Howdy!
I woke up on Sunday morning to an alarm, not my alarm but Chads alarm! I thought it was 4:00am but alas it was not.....it was 4:30am. I went into full freak out mode within about 0.000000000001 seconds and in about the same amount of time Chad told me to STOP IT! So I did. It turns out we couldn't even get out of the campground until 5am anyway.
I went and got in the shower, now I know what you are thinking. Why is this chick showering before she goes and jumps in a lake. I wanted to get up and do my normal morning rituals and try and relax, so I had a nice hot shower first thing. I got into my tri clothes and went back to camp where Chad was up and ready to go (he even had his red bull already!). I ate breakfast on the way into Penticton. I was calm until we started into the city and that is when the wave of excitement/butterfly's/nervousness hit me. I couldn't even eat my entire breakfast; which consisted of a multi grain bagel with a yogurt and berries.
Once we got into Penticton we found somewhere to park really easily, and we were off to check in my gear bags, get body marking done, get my bike ready, etc. So first off I had to make a pit stop at the washrooms....gotta love being nervous! We walked with a million other people to drop off the bags. Chad had to stay on the outside of the fence, so he followed me along while I dropped off my special needs bags and got numbered.
We then had to completely separate as I went into transition to put all of my bottles, gels, sharkies onto my bike. I pumped up my tires and Lucy was feeling good to go! I had to drop the rest of my transition gear into my gear bags. Chad and I had arranged a meeting spot....but he couldn't get to it so I lost him for awhile. I went and dropped off my dry clothes bag and started the wetsuit wiggle. I didn't forget to do anything in the morning....which I am quite proud of. Making that race plan sure helped!!!
Once I got onto the beach I was soooo freaking nervous. I managed to find Chad in the crowd and say goodbye. There were people everywhere. I can't remember now what I was thinking about before the race started....the adrenaline was pumping thats for sure. The national anthem was played and I was waiting anxiously for the cannon to go off.....this seemed to take forever!
I lined myself up with the bouys and started in the middle of the pack. The start was not that bad, I had a lot of room. I didn't become rough until 200-300m out into in the lake. Whenever I do an open water swim I always take it one leg at a time. All I was concerned about was to make it to the first house boat. I did get kicked a couple of times and I can't even begin to describe the feeling when everyone would get bunched up and we were swimming on top of one another. I would look up and there were people everywhere I turned, all trying to find some space to swim. It was really transitional because you would swim a bit farther and then I would feel like I was all alone.
By the time I made it to the first house boat I was getting used to the chaos going on around me. I got hit in the head a couple of times, kicked in the stomach once (that was a gooder, it hurt for awhile:). The swim to the second house boat turn was really fast. Before the race started I thought that the swim back to the beach would seem faster than the first leg, boy was I wrong!
It was on the home stretch that I had someone literally swim over me! He was a big guy and lets just say I think he had a strong pull because he pulled me right under! If this would have happened in the first leg I would have had a coronary, but I was okay with it. I came back up, put my goggles back on and stayed clear of him!
I wasn't until I was at the beach that I even thought about the bike. I heard them announce my name as I came out of the water and I ran into the gear bag area, found my stuff easily and I was into the change tent. There were a lot of cold people in there, there was one poor girl shivering soooo hard she looked like she was having a seizure. I hope she finally got warmed up! I got all of my stuff on and I was out of the tent running to find my bike. Lucy was right where I left her a couple of hours earlier and I headed out to the mount line.
Riding down main street with all of the people cheering was unreal! There was so much to look at and take in as I went by. I saw Chad jumping up and down like he was on a pogo stick and got a wave out to my family on the way by!
I broke the bike into a bunch of sections. The first was lakeshore drive; I was sipping away on my heed, trying to get my heart rate under control and let all of the people hammer it out nice and early! As tons of people flew by me on the bike I kept myself positive by saying...ha ha ha I swim faster than you do!
I was up onto the steep hill of Mclean Creek Road before I knew it. It was a short little climb, just enough to get your legs going. The rest of the way out to Osoyoos there was a head wind, but it was uneventful as I just got down into aero and pedaled away. It took me about this long to feel warmed up on the bike!
I found my biking legs just I got into Osoyoos and made the turn to climb up Richter. I had to make a pit stop and take a pee at the aid station before the climb. You can attribute that extra 14 minutes on my total bike time to standing in line for the porta potty. Grrrrr.
Richter was fine, and the 7 rollers past that weren't too bad either. I remember them in training and I HATED them, but on rested legs they weren't so bad. The rest of the bike went off without a hitch. Yellow Lake was pretty cool with the people lining the road cheering for you all the way up. Those Thursday night hill repeats sure did the trick because I was climbing my way past everyone! I felt good the whole ride and the wind really started to pick up on the way back into town, so I was flying!
Coming off the bike I handed Lucy over to a volunteer and I went to find my run gear bag, I called my number as I came into transition and they helped me find it right away and I was off into the change tent. I put my beloved beat up Oakleys on the chair beside me as I got changed into my running shorts, loaded up my nutrition....went to grab my Oakleys and they were gone! They got picked up and thrown into someone else's gear bag! I am now out a pair of sunglasses!
With another stop in the porty potty I was onto the run course. Again, mainstreet was full of people yelling and screaming! It was awesome. I met up with Claire for a bit and we ran together and as she went ahead I stayed back and worked on staying in my heart rate zones. I stopped and chatted with my family for a minute....they yelled at me to get going. I was in no hurry to run 42km! The first 10km of the run was great. I was soooo happy just to know that the finish was in my sights...little did I know it was going to be a journey! It started to rain on the way out of town, by 10 km in it was raining really steadily.....I do believe they call it pissing rain!
I was taking in Gatorade on the run and at about 13 km mark my stomach started to disagree with the Gatorade. I stopped taking it and only took in water for the rest of the race. I was eating a few Swedish berries here and there, trying to get calories in. By the time I got to the turn around I was feeling like crap, upset stomach, freezing cold, ohhhh the fun! I got my special needs bag from the volunteers and loaded up with more food, wiggled my way into my long sleeve shirt, I read my note from Chad and decided to hunker down and keep it going!
I got the bright idea at the next aid station to eat some pretzels and hopefully they would help my stomach calm down....it worked! I still couldn't really eat anything besides water...but I was able to continue to run. For the last 10 miles I didn't dare eat anything, I stuck with water and hoped to god that I had enough left in me so I wouldn't bonk!
The only time I walked was through the aid stations, half way up a couple of the giant hills, other than that I was running. It may have been a very slow run for about 25km....but running any speed was faster than walking! The last half of the marathon was more about having the mental strength to keep going and knowing that my body would put up with doing the physical part.Believe me it let me know that it wasn't happy, but I guess that is the challenge of doing an Ironman isn't it.
I am really happy with how my race went. I had a smile on my face the entire time and enjoyed the day. Coming across that finish line felt great, I have never experienced anything like that before. All of the hard work was worth it....and yes I want to do another one!
Once I hit the finish line my legs were saying "no more." It was tough to walk around and just getting them going was hard work. Greg helped me get all of my stuff and took me over to meet my family. Looking back on the day I have to say that getting a coach was the best Ironman investment I made. Greg answered all of my questions, made sure I got all of my training in, and the knowledge about race day. There is more to Ironman than swim, bike, run! I know that my day would have gone a lot differently if I hadn't learned so much from IronGreg!
After the race that night Chad and I were wiped, we stopped by Timmy Ho's to grab some food. This was after Chad had to lift me into the truck:) I thought I would be out cold that night....I hardly slept at all!
Monday and Tuesday were tough moving days. There were times I thought that my legs just were going to give up and let my crumple to the ground in a big ol' pile of Leslie would stay there until someone came along to rescue me! Luckily that did not happen. My quads were the worst, followed by the blistered feet, my shoulders, triceps, lats, lower back, calfs, hamstrings, all were sore. I am still sore today, but not nearly as bad. I can even hobble jog across the road if I need to (like if a car was going to hit me:).
Final thoughts on Ironman, I'm not sure yet. I don't know if I got everything in there, a lot happens in a 14 hour race! If you have questions please let me know! Thanks again for all of the support, it helps so much during a race to know that you have so many people cheering you on!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
I AM AN IRONMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!
YEAH BABY!
I am sitting on a patio in Cascade Locks Oregon in the beautiful sunshine....ahhhh....its so nice! We made it here last night safe and sound.
So I will give you a quick version of the days before Ironman, Ironman, and post Ironman and I will try to get the race report out soon!
Wednesday we drove from nice sunny weather to rainy Penticton! Once we got there it was straight to the merchandise tent! I wanted to make sure I could get some stuff in my size! Once we finished up in Penticton we went back out to Summerland to set up camp. I went for a little run to get my legs moving.
Thursday was registration day! When I got up I went for a very quick swim in the lake. It was so quick that it took me longer to walk to the beach, put on my wetsuit, take off my wetsuit, and walk back! I was the only one on the beach and it is creepy swimming by yourself in a lake! After that I went for a bike ride and toured around Summerland a bit. Once that was said and done it was registration time. There was many a line up in the registration tent, but I signed my life away and got all of my numbers, race chip, etc. Surprisingly still not nervous at all! We went out for dinner that night to Saltys (yummmm) with the rest of the Legend Coaching Team!
Friday the fam started rolling into town. Didn't do too much on Friday, mostly just running around trying to get all of my last minute stuff for Ironman (chad was sooo patient:).
Saturday I met with the team bright and early in the morning for a quick swim and a walk around transition. This was our last chance to attak Greg with questions. After the swim I went back to the campsite and did a little bike and run. I was good to go! Chad helped me organise all of my gear and we were off the check my bike in! Penticton was buzzing with excitement on Saturday....still was not nervous....yeah me! The rest of saturday we hung out with family and then it was back to the campsite to get the rest of my stuff together and head to bed. Once I fell asleep I was out like a light until morning.
THE BIG DAY!
Luckily Chad set another alarm since mine didn't go off! I would have slept right through Ironman. We were up and ready to go and into Penticton in no time. I had to go through and dump the rest of my gear off, get numbered, put my nutrition on my bike, get into my wetsuit. I lost Chad in here but I was able to spot him and say good bye before the race started. I was finally FULL of butterflys and wondering what exactly I was in for!
The Swim: full of arms and legs....EVERYWHERE! It had its bad moments, the first pile up was like nothing I had ever experienced before. Once I figured out what to do when there were people evrywhere....literally you couldn't move....I was okay for the rest of the swim. I was a few minutes faster than I thought I would be!
The bike: it was good. I trained a lot for the bike so I was ready to hammer out the course. My legs took a little while to warm up. There is no feeling like riding down main street with all of those people everywhere cheering you on, it was unreal!
The run: The first 10 km went awesome. At about 13 km my stomach was upset from the gatorade, never again. Gatorade is the worst sports drink ever! After that I was trying to calm down my stomach for the rest of the race but somehow still take calories in. By the end of the Marathon it was pain, it hurt a lot. My quads hurt with every step...but I made myself keep running. I knew this wasn't going to be easy! I ran most of the marathon, I walked through aid stations and half way up a couple of the big hill on the way back into town!
Across the finish line Richelle and Greg were waiting for me, as well as my family snuck over the the gate so I could get hugs! It was a great day.
What I was not prepared for was the absolute sore legs I now have. There were couple of times I thought they may not hold me up. The worst is after I sit down for while, the are a little slow to get moving! Anyway, Chad is back from showering so it is holiday time! Take care!
I am sitting on a patio in Cascade Locks Oregon in the beautiful sunshine....ahhhh....its so nice! We made it here last night safe and sound.
So I will give you a quick version of the days before Ironman, Ironman, and post Ironman and I will try to get the race report out soon!
Wednesday we drove from nice sunny weather to rainy Penticton! Once we got there it was straight to the merchandise tent! I wanted to make sure I could get some stuff in my size! Once we finished up in Penticton we went back out to Summerland to set up camp. I went for a little run to get my legs moving.
Thursday was registration day! When I got up I went for a very quick swim in the lake. It was so quick that it took me longer to walk to the beach, put on my wetsuit, take off my wetsuit, and walk back! I was the only one on the beach and it is creepy swimming by yourself in a lake! After that I went for a bike ride and toured around Summerland a bit. Once that was said and done it was registration time. There was many a line up in the registration tent, but I signed my life away and got all of my numbers, race chip, etc. Surprisingly still not nervous at all! We went out for dinner that night to Saltys (yummmm) with the rest of the Legend Coaching Team!
Friday the fam started rolling into town. Didn't do too much on Friday, mostly just running around trying to get all of my last minute stuff for Ironman (chad was sooo patient:).
Saturday I met with the team bright and early in the morning for a quick swim and a walk around transition. This was our last chance to attak Greg with questions. After the swim I went back to the campsite and did a little bike and run. I was good to go! Chad helped me organise all of my gear and we were off the check my bike in! Penticton was buzzing with excitement on Saturday....still was not nervous....yeah me! The rest of saturday we hung out with family and then it was back to the campsite to get the rest of my stuff together and head to bed. Once I fell asleep I was out like a light until morning.
THE BIG DAY!
Luckily Chad set another alarm since mine didn't go off! I would have slept right through Ironman. We were up and ready to go and into Penticton in no time. I had to go through and dump the rest of my gear off, get numbered, put my nutrition on my bike, get into my wetsuit. I lost Chad in here but I was able to spot him and say good bye before the race started. I was finally FULL of butterflys and wondering what exactly I was in for!
The Swim: full of arms and legs....EVERYWHERE! It had its bad moments, the first pile up was like nothing I had ever experienced before. Once I figured out what to do when there were people evrywhere....literally you couldn't move....I was okay for the rest of the swim. I was a few minutes faster than I thought I would be!
The bike: it was good. I trained a lot for the bike so I was ready to hammer out the course. My legs took a little while to warm up. There is no feeling like riding down main street with all of those people everywhere cheering you on, it was unreal!
The run: The first 10 km went awesome. At about 13 km my stomach was upset from the gatorade, never again. Gatorade is the worst sports drink ever! After that I was trying to calm down my stomach for the rest of the race but somehow still take calories in. By the end of the Marathon it was pain, it hurt a lot. My quads hurt with every step...but I made myself keep running. I knew this wasn't going to be easy! I ran most of the marathon, I walked through aid stations and half way up a couple of the big hill on the way back into town!
Across the finish line Richelle and Greg were waiting for me, as well as my family snuck over the the gate so I could get hugs! It was a great day.
What I was not prepared for was the absolute sore legs I now have. There were couple of times I thought they may not hold me up. The worst is after I sit down for while, the are a little slow to get moving! Anyway, Chad is back from showering so it is holiday time! Take care!
Friday, August 22, 2008
In Penticton
We made it here safe and sound on Wednesday. Chad has been updating his blog more than me...so you may want to read what he has to say. He is sitting here with me (very impatiently I might add:), so I will make this quick.
I am feeling really good, so far not too nervous. I am more excited to race....we will see what tomorrow brings. I will update after the race, but you are best to stay tuned to Chads blog.
Ummm, okay I gotta go....I will try and update before Sunday!
I am feeling really good, so far not too nervous. I am more excited to race....we will see what tomorrow brings. I will update after the race, but you are best to stay tuned to Chads blog.
Ummm, okay I gotta go....I will try and update before Sunday!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
HOLLA...
...DAYZ!
That's right folks I am officially on holidays! I am now packed and ready to go. I have been asked many a time in the last couple of days if I am ready to race and I answer...."YES!"
Mostly I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has supported/put up with me in this adventure called Ironman. I am saying my thank yous now because the hard part is done and we made it! I may have gone out there and done the training but it would have been a lot harder without the support of everyone around me! It has been a journey and I just want to say thanks...here's a few special thank yous:
- CHAD!!! You are my number one supporter and there is no way I would have made it here without you! You have put up with the smelly clothes, shoes, and of course smelly me for the last eight months! Not to mention you were there for all of the highs and lows of my training. Also my hollow leg I have developed this year which seems to pack away to food leaving me hungry ALL OF THE TIME! Thanks honey I love ya!
-My family: my parents (who are coming to watch:), grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles (especially Nanette and Marc who are making a trip out to watch the race:), cousins, well you get the idea. Again, thanks for putting up with me ditching out on family events to go swimming, biking, or running! You guys are awesome, and I will be thinking of all of you at some point or another while I am out there!
-My other family.....That's you Tom and darl....you guys have been great coming out and watching races, always letting me eat all of your food when we come back from rides, and just your overall understanding and support! Chad's Aunts/uncles/cousins/siblings have also been great....thanks guys!
- All of my friends and acquaintances who have always asked me how training is going, given me the thumbs up, all of my training buddies who kept pushing me up those hills (hee hee Darryl and Greg)! Lisa, you have always encouraged me in triathlon and I wanted to thank you for all of your help over the last couple of years! You guys are all awesome but there are too many of you to list so I will catch up with you after the race!
- Last but not least my coach Greg....the man who has challenged me and helped me out so much over the last 5 months or so. You are a great coach and I am already planning my race schedule for next year! Look out we have some work to do! With your help I feel confident going into Ironman....and I appreciate you answering my endless questions!
Other than that for those of you who have nothing to do on Sunday (like that ever happens:) you can track me on www.ironmanlive.com; search with my number (1791) or last name. Chad will also be updating his blog (see links), and feel free to call him to check up on me...if you have his number of course :) He's gonna love me for that one!
Anyway, I should go to bed so we can get up for the drive tomorrow. I will try and update once I am out there and let you know how I am feeling before the race. For now I am calm, cool, and collected.....with way too much energy to spare!
That's right folks I am officially on holidays! I am now packed and ready to go. I have been asked many a time in the last couple of days if I am ready to race and I answer...."YES!"
Mostly I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has supported/put up with me in this adventure called Ironman. I am saying my thank yous now because the hard part is done and we made it! I may have gone out there and done the training but it would have been a lot harder without the support of everyone around me! It has been a journey and I just want to say thanks...here's a few special thank yous:
- CHAD!!! You are my number one supporter and there is no way I would have made it here without you! You have put up with the smelly clothes, shoes, and of course smelly me for the last eight months! Not to mention you were there for all of the highs and lows of my training. Also my hollow leg I have developed this year which seems to pack away to food leaving me hungry ALL OF THE TIME! Thanks honey I love ya!
-My family: my parents (who are coming to watch:), grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles (especially Nanette and Marc who are making a trip out to watch the race:), cousins, well you get the idea. Again, thanks for putting up with me ditching out on family events to go swimming, biking, or running! You guys are awesome, and I will be thinking of all of you at some point or another while I am out there!
-My other family.....That's you Tom and darl....you guys have been great coming out and watching races, always letting me eat all of your food when we come back from rides, and just your overall understanding and support! Chad's Aunts/uncles/cousins/siblings have also been great....thanks guys!
- All of my friends and acquaintances who have always asked me how training is going, given me the thumbs up, all of my training buddies who kept pushing me up those hills (hee hee Darryl and Greg)! Lisa, you have always encouraged me in triathlon and I wanted to thank you for all of your help over the last couple of years! You guys are all awesome but there are too many of you to list so I will catch up with you after the race!
- Last but not least my coach Greg....the man who has challenged me and helped me out so much over the last 5 months or so. You are a great coach and I am already planning my race schedule for next year! Look out we have some work to do! With your help I feel confident going into Ironman....and I appreciate you answering my endless questions!
Other than that for those of you who have nothing to do on Sunday (like that ever happens:) you can track me on www.ironmanlive.com; search with my number (1791) or last name. Chad will also be updating his blog (see links), and feel free to call him to check up on me...if you have his number of course :) He's gonna love me for that one!
Anyway, I should go to bed so we can get up for the drive tomorrow. I will try and update once I am out there and let you know how I am feeling before the race. For now I am calm, cool, and collected.....with way too much energy to spare!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Just one more day of work...
Yeah!!! One more day of work! Don't get me wrong I enjoy my job, but I also enjoy holidays and in this case holidays wins hands down :)
With holidays just around the corner Chad and I have been packing. Now you would think that I would be super organised and ready to go with my Type Aish personality.....not so much. Here is a pic of me packing.
Here is a pic of Chad packing
Ummmmm, a little OCD I think soooo. Anywho, our house is a disaster zone of clothes and triathlon stuff. Turns out it is hard to pack when you are still training!
Training has gone well, on my run yesterday I felt really good. I hope my legs feel that good when I get off the bike after 180km...hmmmm....do you think so??? I'm not so sure; I am sure that I will be happy to be in a vertical position!
Swimming yesterday was the same old, nothing new to report there. Today I went for a bike ride and I did the good ole Cochrane road. It was frigging windy, but I managed to make it back in one piece.
I still have some running around to do and I think I am almost ready....ALMOST :) I will update you tomorrow night, we will see if this Ironman thing has sunk into my head.
Bye!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
New Duds
Hey!!!! Here is Chad and I trying on our new Legend Coaching Jerseys!!!
and run clothes
If you have ever watched a triathlon before (which most of you have:) it is hard to spot the person....look for the clothes not the person. And whenever you see anyone in the same jersey be sure to cheer loudly as they are my peeps!
Okay, back to training. Yesterday I went for a 2 hour bike with a t-run and is was hottttt! My legs were not so forgiving for about the first 10 km of the bike and then they started to warm up. The run was not pretty at all, my hamstrings were still sore as were various other areas of my body so I was thankful I only had to run for 20 min!
Today I have to run and swim. Chad wanted to get a bike ride in, but since he is still sleeping I am not too sure when that will happen. I need to do some "special needs bag" errands today for the bike and the run.
Oooooooh and Chad bought sidewalk chalk, it was on sale so that is very exciting!
It was also my Aunt Nanette's birthday yesterday, so Happy day late birthday!
Oh and Lisa I hope you had a great race....I just got your message on my blog this morning, sorry about that. It would have been nice to meet up with you and Geoff.
Okay gotta go, time to stop procrastinating and get something done!
Bye!
It has been a busy few days, which is why it has taken me forever to update my blog. So here we go, on Wednesday I went for my run....which went well as far as I can remember. I did some tempo pace intervals, I think I always go too hard when I do these but it was fun to be giviner.
Wednesday night I went swimming and I was ready to start yelling at people to get the hell out of my lane. The pool was really busy and I had more randoms swimming around than I knew what to do with. I turned into a pool bully and swam over top and really close to anyone who was came near me. Is is soooooo incredibly hard to swim in a round.....arrrrrggggggghhhhhh. Okay I am done my rant.
Thursday I went a got my hair done...it is many nice shades of blond and all cut and thinned out so my head might be able to breathe a little during ironman. If anyone has really thick hair out there you will know what I am talking about.
Thursday was the last group ride and it was definitely bittersweet. I am excited to be done Ironman, but what on earth I am going to do with myself??? Last night I cleaned the entire house, bathroom was scrubbed, floors, dusting, mirrors windexed, plants watered...hmmmmm too much time. Anyway we went and did a few more hills in Tuscany and everyone was chatting it up about when they are heading out to penticton, where they are staying, what there numbers are, etc. Sooooo excited.
Okay. On Friday one of my clients who I get along great with came in. I love chatting with her about Ironman, biking, whatever. She gave me a card wishing me good luck and some americano moucha so we can have dinner on her once we get to the states. I was really touched and it was so very very nice of her, thanks Sue!!!
Friday after work I went for massage, this was a new guy so I was a little nervous. I got there and he asked me a million questions about how I feel when I am swimming, biking, and running. Then he put the through some tests, kinda like when you go to physio and they are trying to figure out what is wrong with you. Well my shoulders are not so happy with me....I learned that quickly. He did a different kind of massage (it was still the painful kind I assure you), he would go along the muscle and find the knots and apply a painful amount of pressure until it subsided. It wasn't the standard deep tissue massage. I am still sore from this little experiment, but my shoulders feel really good! He even worked on my feet and guess what....no more cramps while swimming! Apparently there is a lot going on in my right shoulder that used to be injured, my calfs, back, hamstrings, adductors.....hmmm you get the idea.
I have finally decided what I am wearing on race day. I always new the jersey, but the shorts have been decided so here you go:
Bike clothes
and run clothes
If you have ever watched a triathlon before (which most of you have:) it is hard to spot the person....look for the clothes not the person. And whenever you see anyone in the same jersey be sure to cheer loudly as they are my peeps!
Okay, back to training. Yesterday I went for a 2 hour bike with a t-run and is was hottttt! My legs were not so forgiving for about the first 10 km of the bike and then they started to warm up. The run was not pretty at all, my hamstrings were still sore as were various other areas of my body so I was thankful I only had to run for 20 min!
Today I have to run and swim. Chad wanted to get a bike ride in, but since he is still sleeping I am not too sure when that will happen. I need to do some "special needs bag" errands today for the bike and the run.
Oooooooh and Chad bought sidewalk chalk, it was on sale so that is very exciting!
It was also my Aunt Nanette's birthday yesterday, so Happy day late birthday!
Oh and Lisa I hope you had a great race....I just got your message on my blog this morning, sorry about that. It would have been nice to meet up with you and Geoff.
Okay gotta go, time to stop procrastinating and get something done!
Bye!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
IMC # - 1791
I just saw Darryl's blog and he posted his number.....soooo I went and found mine and I am 1791. Whoot whoot!!! I am really really filled with nervous emotions now, I really do have to do this race. Whoa. All this time I have been okay and not really concerned with this whole Ironman thing....funny that getting my bib number makes it real.
In other news, I have been in need of a massage. It was no biggie because my massage therapist works a few doors down from me. I wandered down there yesterday to make an appointment to find out he no longer works there. Alrighty....that sucks. I tried to get in with the other one, nothing would work. So in a panic I emailed Richelle and she is gonna try and get me in with one of her peeps sometime on Friday. Whew. My hips will not be very happy with me if I don't get worked on before I go!
Hmmmm, what else. I have my race plan printed and ready to be read over and over again in the next week and a half. I asked Greg to have a look over my nutrition plan, so hopefully all will run smoothly.
Wow, still a little excited from the race number thing....
I also found out yesterday that another one of my friends from the gym, Leroy, is going to be in Penticton for Ironman. Chad told me that last night....he wasn't very good at getting the details though. Oh well, I have him working on it. Anyway I was pretty pumped.
Oh yeah I have been training too! On Monday I was having digestive issues and I didn't get any training done. I went home after work and curled up on the couch in the fetal position....and had a nap. That's 3 naps in 3 days...apparently I am a little tired.
Last night I biked and did what I was supposed to do on Monday! I went down elbow drive which is not the smoothest road apparently. I rode in traffic for an hour and didn't get hit by a car, things are looking good!
Today I am going for a run and I have to swim later tonight. Hopefully they have the heat on in the pool this week! I am tired of freezing my butt off.
Chad and I went to Batman on Sunday and I thought it was awesome. I loved it! Chad thought it was good, but I thought it was REALLY good! I have been addicted to the Olympics since they have started as well. I come home everyday and check out whats happening. I like watching all of the different athletes, they work so hard to get to where they're at. My friend who I grew up with is cycling (you can see the link to his blog- Zach Bell) on Saturday. I am super pumped for him and I think he is going to have a wonderful first Olympics. I tell everyone I used to train with him....it's true! He was always a lot faster than me on his bike when we were kids! Who knew???
I'll keep you posted as to how things are going. I think Chad is going to try and update on race day if we can find Internet! Ahhhhhh 11 more days!!!!
Happy Training
Leslie
In other news, I have been in need of a massage. It was no biggie because my massage therapist works a few doors down from me. I wandered down there yesterday to make an appointment to find out he no longer works there. Alrighty....that sucks. I tried to get in with the other one, nothing would work. So in a panic I emailed Richelle and she is gonna try and get me in with one of her peeps sometime on Friday. Whew. My hips will not be very happy with me if I don't get worked on before I go!
Hmmmm, what else. I have my race plan printed and ready to be read over and over again in the next week and a half. I asked Greg to have a look over my nutrition plan, so hopefully all will run smoothly.
Wow, still a little excited from the race number thing....
I also found out yesterday that another one of my friends from the gym, Leroy, is going to be in Penticton for Ironman. Chad told me that last night....he wasn't very good at getting the details though. Oh well, I have him working on it. Anyway I was pretty pumped.
Oh yeah I have been training too! On Monday I was having digestive issues and I didn't get any training done. I went home after work and curled up on the couch in the fetal position....and had a nap. That's 3 naps in 3 days...apparently I am a little tired.
Last night I biked and did what I was supposed to do on Monday! I went down elbow drive which is not the smoothest road apparently. I rode in traffic for an hour and didn't get hit by a car, things are looking good!
Today I am going for a run and I have to swim later tonight. Hopefully they have the heat on in the pool this week! I am tired of freezing my butt off.
Chad and I went to Batman on Sunday and I thought it was awesome. I loved it! Chad thought it was good, but I thought it was REALLY good! I have been addicted to the Olympics since they have started as well. I come home everyday and check out whats happening. I like watching all of the different athletes, they work so hard to get to where they're at. My friend who I grew up with is cycling (you can see the link to his blog- Zach Bell) on Saturday. I am super pumped for him and I think he is going to have a wonderful first Olympics. I tell everyone I used to train with him....it's true! He was always a lot faster than me on his bike when we were kids! Who knew???
I'll keep you posted as to how things are going. I think Chad is going to try and update on race day if we can find Internet! Ahhhhhh 11 more days!!!!
Happy Training
Leslie
Monday, August 11, 2008
Read Chad's Blog First
In order for this post to make sense you will need to read Chad's blog first....the one where he is making fun of me for being grumpy.
It is true, I probably have been a little hard to live with lately. There is a few things that tend to make me grumpy:
1. Lack of sleep or when I am fatigued.
2. When my training doesn't go according to plan.
3. When I am hungry - last week I couldn't seem to be full, even directly after I ate my stomach would be grumbling!
4. When my IBS acts up - my stomach has been ridiculously sensitive lately.
5. When my house is messy.
With all of these things happening at once...YIKES....LOOK OUT :) :) :) I have also been fairly busy at work and working extra. I am so excited to leave and enjoy some time away....9 more days until we leave.
This weekend was okay. I got up on Saturday morning and went into work for a few hours. I was home by noon, not ready to go biking yet I went and read my book on the patio and chilled out for while. I also may have had a nap....ahhhhhhh....it was great! After I was done napping and Chad got up (he was up all night watching the mens road race for the Olympics) we went out to Crossfield to bike to Madden. It was tons of fun. We had a cross wind on the way out, biking into a storm, but we were cruising. On the way back the wind picked up a lot but it was one wicked tail wind on the way back. We flew!!! If I had to guess I would say the wind was around 70 km with gusts up to 80ish! It is 40 km to Madden and back and we did it in 70 min....I wasn't even drafting!
Once we got back into town we decided to ride with the wind a little more and head east of Crossfield. There is this ridiculously steep coulee out there and Chad wanted to ride it. Not one to say no to a challenge I was in. We rode for a little ways and we stopped to talk about turning around...turning back into the wind was not fun! I was in a hard gear and I couldn't even get my foot in my pedal. I had to go with the wind, clip in, gear down, and then turn around. We went from riding at 50km/hr to 15 km/hr. Ouch. We made it up the crappy hill and Chad wanted to do it again...so down we went again. The wind had died down a little more this time around but we made it back into Crossfield, rode around for a bit to cool down. I took Nathan and Tara's dog Jasper (Chad's brother and his girlfriend) out on my transition run with me. While she made it interesting I felt good and we went for 20 min. Of course by this time there was no wind. I think it stopped while I was in the house changing.....it always seems to work that way.
On Sunday I slept in, which was glorious. Once I got up I went for an 80 min run. I was surprised that I felt good....weird...hmmm. When I got home Chad and I went to buy a new camera! Yeah! I love pictures as does Chad so this was a good investment for us. Later that afternoon we went home and I had another nap. My stomach was really acting up so I curled up on the couch and slept. I really hate having to deal with the pain and discomfort that I get sometimes. I know it could be worse, but it still sucks. It was acting up a little all week and ever since Saturday afternoon it has been getting worse. I hope that I can get this out of my system before Ironman.
I am ready to be done the race now and go on holidays, hopefully this week goes by fast. Oooooooh and I have a haircut on Thursday which I am very excited for. Anyway, I am going to have a cup of peppermint tea now to try and sooth my stomach and intestines which seem to be very angry with me.
Happy Training everyone!
It is true, I probably have been a little hard to live with lately. There is a few things that tend to make me grumpy:
1. Lack of sleep or when I am fatigued.
2. When my training doesn't go according to plan.
3. When I am hungry - last week I couldn't seem to be full, even directly after I ate my stomach would be grumbling!
4. When my IBS acts up - my stomach has been ridiculously sensitive lately.
5. When my house is messy.
With all of these things happening at once...YIKES....LOOK OUT :) :) :) I have also been fairly busy at work and working extra. I am so excited to leave and enjoy some time away....9 more days until we leave.
This weekend was okay. I got up on Saturday morning and went into work for a few hours. I was home by noon, not ready to go biking yet I went and read my book on the patio and chilled out for while. I also may have had a nap....ahhhhhhh....it was great! After I was done napping and Chad got up (he was up all night watching the mens road race for the Olympics) we went out to Crossfield to bike to Madden. It was tons of fun. We had a cross wind on the way out, biking into a storm, but we were cruising. On the way back the wind picked up a lot but it was one wicked tail wind on the way back. We flew!!! If I had to guess I would say the wind was around 70 km with gusts up to 80ish! It is 40 km to Madden and back and we did it in 70 min....I wasn't even drafting!
Once we got back into town we decided to ride with the wind a little more and head east of Crossfield. There is this ridiculously steep coulee out there and Chad wanted to ride it. Not one to say no to a challenge I was in. We rode for a little ways and we stopped to talk about turning around...turning back into the wind was not fun! I was in a hard gear and I couldn't even get my foot in my pedal. I had to go with the wind, clip in, gear down, and then turn around. We went from riding at 50km/hr to 15 km/hr. Ouch. We made it up the crappy hill and Chad wanted to do it again...so down we went again. The wind had died down a little more this time around but we made it back into Crossfield, rode around for a bit to cool down. I took Nathan and Tara's dog Jasper (Chad's brother and his girlfriend) out on my transition run with me. While she made it interesting I felt good and we went for 20 min. Of course by this time there was no wind. I think it stopped while I was in the house changing.....it always seems to work that way.
On Sunday I slept in, which was glorious. Once I got up I went for an 80 min run. I was surprised that I felt good....weird...hmmm. When I got home Chad and I went to buy a new camera! Yeah! I love pictures as does Chad so this was a good investment for us. Later that afternoon we went home and I had another nap. My stomach was really acting up so I curled up on the couch and slept. I really hate having to deal with the pain and discomfort that I get sometimes. I know it could be worse, but it still sucks. It was acting up a little all week and ever since Saturday afternoon it has been getting worse. I hope that I can get this out of my system before Ironman.
I am ready to be done the race now and go on holidays, hopefully this week goes by fast. Oooooooh and I have a haircut on Thursday which I am very excited for. Anyway, I am going to have a cup of peppermint tea now to try and sooth my stomach and intestines which seem to be very angry with me.
Happy Training everyone!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Hills hills and more hills
Last night we headed out for the group ride and it was a hot one...a little windy though! Once we warmed up we went out to some hill in Tuscany. On the way there we went through this construction zone and I was right behind Darryl. His water bottle launched out of it holder and almost hit me! I was yelling at him but the road was really rough and I had 4 more people behind me.....so I wasn't going to stop! Little did I know that my water bottle popped out at the same time!
We made it through all of the twists and turns, following Greg out to the hill. Once we got there we did 5-6 sets of 2 hills, one easy, one hard. It was a good workout, about half way through is when I realised I had lost my water bottle so I had to ration the rest! Somewhere in the middle of a hard set Greg was in front of me and Darryl was behind me both encouraging me to push a little harder, as Julie would say I was full on porn star breathing by the time I got to the top! Ouch!
After we made it back to the church I decided to go and look for my water bottle. This was a special order from the states water bottle and I couldn't disappoint Lance and leave it out on the middle of the road. I found mine and Darryl's easily enough....ran out in the middle of traffic and retrieved them:) People were looking at me like I was a crazy person!
Today I am going swimming and I am going to work on my race plan and nutrition plan for the big day! I have some training on the weekend....maybe I will convince Chad to join me in the transition run!
Happy Training!
We made it through all of the twists and turns, following Greg out to the hill. Once we got there we did 5-6 sets of 2 hills, one easy, one hard. It was a good workout, about half way through is when I realised I had lost my water bottle so I had to ration the rest! Somewhere in the middle of a hard set Greg was in front of me and Darryl was behind me both encouraging me to push a little harder, as Julie would say I was full on porn star breathing by the time I got to the top! Ouch!
After we made it back to the church I decided to go and look for my water bottle. This was a special order from the states water bottle and I couldn't disappoint Lance and leave it out on the middle of the road. I found mine and Darryl's easily enough....ran out in the middle of traffic and retrieved them:) People were looking at me like I was a crazy person!
Today I am going swimming and I am going to work on my race plan and nutrition plan for the big day! I have some training on the weekend....maybe I will convince Chad to join me in the transition run!
Happy Training!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Tuned up and ready to go!
The countdown to IMC continues, 17 more days! Holly crap! I took my bike in on Tuesday and now I am ready to roll. The guy told me although my bike was a little small and when he tested it out (all the while his knees were hitting his elbows) it felt fast!! He said that Lucy is ready to go....now it is all up to me!
It has been an interesting week, one with a lot of reflection. With Grant passing away, Jenna's father being in a car accident, one of my clients friends passed away from an elective surgery leaving behind 2 babies. My heart goes out to these families and I wish them all the best during this tough time.
For those of you who don't know, my mom and step father passed away 2 years ago in July (5 days before my first half ironman I might add...that was the toughest race I will ever do I am sure). Needless to say July is a tough month for me and I am happy it is done. While with Ironman training it kept me very busy there are always those rough spots. I guess with all that has gone on in the last 10 days it hits home a little hard, maybe because I can empathise with the families a little more now. I know my mom and Blair will there with me on race day pushing me through those damn rollers :)
Yesterday I went for a run at around lunchtime. My legs were ok, still a little tired but that is to be expected right now I think! Last night it was off to the pool and the water temp was a tad colder than normal. After my warm up I stopped and chatted with Darryl for a bit, who was shivering it was so cold! We decided moving is the only thing that will keep us warm so the workout went on. I wasn't particularly into the whole swimming thing last night. About 1/2 way through my last set of 50's my arms were not cooperating so I put on some fins and zoom zoomed my way through the rest of my workout. My favorite part was sitting in the hot tube after chatting up a storm. Do all triathletes LOVE to talk about triathlon as much as I do! I find it motivating chit chatting with other athletes!
I stopped by the Tech Shop today to visit my friend Richelle....who is also coming out to Ironman and who is going to "catch" me when I finish. I told her I will do my best not to throw up or pass out on her! THANK YOU RICHELLE, you rock!
Tonight we are going to do some hills....but not the Cochrane hill. Who knows what Greg has in store for us but I am going to miss that monster of a hill....we are on for a rematch next summer!
Happy training all!
Leslie
It has been an interesting week, one with a lot of reflection. With Grant passing away, Jenna's father being in a car accident, one of my clients friends passed away from an elective surgery leaving behind 2 babies. My heart goes out to these families and I wish them all the best during this tough time.
For those of you who don't know, my mom and step father passed away 2 years ago in July (5 days before my first half ironman I might add...that was the toughest race I will ever do I am sure). Needless to say July is a tough month for me and I am happy it is done. While with Ironman training it kept me very busy there are always those rough spots. I guess with all that has gone on in the last 10 days it hits home a little hard, maybe because I can empathise with the families a little more now. I know my mom and Blair will there with me on race day pushing me through those damn rollers :)
Yesterday I went for a run at around lunchtime. My legs were ok, still a little tired but that is to be expected right now I think! Last night it was off to the pool and the water temp was a tad colder than normal. After my warm up I stopped and chatted with Darryl for a bit, who was shivering it was so cold! We decided moving is the only thing that will keep us warm so the workout went on. I wasn't particularly into the whole swimming thing last night. About 1/2 way through my last set of 50's my arms were not cooperating so I put on some fins and zoom zoomed my way through the rest of my workout. My favorite part was sitting in the hot tube after chatting up a storm. Do all triathletes LOVE to talk about triathlon as much as I do! I find it motivating chit chatting with other athletes!
I stopped by the Tech Shop today to visit my friend Richelle....who is also coming out to Ironman and who is going to "catch" me when I finish. I told her I will do my best not to throw up or pass out on her! THANK YOU RICHELLE, you rock!
Tonight we are going to do some hills....but not the Cochrane hill. Who knows what Greg has in store for us but I am going to miss that monster of a hill....we are on for a rematch next summer!
Happy training all!
Leslie
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
My Legs finally said "enough!"
Hey Bloggers!
On Saturday after I returned home from work I lazed around for a bit. Working on the weekend is not fun! After being lazy for awhile I finally got all of my biking junk together and headed out for a long ride. Chad was going to the Riders game so he couldn't come with me....how convenient for him, I think he was just dogging a long ride:)
I went down to Cowboy trail again, I love this ride. It has a few challenging climbs, some rollers, some flat sections, wide shoulders, and its not overly busy. I ended up going for 5 hours...132 km...and I felt AWESOME!!! I was surprised after the hill repeats on Thursday. I was on my own today so I put in the tunes and rocked out on the bike. Since I left so late I wasn't finished my bike until almost 8:00pm. I skipped the run, I felt a little uncomfortable running that late in the middle of no where by myself!
That night we met up with my family who came down for a quick visit. We sat around and chatted for awhile. I sat there and ate pretty much until I went to bed that night. I have been a bottomless pit lately!
Sunday I got up at around 10:00am. The plan was to get my run in early so I wouldn't have to worry about it later. I did the "I'm not going, I am going, I'm not going" thing for about 10 min and finally sucked it up and went for my run. The beginning was a little rough, more because I am not a morning person and even less of a doing exercise in the morning person. After about 30-40 min I started feeling good. By the time I finished I felt like I could run forever; I was surprised...I have been waiting for my legs to start saying "no more."
For the rest of the day we met up with my family again at the zoo. It was crazy busy. I have never been to the zoo when it was this busy, you could hardly move anywhere. I took sitting breaks whenever I could, my legs weren't too fond of walking around and standing! Later that night we went out for dinner, I had a yummy salad from Joey Tomatoes...really it was sooo good.
Well the day came on Monday when my legs finally said "no more." Chad and I headed out for an evening ride; he has never ridden Cowboy trail so we went and did that ride again. I was feeling good before we went, didn't really feel like riding but I was just being lazy! As soon as we started out my legs were having none of it. The entire way out to Black Diamond I sucked, even on the flats I just couldn't make my legs do what I wanted them to. I thought maybe it was my nutrition so I was eating away, not really interested in drinking water (which is not normal for me). Nothing seemed to help, I couldn't seem to get warmed up, I have never felt this way EVER! Poor Chad had to keep waiting for me because I was sooooo slow! I resorted to getting a chocolate bar to see if the simple sugars were what I needed. I had done this once before when I felt crappy and it worked. We started the way back and it wasn't until the last 20km of the bike that I started feeling a little better, gotta love sugar! I was able to keep up to Chad and I made it up the last of the rollers...very happy to be done! Whew! I went out for a transition run and I felt GREAT! Interesting that I sucked ass on the bike and felt great on the 20 min run afterwards....weird.
Today I am loving not training! I have cooking to do, groceries to get, laundry, all of the regular life things that I never have time for. It is time for tappering, I have been tired lately so for now I am excited about the taper. We'll see how bored I get in the weeks to come!
On Saturday after I returned home from work I lazed around for a bit. Working on the weekend is not fun! After being lazy for awhile I finally got all of my biking junk together and headed out for a long ride. Chad was going to the Riders game so he couldn't come with me....how convenient for him, I think he was just dogging a long ride:)
I went down to Cowboy trail again, I love this ride. It has a few challenging climbs, some rollers, some flat sections, wide shoulders, and its not overly busy. I ended up going for 5 hours...132 km...and I felt AWESOME!!! I was surprised after the hill repeats on Thursday. I was on my own today so I put in the tunes and rocked out on the bike. Since I left so late I wasn't finished my bike until almost 8:00pm. I skipped the run, I felt a little uncomfortable running that late in the middle of no where by myself!
That night we met up with my family who came down for a quick visit. We sat around and chatted for awhile. I sat there and ate pretty much until I went to bed that night. I have been a bottomless pit lately!
Sunday I got up at around 10:00am. The plan was to get my run in early so I wouldn't have to worry about it later. I did the "I'm not going, I am going, I'm not going" thing for about 10 min and finally sucked it up and went for my run. The beginning was a little rough, more because I am not a morning person and even less of a doing exercise in the morning person. After about 30-40 min I started feeling good. By the time I finished I felt like I could run forever; I was surprised...I have been waiting for my legs to start saying "no more."
For the rest of the day we met up with my family again at the zoo. It was crazy busy. I have never been to the zoo when it was this busy, you could hardly move anywhere. I took sitting breaks whenever I could, my legs weren't too fond of walking around and standing! Later that night we went out for dinner, I had a yummy salad from Joey Tomatoes...really it was sooo good.
Well the day came on Monday when my legs finally said "no more." Chad and I headed out for an evening ride; he has never ridden Cowboy trail so we went and did that ride again. I was feeling good before we went, didn't really feel like riding but I was just being lazy! As soon as we started out my legs were having none of it. The entire way out to Black Diamond I sucked, even on the flats I just couldn't make my legs do what I wanted them to. I thought maybe it was my nutrition so I was eating away, not really interested in drinking water (which is not normal for me). Nothing seemed to help, I couldn't seem to get warmed up, I have never felt this way EVER! Poor Chad had to keep waiting for me because I was sooooo slow! I resorted to getting a chocolate bar to see if the simple sugars were what I needed. I had done this once before when I felt crappy and it worked. We started the way back and it wasn't until the last 20km of the bike that I started feeling a little better, gotta love sugar! I was able to keep up to Chad and I made it up the last of the rollers...very happy to be done! Whew! I went out for a transition run and I felt GREAT! Interesting that I sucked ass on the bike and felt great on the 20 min run afterwards....weird.
Today I am loving not training! I have cooking to do, groceries to get, laundry, all of the regular life things that I never have time for. It is time for tappering, I have been tired lately so for now I am excited about the taper. We'll see how bored I get in the weeks to come!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Saturday morning
Hey,
Well it is Saturday morning and I am at work....Boooo. Just kidding, its not that bad. Our receptionist (who is also my friend Janelle) is on holidays so I am covering for her today and next Saturday.
On Thursday there was only a few of us who went out to do the hill repeats in Cochrane. It was a beautiful night; no wind, very little traffic, and we did it 4 times! Well Darryl and Greg did it 5 times! I was biking with Iona and she for sure wanted to do 3, but wasn't too sure about the 4th. With a little push I got her back down the hill for another one. We gathered at the top and did a nice cool down back into the city. There was NO WIND on the way back into the city which is pretty much unheard of in Calgary.
Yesterday I went for a short run, only about 40 min. It took me awhile to warm up and my legs were feeling the effects of the previous nights biking. I was able to keep my heart rate in the high 120's for most of it which is great. Not even 4 months ago my heart rate would be an average 10 beats higher at the same pace!
At work on Wednesday I had the Ironman course maps out and I was working on my nutrition plan for the bike/run. My boss is very supportive of me taking time off for races, camps, etc. I don't think he really understood what Ironman was until he saw the maps and now he is full of questions about it! It is kinda funny, now I have another person who thinks I am a little nutty for doing this.
I have a busy weekend of errands, biking, running, hopefully no swimming, family visiting ahead of me. I will take some pics and update you after it is all over with.
Happy Training Everyone!
Leslie
Well it is Saturday morning and I am at work....Boooo. Just kidding, its not that bad. Our receptionist (who is also my friend Janelle) is on holidays so I am covering for her today and next Saturday.
On Thursday there was only a few of us who went out to do the hill repeats in Cochrane. It was a beautiful night; no wind, very little traffic, and we did it 4 times! Well Darryl and Greg did it 5 times! I was biking with Iona and she for sure wanted to do 3, but wasn't too sure about the 4th. With a little push I got her back down the hill for another one. We gathered at the top and did a nice cool down back into the city. There was NO WIND on the way back into the city which is pretty much unheard of in Calgary.
Yesterday I went for a short run, only about 40 min. It took me awhile to warm up and my legs were feeling the effects of the previous nights biking. I was able to keep my heart rate in the high 120's for most of it which is great. Not even 4 months ago my heart rate would be an average 10 beats higher at the same pace!
At work on Wednesday I had the Ironman course maps out and I was working on my nutrition plan for the bike/run. My boss is very supportive of me taking time off for races, camps, etc. I don't think he really understood what Ironman was until he saw the maps and now he is full of questions about it! It is kinda funny, now I have another person who thinks I am a little nutty for doing this.
I have a busy weekend of errands, biking, running, hopefully no swimming, family visiting ahead of me. I will take some pics and update you after it is all over with.
Happy Training Everyone!
Leslie
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