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.