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