Every year at Thanksgiving, we have a family tradition to go around the dinner table and say one thing that we are thanful for. This usually turns into something comical and is mostly done to please the highly emotion women of our family (mom). This past year, I got to start, which meant I had the oppertunity to steal all of the good choices first... I always feel sorry for the poor sucker at the end of the table who has to think of something original after going through 12 other people's ideas of why we are thankful. I was going to choose family or friends, and then screw everyone else up because secretly that is what everyone else was hoping to say... but I said I was thankful for good health instead. Don't get me wrong, I'm still pretty sure I made at least 6 out of the 12 people have to rethink their ideas, because obviously we are all thankful for our health, and obviously this seems like a very easy, somewhat thought-less answer to the Thankful question.
I've thought about this quite a bit since Thanksgiving though. Perhaps we don't give quite enough credit to how truly blessed we are. It's very easy for me to think about health in terms of kilometers ran, negative splits, and supersets. If this is the case, than I am very thankful. Although I work hard for it, I guess that means I am very healthy, cause I think my body could run forever, I am confident that I can lift my own body weight, or more, my heart works efficiently, my lungs don't tire very easily and frankly... I have buns of steal! Luckily, I love doing what I do, and that's exactly why I do it, however, it's only a very small contributor to my overall health. Although I enjoy the benefits of having a heavy-duty-pumping machine (aka healthy heart), if I were to drastically reduce the amount of exercise I do in a week, I would still be blessed with good health... great health.
I work in the hospital, and I'm studying in the health care field, so I have definately been exposed to sickness and disease, on a daily basis. I've seen otherwise healthy people freakishly die, I've seen people who are far too young die, or become dibilitated in some way or another. I've seen people suffer with permanent handicaps, I've simply seen just a lot of suffering. Of course, no one ever deserves to be sick or diseased... Well... Almost no one.... (there - I said it, it's mean, but we were all thinking it!). There are times when people bring illness on themselves (hello to all you smokers out there), but far more often than not people just get sick. I suppose UB is a great example of this, I don't think he could have done anything more for his health, his lifestyle should have had him crossing an Ironman finish line in his 80's.
I don't really know why things happen the way that they do... and that in itself requires an entirely different blog (and different author!). However, I do know that in the mean time, I plan to cherish every day that I have good health as I would consider it one of the greatest gifts of all time. I'm not going to turn into some chemical/germ/microbe free crazy activist who only wears organic cotton and never showers cause even that is harmful... but I am going to continue to do my best, my very best, for as long as I am alive to care for my body. And every single day that I wake up and I can breath on my own, and my heart pumps blood on its own, and my legs move and my brain remembers, I'll be thankful for. Because one day, IF something were to ever happen to me, then I can have peace of mind knowing that I took care of my gift to the best of my ability... anything else is just plain old bad luck (or whatever else one chooses to believe...).
Primarily, as a reminder to myself, but perhaps a good reminder for everyone, this is a list of PRACTICAL things that I think are crucial for every day living to ensure optimal health.
10. Our body is largely composed of water, we need it, and we need a lot of it. 8 glasses a day minimum, however we require an additional 2 glasses of water for any alcoholic, caffinated or high sugar content beverage we have. Also to be noted, I'm pretty sure a venti starbucks size is 20 ounces, so thats equivalent to 2.5 glasses therefore 5 additional glasses of water. Don't know about you... but this will make me spend 3 out of my 24 hours in the day peeing. Not worth it.
9. Stress is a killer. It will eat away at you from the inside-out. Eliminate it. Eliminate NOW. The best way I can suggest eliminating it is to quit your job, move into the mountains and live off of the land. If that's a bit to extreme, may I also suggest simply rethinking life priorities (If Dr. Phil can give professional advice, then so can I!)
8. Get a cute, fluffy, smooshed-in-face cat and name him Bedford.
7. Ensure that there are children in your life. They are the best way to keep you young, make you laugh, and teach you about the real miracles in life (disclaimer, they may also be the cause of previously mentioned stress... in this case, I revert back to point #8).
6. Plan your wardrobe so that every single day of the week you have a minimum of one pink item included in your outfit. It's been rough for me, but Respiratory Therapy students are required to wear red scrubs (SO excited to graduate!), so I have large amount of pink underpants to choose from on a daily basis. On my days away from being a student, and just working at my normal job, I ensure that I wear pink scrubs from head to toe.
5. Excersice daily in some capacity. If you're like me, than you have a well thought out exercise plan that involves each muscle group, heart rate zones and you think in Watts. If you're like every other normal personal in the world, 20-30 minutes of an increased heart rate is all you need. So simply, take the stairs, take your kids/pets (really, is there a difference?) for walks, go to the gym, join a club, get a hobby...etc etc etc.
4. Eat clean. It's easy to get very hard core in the food department, and I'd say I'm borderline, however, conveniently for me, I enjoy cooking, I learned quite a bit about nutrition when I studied nutrition (go figure), and my sister is an even better cook, and equally as conscious in the same area (and I help myself to her fridge on a regular basis). On that note, it's easy for food to turn into something that controls your life (hello point #9!), and it's very easy for food to turn into a reward or a punishment. This isn't really a healthy way of looking at food, and probably defeats the purpose of healthy living. I like to look at food as fuel for my body, so I want to fuel myself accordingly. I find this helps me make really good choices the vast majority of the time, but I don't feel like choices are weighing over my head like there is a "right" and "wrong". Anyways, this is a lesson that took me many years to learn, and I'm sure many more years to come to perfect... but it's been a rewarding journey.
3. Surrond yourself with good people/friends. This requires little explaination, aside from me saying that I am SO rich with friendship (I'm stealing Alison's quote on this one). If friends were worth money, I'm pretty sure people would nick name me "money bags" and I'd give Bill Gates a run for his money (so punny! hahaha). I might not have a lot of friends, but the ones I do have are keepers! People who are loners, or who live alone for too long turn into weirdo's... this simply cannot be good for one's health. On that note, people who hang out with mean people... turn in to mean people (also hazardous to ones health).
2. Get enough sleep. We need 8 hours a night and I'm pretty sure the world is FULL of sleep deprived people. If you've ever been cut off in traffic in that morning commute, or had a grumpy cashier at Safeway... I can almost garuntee that they didn't get eight hours of sleep last night! Unfortunately, I need some work in this department (a lot of work). Although I think I function well off of little sleep, I'm sure Craig would beg to differ. That said, I am a shift-worker, and studies have already shown that I will lose 10 years off of my life thanks to this. Oh well... I'm taking one for the team...
1. Laugh every day, in fact, laugh every hour. People who are too serious age faster and look ugly (my opinion anyways). Combining all of the above points does not make it very diffucult to find reason to be joyous. From my experience, this is the easiest thing of all to do to stay healthy. Studies have shown that 1 hour of extreme laughter instantly vanishes wrinkles. It's true - I'm pretty sure I read that in the Bible somewhere too (not quite sure which version - maybe something a bit more contemporary like The Message).
I'm so very very very grateful for my health. It's one of the worlds greatest gifts, and the only way that I know how to thank God for this gift is to take care of it.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Man Push Ups
It's been a while... far too long really, but life got oddly busy, and I somehow lost my desire to write. Suddenly last week, I missed it a lot. I suppose now that Ironman is finished, this blog's purpose is largely selfish. I can write whatever I want, no one even really has to read to it. It will be my online-personal-self-expressive journal (hahaha just kidding - I am definately not that deep!).
As a brief update, regarding my shingles recovery, post partum depression and post ironman recovery: It took a good month for all of the nerve pain to clear up, my doctor perscribed some pain killers specifically for nerve-type pain, but I opted to stick it out like a real Ironman - just kidding - I chose not to take them because I see all the patients at the hospital get super constipated when they take this specific drug and I wasn't ready to do that to my smoothly-running-well maintained-cleaned out daily bowels, nor do I want to gag back psyllium husks! Luckily, it's been 3 weeks since I've felt any pain what so ever, so I'm just going to assume that I am done with that (thank God!). I had a bit of a hard time cutting back on the training, you just get so used to it, that it seems weird not to plan my life around long bikes and runs and fitting in a second work out for the day! I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was out for an "easy and short" 25 km run less than 3 weeks after the race, then straight to the pool after to finish the workout off with 12 x 50 m sprints (however, I may have been the only one doing that while holding my insides together in pain).
I work very well with goals, like for example, completing an Ironman, or qualifying for the Boston Marathon. But then when I complete the goal, I need another one asap to avoid the dreaded postpartum (as mentioned previously). For the first time in a very long time I don't really have a specific goal, and I am happy to say that I think I'm actually doing OK. No irratic, compulsive, psychotic, irritable behaviors (not yet anyways). I am going to run the Vancouver Marathon (Alison is going to do the half!!! Woot Woot!), I'm hoping to have a PB in Vancouver, so I guess it's a pseudo-goal. But I won't seriously start training for that (outside of my usual weekly long runs and speed work) until February, so in the mean time I've picked up a new challenge, and I've started doing a lot of weight lifting, but challenging myself far beyond what I've ever done before.
I've always stayed away from heavy lifting because I'm a runner and runner's don't do that... we run, and to build muscles we run hills, and to get faster we do fartleks and to run longer we do long runs and to look better we get coordinated Running Room Reflective jackets and we run in a herd on Sunday mornings taking up 3 lanes of a 4 lane street. It's what we do, and we do it well! Until recently, my opinion of heavy lifters were that they probably had itty bitty lungs under all that bulk because they never do cardio, that they live off of a trio of rice, soy and whey protein powders as well as various muscle building amino acid supplements, and quite frankly, they spend three quarters of their actual work out too busy checking themselves out in the mirror. I could be stereotyping here... but as a runner, I'm sure I've been a victim of that runner stereotype on more than one occassion, and let's all be honest... it's true. Athletes are all weird in their own little weird way. However.... I have managed to maintain running about 80 - 100 km/week while doing 3 intense heavy weight lifting work outs - and I have yet to ingest a single ounce of weirdo supplements, I don't check myself out in the mirror, and my aerobic capacity has actually improved! I've bench pressed, chin-ed up and push-ed up more weights, more reps and with far more intensity than ever before in my life (and shall I clarify... by bench press, I mean I've moved to 10 lbs plates from my previous "bar only" personal best). A weight lifting workout, if done with a certain technique and designed from an expert in the field, can actually be one hell of a workout! By that I mean, sweating, tears, pain, sweating, aerobic, anaerobic, not walking for three days after and more sweating! It's great, I couldn't be happier!
This brings me to my next point... it makes such a difference to have a expert advice in the field, and I am not refering to the beef-head or dumb blond (there I go, stereotyping again... and there is nothing wrong with being blond) that took a 4 hour online course to become "Personal Trainer". I've always been a big believer in being well informed, hence my many many years of involvement in the Running Room Clinics, as well as having a triathlon coach, it made all the difference for me. How convenient for me that my closest friend from school happens to be a personal trainer with a Bachelor of Kinesiology and quite big into weight lifting herself (which is actually an under statement because I'm pretty sure she could bench 4 x's her body weight if she really tried). Whitney has taught me SO much, my idea of working out has really been transformed. I have learned to fit SO much more in to an even shorter period of time, I've learned about working certain muscle groups and how to optimize it, I've learned about super sets and other great things like that, I've learned that I am far stronger than I ever gave myself credit for (Hello people... I can actually do chin ups!!!), but of far most importance - I have learned that doing a "Whitney Leg Workout" and attempting a long run anytime within the next three days is pure and utter torture (the kind I like)!
Also very interesting to be noted - along with my previous stereotype of girls who do man-pushups, I just assumed this would mean I would "bulk up" and watch the weight on the scale increasing. I always give a chuckle to the "muscle weighs more than fat excuse" even though it's true, I think it's used far to lightly (as in "I haven't lost any weight cause I gained muscle" - possibly, but not usually the case). I'm not a big weigh-myself obsesser, in fact, I generally try and stay away from it. I get myself weighed every year at the doctors office, so I use that as my guide line and try to stick with it. I'll jump on the scale once in a blue moon at the gym, but for no real reason (and for some reason I always get suckered in when people have scales sitting out in the bathrooms at their homes). I was a victim to the scale for FAR too many years, so now, for the most part, if I feel good, then it's all good. We had to get weighed when we registered ourselves the day before the race at Ironman, I was 128 lbs. I had my once-in-a-blue-moon lure to the scale today at the gym and I was 123 lbs - so I guess my stereotype was wrong (not that this had anything to do with weight loss or weight gain, just and interesting observation). Perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise to me because Whitney makes me look like a whimp when we work out together, and she is very petite - so I guess bigger isn't really stronger.
It's a fun new project, I love working out with Whitney, we go easily in our 70 minute lunch break at school and then I spend the afternoon in classes sitting by myself in a corner because I am STILL sweating. I still get to run as much as I want(my first love), but I think I'm standing just a wee bit taller (all those core muscles are holding me together stronger!). Don't worry, I have no plans to get super tanned, lube myself in baby oil, clothed in a inny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-bikini and compete in any bodybuilding/muscle-man type competition (that is SO not me!). It's just all for fun...with a 6-pack as the result (however, I have yet to see the 6 pack).
As a brief update, regarding my shingles recovery, post partum depression and post ironman recovery: It took a good month for all of the nerve pain to clear up, my doctor perscribed some pain killers specifically for nerve-type pain, but I opted to stick it out like a real Ironman - just kidding - I chose not to take them because I see all the patients at the hospital get super constipated when they take this specific drug and I wasn't ready to do that to my smoothly-running-well maintained-cleaned out daily bowels, nor do I want to gag back psyllium husks! Luckily, it's been 3 weeks since I've felt any pain what so ever, so I'm just going to assume that I am done with that (thank God!). I had a bit of a hard time cutting back on the training, you just get so used to it, that it seems weird not to plan my life around long bikes and runs and fitting in a second work out for the day! I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was out for an "easy and short" 25 km run less than 3 weeks after the race, then straight to the pool after to finish the workout off with 12 x 50 m sprints (however, I may have been the only one doing that while holding my insides together in pain).
I work very well with goals, like for example, completing an Ironman, or qualifying for the Boston Marathon. But then when I complete the goal, I need another one asap to avoid the dreaded postpartum (as mentioned previously). For the first time in a very long time I don't really have a specific goal, and I am happy to say that I think I'm actually doing OK. No irratic, compulsive, psychotic, irritable behaviors (not yet anyways). I am going to run the Vancouver Marathon (Alison is going to do the half!!! Woot Woot!), I'm hoping to have a PB in Vancouver, so I guess it's a pseudo-goal. But I won't seriously start training for that (outside of my usual weekly long runs and speed work) until February, so in the mean time I've picked up a new challenge, and I've started doing a lot of weight lifting, but challenging myself far beyond what I've ever done before.
I've always stayed away from heavy lifting because I'm a runner and runner's don't do that... we run, and to build muscles we run hills, and to get faster we do fartleks and to run longer we do long runs and to look better we get coordinated Running Room Reflective jackets and we run in a herd on Sunday mornings taking up 3 lanes of a 4 lane street. It's what we do, and we do it well! Until recently, my opinion of heavy lifters were that they probably had itty bitty lungs under all that bulk because they never do cardio, that they live off of a trio of rice, soy and whey protein powders as well as various muscle building amino acid supplements, and quite frankly, they spend three quarters of their actual work out too busy checking themselves out in the mirror. I could be stereotyping here... but as a runner, I'm sure I've been a victim of that runner stereotype on more than one occassion, and let's all be honest... it's true. Athletes are all weird in their own little weird way. However.... I have managed to maintain running about 80 - 100 km/week while doing 3 intense heavy weight lifting work outs - and I have yet to ingest a single ounce of weirdo supplements, I don't check myself out in the mirror, and my aerobic capacity has actually improved! I've bench pressed, chin-ed up and push-ed up more weights, more reps and with far more intensity than ever before in my life (and shall I clarify... by bench press, I mean I've moved to 10 lbs plates from my previous "bar only" personal best). A weight lifting workout, if done with a certain technique and designed from an expert in the field, can actually be one hell of a workout! By that I mean, sweating, tears, pain, sweating, aerobic, anaerobic, not walking for three days after and more sweating! It's great, I couldn't be happier!
This brings me to my next point... it makes such a difference to have a expert advice in the field, and I am not refering to the beef-head or dumb blond (there I go, stereotyping again... and there is nothing wrong with being blond) that took a 4 hour online course to become "Personal Trainer". I've always been a big believer in being well informed, hence my many many years of involvement in the Running Room Clinics, as well as having a triathlon coach, it made all the difference for me. How convenient for me that my closest friend from school happens to be a personal trainer with a Bachelor of Kinesiology and quite big into weight lifting herself (which is actually an under statement because I'm pretty sure she could bench 4 x's her body weight if she really tried). Whitney has taught me SO much, my idea of working out has really been transformed. I have learned to fit SO much more in to an even shorter period of time, I've learned about working certain muscle groups and how to optimize it, I've learned about super sets and other great things like that, I've learned that I am far stronger than I ever gave myself credit for (Hello people... I can actually do chin ups!!!), but of far most importance - I have learned that doing a "Whitney Leg Workout" and attempting a long run anytime within the next three days is pure and utter torture (the kind I like)!
Also very interesting to be noted - along with my previous stereotype of girls who do man-pushups, I just assumed this would mean I would "bulk up" and watch the weight on the scale increasing. I always give a chuckle to the "muscle weighs more than fat excuse" even though it's true, I think it's used far to lightly (as in "I haven't lost any weight cause I gained muscle" - possibly, but not usually the case). I'm not a big weigh-myself obsesser, in fact, I generally try and stay away from it. I get myself weighed every year at the doctors office, so I use that as my guide line and try to stick with it. I'll jump on the scale once in a blue moon at the gym, but for no real reason (and for some reason I always get suckered in when people have scales sitting out in the bathrooms at their homes). I was a victim to the scale for FAR too many years, so now, for the most part, if I feel good, then it's all good. We had to get weighed when we registered ourselves the day before the race at Ironman, I was 128 lbs. I had my once-in-a-blue-moon lure to the scale today at the gym and I was 123 lbs - so I guess my stereotype was wrong (not that this had anything to do with weight loss or weight gain, just and interesting observation). Perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise to me because Whitney makes me look like a whimp when we work out together, and she is very petite - so I guess bigger isn't really stronger.
It's a fun new project, I love working out with Whitney, we go easily in our 70 minute lunch break at school and then I spend the afternoon in classes sitting by myself in a corner because I am STILL sweating. I still get to run as much as I want(my first love), but I think I'm standing just a wee bit taller (all those core muscles are holding me together stronger!). Don't worry, I have no plans to get super tanned, lube myself in baby oil, clothed in a inny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-bikini and compete in any bodybuilding/muscle-man type competition (that is SO not me!). It's just all for fun...with a 6-pack as the result (however, I have yet to see the 6 pack).
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Ironman Blues
What I would like to know is...
How does someone go from training their a** off, every single day, multiple hours daily, living, breathing, sleeping, eating - all things Ironman... to couch-bound and in pain for a week, nothing to train for, no big goal, and quite frankly, no real reason to live???
What I can tell you...
The result is one big case of post-partum depression (so-to-speak)!
I'm having a hard time with this one. I think I just enjoyed myself far to much during the training, perhaps I just didn't want it to end. In 2007 I had a small case of post-Ironman (aka post-partum) depression, but just a few weeks earlier Craig and I got engaged, so it was after Ironman that I got to start wedding planning - which, of course, is every girls dream, and every girls chance to turn into a controlling-bossy-picky-princessy-freak-of-nature Bridezilla. I think I bought my wedding dress the week after Ironman. This was a very good cure for any type of "blues" that I was experiencing, and perhaps the start of a long year of "blues" for my dad (thanks to a very large outstanding bill from The Bank of Dad).
I understand this year was a bit different, I really was quite sick for a few days after. I think I could describe the pain I had as almost as bad as my whole "Malaria out in the middle of no-man's Land somewhere in Sub-Sahara Africa" experience. But the most horrible thing of all is going from 25 + hours/week of training to pain on inhalation at rest! Who would have thought that Shingles could cause so much internal pain??? I thought only Grandma's and chemo patients got shingles (apparently... so do vegetarian, healthy, 26 year old, marathon running, girls).
The guilt started to settle in on Thursday, which was also probably one of the worst days for pain. All I could hear was the voice in my head telling me how badly I needed to get my butt in gear and get back to my training. What exactly I'm training for, is unknown, but the voices in my head were telling me my finely defined bulging quads and hamstrings (perhaps that's a bit of an exaggeration...) were shrinking down into mere single strands of DNA. If I didn't get back at it, I would be THAT GIRL who by-passes the leg press machine only to stroll on the treadmill with my totally coordinated lululemon uniform and matching pink ipod while my poney tail is flapping in the breeze of my 25 min/mile stroll (side note - I do LOVE lululemon anything, and I do have a pink ipod). Dear God - please just kill me now!!! Every moment I was on the couch (gasping for air) I could see my Ironman tatoo fading more and more into a blob of black ink on my ankle and eventually spelling out the words "Lazy Ass".
I swear I'm not extreme at all - totally reasonable and realistic!
As a result, I probably pushed it a bit more than I should of (as in - running whilst holding my insides together in extreme pain). I found swimming was actually a bit of a relief to the pain (so there was a lot of swimming), particularly when I just took breaths on my left side. I also used the eliptical machine, which I normally would classify in the "sissy" category at the gym, but it was something my mom and I could do together, while we analyzed and solved all of the world's problems. Plus, I got to spend a lot of time enjoying our beautiful extended summer, I spent a lot of time outside walking. It wasn't anything like my Ironman training, but it at least quieted those screaming "lazy ass demons" for the time being.
Now that I'm feeling much better, and fully (and OVERLY) rested, I've finally been able to get back into my normal activity level, and I and thoroughly looking forward to going back to work (after my banishment from the hospital being a walking virus to immune compromised persons).
This has got me thinking though. Those Ironman administration people are geniuses! They have garunteed themselves an eternal paycheque! The reason that people go back year after year (after year...) is because it would be better to just suck it up, pay the money, and start the training again, then go through the awful, dreaded, post-partum depression! It's such a lonely, horrible, suicidal (again, not extreme at all!) time. Dark days! I feel like I am a heroin addict trying to break a habit. Ironman-ing is a cult... they suck you in, and unless you can break the addiction, you will never, EVER, be able to stop (just look at Sister Madonna!). So now that I've missed my oppertunity to sign up for IMC 2010, I find myself secretly getting up in the middle of the night researching ultra-marathons and other sick and twisted goals that I can start training for. It's like my fix - I have to sneak out of bed without waking up Craig, then clear the Web History so that I can't be traced. I was reading about the Kananaskis 100 km ultra marathon and I found a single tear rolling down my cheek as it pulled on my heart strings.
So what do I do next?
I was thinking of putting an ad in the newspaper that reads:
"Young female seeking new hobby. Must be extreme, time consuming, inflict pain, burn a minimum 5000 calories/day, inhibit a social life, but yet be oh-so very very satisfying to ultra-extreme-OCD type personality. Can take up to and including 30 hours per week of Requestor's spare time and must result in some kind of material merchandise (aka finisher's tshirt and medal). Bragging-Rights-Tatoo a plus, but not a requirement. Must be able to bring an entire cheering squad clad in pink (from head to toe) who make an obnoxious amount of noise. Please send applications ASAP!"
If that doesn't work... I suppose I can just stick it out and enjoy having an exceptionally understanding husband who puts up with my many many, MANY withdrawl symptoms (including but not limited to: crying, whining, pouting, raging, silent-treatment, random house-reorganizing, glaring, and bathroom hogging for exceptionally long baths).
It's been a week and a half, I'm sure the worst of it is over and I'm well on my way back to normal-ness. Before we know it, this will be just a distant memory, and I'll be far more interested in America's Next Top Model than into my Heart Rate Zones. Perhaps I'll join my local IA (Ironman's Anonymous) support group for recovering addicts - the accountability would be good for me! But, as long as Craig is offering foot massage's and letting me talk about having kids in the far nearer future than he is interested in... perhaps, I'll just milk it a wee bit longer...
This is the dress that saved me from my first case of post-partum depression - I guess I can't just go buy another one, but I'm thinking of hauling it out of retirement and wearing it around the house tomorrow. Maybe that's all I need. I can't wait to see Craig's reaction when he gets home from work and if for some reason, tomorrow is the day that he decides to invite ALL the boys over for beer after work - so be it! I'm very delicate these days!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Race Report
Here I am... Officially an Ironman for the 2nd time! And what a journey it has been...
The Whole Ironman Family (minus Zoe and Arin)
I'm not quite sure I'm ready to retire this blog yet... we'll just have to see...
I hardly know where to start, it was a really long and emotional day in so many ways.
I had a great sleep the night before the race, it was exactly what I needed! We had an early dinner, then one last evening beach visit, and we were all ready to pack in for the night. I was lights out by 9 pm, which made it very easy to be up and ready to pound back the carbs by 5 am. We left the hotel by 5:30, I felt really good, relatively stress free and fairly excited, so it was a much different race morning than 2007! We met Rachelle, a fellow athlete and Calgarian the day before at our hotel and it turned out to be a friendship that was great for all of us! We went down to the race together, stood in line for body marking and then double checked our bikes and had a last minute stress-pee. I met up with my family before I said my final goodbye, we met at the fences that seperated the athletes and spectators, so it was sort of like I was in jail, going off all by myself...
I met up with Carolyn and Sara so that we could start the race in the water together. I was never in a million years expecting to actually stick with Carolyn, but I was happy to at least start together. We started on the far left side of the start line, which was a much wiser choice in terms of not getting beaten up by the big boys that were front and center. On the negative side, I'm sure we added distance on to our swim, but that's fine with me. After the horn went off (much to my dissappointment, it wasn't a cannon blast like in previous years), we were on our way. I can't believe it when I say it... but I was on Carolyn's toes right away and I stayed on them the whole way! This is a mass swim start, it was nearly 2800 athletes all starting together, so how I managed this, I will never know! It was so great, Carolyn got to do all the work and I got a nice draft the whole swim. There were even a couple of times I had put my head up and slow down a bit, in fact, I'm pretty sure Carolyn was annoyed because I kept hitting her toes (she'd never admit it, but I bet it was annoying). I had to fight off a few people who were trying to get in my way, but I had no problem giving a good elbow jab or kick, and in the end it was worth it, because my swim time was 7 minutes faster than 2007!
Out of the water, there were tons of wet suit "strippers" waiting for us to rip those suits off as fast as possible, then off to grab my bike bag. I wore my tri suit under my wetsuit, so I only had to get my helmet, shoes, and glasses, and I was on my way to my bike. I had a 6 minute transition, which was fast enough for me, then I was on my way. I saw my whole crew of cheer leaders just a kilometer or two up mainstreet after I exited from the transition zone. It sure makes a difference to see people cheering for you, not that the streets weren't lined with thousands of spectators, but it was just nice to see some familar faces. Kind of felt like the Tour de France.
Unfortunately just minutes into the bike I felt a sharp, shooting pain in my back and side... and this was the beginning of what would be a LONG day of cramps, stitches and a heck of a lot of pain. I tried to stretch it out and let my stomach relax thinking it was just from too much lake water in my guts, but after about 30 km, I realized that I was just going to have to think about something else cause the pain wasn't going anywhere.
I tried to take my mind away from it and not let it ruin the experience, which was challenging, but I think I was somewhat successful in that. I enjoyed the bike ride as best as I could. I had a short stop before the Richter's Pass climb, the great volunteers held my bike while I did the famous port-a-potty squat. I tried to stretch out my back a bit thinking it might help with the cramps (it didn't) and took a minute to take in the moment. Back on my bike, I started the gruelling climb up Richters. I actually found the most relief from my stitches and side pain when I was doing the climbs, so oddly enough, I found myself finally being able to use some of those hard-earned quad muscles, I passed quite a few people on my way up the hills (normally not the wisest race strategy, but I at that point I already knew that my race strategy wasn't quite what I was planning anyways). Of course, whatever goes up, must go down.... so I got to hang on for dear life and ride my way down the other side of the mountain pass! I saw my odometer go over 65 km/hr - at which point I hit the brakes and started saying my prayers (quite scary when you actually think about it!). The Rollers weren't nearly as bad as I was excpecting but my back pain was starting to get unbearable. I held on until I got to my special needs bag at 120 km, after the Rollers and the horrible out and back (that I honestly thought was never going to end!!!). I was planning to stop for a little break and enjoy my cookies, have a stretch and pee break, but I was starting to get nervous that I might not get going again considering the pain I was in. So I got right back in to the saddle and was on my way. I passed The Bear Fruitstand and dreamed of my milkshake from the day before, thinking that if I didn't have a really REALLY good reason to finish (for Uncle Bruce), I would have very likely scrapped everything at that point and just enjoyed another milkshake while hitchiking back to town. The Yellow Lake climb was very challenging, at this point, it was SO hot out (over 30 degrees) and it felt like the sun was directly over my head and there was no escape from the heat. When I got to the summit of Yellow Lake, I stopped for a minute to dump a bottle of water on my head and compose myself for another death ride down the other side of a mountain... at this point I got a huge wave of dizziness and I definatley saw some spots! I thought for sure my race was over becasue I was sure I was going to pass out and I was sure that they would never let me go on if I did. Luckily, thanks to another great volunteer, I used his lawn chair and recovered for about ten minutes while the dizziness settled. After that point, it was pretty much all down hill, into a giant cloud of smoke and heat (thanks to the forest fires!) and back in to Penticton.
I saw the whole crew again out cheering in front of our hotel. I didn't stop on the bike because I knew I would see them again shortly on the run, but I definately slowed down enough to see them with every sort of noise maker that the dollar store sells. Under Alison's direction, they had songs and dances prepared for me and every other athlete out there. If there were awards out there for cheering - they would definately win!
T2 was equally as fast as T1, I was out and ready to go in only a few minutes, which was good. My legs didn't feel to bad at all, much to my surprise, but within the first few steps I knew what I was going to be facing as the stitches in my side and back were as bad as ever. At this point, my whole stomach felt like it was in a knot, and I knew that any hope of getting calories of any kind into my guts was not going to happen. I ran/walked as planned, but the runs were pretty brutal. Zoe met up with me after the out and back on Lakeshore Drive, and ran with me up Main Street until I reached the Super 8 Motel, and all of the cheering squad. It was nice to have a few minutes with Zoe, she was very encouraging and she let me vent about my stupid stomach issues. I stopped for a minute when I saw everyone, secretly hoping that someone else would want to take over from that point and finish the last 36 km... unfortunately there were no takers. What a shame.
I carried on with my 10 and 1 run/walk plan, but I also chose to walk up the steep hills and walk through the aid stations. I managed this for the entire first half, which was great, better than I was expecting considering at that point the pain was awful. I saw Carolyn just near the turn around point at Okanogan Falls, she was just on her way back the other direction. We stopped and had a good chat for a minute or two, and Bob, Carolyn's husband, who was waiting at that point, kindly let me use his cell phone to call Craig and let him know that I was half way done the run portion, and not passed out on the side of the road. My stomach hurt way to much for me to eat anything (in fact it had been over four hours at this point since I'd had anything but water - which is awful!), so I was pretty disappointed that my kit kat bar went to waste!
After the turn around, I saw Rachelle was only a few minutes behind me, so that was great news, she was doing great! My run, at that point, turned into a shuffle-side-holding-hunchback-of-notre-dame type movement. I kept a decent pace, but it certainly was a sight to watch! I bet it was funny! The last half of the marathon was rough for me because I felt like my insides were going to explode, but then again, being on the way home was very encouraging and at that point, I could count down the mile markers until the finish line!
I saw Zoe again with about 5 km left, she gave me a great pep talk and helped pull me in the rest of the way. At the turn onto Lakeshore Dr for the last 2 km stretch I saw everyone doing their cheering, as well as thousands of spectators. At that point, I was pretty sure that each and every person who lined Lakeshore Dr was out that just to cheer me on that last mile! I felt like a super star and I definately tried to put on my smiling "I'm not in pain and I could do this all again tomorrow" face (it was tough, but I dug deep)! I had to run the last 500m with a bit more speed than I had left in me because I wanted to at least make it in under 15 hours, definately a disappointment for the time, but I can't say I was too upset, just happy to complete it. I crossed the line in 14:59:25, and I was greeted by a volunteer who would stay with me until I was safely out of the athlete's area and dropped off with my family (the volunteers really make the event!!!). I guess there are too many emotions going on to really feel the pain or hunger or anything else, but I felt surprisingly good, I didn't pass out (also a goal for this year!), and I was ready to go find my family fairly quickly after I got my finisher Tshirt and hat (shame, it wasn't pink!).
Rachelle crossed the finish line about 15 minutes after me, so I waited for her and we had a bit of a breather in the grass before we could collect our things and head home. I ate a bag of salt and vinegar chips, which at the time seemed like the most appetizing thing I could ever eat! With not much energy left, we made it home, ordered a pizza, and collapsed into bed. I think everyone was equally as tired and hungry and exhausted...and ready for the day to be done!
I thought I would wake up stiff and sore, but I was sure that my stomach cramps would be gone at that point. I was wrong... I had that same stitch in my back and side, on the right half of my body, and my stomach still felt like it was in a knot! After returning home and still being under attack from this pain I finally went and saw a doctor. It turns out I have shingles on my right side and all that pain that I suffered through is nerve pain that comes with having shingles! What luck!?!? I guess that makes me a super-Ironman because not only did I do the race, but I did it with shingles and in a lot of pain!
As of now... I've definately felt better, but I think I'm on the mend! My side and back still hurts a bit (a lot), kind of like a knife stabbing my lung every time I take a breath (it actually really sucks), but not enough to kill me! Every day I feel better, so I'm sure this will all be behind me sooner than later, as well, I only have a very small rash on my back, I suppose it really could have been much worse.
Comparing my two Ironman races, 2007 and now, I definately had two very different experiences! I can't say one was better than the other, just different. The first one, I found the training stressful, but the race day was so exciting and such an amazing experience because it was my first one. The second Ironman, I found the training to be so much fun and something I enjoyed every minute of, however the actually race day was pretty painful and a bit of a disappointment considering my time could have been so much better. Regardless, I know that Uncle Bruce was there with me in some way or another, and I know that finishing the race was the most important thing for both of us, and I was successful at that. So there you go... I have completed the task at hand, and I think it would be safe to say that Uncle Bruce and I finally got to do an Ironman together, after a very long journery to get there! It was worth every ounce of pain!
I am definately NOT doing another one (next year anyways... just kidding... but not really)! But I can garuntee that I'll be there next year with a volunteer tshirt on (REALLY hoping the volunteers get pink tshirts!) and ready to keep the tradition going!
The Whole Ironman Family (minus Zoe and Arin)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Ironman Eve
Tomorrow is the big day! I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with emotions, definately nervous, but also a lot of good emotions. At this point, there is nothing more that I can do... so I'm trying my very hardest to just enjoy every moment and take it all in. It's not just every day that I get to compete in something like this, or have my very own entourage of special people making me feel even more special.
There's not too much more for me to say other than my bags are packed, my bike is checked-in and my body is fully saturated with an enormous amount of water! The weather is supposed to be 32 degrees and sunny, could be better (as in cooler), could be worse (rain, snow or hotter), but regardless, I can't change it.
We've had such a fun week! My mom, Alison and the girls drove up with me on Wednesday, we picked up AR in Kelowna. Following Ironman tradition, we stopped at Mission Hill Winery to roll down the hill and lay in the grass. We thought this picture was neat because it shows 3 generations of sisters in our family:
My mom and AR drove the bike course with me on Thursday. I wanted to do this because we didn't have a chance to come and do our training weekend that was planned in July (nasty forest fires). I'm not sure if this was a good or bad thing (driving the course)... was great to refamilarize myself with it (I biked it twice before), granted, now that I think about it, knowing how big those hills are isn't necessarily better. I do however believe that I'll get through the bike on race well with the memory of the best ever fresh fruit milkshake that my mom and I got at The Bear Fruitstand just before the Yellow Lake climb (around 150 km into the route). I might even be tempted to stop on race day (someone remind me to throw $5 into my special needs bag!): Fresh fruit milkshakes were not originally apart of my pre-race diet plan, but it was worth every calorie!
I got in two really nice swims. It reminded me how much I like swimming in open water, but also reminded me how enourmously big the Okanogan is! I suppose it won't feel quite so big when I'm fighting through 2600 other competitors tomorrow morning (stress!). Putting on the wetsuit is actually more work than the entire Ironman. If you can squeeze your arse into one of those things and not die in the process... then you can complete an Ironman!
My biking friends, Sara and Keith. Sara and I have been through a lot this summer. A. LOT. I'm so happy we hooked up through our coach, and even though I'll be out on the course, I'll be cheering for her all day while she completes her first ever Ironman. Chances are... we probably won't see each other till next spring because we've both mutually decided that our bikes are retiring Monday morning for a good LONG break!
Alison, Aria and I went tubing down the canal, which was SUCH a highlight! This is how summer should be spent! We are so "water" deprived in Calgary, so it was so great to not only have water to go to, but options of which lake or river wanted!
On Friday morning it was the ever famous Ironman Canada Underwear Run. I've never participated before, but this year, not only did I participate... I had company!!! Aria and I ran the entire 1 km together... in nothing but panty's, well... Aria got to wear a tshirt cause it was first thing in the morning and a wee bit chilly, I was not granted the Tshift luxury. Because she was definately the youngest competitor, we were right near the back of the pack, even though we weren't far behind! Unfortunately, I think this made us a good "photo target" and I think my nearly naked body and panty's are going home with a lot of visitors to Penticton via their digital camera's. Lucky them (or not).
Pre-Panty-Race Pose:
A real up-and-coming-future-Ironman (who also happens to be nearly naked):
Wish me luck for tomorrow... the next time I write... I'll be and IRONMAN (#2)!
There's not too much more for me to say other than my bags are packed, my bike is checked-in and my body is fully saturated with an enormous amount of water! The weather is supposed to be 32 degrees and sunny, could be better (as in cooler), could be worse (rain, snow or hotter), but regardless, I can't change it.
We've had such a fun week! My mom, Alison and the girls drove up with me on Wednesday, we picked up AR in Kelowna. Following Ironman tradition, we stopped at Mission Hill Winery to roll down the hill and lay in the grass. We thought this picture was neat because it shows 3 generations of sisters in our family:
My mom and AR drove the bike course with me on Thursday. I wanted to do this because we didn't have a chance to come and do our training weekend that was planned in July (nasty forest fires). I'm not sure if this was a good or bad thing (driving the course)... was great to refamilarize myself with it (I biked it twice before), granted, now that I think about it, knowing how big those hills are isn't necessarily better. I do however believe that I'll get through the bike on race well with the memory of the best ever fresh fruit milkshake that my mom and I got at The Bear Fruitstand just before the Yellow Lake climb (around 150 km into the route). I might even be tempted to stop on race day (someone remind me to throw $5 into my special needs bag!): Fresh fruit milkshakes were not originally apart of my pre-race diet plan, but it was worth every calorie!
I got in two really nice swims. It reminded me how much I like swimming in open water, but also reminded me how enourmously big the Okanogan is! I suppose it won't feel quite so big when I'm fighting through 2600 other competitors tomorrow morning (stress!). Putting on the wetsuit is actually more work than the entire Ironman. If you can squeeze your arse into one of those things and not die in the process... then you can complete an Ironman!
My biking friends, Sara and Keith. Sara and I have been through a lot this summer. A. LOT. I'm so happy we hooked up through our coach, and even though I'll be out on the course, I'll be cheering for her all day while she completes her first ever Ironman. Chances are... we probably won't see each other till next spring because we've both mutually decided that our bikes are retiring Monday morning for a good LONG break!
Alison, Aria and I went tubing down the canal, which was SUCH a highlight! This is how summer should be spent! We are so "water" deprived in Calgary, so it was so great to not only have water to go to, but options of which lake or river wanted!
On Friday morning it was the ever famous Ironman Canada Underwear Run. I've never participated before, but this year, not only did I participate... I had company!!! Aria and I ran the entire 1 km together... in nothing but panty's, well... Aria got to wear a tshirt cause it was first thing in the morning and a wee bit chilly, I was not granted the Tshift luxury. Because she was definately the youngest competitor, we were right near the back of the pack, even though we weren't far behind! Unfortunately, I think this made us a good "photo target" and I think my nearly naked body and panty's are going home with a lot of visitors to Penticton via their digital camera's. Lucky them (or not).
Pre-Panty-Race Pose:
A real up-and-coming-future-Ironman (who also happens to be nearly naked):
Wish me luck for tomorrow... the next time I write... I'll be and IRONMAN (#2)!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
The final week
This is it!!! This time next week, I'll be running somewhere along Skaha lake (hopefully at this point on the way back!), and I'll have already completed my 3.8 km swim, and 180 km bike. Looking at the forecast, chances are that I'll be sweating my buns off in 30 + degree heat as well. I really can't believe it's so close, I can't even believe that I'm one week in to my two week taper!
There are moments when it hits me, and so does the anxiety, this is really a huge deal for me, a personal goal that I will be so proud to accomplish. I know I've done it before, and for people who do Ironman's year after year, maybe the accomplishment diminishes over time. But for me, the 2nd one is just as big a deal as the 1st one! I suppose I've already completed a huge portion of the whole experience, the training - but I still can't believe that on Thursday I'll enter the registration tent and get my very own athlete's wristband. Craig and I have been talking about it a lot this week (not sure if he likes it or hates it, but at least he humors me), and we've come to the conclusion that I would be crazy if I wasn't nervous/anxious. I wonder if even the pro's - like Jasper, for example, still get nervous. I bet they do, because no matter how good you are and no matter how many world championship titles you've won, it's still an Ironman, and that is still the ultimate challenge in endurance athletics. So, I guess it's completely normal that I'm a little stressed out, and resolving to that decision almost makes me less stressed out, if that makes sense.
I like to be extremely organized, so I have devised a plan for the day. I am well aware that ANYTHING can happen on race day, and chances are that my "plan" will be nothing like the way that the day actually occurs, but I can at least pretend to be in charge:
Pre-Race:
I am going to eat my dinner the night before on the earlier side. This will allow my body to fully and easily digest everything, and also make it possible for me to have a snack before bed. I'm going to be lights out by 9:30, with the hopes to be sleeping by 10, generally I don't have too much of a problem falling asleep. Craig will be forced to sleep on the floor to ensure that I have no annoyances or disturbances during my sleep (just kidding - but he will get a very boney elbow jab in the ribs if he so much as peeps during the night).
Race Morning:
I think I'll be up by 4:30 ish to start getting in all of the millions of calories that I will be attempting to force into my guts. I probably won't actually have to get going until 5 ish though, so I think Craig can just bring me breakfast in bed. I'll be drinking and eating as much as I can in the morning (well planned out high carb - low fiber meals). If history repeats itself, this couple of hours will be the most high-emotion for me. I remember being extremely anxious, stressed and nervous the morning of the race in 2007, but also remember feeling really excited, proud and relieved that I actually made it to the start line (a pretty huge accomplishment in itself!). If this is the case, I'll have to be extremely cautious with my digestion because nerves and my bowels have a very intimate relationship. I think I would rather sacrafice a few calories in the morning to save myself from the quad workout of multiple squats overtop of a port-a-privy! Also, if history repeats itself, my dad will do what he does best, and he will be more stressed out that I am.
Swim:
Even though Coach Carolyn is a faster swimmer than I am, my plan is to start with her, wherever she plans on going. I am definately a believer of "seeding yourself accordingly" - in fact, my biggest pet peeve are slow runners who think that they should start as close as possible at the front of the pack during a road race. Don't they know that they are going to annoy all of the stronger runners that they elbowed their way through before the race started, as well, they are just going to be passed by these annoyed-stronger-runners, which, in my opinion, sucks. Getting passed sucks! However, in this case, I'm really hoping to get in Carolyn's draft for the race (although I don't think my luck would ever be good enough - but here's hoping anyways!). Most of all, I didn't get a chance to start IMC 2007 with Carolyn because she wasn't racing that year (too busy training for the World Championship in October), it would be neat to start with her as she's been involved in my entire triathlon life. I think Carolyn usually starts off to the side, which is much better than starting right in the middle of the pack, in my opinion, probably the same as being on the front lines of WWI.
T1:
I'm definately taking the time to pee, or else it will come back to haunt me early on in the bike! Even if the line up is 4 hours, it's worth it! Otherwise, both my transitions in IMC 07 were approximately 7 minutes, which is slower than it could be, but faster than a lot of people, so I'm happy to stick with that.
Bike:
In many peoples opinion, the race shouldn't even start until 60 kms into the bike, when you reach Richter's Pass, so it is always recommended not to take it too fast or too hard for the first third of the bike. It's pretty flat, so it would be easy to hammer through it, but that would be dumb because I would totally pay for it the second I turn the corner after the Husky station and see the never ending hill that I have to climb, which I like to refer to as Satan's playground (aka Richter's). I'm going to set my 10 minute alarm on my watch to remind myself to take a drink from my aero bottle every ten minutes. If I don't have the alarm, it will be when I'm passed out from dehydration that I remember to drink anything. I'm also going to eat a Clif Block or couple of Sports Beans (jelly beans for sports - best invention ever!!) every ten minutes. I'll be drinking Eload Endurance - doesn't taste that good, but it will be worth it cause it has the best digestable and usable sugars, as well as a ton of electrolytes. I'm going to drink water at the aid stations (if I need it) which will help me survive the sugar overload taste. I'm also going to cut up a bagel and a couple of Clif bars to snack on along the way. In my special needs bag, which I get at 120 km, I think I am going to put two oatmeal cookies in it (I love cookies!!!), and couple of different options of bars (clif bar, granola bar). Who knows what I'll feel like, but chances are, I'll have eaten the cookies in about 2.5 milliseconds. I'm not going to put any chocolate in my bag because I'll be tempted to eat it, and that's probably not a good option at that point. I'm hoping that I don't have to stop at all before the 120 km point, but chances are I'll have to have a bathroom break before then, and I am incapable of peeing on my bike (although highly recommended to me by a number of people). I just can't, don't know if it's physical or mental or both, but I can't.
After Yellow Lake, the last 25 km (or something like that) are all down hill - best part of the ride!
T2:
If I could make some suggestions to the IMC administration, it would be to add a full service spa and shower to T2. I would use it, and I wouldn't care how long it took! Just kidding - the biggest goal is to not get sucked in to T2 because I know I'll just want to sit down and rest. The longer I'm there, the harder it is to get started again. I am planning on changing, even though my tri suit would be fine to run in, I know that at that point it will feel so nice to freshen up! Plus, I prefer to run with sleeves (tri suit is sleeveless) because when I sweat a lot (and if it's 30 +degrees, there will be A LOT of sweating), I can get chafeing in my armpits (which I like to refer to as chub rub).
Run:
I'm pretty nervous about this part because even though I would say I'm strongest as a runner, it's going to be A LONG time before I even get to the run! Plus, heat affects me the most on the run, and the first part of the run will probably be the hottest part of the day (late afternoon), however, considering that it is late in August, it will get darker earlier, and probably cooler than a July evening. Too hot, then probably a bit too chilly. Like all marathons that I run, I'm going to run 10 and 1's (as in, run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute). This is the Running Room method (which I was a participant in for my first marathon and then an instructor of for many years), I really believe in it. In the numerous marathon's I've run, I've zoomed past people that don't stop for their walk breaks, and I've still run 3:30 marathons (which is a pretty decent pace). I get my run special needs bag half way, 21.1 km, where I will definately be indulging in my chocolate bar. At that point in the race, I don't think it's going to give me any negative effects and it might just be the boost that I need! Otherwise, I'll be carrying my fuel belt with more Eload and sports beans. For the second half, in 2007 (after about 11 hours of hardly eating or drinking anything due to cramps) I started drinking Pepsi at all the aid stations (I think aid stations are every mile or maybe every second mile). If I have to drink Pepsi again, then it's a good option. I'm hoping to just stick with the 10 and 1's the whole way, but if I need to (hopefully not), I'll maybe go down to 7 and 1's or 5 and 1's. We'll see, but my biggest goal is to not stop running at all (except for my chocolate bar break and regular scheduled walk breaks). Of course, no matter how I feel, you can be sure that I will be running down Lakeshore Drive with my head held high and a look on my face saying "I could keep going, I'm not even tired!". Then I'll cross the finish line and promptly collapse into the nearest volunteers arms.
It might not be the perfect plan (ie: chocolate bar in my special needs bag), but it's my plan, and I'm stickin' to it!
On a more humerous note, some people at work were asking me how everything was going for my race and when it was. Someone else piped up from across the Nurse's station to say she has a friend who just completed an ironman. She was very proud to announce "Yup, she did it in 2 hours!!!". Either her friend is a genetic freak, or perhaps she got an Ironman and a Sprint distance triathlon mixed up. I didn't want to sound totally snobby (umm, slightly different type of a race), so I didn't correct her. But I REALLY wanted to.
My mom, sister, nieces and I meet AR in Penticton on Wednesday, everyone else joins us Thursday and Friday. I'll be sure to update again before the race!
This was at the end of our holidays last week... I could have stayed another week though!
There are moments when it hits me, and so does the anxiety, this is really a huge deal for me, a personal goal that I will be so proud to accomplish. I know I've done it before, and for people who do Ironman's year after year, maybe the accomplishment diminishes over time. But for me, the 2nd one is just as big a deal as the 1st one! I suppose I've already completed a huge portion of the whole experience, the training - but I still can't believe that on Thursday I'll enter the registration tent and get my very own athlete's wristband. Craig and I have been talking about it a lot this week (not sure if he likes it or hates it, but at least he humors me), and we've come to the conclusion that I would be crazy if I wasn't nervous/anxious. I wonder if even the pro's - like Jasper, for example, still get nervous. I bet they do, because no matter how good you are and no matter how many world championship titles you've won, it's still an Ironman, and that is still the ultimate challenge in endurance athletics. So, I guess it's completely normal that I'm a little stressed out, and resolving to that decision almost makes me less stressed out, if that makes sense.
I like to be extremely organized, so I have devised a plan for the day. I am well aware that ANYTHING can happen on race day, and chances are that my "plan" will be nothing like the way that the day actually occurs, but I can at least pretend to be in charge:
Pre-Race:
I am going to eat my dinner the night before on the earlier side. This will allow my body to fully and easily digest everything, and also make it possible for me to have a snack before bed. I'm going to be lights out by 9:30, with the hopes to be sleeping by 10, generally I don't have too much of a problem falling asleep. Craig will be forced to sleep on the floor to ensure that I have no annoyances or disturbances during my sleep (just kidding - but he will get a very boney elbow jab in the ribs if he so much as peeps during the night).
Race Morning:
I think I'll be up by 4:30 ish to start getting in all of the millions of calories that I will be attempting to force into my guts. I probably won't actually have to get going until 5 ish though, so I think Craig can just bring me breakfast in bed. I'll be drinking and eating as much as I can in the morning (well planned out high carb - low fiber meals). If history repeats itself, this couple of hours will be the most high-emotion for me. I remember being extremely anxious, stressed and nervous the morning of the race in 2007, but also remember feeling really excited, proud and relieved that I actually made it to the start line (a pretty huge accomplishment in itself!). If this is the case, I'll have to be extremely cautious with my digestion because nerves and my bowels have a very intimate relationship. I think I would rather sacrafice a few calories in the morning to save myself from the quad workout of multiple squats overtop of a port-a-privy! Also, if history repeats itself, my dad will do what he does best, and he will be more stressed out that I am.
Swim:
Even though Coach Carolyn is a faster swimmer than I am, my plan is to start with her, wherever she plans on going. I am definately a believer of "seeding yourself accordingly" - in fact, my biggest pet peeve are slow runners who think that they should start as close as possible at the front of the pack during a road race. Don't they know that they are going to annoy all of the stronger runners that they elbowed their way through before the race started, as well, they are just going to be passed by these annoyed-stronger-runners, which, in my opinion, sucks. Getting passed sucks! However, in this case, I'm really hoping to get in Carolyn's draft for the race (although I don't think my luck would ever be good enough - but here's hoping anyways!). Most of all, I didn't get a chance to start IMC 2007 with Carolyn because she wasn't racing that year (too busy training for the World Championship in October), it would be neat to start with her as she's been involved in my entire triathlon life. I think Carolyn usually starts off to the side, which is much better than starting right in the middle of the pack, in my opinion, probably the same as being on the front lines of WWI.
T1:
I'm definately taking the time to pee, or else it will come back to haunt me early on in the bike! Even if the line up is 4 hours, it's worth it! Otherwise, both my transitions in IMC 07 were approximately 7 minutes, which is slower than it could be, but faster than a lot of people, so I'm happy to stick with that.
Bike:
In many peoples opinion, the race shouldn't even start until 60 kms into the bike, when you reach Richter's Pass, so it is always recommended not to take it too fast or too hard for the first third of the bike. It's pretty flat, so it would be easy to hammer through it, but that would be dumb because I would totally pay for it the second I turn the corner after the Husky station and see the never ending hill that I have to climb, which I like to refer to as Satan's playground (aka Richter's). I'm going to set my 10 minute alarm on my watch to remind myself to take a drink from my aero bottle every ten minutes. If I don't have the alarm, it will be when I'm passed out from dehydration that I remember to drink anything. I'm also going to eat a Clif Block or couple of Sports Beans (jelly beans for sports - best invention ever!!) every ten minutes. I'll be drinking Eload Endurance - doesn't taste that good, but it will be worth it cause it has the best digestable and usable sugars, as well as a ton of electrolytes. I'm going to drink water at the aid stations (if I need it) which will help me survive the sugar overload taste. I'm also going to cut up a bagel and a couple of Clif bars to snack on along the way. In my special needs bag, which I get at 120 km, I think I am going to put two oatmeal cookies in it (I love cookies!!!), and couple of different options of bars (clif bar, granola bar). Who knows what I'll feel like, but chances are, I'll have eaten the cookies in about 2.5 milliseconds. I'm not going to put any chocolate in my bag because I'll be tempted to eat it, and that's probably not a good option at that point. I'm hoping that I don't have to stop at all before the 120 km point, but chances are I'll have to have a bathroom break before then, and I am incapable of peeing on my bike (although highly recommended to me by a number of people). I just can't, don't know if it's physical or mental or both, but I can't.
After Yellow Lake, the last 25 km (or something like that) are all down hill - best part of the ride!
T2:
If I could make some suggestions to the IMC administration, it would be to add a full service spa and shower to T2. I would use it, and I wouldn't care how long it took! Just kidding - the biggest goal is to not get sucked in to T2 because I know I'll just want to sit down and rest. The longer I'm there, the harder it is to get started again. I am planning on changing, even though my tri suit would be fine to run in, I know that at that point it will feel so nice to freshen up! Plus, I prefer to run with sleeves (tri suit is sleeveless) because when I sweat a lot (and if it's 30 +degrees, there will be A LOT of sweating), I can get chafeing in my armpits (which I like to refer to as chub rub).
Run:
I'm pretty nervous about this part because even though I would say I'm strongest as a runner, it's going to be A LONG time before I even get to the run! Plus, heat affects me the most on the run, and the first part of the run will probably be the hottest part of the day (late afternoon), however, considering that it is late in August, it will get darker earlier, and probably cooler than a July evening. Too hot, then probably a bit too chilly. Like all marathons that I run, I'm going to run 10 and 1's (as in, run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute). This is the Running Room method (which I was a participant in for my first marathon and then an instructor of for many years), I really believe in it. In the numerous marathon's I've run, I've zoomed past people that don't stop for their walk breaks, and I've still run 3:30 marathons (which is a pretty decent pace). I get my run special needs bag half way, 21.1 km, where I will definately be indulging in my chocolate bar. At that point in the race, I don't think it's going to give me any negative effects and it might just be the boost that I need! Otherwise, I'll be carrying my fuel belt with more Eload and sports beans. For the second half, in 2007 (after about 11 hours of hardly eating or drinking anything due to cramps) I started drinking Pepsi at all the aid stations (I think aid stations are every mile or maybe every second mile). If I have to drink Pepsi again, then it's a good option. I'm hoping to just stick with the 10 and 1's the whole way, but if I need to (hopefully not), I'll maybe go down to 7 and 1's or 5 and 1's. We'll see, but my biggest goal is to not stop running at all (except for my chocolate bar break and regular scheduled walk breaks). Of course, no matter how I feel, you can be sure that I will be running down Lakeshore Drive with my head held high and a look on my face saying "I could keep going, I'm not even tired!". Then I'll cross the finish line and promptly collapse into the nearest volunteers arms.
It might not be the perfect plan (ie: chocolate bar in my special needs bag), but it's my plan, and I'm stickin' to it!
On a more humerous note, some people at work were asking me how everything was going for my race and when it was. Someone else piped up from across the Nurse's station to say she has a friend who just completed an ironman. She was very proud to announce "Yup, she did it in 2 hours!!!". Either her friend is a genetic freak, or perhaps she got an Ironman and a Sprint distance triathlon mixed up. I didn't want to sound totally snobby (umm, slightly different type of a race), so I didn't correct her. But I REALLY wanted to.
My mom, sister, nieces and I meet AR in Penticton on Wednesday, everyone else joins us Thursday and Friday. I'll be sure to update again before the race!
This was at the end of our holidays last week... I could have stayed another week though!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Training on Holidays
This week has been SO wonderful, and it’s not even done yet! Holidays are good for the soul, so refreshing and exactly what I needed! Not that my life is uber stressful or anything… but enough that summer holidays are a must!
In a nut shell…. On Wednesday Craig and I flew to Vancouver and drove to Seattle. We had such a great time, we shopped till we dropped (well, I shopped, Craig sat at Starbucks), we had a beautiful dinner on the harbor, and we stayed in the most beautiful hotel that I have ever stayed at, the Fairmont Olympic Seattle. The next day we had fish and chips on the harbor (I watched Craig eat it…), breakfast on the wharf, and a bit more shopping. I did however manage to get in a workout in the hotel gym, it was incredibly humid because the gym (which was much nicer than a typical hotel gym) was in the exact same room as the pool. I was soaking wet after a 90 minute run on the treadmill (BORING!!!), and it definitely wasn’t from the kids who were splashing me from the pool (well, maybe a combo of that and my excessive amount of sweating).
We then took the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria where we spent two days at Auntie Rosie’s house. We LOVE it at AR’s, we had a great time! I was particularly excited for two things, my run and my swim. On Friday morning, bright and early, AR and I went to Thetis Lake for a training swim that I did with Coach Carolyn. It was so great to see her, and nice to have company and some fairly important coaching tips for the last long swim before the race. We did 4500m, so it was pretty long. Much to my very pleasant surprise, I came out of the water to see that the national team was out doing their Friday morning training swim. I also ran into Jasper Blake. It was no big deal, nothing at all, just a World-Class Triathlete and IMC first place winner and I on the same training schedule. The truth is, I wanted to run around screeching and screaming like teeny-bop girls when they meet the Backstreet Boys, but I managed to contain myself and just act like I totally fit in with the national team. Like I said, we’re on the same schedule, so obviously it’s no big deal, in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they invited me to just join the team… I mean, just because we happened to be swimming in the same body of water at the same time pretty much puts me on the same level. I did document it with a picture, which I plan on having a developed hard copy available for Jasper (we’re on a first name basis now) to autograph when he comes flying across the IMC finish line in first place.
After my swim, AR and I went into town to have a quick coffee (herbal tea) and visit with our good friend Adam O'Meara. That’s right people, I was out for coffee with another PROFESSIONAL triathlete. Quite frankly, it was almost too much for one day. Adam had some great tips for me, particularly in the nutrition/digestive situation that I am extremely grateful for. We also made a plan to race together in the Sooke half Ironman in September as a relay team (currently accepting applications for a swimmer), this is the race that will be presenting the Bruce Bowman Memorial Scholarship to a junior triathlete (through LifeSport). I’m not entirely sure how I feel about racing together on a team with a pro, incredibly honored, and incredibly nervous… kind of a once in a lifetime thing for an athlete like me (I mean, not that I’m not practically a pro – Hello, I was swimming with the national team!).
On Saturday I ran my all time favorite running route in Saanich from AR’s house. I had to cut it a wee bit short because it’s a bit longer than I was scheduled for, and I actually ran into Coach Carolyn (no pun intended…) while she was out for her last long ride for her Ironman training. She knows l like to push my long runs a little bit further than I probably should, especially at this point in my training, so conveniently she biked by just when I was nearing my turn around point (and contemplating just going for a little bit longer…). I turned around when I was supposed to….
We’ve been holidaying in Nanaimo ever since then at a beautiful beach house that my parents rented for all of us. It has been glorious in every way, perfect for the kidlets, and great for training. I got another open water swim in, the lake is perfect here. Unfortunately there are a lot of motor boats in the lake, so as a safety precaution, my mom and sister accompanied me in the paddle boat (Pro’s always seem to have an entourage, so it’s was fitting for me). It all turned bad when the paddle boat rudder went dead (not sure how that happened!?!) and I had to tow the paddle boat, my mom, and my sister home with a very strong head wind. Not good for my taper, not good at all! I think we got stuck in the Bermuda Triangle, cause the paddle boat just wouldn’t go anywhere. I laughed pretty hard after I spent the next 90 minutes sitting on the toilet peeing out all the lake water that I swallowed!
In a nut shell…. On Wednesday Craig and I flew to Vancouver and drove to Seattle. We had such a great time, we shopped till we dropped (well, I shopped, Craig sat at Starbucks), we had a beautiful dinner on the harbor, and we stayed in the most beautiful hotel that I have ever stayed at, the Fairmont Olympic Seattle. The next day we had fish and chips on the harbor (I watched Craig eat it…), breakfast on the wharf, and a bit more shopping. I did however manage to get in a workout in the hotel gym, it was incredibly humid because the gym (which was much nicer than a typical hotel gym) was in the exact same room as the pool. I was soaking wet after a 90 minute run on the treadmill (BORING!!!), and it definitely wasn’t from the kids who were splashing me from the pool (well, maybe a combo of that and my excessive amount of sweating).
We then took the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria where we spent two days at Auntie Rosie’s house. We LOVE it at AR’s, we had a great time! I was particularly excited for two things, my run and my swim. On Friday morning, bright and early, AR and I went to Thetis Lake for a training swim that I did with Coach Carolyn. It was so great to see her, and nice to have company and some fairly important coaching tips for the last long swim before the race. We did 4500m, so it was pretty long. Much to my very pleasant surprise, I came out of the water to see that the national team was out doing their Friday morning training swim. I also ran into Jasper Blake. It was no big deal, nothing at all, just a World-Class Triathlete and IMC first place winner and I on the same training schedule. The truth is, I wanted to run around screeching and screaming like teeny-bop girls when they meet the Backstreet Boys, but I managed to contain myself and just act like I totally fit in with the national team. Like I said, we’re on the same schedule, so obviously it’s no big deal, in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they invited me to just join the team… I mean, just because we happened to be swimming in the same body of water at the same time pretty much puts me on the same level. I did document it with a picture, which I plan on having a developed hard copy available for Jasper (we’re on a first name basis now) to autograph when he comes flying across the IMC finish line in first place.
After my swim, AR and I went into town to have a quick coffee (herbal tea) and visit with our good friend Adam O'Meara. That’s right people, I was out for coffee with another PROFESSIONAL triathlete. Quite frankly, it was almost too much for one day. Adam had some great tips for me, particularly in the nutrition/digestive situation that I am extremely grateful for. We also made a plan to race together in the Sooke half Ironman in September as a relay team (currently accepting applications for a swimmer), this is the race that will be presenting the Bruce Bowman Memorial Scholarship to a junior triathlete (through LifeSport). I’m not entirely sure how I feel about racing together on a team with a pro, incredibly honored, and incredibly nervous… kind of a once in a lifetime thing for an athlete like me (I mean, not that I’m not practically a pro – Hello, I was swimming with the national team!).
On Saturday I ran my all time favorite running route in Saanich from AR’s house. I had to cut it a wee bit short because it’s a bit longer than I was scheduled for, and I actually ran into Coach Carolyn (no pun intended…) while she was out for her last long ride for her Ironman training. She knows l like to push my long runs a little bit further than I probably should, especially at this point in my training, so conveniently she biked by just when I was nearing my turn around point (and contemplating just going for a little bit longer…). I turned around when I was supposed to….
We’ve been holidaying in Nanaimo ever since then at a beautiful beach house that my parents rented for all of us. It has been glorious in every way, perfect for the kidlets, and great for training. I got another open water swim in, the lake is perfect here. Unfortunately there are a lot of motor boats in the lake, so as a safety precaution, my mom and sister accompanied me in the paddle boat (Pro’s always seem to have an entourage, so it’s was fitting for me). It all turned bad when the paddle boat rudder went dead (not sure how that happened!?!) and I had to tow the paddle boat, my mom, and my sister home with a very strong head wind. Not good for my taper, not good at all! I think we got stuck in the Bermuda Triangle, cause the paddle boat just wouldn’t go anywhere. I laughed pretty hard after I spent the next 90 minutes sitting on the toilet peeing out all the lake water that I swallowed!
Tomorrow we head to Vancouver for the day to celebrate my dad’s birthday. We have an afternoon at the beach planned, and a big dinner at Tia and Tio’s (which means… A LOT of GREAT food…and family of course). Craig and I are heading home after that. To be honest, I could handle another few days, which is very rare for me, usually after a week vacation I am ready to head home to my own bed and my baby (the cat). This really has been the perfect vacation in every way!
Starting Wednesday, when I’m back to reality, I only have 6 days before I leave for Penticton!!! It’s the final stretch, I’m officially in my taper (which means Craig has to cater to my every single need as I must be off of my feet as much as possible!). This summer has flown by, the last three months of training feel like they just hardly started and now it’s almost just another chapter in my history book! Kind of bitter sweet…
Starting Wednesday, when I’m back to reality, I only have 6 days before I leave for Penticton!!! It’s the final stretch, I’m officially in my taper (which means Craig has to cater to my every single need as I must be off of my feet as much as possible!). This summer has flown by, the last three months of training feel like they just hardly started and now it’s almost just another chapter in my history book! Kind of bitter sweet…
I am currently accepting suggestions on how to calm my nerves which are starting to flare up. Now that I’ve trained with the pro’s, I have a reputation to keep up… that’s enough to make me nervous!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Game Plan
I guess it's been a little while since I blogged... I was having writer's block, and it rained all last week, so I couldn't get my long ride in (I refuse to go on the trainer for more than 90 minutes!), which is generally where I make my weekly blogging plan.
So here I am, less than 3 weeks till the race (Holy Shizit!!!), and a day before I go on family holidays (Yippee!!!)... It's time to make a serious game plan.
I finished my last really long ride of the year today, 180 km (but it was actually only 177 km - I cheated, just slightly), last week I did a very long run, and a very long swim. I've trained pretty darn faithfully, I haven't skipped any workouts (except for a couple of bad weather days where I just altered the workout), and I over trained the distances in the swim and bike. I have an entire cupboard full of various gels, bar, drinks, and tablets, I carry spare tubes and CO2 cartridges in all of my purses, my tri suit and race day outfit are ironed and ready to go (just kidding - the heat would be awful for the coolmax!) and I now bath in my wetsuit so that I can have daily time trials for the wet suit strip. I guess there is nothing to worry about... except... I'm starting to get a wee bit stressed about all the other zillions of possible things that could go wrong that are out of my control.
There's nothing I can do if my bike freakish-ly snaps in half going down Richter's, or if my wetsuit splits down the middle when I take my first stroke, or if my stomach just won't digest anything, or if it's 500 degrees that day, or if a slow moving herd of aardvark's block the race course for hours at a time making us miss the 17 hour cut off time... You just never know, ANYTHING could happen!
Oh well, I'm trying not to think about it, but there are just so many possibilities!
As for the things I can control:
And if for any reason these pictures make you miss winter... DON'T WORRY! You'll see this weather in approximately 3 weeks (September 1st).
So here I am, less than 3 weeks till the race (Holy Shizit!!!), and a day before I go on family holidays (Yippee!!!)... It's time to make a serious game plan.
I finished my last really long ride of the year today, 180 km (but it was actually only 177 km - I cheated, just slightly), last week I did a very long run, and a very long swim. I've trained pretty darn faithfully, I haven't skipped any workouts (except for a couple of bad weather days where I just altered the workout), and I over trained the distances in the swim and bike. I have an entire cupboard full of various gels, bar, drinks, and tablets, I carry spare tubes and CO2 cartridges in all of my purses, my tri suit and race day outfit are ironed and ready to go (just kidding - the heat would be awful for the coolmax!) and I now bath in my wetsuit so that I can have daily time trials for the wet suit strip. I guess there is nothing to worry about... except... I'm starting to get a wee bit stressed about all the other zillions of possible things that could go wrong that are out of my control.
There's nothing I can do if my bike freakish-ly snaps in half going down Richter's, or if my wetsuit splits down the middle when I take my first stroke, or if my stomach just won't digest anything, or if it's 500 degrees that day, or if a slow moving herd of aardvark's block the race course for hours at a time making us miss the 17 hour cut off time... You just never know, ANYTHING could happen!
Oh well, I'm trying not to think about it, but there are just so many possibilities!
As for the things I can control:
- I'm going to try my very hardest to get a minimum of 8 hours of a sleep every night until the race (very diffucult for me with my work schedule cause I often work late at night but I love getting up early in the morning)
- I'm cutting out alcohol until the race (very easy cause I hardly ever drink anyways)
- I'm going to try and cut out caffeine almost completely, but I'll make an exception for the odd evening shift that I can't survive without it (it's funny - cause I don't even like coffee, I only drink it when I work in the evenings - probably cause I've been up since 5:30am and I don't even start work until 3pm)
- I'm going to try to take my rest days as REAL rest days. Usually on my rest days now, I still go out for a nice long power walk (I LOVE being outside), or because I have extra time (no 3 hours of working out), I usually try to do all my housework, etc.
- I'm going to try my hardest to stay positive and think positive thoughts - no dwelling on various freak-accidents or uncontrollable weather situations
- I generally have a very healthy diet, but I'm going to put in just that much more effort to cut out preservatives, sugar or junk, just to make sure my body is as clean as possible.
- I'm going to limit my spending money when I shop like a maniac in Seattle this week, this will be a true challenge of self control - hello, outlets! (how did this one make it on my Ironman game plan list?)
Craig and I leave on Wednesday morning for a week of much needed vacationing! We are flying into Vancouver and then driving to Seattle where we are staying for 2 days. Then we move onto Victoria, where we are so excited to spend time with Auntie Rosie and the rest of my family for a couple of days. I am also thrilled to run my all-time favorite running route in Saanich, and get a swim in at Thetis with Coach Carolyn (I LOVE Victoria!). Then we spend a few days up-island in a holiday house on the lake. Basically, this is a PERFECT vacation, the perfect combination of shopping, eating, relaxing, training, and good quality time with my fave people (in no particular order).
Before I finish... In honor of the AWFUL summer weather that we've had (less than 2 weeks of actual nice sunny days!)... I'm going to start off my new-found positive thinking, positive ideas, positive everything regime by pointing out what we DIDN'T have in the last two months:
And if for any reason these pictures make you miss winter... DON'T WORRY! You'll see this weather in approximately 3 weeks (September 1st).Saturday, August 1, 2009
An Ironman's Prayer
Dear God,
I don't think I ask for a lot, so I'd like to cash in on some points and make a few requests.
First, on Sunday August 30th 2009, can you please insure that the mercury in Penticton, BC, does not see any higher than 25 degrees (20 degrees would be ideal). Also, please dry up any rain clouds and make the wind stand still - at least between the hours of 7am and midnight. Please make Okanagan Lake look like glass because it is so calm. And let's be honest, we've had enough with all the forest fire business... it's time to stop.
Please keep the race course safe and clear of any hazards, potholes, debris or crazy spectators. If someone chooses to be an idiot and get in the way of bikers going 50 km/hr, please strike them down with lightning (only a little zap - no permanent damage).
Please help me to control my temper while plowing my way through the mass of 2000 fellow athletes during the swim start. If I happen to elbow someone in the face, kick off goggles or swim directly on top of someone, please do not hold me accountable for my actions. Desperate times.... desperate measures. It would be REALLY great if I could just catch a draft in the first 200 m and then just get pulled the remaining 3600m (hint hint).
If I happen to swallow a mass amount of lake water from previously mentioned "swim attack", please allow my kidneys to go through rapid filtration/elimination, so that I can pee it all out during my pee break in T1, prior to commencing the bike.
Speaking of the digestive system: please turn my guts and inards into "digesting machines" so that I can hold in enough calories and nutrition to make it through the day. Cramps, stiches, spasms, loose BM's, or tummy ache's of any kind will NOT be welcomed in any way. Please keep them far, far, far away! If you can let me stomach power gels for just this ONE day, I promise, I will make Food Bank donations for the rest of my life. Further, if I can stomach at least 5 liters of gatorade, I will volunteer at my local Food Bank!
Please protect all of the volunteers and bless them for all of their hard work. May they enjoy their stale, cold pizza and oversized tshirts (kindly provided by the great folks at IMC), as they deserve the reward.
Especially bless my friends and family who have been such an AMAZING support to me during my training! In fact, because I KNOW that I could never have accomplished any of this without all of my amazing "crew members" please bless them with a TRUE Ironman experience. It would be ideal if we could all experience every aspect of the race together, so I am requesting that we all wake up, the day after the race, with the same excruciating pain, tight hamstrings, raging hunger, and every bone/muscle/joint/tissue equally stiff. If I can't touch my toes, I think we should all experience that together - they deserve it!
Please completely erase from my memory what it feels like the run a marathon after biking for 180 km. I don't need any recollection, whatsoever, of that. I'd rather just NOT know...
Maybe I'm asking just a little too much with this one... but could you please, please, PLEASE pull some strings and make the "Ironman Canada Finisher" cap, t-shirt and medal all come in a PINK option. It would match my wardrobe much better!
If you can take these requests into consideration (you're God, so I know you can do anything!), I can garuntee that for the remainder of my days: I'll never text while I'm driving, I'll floss my teeth every night before bed, I'll make sure my children eat veggies every day (future iron-babies), I'll never ride a bike without a helmet, I'll go to church once a month, I'll help sick people breathe better and I will never, NEVER, wear polka-dots and plaid together.
But MOST of all, just let me cross the finish line for Uncle Bruce, with a smile on my face (*and a new PR*).
Editor's Note: I am aware that bargaining with God is not standard Christian practice, however, in this particular situation, God and I have "an understanding"
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Inked
It's tradition for participants to celebrate their Ironman finish by making it permanent and getting the Ironman tatoo. It's a pretty big deal, and it's pretty much expected, plus, I'm pretty sure finishers are secretly more than happy to permanently brag about their accomplishment. I never tried to fight it, I knew that if I finished, I would HAVE to get the tatoo. I'm not really a tatoo/piercing/being-an-individual type person. Give me a Gap cardigan and a pair of chinos and let me blend in to any crowd, I don't even have my ears pierced! I don't do accessories, I don't wear jewlery (minus my wedding rings), I wear a potatoe sack most of the time (aka hospital scrubs) and I'm not into bright patterns and colors, I just like good old classics in black, white or pink. So would it be shocking to say that I am the owner of not 1 but 2 tatoos!!! It's my secret little rebellion from my otherwise very normal appearance.My first tatoo you would never see unless I showed you....
My second tatoo - the Ironman!
The day after the race in 2007, I pre-booked and pre-paid an appointment in White-Trashville, and as a family, we all went to enjoy the experence. As you can see, it was one of my dad's proudest moments!
I would be lying if I didn't say that the three minutes it took to get the mirco-tatoo made permanent were, in fact, more painful than the entire 14.5 hours of painful endurance that I accomplished the day before! Extremefully painful!
I had a hard time fully committing to the tatoo... The real Ironman Canada tatoo is the IMC symbol, which has the ironman surrounded by a red maple leaf. I just couldn't do it. What if I ever chose to wear pink (which I do most days!), it would clash with my tatoo! Also, image if for some God-forsaken reason I got chubby one day... I would not want a visible Ironman tatoo somewhere screaming of what I used to be (however, I hope that never happens!). Lastly, I did the race in over 14 hours, to non-ironmaners, that's amazing, but to my fellow ironmans... that's not really something to brag about. It would sort of be like someone bragging about their 5 and a half hour marathon. Not that it's not an amazing accomplishment.... but...So, I just got the little Ironman symbol, and I got it tatooed below my ankle bone. In this case, it can be covered by shoes/socks if necessary, it won't clash with any particular colors, but I can also show it off and wear it with pride when I want to. The final result:
I guess now that I have it, I don't need to go through that again this year... I've had some suggestions on adding to it, perhaps having my time tatooed below it, or perhaps the years that I did it. I think I'll just leave it as it is. I've spent enough time in the tatoo artists chair for one lifetime...
As for other news, I just finished an extremely intense training week (well, I have two more days to go, but all the big workouts are done). Which means, after 3 of the most intense weeks I've ever accomplished, Sunday officially commences my recovery week!!!
My mom, Auntie Rosie and I were all planning a training week in Penticton this past week. Unfortunately, we got forest fired-out. It sucked, I was pretty disappointed, but I guess there is no stopping mother nature (or stupid campers who smoke...whatever it was), the highway from Kelowna was closed and it just wasn't worth attempting the alternate route (long drive!). I was disappointed to enjoy the beautiful Okanagan, partake in some great wine, see AR, and have a nice drive with my mom. But most of all, I feel a bit of anxiety to not have a chance to bike the race course. It's been two years, I'd really like to refamilarize myself such things as Richters Pass, Yellow Lake, and the 7 Rollers from hell... we'll be in Penticton 4 days before the race, so the best thing I can do is drive the course (once, maybe twice), I hope that's good enough.
On a very positive note, I did my dreaded 200 km long ride (only one for the whole training season!) yesterday, followed by a 34 km long run today and preceded by a 4000 m swim on Tuesday (so pretty much an ironman in three days). The ride went great! I averaged almost 28 km/hr, which is great for me, and I did the bike in a faster time than it took me to ride the bike portion of the race in 2007. I was pretty proud! It was stinkin' hot (great for training!), and I biked a lot of hills, so I felt satisfied that it was the best training I could possibly do. I felt fine the whole time but I did have to lie down in the dirt beside my car when I finished for about 10 minutes before I could head out on my 30 minute Brick run (I was a wee bit light headed). I think I paid for it all in my run today! It was pretty painful, and perhaps a good reality check for what I might feel like on race day (plus, it was another hot day and I think I had a mild case of heat stroke). I think the only negative thing about doing an Ironman for a second time is actually knowing what if feels like to start a marathon after biking for 180 km. I liked it better the first time when I thought my strong running background would make the run seem easy (clearly, I know better this year!).
I guess that's all for this week. I'll thoroughly enjoy the rest and relaxation next week (which isn't really that much of a break, but at least I can pretend). Only 6 more weeks till the race!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Week Update
This has been a LONG week! Long and hard! But it's nearing it's end, and Sunday is my rest day, so I think I'll survive it!
I have tried my absolute hardest to be as positive as possible at all times through this whole Ironman experience for 2009. For a couple of reasons: first, I think my 2007 Ironman experience wasn't necessarily one of my better memories, not that it was negative in any way, just that I was SO stressed out about SO many things. It was hard for me to take in the moments and enjoy it, as well I don't think I ever gave myself credit for a rare (and frankly, amazing) accomplishment that I done. I was too busy worrying about if I could actually even do it. Then, when I proved that I could actually do it, perhaps the moment was over. Secondly, I never planned on doing this Ironman, my motivation for this Ironman is so completely different than 2007. Uncle Bruce would have only wanted this to be a fun event for me and everyone else involved, and so I've made that a top priority. Lastly, I think Ironman (any endurance event really) is half physical race, and half mental race. I failed miserabley at the mental race in 2007, and I am NOT going to let that happen this year. All this positive thinking has proved to be beneficial, and I can absolutely see it in my physical race!
Overall, I think I've done really well. I know I've said it before, but I feel great, training is going so well, and I am having so much fun doing it! However.... This week has proven to be a big challenge for me and I'm feeling like my "positive thinking tank" is somewhat drained.
This was a pretty heavy duty week of training, and my 2nd heavy week in a row, so just that much harder than last week! I completed all my scheduled workouts, and I didn't have any specific events or situations that were diffucult. I just seemed to have a hard time finding my motivation, and then I felt guilty for not enjoying myself. Maybe I'm just tired (probably) or hungry (obviously...cause I always am), or maybe it's because I worked 7 days in a row last week (definately did NOT like that!).
So I'm going to dig deep, VERY deep, and pull out all the positives I can to get me out of this rut:
I biked a full 180 km, and I did it faster than I did the bike portion of IMC 07. The route I did was very hilly, so it was comparable, and I felt amazing (particularly in the digestive area). I stopped for only 1 bathroom break, at which point I bought a KitKat bar (140 km into the ride), and I realized that was the first time that I can remember (in many years) actually buying and eating an entire chocolate bar. It tasted so good I wanted another one (however I practiced a wee bit of discipline and opted for a nasty tasting Raspberry Gu). I also think that I know exactly what I will be adding into my "special needs bag" for the race as a little treat!
I swam a full 3800m in a 25 m pool and I did it faster than the swim portion of IMC 07. This is great because I always swim much faster in open water then in the pool doing lengths, so obviously my swim is right on track! My mom joined me on that swim and her "snack sack" was well stocked with my favorites, so I was happy (as the state of my stomach dictates my mood - these days anyways).
I got to celebrate my mom's birthday last Wednesday, it was a beautiful day, and we had so much fun having lunch in the mountains followed by a great family dinner. I hope she felt special, because she deserved it!
I bought myself an "Ironman outfit". I don't want to spoil the surprise (for my fan club, of course), but let's just say... there's a lot of pink. Hot pink.
I cracked out a brand new pair of running shoes from my stash (I like to buy in bulk and keep them hidden away in my closet). I opted for the pink pair. Hot pink.
So, here is my attempt to stay positive even though I am exhausted and the thought of squeezing my buns into one more pair of padded spandex shorts makes me want to cry.
Just get me through till Sunday (rest day!), then I'll be back on track and ready to go at it again...
I have tried my absolute hardest to be as positive as possible at all times through this whole Ironman experience for 2009. For a couple of reasons: first, I think my 2007 Ironman experience wasn't necessarily one of my better memories, not that it was negative in any way, just that I was SO stressed out about SO many things. It was hard for me to take in the moments and enjoy it, as well I don't think I ever gave myself credit for a rare (and frankly, amazing) accomplishment that I done. I was too busy worrying about if I could actually even do it. Then, when I proved that I could actually do it, perhaps the moment was over. Secondly, I never planned on doing this Ironman, my motivation for this Ironman is so completely different than 2007. Uncle Bruce would have only wanted this to be a fun event for me and everyone else involved, and so I've made that a top priority. Lastly, I think Ironman (any endurance event really) is half physical race, and half mental race. I failed miserabley at the mental race in 2007, and I am NOT going to let that happen this year. All this positive thinking has proved to be beneficial, and I can absolutely see it in my physical race!
Overall, I think I've done really well. I know I've said it before, but I feel great, training is going so well, and I am having so much fun doing it! However.... This week has proven to be a big challenge for me and I'm feeling like my "positive thinking tank" is somewhat drained.
This was a pretty heavy duty week of training, and my 2nd heavy week in a row, so just that much harder than last week! I completed all my scheduled workouts, and I didn't have any specific events or situations that were diffucult. I just seemed to have a hard time finding my motivation, and then I felt guilty for not enjoying myself. Maybe I'm just tired (probably) or hungry (obviously...cause I always am), or maybe it's because I worked 7 days in a row last week (definately did NOT like that!).
So I'm going to dig deep, VERY deep, and pull out all the positives I can to get me out of this rut:
I biked a full 180 km, and I did it faster than I did the bike portion of IMC 07. The route I did was very hilly, so it was comparable, and I felt amazing (particularly in the digestive area). I stopped for only 1 bathroom break, at which point I bought a KitKat bar (140 km into the ride), and I realized that was the first time that I can remember (in many years) actually buying and eating an entire chocolate bar. It tasted so good I wanted another one (however I practiced a wee bit of discipline and opted for a nasty tasting Raspberry Gu). I also think that I know exactly what I will be adding into my "special needs bag" for the race as a little treat!
I swam a full 3800m in a 25 m pool and I did it faster than the swim portion of IMC 07. This is great because I always swim much faster in open water then in the pool doing lengths, so obviously my swim is right on track! My mom joined me on that swim and her "snack sack" was well stocked with my favorites, so I was happy (as the state of my stomach dictates my mood - these days anyways).
I got to celebrate my mom's birthday last Wednesday, it was a beautiful day, and we had so much fun having lunch in the mountains followed by a great family dinner. I hope she felt special, because she deserved it!
I bought myself an "Ironman outfit". I don't want to spoil the surprise (for my fan club, of course), but let's just say... there's a lot of pink. Hot pink.
I cracked out a brand new pair of running shoes from my stash (I like to buy in bulk and keep them hidden away in my closet). I opted for the pink pair. Hot pink.
So, here is my attempt to stay positive even though I am exhausted and the thought of squeezing my buns into one more pair of padded spandex shorts makes me want to cry.
Just get me through till Sunday (rest day!), then I'll be back on track and ready to go at it again...
I know this isn't really related... But blogs are no fun without pictures, so I had to add something...
These are the up-and-coming Ironman's of the future:
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Ironman's Past
This year is going to be my 4th year in a row participating (in some capacity) in Ironman Canada. I spectated at Ironman a few times prior to 2006, but my real journey started almost exactly 3 years ago.
2006
I did my first Half Ironman in 2006, the New Balance Half in Victoria, I did way better than I expected (bronze medal!), and it was then that I officially decided that I was going to sign up to do the full Ironman. That meant I was required to be in Penticton for the 2006 race as I had to sign up the next day. Leon, Alison, Aria and I moved back to Calgary (from Victoria), one week before IMC 06, I hate long drives, so it was painful and boring, but I survived it thanks to my extensive library of Celine Dion albums. So it was only 6 days later that I had to get back into the car and do that long, awful drive again! Luckily, this time my dad agreed to join me as long as we followed his "road trip rules". Involving: no talking, no pee breaks, no up-beat-ganster-music ("kids these days!") and no touching anything in his perfectly clean car. It was great (maybe not... but it was nice to have company). We only drove up the day of the race because we couldn't find accomodations for the day before, but we got to Penticton in plenty of time to see Jasper Blake come flying across the finish line.
I was exceptionally stressed out (which became a reacurring theme for the next year) about registering for the race as 2007 was the 25 year anniversary for IMC and was expected to sell out of entries. I lined up at 3 am to insure I got an entry, it was fine because that's normally when my dad gets up anyways. The line started moving at 9am, I was registered by about 9:05 am... and that's when it all began... We got back in the car and drove home that morning.
2007
This was a very big year for obvious reasons. I trained all 364 days since I signed up, and I thought about Ironman every one of those days as well. We turned IMC week into our annual family summer vacation. We rented a house in Kelowna (beautiful house and location, but staying in Penticton would have been a MUCH better idea!), my immediate family, UB and AR, Zoe and Arin (training partner) and Tracey and Oly (neighbors) all came. It was so much fun, we had such a great time, however I wouldn't consider it much of a vacation for me because I was distracted with any number of things that made me stressed out (weather, what to wear, what to eat, if I would finish, how my crossing the finish line picture would look - very important details!). After a long, long, LONG day for all of us, I did finish, I became an Ironman and all I could think about was what I was going to eat! I cried for 3 days straight after I finished Ironman because I wasn't sure what else to do with myself, perhaps it was withdrawl or perhaps I was crying out the excessive amout of salt tablets that my body rejected approximately 20 km into the run portion. UB made the early morning journey into Penticton the day after the race to sign up, and thus started his journey.
2008
This was UB's Ironman year, however, we carried on the tradition and made it our annual family vacation week. Again, we stayed in Kelowna, and it was so much fun having Aria just a little bit older, she really got into the race this year! After being so eternally grateful for and SO impressed by all of the volunteers, I decided that I wanted to volunteer for this race. I chose to be a bike catcher in T2 because I thought this would give me the best chance to have a few minutes with UB when he was in transition, which was our primary reason for being there. I loved volunteering! I wore all of my IMC 07 "finisher" attire with pride and I loved being in the transition area to really see what a fine tuned operation that goes on for all the racers. I did not, however, enjoy getting bikes hurled at me with extreme force (mainly from the pros), nor did I like the fact that I am well aware that racers relieve themselves while biking during the race. Gross. I think I would chose a non-contact volunteer position next time. I would LOVE to volunteer in the medical tent as that is right up my alley, but it didn't work out for 2008 because we wanted to be there to cheer for UB when he finished (...maybe 2010).
UB finished the race, looking great, even despite the nasty rain that accompanied him for most of the marathon. The next day we had a celebration, the whole family, as well as UB's sisters, Buff and Joan, who we had SO much fun cheering with on race day. UB signed up for IMC 2009 as he originally planned to do an Ironman when he turned 60 (he just happened to do so well in the training that he did one a year earlier than planned).
2009
I guess this year is still history in the making... We all had planned to be in Penticton to cheer for UB, so I guess an unwelcomed twist in our plans took me off the cheering squad and put me in the spandex unitard... But after accepting the circumstances, I think the last two months have been the most memorable Ironman months I've had in the entire 4 year journey. I'm so excited for this race! I'm excited to race for a greater reason, I'm excited to drink gatorade till I want to puke, I'm excited for scorching heat and Richter's Pass, I'm excited to FINALLY have accommodations in Penticton, I'm excited to add to my Ironman-brand wardrobe, I'm excited for another fun family vacation, I'm excited to eat whatever the h*ll I want for an entire week after, I'm excited that I feel GREAT. But most of all, I think I'm the most excited about adding to my memory bank, because I know that I was always look back on my Ironman journey, and these 4 years will always carry such a significance to me.
And of course, in all honesty, I'm extremely excited, because this year, I am BRINGING IT to Penticton, and I'm going to race a Personal Best after only training for 3 and a half months (positive thinking!). I'm going to break 14 hours this year!
So here are some pictures from Ironman and some of the best parts of Penticton and Ironman week:
Here we are admiring the bikes at The Bike Barn (however, my bike is still the nicest):
In Ironman Village at the Cervelo Tent:
Up very early on race day (2007), Aria has her Iron-Baby hat on (which Poet will get to wear this year!). Alison is wearing her Iron-Sister shirt which turned into Iron- ister by the end of the day.
Getting my Body Marking. I was #2042, I couldn't get it scrubbed off for 3 days after!!! (is that normal???)
Row after row after row of Port-a-Potties... My parents (so classy):
2006
I did my first Half Ironman in 2006, the New Balance Half in Victoria, I did way better than I expected (bronze medal!), and it was then that I officially decided that I was going to sign up to do the full Ironman. That meant I was required to be in Penticton for the 2006 race as I had to sign up the next day. Leon, Alison, Aria and I moved back to Calgary (from Victoria), one week before IMC 06, I hate long drives, so it was painful and boring, but I survived it thanks to my extensive library of Celine Dion albums. So it was only 6 days later that I had to get back into the car and do that long, awful drive again! Luckily, this time my dad agreed to join me as long as we followed his "road trip rules". Involving: no talking, no pee breaks, no up-beat-ganster-music ("kids these days!") and no touching anything in his perfectly clean car. It was great (maybe not... but it was nice to have company). We only drove up the day of the race because we couldn't find accomodations for the day before, but we got to Penticton in plenty of time to see Jasper Blake come flying across the finish line.
I was exceptionally stressed out (which became a reacurring theme for the next year) about registering for the race as 2007 was the 25 year anniversary for IMC and was expected to sell out of entries. I lined up at 3 am to insure I got an entry, it was fine because that's normally when my dad gets up anyways. The line started moving at 9am, I was registered by about 9:05 am... and that's when it all began... We got back in the car and drove home that morning.
2007
This was a very big year for obvious reasons. I trained all 364 days since I signed up, and I thought about Ironman every one of those days as well. We turned IMC week into our annual family summer vacation. We rented a house in Kelowna (beautiful house and location, but staying in Penticton would have been a MUCH better idea!), my immediate family, UB and AR, Zoe and Arin (training partner) and Tracey and Oly (neighbors) all came. It was so much fun, we had such a great time, however I wouldn't consider it much of a vacation for me because I was distracted with any number of things that made me stressed out (weather, what to wear, what to eat, if I would finish, how my crossing the finish line picture would look - very important details!). After a long, long, LONG day for all of us, I did finish, I became an Ironman and all I could think about was what I was going to eat! I cried for 3 days straight after I finished Ironman because I wasn't sure what else to do with myself, perhaps it was withdrawl or perhaps I was crying out the excessive amout of salt tablets that my body rejected approximately 20 km into the run portion. UB made the early morning journey into Penticton the day after the race to sign up, and thus started his journey.
2008
This was UB's Ironman year, however, we carried on the tradition and made it our annual family vacation week. Again, we stayed in Kelowna, and it was so much fun having Aria just a little bit older, she really got into the race this year! After being so eternally grateful for and SO impressed by all of the volunteers, I decided that I wanted to volunteer for this race. I chose to be a bike catcher in T2 because I thought this would give me the best chance to have a few minutes with UB when he was in transition, which was our primary reason for being there. I loved volunteering! I wore all of my IMC 07 "finisher" attire with pride and I loved being in the transition area to really see what a fine tuned operation that goes on for all the racers. I did not, however, enjoy getting bikes hurled at me with extreme force (mainly from the pros), nor did I like the fact that I am well aware that racers relieve themselves while biking during the race. Gross. I think I would chose a non-contact volunteer position next time. I would LOVE to volunteer in the medical tent as that is right up my alley, but it didn't work out for 2008 because we wanted to be there to cheer for UB when he finished (...maybe 2010).
UB finished the race, looking great, even despite the nasty rain that accompanied him for most of the marathon. The next day we had a celebration, the whole family, as well as UB's sisters, Buff and Joan, who we had SO much fun cheering with on race day. UB signed up for IMC 2009 as he originally planned to do an Ironman when he turned 60 (he just happened to do so well in the training that he did one a year earlier than planned).
2009
I guess this year is still history in the making... We all had planned to be in Penticton to cheer for UB, so I guess an unwelcomed twist in our plans took me off the cheering squad and put me in the spandex unitard... But after accepting the circumstances, I think the last two months have been the most memorable Ironman months I've had in the entire 4 year journey. I'm so excited for this race! I'm excited to race for a greater reason, I'm excited to drink gatorade till I want to puke, I'm excited for scorching heat and Richter's Pass, I'm excited to FINALLY have accommodations in Penticton, I'm excited to add to my Ironman-brand wardrobe, I'm excited for another fun family vacation, I'm excited to eat whatever the h*ll I want for an entire week after, I'm excited that I feel GREAT. But most of all, I think I'm the most excited about adding to my memory bank, because I know that I was always look back on my Ironman journey, and these 4 years will always carry such a significance to me.
And of course, in all honesty, I'm extremely excited, because this year, I am BRINGING IT to Penticton, and I'm going to race a Personal Best after only training for 3 and a half months (positive thinking!). I'm going to break 14 hours this year!
So here are some pictures from Ironman and some of the best parts of Penticton and Ironman week:
Here we are admiring the bikes at The Bike Barn (however, my bike is still the nicest):
In Ironman Village at the Cervelo Tent:
Up very early on race day (2007), Aria has her Iron-Baby hat on (which Poet will get to wear this year!). Alison is wearing her Iron-Sister shirt which turned into Iron- ister by the end of the day.
Getting my Body Marking. I was #2042, I couldn't get it scrubbed off for 3 days after!!! (is that normal???)
Row after row after row of Port-a-Potties... My parents (so classy):
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