I'm really looking forward to Sunday. I'm eager to see if all this training has made a difference. This will be my first triathlon in almost one year, my first race since my disastrous Toronto marathon last October (my worst marathon time ever) and my first Olympic distance! Whew! No pressure. :)
I've been to physio for my knee and have been stretching more than usual, that is to say at all. :) My friend Karen will arrive tomorrow from Toronto. I'm so excited to have her here for this. I swam last night and was consistently doing 2:30 per 100 metres, so hopefully I can hold that pace in the swim Sunday.
Good luck to everyone racing Canmore this weekend!
Leaha
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Ironman Calgary
It was an exciting morning in Calgary. I walked past the television before leaving the house today and did a double take. Lisa Bentley was on BT Calgary. So of course I stopped to listen as I love her. :) She was on the show to announce that Ironman will be hosting a new 70.3 in Calgary! It'll be held on August 2nd, 2009 and registration opens this Saturday. I looked at Iain with hopefull eyes, lol. So I am going to sign up for this one.
After making that quick decision, a ran to the computer to check out the course. The bike looks pretty challenging. A couple of huge climbs but also some great, fast looking downhills. The run also looks pretty hilly as the course is around part of the Glenmore Reservoir. I ran there last spring, there are some challenging climbs, especially for the end of a 70.3. I've done some bike rides out near Cochrane, it's pretty hilly, at least for this transplanted Ontarian and traithlon neophyte :)
More later...
Leaha
After making that quick decision, a ran to the computer to check out the course. The bike looks pretty challenging. A couple of huge climbs but also some great, fast looking downhills. The run also looks pretty hilly as the course is around part of the Glenmore Reservoir. I ran there last spring, there are some challenging climbs, especially for the end of a 70.3. I've done some bike rides out near Cochrane, it's pretty hilly, at least for this transplanted Ontarian and traithlon neophyte :)
More later...
Leaha
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Lake Placid Pictures
Well, I got my pictures organized, sort of. :) It was hard this year, I did not get any shots of the athletes on the bike/run portion of the course as I was afraid of rain damage to my camera. I did take lots of scenic shots, near the end of our stay. There are too many, I know, but I just can't seem to delete any. Sorry for all the redundant photos. lol
The links to the pictures are to the right of this post. The peeler links will lead to the Ironman Lake Placid volunteer shots. Some great ones there, the pictures show the extent of both the rain and the athlete's determination.
I signed up as a peeler for next year already. That will make it 5 years running. If my husband agrees, I'll be in the line to sign up for the race next year!
Canmore is next weekend. I found out that an Olympic athlete on her way to Beijing will be racing Canmore then leaving for China the very next day. How amazing to be sharing a course with an athlete of such caliber. I only hope I can finish strong as this is my first Olympic triathlon. How silly to consider signing up for an Ironman when I have not even completed more than a sprint!
Anyway, I'm off to run long today, bike long tomorrow and swim Monday.
Happy training everyone. :)
Leaha
The links to the pictures are to the right of this post. The peeler links will lead to the Ironman Lake Placid volunteer shots. Some great ones there, the pictures show the extent of both the rain and the athlete's determination.
I signed up as a peeler for next year already. That will make it 5 years running. If my husband agrees, I'll be in the line to sign up for the race next year!
Canmore is next weekend. I found out that an Olympic athlete on her way to Beijing will be racing Canmore then leaving for China the very next day. How amazing to be sharing a course with an athlete of such caliber. I only hope I can finish strong as this is my first Olympic triathlon. How silly to consider signing up for an Ironman when I have not even completed more than a sprint!
Anyway, I'm off to run long today, bike long tomorrow and swim Monday.
Happy training everyone. :)
Leaha
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Lake Placid - Recapitulation
Well, I returned from Lake Placid last night. We left at 6:30am and as usual it was so hard to leave. The sun was just coming up and the mist was rising over Mirror Lake and the mountains. I managed to take about 120 pictures yesterday morning. Hopefully some turned out. I will post a link to them shortly.
The weather was very wet this year. On race day it started raining just after 7am and did not really stop until about 10pm. We all thought this would make the course even more challenging for the athletes, but of course they are not your typical group of people. They are always inspiring but even more this year. I saw my swim coach, Jill, out on the course a few times. I peeled her wetsuit, which was great. She looked very strong on the run and had a big smile on her face. :)
Rich, Karen and I rode the course on Saturday. What a great time we had. It was my first 90K ride and I was pleasantly surprised. We took about 4 hours to complete it as we were riding cautiously. My legs were not really sore, although my body was fatigued! Special thanks to Rich as he was very informative, patient and waited for Karen and I. We also swam the course in Mirror Lake. I had a great swim, it took 52 minutes and again we took it easy. Otherwise, we walked at least 10K per day. It rained much of the time so we did not get in as much training as I would have liked. However, now that I'm home, it's back to the schedule.
Thanks to Pat, Wendy and Karen. It's always a pleasure to spend time at Lake Placid with you. Oh and thanks to Rich as well. He was an honorary “Dame of Lake Placid” for a few days. I am sure he’ll need a shot of testosterone to recover from the few days spent with four women that kept threatening to “wax” him. :)
One final note on Lake Placid this year. I have always felt a draw to sign up for the race. However it always seemed too unattainable. Not this year. This year I feel like I can do this. I know it won't be easy, but I want to complete an Ironman. I want to hear those words as I cross the finish line. Not just in my dreams, as the dream is now becoming the goal.
More later…:)
Leaha
The weather was very wet this year. On race day it started raining just after 7am and did not really stop until about 10pm. We all thought this would make the course even more challenging for the athletes, but of course they are not your typical group of people. They are always inspiring but even more this year. I saw my swim coach, Jill, out on the course a few times. I peeled her wetsuit, which was great. She looked very strong on the run and had a big smile on her face. :)
Rich, Karen and I rode the course on Saturday. What a great time we had. It was my first 90K ride and I was pleasantly surprised. We took about 4 hours to complete it as we were riding cautiously. My legs were not really sore, although my body was fatigued! Special thanks to Rich as he was very informative, patient and waited for Karen and I. We also swam the course in Mirror Lake. I had a great swim, it took 52 minutes and again we took it easy. Otherwise, we walked at least 10K per day. It rained much of the time so we did not get in as much training as I would have liked. However, now that I'm home, it's back to the schedule.
Thanks to Pat, Wendy and Karen. It's always a pleasure to spend time at Lake Placid with you. Oh and thanks to Rich as well. He was an honorary “Dame of Lake Placid” for a few days. I am sure he’ll need a shot of testosterone to recover from the few days spent with four women that kept threatening to “wax” him. :)
One final note on Lake Placid this year. I have always felt a draw to sign up for the race. However it always seemed too unattainable. Not this year. This year I feel like I can do this. I know it won't be easy, but I want to complete an Ironman. I want to hear those words as I cross the finish line. Not just in my dreams, as the dream is now becoming the goal.
More later…:)
Leaha
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
To Lake Placid I go....
Well, it's the day before I leave for Lake Placid, via Toronto. Tons to do, I delivered my bike to Speed Theory for packing, am trying to tie things up at work and still have not packed my clothes! Iain was trying to help me organize clothing last night. However, he has not yet convinced me that I don't need 14 shirts and 10 pairs or pants/shorts. This is on top of my wetsuit, caps, swimsuit, bike, helmet, run/bike shoes and numerous running/biking outfits. :) Oh and my bottles, belt, gels, etc, etc, etc. I am hoping that I can squeeze it all into my suitcase and napsack. May the force be with me....
Anyway, this is my last blog until I return from Placid. I'll post lots of updates and pictures when I return.
Leaha
Anyway, this is my last blog until I return from Placid. I'll post lots of updates and pictures when I return.
Leaha
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Big weekend for me :)
Great training for me this past week. :) I logged 12.5 hours of training, my biggest week so far!
This past weekend was a great milestone. I biked 71KM of hills on Saturday and got down on my aero bars (whew!), did a 20 min brick off the bike, then swam 2KM and ran 80 minutes on Sunday! The Sunday run was hard and I realize that I have a long way to go in the next 68 days...:)
Funny story about the bike. I slathered on the sunscreen Saturday, however forgot about the small open area on my back between my shirt and shorts. So I ended up with a lovely sunburn across my lower back. Every ride brings with it a sliver of new knowledge...lol
Leaha
This past weekend was a great milestone. I biked 71KM of hills on Saturday and got down on my aero bars (whew!), did a 20 min brick off the bike, then swam 2KM and ran 80 minutes on Sunday! The Sunday run was hard and I realize that I have a long way to go in the next 68 days...:)
Funny story about the bike. I slathered on the sunscreen Saturday, however forgot about the small open area on my back between my shirt and shorts. So I ended up with a lovely sunburn across my lower back. Every ride brings with it a sliver of new knowledge...lol
Leaha
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