. Bosma's AMAZING comeback to do Calgary 70.3
As John came down the finishing shoot they listed off his injuries. Simply amazing he did this race. Way to go John!
So yesterday started out with a devotional titled " Keep loving others by maintaining physical health". It said loves knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading to its hope. It can really outlast anything. What an appropriate way to start the day, by focusing on something more important than the race, and taking something along that will get one thru the race.
How did my race go? I will say one thing about the finish, my accident and recovery has taken alot more out of me than I was willing to recognize. I figured an 'athlete' would bounce back pretty quickly, maybe no to a same level as before, but..... I come to realize that maybe I don't bounce as well anymore, or that I am not the athlete I may think I am. Or it just mat be a combination of the both. But in the end, I finished. I crossed the line standing up, I didn't need medical attention, and I was happy to finish. My 'family' was there, and that includes my wife, my friends and my teammates. There was the love I spoke of earlier.
So what kind of day did we have? It was the same for all, pros and non-pros. Nobody had any preferential treatment. Except the pros don't get wetsuit strippers. It was cold and wet and a bit rainy. Oh well, so was the water in the Ghost.The one thing I needed to do was to manage things properly. Last year I started swimming out front, got beat up and ended up at the back of the pack, ready to call it quits. This year i started close to the back, took it easy and stayed out of trouble. I had an average swim that wasn't too taxing on my breathing and came out pleased with my time. T1, I looked at my bag and it had all this stuff in it. It was very confusing to get my thoughts out straight with what to do first. Needless to say I could have ordered out and still had time to spare. Oh well, at least I didn't forget anything.
Out on the bike, at least this year we knew it was 93-94km. Last year I hammered out and tried to maintain thru the race. This time it was hold back and ride comfortably. I could have expended alot of energy passing those that were riding my pace, and then get passed by them. Or I could just sit back 5m or so ride easy. There was no rush really, just stay on the wheels of those I felt I could keep up to. And I rode with about 4-5 guys the whole way. It was a good ride into Calgary, and thankfully for the earlier start, the traffic congestion was a lot less.
Pardon there for the interruption. I was just off giving an interview for a local paper. And then we went off to a photo shoot. Feeling like a rock star.
And then came the run. Getting off my bike and transitioning to run mode went very well. I thought it was going to be a good finish. Wrong thing to do thinking so far ahead. The first half of the run went very well. But the second half became a reality check. That is when I started to finally realize that I am STILL recovering from the accident. Had to modify the walk-run cycle so that the body could recover enough to continue. When I finally got that going steady again, it just became a focus to the finish line.
So all in all the day went very well. I learned alot about my capabilities and how to manage them. I felt i managed the race pretty well, but 4 weeks from now is a much different race that requires much more diligence about race management. I have nothing to be disappointed for. I got out to enjoy myself and the people around me for the day. I have the support from families and friends that what I am doing is the right thing, right now.
Many thanks go out to my family and friends and teammates. I know I would not be here without support and encouragement. This is not a journey someone travels alone. Thanks for all the high 5's and congrats and hugs. We can all make ourselves feel special by being so inclusive. And for the tears, that is hard to see when someone has tears of joy for you. I know where it come from and I have benn known to give them out. But to receive them is still something to behold, not quite understandable or deserving.
In conclusion then, today's devotioal is titled "Keep loving others by recharging emotionally". Sometimes we get tired of loving those around us, so we need to take that time to recharge. Our love for others has an end if we don't take that time to recover, refresh and renew.
So yesterday started out with a devotional titled " Keep loving others by maintaining physical health". It said loves knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading to its hope. It can really outlast anything. What an appropriate way to start the day, by focusing on something more important than the race, and taking something along that will get one thru the race.
How did my race go? I will say one thing about the finish, my accident and recovery has taken alot more out of me than I was willing to recognize. I figured an 'athlete' would bounce back pretty quickly, maybe no to a same level as before, but..... I come to realize that maybe I don't bounce as well anymore, or that I am not the athlete I may think I am. Or it just mat be a combination of the both. But in the end, I finished. I crossed the line standing up, I didn't need medical attention, and I was happy to finish. My 'family' was there, and that includes my wife, my friends and my teammates. There was the love I spoke of earlier.
So what kind of day did we have? It was the same for all, pros and non-pros. Nobody had any preferential treatment. Except the pros don't get wetsuit strippers. It was cold and wet and a bit rainy. Oh well, so was the water in the Ghost.The one thing I needed to do was to manage things properly. Last year I started swimming out front, got beat up and ended up at the back of the pack, ready to call it quits. This year i started close to the back, took it easy and stayed out of trouble. I had an average swim that wasn't too taxing on my breathing and came out pleased with my time. T1, I looked at my bag and it had all this stuff in it. It was very confusing to get my thoughts out straight with what to do first. Needless to say I could have ordered out and still had time to spare. Oh well, at least I didn't forget anything.
Out on the bike, at least this year we knew it was 93-94km. Last year I hammered out and tried to maintain thru the race. This time it was hold back and ride comfortably. I could have expended alot of energy passing those that were riding my pace, and then get passed by them. Or I could just sit back 5m or so ride easy. There was no rush really, just stay on the wheels of those I felt I could keep up to. And I rode with about 4-5 guys the whole way. It was a good ride into Calgary, and thankfully for the earlier start, the traffic congestion was a lot less.
Pardon there for the interruption. I was just off giving an interview for a local paper. And then we went off to a photo shoot. Feeling like a rock star.
And then came the run. Getting off my bike and transitioning to run mode went very well. I thought it was going to be a good finish. Wrong thing to do thinking so far ahead. The first half of the run went very well. But the second half became a reality check. That is when I started to finally realize that I am STILL recovering from the accident. Had to modify the walk-run cycle so that the body could recover enough to continue. When I finally got that going steady again, it just became a focus to the finish line.
So all in all the day went very well. I learned alot about my capabilities and how to manage them. I felt i managed the race pretty well, but 4 weeks from now is a much different race that requires much more diligence about race management. I have nothing to be disappointed for. I got out to enjoy myself and the people around me for the day. I have the support from families and friends that what I am doing is the right thing, right now.
Many thanks go out to my family and friends and teammates. I know I would not be here without support and encouragement. This is not a journey someone travels alone. Thanks for all the high 5's and congrats and hugs. We can all make ourselves feel special by being so inclusive. And for the tears, that is hard to see when someone has tears of joy for you. I know where it come from and I have benn known to give them out. But to receive them is still something to behold, not quite understandable or deserving.
In conclusion then, today's devotioal is titled "Keep loving others by recharging emotionally". Sometimes we get tired of loving those around us, so we need to take that time to recharge. Our love for others has an end if we don't take that time to recover, refresh and renew.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Sarah's Calgary 70.3 Race Report
For those who do not know Sarah she lives in Berkley, California. Sarah has been so busy with school and getting to the start line was huge accomplishment - let alone having a spectacular day! Way to go Sarah!!!!!!
As far as the race yesterday, after a bit oftime for reflection I've realized it was actually a really good day. The only part I'm not particularly happy with is the swim. It was faster than last year, but Ionly had a few minutes in the water where I felt good. I panicked at the beginning,could not swim straight for the life of me, felt really uncomfortable in the wetsuit, and tired overall. Lesson learned is that I need to spend more time inopen water (and thank you so much for the swim on Saturday morning, I don't knowwhat would have happened to me without that!)
The bike was okay. Not having ridden as much in Berkeley this year it felt like alot of uphill. My climbing though still felt relatively strong, and overall I washappy with my effort, even though it felt harder than last year. Time was quite abit slower, but that seems to be the general trend as conditions seemed lessfavourable (wet, and I think (hope!) not as good winds).
The run I was super happy with, although I went out a little too fast and failed tonegative split. I still managed to finish strong though so at least I didn'ttotally do myself in. Foot was hurting quite a bit over the second half, a lot forthe rest of the day, and a lot this morning, so that could be it for me for runningfor the next little while.
Overall I think it was a stronger performance than last year, so thank you so much for your patience, support and encouragement. With all the chaos of the last few months yesterday definitely wouldn't have happened without your coaching Richelle.
As far as the race yesterday, after a bit oftime for reflection I've realized it was actually a really good day. The only part I'm not particularly happy with is the swim. It was faster than last year, but Ionly had a few minutes in the water where I felt good. I panicked at the beginning,could not swim straight for the life of me, felt really uncomfortable in the wetsuit, and tired overall. Lesson learned is that I need to spend more time inopen water (and thank you so much for the swim on Saturday morning, I don't knowwhat would have happened to me without that!)
The bike was okay. Not having ridden as much in Berkeley this year it felt like alot of uphill. My climbing though still felt relatively strong, and overall I washappy with my effort, even though it felt harder than last year. Time was quite abit slower, but that seems to be the general trend as conditions seemed lessfavourable (wet, and I think (hope!) not as good winds).
The run I was super happy with, although I went out a little too fast and failed tonegative split. I still managed to finish strong though so at least I didn'ttotally do myself in. Foot was hurting quite a bit over the second half, a lot forthe rest of the day, and a lot this morning, so that could be it for me for runningfor the next little while.
Overall I think it was a stronger performance than last year, so thank you so much for your patience, support and encouragement. With all the chaos of the last few months yesterday definitely wouldn't have happened without your coaching Richelle.
Richelle's 1/2 Ironman done on Mountain Bike Training
I woke up around 2am to rain and thunder - ugh! I dozed in and out of consciousness until 4:15am when my alarm went off. Up and dressed, and breakfast in. As I got my bottles ready I started to get sad. Jeff was not there as he is on a kayaking trip with his buddies. Race morning he is always so great with helping get me organized and ready to go, and of course give me hugs and encouraging words to keep me calm. However, I was lucky to have Angie picking me up and delivering me to the race start and I knew Jeff was sending me good race vibes from afar.
When I hit the Weaselhead hill to go down I hooked up with my friend Kristy who ran and walked with me until we returned to the top of Weaselhead hill again (about 14 km). Thank-you Kristy! We walked when my IT band hurt, all of the hills and aid stations. I was dialing it back and having fun cheering on others and just working towards finishing. And Kristy is one of the few people who yells louder than me so with the 2 of us yelling and cheering on the course we were having a blast! The last 3km did hurt however. My IT band was sore and I started to get impatient to just be done. So I pushed a bit in the last few km more than I should have. With 1 km to go Madi biked along side me and gave a few words of encouragement that I am thankful for. I turned the corner and into the finishing shoot lined with TTL crew! Yeah! So exciting to see you all!
When we arrived at Ghost I was less than happy to be there in the rain, and was extremely anxious about the swim. I had not swam in 2 months and had only swam 3 or 4 times in the pool previous to that since Ironman! That leads me to why the hell am I even at this race! I hadn't trained at all on the swim, or run, and for the bike - I've been only riding and racing my mountain bike. I had signed up for Calgary 70.3 last September and had decided that I was was not going to do the race a few months later, but a few days ago decided - what the hell!? Luke instructed today to be a long training day as Trans Rockies (a 3 day multistage mountain bike race) is next weekend. The plan was to survive the swim, bike hard and go easy on the run without pain. OK, dial it down. But I still had the "little" 2 km swim and I was very nervous. I know people tried to talk to me but I could barely compute what they were saying and forcing a smile was out of the question. Unusual for me. Gerry helped me get my wetsuit while I tried not to hyperventalite over the fact that I was actually doing this, and I then haeded to the water and did a quick warm-up. My friend Erin and I held hands and hugged while I tried to push down the nerves before the start of our heat.
The gun went off and I just went. Nice and easy and I quicky found open water. There was no kicking or punching, and I did not get hit. I was just swimming. I was actually nice. I focused on just one strooke after the other and before long I was at the last buoy to head to shore. It was all happening so quick! II hit shore with relief. I ran out and was my usual happy self again. "I did it" I yelled as I saw Coach Sarah and crew. I was so happy that I had survived the swim. It really is like riding a bike - it all comes back to you.
I went through transition as quick as I could and was on my way passing people on my bike. The bike was going great and I was feeling strong. I hit the TTL aid station and sat up and cheered and yelled as I went through! I saw so many happy TTL friendly faces - Hope, Danielle, Angie, Ally to name only a few! There were so many of you guys, THANK-YOU! I continued to push and ride strong until I saw my friend Amy walking her bike near the bottom of HorseCreek. I knew she was trying to qualify for Clearwater so I stopped. She needed a CO2 cartridge. As I got off my bike a cyclist with his head down came towards us and saw us at the last minute. He swerved but hit the ditch! He then went over his bars and landed on his head. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. He lay there unconscious. I screamed for a cell phone as cyclists passed until a rider stopped with one and I called 911. Then I saw a car and flagged it down and it was Richard (one of my athlete's dad). He got some jackets on me as I was shivering as I was talking to the 911 operator. The ambulance pulled up and Richard told me to get going. I really wanted to call it a day though. I was cold and this was an intense situation. The race official that had come up too told me and the other cyclist who had stopped with the cell phone that we should go, so we did. I got back on my bike but my head was still not all there and I could not believe the events that had just happened. However, after a few minutes I started pushing the pedals and working to pass people all over again. By the way, it felt like way more hills this year than last year
I finally hit Glenmore Park despite loosing over 15 minutes on the bike and really wanting to quit. I went through transition and out on the run. I saw so many people chering and giving me high-5's that it put me back in a great mood! There were so many people on the course and you have no idea how much your cheers are appreciated! THANK-YOU!!!
When I hit the Weaselhead hill to go down I hooked up with my friend Kristy who ran and walked with me until we returned to the top of Weaselhead hill again (about 14 km). Thank-you Kristy! We walked when my IT band hurt, all of the hills and aid stations. I was dialing it back and having fun cheering on others and just working towards finishing. And Kristy is one of the few people who yells louder than me so with the 2 of us yelling and cheering on the course we were having a blast! The last 3km did hurt however. My IT band was sore and I started to get impatient to just be done. So I pushed a bit in the last few km more than I should have. With 1 km to go Madi biked along side me and gave a few words of encouragement that I am thankful for. I turned the corner and into the finishing shoot lined with TTL crew! Yeah! So exciting to see you all!Final time 6:05. Got my second belt buckle! Not the ideal day but pretty darn close to how I wanted to execute it. And, I proved you can do a half Ironman on mountain bike only training but I do not recommend it! Now to recover and get ready for TR3 (TransRockies 3 day mountain bike race)!
Cindy's 2010 Calgary 70.3 Race Report
All week preceding the race I was calm, ready for this event, actually looking forward to it, time to put it in gear. I didn't have the nervous tummy or the anxious butterflies, just calm, but excited to get it going.
In early July my family took holidays, and I'm proud to report that I did all of the prescribed workouts, even a swim in a rough and choppy lake and a long HOT run with mosquitoes and blackflies nipping at me. Then our family all got sick with the flu and I missed some key workouts, I was a bit upset with missing the workouts, but c'est la vie. My point? I think that I did everything in my power to be ready for this race, both mentally and physically. This was my "A" race for 2010 so I didn't want to jeopardize my performance.
Race day arrived extra early. A thunderstorm woke me up around 2a.m. Ugh. Not only would my bike get wet (my baby!), but there was a good possibility of rain all day. I tried to doze back to sleep, mixed success, until the alarm rang at 3:30a.m. Yes, that number is correct. I needed to make my bagel, get dressed, and Ryan drove me to meet the bus to the Ghost by 4a.m. A sleepy group of athletes boarded the bus, instant friends, bonded by the ridiculous circumstances and a crazy hobby.
The scene upon arrival at the Ghost Lake Reservoir was encouraging. It was dark, but big flood lights illuminated the area. Our bus was early enough to beat the rush and long lines that developed within the hour. I was relieved to see my bike, albeit soaking wet, and gave her a quick check, all was in working order. Whew. I organized and double checked that my bike and nutrition was in place, then headed for the portapotty line. Lucky for me it was only 2 people long - it would later grow to enormous lengths. As I came back to the main area I spotted Tara. She was in great spirits as a volunteer for the aid station on the bike course, she gave me a big smile and a couple of hugs, enough to start my good-nervous feeling and get me pumped up for the day. We hung out with her friend Jacque and Angie Anderson and a motley crew of others who has assembled in the wet and drizzle to prove themselves at an Ironman event. What a cool bunch of people, how special we are to be involved in a sport with so many amazing and inspiring people. Tara helped me onto my wetsuit (she truly is the best wetsuit fitter I have ever met) and waited around for the start. We didn't wait long, and before I could sneeze I was in the water for a quick warmup.
The swim started! My plan was to be smooth, follow some feet, and stick with the middle of the pack. The first 100 m were a bit chaotic, but not intolerable, I hung in well, focused on my strokes being long and relaxed. For some god-forsaken reason, my goggles got water in the left eye. Hmm. It kept getting worse, so I had to adjust them. I was still in the pack, no worries. But the problem persisted. They're newish goggles, never had any problems with them before, I swam with them the day before, what the ????? The problem kept getting worse. I kept losing time and position, and I ended up swimming with gals who were slower than me. The leaky goggles plagued me for the balance of the swim, as every 6 or 8 strokes I had to release the water. By the time I swam around the final buoy I had caught up to some of the men's wave, in blue swimcaps, and some of the men's wave behind me, in yellow caps, had caught up to the women, in red. Result: happy with my ability to swim, very, very frustrated with equipment malfunctions.
T1 was chaotic. Good wetsuit strippers, thanks ladies, off to find my bag, well organized in numerical order. The grass was wet and FULL of mosquitoes, I got eaten alive! Oh well, motivation to push me to go faster. I think the transition went smoothly, that was my goal, although I was in there a lot longer than anticipated. It just took time to get socks on wet feet, get into the bike area, get out of the bike area, and get to the mount line. I didn't fumble anything, it was a smooth T1, just a long process.
The bike was wonderful - I knew it would be. But I had to remember my race plan: keep my HR under control. I set the goal of under 160BPM for the bike, and unless I was going uphill, this was a success! Last year at GWN I let my HR climb into the 170's for a sustained effort and it blew up my run. I was determined not to let that happen again! The first 10k to Ghost Lake were to get some nutrition into me, spin my legs, find my rhythm, and generally settle down. Several ladies passed me, and I let them go; I later blew by them on Grand Valley. I surprised myself on Grand Valley - it's a lot of UP to get to the turn, and I anticipated a struggle with the big hills, despite my training on these roads earlier in the year. I mentally steeled myself for the hills, and guess what? I ended up passing people! Even dudes! One guy berated himself for getting "chicked," and two others complimented my even, smooth pedal strokes! Me! I was pleased, surprised, happy! The hills were okay, then it was onto the rolling descent of Horse Creek. The TTL water station on Horse Creek was a fun spot, lots of volunteers (THANK-YOU SO MUCH!!!!), and lots of cheering, I felt like a superhero! Thank-you!!!!! The ride into Cochrane was awesome, a bit worrisome with the ambulance treating an athlete, but a great ride. The hill out of Cochrane also had me worried, but again, I may not have been fast, but I passed a LOT of people on that hill! Nutrition was going well, tummy was feeling good. The ride into the city was uneventful, people were pretty spaced apart, worrying about drafting was nil at this point. All the volunteers and police at intersections did an amazing job, another big thank-you. Overall: great ride, in spite of the rain and road mud, I loved it. My HR averaged 154. Over a 94km distance v. a 90km distance at GWM, I ended up only 1 minute slower on the bike. I guess all that extra training, the mtn biking, and watching my HR paid off!!!
T2: very smooth, I had a great volunteer who helped me get my shoes on and handed over my visor. I saw Maureen cheering, thanks for that. Interesting that Mirinda Carfrae was opening her winning bottle of champagne as I exited T2 - I heard the announcement at the finish line area. Damn she's fast.
The run: I started out okay. I always have trouble in the first 2km finding my legs, or going out too fast to sustain. Again, the goal was to control my HR, and to run, not walk, the entire race, it didn't matter how slow that run could be, but no walking. Caveat: walking allowed under 3 circumstances: aid station, 1 min every 20 min, or uphill. Over the first 5km I kept getting passed by girls I passed on the bike, which was a bit disheartening, but I kept to my plan, and started passing other girls and some of the guys, too. My Garmin kept beeping every km and I noticed an average pace between 6:40 and 7:00. This would creep up to 7:15 towards the end, but overall, I hovered around 7min/km. My legs were heavy, my butt was starting to hurt, but I kept moving, kept turning over the legs. Two people commented on my soft footfalls, and I took that as a huge compliment, as I've been working on my pelvic tilt and running form all season - I may not be fast, but I've been consciously trying to have better technique. I saw lots of familiar faces, thank-you for the words of encouragement, from both friends and total strangers, you kept me moving forward. The turn-around point seemed a long time coming! The run back seemed faster, although I didn't negative split, it was pretty even. I saw Ryan at the bottom of Weaselhead hill, he walked up with me, then went ahead to give Emma and June notice to cheer for me. Wow, it felt great to see the cheering squad, even better than being a superhero, this was goddess time! Then the long 4km out and back to the finish line - what a crazy idea, to run past the Finish Line at that point in the race, how demoralizing! At this point in the race I was having trouble concentrating, I was exhausted. And, despite following my nutrition plan, my tummy was starting to get cranky. I've been terrorized by GI issues in endurance events since before GWN last year, and have been diligently experimenting to get this under control. Lindy Kennedy of FitNut Consulting and I have discovered that it's a combination of calories in, sugar content, and exhertion. Now, at 17km in the race, I stuck with my race plan and began to accelerate to the finish, I didn't want to leave any extra energy on the course. Consequence: I absolutely had to find some bushes, apparently I was already max'ed out. I picked up the pace again, passed two more people and could hear people cheering for me, but I couldn't concentrate on who they were, so to those of you at the finish line, a big thank-you, I heard you but couldn't acknowledge you at the time. I crossed the line, accepted my belt-buckle (super cool), and got a big hug from Tara and my family.
I can't say it enough: THANK-YOU for all the cheering, the smiles, the volunteers, everything! Overall: I went out on the course with a specific idea of how I wanted to race: be smart about nutrition, keep HR under control, run a steady race. From where I sit today, I think that those goals were achieved, and I know that I've learned a TONNE from the experience that will serve me for 2011 season. Bring it on!
Thanks to Richelle for her great workout schedules, for accommodating my crazy work schedule and hectic family life, thanks for putting up with my crazy ideas, like mountain biking three days before the race, among others. I'm looking forward to 2011 with you! Richelle probably won't like it if I post this next bit, but it's the part that everyone outside of triathlon asks: how long does it take? For the record books, here it goes:
611/805 women.
47/63 women age 35-40
Swim: 46:10
T1: 6.26
Bike: 3:16:55
T2: 2:44R
un: 2:32:32
Overall: 6:44:45
On a longer, more challenging course in crummier weather, I was just over a minute faster than GWN. Now that's progress!
In early July my family took holidays, and I'm proud to report that I did all of the prescribed workouts, even a swim in a rough and choppy lake and a long HOT run with mosquitoes and blackflies nipping at me. Then our family all got sick with the flu and I missed some key workouts, I was a bit upset with missing the workouts, but c'est la vie. My point? I think that I did everything in my power to be ready for this race, both mentally and physically. This was my "A" race for 2010 so I didn't want to jeopardize my performance.
Race day arrived extra early. A thunderstorm woke me up around 2a.m. Ugh. Not only would my bike get wet (my baby!), but there was a good possibility of rain all day. I tried to doze back to sleep, mixed success, until the alarm rang at 3:30a.m. Yes, that number is correct. I needed to make my bagel, get dressed, and Ryan drove me to meet the bus to the Ghost by 4a.m. A sleepy group of athletes boarded the bus, instant friends, bonded by the ridiculous circumstances and a crazy hobby.
The scene upon arrival at the Ghost Lake Reservoir was encouraging. It was dark, but big flood lights illuminated the area. Our bus was early enough to beat the rush and long lines that developed within the hour. I was relieved to see my bike, albeit soaking wet, and gave her a quick check, all was in working order. Whew. I organized and double checked that my bike and nutrition was in place, then headed for the portapotty line. Lucky for me it was only 2 people long - it would later grow to enormous lengths. As I came back to the main area I spotted Tara. She was in great spirits as a volunteer for the aid station on the bike course, she gave me a big smile and a couple of hugs, enough to start my good-nervous feeling and get me pumped up for the day. We hung out with her friend Jacque and Angie Anderson and a motley crew of others who has assembled in the wet and drizzle to prove themselves at an Ironman event. What a cool bunch of people, how special we are to be involved in a sport with so many amazing and inspiring people. Tara helped me onto my wetsuit (she truly is the best wetsuit fitter I have ever met) and waited around for the start. We didn't wait long, and before I could sneeze I was in the water for a quick warmup.
The swim started! My plan was to be smooth, follow some feet, and stick with the middle of the pack. The first 100 m were a bit chaotic, but not intolerable, I hung in well, focused on my strokes being long and relaxed. For some god-forsaken reason, my goggles got water in the left eye. Hmm. It kept getting worse, so I had to adjust them. I was still in the pack, no worries. But the problem persisted. They're newish goggles, never had any problems with them before, I swam with them the day before, what the ????? The problem kept getting worse. I kept losing time and position, and I ended up swimming with gals who were slower than me. The leaky goggles plagued me for the balance of the swim, as every 6 or 8 strokes I had to release the water. By the time I swam around the final buoy I had caught up to some of the men's wave, in blue swimcaps, and some of the men's wave behind me, in yellow caps, had caught up to the women, in red. Result: happy with my ability to swim, very, very frustrated with equipment malfunctions.
T1 was chaotic. Good wetsuit strippers, thanks ladies, off to find my bag, well organized in numerical order. The grass was wet and FULL of mosquitoes, I got eaten alive! Oh well, motivation to push me to go faster. I think the transition went smoothly, that was my goal, although I was in there a lot longer than anticipated. It just took time to get socks on wet feet, get into the bike area, get out of the bike area, and get to the mount line. I didn't fumble anything, it was a smooth T1, just a long process.
The bike was wonderful - I knew it would be. But I had to remember my race plan: keep my HR under control. I set the goal of under 160BPM for the bike, and unless I was going uphill, this was a success! Last year at GWN I let my HR climb into the 170's for a sustained effort and it blew up my run. I was determined not to let that happen again! The first 10k to Ghost Lake were to get some nutrition into me, spin my legs, find my rhythm, and generally settle down. Several ladies passed me, and I let them go; I later blew by them on Grand Valley. I surprised myself on Grand Valley - it's a lot of UP to get to the turn, and I anticipated a struggle with the big hills, despite my training on these roads earlier in the year. I mentally steeled myself for the hills, and guess what? I ended up passing people! Even dudes! One guy berated himself for getting "chicked," and two others complimented my even, smooth pedal strokes! Me! I was pleased, surprised, happy! The hills were okay, then it was onto the rolling descent of Horse Creek. The TTL water station on Horse Creek was a fun spot, lots of volunteers (THANK-YOU SO MUCH!!!!), and lots of cheering, I felt like a superhero! Thank-you!!!!! The ride into Cochrane was awesome, a bit worrisome with the ambulance treating an athlete, but a great ride. The hill out of Cochrane also had me worried, but again, I may not have been fast, but I passed a LOT of people on that hill! Nutrition was going well, tummy was feeling good. The ride into the city was uneventful, people were pretty spaced apart, worrying about drafting was nil at this point. All the volunteers and police at intersections did an amazing job, another big thank-you. Overall: great ride, in spite of the rain and road mud, I loved it. My HR averaged 154. Over a 94km distance v. a 90km distance at GWM, I ended up only 1 minute slower on the bike. I guess all that extra training, the mtn biking, and watching my HR paid off!!!
T2: very smooth, I had a great volunteer who helped me get my shoes on and handed over my visor. I saw Maureen cheering, thanks for that. Interesting that Mirinda Carfrae was opening her winning bottle of champagne as I exited T2 - I heard the announcement at the finish line area. Damn she's fast.
The run: I started out okay. I always have trouble in the first 2km finding my legs, or going out too fast to sustain. Again, the goal was to control my HR, and to run, not walk, the entire race, it didn't matter how slow that run could be, but no walking. Caveat: walking allowed under 3 circumstances: aid station, 1 min every 20 min, or uphill. Over the first 5km I kept getting passed by girls I passed on the bike, which was a bit disheartening, but I kept to my plan, and started passing other girls and some of the guys, too. My Garmin kept beeping every km and I noticed an average pace between 6:40 and 7:00. This would creep up to 7:15 towards the end, but overall, I hovered around 7min/km. My legs were heavy, my butt was starting to hurt, but I kept moving, kept turning over the legs. Two people commented on my soft footfalls, and I took that as a huge compliment, as I've been working on my pelvic tilt and running form all season - I may not be fast, but I've been consciously trying to have better technique. I saw lots of familiar faces, thank-you for the words of encouragement, from both friends and total strangers, you kept me moving forward. The turn-around point seemed a long time coming! The run back seemed faster, although I didn't negative split, it was pretty even. I saw Ryan at the bottom of Weaselhead hill, he walked up with me, then went ahead to give Emma and June notice to cheer for me. Wow, it felt great to see the cheering squad, even better than being a superhero, this was goddess time! Then the long 4km out and back to the finish line - what a crazy idea, to run past the Finish Line at that point in the race, how demoralizing! At this point in the race I was having trouble concentrating, I was exhausted. And, despite following my nutrition plan, my tummy was starting to get cranky. I've been terrorized by GI issues in endurance events since before GWN last year, and have been diligently experimenting to get this under control. Lindy Kennedy of FitNut Consulting and I have discovered that it's a combination of calories in, sugar content, and exhertion. Now, at 17km in the race, I stuck with my race plan and began to accelerate to the finish, I didn't want to leave any extra energy on the course. Consequence: I absolutely had to find some bushes, apparently I was already max'ed out. I picked up the pace again, passed two more people and could hear people cheering for me, but I couldn't concentrate on who they were, so to those of you at the finish line, a big thank-you, I heard you but couldn't acknowledge you at the time. I crossed the line, accepted my belt-buckle (super cool), and got a big hug from Tara and my family.
I can't say it enough: THANK-YOU for all the cheering, the smiles, the volunteers, everything! Overall: I went out on the course with a specific idea of how I wanted to race: be smart about nutrition, keep HR under control, run a steady race. From where I sit today, I think that those goals were achieved, and I know that I've learned a TONNE from the experience that will serve me for 2011 season. Bring it on!
Thanks to Richelle for her great workout schedules, for accommodating my crazy work schedule and hectic family life, thanks for putting up with my crazy ideas, like mountain biking three days before the race, among others. I'm looking forward to 2011 with you! Richelle probably won't like it if I post this next bit, but it's the part that everyone outside of triathlon asks: how long does it take? For the record books, here it goes:
611/805 women.
47/63 women age 35-40
Swim: 46:10
T1: 6.26
Bike: 3:16:55
T2: 2:44R
un: 2:32:32
Overall: 6:44:45
On a longer, more challenging course in crummier weather, I was just over a minute faster than GWN. Now that's progress!
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