I figured it was about time...

Hello my friends,

I figured I should update my blog...especially when Chad's family is bugging me about never updating!

There are some stuff that is new. I got a part time job at Atmosphere and have been doing a crazy amount of training for that. I may be assisting agility classes as well on the weekends for the next couple of months...that means free classes for me and Rexy!

I also keep getting sick. Not a long drawn out cold or anything. I will get a sore throat and get knocked on my ass for 2-3 days and then I am as right as rain! Needless to say there have been a couple of missed training sessions due to that.

• Other than the occasional sickness all is well on the training front. I started coaching with Greg again (and I worked really hard in Jan so I wouldn't get my butt kicked!). I am swimming regularly, starting to feel like I remember how to do it :) Maybe a little bit anyway. Running has been going really well and biking has been pretty good too. I have not succumbed to the treadmill lately, I have been layering up and heading out the door. One of my friends (Julia) wants to do the Calgary 70.3 this year, so she has been joining me for my long runs lately. I have to admit I like having someone to talk to besides Rexy!

I am still working with Rexy on her agility training...gotta be in tip top shape for superdogs! I am nervous to train too much on my own because I am not completely confident I know what I am doing! The basics are okay, but now that we are sequencing I can't keep track of what I am doing!

That's about it! I want to get up early tomorrow morning to go swimming, but I doubt that will happen...so I will probably end up at the pool at 12

What's Cooking?

Hello!

So I did some cooking and baking on Sunday and I made 2 of my favorite recipes and 1 new one. I will start with the burgers first. These are delicious, they are made with spinach, tomatoes, dill, green onion, pepper, and ground turkey - yummy!

I also made banana oatmeal muffins (I add cranberries and blueberries in mine). This is a recipe I got from a friends mom and they are the easiest muffins to make and they are the yummiest muffins - Chad even eats these ones and he is super picky!

My girlfriend gave me a quinoa cookbook for Christmas and everything I have made from it so far is delicious! This week I tried a bean salad, and it is really good and also really easy to make. For all of you non-cookers out there, it took me less than 2 hours from start to finish to make all of these things...dishes and kitchen cleaning included.

Training has been going well this week - biking and running a lot. So happy it has gotten warmer out. I went out for an 80 min run on Sunday when it was still like -30. I had so many clothes on I was kind of uncomfortable the entire time! It wasn't really bad, but the last 20 min I had a head wind, so that sucked and I was pretty cold when I got back to the car.

On Monday night I was out running with Rexy and I saw a great horned owl. It was dark out so I couldn't see it too clearly, but he was perched up in a tree - and it looked like he was hunting. That is one of the things I like about being out training all of the times. I have seen some pretty cool things and have come across all kinds of wildlife - awesome.

Last night I did a quick bike - only 70 min, but I did the TV workout. I was watching The Biggest Loser, so during the show I did an easy gear - 90ish cadence and then when the commercials come on I would go into a hard gear and make my legs hurt. It is a good, simple workout when you are not motivated!

Today I went running on the trails by my house and discovered a new trail system closer to the river and it was awesome. There are a lot of trails in there and I love exploring them - so does Rexy.

I have not ventured to the pool yet this week - hopefully on the weekend I will get into the chlorine infested waters :)

Happy Training everyone!

My Training Partner is Injured....

Hello,


So I woke up on Jan 2nd at 4:30ish in the morning to Rexy bleeding everywhere! Ahhhhh! There is a little bit of a story here...

A couple of months ago Chad and I noticed this little tumor thing on her ear. We waited for awhile to see what it would do and when it started getting bigger I took her into see Dr.Sean. It turns out it is a benign tumor that will go away on its own in about 3 months. Whew! He did mention that her lymph nodes were going to swell as her body fought off the tumor.

When we were in Edmonton over New Years it got bigger and bigger and it was the size of a tennis ball. I was going to call the vet on Monday and ask what this thing was and if I needed to bring her back in, but Rexy had other plans. SO I woke up to the giant tennis ball thing on her neck bleeding. We tried to stop it for about an hour, but we ended up taking her to the CARE centre. Turns out it wasn't a lymph node, (they think) it was an infected salivary gland and they grow and eventually burst. They still were not 100%, so after 4 hours we were sent home with an expensive vet bill, not REALLY knowing what was wrong, painkillers, antibiotics, and a cone.

She is feeling much better now but I sure missed my training partner for a week and a half while she recovered. I did not realize how handy it is to have her to run with over the winter months while it is dark outside all of the time! We have run a couple of times now and the giant lump is pretty much gone.

Last week I was worried and did not sleep much, which affected my training for a day or two. That and a friends birthday on Saturday night, there was wine and there was a very hungover triathlete who did not brave the cold and go running on Sunday! I am going to do my best to lay low and get focused on training over the next few weeks - I need to get swimming in the mix and I will be ready to start coaching again with Greg :)

I did spend some time in the saddle this week as well. I tried to do a workout from last year over the holidays and almost died. It was so hard - I have work to do! I also did a brick workout, this run was on the tready (man I hate that thing). Good times.

I went running on Monday. It was about -19 out and a wind chill, so somewhere around -25ish I think. I layered up and headed out (as did Rexy her her plaid sweater:) It wasn't too bad, I was warm the entire time and didn't find the wind bad at all. So I did it again today. Today was waaaaay colder. I have not been that cold running outside in the winter in a very long time. When I got home I noticed that my lips were even blue! It wasn't that much colder tonight (so they say) -20 before windchill, but it was frickin cold and frickin windy. Blah. It is going to take some serious motivation to head out there again until it warms up a little.

Well until next time - Happy Training

Happy Holidays

Hi Friends!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and are making their tri goals for the 2011 season!

Okay, so somehow at the last spin class Dan and I agreed to meet up and go swimming. It is a good thing he texted me to make plans to go otherwise I don't think I would have been in the water yet! I swam a whopping 1000m in about 45 min - there were a lot of breaks and a lot of chit chat happening :) It may seem like a puny workout but to this chick who has not swam since IM cozumel last November it was an eye opener about how you lose fitness. The kicker of this is that I was sore for 3-4 days after: lats, triceps, rotator cuff - OUCH! All that from a tiny 1000m swim!

I have done some snow shoeing over the holidays. We were out in Crossfield for Christmas and there is always more snow even though it is only 40 min from the city. So I brought my snowshoes and hunted down the snowdrifts for a few days while I was out there. Other than that the biking and running have been much the same - base work - aerobic zone 2 - "easy" stuff!

It has been nice running lately, with the weather warming up. Today was a little chilly though, it was -16 and with the wind chill it was -25! So it was a little nippy but Rexy and I geared up and out we went.

Other than that I have been hiding away watching Grey's Anatomy. Chad got me season 6 for Christmas and all I have been doing is watching TV! At least last night I biked while I watched it! Oh well, thats what Christmas holidays are for right?

All the best in 2011 everyone!

Off to Banff

Hey guys,

Tonight we are off to the Banff Spring Hotel for the weekend. The organization I work for is holding our Christmas party out in Banff so it should be a good time.

There has been a few new things lately. First off I have been carting around a pair of cross country ski's for years (much to Chad's dismay!). I finally decided to give them a go a couple of weeks ago. It's like riding a bike - you never forget! At least thats what I thought! It was a rocky start but once I got going it seemed to be okay - I have no idea of technique what so ever, so I am sure I looked rediculous. I had fun and it is always nice to have activities that are challenging and break up the swimbikerun routine! My hip flexors were quite sore for 4-5 days after.

I have not started swimming again but biking and running are holding up well. With the Christmas season here the last couple of weeks have been a bit dodgey with biking but thats the way it goes sometimes. Hopefully next week I can get back into routine again.

I am still trying to figure out the race schedule for next year. So far I am considering the Boise 70.3 and the Calgary 70.3 - that is as far as I have gotten!

Anyway, I should get back to work. Have a great week!

Leslie

Chad told me my blog is boring

Hey friends!

So Chad has told me a couple of times in the last month that my blog is really boring, so I figured it was about time to give an update. Not that much is new and exciting though.

I have been biking since we got back from holidays in September - oh how missed Lucy! Bike class started few weeks (?) ago and so far so good :) We are getting back into the ass kickings that I remember, so that is awesome.

Running has been a couple of times a week, mostly just trying to stay consistent. That is until Tuesday hit and I got a stomach flu and I was out of commission for a few days. Apparently when I get sick it is go big or go home. I went for a run today and I am feeling much better. Hopefully there will be some biking in store for myself tomorrow.

Rexy has also kept me busy, but really when doesn't she? She has been invited for another superdogs show. They do them for charity throughout the winter so we have one on Dec 4 that we are working towards. We have also finished level 2 agility now and have moved onto level 3.

Most importantly is is Christmas time which I love. I found a website that tells all of the Christmas fairs in the city and there is one every weekend up until Christmas. Yay!

My two new goals of late are to talk to my family more (I hate talking on the phone and they get made at me that I never call them) and blog more - oh and find a part time job. SO I guess I have three, anyone know someone who is hiring??

Anywho, take care and happy training!

Leslie

Oh yeah and Chad is heading Vegas in a week - lucky duck!

Finally

Hey,

So Chad told me my blog was boring so I figured I should give everyone an update! Based on the comments from the last post I feel as though I should clarify, NO I AM NOT PREGNANT!!!! HAHA HA! I was just feeling the taper blues.

Well the marathon was terrible. I have been having trouble with my asthma all summer - not too sure why but when I caught a cold 5 days before my marathon I knew that this could be bad.

Race morning I was feeling pretty good. I went for a quick 10 min run the day before the race and my legs felt good. They bussed us out to the race start and so I was out there for like an hour before the race started. Turns out it is cold in Montana in the fall and I froze! It was so cold that my inhaler also froze and I couldn't get anything out of it.

We had to walk part way up this giant hill to start, I guess I shouldn't complain we could have started from the bottom:) The gun went off and everyone took off like it was a 10km race we were running - did I mention the first 2 miles were up a giant hill! These marathoners are crazy.

Anyway the first 16miles were on trails and it was beautiful and I was having some fun. The hills were pretty extreme and my legs were beginning to feel the effects of running down the steep hills by around mile 14. My lungs were hurtin' like crazy and I just kept taking my inhaler and it would get better for 2-3 miles and then I would need to take it again.

By the time I got to the pavement the first mile was good and then the wheels fell off. My inhaler wasn't helping me at all anymore and I couldn't breathe, not to mention the pain train picked me up for a ride! So I walked and ran my way to the finish line and it took forever! This part of the race was along the highway and boring. This was the longest 10 miles I have ever run!

I did finish but I do not know what my time was nor have I checked - it was loooong though! I learned a few things about training for a marathon and if I can ever convince myself to do this again I know what I would do differently. It is now back to triathlon for this chick - thank goodness!

I have started biking again and I am loving it! I can't believe how much I missed biking and I almost kinda miss swimming a little bit :) I am trying to get my legs a little tuned in for the ass kicking I am going to get when I go back to bike class next week! I am so excited! I have been running since we got home from holidays as well - going back to building aerobic base. Swimming is soon to be thrown in the mix.

I will post some pics from San Fran and update about that in the next few days!!

Until then happy training everyone!

Guess what time it is...

Hello all,

I challenge you all to take the following clues and to guess what is happening:

- I am tired all of the time
- I am hungry ALL OF THE TIME!
- I am grouchy
- I have had a couple of those days where I just don't want to run anymore
- My body is achy - more particularly my lower body

That's right it is taper time!!!

So here is what has been going through my head lately. I have no idea if I am ready for this race. I feel as though I have not trained enough, but lets be honest I am doing 1/3 of the training that I usually do. I would have to be running miles upon miles upon miles everyday to feel the same way going into an Ironman.

I was pretty excited to get the terrible taper feelings because that means my body is recovering and I must have done some training to feel this way. Also going to Saskatoon did not help my training at all - 1 week no running other than trying my damndest to keep up to Rexy on the course...maybe I can count that as training!

So here is what I don't know - I have no idea if I am ready, I have no idea if I have trained enough, and I have no idea how this is going to go. Here is what I do know - I am going to go and run my first marathon and see what happens, I have done this before when biking and swimming first (how bad can it be?), I will embrace the race and have some fun out there!

All you marathoners and ultra marathoners out there - any advice for the big day?