Rainy Runs

Embracing Winter

2011-02-28T06:40:00.000-08:00

My weather preference would be warm blue sunny skied days, day after day. But, well, I live in Vancouver, and while the weather here is in my opinion better than pretty much anywhere else in Canada, we still do have winter, and wintry days. It is a La Nina year, and my expectations were that we’d have a lot of snow on the ground close to sea level this year, similar to the winter of a few years ago. I decided in the fall that I would embrace winter. While I do enjoy skiing, it is not my thing as much as it is Graeme’s, but I knew between that and some other snowy weather activities, I would enjoy the winter more.

Luckily the expected winter snow hasn’t really materialized, but this past week we did have real snow. Between that and the cold and the rain, I have had enough of weekday trainer riding to want to do that on the weekend too. With a snowy weekend on tap, we decided to make the most of it.

Saturday morning we were driving up to Squamish by 7:30am. We stopped in Britannia Beach as we always do, for coffee at Galileo Roasting House. I wish this coffee shop was closer to home. I love it.

By 9:00 we were starting our skin into Red Heather Hut at Elfin Lakes. It snowed lightly the entire skin in, which was 1:20 continuous. My legs were ok, but I am having some blistering issues with my feet. I thought between my new ski socks and body glide I would be ok, but it didn’t seem to help much. Unfortunately this meant not much actual skiing. We skinned up from Red Heather Hut and skied down, but my feet just didn’t have more skinning in them.

We were driving back down to Squamish and in the Howe Sound Brew Pub for lunch by 12:30. We had our first try of Total Eclipse of the Hop, which is their great new IPA. We bought a couple bottles to go along with the new red ale.

Sunday I had a longer trainer ride planned, but I was having a hard time getting up for it. With the dump of fresh snow, we instead decided to head up to Cypress to play. With my feet still not happy from Saturday I went the snowshoe route while Graeme went on skis again. It was puking snow and I have never seen such fluffy snow at Cypress. We headed up to Hollyburn and back, a good 1:15 of hard working snowshoeing. This meant only an hour was necessary on the trainer which was a lot better than the alternative!

My snowy weekend was also highlighted by snowy runs on both Saturday and Sunday. Footing was fine, but some drivers really need to either properly equip their cars for winter driving or leave their cars at home. I had one close call with an out of control driver who ended up running a stop sign and veering into the oncoming traffic lane while laying on her horn at me, all because she was going too fast down a slight hill. I think she thought she was closer to hitting me than she actually was, but still!

Of course, it's Monday and the snow is quickly melting away.

Mt Cain

2011-02-20T18:23:00.000-08:00

The Mt Cain adventure was last weekend but this weekend was very busily trying to finish up my assignments for my realtors license (a work requirement) and then being sick, and unmotivated and thefore I didn't get around to writing about it.

Last Friday we took a half day and headed up to Mt Cain which is a non-profit ski hill north of Campbell River on Vancouver Island. I have been north of Campbell River (on the island) once, back in gr. 8 and that wasn't this far north. Once we got to Campbell River the winter weather started. The previously pouring rain (some of the heaviest I have seen) turned to snow and back to rain and back to snow. All the way to Mt Cain. High beams were a no go and the drive was slow going. When we finally got to the base of the mountain, and drove up the dirt road (snow covered) I was finally able to relax.

The hill itself is very funny. There are maybe 20 cabins, plus a lodge and hostel. There are 2 t-bars and no other lifts, and its all volunteer run. Everyone knows each other. The ratio of ski patrollers to actual mountain patrons was unlike anything I have seen before.

The heavy snow/rain continued through Saturday and it made for cement like "powder" skiing. I'd say the guys (there were 7 of us) enjoyed this day more than the girls - they are also better skiers/boarders than us. I did something to my knee and between that and being soaked through, it was a half day on the hill for me.

Sunday it had cooled down, and was maybe -2, but it made a huge difference in the snow. I would say this is the first day I have ever really "got" powder skiing. All day long there was fresh tracks available. I haven't skied as much this year as I had last year by this time (mostly due to my back) and my legs were really feeling it. Between that and the t-bar I was done by 1:30. We had to get going anyway and were on our way down the hill by 2:30. Instead of over 4.5 hours which it took us to get to the hill from Nanaimo, it took us 3 hours to get back. Light and a lack of snowstorm make a huge difference!

The t-bar

Riding the t-bar

The funny cabin

Digging the car out

The road out

New purchase

2011-02-01T06:27:00.000-08:00

I bought a bike. But this is not one of those I BOUGHT A NEW BIKE! posts. I think I did that last year anyway, but then I didn't actually get the bike due to issues with Argon 18.

This time I actually have that bike, but it's still not an I BOUGHT A NEW BIKE! post.

It's not that I'm not excited. I am. But, I also have I'mnotworthy feelings. It feels weird to say it so publicly, but its true. The bike is much more fancy then I am, and I'm going to have to work really hard to live up to it. I guess that is motivation?

I know there are a lot of way more accomplished triathletes who don't have as nice as bike, and I guess that is part of what makes me feel not worthy, but Graeme keeps telling me I'm wrong and I need to listen to him. And work hard to feel worthy I guess. Thank you once again to Speedtheory in Vancouver. If you are anywhere in the vicinity, this is where you should be going for all your tri-related needs. They always do such a great job and are great guys.

It hasn't been ridden outside yet, but it has made it's debut on the trainer. I think a new saddle is going to be in order too! And possibly a name or at least a gender but I haven't figured that out yet either. I need to get to know it more first!

Another winter sport!

2011-01-20T06:37:00.000-08:00

Graeme and I have been talking about learning to cross country ski for some time now. A few people had told us about the Learn to Skate Ski package at Cypress Mountain, which is 5 progressive lessons, over 5 weeks and they sounded really good. Luckily for us, Cypress is close to home and easily accessible on a weeknight.

So, for the last 3 Tuesday nights, we have spent a few hours at Cypress learning how to skate ski. Graeme of course is a natural, and while I am moving in the right direction, it is taking a little bit longer for me to pick it up!

The snow conditions have been really different all three lessons so far, with the loose snow of this Tuesday proving to be the hardest. While I have spent more time falling on my ass the last three weeks, then in years on skis, I think I have laughed with every fall. A few times out of frustration maybe, but I am having a blast.

Tuesday nights also happens to be when a local race series takes place and it is fun to watch those guys! Maybe with another year (or few) or practice!

So, another sport to add to the rotation, and another fun way to spend a wet North Vancouver evening, as that means its likely snowing up on Cypress.

I can't wait until we can head up to Callaghan Valley (home of the nordic events for the Winter Olympics) and try out our "skills" there.

AST-1

2011-01-16T19:30:00.000-08:00

With backcountry skiing you can never be too prepared or too educated. Graeme and the people we ski with have all done avalanche training and continue to take courses. In general they won't go with anyone who hasn't. I've done some basic training with them and have attended some talks on recognizing snow conditions, but I needed to take the avalanche safety training myself.

The course is done over 2 days. I was supposed to take this course back in December (on what was a beautiful weekend) but had to postpone it as I wasn't confident enough in my back.

The dates I postponed to was this weekend. And so instead of beautiful sunny days, I spent the weekend outside in a combination of gray, damp and zero visibilty conditions to a complete downpour and zero visibility.

I don't think I have ever been as wet as I was today.

Saturday was day 1. We started off in the classroom for the morning and then headed out in 2 groups. We skinned up the trail at Mt. Seymour on corn soft snow. Luckily at this time it wasn't actually raining. We did some beacon practice, learned how to mobilize properly in case of an avalanche and learned things such as proper shoveling technique. The rain started during the session and it was wet, but manageable.

The forecast for Sunday was better. Never trust the forecast! It's not as though I could have worn something more appropriate anyway, so that wasn't the problem. The problem was the complete downpouring rain. We skinned up at 8:15am and learned how to dig a pit. Soon enough, even my goretex jacket was wet through. We were supposed to be out most of the day, but it just wasn't possible. we went back to the cabin, did some inside work while we tried to dry out a little and then headed back out for multiple beacon practice. Putting back on my soaking wet ski pants was not fun!

Overall it was a great course and I'm glad I took it, but the weather really left something to be desired!

2010 - Year in Review

2011-01-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

2010 started off really well. I pushed my limits on skis, both with backcountry skiing and in bounds. Scary at times, but moving forward and I did see some improvement (still lots more to be had).

I had some mystery virus that took a lot out of me in the early part of the year, but after that training went really well. I pushed my limits in riding, doing 2 160km rides (the Penticton IMC course and the Earls Cove Ride) prior to Seattle to Portland, which was over 330kms in 2 days. A great couple of days with fun people.

Unfortunately after that is when my body started to rebel. I tried to push through it for the rest of July and August, but not only wasn’t it getting better, it got worse. September started the hard push of physio and rehab and by November I was back to activity, and in December feeling mostly like myself.

One of my goals over the last few years has been to increase my average weekly training time over the previous year. With the few months of downtime, that did not happen last year, but taking those months out, I was right in line with where I wanted to be.

On the non-training side, I really enjoyed our time off this year, even if we didn’t make it that far afield. January was our hut ski trip, February was a Big White ski trip with friends, end of March and beginning of April we were in San Diego, May we were in Victoria for a race for Graeme, and Penticton with the tri club, June I headed to Minneapolis, July was Seattle to Portland, August was Cowichan Lake with a big group, followed by Saltspring Island where we had some alone time before being joined by another big group of friends. September we headed out on Graeme’s parents boat for Labour Day weekend and October I was in San Francisco. Aside from a day tip down to Seattle in November, November and December have been about staying home!

I wouldn’t say 2010 was a bad year, my life is too good for that! But I didn’t accomplish as much as I had hoped I would. I am looking to accomplish some of those things this year.

Christmas Break

2011-01-04T06:42:00.000-08:00

I’m back at it. Pun intended.

My back is continuing to improve and because of that I have been able to start to build some fitness. I am very out of shape, but I am already starting to see some improvements. I had a small flare up, which I thought was going to lead to more downtime, but it seems I really have turned the corner, because I was feeling better in only a few days.

I am getting stronger and this was really evident to me during yesterdays snowshoe up to the peak of Hollyburn Mountain. I snowshoed this same route about a month ago with a big group of girls. Only a few of us were really in shape (even in my out of shape state) and the trek was very slow going. Still, my back was getting sore with all of the uphill and we didn’t even attempt the peak. Yesterday with Graeme we were pushing the pace the whole way, and my back didn’t have any issues.

Not only that, but this was only 2 days after a ski tour of Elfin Lakes on New Year’s Day. Way more skinning than actual skiing, but the skiing still felt ok. And my hip flexors seem to be stronger from the rehab work.

Christmas and the holidays were a lot of fun. We hosted Christmas dinner for the first time. 9 people for dinner, which included a turkey – even though I don’t eat meat! Thankfully Graeme is very good at following recipe instructions and the turkey was apparently very good.

I gave and received some fun presents. One of my favourite gifts was my Kindle. I didn’t even know I really wanted one, but I love it. And I can read it on the trainer, which is a bonus!

I am hoping now that I am back to workout mode, I will also be back to blogging mode. I love to read other peoples blogs, and like to have a “diary” of sorts, so I need to get back into the habit. There will be a 2010 round up and 2011 look forward post soon too.

Some pics from the last few days

Elfin Lakes

Hollyburn Mountain

Still Out There

2010-11-09T06:54:00.000-08:00

Technically, still inside I guess. I have not run in over 2 months. Shortly after my last post, the back got way worse. To the point where anything was a struggle. Sitting hurt, standing hurt, sleeping was interupted. I really wasn't able to do anything and was in a lot of pain. I started back at physio. First going three times a week (including some at home weekend visits - thank you!), then twice a week, then once a week, and now I'm at once every 10 - 14 days or so. But still not running.

In the past month I have been able to incorporate the trainer, at a moderate effort, some swimming (really recently), and some hiking. The first few attempts weren't great, but its getting better.

I am hoping that I will be able to try a run/walk this week. I was expecting to try last week, but then after some travel to San Francisco for work and having to walk down 30 flights of stairs for a fire drill at work, I had a bit of a setback. It seems to be moving in the right direction again though.

Now that I feel like I am at a point where I can "train" I am actually allowing myself to have thoughts about next season. We'll see how I feel after my first "running" attempt. I don't know if my back will ever feel perfect again, but I would like it to be manageable.

The winter sport season is almost here in Vancouver and I'd really like to be skiing before too long so for that and for the prospect of running again I will continue to diligently do my rehab/strengthening exercises every day!

IMC Weekend

2010-09-03T06:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we headed up to Penticton for Ironman Canada to volunteer and cheer on friends. We left work at 3. Traffic was awful getting out of Vancouver. Almost 2.5 hours to Chiliwack! Once we were past the worst of it, Graeme totally laid on the gas and we made up some time. We checked into our motel and then headed to Theo's, which is one of my favourite Greek restaurants I have been to, and where we go every time we are in Penticton. We had the amazing seafood salad, I had calamari and Graeme had souvlaki. And we had a great bottle of BC wine.

Saturday morning we got up early, had breakfast and went to meet people for the group ride. I managed to ride 1:20, turning around at the top of Maclean Creek. I probably could have gone further, but I didn't want to push it. It was my first ride in almost a month and my back is still not 100%, though it is getting better. It was a windy day and coming back into town on my own was tough.

After the group finished riding the course, a bunch of us went for lunch on Lakeshore and then walked over to the expo and wandered for a while. The Hammer truck was out with samples, and I tried the melon Heed and actually really liked it. I will try using that next summer.

Sunday we literally rolled out of bed and headed down to the start line. We managed to make our way around the fencing and through the crowds to the get to the far side of the swim course, where we stood in the water and cheered our friends in. We then went for breakfast with a group of friends before heading up to Yellow Lake to volunteer.

It had been nice and sunny in town and I wore running shorts and a tank to volunteer, though I did grab a hoody. Of course the weather changed dramatically. It POURED at Yellow Lake. We were all soaked. And then the wind picked up for the descent back to town, causing many shivering athletes. I felt so bad for them. Seriously the day is hard enough!

After our volunteer shift we headed back into town (which took an hour due to traffic), changed and headed out on our bikes. We rode the entire run course, cheering people on. I was on the bike for 2 hours and although it wasn't perfect, I was able to do it. The headwind heading back into town did hurt though.

We then headed back to near the finish line and cheered again. Everyone we know did so well! I don't think I saw anyone do anything but smile all day long.You are all amazing.

Monday morning we were up early again. Graeme rode and I went and ran on the KVR which is one of my favourite runs in the world. We then packed up, had brunch at the coffee house before going wine tasting in Naramata. We bought about a dozen bottles from 3 wineries before droveing back to Vancouver. I always have a great time when we go to Penticton.

Summer Vacation - Saltspring Island

2010-08-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

Following Lake Cowichan we headed straight to Saltspring Island. The ferry terminal at Crofton was only about 45 mins away. There is something about Saltspring, that as soon as I am on my way, I can immediately relax. Plus, this time I was already relaxed from being at the lake for two days!

We had a couple days to ourselves before being joined by some friends on Tuesday, and then even more friends on Friday for the weekend, bringing the weekend total to 11 people! This allowed for total downtime, then a bit more activity, before a bit of chaos (but fun) for a few days!

Sunday and Monday were the two hottest days we have ever spent on Saltspring. Even the ocean didn't feel too bad (and it is way colder there than Vancouver!). The weather was good the entire week, and between Friday evening and Tuesday evening, I was able to eat every meal outside. That is one of my favourite things about summer.

When on Saltspring we eat and drink like Kings and Queens. I like to think that calories don't count there. Of course not everything we are eating is unhealthy, but the volume makes up for that! Still, there is not too much to complain about fresh pasta with corn pesto (not cooked with bacon, but added at the end for the boys - SO GOOD), moules frites, fresh halibut, fresh salmon (caught that day), and fresh crab (caught by Graeme). Plus lots of salad, bread, and bakery pies. And homemade Baileys ice cream in the ice cream maker which was brought along for the ride. Oh and don't forget the chips, and eggs benny (with salmon and crab and avocado), patisserie treats, lunch pizza and beer and wine!

Yes, it is a culinary feast.

While my back wasn't allowing any riding I did manage to get some running in to try and keep things in balance (ha!) and we swam in the lake almost every day (though I was unable to swim for too long, at least I was in there).

Really the main things accomplished were reading, eating and general relaxing. Which is never a bad thing!

Summer Vacation - Part 1

2010-08-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

We hadn't planned on a summer vacation, but after being asked for the 100th time what we were doing for vacation plans, I decided I wanted one. We had already planned to take a few days off, so we added to it and made it into 9 days straight.

The first weekend we headed to Lake Cowichan, hosted by Karen and her family. There were 15 of us total, and we enjoyed the HOT sun, lake and most of all the general relaxing. Plus, the meteor shower was still visible on Friday evening and we were treated to a great show, lying on the dock. It's amazing to think how far away the meteors are. One of them was so bright it was like a strike of lightening and lit up the entire lake!

How could you not relax here??

My Back

2010-08-25T06:07:00.000-07:00

Well, so far August has not gone how I had hoped in the training department. I have a bad back - 45 degree S-curve scoliosis and 2 degenerating discs (L3 & L4). Scoliosis diagnosed at 13 and the discs in my mid 20s. I have been going to physio on and off since I was 13.

I would say in general I have been lucky the last few years with the amount of pain I have had to deal with. My teenage years and through my mid 20s were worse.

Interestingly enough, since I started running, I have had way less back issues. Without any scientific proof, I believe this is because my core muscles have strengthed since starting to run. I have also noticed that when I have been injured (not back related) and unable to run, my back seems to get worse.

The last few years, having found Moveo and the ART (active release therapy) practitioners, any time my back has acted up, it has only taken a session to have it calm down. Releasing of my psoas muscles has given relief to the tension and pulling in my back.

Unfortunately this has not been the case this time. I have had a number of ART sessions, massage, and other "work". And it is getting better. But its very slow. I was barely able to stand and sleeping was difficult in the beginning, but now I am back to running. Riding however, seems to be aggravating. It's only 2.5 weeks to Whistler Gran Fondo, and I have not been on my bike (for an actual ride) since the beginning of the month. I guess I will see how the next few weeks go.

At least I can run now, if not for as long as I was able to a month ago.

STP - Day 2

2010-07-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday we were up by 5:30am, had breakfast and were on the road by 6:45am. Again, the sun was not out. In fact it was misting on top of being cold! Knowing that the sun was likely not coming out any time soon, I added more layers which was a big help.

Sunday we stayed together as a group the entire time, with a well functioning paceline. We all wanted coffee, which was supposed to be at the first rest stop, but was not. We then saw a little coffee shack and stopped there, where the only other flat tire(s) of the ride happened. So one before we headed off, and two when we were already stopped.

We stopped again for lunch, but headed straight through most of the stops, knowing Portland wasn't that far off. Coming into the city, the crowds were building back up again. It was a fun ride the last few kms, even if there were a lot of stoplights, as everyone was excited to get there. We rolled in around 1ish, 135kms and 4:29 of ride time later. The beer in the beer garden tasted really good!

Once it was check in time, we headed over to our hotel, where I think everyone had a quick nap, before heading out for dinner. We had planned to go to Deschutes brew pub, but the wait was 1.5 hours and none of us could wait that long to eat. Instead we ended up at Rogue Brew Pub. The beer was really good, and the food just ok. Still it was a great evening. We didn't get back to the hotel until 11:45! A late night for a long day.

STP - Day 1

2010-07-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

Traffic was bad on Friday afternoon and by the time we got into Seattle it was a lot later then we had planned. Graeme had slashed his tire the night before and needed to get a new one. I knew the sponsoring bike store was open 24 hours before the rideand we passed it on our way to UW. After dropping off our stuff, we still needed to find some dinner. We got to bed later then we wanted and the dorm beds left a lot to be desired. I would not do that again! The only good part is they were really close to the start line.

I really didn't sleep much and the 4:45 alarm came very early. Up, stuffed half a bagel and pb down (it wasn't toasted and was hard to swallow), then headed down to the start. We met up with everyone else from the group, dropped our bags off at the truck for our rest stop and after Graeme changing his tire, and then a flat, we were rolling at 5:50am.

The first hour and a bit out of Seattle was very congested. The route goes past a couple lakes along the Seattle Marathon course. You really had to watch the riders as it was obvious not everyone was a good rider. We made our way through the packs and eventually the bikes thinned out a bit. We decided to stop at the first rest top for a bathroom break as none of us had wanted to wait in line at the start line. The volunteers at this stop were the best of the weekend. All wearing matching tuxedo shirts and high energy. I had some food here, and felt way more awake.

We didn't stay too long and started rolling again and it was COLD. We picked up the pace as we were all trying not to freeze. Where was the sunshine that had been forecasted for the entire weekend?? The route is a combination of main roads, side streets, and then leading up to the halfway point in Centralia, a long bike path. After the first rest stop our group split up, with Graeme and I, and another couple from the tri club, joining up with a few random guys and getting a good paceline going. I was a little worried with the speed and wondering how I would hold up all day, but it was good.

By the time we got to the bike path, it was down to the four of us. The path is too narrow to do a real paceline, but we still were passing people, cautiously, as we had seen a number of crashes. That is one of the most interesting parts. The entire time you are passing really slow people. How did they get that far in front of us??

We got into Centralia and had lunch there. That is the midpoint and where most people stay over night. After regrouping and eating lunch, we headed out again, as we had another 40km to do. Well, it turned out to be more, as there was a detour which was not noted! The place where we were staying is actually slightly off the STP route, and it's not marked. At all. As 2 of the girls had stayed there last year, we knew where to go. Until the detour happened. We found our way around it, but it added another 10km or so onto the ride.

The sun had started to come out at Centralia and the afternoon was really nice. Because the place we were staying is not on the actual route, the last section of Saturday was mostly open roads with hardly any other cyclists. We got in to Toledo around 3:30pm - the first to arrive at the school. 207 kms done, in 7:19 of ride time.

The afternoon was about relaxing and waiting for the spaghetti dinner, which was at 5. After eating, we headed down to the local pub for a few drinks which was quite the experience. After a couple drinks, Graeme and I headed back for some rest. Unfortunately, sleeping on the classroom floor was not much better than the dorm room, and once again, I didn't get much sleep!

Seattle to Portland

2010-07-16T06:22:00.000-07:00

After work today we head to Seattle and then start the Seatttle to Portland ride tomorrow with 10,000 other riders.

200 miles in 2 days! There are 7 of us in the group. We are planning on 205km on Saturday and 120km on Sunday. Most of us are staying over in Portland on Sunday evening and then heading home on Monday. Another fun weekend on tap!

Random Mid-July Update

2010-07-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few weeks around here! Training has been going well. Well, at least on the bike front. Lots of good rides, long rides and hard rides! Running has been coming along. Swimming, well I need to get back at that.

Racing has yet to happen this year. First with Shawnigan being so cold and since then, I haven't signed up for another. It may sound stupid, but I just don't feel like I am ready. Mainly on the swim. Graeme says I am, but the problem is I don't have the confidence in myself. And not swimming much the past few weeks isn't going to help anything! Next week it's time to get back in the pool and really decide what I want to do.

I know how to much myself on the bike and run now, and need to figure out the swim part. The funny thing about all of this is I am actually a *way* better swimmer this year then last. I just can't find the drive to swim any long distances. Part is with Graeme not ironman training this year, we are spending way less time at the pool in general. But I just have to get myself there. No excuses.

On another note, today we celebrated 4 amazing married years. I am so so lucky! I was the recipent of a very pretty delicate necklace and this:

I have been talking about wanting a frozen yogurt maker for a while and Graeme did some research and found one of the only ones left in the city! I can't wait to use it. If anyone has any favourite recipes, let me know!

Ferry to Ferry - Langdale to Earls Cove

2010-06-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

Graeme had an idea to do this ride about a month ago, and decided to set it up as a club ride. We had about 18 people total, mostly from the club.

The ride was the hardest I have ever done. 160kms of hills and hill and hills and hills. I am used to riding hills but this was a whole other level. We took the 7:20am ferry from Horseshoe Bay over to Langdale, arriving there at 8:00. We were lucky enough to have a club member and wife of one of the guys doing the ride drive support for us. After loading up the truck we were off. And up one of the steepest and longest hills of the day, with no warm up.

The hills were relentless. My legs had nothing from the start which I honestly think was both good and bad. I felt better the second half of the ride then I did the first, and as I wasn't able to push that hard, I didn't really strain my fitness which meant I didn't feel totally trashed the rest of the weekend.

I lost the main group early on (which would have happened dead legs or not) but thankfully was able to ride almost the entire thing with my good friend J, and then meeting up with a few others at the rest stops.

It is a beautiful ride - an out and back from the Langdale ferry along the Sunshine Coast to the Earls Cove ferry terminal. Great views and the weather was perfect. The support was needed both to refuel and rehydrate as well as for a break from the hills!

Overall I felt pretty good, except for a weird foot thing which started around 110km in. Both of my feet, from just below the toes and all the way through the toes started to BURN! It was so painful I thought I might cry. I honestly thought I would have to get off the bike at Sechelt and hop in the truck. Luckily a couple minutes of standing at Sechelt made them feel a lot better, and while I could feel it after, it wasn't too bothersome. I have never had it happen before, and I think it must have had something to do with all of the climbing.

At 155km, we pulled into the pub in Gibsons and met up with everyone ahead of us. We had time for a quick beer before the last 5 km down to the ferry. A great, if not exhausting day!

I have a CLIF bar in my mouth in this picture...

The data from MapMyRide - a bit stupid you can't actually paste it into the blog...

MapMyRide - Ferry to Ferry - Langdale to Earls Cove

Minneapolis

2010-06-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

Heading to Minneapolis last week, I didn't have any preconcieved notion of what the city would be like, though I was still happily surprised with how nice it was. A work related conference was the reason for the trip, but I decided to add on an extra day and stay for the weekend. Luckily, I have an online friend who lives there who was more than willing to show me around. The city is really green, very active, and has lots of good restaurants and rooftop patios everywhere.

I arrived in Wednesday afternoon and took the train downtown. There was a Twins game that evening and the train was packed! Still, an easy and quick way to get around. I met up with my friend and we went out for dinner and drinks.

Thursday I wandered around town a bit before meeting my friend again. We went to the bike shop so I could rent a bike, all while hoping the looming skies would hold off and we could get a ride in. We managed just over 2 hours on the bike paths around the lakes. You can ride forever on those bike paths. So strange coming from somewhere where there is no alternative to riding on the road. The ride was a bit wet, but nothing too bad. With all of the bike paths, its easy to see how Minneapolis has now become the number one bike riding city, overtaking Portland. Plus, last week was the introduction of the shared bike system. I saw lots of people taking advantage, even with the weather not being the greatest.

Thursday evening and Friday were all about the conference. It was a good experience overall. Lots of learning, eating and drinking!

Saturday and Sunday I ran with the friend again. Shorter on Saturday and long on Sunday. I don't know if it was the flatness of the run, but Sunday's long run was the best I have had in a long long time and it was a muggy day! We ran from downtown, through the sculpture garden, through the old neighbourhood, and around Calhoun Lake. My friend dropped off to go home and I ran more of the lake before heading to her place.

(photo by Bl@ck Coffee)

After a shower, we went out for brunch, walked Uptown a bit, had ice cream and then she dropped me to the airport. While Minneapolis is not somewhere I had on my list of places to visit, I am glad I had the opportunity and would recommend it. At least if you don't have to go in the winter!

The race that wasn't

2010-05-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

This is pretty much an anti-race report. I had been thinking for a while about doing the Shawnigan Lake Olympic, and last week I committed. We were going to be in Victoria for the weekend anyway, as Graeme was racing the Sooke Classic road race - 95km from Sooke, past Jordan River and then back. As the week went on, the weather got worse and worse.

I spent Saturday morning standing on the side of the road as Graeme raced. It was wet, cold, breezy and just downright miserable. People were dropping out all over the place due to the cold. A lot of those fast guys have no body fat! Graeme rode his entire race and was frozen after and he has a high tolerance for the cold. We had the heat blasting in the car on the drive back to Victoria and I thought I'd pass out from the heat, while Graeme was fine. It took him a few hours to defrost.

I looked up the weather for Shawnigan and it said low of 6 and 60% chance of rain. The thought of getting on the bike, soaking wet in a tank top and shorts in those conditions just wasn't working for me. This is supposed to be fun and I am just not that hardcore! I felt extremely guilty about deciding not to race, but Graeme told me to stand outside in my tri top and shorts for 10 mins and that would reinforce that I had made the right decision. Each time I went outside for the rest of Saturday and Sunday and was cold in full clothing made me feel a bit better about my decision. I am mostly over the guilt now and there will be more races.

Oops!

2010-05-27T11:08:00.001-07:00

It's been an entire month with nothing! And that is most definitely not because there has been nothing going on. In fact, it's been just the opposite. Weekends have been filled with long rides, with a few weekends in a row of beating my previous longest ride distance.

The first was a 110km ride, which equaled my previous longest. This was followed by a 125km ride, which included a lot of hill riding and had me trashed for days. But it was a beautiful day and at least the first half of the ride was with great friends.

The following weekend was the Tri Club's annual Penticton training weekend. Last year I made it 110kms of the way on the IMC course and this year I wanted to do the entire 160kms (no out and back portion). I had a flat in 2009 and lost the main group (except for 2 very nice guys who stayed with me and rode with me to the next rest stop) and this year I was really hoping to be in a bigger group. We managed to stay together as a club until McClean Creek when things splintered. I ended up riding with a group of 6-8 that I would spend a lot of the day with. Most of the time I rode with one other girl (and then saw the rest of the group at rest stops) and had a great day. And I made the entire 160km. Of course my bike computer decided to stop working so I only have an estimate of time. We were out of the road 6.5hrs and that includes the rest stops.

When I got back I dipped my legs in the cold waters of Okanagan Lake. I think this was the key as my legs were nowhere near as trashed following this ride as they were for the 125km the week before. Plus I was able to get out and run 80 mins the next day.

This weekend was one of my favourites last summer and was great again this year. It is so nice to get out with a big group of like minded people for a long ride followed by a great dinner, drinks and chatting.

I can't find the cord for my camera (which is NOT a standard USB cord) so photos will have to wait!

Element

2010-04-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

I've never been one for cars, really, but I've always liked the Honda Element. Although our little Acura was only 5 years old, it was well over 100K and things were starting to happen. Plus, the Acura wasn't the best car for bikes and gear. So we bit the bullet and bought a new (to us) car!

You can roll bikes right in with both wheels on! This is going to make roadtripping so much more fun.

Not ours, but same model and colour.

Weekend on Saltspring

2010-04-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

We are really lucky in that Graeme's parents own a house on Saltspring. There's quite a story around the house as it was actually shipped over to the island on a barge, and set on a piece of bare land they had owned for a while. The house has been there about 7 years now and we've had a lot of good times there. Over the last few years Graeme's parents have been renting it out a lot and between that and Graeme's ironman training, we didn't even make it to Saltspring once last year!

Mid last week Graeme took a look at the booking calendar and saw that the weekend was free so we decided last minute to head over. We tried something new this time and went through Horsehoe Bay, and then drove down to Crofton to take the ferry to Vesuvius. Being that we live on the North Shore, this is a great option for us.

Of course Friday night was a Canucks game, and neither of us wanted to miss it, but through the beauty of technology, we were able to watch the game while on the ferry - by streaming cbc sports on the laptop with tethering to the iPhone! Pretty amazing what you can do now!

The weekend was great as it always is. Good food, good drink, farmers market (I wanted to buy more stuff!), pub lunch, a couple funny short runs (after a failed attempt at finding a trailhead) and a ride on Sunday, in the sunshine (as it rained in Vancouver!), and a great book.

I will say that the ride was one of the hardest I have done! I think it was a combination of a tired body, a wee bit too much to drink on Saturday night and the fact that the hills on the north end of the island, while not long are STEEP. All in your smallest gear, standing up, leaning over the front wheel. In the end the ride was not as long as I would have wanted as I was just DONE. The stop for an iced latte in Ganges on the way back was a necessity!

I hope we get back a few more times this year. It's just so easy to fully decompress when you are there.

Kona

2010-04-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

Not the place this time.

We are dogsitting this pretty girl for the next week.

Kona

She is a very smart and funny one and the biggest suck I have ever met. But she is so cute that it makes up for it.

A Very Vancouver Weekend

2010-04-12T06:58:00.000-07:00

Friday night trail running

Saturday skiing at Whistler

Sunday long bike ride

What a great place to live!

San Diego

2010-04-09T06:43:00.000-07:00

So finally a San Diego update!

We arrived in late Friday night, down one suitcase. Luckily it did show up at the hotel the next morning. The hotel itself was good. We were "upgraded" to a 10th floor ocean view room. I say upgraded as it is right below the restaurant and you can hear the music in the evenings, but aside from the first Saturday it wasn't loud. It was mostly blue-haired dancing music.

The first weekend the weather was awesome. Perfect blue skies, warm/hot. The weather for the rest of the week was cooler, but still nice. Arm warmers for the rides, and even leg warmers for one. Even the “storm” they talked about all week turned out to be less then ½ inch of rain during the night. I guess it’s a different standard!

With getting in later on Friday, although we had talked about heading up to Oceanside to watch the 70.3, we were tired. Instead we went for a really yummy breakfast at The Cottage, walked around La Jolla, and then went and picked up our rental bikes. The bike Graeme had reserved had been stolen and so he ended up with what is still a nice bike, but more of a comfort bike, and it was the most purple bike that ever that is not a little girls bike.

The first day we rode a few hours up the coast to Encinitas and back. It is such a nice ride! Really breezy, though not as windy as later in the week and warm!

So many people out riding, running, surfing. I think that was our favourite thing about San Diego. Everyone is actually out enjoying the fabulous weather.

I had read a lot about the hill in Torrey Pines National Reserve, and while it is a long hill, its not steep. During one ride with the wind, I felt like going up the hill was the easiest part of the day due to the tail wind. Graeme says it wasn't. Maybe I am in ok bike shape. At least one thing is going well!

My back started acting up on Thursday (and still is a bit) so I didn't get as much riding in as I'd like, but still 5 rides (mostly on the coast, with one heading inlad to Scripps Ranch). Because I had only ridden outside twice this year, it took until the last day for me to really feel comfortable. That and being on a bike that wasn't mine and wasn't a perfect fit. I think that also contributed to the back issues.

I also have decided that its not that I don't like swimming, its that I don't like swimming in crowded indoor pools. Swimming outside in your own lane is like a little slice of heaven. I would probably swim almost every day if that was what I had here.

Running on the beach was fun, especially watching the surfers, but my favourite run was in Torrey Pines. The trails are so much fun. Dipping up and down, running through brush, just completely different type of trails then we have here. And of course all overlooking the ocean on a cliff. Loved it.

I really like La Jolla as a town. Lots of restaurants, stores, nice beach, good running, riding, and people are friendly. I said when I was 10 I wanted to retire there and I could still see doing that. And housing is cheaper than Vancouver...Oh, and good CA wine and craft beers too.

Vacation Time!

2010-03-25T21:42:00.001-07:00

This time tomorrow we will be on a plane to San Diego for a week of bike, run, swim, eating and relaxing. We will likely head up to Oceanside on Saturday morning to watch some of the Oceanside 70.3 race.

Can't wait!

Getting Ready

2010-03-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

For spring riding that is!

First order from Sugoi under their Brand Champions program. Vest, leg and knee warmers. Im hoping to get out of work early today for an (almost) spring ride!

On another note, last night we went to the Paralympics Sledge Hockey semi-final between the USA and Norway. Those guys are awesome. It looks so tough. And they poke each other with the spikey parts of their sticks that they use to propel themselves on the ice, on top of the normal full contact hockey stuff. The USA won and will play in the gold medal game.

Speedtheory Ambassador Program

2010-03-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

Graeme and I are both really lucky to be part of the Speedtheory ambassador program. I am looking forward to the spring/summer/fall of training and racing with everyone. Thank you again to Jeremy, Doug and everyone at Speedtheory. Now that spring is (almost) here its time to kick it up a notch.

We are really lucky to be riding in the new Speedtheory team kit, so if you see us on the road, wave!

Olympics in the City!

2010-02-27T18:30:00.000-08:00

Well, it was a crazy, busy few weeks in the city of Vancouver! I don't think any of us really knew what to expect or knew that it would turn out the way it did. People in the streets at all times of the day and night, whopping it up.

On top of that there were the houses of various countries and free events galore. There was way more to do then one could get done in a couple weeks.

I was very fortunate to attend a number of events. From watching the Women's Super G from the side of the hill at Whistler, the Men's Super Combined from the viewing area, Men's Aerial Finals at Cypress (those guys are crazy!) and the best sporting event I have ever attended - The Canada vs. Russia men's hockey game. I don't really think words can sum any of it up. You really had to be here.

Speedy Peterson and the Hurricane!

No Argon

2010-02-13T18:24:00.000-08:00

So it turns out that while Argon are good at making bikes, they are not as good as forecasting. Apparently even though it is February, they are already sold out of XS bikes. While they tried their best to find me one, it is not happening. So now I am looking at a couple other options. It's a bit hard when you have settled on something and you can't have it, but anything I end up with is still going to be better than what I have.

We have been having issues with one of our trainers (the Blackburn) and with training ramping up for both Graeme and I, we really needed to have two. So we went with another Cycleops as we have had a good experience and really good customer service. We upgraded from our current one though and it is a really nice ride.

I also picked up new shoes. Mine had been done for a while and I had been running in some old ones as it takes a while to order in my AA shoes. Well, really I have not been running that much due to my foot and being sick for so much of January. And I can tell you the past week's worth of running has been incredibly painful fitness wise. I really hope my run fitness makes a reappearance. And soon.

Big White Weekend

2010-02-09T08:43:00.000-08:00

I left work Thursday at lunch, after a frenzy to try and get some work done to be able to leave. 6 of us headed up in my girlfriends Silverado with the truck FULL of gear. I think we had 4 pairs of skis and 4 snowboards between us, and one of the girls was renting when we got there. Another 2 friends followed later on in another car.

The drive was fine and after stops at Costco and the liqour store, we pulled into our townhouse by 7pm. The townhouse was great. Everything we needed. 4 bedrooms, a dining table for 8, 2 TVs, including a flat screen, and a hot tub.

Conditions for skiing ended up being great. Friday it snowed all day, and Saturday and Sunday were perfect bluebird days. I was really happy both with how I skied and how much I skied - second only to Graeme in time on the mountain.

Lots of fun, friend time and action! It really felt like a vacation.

Fit Session and..

2010-02-04T07:16:00.000-08:00

Sunday afternoon we headed over to Speedtheory for a fit session on my tri bike. My tri bike is an old Quintana Roo that I have had for a few years, but which I have barely ridden since the purchase of my road bike, and which I really didn't ride that much before buying my road bike.

It was the first bike I bought when I decided to start riding, and was bought before either Graeme or I really knew anything about bikes. I probably shoould have been more aware when I bought it, or at least taken notice of the fact that the owner at the particular bike store did not seem to think that riding a bike was appropriate for a girl.

Anyway, the bike is on the large side for me, and Doug was very nice to spend well over an hour with me, trying everything he could to see what was the best fit I could achieve on the bike. It didn't end up being that bad, but then Doug tried me on a smaller (51cm I believe) P1 that was in stock, and it was pretty easy to see that I fit much better on something like that.

So then the decision became, do I spend money on the parts to make my QR fit better, but not great, or do I look at a new bike.

Well, this (not the exact build, and not those wheels) will be mine as soon as its in!

I have to thank Speedtheory again because this would not be possible without them. They have been so great to Graeme and I, and if you are in town or looking for anything tri related, this is the place to go. And of course Argon18 too. My road bike is also a red Argon18 so apparently I have a thing for them. There is a little more to this story, which will be posted soon.

I really have to get riding (and swimming and running) to be worthy of this!

Vancouver

2010-01-26T21:05:00.000-08:00

Saw this on another blog. Love this city.

Whistler Gran Fondo

2010-01-17T10:14:00.001-08:00

We are already more than halfway through January! After being sick for the first week of January, the goal has been to get back on track. Of course then I had a work conference in Whistler which included many late nights and too much alcohol imbibing, but I at least have managed to do something all but one day, even if the workouts that happened were not of the best quality. Better to get something done at least.

So onto the Whistler Gran Fondo. This is a race/ride that is taking place September 11, 2010. It goes from downtown Vancouver to Whistler along the new and improved Sea to Sky Highway, which has been upgraded ahead of the Winter Olympics (which start in a few weeks!).

The organizers have been able to secure a dedicated lane the entire way. This is going to be a beautiful ride. It is 120km (74.5 mi) with over 2400m (7800 ft) of climbing. It is the inaugural ride, and although the event is still 8 months out, it is more than half sold out!

If anyone is looking for a destination ride to do and is in the general area, I think this is going to be a good one. Each time we drive up to Whistler now I am looking at the odometer to measure how long some of the hills are. And they are long. And plentiful.

This is the type of scenery you will see.

Hut Trip

2010-01-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

Following New Years we were booked to go the Wendy Thompson hut, which is located off the Duffy Road, north of Whistler and Pemberton. We headed up to Whistler Friday night and Saturday morning we got up, finished our prep, grabbed coffee and drove up the Duffy Road to our parking location.

The skin in took close to 5 hours. And my pack was HEAVY. I had a number of times where I lost my balance because of it and had a hard time getting up. The first part was not easy, especially on the steep sections, but I did eventually get the hang of it after a few there is no way I can do this moments. We did break for lunch during that time as well as a couple other breaks to refuel, and to put bodyglide on my back where the pack was chafing me, but aside from that it was straight cardio for hours.

Once we got to the hut, we relaxed. I wasn't feeling great and basically sat in the corner freezing, reading my book. Eventually I adjusted to the cold a bit, but it was still cold. Fortunately we had bought liners for out sleeping bags and I was actually warm during the night, though not very comfortable. I didn't sleep much Saturday night and still wasn't feeling that great, plus I was worried about the skin/ski out so I decided not to do any extra skinning/skiing and just stayed in the hut with my book while the boys went out. There is something about the complete pure silence of being in the middle of nowhere with no electricity that makes you appreciate how huge the world is.

I had wanted to leave around 1:30pm, worried about the darkness of the night, but we didn't get going until close to 3pm. In my head all I could think was, make it to the road before dark. Not the road where we parked, but an old logging road we had skinned up, that was pretty easy going and which I knew I could handle in the dark. And we did make it. Barely.

Eventually we stopped to put on our headlamps and did the last part in total darkness. There was one shortish steep treed part to get from the logging road down to the actual road. I just stayed close behind Graeme and took it slow. And I made it. I wasn't sure I was going to, but I did.

It was most certainly an adventure. One I am not sure I am ready for again so soon. But we'll see. I am sure feeling better would have helped!

Yes, this is me when we finally got back to the car.

Another year over and a new one just about to begin

2009-12-31T14:22:00.000-08:00

2009 has been a good year. Generally I have a single workout log for the year, but between computer troubles ealier this year and then switching to training peaks (which I am not a fan of), it took a long time last night to compile the yearly statistics, some of which I had to glean from my blog and another journal I keep. Overall my hours per week were just over 7.8, up 3 hours per week over 2008. I was up in every area, with more running then anything else.

This year I did my first triathlon, my first trail race, ran Ragnar Relay with a group of women I had never met, went backcountry skiing for the first time, and most of all, was more consistent then I have ever been and the most injury free. But of course there is still lots of room for improvement and I will need to stay injury free and be even more consistent to get there.

I have my last workouts of 2009 done, and now to get ready to ring in the new year with a great dinner out followed by a party with great friends.

Happy New Year everyone! May 2010 bring all that you hope for and more.

Bluebird Day

2009-12-29T15:45:00.000-08:00

My second day in the backcountry couldn't have been much different than the first. There hadn't ben much snow lately and the weather had been sun and more sun. There was also an inversion on Whistler, where the village was about 10 degrees colder than the alpine. That actually meant parts of the alpine had been up to 7 degrees Celcius the day before we were up.

We headed up early Sunday morning, hoping to avoid the lines of the last day. Both the coffee shop and the ticket office were quick, and we were in the gondola early. We were meeting a friend who was a bit behind which meant we were able to get in one run on Symphony before heading over to the meeting point.

We headed out behind Whistler to Flute and Oboe ridge. Lots of uphill slogging. It was warm and even with my jacket off, I was sweating, but I tried to keep my mind off it by enjoying the view. The uphill work is just pure cardio. I think my technique was a bit better today and I didn't end up with the same back of knee pains as I had on the first day. The snow conditions also helped. There wasn't much trail for Graeme to break as there was a skin track almost the entire way.

I learned that I can actually ski in powder. As long as the powder is actually light and fluffy. And its fun! Nice floaty turns. After reaching our peak, the boys dug a pit to look at the snow conditions, while I sat and watched. The snow pack was pretty good, so we were able to ski down the face they wanted.

We decided after that to head out. We thought we would have enough time to do another run, but that it would be cutting it close. Well, it was a good thing we had made the decision we did. We took the Singing Pass Trail out, which Graeme has taken a number of times before, but the trail was in very poor condition. Between blow down all over the trail, to pure icy sections, tree branches across the trail where you had to duck and push the branches out of the way and a lot of creek crossings where it was necessary to take your skis off and jump, it was a slow slow way out. I was very very glad to get back out to the Village just after the sun had set. I was afraid I was going to have to pull out my headlamp and doing that trail in the dark would have been way harder than it already was. Of course after a beer, the bad parts were mostly forgotten and all we were thinking about were the fun powdery turns.

With Black Tusk in the back

Water break and getting stuff together to ski

Uphill slogging

The way out

More uphill slogging

Turns

Christmas comes this time each year

2009-12-26T12:49:00.000-08:00

So far it has been a great Christmas season. I love this time of year. The lights, food, drink and of course the people. This year was a bit busier then I'd like leading up and I was not as organized as I usually am, but everything worked out anyway.

Fancy Christmas Eve dinner made by my husband (I am spoiled)

Our tree (I say its fat, but Graeme says it's just big boned)

Christmas Day view from my mom's

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas time!

Palm Springs

2009-12-14T12:27:00.000-08:00

A long weekend with a girlfriend. Not the most exciting trip but good to catch up. The weather also wasn't the greatest, but we did get a little sun on the Sunday.

Some pictures from the compound her parents live in (I could never live somewhere like this but it does make for some pretty pics). Hmm even though these are all the right way on my computer they don't want to show up that way here.

Worst run of the week vs. the Best run of the week

2009-12-06T21:21:00.000-08:00

Thursday morning didn't start out any differently then most. Up to run before work on a cold (below freezing!) morning. I dressed warmly and was off into. Everything felt good on the cold, dark, crisp morning. I was running along, thinking about how nice it was when I saw something coming at me. All of a sudden an owl was grabbing onto my hat and pulling at my hair. Arms waving and screaming and he (she?) let go only to come back at my face. More waving and screaming and it flew away. At that point I was pretty shocked, but still ok. I started to run toward home when I could see the owl return. I had to run yelling and waving my arms until I got to a more well lit area and could no longer see the owl. I wish I had been wearing my HR monitor because my heart was GOING. No blood drawn, likely thanks to my hat, but I did have a couple of sore spots on the top of my head.

I now have a phobia of running on my own street in the dark. Not so good in the winter.

Sunday's run did make up for it though. Another cold day, but this time I drove down to the West Van seawall to enjoy the sunshine. When I wasn't in the wind I actually felt overdressed. Nothing about the run felt easy. Stride was off, lunch wasn't sitting well, but it was my favourite run in a long time. Vancouver was just so beautiful. One of those days where you are breathing deeply to really try and suck all the goodness in.

And the end of the beach were a bunch of Christmas trees all decorated by local companies, with proceeds of the viewings going to charity. I thought this tree was the best (and most apprpriate for the blog).

First Backcountry Day

2009-11-29T18:44:00.000-08:00

End result = Ouch!

Saturday morning we headed up to Whistler for my first backcountry day. After a not so quick stop for coffee at Galileo Coffee in Britannia Beach (apparently they have gotten a little too popular. My breakfast was almost cold by the time I got my coffee!) and then waiting in one of the slowest lines ever to buy a lift ticket, we were finally in the gondola and on our way by 10am.

The day was gray with some soft falling snow. Visibilty wasn't great and there was some wind on the high ridges. This was my first time on skins, using free rides and in my new boots. It was a weird sensation to walk uphill with skis on. At first I felt like I would just slide backwards, but unless it was a very steep pitch, the skins did their job. There was a LOT of skinning. And it was not easy. But what was even harder was trying to go downhill. An experienced powder skier I am not. I have been having back issues for the previous week, and after a while, my back was saying enough.

I was looking at it this way. In order to have those perfect, euphoria inducing runs, you have to have bad ones too, whether its your body or the weather or some combination. I often think on the difficult runs how they are necessary to truly enjoy the good ones. I think yesterday's experience was the same. It wasn't all bad, but it was all hard. I think being out there on a bluebird day will be worth the few not so great days that are needed to become proficient - both and going uphill, and moreso for me, downhill.

We made our way back in bounds and made it back to the chair just in time to make it to the gondola to download. On the way home we stopped at Howe Sound Brew Pub in Squamish for some dinner and a beer. They have a lot of great beers, and we took 3 large bottles home with us. By the time we got home I was in full pass-out mode, but managed to stay up for the hockey game.

Skinning

Exhausted from skinning

Whistler backcountry

This morning when I woke up, my entire body was feeling it. The worst part is the top of my calves. I couldn't bend my legs! I have had trouble walking all day and have spent most of the day on the sofa. Good thing we went on the Saturday and not Sunday so I had a day to recover!

More Mountain Adventures (Race Report)

2009-11-14T17:54:00.000-08:00

Today was the Mountain Madness Phantom Run. There is a choice of 12k, 19k, or 24k, and I went with the 12k and was glad I did. It was by far the longest 12k I have ever run. I'm not sure how they measure it. Perhaps from a map which doesn't take into account all the hills? And there were hills. Nothing straight up or really long, just lots of up and down and back and forth.

The race took place in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve. It was a cold morning and there were actually some snowflakes and sleet while we were standing around before the start. There were about 95 or so people doing the 12K race.

The start is a relatively easy, flat-ish trail, but throughout the race there are steep switchbacks, up and down stairs, up and down everywhere, bridges, and wooden platforms, all of which were very slippery with the combination of being wet, cold and leafy.

I probably should have looked at last years results before I raced, as I had figured I would be out there for about 70 mins. Not so much. 1:33 later I was at the finish line. Good for 7th women (in the 12k). I don't know that pacing would have made any difference had I known it was going to be longer, but the last 30 mins really hurt! I definitely have some room to improve in my fitness and in my downhill running abilities. Something to work on isn't bad though!

This 12k was way way harder than the 10k trail race I did a few weeks ago. It just shows how much of an impact the terrain has.

New Mountain Adventures

2009-11-11T18:50:00.000-08:00

If you have taken a look at Graeme's blog at all, you can probably tell he likes to ski. More like is obsessed with it.

I started skiing when I was in Gr. 5, and skied through until the end of high school. After not having been on a ski hill in years I took up snowboarding. While it was fun, I never was as good of a snowboarder as I had been a skier, and was not able to keep up with, or even keep Graeme in my sights. So at the end of the 07/08 season, I decided to try skiing again. Graeme got a good deal on some powder skis and I discovered I was still able to ski.

Last season was a few more times on the hill, but with Ironman training, Graeme didn't ski as much last year as he normally would, and well I didn't go on my own. So, this season is going to be my introduction to backcountry skiing. I love to be outdoors. I like hiking and skiing and I love new adventures. Plus if I want to see Graeme at all this winter, I need to be skiing.

Of course when you are heading into the backcountry you have to be prepared, and let me tell you, the gear is not cheap! Once again Graeme was able to get a good deal on free ride bindings, and the rest of the gear was bought at the Alpine Club of Canada's MEC night, where members get a 10% discount.

Fancy new boots

Of course all of the safety gear has to be purchased too. I am now the owner of a beacon, shovel and probe (and skins to let me ski up hill). Last Saturday was spent at an avalanche workshop on terrain, and there are more backcountry courses booked for the next few weeks.

So today, which is a holiday for Remembrance Day, we decided to head up to Cypress so Graeme could show me how to properly use the beacon. The bindings for my skis have yet to arrive, so I snowshoed up, while Graeme went up on skins. About 90 mins of straight up hill. At the top Graeme buried his pack and beacon while I used mine to find where his was.

Graeme had the easier way down, getting some very early season turns, while I ran down, trying not to completely trash my quads!

Masters Swim

2009-10-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

So there are a lot of people who say you should do something that scares you once a day. Once a day may be a bit much for me, but I at least met that goal yesterday.

As I have documented, swimming is not my strong suit. I am comfortable in the water, but my stroke is awful. Over the last couple months I have had a lot of encouragement to join the Monday night masters group, which at this point has almost been completely taken over by our tri club. I have put it off for weeks between being sick and being nervous, but last week I said to Graeme if I was feeling better by this week I would go.

So I did. And it was hard. And I was the slowest person (in the slowest lane), but I survived.

I can tell that my fitness level is way higher than my swimming ability. I think at the end of the workout, Graeme was more tired then me. Granted he was swimming in a faster lane, but I just don't have the arm strength/technique to push harder then my fitness level at this point. Not that I wasn't tired!

The coach was nice and even though there were a lot of swimmers, he managed to give me a few tips. I think if I continue to go I will see some real improvement.

So yes, it was scary, but I am glad I went. Now to get up the courage to keep going!

Weekend and Hallows Eve 10K Report

2009-10-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

Friday evening started out by helping my mom get set up her new place as she arrived here in Vancouver. Her move here has been a long time coming and I'm glad she is finally here! She is currently staying in a furnished rental that is right across from our old place, and it was fun to spend the evening in the West End again and get to visit some of our old stomping grounds.

Saturday was time for errands, a quick run, actually signing up for the race on Sunday and then our tri club's end of season potluck. It was a good crowd, and Mick, who hosted the evening got a number of good roastings over his adventures of the previous weekend. We were able to stay to the end of the party being that the race on Sunday didn't start until 9:30am.

We headed out to the race about 8:30am this morning. It was a cool morning and I had a hard time deciding what to wear, but decided on full length tights, a tank and a warm long sleeve shirt. I did end up being a bit overdressed, but not to the point that it affected my race.

This was my first trail race and it was a lot of fun! One of my best girlfriends also came out to run and so we got to hang out before and after the race. I have been trying to convince her the North Shore is a good place to live and I think she is coming around. And because it was "Hallows Eve" race, there were lots of great costumes. Including a group of ladies dressed as skunks, and when I ran past them on the trail all turned around and said I startled them and lifted their tails.

So the race. It is a pretty hard route with lots (and lots) of stairs with some good downhill and flat sections. The trail is relatively technical with lots of roots, a couple short switchbacks, along with a lot of raised bridge type walkways.

I decided to start a bit towards the back and I probably should have pushed forward a bit more. The race starts going straight up a hill and I did manage to pass some people in that section. Once you are onto the trail it is hard to get by people. I was stuck behind one woman for a while who was having a hard time on a downhill section when she eventually let myself and one other person by her. I did well on the stair sections, taking them 2 at a time and passing a bunch of people. Of course going down the stairs I think they probably all passed me back.

Overall I felt good about my race. I had been undecided on whether to do it or not as my lungs still weren't feeling 100% from my cold, but it didn't really bother me at all during the race. Overall time was 1:01 and change. Good for 10th in my AG. I'm happy to have had a solid race where I felt pretty strong throughout.

To end off the weekend we had a good and interesting meeting at the tri store, and that will be its own post.

What a community we have. And a lesson.

2009-10-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

Sunday evening started out as usual at our place. We had just sat down and cracked a beer with the intention of watching Sunday Night Football. It was around 5:30 and Graeme checked his twitter account when he found out that a friend of ours through the tri club had not returned from his morning run on the trails near his home. Mick is an awesome guy, and at 72 is probably still fitter then I am.

Jordan, the president of the club had put out a call for any able runners to come and join the search. As soon as Graeme sais Mick was missing, I said we had to go. We got dressed as quickly as possible and headed up to Mick's house which was being used as a headquarters. When we got there we were directed to the Gazebo in Lynn Headwaters where the North Shore Search & Rescue operation was being run, as well as where Natalie, the VP of the club, was signing in runners and organizing what trails were being searched.

Graeme and I don't know the trails that well, except for one area, which already had people on it. I figured being in a bigger group would be best, especially as none of us were experts on these sections of the trails. We ended up going in a group of 6 and heading east of the Baden Powell. By this time it was dark, but we all had flashlights and headlamps, and with 6 of us had a good amount of light. In is a very interesting experience to be in the middle of the woods in the pitch black. But I can say I never had any thoughts about my own safety. Both due to the number of and the people I was with, and because our focus was all on Mick.

We did a big loop, ending back at the headquarters. Just when we arrived we were told that voice contact had just been made and they thought the person was Mick. It turned out it was. We don't know the whole story of what happened yet, but he ended up getting stuck on the wrong side of Lynn Creek. North Shore Search & Rescue were able to walk him out later that night and he was home before 2am.

Mick is such a lucky guy. I said when we pulled up to his house that it was obvious he had a lot of friends. The street was lined with cars with hardly anywhere left to park. Everyone just wanted to be out there to try to help. Apparently there were over 100 people out on the trails last night looking. What a great community of runners and riders then North Shore has. As well as the amazing volunteers of North Shore Search & Rescue. I am so so glad that someone heard his voice. What an amazing story.

This brings me to the lesson. Be prepared! For those of us living near the trails and the mountains, I think we often take for granted that it really is the wilderness. Let someone know where you are going. If you live alone, at least leave a note saying what trail you are headed for. Carry a phone (not that there is service everywhere, but there is in some places), water, food, a whistle, and especially if you are planning on going any distance, a foil blanket. They take up no room, don't weigh anything, and will keep you warm in an emergency. I can't say I have followed all of these guidelines in the past, but I will be from now on.

This is really a reminder about how something as seemingly innocuous as a standard trail run, on well used trails can turn into something much, much more. How wonderful that this lesson comes with a happy ending.

RVM 8K

2009-10-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

I have been laid up with a bad cold all week and had done no activity since the back to back long runs of last weekend. Saturday I decided to do an easy 5km just to see how everything felt. Breathing was very laboured and difficult, and there were a couple sore spots in my calf and my right IT band that I am glad I found out about so I was able to work them out a bit.

Up at 6:05am Sunday morning and had half an English muffin and a banana. Race start was 7:15am and we left my mom’s just after 6:30 to drive downtown. Graeme dropped me off and went to find parking while I headed to the start line. I made a quick stop in a portapotty (thankfully I didn’t wait in line at the first set of portapottys once I heard there were more near the start line), did a short warm up and made my way into the 8K crowd. I moved up as much as I could, but was still stuck behind quite a few people talking about hoping for a 10mm pace.

It was a cool, clear morning but I thought that my long sleeve shirt and knickers might actually be too much clothing based on all of the shorts and t-shirts around me. Waiting for the start surrounded by people it was actually pretty warm, but once the gun went off and we headed out to Dallas Rd, it was quite a bit cooler and I was glad with my clothing choice.

Sunrise was about 7:30am and we got to see the lovely pink sky out above the ocean on the way out. First couple miles were ok, but when my garmin beeped, I could see I was not on pace for a sub 40 min time. I pushed the pace a bit, but could feel that my breakfast was not digested and my stomach was not all that thrilled and I had to rein it in a bit. Around 3 miles my shoelace came undone and I had to stop for that. I decided to just push the last 2 miles as much as I could although my left IT band was now starting to hurt.

The last 2 miles were a bit faster and my final time was 40:13 which was good for 8/146 in my AG. Of course most of the fast people raced the half or full marathon! So a 5 min PR over the only other 8K I have done right after I started running.

Not quite the sub-40min time I had hoped for, but with the cold I will take it. And it is proof things are going in the right direction, if not quite as fast as I’d like!

Fall Goals

2009-10-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

While I am not especially strong in any of swim/bike/run, the bike seems to be where I am strongest comparatively, both to the amount of time I spend on it, and to the other two sports. Being that fall is not the best time to work on the bike anyhow, I will be working on my two weaknesses. Swimming will be a year round project (and needs to be for me!), and running is going to be fall specific.

I joined the Tuesday night fall run clinic run by North Shore Athletics. I haven’t run with a group like this before but I figured this aligned well with the run-focus. I haven't run on a track or done any kind of focused speedwork since track in high school. And I didn't run in grade 12 (which is a whole other story that I will tell sometime), so its been a long time.

I was a little wary of joining the “advanced” group, but both Graeme and Ramsey said I should. I was definitely at the back of the group on the first day, but I didn’t feel out of place. The second session was actually on the track, so while I am slower than most, as it's running in circles, it doesn't really matter.

I also going to do some running only races, which is something I haven't done in a while. Whern I first started running I was injured all the time. Especially when I set a goal race and trained for it. Over the last year and a half I have tried to build a base and just raced here and there instead of training specifically for a race. I am hoping with the base I have built and continue to build, the run focus won't cause me as many issues this time around. Of course now that I have found the great people at Moveo, when I feel something start to come up, I know where to go.

The first race up is the 8K of the Royal Victoria Marathon on Sunday. Of course I have been sick all week and haven't done anything! I am feeling a bit better now, but still not 100%. So the race probably isn't going to go as well as I had hoped, but I'll give it my best. I'm just hoping I can breathe a little better by then!

Running and running and running some more

2009-10-04T14:34:00.001-07:00

So this week was my highest mileage week in a while. It was supposed to have ended with yesterday's long run, which brought me up to just under 30 miles for the week, all on the road.

Graeme and had been talking about possibly running some of the Howe Sound Crest trail with Scott but wasn't sure as he's had some calf issues. We were out for breakfast this morning when the text came and he decided to run and somehow I decided it would be a good idea too.

We met a group from the club in the Cypress Mountain parking lot (Scott, Nick, Jordan, Shannon, Graeme and myself) and headed out. Now, on a good day I am slower then everyone in the group and I was feeling the effects of my birthday dinner the night before and a breakfast out less than an hour before. Oh, plus the miles already in my legs this week. I was off the back the entire time but the day was gorgeous and it would have been impossible to not enjoy it anyhow.

We made our way out (and up!) to St. Marks Summit and turned around there after soaking in the view. It ended up being about a 2 hour run/trek, bringing my run total to over 6.5 hours for the week. My legs are feeling it now!

I think a few more of these will be good for me. It's nice to have people pull you along!

We live in a beautiful place.

Another year learned

2009-09-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

Today marks the start of my 31st year.

A lot of people have trouble with aging and some seem to try and comfort themselves by calling themselves young at heart. Now, I know I am not old, but that is not me.

I have never thought of myself as a young at heart. I was always someone who people said was “wise beyond their years” when I was younger and that is something I have always identified with. Aging to me is a good thing. I may not get smarter as I get older (I think intelligence level is generally set since birth), but I hope I get wiser.

It also doesn’t mean I lack a sense of adventure, or think I am too old to do certain things. To me age has little to do with what you can or can’t do or what you are supposed to or not supposed to do. Or really with who you are. Who says a 50 or 60 year old who starts something new or likes something that is generally liked by younger people has to be a young at heart. Can it not just be something they like, regardless of age?

To me a birthday signifies another year of opportunity. Another year to try something new. Another year to learn. Whether about myself or about the world.

So what have I learned (or re-learned) this year?

To not sell myself short. This is a work in progress, but I have definitely made positive strides. To a lot of people it is probably strange that I have this on a list at all. In some parts of my life this is not something I need work on, but in others it is.
That just sitting on the sofa is not me (unless it follows a lot of activity!).
That consistency pays off.
That my husband’s belief in my abilities may be more accurate than my own.
That I need to put myself out there more.
That I have a waist!

I am looking forward to all of the adventures and learning that 31 will bring and hope it is as good as 30 was.

And the rainy running starts again

2009-09-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

Since I have started this blog I have actually done surprisingly little running in the rain. And this isn't for a lack of running, but more the way the weather has worked out. But well, that has changed. As much as we have had great summer weather, living in Vancouver means the rain always comes back.

Before the last week I had shunned looking at or thinking about fall clothes, but the air in the past week has felt like fall and made me look at little closer at the sweaters and boots as I passed by the stores.

So yes, fall has arrived and while I am a summer girl at heart, on a recent run I recalled how I had made the best of weather we had last winter. 30 degree days and floating around in the ocean are always where my heart will be, but there is still fun to be had on rainy and snowy days in the months to come. So, to rainy running, muddy running, and eventually (at least more than likely) snowy running, I am, if not looking forward to all of them, at least embracing them the best I can.

Sunny Sunday Adventures

2009-09-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the day for adventure. We got up bright and early and hit the road just after 6am for the Duffey Lake area, which is about 40km north of Pemberton, which itself is about 30km north of Whistler. The area is home to the Cayoosh Mountain Range. Graeme wanted to do some pre-winter recon on a backcountry skiing area. We hiked in to the hut, which took about an hour and a half (including running some of the decommissioned road). From there you get a really great view of the glacier. It was a relatively warm day, but at altitude it was still pretty chilly.

We had lunch and walked around the area a bit before heading back out. On the way out I managed to bail, not once, or twice, but three times. Luckily nothing more then a couple scrapes and a slightly wrenched muscle in my upper back. The few days of rain easlier this week had made the forest really damp and the wet logs were pretty unforgiving.

The only wildlife we ended up seeing the entire day was a bear on the road in Pemberton. I’d rather see one that way then when hiking!

With no plans for the rest of the day and as it was a beautiful day and just after noon when we finished off the hike, we decided to stop off in Whistler on the way home. We had lunch and beers on the patio in the sunshine while watching the Seahawks (who lost) game on one side, and people on their mountain bikes coming down to the base of the mountain on the other.

After a beautiful drive down the Sea to Sky, we finished off a great day with some homemade pizza (homemade pesto, mini farmers market tomatoes and boconcinni) and a great bottle of Therapy chardonnay we picked up while in Penticton. I wish all Sunday’s could be like this!

Birthday Boy

2009-09-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Somehow this is the 11th in a row of your birthdays we have spent together. One before we were dating, and 10 since.

I hope you have a wonderful day but you probably shouldn't drink as much as you did the first birthday we hung out. I don't think 21 shots of tequila is a good idea for a 32nd birthday. It suited the 21st more.

Cultus Lake Sprint Tri Race Report

2009-09-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

We left home around 6am and got to the race site at 7:15. It was a beautiful morning and turned into a beautiful day. Got everything set up and had some time so hung out for a bit. It was nice to have Graeme as my race sherpa as when I did Shawnigan he was also racing so this was my first race with support. There were also lots of other people from the club racing and some of their spousal support as well. Eventually I got my wetsuit on and did a quick warm up before they called everyone out of the water for the pre race meeting. I had a slight moment of panic in my warm up but then was ok.

I started off toward the back and ended up having to swim around a bunch of people. My swim was consistent but not fast. I felt really good about my swim the whole time though. Coming back into transition we were swimming directly into the sun and siting was really hard. I went a bit off course but not too bad. I remember thinking about how much easier and more fun this was than my first race. The water was warm so there was no take your breathe away feeling when trying to breath.

Transition went ok. I had some issues with the wetsuit but not too bad. Then I was out on the bike. I felt SO MUCH BETTER on the bike this time then last. I felt like I could push more and was actually smiling and having a really good time. I passed a bunch of people on the bike and I think only a couple guys passed me. There were 2 other girls and I who were all passing back and forth but I beat them both off the bike.

Onto the run. I was sure that at least one of the 2 girls was going to pass me as she really looked like a runner. My legs were heavy and it took a while for them to come around, but they did. All of a sudden, the finish line was coming up. And I mean all of a sudden. It turns out one of the turn around was put in the wrong place and the run was only about 4100m instead of 5000m.

I ended up being 8th overall female in the sprint and third in my AG (out of 15), so podium which was a big surprise.

Swim
12:58 2:00 (swim was short - ended up being 650m)
T1
3:01
Bike
0:39:43 30.2 km/hr
T2
1:13
Run
0:19:14 4:49min/km (4km)
Total
1:16:07

I am happy with how I feel about the whole race. Overall it was just a great morning and day and I was happy being out there. Such a huge feeling of redemption after how I felt after Shawnigan (which really wasn't much worse but I didn't feel as good about it) And I am so glad I did this race at the end of the season. Now I feel energized to work hard this winter for next season!

Post race and awards was lunch and beers at a pub with a bunch of people from the club. Congratulations to everyone on their races and thanks to all for the support. I can't think of many better ways to spend a Sunday!

Penticton - The Race

2009-09-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

Well they say all good things must come to an end and at least my vacations have to until I win the lottery or become independently wealthy. Of course before the Penticton vacation was over, there was a small matter of a race for Graeme. His race review can be found here on his new blog.

And here's race day from my view.

I was up at 4:15am with Graeme and out the door just after 5am to walk down to transition. Unlike how I would be if I was ever in this situation, Graeme was appeared to be very calm. He headed into transition and I waited by the gates with another tri club athlete's wife for the final good lucks.

I set up to watch the swim and then headed over to get a view of transition in what I thought was an appropriate time. Less than a minute after I arrived, Graeme was out of the water and I was not ready at all with the camera. I ran over to see him head out on the bike, where I heard a "you're a hard person to keep up to" and when I looked over my shoulder, it was my FIL who had found me in the crowd. Once Graeme went by, his parents and I set out in the car. We did a number of stop, let Graeme pass by, then re-pass and do the same. Each time we would pass him, his mom would roll down the window and give a big cheer.

We had decided ahead of time that we weren't going to drive the Yellow Lake section and instead would take the detour out towards Apex Mountain and back into town, as we had heard that you can get stuck in traffic for hours at Yellow Lake. It turned out that it would have been ok, but this way we did get to grab a sandwich and coffee before heading to the run course. We watched Graeme on the out and back portion in town and then drove further out on the run course to see him again. Unfortunately we ended up missing him at the second point.

Back into town and back to the motel to put the beer in the fridge - something that had to be done! We hung out at the motel for a while before heading back out to Lakeshore and to watch the finish. Graeme was done in 11:09 - pretty much exactly where he had hoped and great on a day which ended up having really smokey conditions for the run portion. We waited while he had his massage and got some pizza. He looked great at the finish! We then all headed back to the motel for more beer and more pizza before his parents took off. I had wanted to stay up until the end as we had done last year, but at around 10:30 I was falling asleep and headed to bed.

I was woken up a bit later by lots of loud cheering. I looked at the clock and it said 11:55. I thought it had to be Sister Madonna Buder finishing and so I ran out to the TV (the race shows on the local station) to try and catch her finish. I was too late to see it but it was her. After watching her come in just after the cutoff last year I was so glad she had made it this time!

Kettle Valley Rail Trail

2009-08-29T12:24:00.000-07:00

After finally locating the Kettle Valley Rail (KVR) Trail on Thursday, I knew I had to go back on Friday and do my long run there. The KVR is a 455km trail that runs through the Okanagan Valley and was originally used for the railroads before rail traffic was abandoned along the line and the trail was turned into a multi-use trail in the 1990s. The portion of the trail I ran on goes all the way to Kelowna or over 60km or 40mi.

The views are stunning. I started from our motel and made my way up Vancouver hill (steep!) and then out onto the trail. The immediate views are of downtown Penticton and the lakefront and then as you continue on the trail you run through vineyards and over trestles. I wish I had a mountain bike so I could have spent more time up there. Of course the trail is uphill on the way out - and more then I had realized so what was supposed to be a 90 min run turned into 45 on the way out and 38 on the way back in. And even though I had left just after 8am, it was already hot, and the clay cliffs suck the heat in and make everything around it warm. There were a few shady spots on the trail and I was glad for them.

I ran as far as where we had lunch the previous day (the cute bistro) before I decided my legs had had enough. I wish I had kept going though! I have a feeling I will be back again before I leave.

Penticton and the surrounding areas are actually home to numerous trail systems and there are many local operations which offer bike riding and wine tasting combos. I can’t see too much wrong with that!

Penticton - the first few days

2009-08-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

We left Vancouver early Tuesday morning and headed to Penticton along the Hope-Princeton connector. Although traffic was heavier on the connector then I have seen it before, we still made good time. We stopped in Hedley (former gold mining town) for a picnic lunch we had picked up on the way out of town. After another stop to try and see mountain goats (I didn't see any - again), and for some local fruit, we made it to town and our motel early afternoon.

We had dinner reservations at Theo's the first night so we both headed out for a short run before getting ready for dinner. We had eaten at Theo's when we were here last year and I had been looking forward to eating there again. We decided to eat there early in the week as it gets really busy later on. Being that we had made a reservation and it wasn't very busy we were sat at the hostesses favourite table - the Juliet Balcony. It's a great table overlooking the courtyard which was enclosed a few years ago. We started with the seafood salata which was so good I could eat it everynight. Ceviche and salmon mousse. Yum. We both had the kalimarkia entree. I was glad I was hungry! It was all washed down with a bottle of Jackson Triggs Cab Sauv.

Wednesday started off with a swim in Okanagan Lake. I swam from right in front of our motel down to the Peach and back (about 1500m) with only a couple stops. I was a little perturbed at the number of people I was faster than. I hope they were taking it easy because there is a cutoff for the swim afterall.

We followed the swim up with breakfast/brunch at Dream Cafe and then picked up groceries and of course some local beer and wine. Then it was time to ride the run course. Just over 40km ride out to OK Falls and back. Beautiful day, but quite windy!

Thursday morning I did a 45 min run and eventually found the Kettle Valley Trail (KVR) which I had heard of last time we were here. I didn't have my camera and was really sorry and decided to do my long run there on Friday.

The lineup for registration was really long so we decided to try it again later in the day. I guess being that triathletes are generally Type A personalities, everyone wants to be there first thing and get it done. The problem being of course it just makes for longer lines! Instead we decided to head out for some wine tasting. Naramata Bench is literally a couple miles out of downtown Penticton and is home to numerous wineries.

The first stop of the morning was in Naramata after a wrong turn but we ended up finding a little coffee shop that serves our favourite coffee from Vancouver. From there it was on to Therapy Vineyards. Some very good and interesting white wines and we picked up a bottle of Chardonnay. On to Laughing Stock, and a bottle of their Blind Trust Red. The Blind Trust (red & whites) are blends and you don't get to find out the exact blend of that particular year until you open the bottle.

It was about time for lunch and I had read a few recommendations for the restaurant at Hillside Estate Winery. And the recommendations were good. I had a thin crust pizza with grilled pears, caramelized onions, bleu cheese spread (very light but still noticeable) and pine nuts. I also had the wine pairing which was their Old Vines blend. The wine was a little young tasting but the pizza was amazing. The bistro itself is very cute.

Graeme wanted to swim again but I decided I was too lazy so I spent some time relaxing on the beach while he swam. We then headed over to a club members rental house for a get together with people from the club for a BBQ. Over a dozen people showed up and it was a really nice evening. Plus it was nice to be done by 10 and walk the 2 blocks back to our motel.

Shoes that fit!

2009-08-22T13:03:00.001-07:00

My feet have always been hard to fit. I have very clear memories of when I first moved to Canada. I was back to school shopping with my family we were looking for shoes for me. In Ireland I hasn’t had issues with shoes, likely due to European sizes being narrower, but after many shoe stores and some advice from a store owner, it was decided that custom shoes were the only way I was going to have shoes that fit.

I guess as I got older I just got used to having my feet float around in shoes. Dress shoes are not as bad, but running shoes have never fit me properly. Along with my feet being long and narrow, my heel is very narrow and my Achilles is straight up and down which has limited some shoe options. After trying many many different running shoe brands, I settled on Mizuno. I have been running in the Inspires for a few years now and have noticed the widening of the shoe through its last few model changes.

After trying on the current model in a local running store, I was not sure they were going to work. With the previous model the lace structure was almost touching across the top of the foot and the new model was even worse. I left without buying new shoes and wondering what I was going to do. A week or so later I was in another running/triathlon store and because I was really in need of shoes, I decided to give them another go. I put them on and knew it wasn’t going to work. It was then that the store employee mentioned that Mizuno had just added a AA width. I was a bit nervous that they would be too narrow as I haven’t had the width of my feet measured in years. He pulled out the measuring device and it turns out my right foot is actually AAAA – the same it was when I was younger.

They didn’t have the narrow model in stock but ordered them in for me and they arrived last week. When I tried them on I was so excited. I can’t even describe what its like to actually put on running shoes that fit when it has never happened before. So thank you to North Shore Athletics!

And they are pretty too!

Family Time

2009-08-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of family. Mostly Graeme's with a bit of mine thrown in. In the space of 2 weeks both his brother and sister were married. So 2 weddings, 2 rehearsal dinners and a shower and stagette for his sister. His sister lives in Paris but was married here so it meant all of the wedding festivities were crammed into a few days, and is also why both brother and sisters weddings were so close, so there wouldn't have to be travel back to Vancouver twice in one summer. So not much time for anything else! But I get along well with both of Graeme's siblings and their now husband and wife and am very happy for both couples.

Happy couple number 1

Happy couple number 2 (and bridal party)

And another happy couple (with a very squinty me)

Awesome

2009-08-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

This made me laugh.

Heatwave

2009-08-06T06:48:00.000-07:00

One of the things I learned during the Ragnar Relay, is apparently I can run in the heat. This knowledge was going to prove useful over the next week as Vancouver had its longest and hottest heatwave ever. Many heat records were broken and the heat just kept coming.

While I would have liked to spend every night at the beach and floating around in the ocean, last week was a busy one for a number of reasons including strata meetings, a golf tournament I had organized (where it was 38/100 or 43/109 with the humidity!), a rehearsal dinner for my BILs wedding, and then the wedding itself. Thankfully the weather had cooled slightly for the Saturday evening wedding and its location on top of Grouse Mountain meant it was cooler then in the city.

Still, there was some beach time, and some early morning running when the temperatures were slightly cooler, but only slightly. My legs were definitely feeling the affects of the race. No specific soreness, just tired and heavy and lots of feelings that I wasn't in shape. I did a few short runs Tues/Wed & Fri mornings and a lovely 7am Kits Pool swim on Thursday morning where it was already 30/82 before I jumped in. It was like swimming in bath water. Salty bath water, but bath water nonetheless!

Saturday was a quick 2 hour ride and Sunday another Kits Pool swim. Monday was beachtime with some ocean swimming. Apparently the ocean temperature had been 24/75 a couple days earlier and if anything, it was warmer on Monday. A wetsuit was not needed at all. I could have floated around in the ocean all day.

Now I know a lot of people have been complaining about the heat and while 38 may be a bit too warm on a regular basis for somewhere that people don't have AC in their homes, I could do with the low 30s every day of summer. And I'll run in it too.

Ragnar Relay Race Report

2009-07-27T07:16:00.000-07:00

Thursday after work I headed down to Bellingham to meet up with 12 women and 1 guy I’d never met before in order to run 189 miles from Blaine to Langley in Washington State for the Ragnar Relay’s Northwest Passage. The race/run is set up for 12 runners, each with 3 legs, however at the last minute, we had 2 of our runners drop out. Thanks to a facebook update saying we needed 2 more runners, and a runner with a lot of frequent flier miles, we have a runner fly in from North Carolina with only a couple hours notice. This left us one short, but that’s a lot better than 2 short!

After a nice dinner at Chukanut Brew Pub in Bellingham Thursday evening, where we got introduced to everyone, we had an early night for the 5:30 wake up call on Friday. Our team was scheduled to depart at 8am from Blaine and we needed to get checked in before that.

I was runner 3 and my legs went like this.

Leg 3 – 8.2mi very hard

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/northwestpassage/raceimages/maps/leg3.jpg

After Shannon’s first leg, she passed the slap bracelet to me. This leg started with a long hill running directly into the sun. And it was hot out. I tried to tell myself to stay light on my feet and did my best to ignore the sun beating down on the blacktop. I had a new pain in the back of my right knee (my popliteal tendon I think) but it wasn’t getting worse so I kept on moving. I had hoped the run would take me about 75 mins not really knowing what the hill was going to be like. I was pretty much right on and was happy with that. I finished strong, slapped the bracelet onto Elly and got into the van, pouring with sweat.

Leg 7 – 4.4 mi hard
http://www.ragnarrelay.com/northwestpassage/raceimages/maps/leg7.jpg

As we were down a runner, I volunteered to take on an extra leg. It would end up that all extra legs would be run by Van 1, meaning we were out on the course a lot longer then Van 2. But we were having fun, if not exhausted.

I had finished my first leg around 11:30 and then started leg 7 just before 1:00. The first half mile was through the streets of Bellingham and I lost at least 5 minutes waiting at stoplights. Once I was through the city portion, the hill started. And it didn’t stop. 3.9 miles of unshaded uphill on an unseasonably hot Washington day. My van mates pulled over part way though and threw water on me. I think I would have overheated without that little shower. I was thrilled when I got to the exchange and was able to pass on the bracelet to Becky. Of course that also meant climbing into the van again, even sweatier than the first time. I didn’t stop my watch at the lights, so averaged about 11 min miles including all the stopping.

After leg 7, we had a break while Van 2 ran. We ate at a cute restaurant in Bellingham before making our way down to the major exchange at exchange 12. We lay around in the shade for a couple hours waiting for the second van to arrive. By this time it was starting to get darker and so the reflective vests and flashing lights had to be brought out.

Leg 15 – 3.5mi easy

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/northwestpassage/raceimages/maps/leg15.jpg

The sun had set when I started running. I twisted my way through Ferndale, going as fast as I could. It was still hot and humid, but now the sweat wasn’t evaporating. Not only that, but a lightning storm had started. Nothing like running towards lightning in the dark! It was far enough away that we were safe, but it was still an interesting experience. I passed a fish cannery which made me feel extremely nauseous but tried to not think about it and instead focused on catching the runners in front of me who’s flashing lights I could see. I ended up passing 4 runners on this segment. I also have to say thank you to a very nice Skagit County policeman who stopped traffic for me when I hit a red light. I could have used some of that in Bellingham! Overall time was just about 29 mins for this leg, Getting faster as I go along!

After this leg I napped a little in the van. After our legs, and picking up the vacant leg 7, our van headed to a hotel in Oak Harbor. We managed to get about 2 hours sleep before the wake up call came at 5:15am. Of course it turned out there was a miscommunication and we arrived at the exchange an hour earlier then we needed to be there. Our driver (Shannon’s husband – who was awesome) was in need of coffee as much, if not more than, the rest of us and we detoured out of the way to the closest Starbucks we could find. That iced latte was really good!

Leg 27 - 2.8 mi easy

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/northwestpassage/raceimages/maps/leg27.jpg

As this was my last leg, I decided to go as hard as I could. My legs were a bit tired unsurprisingly, as was the rest of me. The downhill start was nice and I passed 2 girls on this stretch. As I passed the first, she said nice running. I told her I didn’t know if I could keep it up, but once I passed her, I knew I couldn’t let her catch me. At the start of the hill, I thought I might fall over. I wanted to lay down in the ditch in some shade, or at least walk. But I didn’t. I pushed through though the second mile was almost a minute slower than the first. Total time was just under 22 mins for a pace of about 7:45. I have never run that fast for that distance before, and after having run over 16 miles in the previous 24 hours plus having little sleep, I was more than pleased.

That was the end of my race. More piling into the van and when our van finished its legs (plus of course the unassigned leg which Marian ran less than an hour after running her own leg!) we headed on to the finish line. After a shower (which felt awesome), we grabbed lunch at a diner and then headed back to the finish line to wait for our teammates. It was blazing hot and the beer I drank (stealthily hiding it from the police officer) was really good. Over the course of the weekend I had 6 new beers (I had a sampler at the brew pub which made up most of them).

Graeme drove down to Langley to meet me and then we were heading to Seattle for the night. The ferry line up was long, so we turned around and went back to Langley for dinner at a cute restaurant. I don’t think I’ve ever been so underdressed for a restaurant, but at least there were other people there who had obviously been running that day too!

Saturday was some shopping in Seattle before heading home.

Overall I had a fantastic time and I would definitely do another relay. My legs are a bit tired, but fine. I had some quad soreness on Sunday, but it’s gone already. And now I need a new goal!

Technical Difficulties

2009-07-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

We're having some technical difficulties with our computers, or well, our single one now and so I haven't been able to post. I will be back online soon. I know you are all 4 of my readers are dying for an update. Ha.

Three years ago today

2009-07-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

I got married to the greatest guy.

He has had a great week. First, at the Vancouver HIM, he had an almost 20 min PR, with a time of 4:45. This includes a run of under 1:28 and he has missed a lot of running due to a hip injury. I am very happy for him and proud of him. He also started a new job which he is excited about.

Thanks for making the last 3 years, so much fun!

Maybe I can actually swim?

2009-07-09T06:57:00.000-07:00

For the last few months my swim (or lack there of) has been pretty consistent. Consistently bad. Not that I haven’t been swimming, but I really haven’t been swimming with any purpose and likely because of that, I haven’t gotten anywhere. After yet another crappy a swim a few weeks ago I asked Graeme when I just give up. I am and have always been comfortable in the water, did all my Red Cross levels and even taught kids to swim in high school, but I have never swam laps. Handstands, flips, pretending to synchronized swim, that’s how I spent my time in the water. And anytime there was a pool or water around, I was in it. I was always wrinkly on vacations.

So for the last while, I have been trying to learn or relearn to swim. And I am sure I have not gone about it very well! No plan, no planned workouts, just getting in the pool and doing what I could.

It hasn't worked well so that is stopping.

I asked Graeme if he would help me. He said yes, but that it would be hard. I asked him if I would cry. He said maybe.

So the plan is for more sessions with the swim coach. I did a few earlier this year and they really helped and then to do whatever workout Graeme tells me. I’m about 2 weeks in and I already feel like there has been a huge difference. I did my longest swim ever on Sunday. 2475m or 2700yds. Yes, I know, short for most people, but it’s a really good step in the right direction for me. Every workout so far I have thought I wouldn’t be able to do, but I actually haven’t had any difficulty in doing them. Yes, they are slow meters, but I’m swimming!

My confidence is building as well, which I think is huge. When I get in the water now, I try my best not to think negative thoughts. Its a lot easier to do swimming on a sunny day at Kits Pool, but I'm hoping to transfer over those good feelings to the local pool too (though I'm not quite there yet). I keep telling myself I can do this. I have to believe I can and I will keep working at it until that is true. At least as long as Graeme will make workouts for me. And its not that I can't make them myself, but when we makes them for me, I feel like I have to get through it or I'll let him down. When really, he doesn't care. Well that's not really true of course. He wants me to succeed and he's knows I want to get better so he does care. But its not going to change how he feels about me if I can swim or not.

Canada Day Weekend

2009-07-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, Canada Day was on Wednesday, and no, we don't get the whole weekend off, but I made a last minute decision and took the Thursday and Friday off to create a 5 day long weekend/mini-vacation break.

After sleeping in we headed down to the pool. Me to swim and Graeme to run. Of course I had forgotten that the pool didn't open until 10am because it was a holiday. So I sat around for 35 mins before it opened. It was a lovely but blustery morning so it wasn't the worst thing in the world to sit around at Kits Beach and watch the ocean and people. Because we had other plans for the day, I was only able to get in 30 mins in the pool and I was sorry because it felt great!

We got home, fueled and went for a quick Horseshoe Bay bike ride. We've only lived in this area for just over a year and really didn't know anyone when we first moved here. Today all we could talk about was how that's changed. We say 10 people out riding/running etc. Following the bike ride we headed downtown for the Yaletown Grand Prix. There aren't too many bike races left in Vancouver anymore, but this is one of the best. We met some friends and had some patio drinks while watching some of the racing, before meeting up with people from the tri club and then having another patio drink. A lovely way to spend Canada Day.

Friends on Canada Day. My girlfriend J is doing the Seattle to Portland ride this weekend. Good luck!

Bike racing.

Thursday was a very lazy day, but it was mentally needed. I even got dressed for a run, ran 20 mins and then called it a rest day instead. I just was not into it and decided instead to sit in the sun and read while Graeme finished the rest of his 2 hour run. It was the right decision.

Friday was another ride day. I met up with a girl from the club and her fiance and we headed out to Horseshoe Bay again. This time we headed out to the end of the old highway. I haven't ridden out that way yet and the views don't get much better. It was a beautiful day and a great way to spend a few morning hours.

Saturday I decided to ride on my own instead of with the club. I headed out towards UBC and enjoyed another summer day. 3 hours of perfect summer morning riding. And I noticed that the hills which before had seemed long all seem much easier since last weekends mountain climbing. After a short trail run in the evening, I spent the rest of the evening on my sofa watching the Tour. I have already talked about how I'm a huge sports fan and this extends to the Tour. I have been watching and looking forward to July for the Tour for years longer then I have been riding. I was in Paris in 2004 for the final stage of the Tour when Lance won his 6th. Watching that bike race is a little different then a local bike race! They ride by SO quickly its all a blur. My attempt at photos on that day did not result in any shots where you could tell what was actually going on. The photos from Yaletown turned out a lot better. Of course I also have a lot better camera now then I did then.

2 Peaks

2009-06-27T20:55:00.001-07:00

I wasn’t so sure about this ride. Today was the club’s 3 Peaks ride, starting at the regular ride time (8am) which came a little early after having been out the evening before, first for dinner with a friend and then for drinks at another friends. We were home just before midnight. I hadn’t decided how far I would ride or how many of the peaks I would attempt and wanted to just see how the day went.

Starting off from the normal meet up spot with a huge group looking to work, we headed over to Mt Seymour first. Seymour is just over 13 km long (8.2 miles) with over 3000 ft elevation change and an average gradient of 7%. The weather was perfect for it. Not too hot, but sunny. Not having done the climb before I kept a nice even pace and didn’t push outside of my comfort zone too much. There were a few places where turning the pedals was really difficult, but I tried my best to keep my perceived exertion in check. The group was really spread out and I had expected the faster people to start descending long before I reached the peak, but they weren’t that far ahead of me. The descent was so much fun. I am not the best descender but I was just as happy if not more happy with the descent as I was with the climb. We regrouped at the bottom and when I rolled in Graeme was totally surprised to see me already.

Between this climb and the next things didn’t go so well. After waiting for everyone, we headed off and one of the guys got a flat. He had stuck with me on the Penticton ride, so I stayed and “helped” him this time. We thought we’d have to hammer to catch up to the group, but shortly after we were back on the road he got a call from his girlfriend that there had been a crash. Two people had gone down, though no one knew exactly what had happened. The girl was a little rough and had hit her head. The helmet had done its job, but she was still unsure of what had happened, so she rightfully called it a day and had someone pick her up. The guy looked a little rough, but he kept riding.

So, on to Cypress. It turned out that only 3 girls, myself included kept going for this peak. Cypress is 15km (9.4 mi) with 2500 ft elevation (from the base which you have to climb to get to) and an average gradient of 5%. I found this climb a lot harder. Seymour had switchbacks, but Cypress seemed like it was just straight up the hill. Once again I tried to keep in a nice rhythm and just keep turning the pedals. I don’t run or ride with music, but I wished I had some for the last half of this hill. Anything to get my mind of just turning the pedals! When I rolled into the parking lot at the top, Graeme was even more surprised to see me then he had been on the previous climb.

My nice was surprise was that a guy from the club had driven up to the top and had a trunk full of treats. That coke tasted SO good! By now the clouds had rolled in and it was c-c-c-old on top of Cypress. I was NOT looking forward to the descent. The first couple miles were brutal as I tried to hang on with my freezing hands, but then we entered back into the warm air, and in a few more minutes were at the bottom.

At this point I was already over 4 hours of riding, making it my longest ride time wise and I still had to get home, so I decided not to go for the third peak. A group of us split away at the middle of the climb up to the 3rd peak, which is the elevation I live at. In retrospect I wish I had done the last peak as it’s the shortest and because I had fueled well, I still had enough in my legs. But still, a great day and probably my most favourite ride ever. Over 110 km and 7000ft of climbing.

I had brought the camera, but didn’t have time to take pictures, so here are some google images.

View from Mt. Seymour

View from Cypress Lookout (less then halfway up!)

And an elevation map

Time in the bank

2009-06-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

Nothing exciting, but I am getting stronger.

Training roundup

Monday, June 15
35 min swim. Crappy.

June 16
5 mi run

June 17
2 mi run (slowly increasing mileage so adding some short runs);
Just under 50km ride with the club. Felt a little wheezy for the second time (first was on the weekend) but I think its just allergies.

June 18
50 min swim. Once again felt crappy.

June 19
50 min easy lunch time run
About an hour swim. First swim of the Graeme planned workouts. Felt much better. Cool down was COLD though. Gray and drizzly out.

June 20
20 min ride. Started pouring a few mins in and I was already cold. Decided to postpone until Sunday when better weather was forecasted
90 min run. Ankle felt ok, but not great.
20 min swim. Pool schedule online was wrong and got kicked out after 20 mins for closing. I am tired of the local pools and the schedules ALWAYS being wrong.

June 21
Nada. Up early for Graeme’s race and then was exhausted. By the time I recovered it was raining again. So much for that forecast! Graeme and I had a very nice pub lunch though so it was a nice if unproductive day.

June 22
30 min swim. Back was hurting so had to cut it short, but otherwise felt good.

June 23
53 min run. Felt strong.

June 24
20 min am run.
1:40 bike. Was not mentally into it after work etc. but I got it done.

June 25
50 min. Another Graeme planned workout. Another good swim.

June 26
50 min trainer
55 min run
60 min swim

Pavilion Lake Weekend

2009-06-17T13:34:00.003-07:00

As weekends generally are for us, this was another busy and good one. Our friend’s 35th birthday was last week and for the last month or so a group of us have been planning a surprise weekend away at another friend’s cabin at Pavilion Lake, which is between Lillooet and Cache Creek.

We picked up a friend and headed up there Friday after work. We made a quick stop in Whistler to grab dinner and watch the last few minutes of the hockey game (Go Pens!) and were at the cabin by 10:30pm. I was exhausted and didn’t know how late I could stay up. As well, Graeme and I had planned to be out riding at 6am the next day. Well the next car and the car with the birthday boy didn’t arrive until after midnight and bedtime didn’t come until 2:15am, after a number of drinks so we changed the morning plans.

Still I was awake not much after 6, though I slept on and off until around 7am. We got up, ate and were out the door by just after 8am. It was a beautiful morning and was going to be a HOT day. Highs in the lows 30s/mid 90s for you Americans. I was a bit hungover and out of it when we left and forgot to put my Garmin on bike so I had no idea how far or long we had ridden or what my speed was. The fist half of the ride into Cache Creek felt like it was all downhill and I was really not looking forward to the ride back, especially with the day heating up. I told Graeme that I would probably be crying going home.

We got to Cache Creek 1.5 hours and 45 km into the ride and stopped at a gas station to fill up the bottles. Heading back I kept waiting for it to get bad. Now, that’s not say there weren’t hills, but it really was not bad. Yes, there spots where the cliffs blocked any small amount of breeze and the hills felt long and hot, but only one hill felt hard in any way. I have to say I have never felt better at 90km into a ride and I would have gone longer, but Graeme was really not feeling it, likely because he had not eaten well the past few days. Plus the lake really did look inviting!

We spent the rest of the day hanging out on the dock and the boat and inside once the rain and thunder came. I had planned on swimming later in the afternoon with my new wetsuit, but the storm stopped that from happening.

Sunday was a lazy lazy morning but before noon we wetsuited up for a swim in the glacierly cold lake. It took a few times, but I was finally able to swim properly at least around the edge of the lake. When I swam toward the middle of the lake where the water was a lot colder, I still had that take my breathe away feeling and was not able to breathe properly. I think it had less to do with the distance to shore and more to do with how cold the lake is. It’s unlikely I’ll be doing any races in as cold as a lake though. But still while progress was made, more is definitely needed!

After the swim we headed home along a different route. This time going through Cache Creek and along the Fraser Canyon. BC is such a beautiful and diverse place landscape wise and that may need its own post.

The lake

Riding back at the tip of the lake

At the junction to Cache Creek

New Wetsuit!

2009-06-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

Well after a long saga which included four separate trips to the local tri store, I am now the proud owner of a new Blue Seventy Synergie wetsuit (in the right size)!

Now, for more open water swim practice.

What was that again?

2009-06-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

Training, I mean. So, after the work craziness came illness. Which really I shouldn't be too suprised about. My body is not overly fond of being stressed out. At least in the manner it was.

But I am "mended" and did a short 30 min run on Thursday AM. First real workout since the Thursday before. Thursday evening was a 60 min trainer ride, and then Friday a 40 min lunch run.

I seem to have trouble with these colds/flus/sicknesses a lot. I eat well and sleep well and I don't generally feel like I am pushing my body too much. I know stress is a huge part of it, but unfortunately that is just a part of my job, and well, most jobs. I guess the good news is I generally come back with more motivation to train even more/smarter and I feel like I have come to that point again this time.

I'm also obviously not good about posting when i'm not being active!

I'm still around!

2009-06-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

We have just passed a big deadline at work and now I have a chance to get caught up on my life outside of work. Lots of late evenings last week meant my training did suffer, but such is life. I am catching up on regular work which has been put aside the last few weeks but once I am caught up there I will catch up in here.

And just a couple pictures of places I have swam in the last little while.

Second Beach Pool

New Brighton Pool

Kits Pool

Aaaaahhhh Vancouver in the summertime.

Race report number 1 (and the rest of the week)

2009-05-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

I'm back and I survived. Barely, but I did.

Friday Graeme picked up my wetsuit rental and after work we headed to Second Beach pool so I could try it out. I only swam 500m because I really just wanted to see what the wetsuit felt like in the water. It felt awesome and I felt and was way faster. I felt like I was paddling a boat! I left the pool with more confidence about the swim.

We headed over to Shawnigan on Saturday morning. We got on the first ferry and drove straight down to the lake. Checked in at our B&B (which was a little odd, but whatever) and then headed over to the site. I hadn't been feeling great that week and had an upset stomach but we still did a lap of the bike course to see what it was like. After the race meeting we went back to the B&B to get everything organized for race morning. Graeme ran a quick 5km to loosen up his legs and I had a nap to try and calm my stomach. We then headed out for dinner and a couple beers at a cute little brew pub in Duncan.

Sunday morning was up early after a pretty good sleep Saturday night. My stomach felt much better and I really didn't feel that nervous. In some ways I didn't feel like I was racing because I am used to getting up early for Graeme's races and this seemed much the same.

We headed to the race site and Graeme set up his transition. His start was at 7am and mine wasn't until 8:45. After his swim I set up my transition area. Once the Olympic people were in the water warming up (for their 8am start), I did a short short run to loosen the legs. I then starting the process of getting on the wetsuit. It wasn't too bad actually, until I went to zip up. The zipper came up, but it didn't close. A few girls around me looked at it and all said it was broken. I knew I would not get in the water without it, so I decided to look for someone who knew what they were doing. The first random guy I asked was able to get it done up though he did say it was likely broken.

Swim - I'm not sure you can call what I did "swim". I tried to warm up but had a hard time breathing with my face in the water because of the cold. Once the gun went off I tried again but I just couldn't breathe properly. I think it was a combination of nerves and the cold. I tried a few times and then gave up. I thought about quitting at that point but decided I needed to at least get through it to know that I can finish it for next time. So I mostly breaststoked the whole way. There weren't people around me, so I wasn't in danger of kicking anyone. I flipped over on my back a couple times as well to try and calm myself down. I was still far from last out of the swim though.

T1 - Not good. I was mad about the swim and was walking to my area when I gave myself a bit of a butt kick and told myself I could still run there. Getting off the wetsuit wasn't great and there are a few things I could do faster. Still I'm not bothered about the slow transitions because it was my first race.

Bike - The bike was good. I could have gone a bit faster I think as I had too many concentration lapses, but I pushed and passed a lot of people and was only passed by one girl on the bike (she was FAST). I am happy overall with this segment. I averaged 30.0km and I am sure I can do better, but I was working.

T2 - My stuff I had laid out had been kicked all around and my towel was somehow on top of everything. Slow again, but oh well.

Run - I hadn't worn socks and I paid for it here. I really thought I could go under 25 mins but I ran a 26:05. I don't think I pushed hard enough though the blisters were part of that. It was a lot of false flats and on a loose trail. The loose trail didn't help my feet either. I have 2 really bad ripped blisters on the inside of my arches and 2 non-burst on the outside of both feet.

But its done. And it can get better.

I wasn't tired at all when I crossed the finish line, which annoyed me. As I started to walk back to my transition area I saw Graeme and knew that wasn't good. I ran over to see what had happened.

His derailleur snapped at 80km and went into his spokes. He didn't bail luckily but it looks like his frame is toast. He had just picked it up from the shop after getting it tuned. Oh, and his headset slid down as he rode too. We brought it back to the shop on the way home. I hope they do something for him. We have a good relationship with the guys there. The owner wasn't in but the guy who looked at it felt they should give him something for it. Poor guy was on his way to a sub 2:30 bike split and is not happy. Well he's more upset about the bike then the race but he is upset about both.

Graeme obviously didn't want to wait around until noon when the buses starting running again, so I rode my bike back to the B&B to pick up the car. While he was waiting on the road for me Simon Whitfield (who swam for 2 relays and rode for one) came over and talked to him and commiserated with him about his bike. He also said he thought the bike course was brutal which makes me feel slightly better!

So as of Monday morning my only soreness is in my groin area. It has bothered me before but it is worse today. I have no soreness or tiredness in my legs which tells me I didn't go hard enough. It was definitely a learning experience! As soon as I have my own wetsuit (the one I rented doesn't fit that well so they ordered in a different one for me) there will be a lot of lake and ocean swimming happening.

The rest of the week wasn't good workout wise. I didn't feel great and it was a cut back week which ended up being cut back even more. Hopefully the groin and blisters will be ok as I want the next 3 weeks to be big training wise.

May Long Weekend and more

2009-05-19T06:54:00.000-07:00

As with most Monday's recently, I was pretty tired after the Penticton weekend. But, I didn't feel totally trashed and I made the decision to not make this week a cutback week andinstead to push it out a week. This was for two reason - first - I have a tendency to get sick and/or injured and it doesn't seem to have much to do with training volume - so while I was feeling pretty good, I decided to go with it. The second reason comes later in the post.

Still Monday turned out to be a rest day. I hadn't really planned it that way, but Graeme decided to take a rest day and there aren't too many evenings we both have off, so we relaxed and watched some TV.

Tuesday morning we headed to the 50m pool before work. 45 min swim and it felt pretty good. That evening was 50 mins on the trainer watching the Canucks suck it up and get knocked out for the season.

Wednesday and Thursday were morning runs of 40 and 50 mins respectively. Neither pace was anything to write home about, but my ankle held up which made me happy.

Friday was another morning run of 45 mins and then a 30 min bike after work. I was feeling a bit off and woblly so I decided to turn back. If I hadn't been riding in traffic I might have continued, but I just didn't feel too stable and didn't want to risk it.

Saturday I did a 3hr ride with a girlfriend. She hadn't riden in North Vancouver before so we went out to Whytecliff Park then out to Cates Park before heading back towards my place. We ended up passing Graeme and a couple guys finishing up from the club ride and Graeme joined us for the ride home. He made a suggestion to try out this funny popsicle (actually "fruitsicle) place we have ridden by many times but never tried. The bars are all full of fruit and only have a teaspoon of sugar each and are SO good. It totally hit the spot. The store is the distribution centre but sells individually out of the front. The name is MaxFruit and I would definitely recommend it if you are in the area.

Sunday morning was the first swim on the year at Kits Pool. It was a nice day, but we were there at 10am and I was so not excited about jumping in. It turned out that I had nothing to worry about. I think it was warmer then any day last year! I had been looking forward to this swim for months and I think it was better then expected. At least after I got used to the saltiness and the gross sea taste after the first few laps. I don't remember it being that bad before! Swimming the 137.5m pool made me realize how much I use the wall as a crutch. I hope swimming more at Kits over the next few months will help me push myself to swim longer distances when I'm not there.

The afternoon was spent helping set up for the tri the club puts on. Lots of lifting and twisting and squating and I was sore! Graeme and I still had to run though. I had 80 mins planned and trudged through 76 slow mins. The previous weeks' training and the race set up had my poor body exhausted. We were in bed early Sunday night but unfortunately neither Graeme or I slept well. And then we were up just before 5am Monday morning. Graeme was picked up at 5:20 and I headed down to the race at 6. Volunteering is fun, but tiring! We left at 2pm and were both on our feet the whole time. The race went well and the weather just held out with a small sprinkling at the end of the race. It was lucky as a couple of hours later the downpour started!

So another Monday "rest day" but my body does not feel like it today! My shoulders and biceps feel like I had a hard weights workout and my legs feel like I did squats!

So, this week is a cutback week. As I mentioned I pushed it out one week for two reasons, the second being I am actually signed up for my first tri this weekend. I am nervous! It took a while to hit submit, but its done. Graeme will be racing the half and I will be doing the sprint. I can't wait! Its a weird mixture of nerves and excitment and just wanting the first one to be done and also wanting to enjoy the race! So I guess an actual race report will be showing up at some point on this blog.

Penticton Weekend

2009-05-11T06:31:00.000-07:00

Friday was a half day for me and a full vacation day for Graeme. We started off the day with a swim at the Aquatic Centre before I headed to work for the morning. Graeme did his ride and packed up the car before picking me up and heading out at lunchtime.

After an ok but pretty slow drive (including some wet snow driving through one of the high mountain passes!) we arrived to the motel in Penticton around 5:30. We headed out for a run before meeting up with a bunch of people from the tri club. In past years apparently the club has booked out the entire motel, but that is not the case anymore. Still, there was a good turnout and we had the entire bottom of the motel. Luckily I don't think anyone else was staying there as there was lots of activity in the courtyard. We headed over to a local pub for dinner and then sat out in the courtyard until close to 11. Pretty late for a bunch of early risers!

We were up and ready to ride for 8am on Saturday morning. We had 4 support vehicles which was such a luxury. 3 of the vans had Gatorade, water, coke and snacks, and I put some sunscreen in a couple vehicles just in case. After photos we headed out, and 3km into the ride I had my first flat. Yes, ever. Very very luckily for me, 2 really nice guys stayed back. I am sure I could have fixed it myself, but I have never done this ride before, and I'd probably have been heading back to the hotel. After we got the tire changed (which yes, one of the guys very nicely did for me!) we decided to do a pace line and see if we could catch up to the rest of the group. I felt bad that they were missing the group so I pulled as much and as hard as I could. I had no idea I was working them as hard as I was, but later that night they were bugging me about hammering and that they were going pretty much all out. I wasn't planning on riding the whole IMC course and they were and when they realized that they decided to slow the pace a bit. Along the way we picked up another girl from the group (the gf of one of the guys) and then we eventually caught up to the main group at the first rest stop in Osoyoos. 2 hours of hard riding later.

After shedding some layers and shoving some food (but not enough!) down, we left Osoyoos and headed up over Richter Pass. It is a loooong climb. Over 9km of steady uphill. I didn't find it too bad though, as the incline is steep, but not too steep that you can't keep turning your pedals. I was well within the main group the whole climb, but lost everyone on the downhill. Apparently I need some desending pratice. And a bag of rocks Graeme says. Though there were smaller girls in the group who had no issues speeding down the hill!

After Richter there are 7 rollers before getting to Keremeos. I actually wished there was more uphill. I would make up some time to the group on each uphill and then lose most of what I had made up on the downhill. I was on my own this entire stretch and that definitely hurt my concentration. I eventaully realized I was hungry and ate all the rest of the food I had in my jersey. That was a big help and I rolled into Keremeos not too long after the main group. That was it for me though. I hadn't planned on going any further and I didn't. In retrospect I am sure I could have ridden the whole thing - especially with more fuel. But still, I am happy with the 112km and 3:53 of riding I did do. I got a ride back from Keremeos in one of the support vehicles and relaxed in the sun with a few other people who had headed back early.

Saturday evening was a BBQ in the courtyard with salads and dessert provided by the club. And a bunch of draw prizes. I had been talking about how I never win anything, but this time I did! A gift certificate for 30 min massage therapy - and I'm pretty sure I won it because of my flat. But hey, I'll take it! After dinner we pulled a TV outside and all sat around and watched the Canucks game - which unfortunately they lost. It was still a great evening though.

Sunday morning we slept in though I was up before my alarm went at 7 (which I had meant to turn off). Graeme and I went and grabbed some breakfast and read in the sunshine for a bit before heading a couple hundred meters from the motel to the finish line of the local 10 miler which a few club members ran. After cheering them all in we finished packing up and started to head home.

We stopped at the in-laws on the way back, changed and went for a run, then had a mothers day dinner there before heading home. I only managed 12.5km on my run, mainly because I was starving. The ankle wasn't great, but it did warm up as I ran. Of course it wasn't too happy when I woke up this morning!

Where does time go?

2009-05-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

All of a sudden I haven't written in almost 2 weeks. Again. It's more that too much is going on and there just hasn't been time. Work is busy, training is going mostly well, and then I am involved in a couple other things, both work and personal related. I am actually feeling a bit overextended at the moment, but it is all my own doing. I need to learn how to say no better. Still life is good. I'm going to post all my workouts for my own records (I mean not that people really read this anyway aside from 2 or 3 faithfuls) so the actual dialogue will be short, therefore making it boring to read, and definitely not garnering me any more readers!

So.

Mon Apr 27 - Off

Tues Apr 28 - 50 min run. Ankle wasn't great, but ok.

Wed Apr 29 - 80 min bike on my own as I was too late for the club ride (which is normal because they start too early for me with work)

Thu - Run 15 min. Ankle wasn't happy so I turned around. Bike 45 mins on the trainer I think.

Fri - Swim 45 mins at the 50m pool. Run 43 mins with ankle still not great.

Sat - Bike 3:27 with the Club. Hard hard ride. My legs were not feeling it. Split off at the half way point again as Graeme's calf was bugging him. 35 min swim in the afternoon.

Sun - 50 min swim, 32 min run. Again with the ankle issue

Mon - Rest - and a chiro appt for more work on the ankle and more work on my hip/groin area. 10 min run after chiro but decided it was not a good idea.

Tue - 90 mins on trainer watching the Canucks game

Wed - 50 min run which felt ok, 20 min swim. I was having reflux issues for a few days and swimming and reflux apparently do not go well together!

Thu - 40 min run in the am another 90 mins on the trainer watching the Canucks game

And yet another thrilling update!

Beautiful days

2009-04-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

There are certain days that remind you why you live in Vancouver. Not that this city is ever bad, but on a blue sky day when everyone and their dog is out enjoying the sunshine and the ocean and city and mountains are all glistening it somehow makes you whole body relax in a "there's no place like home" way.

The heel thing has been on and off, but I still managed to get in some good training leading up to and on the weekend.

Wednesday - I decided to try out the leg. I did 4 x 15 mins on the trainer, getting off after every 15 mins to walk around for a minute and make sure everything felt ok. It wasn't getting worse and that was good enough for me.

Thursday - 32 min run. Not great, but it was beautiful out which made up for it. Chilly, but the sunrise on the Lions was awesome. I wish I had my camera.

In the evening I rode 20 miles out towards Horseshoe Bay. I didn't feel as strong as I thought I would. Graeme says I hadvn't been on my bike enough and that is definitely part of it. But i am having a hard time rationalizing what an ok number of hours is to train when I don't have an event like Ironman which makes the hours realistic. Not that my hours are anywhere near IM hours.

Friday - 5.1 mi run in 45 mins which is a great pace for me, especially on a hilly run. And in more sunshine! Followed by a crappy swim which I cut short after only 20 mins. It wasn't feeling good. I had to swim in the fast lane as the slow was way too slow and I couldn't really keep up. I was frustrated and embarassed and PMS got the best of me and I left. Then of course I felt worse after. I hope that is a lesson learned but I seem to do that way too often when it comes to swimming.

Saturday - First ride with the tri club. I did the first half of my ride with them (28 mi in 1:28). I was working hard to stay with the fast group, but I managed. I had thought they were going a lot father so I split off from them on Iona and headed back. Of course going home there was no drafting. I tried to keep working as hard as I had been in the group and made the reverse trip of about 33 mi in 1:45ish. Ish as my bike computer is dead and I had my Garmin with me only to have the Garmin battery die at the half way point. I checked the time at the halfway though and then did mapmyride for the distance home (its not exactly the same route back). Total of 3:15 ish and 61 mi. Whatever hurt my left heel on the previous ride, decided to also make my right heel hurt. So now both are bad! It's a very weird pain in that it comes and goes both during riding and when I'm not riding. I need to have Graeme watch me spin on the trainer so he can see if there is anything obvious.

Later Saturday I went for a swim, but I was just tired. The swim wasn't too bad, but I only had 35 mins in me.

Sunday - Up early again and headed out for 40 min run at 9mm pace prior to helping my youngest brother move out of his dorm room. When I got back I headed up for a quick ride for just about 22 miles. It needed to be short as my in-laws were coming over for dinner. My stomach had been upset all day and the ride wasn't an exception. At the turn around I had 3 Clif blok shots and amazingly my stomach felt fine the whole way home. I need to cross the border to the US and stock up on blok shots and Clif bars. We have them here, but not in all the flavours, and the bloks here don't have caffeine or extra sodium, both of which I like.

A new freestyle?

2009-04-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

Interesting article on Michael Phelps new freestyle. I wonder what the change will be?

At least its my favourite colour

2009-04-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

Well there hasn't been too much to update about recently, and this is why.

That is kiniseo tape. In bright turquoise.

Following my long ride on Good Friday, I had some soreness on the outside of my achilles. It was a bit annoying, but really not that bothersome. I had run the next 3 days including a 10 mile run and it had been fine. I ran again on Wednesday morning and in general it was one of those runs where you have weird aches and pains everywhere, but the achilles wasn't too bad overall.

But when I got home from work on Wednesday evening, it was not good. And it hasn't been since. So all that has happened since last Wednesday is swimming. And not even a lot of it because I wasn't feeling that well at the end of last week. But, I do feel like my swimming is coming along. Now I just need to build my swimming muscles more.

Monday evening I went to my lovely chiro office and my chiro thinks its probably not my achilles at all. I also had some tightness higher up in my calf and he thinks its the muscle/tendon that runs down the outside of my leg and then splits at the ankle. So that is why the tape. Yesterday it felt a bit odd and I got lots of funny looks and questions both at the pool and work, but it does seem to help. I can feel while walking that it doesn't allow that muscle to fully contract. So its on for a couple days and everything does feel much better today. I may try to spin on the trainer tonight and see if it holds up and if it does, then I'll ride outside.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

After work and swimming on Thursday we headed to Victoria to see my mom and brother for Easter weekend. My youngest brother was supposed to come with us but was sick and decided not to come home.

I had been exhausted all week and the weekend reflected that. Although good workout wise, I really did little else except sleep and eat. But I guess that is needed every once in a while. And really, what else is a long weekend for?

Friday we did a long ride. I really hadn't planned on riding too far, but ended up with 51mi/81km is just under 3:20mins. Which meant it was sloooow. It was a hilly twisty ride and I hadn't felt that great when I had woken up. I felt like I had sickness in my legs, which I know sounds odd but they just didn't want to turn over and the lethargy from the week continued. The ride ended up being so long because I listened to Graeme and didn't turn around at my halfway time point. He said that the loop ended just ahead and that the going back route was more direct. He was right on one part, but the additional distance until the turn around meant I rode way further than originally intended.

Saturday morning I was tired again after not having slept well again on Friday night. Still I managed to run 45 mins at 8:53 pace for 5.07mi. One of my fastest non flat runs ever. I felt much better after the run, but still ended up falling asleep during the hockey game. The Canucks won and clinched the division! There is playoff fever around these parts! We went to the local to my mom's pool before dinner. I used to teach swimming there in high school (yes, I could swim at one point - though not lengths - just with good form from above the water) and its weird to be back each time we go. I swam the longest I have swam there since I was 16 and it felt great.

Sunday was another run/swim day but it started with a swim. This time we headed to Commonwealth Pool. The last time we were there at Christmas the water felt freezing. I am swimming more continuously now though and had no issues with the temperature. After getting home from Victoria I went for a 45 min run. I had planned on doing my long run, but just was not up to it and decided to push it to Monday instead.

Today was back to work. At least for me if not for most people. While I was at work (for a short day as I worked through lunch and left early) Graeme did lots of cleaning and laundry. I then went for my long run (10 mi - the longest in way way way too long) and Graeme bought stuff for dinner, prepared it, and once I got home barbequed it. And he didn't stop there. He cleaned my whole bike including my chain and cassette. He makes a great house husband!

Back at home

2009-04-09T19:54:00.000-07:00

We got home to actual good weather! After a nap and some food, I headed out for my long run in the evening. It was 17C/63F. Nothing to complain about for somewhere that had snow while we were away (in April! that is ridiculous!). I did a 90 min/9.16 mi run as I knew it would help me get to sleep and hopefully start me on a good sleep pattern. It worked and Sunday night I had a great sleep.

Back to work on Monday to a whole host of changes I don't want to get into, but needless to say, the changes led to a sleepless night on Monday. So much for getting back to a good sleep pattern! The rest of the week wasn't much better and the first half of the weeks working out was definitely affected. A combination of work stress, work lunches and work related evening functions doesn't help!

To recap
Mon - 40 min swim including 30 min lesson. I think this lesson really helped
Tue - Off
Wed - 45 min run. I was supposed to do the group ride with the tri club but couldn't get out of work in time. I managed to get a 45 min run in before heading to the club social. Met some nice people.
Thu - 45 min swim after work

More photos!

2009-04-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

New to me Tahitian beer

Outside Lava Java

Kona Brew Pub Sampler

Natural Energy Lab

Flowers!

Kona Town

King Kamehameha

Kona Aquatics

Waikaloa - Kings Trail Petroglyphs (way less windy then the ride day!)

Hawi

Gecko friends!

Yum.

Driving through lava fields!

Coming to a close

2009-04-05T17:49:00.000-07:00

I am not one of those people that is glad vacation is over and is "ready to go home". If I could I would probably add a week, heck a year on to every vacation. There is always more to do, more to see, and of course more relaxing to be had.

We returned the bikes on Thursday which meant Friday and Saturday were a bit more mellow in the workout department. Running and swimming on both days. And of course more beach, eating and drinking. I really enjoyed the Kona Brew Company. Both the beers, which were excellent and the food which we ate two nights.

I don't even want to get into what a gong show the airport was leaving Kona. No need to relive the 3 hours of waiting to check in and almost missing our flight (along with about half the plane). Thankfully we got our connecting flight from LA and made it home on time.

Some pictures (more following!)

Yummy bbq dinner and beer at our place

Surfing at Banyanz in front of our place

Sunset (you guessed it, in front of our place)

Place of Refuge

On the way to Place of Refuge

Riding on the Queen K and going nowhere

2009-04-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

After Tuesday's ride I was a little concerned about trying the same ride just 2 days later. I really had no idea how my legs would hold up. Starting off I held back a bit but eventually my legs did warm up. The weather was once again a mixture of sun and cloud, but with more cloud this time. The weather seemed like it was ideal for the first part of the ride. But that didn't last long. Soon the wind picked up. And I mean real wind. I got scared every time a large truck sped by that I'd end up in the lava or the guardrail. I have never felt my bike skip to the side like that. I was scared to ride in the drops at all. Still the worst was yet to come. About 18 miles in the wind turned from the side to a straight on headwind. Throwing all notions of conserving energy out the window, I was pedaling as hard as I could, downhill and turning out an impressive 8-10 mph. I told Graeme to go ahead because his pedaling backwards to wait for me to get in his draft was way worse mentally then what I was facing on my own. I was so so thankful to see the palms which signaled the entrance to the resort and was really hoping the wind kept blowing in the same direction. I couldn't imagine doing that for another 27 miles.

After the same drink/sunscreen ritual we headed back. And while I had never worked so hard going downhill on the way out, I was rewarded with the tailwind on the way back. It felt really nice to go 28mph uphill with no effort - and to pass Graeme while doing so.

Still I was glad when the ride was over and unlike Tuesday I definitely did not feel like I could ride another few hours. Total - 55 mi/88 km in 3:25.

My longest ride!

2009-04-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning was up early for a ride out to Waikaloa. I have never ridden this long before and was a bit nervous about it, but Graeme told me I would be fine and I really had no choices other than believe him or not go and have wasted money on the bike rentals. We made a good breakfast at home then headed out shortly after 7am. It was mostly sunny, but luckily for my very pale skin the clouds were here and there, which along with the 50 SPF sunscreen kept me from going pink.

I practiced trying to stay in Graeme's draft. I have never ridden in a group before but we have joined the local tri club and so there will be group riding in my future and I both needed the practice and needed to conserve some energy to be sure that I made it home. The way out was really not that bad though I worried pretty much the whole time that coming back would be hard. The last 15 miles or so in to Waikaloa seemed like they were all downhill. In Waikaloa we stopped and refilled our bottles, had iced lattes (my favourite time to have them is mid/post ride!) and reapplied sunscreen. The short break made the ride back seem way less daunting. I wanted to take some pictures on the way back which would also serve as a quick breaks.

From the scenic view point

For whatever reason, on the way back it seemed like there was a lot more up and down while the way out had seemed all downhill. I was certainly not going to complain about that!

We had been told by some tourists to watch out for the lava tunnel, which we somehow had missed completely on our way out. When we came upon it on the way back, we also ran into 3 cyclists. They asked immediately if we were Canadian, which I attribute to our "lack of American accents" (and probably the fact that I am so white) and we discovered that the daughter of the couple had graduated from the same high school as me. And it's not a big school - my grad class has 132 students! Small world!

So, total for the ride was 55mi/88km in 3:20. And I really felt like I could have ridden another few hours.

We relaxed, played around in the waves and then ran. And the run was NOT pretty for me. The combination of the heat and dead legs made it tough. But I slogged it out. Even with the a combination of running and walking (at the end) I ended up at a 9:33 pace for the 30 min run.

Wednesday was a lighter day with a 30 min run, which felt way better than the day before, and a 36 min ride to the bike store and back to get the tires pumped up. And of course more playing in the waves!

Kona - the first few days

2009-03-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

We arrived into Kona on Saturday evening around 7:30 local time. We headed straight to the hotel to check in and to change into more Hawaii appropriate clothing before heading out to dinner. We had dinner and a couple drinks at a restaurant on Ali'i overlooking the bay and got back to the hotel about 10:00. Yes, that was by far our latest night out.

Sunday morning was up early and brunch at Lava Java before heading up to Waikaloa resort to watch the Lavaman race. Chris McCormack was the winner for the men and Lisa Mensink (Canadian girl) won for the women.

While the weather was fine for the pros and fast finishers, the wind really picked up while the faster people were running and the rest of the people were still out on the bike. Driving back to Kona I felt awful for some of the slower people still out on the bike course. I said to Graeme that if it was me out there I would probably be crying. Some of the slowest finishers were in the 5:30+ range for an Olympic. It was a tough day.

The rest of the day included a 30 min run which was way harder then it should be due to the fact that I had gone from running in cold to 80 and humid and then a 30 min swim that I was just not into. Well, I was into floating around in the pool and was in there for 45 mins, but only about 30 counted as actual swimming. I love swimming outdoors though and the Kona Aquatics pool is not only outdoors (of course) but free! I just had a vacation mind set which I really don't feel too badly about.

Monday we played in the ocean and explored some of the local sites including the Place of Refuge. We had to wait until later on Monday to pick up rental bikes as most of theirs were out for the race on Sunday. I rode a Cannondale Synapse and Graeme had a Trek. Both bikes were heavier then our own, but were still comfortable. After picking up the bike we went for a short but hilly ride down Ali'i and straight up Kam III and up and up and up! 46 mins going up and 22 coming back down. Even coming down wasn't that fast as the wind was coming straight in off the ocean. It was nice to ride without a million layers on but the change in temperatures and the hill climbing had a literal stream of sweat running off my face!

Me trying to look strong looking down over the bay.

Monday evening was relaxing and of course eating and drinking. No vacation would be right without both of these!

Vacation time!

2009-03-28T08:54:00.001-07:00

Well in about an hour we head to the airport to go to Hawaii and I am SO looking forward to it. We will have the laptop so there may be an update while we are there.

I wasn't feeling that great on Thursday/Friday so I did my 45 min trainer ride on Thursday morning then skipped the swim on Thursday evening. I ended up doing that swim on Friday morning but then skipping the run on Friday evening. I had wanted to run at lunch on Friday and had brought my stuff. Only to realize after getting to the gym and when I was already partially dressed (on the bottom) that I had forgot a sports bra. One of those days I guess. Its apparent my brain needs a break!

A mid-week update

2009-03-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

Almost half way through the work week and only a few more days until we're on vacation! So this week is a rest week workout wise and next week is a rest week brain wise!

To recap the last few days...

Saturday - nada. My back was not happy when I got up. At 5am. We were supposed to be skiing but there was no way it was happening. I ended up lying on the floor for a few hours. Luckily I got an appointment with my chiro and she did some graston on it and released a lot of the muscle tension. It's not 100% but the pain is now lower down and more manageable. It was a painful session and left me with little parallel lines on either side of my spine. The subsided quickly though.

Sunday - back was feeling much better, but I still didn't want to risk riding outside. Instead I did a brick of 90 mins on the trainer followed by a 30 min run outside. The run included what I think is my fastest mile yet (7:47) with 5K in 25:30 and then a cool down to 30 mins for an overall pace of 8:30. It felt really good. And I was warm! More sunshine on my legs! Later that afternoon I swam for 40 mins.

Monday - 40 min swim including a 30 min lesson. I have so much to work on! I really like this coach though and feel like i will be able to make some progress. Apparently I look like I should be going faster then I am. That's helpful!

Tuesday - 30 min run in the am. Legs were dead. I felt like my left leg just didn't want to come around. I did 15 mins on stretching and rolling after which really helped. Yesterday evening was 45 mins on the trainer with 3x8 min hard intervals.

Wednesday - 30 min run after work. A lot better than Tuesday's run. Pace was about 9:12. Followed the run by a 40 min swim. I was really trying to incorporate what I've been taught in the lessons and can feel some lengths are really good and others are not. I think with more time I will be able to put it together. At least better then it is now!

I really need to pack! I feel like I have no summer clothes that aren't workout clothes. I guess its a good thing we are planning on this being a very active vacation.

Finishing the work week off on a high note

2009-03-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

Literally!

I had planned to have Graeme drop me off on the north shore side of the bridge after work. I started at the bottom of the Capilano River Trail and ran up, up, up to the top of the Cleveland Dam.

On top of the Cleveland Dam

Me giddy not only to be running on a trail after work but in SUNSHINE! I had sun on my legs! So not just sun, but not freezing cold and sun.

I then ran down on the road to home. Total of just under 7.4 m in 75 mins. The trail miles were about 2 mins per mile slower than the road miles, but so much more enjoyable. I am so glad I had a good run. My workouts this week have been lagging and I wasn't sure I'd even be able to run the whole thing and had visions of having to walk out of the canyon (ok, not quite that bad), but I felt strong. Being on the trail really energized me. Of course the mile up the hill back home didn't feel great, but I'll be shocked the first day it does.

Other workouts this week:

Mon - 45 min run. I felt trashed after.

Tues - 90 mins on the trainer. After the crappy run on Monday I was worried about this, but it actually felt great.

Wed - 30 min swim am. Was supposed to be 40 but my back has been bothering me since the fall. 40 min run after work. It was supposed to be easy, but it was not. I was done after. But my in-laws were over for dinner so no early bed time.

Thu - Off.. I was exhausted and skipped both workouts.

Fri - Swam this am in lieu of yesterday's skipped swim workout. We went to the 50m pool before work. I felt like I was barely moving forward but Graeme says I looked fluid and good. Who knows. We had time after to have breakfast together before work which was really nice.

March Madness

2009-03-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

So, its not something I have talked about on here, but I am a HUGE sports fan. Growing up I had thoughts of becoming a sports broadcaster. I watch everything. My favourite team are the Canucks, and my favourite sport to watch is NFL, but the best thing in sports and one of my favourite times of year is the NCAA tournament. I am the oldest of 4 and have 3 younger brothers and we all look forward to the Madness. My picks are in and the first games are under way. I am serious about my bracketology but this year wasn't able to give it the same time and research. I am sure that will have an effect on my standings. Based on what's going on in the first few games, I may be out of luck from the start. Last year I was second but that's already looking like a longshot right now.

Even if you are not a big fan, being involved in a pool gives you a lot more ownership of the games and in general makes the tournament more exciting. We'll be away for the final week of the tournament and you can bet my inside downtime will be spent watching it on TV - as pretty much every spring break of my school career was.

More exploring

2009-03-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

This morning I explored more of the Capilano River Trail, heading north from Park Royal Mall. Although next time I would park closer and spend more time on the trail, it was still a great run. The first few kms were spent really getting into the trail and it was mostly flat road/trail. After passing the backside of the suspension bridge, the trail became more technical, but still not difficult. There were quite a few runners and walkers out, but not enough to make it feel crowded. Lots of stairs and bridges and great views. Even though it was a very wet morning, the canopy of the forest kept me from getting soaked.

From the lookout down the canyon. There was lots of mist hanging over the river.

About 100 ft from my car, I slipped on wet leaves and went down hard on rough pavers. Thankfully no really bad damage, but a very bruised and cut hip, bruised and scratched shin (through tights!) and both knees bruised. I drove home, took 2 ibuprofen and iced everything. So the run was cut 10 mins short and was only 70 instead of 80 mins and I didn't swim but it could have been a lot worse.

It was a busy week work wise, but my workouts were good and definitely helped with the work stress.

Monday - 4 mile run after work. Beautiful and clear but COLD. Still lots of snow around but it had warmed up and the snow was sparkling on the trees. Pretty much right after I did a 45 min swim including a 30 min lesson. The lesson was really good. I have a lot to work on, but I really felt it was beneficial and I will be taking more of them.

Tuesday - 60 min trainer ride including some 5 and 10 min intervals.

Wednesday - 5 mile run at sunset. My legs managed to be tired, sore (shins) and strong feeling all at once.

Thursday - 45 min trainer am, 45 min swim pm. Lots of focus on everything from my swim lesson

Friday - 35 min run after work. Skipped my swim. Was at the hospital late on Thursday evening to visit my friend her baby in the neo-natal unit (baby is doing well now) and was exhausted.

More winter?!?

2009-03-09T14:47:00.001-07:00

It's true. Winter is back. Cold temperatures and snow. Normal highs for this time of year are around 10/50. I would love for normal right now. In 45 minutes yeterday afternoon we got well over an inch of snow where we live. And it snowed more overnight. And more again today. Graeme is really hoping the roads don't get too salted or sanded as they have just recovered from all the December/January snow and he has a lot of riding to do in the next few months.

Friday
45 min run - even though I was slightly hungover from a work function the night before I got out and got it done.

20 min swim after work. This was meant to be 45 mins but I got home from work late and didn't realize public swim at the pool starts at 7:30 on Fridays. So 15 mins with lanes and another 5 mins without before we were chased out of the pool by diving kids.

Saturday
7.5 mi run. The longest is a long time. It took a while to get in a groove, but I eventually got there. I did some more discovering of some local trails and have no idea why I haven't run there before. There will be lots of trail running there from now on.

15 min swim. My back was bothering me and I didn't want to push it. Still a good amount of swimming for the week when I haven't been in a while.

Sunday
1:40 bike ride. Even though it was cold yesterday, I bundled up and went out for a ride. This was before the snow arrived! It was hard and slow. I think my body was using up too many calories trying to stay warm and I ended up having to stop at a little corner store for a chocolate bar. I did feel much better after that. I stopped to take some photos with my blackberry. The ocean was incredibly sparkling and blue. I think it was too bright for the poor blackberry camera because the photos didn't turn out at all. After taking the pictures I put my bb back in my pocket and rode away. I hit a little bump a couple hundred meters up the road and my bb flew out of my back pocket and smashed on the road. The battery flew out but somehow when I put it back together it was fine. And there is only a minor scuff on the plastic. I am lucky no one was driving behind me or else it probably would have been run over.

Even though it was a cold hard ride, it was still a victory for me. Last year I would have just gotten on the trainer. I am making a point of getting outside when I can. Even if its cold and I'm by myself.

The best part of the weekend? We booked a trip to Hawaii and leave in less than 3 weeks! The vacation needed to be somewhere Graeme could keep training so there will be lots of riding, running and swimming. And of course relaxing. With this most recent blast of winter I am really looking forward to it. I just hope I don't blind anyone with my incredible whiteness.

Feeling normal

2009-03-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like being sick to make you appreciate how good "normal" feels. I have been back to normal for a few days now and I am so thankful. Thankful that the mystery sickness wasn't more serious and thankful that I am able to do what I love to do. I am a much nicer and happier person when I working out. Now, this doesn't mean I feel thrilled to do every workout. I am a regular person. I get tired, cranky and lazy just like the next person. But I know that I feel much better after I have worked out. And I know that I gain a sense of fulfillment from being able to push myself and work toward getting better at something. It is not easy for me. I am not a natural runner and didn't grow up swimming laps, but I crave the feeling of accomplishment and enjoy pushing myself toward a goal.

I did my first "workout" last Thursday. It was a 15 minute run that felt awful. I don't think I was really up to it quite yet. Friday I did 3 miles which still felt way too hard for how short and not fast it was. Saturday I ran 40 minutes and just over 4 miles. It was hard too, but I made it through it. Of course my left calf is still giving me some grief and I had to walk up some of the hill back home. Well that and my 2 week layoff has really made me feel out of shape. I have a point on the outside of my left calf that had a slight bruise even before I started self massage on it. That was a little scary, but I am pretty sure its nothing as it didn't get any worse.

Sunday started the real turn around. 30 min swim. I kept it short as it had been so long since I had been in the pool. But it felt really good. My body position somehow felt better. Monday was another 45 min swim which again felt good. I don't know why it happens but whenever I've had a layoff for whatever reason from the pool, the first few swims back always feel good. Of course the few swims after that I feel like I am flailing around.

Graeme told me many times when I was sick that I would come back even more motivated. He has had an ear surgery each of the last 3 years which have resulted in layoffs from all exercise from 2-6 weeks. He said each time he was able to come back, he just felt so much more desire and motivation to work as hard as he could. I doubted him, and it may be too early to tell, but I think he may be on to something.

The rest of the workouts so far this week have gone like this.

Tuesday - 90 min trainer
Wednesday - 40 min run (calf was sore, but I pushed through and it didn't get worse), 45 min swim
Thursday - 45 min trainer

And hopefully I'll keep on a roll. And stay healthy!

The Mystery Illness

2009-02-25T10:24:00.000-08:00

Well I'm still sick. I have had bloodwork and urine sampling done twice including during a trip to the ER on Friday when the pain in my stomach became unbearable. After being there for 3 hours and being told it would be at least an hour before the blood results would be ready and longer to see a doctor, we left. The pain had dissipated and we live a few blocks from the hospital so I felt that if it got worse, it would be easy to go back. Plus my mom is a doctor so I wanted to call her and get her opinion. I followed up with an appointment at the clinic on Saturday for an abdominal exam to make sure that it wasn't necssary to go back to the hospital. Then I had an appointment at my own doctors on Monday.

Anyway, the results on the blood and urine from the ER visit have come back normal. I am still tired, lightheaded, and my lower back/kidney area is still sore. Both my mom and my own doctor think it could possibly be/have been a kidney stone. I'm not sure that the normal blood/urine means that it wasn't, but I will be calling my mom.

So, yes, no training. And while I really really want to get back to it, I actually do not feel guilty about not having done anything. I just know that I have not and am not physically able to do anything. Hopefully I will be able to soon though. Spring is definitely on its way and I want to be out there.

A productive week

2009-02-20T06:51:00.001-08:00

Was not what I had. My total sum of working out for the last week? Zero. Yes, that's right, nothing. I have the sickness. It's a strange one too. It seems like everyone in Vancouver has been sick the last few weeks. Though thankfully it is on its last stages and I think there may be a workout today.

I have tried a couple times but with no success. I put on my running clothes (including my new Lululemon running jacket) and headed out on Sunday morning. 5 minutes in and I knew it wasn't happening. So I turned around and walked home, hoping I didn't fall over before I got there. I did manage 2 short walks that day. I had to get outside. The weather has of course been beautiful all week. Sunny skies and highs of 10-12 (low 50s). The rest of the week I have had stomach pain (still not 100% there), a cough, weakness, and just general blahs. A coworker did say I looked a lot peppier yesterday, and I felt it too. Still not up to trying anything, but I will try today.

I am hoping the week off has at least meant some healing time for my calves and hamstring. Something positive out of it would be great.

Muscle cramping

2009-02-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

It seems that a lot of the issues I have been having lately pertain to muscle cramping. My calves being the obvious one, but my right hamstring went into full cramp during last Saturday night. And has been threathening to cramp pretty muc every night since. As well every time I swim my feet start to cramp about 1200m in.

At my chiro appointment on Monday, my chiro asked if we had already talked about magnesium when I last had calf issues. We had not. He said that magnesium is essential to muscle relaxation and recommended that I start taking it. He then said that if I was having any tension headaches, magesium helps with them too. And I have been having a lot more tension headaches then normal recently.

So I looked up the symptoms of magnesium deficiency, and along with muscle cramping and headaches they talk about jaw soreness/tightness. This is something I experience off and on but lately I have been grinding my teeth a lot more at night.

So I am now on day 3 of taking a magnesium supplement. I do not take any other vitamins so we will see how this goes.

In spite of my calves

2009-02-09T15:57:00.000-08:00

It wasn't a bad workout week. I didn't run as much as I would have liked of course, but the week shaped up pretty well.

M - 40 min swim
T - 45 min trainer am, 45 min trainer pm
W - Off
Th - 50 min run, 45 min swim
F - 65 min run on a sunny Friday evening
S - 1:40 outdoor ride. 30 min swim
S - 43 min run

My calves were sore after Thursday and Friday's run's, but not too bad. My legs died on yesterday's run though. It was one of those runs where you try to slow down to make it feel better, but it doesn't and then you speed back up to try and get home faster. Needless to say there will be no running today. I do however have an ART appointment and I am looking forward to it. Both my calves and my left hamstring need some work.

That will be followed up by a swim lesson. Graeme is sick so I will be taking his spot.

First real ride of the year

2009-02-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

Saturday afternoon. Out to Horseshoe Bay and back. About 1:40 and 48km. Of course my bike computer stopped working a few minutes in, so I don't have exact numbers. But I know how long this ride is, as I've done it more then any other.

I haven't been outside on my bike in way too long to mention. My new pedals felt awesome and I really felt like I had more power transfer. I also felt like I had more power period. I didn't use all my gears until the hill back up to home, and all last year I would be using them all on the entire ride. It was only 7*C and I thought I would be freezing, but I ended up wearing the perfect amount of clothes - tights with shorts over, 2 long sleeve shirts and my cycling jacket, winter cycling gloves and toe warmers. I have enough hair that with the helmet I don't need an extra hat.

I have passed men going uphill before, but yesterday was better. Generally I can pass older men on hills, but I passed younger guys who looked like they were working. And I passed Graeme a number of times too which always feels good as he is a much stronger rider then me. The best part of the ride was passing a guy going downhill which I have never done before.

I forgot just how much fun riding outside was. It's only going to make the trainer harder until I get another opportunity to ride outside. But at the same time, I now know for sure that the trainer riding is making me stronger.

Self help tools

2009-02-04T07:44:00.001-08:00

Having had numerous injuries over the years, we have accumulated a number of items to help us through and help us prevent injuries.

The foam roller - especially for my quads and hamstrings. I probably don't use this as much as I should, but it's good for those days when my quads are tired and I still have a workout to do.

I tend to get a lot of knots/points in my legs, mainly in my calves. The tp massage ball and all its related accessories work for this. I have to be careful how hard I push though. I have a pretty high pain tolerance and I have gone at trigger points to the point of making it worse. On more then one occasion.

And the most loved piece of equipment in our house. The stick. This is pretty much a daily thing for both Graeme and I. It has helped me through calf issues before and the combination of the stick and self massage has my legs back to almost 100%.

We bought the stick from the Canadian distributor, who's warehouse happens to be in a location close to where we often ride. He swore the stick had saved his life and guaranteed me that I would be back to running if I used is religiously. He had been in a water skiing accident in his 20s and his hip (I believe) had come out of its joint and had never been the same. Then, in his 40s he developed fibromyalgia. He said the pain was just unbearable and he had made a decision that if he was still in the same pain at 65, he would end his life. In his 50s he was introduced to the stick. He said he was now able to jump up and down (which he proudly showed us) and was looking forward to celebrating his 65th birthday the next week.

I can't say the impact has been that great for me, but I do think the stick is a huge part of me being able to continue running (mostly) pain free. And I am a much better and nicer person when I can run.

Ouch

2009-02-02T18:43:00.001-08:00

Well I'm not sure what I did but my calves are sore. Like really sore. To the point that I am worried they are injured again. And I'm not even sure what caused it. But I have a feeling this is the culprit.

The picture doesn't show the full staircase. I came across this on my run and it was one of four wooden staircases that made up part of my run (in either direction). This was the biggest and I did my best to sprint to the top. I didn't make it. My quads were screaming and I had to walk the last bit. I ran the few miles home though and felt fine. 6.5 miles total with most of it being on trail.

View from the top of the stairs.

After a 50 min swim we headed out to meet a bunch of friends to watch the UFC fights. My quads were sore but I didn't feel too bad. When I got home and got into bed I knew I had a problem, but it wasn't my quads that were the issue, it was my calves.

Sunday morning I could barely walk, but luckily I had a massage booked for that afternoon. I managed 40 mins on the trainer which was fine for my legs but which made me feel queasy from what may have been one beer to many on Saturday night (and I didn't drink that much). The massage did help, but not enough. My calves barely feel any better today.

And top of that I seem to have twisted something inmy lower leg which I know was a result of my funny walking style. I just tried the trainer and that is now not happening either. I guess there will be some swimming in the next few days, including this evening.

I have a happy husband. This was his purchase today. 2008 Specialized Tarmac.