Muskoka 70.3 Race Report

This past weekend was Ironman Muskoka 70.3 at Deerhurst Resort. The weather was just incredible and as usually Mitch and Janet Fraser along with the Race committee and volunteers did a fabulous job.
I also want to congratulate all of the competitors on their successes especially those first timers who conquered an extremely challenging course. Sara and Rob you guys rock! It amazes me that you are able to do so well while raising your family. Congrats!
Evan, I want you to know you are awesome. Dispite an injury you proved yourself once again. There is no such thing as quitting! It may not have been the "A" Race you were hoping for, but nonetheless you pushed through. I Love you
Steve, you made me so proud. Imagine how far you have come. Completing your first half ironman after only a few short months (and with 3 flats)! Your hard work and dedication has paid off! CONGRATULATONS!!!!!
As for me, I may not have felt the best throughout the race but I am quite pleased. Here is my race report!
The Swim:
I entered the water fully relaxed and ready to go. I started on the inside along with a group of male swimmers. For the first time ever, I wasn't anxious entering the water. It was just another swim in my mind. I excited the water in 35 minutes which is good, though I am confident that if I worked a little harder I could easily knock some signifanct time off.
The Bike:
I entered this race with the desire to do 1 thing. Conquer the bike. I wanted to average 30km/h for the 94km and nothing more. At the 90km mark, I was able to give myself a smile of satisfation as my time was 2:57:00! I knew I had it. Very excited, I continued to climb the last series of hills still pushing my ability, but at the same time preparing for the run that was about to come. My final average: 30.6km/h! SWEET!
The Run:
Okay, so this is where things change. I started the run worried whether my left hamstring was going to hold up or not. I have been getting quite a bit of acupuncture over the past month, along with a couple of physio, massage and chiropractic appoinments weekly. I left transition area knowing that if I was able to average 6min km I would still beat my time from last year, so all I had to do was keep moving. About 2min into the run, I began to get my first stitch. As per usual, I stopped and the porta potty for a quick pee and then was off again. The stitch went. I continued to run averaging about 5min/km (Thanks to Steve I had a Garmin and was able to see my time after each km - A great new experience for me) The first half of the course was mostly up hill which was not the easiest for me since I haven't ran hills since last year. About 8km into the run I knew I was in trouble. My hamstring was killing me, along with my achilles. Wow...the pain was constant and sharp. I started to walk up a hill. I glanced down at the garming and saw 11m/km. CRAZY, I thought! I couldn't walk....I'd never beat last year. I took a deep breath and began to run again.
Luckily I found some great people to run and chat with along the way. It helped not to focus on the pain. With about 5km left in the run, I was forced to walk again. My hamstring was still aching. But now my hip flexor was killing me - I guess from the overcompensation for the Hamstring. I walked through the next aid station trying to regain my focus. I took 4 magnesium phosphoricium balls along with some pepsi and a couple of pretzels hoping that the tightness would subside just long enough for me to finish. I took my chances and pushed to finish. I knew that once I hit the last 2km the spectators would become my motivation and push me to finish the last hills. That's exactly what happened. I kept running, marking the kms off 1 by 1 until finally it was over. I managed a PB half marathon!
OVERVIEW
I knocked 21 minutes off of my time from last years race so I definitely have no regrets from the race whatsoever. The pain I experienced in my hamstring/hip flexor/achilles frustrates me only because I know that it was somewhat preventable. By this I mean, as an athlete it is my responsibilty to stretch and recover and unfortunately I am very weak in these aspects. It's ok though to be frustrated, I think, as long as we take the frustration and learn from it. I have. I have now taken on a personal trainer to work on my stretching and flexibility twice a week. I will be ready for Florida!
RESULTS
5:40:26
8/46 in the 25-29 age group
362/1335 total athletes (male and female)
That's all for now!

Cheers,
Dee

L.O.S.T Swimming

The Lake Ontario Swim Team hosted it's 2nd Annual fun Iron Distance Open water fun race this past Saturday in Oakville. Evan and I were very glad to be a part of this well organized fun event that saw over 35 people swim the 3.8 km in Lake Ontario.

I was a little nervous/excited as this was my first ever swim in Lake Ontario as well as my first straight 3.8km. The water was a beautiful 70 degrees and the weather proved remarkable with hardly any wind.

As a test for myself leading up to the Ironman in November I had hoped to finish in under 1 hour and 15 minutes. I beat my expectations, finishing the 3.8km in 1 hour and 3minutes. To say the least I was very happy but now I have even more to focus on. I am planning on beating 1 hour in the near future.

The L.O.S.T swimming group meets every Saturday morning at 8 am in Oakville for a 1 hour swim. The people are wonderful and very knowledgable as most are competitive swimmers/triathletes. Just what I need as I head into the next couple of months of heavy training.

That's all for now.

Dee

Lucky "13"??

Evan's Bracebridge Report

Well, what can I say, this was a very memorable race, for many reasons. Not only was I very pleased with my race result, it was not easy given the weather conditions I had to deal with in the race.

My pre-race routine was a lot more relaxed and organized in comparison to Peterborough, even though Peterborough wasn’t all that rushed or hectic (it just wasn’t how I wanted it to go). Dee and I got to the park in plenty of time (approx. 2 hours before the race start) and went over to get registered before dropping off our bikes and gear into the transition area. When we went over to see what my “lucky” bib number was for this race, I was a little surprised to see the number “13” beside my name. After I saw this, I told Dee “It’s a good thing I am not superstitious, or at least, I am not going to be superstitious today.” After I was able to take my time and get my transition area set up well, I had some time to hop on my bike before getting my wetsuit on to make sure I had my shoes clipped onto my pedals and to make sure I was in a low gear to get up the hill in the park past the mount line. Next we got on our wetsuits while listening to the pre-race meeting, mainly because we weren’t sure how the swim was supposed to start and where we were supposed to enter the water after the first lap of the swim was completed. Once we got an understanding of the race details, we got in the water at the swim exit and had about 10-15 minutes to do a quick swim before the horn sounded for the start of the race. The weather was cloudy and warm before the race began, and I knew they were calling for a chance of thunderstorms, with sun and humid weather to follow, but I wasn’t too worried about the forecast, and thought that it wouldn’t be until later on in the day before the storms hit anyway.

Swim:
Overall, I would have to say that I was fairly happy with my swim. For the most part, I found a group of 2-4 swimmers whom I just drafted off of from about the second half of the first loop and the entire second loop of the swim. Even though the swim times seemed to be slow (it was probably a good 100m run across the shore to start the second lap of the swim, so that added some extra time to the swim speed), I felt like I had no trouble sticking with this group of swimmers, even though I had a plan before the race to push the swim a little harder than I did.

Bike:
Well, that was one of the most memorable 90km that I have raced to date…well, the first half wasn’t all that bad. I was feeling very good and I felt like I was timing my nutrition intake well. As per usual on an out-and-back bike course when I was approaching the turnaround point, I began counting the bikers who were passing me in the opposite direction to see what place I was in. To my suprise, I counted only 2 people by the time I made it to the halfway point. Wow...3rd place overall half way through the bike, I couldn't believe it!!! However, this excitement didn't last long. Not long after passing the halfway point, a huge flash of lightning and a loud “rumble” of thunder hit right over my head, which took me by a huge surprise. Following that, the sky opened up and down came a torrential downpour of rain, enough rain that I would be uncomfortable driving in if I was driving a car, let alone a bike. Being this was a hilly and very technical course with a few areas of bumps and potholes on the road, I at first became a little cautious about where to bike and how to ride, given that the weather and road conditions became poor very quickly...and unfortunately, a couple of bikers took advantage and passed me in my brief time of caution. I realized, however, that I had to keep my focus on what I had to do to stay on the road, and my confidence began to grow as I got used to the new “obstacle” thrown at me. This rain was relentless, and lasted for a good hour/hour and a half….it was falling down so hard and fast that it felt like hail as it hit me. Near the end of the bike (between 80-90km) there were places on the course where you had to bike through 3 inches of water where the road was beginning to get completely flooded. However, I tried as much as possible to keep my focus on getting my nutrition in at the right times, and keeping the bike from skidding out below me. It was one of the most challenging, let enjoyable bikes I have ever done (Yes, I must be crazy).

Run:
The run began quite nicely, as by this time the rain was beginning to slow down, however my shoes and socks were completely soaked from the deluge of water that just fell. I felt fairly comfortable and felt ready to attack. However, not too long into the run, the clouds began to break and the sun began to come out, and it got very humid very quickly. I reminded myself that if I stuck to my nutrition plan, I should be able to keep my energy up for the rest of the run without bonking. At about the 7km mark of the run, a spectator told me that I was in 5th place overall, and I could see 2 runners ahead of me. My legs suddenly began to spring to life and I began to I pick up the pace. I found myself in 3rd place within the next few kilometers. Shortly after, I saw another runner ahead of me. Slowly, but surely, I was able to catch him just after passing the half way mark of the run. 2nd place!!! My thoughts began to run wild as I suddenly realized the situation I was in. However, there was still 8-9km left in the run, and I had to stay in control of my mind, and my body. I knew there was no possibility of me catching up to the lead runner, as I knew he had built up a huge lead, so it was just a matter keeping up a good pace, and not letting anyone else pass me from behind. Fortunately, everything seemed to go well for me this day, and I was able to finish strong, in 2nd place overall!!! Very happy with my result.

I have to thank Dee for helping me prepare for this race, both physically and mentally, as well as helping to prepare a nutrition schedule that seemed to work for me this day. :)

The New Bike

"My New Baby"
I rode my new bike for the 1st time yesterday and "WOW" what a thrill. I felt incredibly fast and my pedal stroke was so fluid. I almost felt as though I wasn't even working. I was a little nervous about riding a Tri Bike so I figured we'd best ride flat, at least for the 1st time. We were going to complete a 20 minute tempo following our warm-up however I was only able to do 10 as I had a client to coach. For the first time ever I was able to push my lungs into a full anaerobic state while on the bike. Usually my muscles cramp or give long before my lungs. It was amazing. I actually took Evan in the intial 5km however he blew me away during the rest. (I pushed for the sake of saying I could, though I was toast after. Evan kept going with no hesitation) It was just great to feel strong on the bike.

I couldn't have done it without the help of Elaine at Piereks Cycle. What a great job on fitting me! I watched this bike for months as it hung in the store knowing that it was perfect for me.......It Didn't Disappoint! Thanks Elaine!

Why I tri?
To experience the joys of improvements!

Bracebridge Half Ironman

Bracebridge Half Ironman
Race Positives: nutrition was fabulous
To work on: speed in the swim, speed on the bike, speed on the run
Harder focussed training days

To say the least this race was adventurous and challenging and just not a great race for me, regardless of the result.
The Swim:
The weather seemed ok for the swim and dispite some poor sighting on my behalf, I pulled through and was the 42nd person out of the water.
The Bike:
About 15 minutes into the 90km bike, the sky opened up with the biggest clap of thunder I think I have ever heard. I swear it was like two hands came down above my head and smashed together. At that point I knew I was in for a long ride. Dispite the rain, which felt as though it was piercing my skin, and poor visibility, I managed to finish the bike in 3hours and 2minutes. A little dissapointing to be honest but that just gives me something to focus on.
The Run:
On the positive side, the rain had stopped and the sun was coming out. It was going to be great....at least I thought. The transition into the run was extremely difficult as I had to make a quick decision as to whether or not I should put wet socks on my feet for the run or to go sockless. I chose sockless. My shoes were actually filled with water that I dumped over my feet to clean off the dirt, threw on my shoes and took off. Within the first 500 meters I knew I was doomed. I felt the blisters start to form. In an attempt to ease the pain I took some advil along with a stress tablet. It didn't help. I continued to run, singing songs in my head to focus on anything other than the pain. The sun was scorching. So much for thinking it be better....I definitely could have used the rain. Just short of two hours later I finished the grueling 21 km run and headed straight for the medical tent, my shoes filled with blood. She cleaned them up and I headed out to stretch. Minus my feet, I felt as though I was already recovered.

I headed to the results board and to my surprise finished:

2nd in my age group; 12/62 females; 57/190 total people
and
I qualified for the 2010 ITU World Long Distance Championships in Immenstadt Germany!

That's all for my report. I'll write again real soon.

Dee

Training Updates

July 29, 2009

Countdown to Florida: 102 Days


I returned from Peterborough feeling strong and ready to train. Of course, anyone who knows about training would understand that for some reason, you are no really alowed to feel strong. If you do, it's a sure sign something is about to go wrong.

For me it was a popped a rib (perhaps it happened during the race) leaving me unable to swim or even train at a high intensity for almost 2 weeks. My spirits were dampened and motivation weakened. I tried my best to stay positive but it was a facebook message from my sister that brought me around. No matter how crappy I feel, my family are still there and ready to support me. Thanks Cindy! I really needed the boost.

So I am back training now, at a higher intensity than ever. Feeling strong both mentally and physically (though particularly stiff these days due to intervals). My swim technique is slowly coming back which I owe to Coach Dan and numerous drills. I have decided it is time to bring some speed work into my running to try to knock some time off from my next half. These past couple of weeks seem to be bringing definite improvements in all areas.

Tonight's training:
1.5 hour run (Fartlek and drills) and a 1 hour bike followed by some fabulous lunges. It's gonna be great!

I'll post again soon!

Cheers

Dee

Peterborough 1/2 Ironman Race Report

I completed my 4th 1/2 ironman this past weekend in Peterborough and it was honestly the best feeling I could have experienced. Despite the successes of last season, I failed to once race pain free. This race was different.

Saturday before the race, Evan and I completed a short bike and run to "get the legs ready". Following this we joined Sammy and Simon for Dinner. It was great to spend the night relaxing and chatting about non race stuff. As I went to bed, my mind was completely free from stress.

The alarm went off Sunday morning at 5:30 and I woke with complete energy. Evan and I heated up some homemade pancakes we brought (definitely a great idea....ummmm nothing like some homemade whole wheat pancakes.) and then left for race site. I tried to avoid the chaos of the morning by staying relaxed and sticking to the days race plan. I wasn't planning on racing the race, my goal was to finish the race with enough energy to complete the entire thing all over again.

After putting on the Sunblock it was time to get ready for the swim. The wet suit went on better than ever before and I knew this was a good sign. We entered the water and I was calm, cool and collected. Wow....a new experience for sure. After a very short warm-up I was ready. No need to expend any more energy. The swim was going to be fabulous.

I hoped to finish the swim in about 36 minutes and to my surprise I completed it in 34:30. My fastest swim ever. No doubt due to my being in total control and relaxed for the entire time. Not once did I go anaerobic or lose focus.

I took my time transitioning from the swim to bike. No need to rush. Dispite the lack of panic, As I attempted to mount my bike, my foot slipped off my shoe and I went down. Embarrassed to say the least, I quickly jumped up, properly mounted and took off. Damage: my knee, leg and foot were tore open. BRUTAL! My focus was lost momentarily but I reminded myself that I was here for a long training day and so I left it in the past.
I completed the bike just short of 3 hours averaging 29.5km/h. Not really the speed I would have liked though it was a hilly course.

Again I took my time in transition, stopped at the porta potty and was off for the run.
I found my comfortable long run pace, averaging about 5:45 per km. It was an enjoyable run, and I was happy to offer advice to other athletes as I ran past. I finished the run in 1:58:00 which surprisingly enough was my fastest run in a half yet. The best part.....NO PAIN.....and I kept my heart rate at about 145bpm. I felt awesome.
I crossed the finish line in 5:30:00......the best part is I completely achieved my goal. I could have done the whole thing over again. Well at least I could have physically....not to sure about mentally.

To sum it up the race was fantastic. Nothing to be dissapointed with especially since I stuck with the game plan and finished feeling completely energetic. Best of all....i still finished 4th in my age group.

Areas to Improve:
staying mentally focussed and in control at all times
Bike muscular endurance
Run Speed
Swim Speed

That's it for my race report.

NEXT Half Ironman EVENT:

Muskoka 70.3 - September 2009

Cheers,

Dee

Great Weekend!

What a weekend. Evan and I spent the weekend Officiating Triathlon races both in Guelph and Mississauga. The guelph Lake sprint and try-a-tri went over very well, minus the fact that we were water logged by the end of the day and pretty well covered in mud by the time we made it out of the field.
If you have never experienced a TriKids event I highly recommend that you take one in this season. The Mississauga event had 500 children starting at just 3 years of age. It was incredible to see the excitement and enthusiasm of these future stars. Each and every child is a huge "SUPERSTAR" in my eyes.

Though officiating and not racing, this weekend was still on the top of the charts.

Why we tri?

rather

Why we officiate tri?

To experience and share the joys of each child, regardless of their ability!

Training Updates

Wow! I guess quite a bit has happened since February with my training. My apologies for not writing sooner with any updates but here goes.

Running continued to progress quite slowly through the months of March, April and May, but I remained focussed and confident that I was going to return without injury. If I felt the slightest tingle of pain I stopped where i was and continued to walk. The frustrations remained high, but I tried my best to believe in myself. I biked as frequently as possible and worked on swimming, weights and water running. And then it happened.

June 6th marked one of my happiest training days ever! Evan and I met with Sara, an old team mate and together we ran 18km. My longest training run ever. The best part.....NO PAIN! I honestly felt as though I could run forever. The next day, we joined with two other former teammates and completed our first long bike of the season. It too seemed like it was easy. No stress.....No pain. 3 hours on the bike seemed like it was no more than 45 minutes. So happy.

The following week was fabulous for training as well. I finally started to feel stronger in the water, bringing my confidence to an all new high. Biking was great...running even better. Saturday the 13th was an even better run than the week before. 21 km. Again no pain! I can't believe the improvements. It just goes to show that patience is one of the most importance attributes that an athlete must have. Without it, injuries and frustrations will often get in the way of success.

So there's the update. I'll post again soon.

Dee

Around the Bay 30 K

Time: 1:58:29

Final Placing: 30/4922 (10th in age category)

RACE REPORT
I had an overall good feeling going into the race....earlier in the week I had a good 8km run that felt great, and I felt like I was good to go. The only thing that was looming in my mind was my piriformis and hamstring muscles that have been giving me trouble for the past little while, but before the race my legs felt pretty good. The excitement was building slightly in the few days before the race, however I didn't think of it too much...however, it wasn't until I crossed the gate into the starting chute of the race when I got a TON of butterflies in my stomach, and the nervousness really sunk in. I felt like I was going to be sick, and this feeling continued throughout the first few kilometers of the race. It has been a long while since I have felt this nervousness, sickness feeling before a race, but I am glad that I got to experience it again, because it is an indicator to me that I am excited and pumped for the race.


Race Strong Point: As what usually seems to be the norm for me at some point in a long distance race, negative thoughts begin creeping into my head, saying that I can't finish the race. This happened at about the half way point of the race (just before the lift bridge). I believe this was one of the points where my pace began to slow down slightly, as these thoughts began to drag me down. What I felt strong about was that I was able to overcome these thoughts quite quickly for a few reasons....1) When I began to feel like I was slowing down and getting these thoughts in my head, I thought it was my body telling me that I needed some energy, so I ate a gel at this point just before the aid station to help get my energy back....2) With a little luck, I had a little inspiration by a couple other runners who were doing the 2-man relay. With fresh legs, two guys just beginning the 2nd leg of the relay began to pass me on the lift bridge, however, I felt like they were passing me because my pace was slowing down, not because they were faster. So I stuck with them for most of the second half of the race, which helped me through the hills and the back half of the race. I began to focus my mind on staying with these runners, and forget about those negative thoughts that were looming around. Another strong point I feel I had with the race is that the rain and cooler temperature didn’t really bother me at all. Normally, I am not a fan of racing in this kind of weather (especially if I am doing a triathlon and have to bike in the rain), but I seemed to completely block all of that out of my mind for the race, knowing that there wasn’t anything I could do about the weather, so I would just have to deal with it.

Race Weak Point: Because this was my first race in several months, and because I had it in my mind to be a little on the cautious side for fears of causing an injury to my hamstring, I don't think I was aggressive in my strategy and planning as I could have been. When I finished the race, other than a little soreness in my legs, I felt like I could have done another 12 kilometers easily and finished a marathon...I don't feel like I pushed myself as much as I could have. This was the first year I have finished the Bay race where I didn't feel completely warn out, exhausted, and given everything I had. I felt reasonably good after the race, and I feel I could have been more aggressive, especially early in the race....however, there is always the question that if I had pushed myself a little harder in the race, it is possible that my hamstring could have been aggravated...so even though I felt like I could have pushed myself a little harder, it was probably wise not to this time.

With all of this being said, I am left to consider this race to be a "safe" race rather than "go for it" race, where I could have left everything out on the course.

-E.D.

Our YMCA Connection

I was reading through our posts today and realized that we have never really explained how we became connected.

Shortly after moving to Hamilton, I joined the YMCA and started swimming with the masters team. Within a few weeks I had decided to join the YMCA triathlon group, a new group that had started for beginner triathletes. Evan was in that same group. I was new to the city and Evan very shy and so it was not until May of 2007 that we first spoke and immediately there was a connection. We began dating shortly after, have been together ever since, and will be moving into our first home this coming spring.

We train together on a very tight schedule. A usual day begins for us at about 5 am when we are our of bed and on the way for a run, spin or swim before work. We usually finish off the night with a couple more hours of training before packing up our lunches and heading to bed by 10:30. Life involves an extreme amount of planning and scheduling. We attempt to prepare all of our meals for the week on Sunday so that we can fit in our training throughout the week. It's tough but if we didn't, we would live on PB and J! (Even though we do tend to eat quite a few)

Training and coaching each other definitely has it's ups and downs. There are times when Evan is having a bad day, and I am able to pick him up or vice versa, however the problem comes when both of us reach lows. We try our best never to go to bed angry! This I am sure is one of the secrets to our success. I am sure people wonder how we can spend so much time together, but to be honest I wouldn't have it any other way.

Cheers,

Deanne

OH YEAH.....

WHY WE TRI?

Because we have each other!!!!!

COACHING

I started coaching figure skating, swimming and volleyball many years ago, and have recently broadened my coaching abilities by taking on individual athletes for personal fitness and running.
During the next month, Evan and I will be completing our YMCA Individual Fitness Leader Training as well as our Community Triathlon Coaching Level in March.
Once finished here are some of the qualifications that we will have to offer new clients:

• NCCP Level II Theory Certification (Dee)
• NCCP Community Triathlon Coach (Dee and Evan)
• YMCA Personal TrainerYMCA (Dee and Evan)
• Group Fitness Leader (Dee)
• Red Cross Emergency First Aid and CPR (Dee and Evan)
• NCCP Level II Volleyball Coach (Dee)
• Volleyball Canada Level II Referee (Dee)

Feel free to check out my Coaching website @ http://www.coachdeanne.blogspot.com/

Cheers,

Dee

2009 Update

So far 2009 has brought quite a bit of thought for my future with this sport. After returning from Clearwater in November, I sought out a Sports Medicine Doctor in hopes of finding out what damage has been done to my legs. Immediately he sent me for bone scans resulting in some terrible but manageable news. I had stress fractures in both feet. On top of the stress fractures, I had Plantar Faciitis in both feet and Shin Splints in both legs. Wow. I should have probably stopped training back in March of last year when the pain intially set in. It's amazing....the saying is true. Hind site is 20/20.
I have been seeing a physiotherapist twice a week now for almost 2 months. The pain is going away, though not nearly as fast as I had hoped. I attempted a 30 minute run a couple of weeks ago but the pain returned. I now have made the decision to withdraw from the Grimsby Half and the Around the Bay races, and focus on returning to running slowly. I am running 20 minutes 3 times a week now and plan on continuing that for the entire month of February.
My physiotherapist feels that running is probably just not my sport. I understand that I am most likely not genetically geared to be a runner, but that is not going to stop my dream. I will, I am going to finish that Ironman.

I will post again soon with an update of my progress. Until that time, I guess it is onto the bike.

CHEERS!

Dee