"Tout est fini"

Banff Gran Fondo #1.  Got the jersey; shortened course due to a grizzly and cubs (my heart was *broken*); 104 km instead of 142 km; freakin' cold early morning start; finished in expected time; felt more prepared for the hills; apparently hill repeats are beneficial. 

Fait accompli.
Oh look at me, pretending to be bilingual.  

I would recommend the Banff Gran Fondo as the scenery was beautiful and the riding -- not flat.  Didn't have quite the "fun" vibe that I experienced in the STP - Seattle to Portland Gran Fondo I completed in 2008 and it was 200 miles in 2 days. I did see an STP jacket at Banff though!!

Ironman Canada athletes that I know and train with had amazing results with huge PB's. Congratulations every one of you!!

Really enjoyed learning new skills on my mountain bike, collected many, many bruises, earning every one. Will definitely continue on with that next season.

I had a mediocre tri season this year. I did OK at Wasa, another cold day! Felt defeated after Victoria, but happy that I pushed through and finished. Now what?  Tri club doesn't start again until October. Too early to think about goals and plans for next season?

2 rides planned this weekend; running starts for me again on Sept 1st; I will not surrender!

Ciao, Cindy

"Before and After"

I love "before and after" decorating shows on TV. No bad news, no one incapacitated, no loss of life (unlike the evening news)..... just a change for the better and a process to get their.

However, there is a middle to get to the after, once the before is established. (Hmmm, sounds a bit like "who's on first").
Anyway, I feel I established the "before" in my previous blog, and set my goals to achieve the "after". Now I'm in the middle. Middle is hard! Middle can be a long time. I'm anxious for the after and with TV shows, I often watch a couple at once, so I don't have to get too involved in the "middle", but time things with channel surfing to get all the afters. Middle in my current state has no alternate channel - I'm it. I have to establish the process and follow it to get to the after that I want. I'm finding this a challenge at the moment. It's early in the training season and I know it won't all be perfect training, but I don't want to get derailed by frustration either.

My current challenges are - my swim is not great; I've lost form with my right arm, for whatever reason, and am so slow. I'm not sleeping terribly well these days - I think that's due to peri-menopause. (Dang, I'm only "27", so I don't know why that's happening). I may have to resort to speaking to my Doc about that one. Hard to get in my workouts when I'm almost comatose some days. This bugs me to no end as I hate missing my scheduled workouts (swim x2/week and bike x2/week). My weight is always an issue blah, blah, blah....

Now I have to adjust my process a bit to continue to my after. I'm going to make a concerted effort to get in my scheduled workouts, even if I'm sleep deprived. Missing workouts may even be part of the problem - not enough activity to tire me out in a regular day, therefore, leading to a restless sleep. These are established workouts and with the support of coaches and fellow athletes, all I have to do is get myself out the door! Because I'm a member of the Talisman Tri Club I have my coached workouts - which means I have assistance to improve my swim stroke and get back in the groove. My bike workouts are also coached and progressive, so again, just get out the door. I love my bike workouts, so this isn't as much of an effort. My running schedule has been a bit scattered, and my weight training workouts a bit inconsistent.

The other thing I must consider is getting back to Physio. This should help with my swim stroke as I think I'm having issues with my neck that are causing problems with my arm - numbness, not so good...

To finish on a bright note - my running is going pretty well. I'm working on gradually increasing my time without intervals. I've been increasing my time about 10 minutes a week (roughly a 10% increase) for 3-4 weeks, then a recovery week. I'm going to continue that for now. Pauline and I often have negative splits on our long run! I'm slowly chipping off seconds on overall pace - YEAH!!

To get to the after, I must go through the middle, there are no real short cuts and there is no remote, only 1 channel to chose from - ME....

Ciao, Cindy
(I'm going to take a nap now ;p)

PS
Good luck to Alan, Ari and Andrea at Clearwater Nov 13!! GO TEAM! We'll be watching online.

What's going to happen in 2010-2011?

I'm always impressed and have alot of respect for the coaches at the Talisman - both ETS and Tri Club. My first exposure to coached workouts in cycling was with Jack VanDyk and Paul Robertson (and subsequent ETS/Tri Club coaches) at the Talisman. I've been hanging around their since 2005 and I've had the pleasure (and pain) of seeing my own success under the tutelage of the ETS Comprehensive Coaching packages, ETS bike classes and Tri Club classes. Having said that, I read Jack's most recent post on the Tri Club blog and thought I'd apply his recommendations to set out MY performance goals for 2011.

SMART Goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely)

1. I want to complete a 70.3 triathlon with a "6" in front of my finishing time at my goal race in August 2011.
2. I want to run a half marathon (during this 70.3 triathlon) around 2:15 during my goal race in August 2011.
3. I want to weigh 20 pounds less at the start line of my goal race in August 2011.
4. My races for 2011 will be Wasa (June); Olympic distance in July (Kelowna?); and a 70.3 (Calgary?) in August.

Train More

I'm going to do more structured training with my running this year. This will involve improving my base/technique and then gradually working on my speed/efficiency. I'm going to focus on my base and technique through the fall and add in speed/intervals in early 2011. I'm going to keep a better log of my training so I can see my progress. I'm going to continue 2 bike sessions, 2 swim sessions, 2 run sessions, 2 weight sessions per week through the winter and ramp things up in early May.

TechnicalPractice

This is where my Talisman Tri Club membership comes in.... I have coached sessions in swimming, cycling, and running. I have the ear of coaches who're always willing to share their knowledge, as well as gleaning info from my fellow club members. I've said before how valuable time in the hot tub can be after swimming.... Technical practice is going to be in all 3 disciplines throughout the year b/c I have lots of room for improvement in all 3 disciplines! Cycling is my favourite, and I love my new Argon E112 tri bike, but my weakness is running.

Dial in your nutrition

Even though I didn't lose additional weight this year, I still feel successful with this b/c I didn't GAIN back any of the 50# I've lost so far. I have had a slow, steady weight loss journey in that it was lose, maintain, lose, etc. I will probably always struggle with my weight. I love to eat and will exercise to manage my weight more willingly than watch what I eat. This only takes me so far, so I do have to manage my eating. Having worked with Kelly Drager (Registered Dietitian) as part of my ETS Comprehensive Coaching packages she has given me good objective data to look at in managing my eating - getting enough calories to sustain me with the workout schedule, while still allowing for healthy weight loss. (Like replacing 5 fruit servings a day with 2 fruit and 2-3 more veg servings). Keeping a food diary helps me to be accountable to myself.

Recover Better

One of the biggest improvements in my nutrition in the past year has been my recovery meals after intense workouts. I started to use Hammer Recoverite after workouts longer than 2 hours. I mix it up and bring it to the workout with me, so I have it right after a workout (getting the recommended carb/protein ratio of 3:1 within that 30 - 45 minute post workout time frame). I sleep better, I can do another intense workout the next day, ie: long bike Sat and then long run Sun, and find my energy level is greatly improved. This along with my "go to" snack of 4 dates and 8 pecans to have throughout my work day have been some of the "good habits" I've developed. I will continue to try to get that 4-6 servings of veggies each day. I like veggies, I have a hard time convincing myself to prepare them!

Strength and Core Training

Again, this is something I've taken advantage of at the Talisman. I'm a bit of a "class junkie" and I've participated in alot of the strength training sessions offered through ETS and Tri Club. I have added it to my fall training program (off season) as an independent workout. I try to get in a core workout after my runs. I'm also focusing on my shoulder external rotator muscles b/c I'm having a tough time in the pool getting my "catch" to be consistent.

Train with Others

Refer to admission above: "class junkie". I know all the coaches of ETS and Tri Club; I show up pretty consistently, although the early morning swims can be a bit of a battle, often with some sort of internal bargaining being undertaken with myself at 5 am; and I know how to "smack talk" and "throw down the hammer" now! One of the other advantages of the classes are getting to know others who're about your level to work out with once we're able to get outside in spring/summer/fall (summer, was there a summer this year?).

Train Alone

This isn't my favourite part of training, but I probably run most on my own. If I'm on my own for biking I often do a brick over at Edworthy or hill repeats at Edworthy (then it becomes known as that "evil" hill at Edworthy). Evening bike rides in the summer are great too.

Get Tested

This hurts!! I think the worst time trial I've done was a blood lactate running test. I thought I was going to die and get spit off the end of the treadmill at the same time. I think we all dread bike time trials, but I've done enough of them to know what to expect and do try to push myself on them. I think I have my "little pieces of paper" from all my time trials since 2005. I try to remember to put the dates on them. I like to look at them every now and then and see that objective data and how I've improved over time. Having objective data and TACX trainers for measurable workouts makes alot of sense to me. I know "perceived effort" has also been validated in studies, but objective watts to train in your zones has made me a stronger cyclist.

Hire a Coach

I have completed 3 ETS Comprehensive Coaching packages at the Talisman (2006, 2008, 2009). They were totally worth the money. The workout plan was taken care of; it was centered around my goal race; it was progressive with my input on what my goals were. The coaches used objective data from blood lactate testing (bike or run); and it took into account my life. What life? - all I do is train (eat, sleep, swim/bike/run, repeat).

The bottom line for me is: I really enjoy triathlons. I like the sense of accomplishment I get out of finishing a workout or a race. I have met great people and feel I have gained great mentors (Alan and Pauline especially). Talisman pretty much has all my money, so it keeps me out of the mall - too bad I didn't go for a workout instead of test driving cars (....but that was the off season).

Happy training..... Ciao, Cindy

Spring training

Spring training started with a great camp May 4-9 in Vernon, BC hosted by Talisman ETS and Tri Club coaches Jack VanDyk and Jon Bird. Hard work, but really fun to ride new routes; have a focus each day/ride; support vehicles (ie: "Tour du France" - thanks to Jack's parents); add in some swim and run/hike options, and we covered it all. We also rode ~120 km of the Ironman Canada course. I have conquered Richter Pass (and it's likely the closest I'll ever get to Ironman, beyond spectating). I hope this camp is offered next year - definitely worth it. Check out these pictures from the camp.

A group of us have ridden the Calgary 70.3 Ironman course. I had my first flat tire EVER! This includes 7 years of riding my road bike. I had great difficulty getting the back tire off - thanks Don. As everyone gathered to watch me, Alan took over and finished, thanks Alan. I can do this - I've had tutorials from Cam at Speed Theory more than once. I proved this to myself the next day when my newly changed tire was flat again. I had no audience, and it took me forever to change the tire (like 20 minutes), but I did it. In my own defence, it was the back tire and a new tire and very tight on the wheel. Always good to practice this skill to get an idea of how hard it is to get the freakin' tire off the wheel, then on again.

The "tool kit" I carry on my bike includes - minitool (various sized allen keys), extra tube, 2 or 3 CO2 cartridges (16 grams = ~100 psi), CO2 cartridge dispenser (keep CO2 cartridge unattached to dispenser until it's needed), teeny/tiny patch kit, tire levers (2 or 3), a few dollars and the little carry case that attaches under my seat on the bike and holds all this stuff. I don't have a chain repair tool, and I don't know how to use one either.... I don't own a cell phone, if I'm on my own I borrow my Dad's so I can call in the troops if need be. Usually, I ride with others and someone (usually everyone, except me) has a phone with them. What, no duct tape?

I try to do hill training on a week night at Edworthy park - I can easliy ride their from home and it provides a good warm-up and cool down. I affectionately call it "that evil hill". There are always familiar faces - everyone smiling as they tell themselves "I love hills". My goal this year is to pass at least one person on that "evil" hill.

Onward to an open water swim at Sundance Lake. Thanks Chris - I notice you didn't get wet again this year.... It was cool outside and beyond COLD in the water. Jon and Grant made no bones about jump in and swim! They can be so demanding. I wore my very flattering "neoprene bonnet" along with a wetsuit. Getting that thing on is an adventure/workout in itself. Don't be afraid to ask for assistance from your fellow athletes in getting it done up - if you feel like you can't breathe, pull the body up higher. Impact Magazine (May/June 2010) has a good article about getting into a wetsuit.

My next hurdle is too have some sort of focus while in Europe for 3 weeks. I will have some pics of some great running spots in Finland, Ireland and Sweden. Although, I think I should have been training to increase my alcohol tolerance as I'll be attending a friend's wedding in Ireland!!

Cheers, Cindy

I love my new red bike!

After much deliberation, test riding, and visits to multiple bike shops in Calgary (who knew I'd be on a first name basis with so many young, knowledgeable guys!), I took the plunge...

With the expert advice and assistance of ALL the SPEED THEORY staff - I finally chose an ARGON 18 E112 Triathlon bike. My trusty, little yellow, Cannondale road bike has served me well since I purchased it in Feb 2003. It has some major miles on it, but I was ready for an upgrade.

I love my new red bike.

Choosing a new bike is a process - these are some of the questions I asked myself.....

What is my budget? - include extra for helmet, pedals, computer, possible saddle options, water bottle cages, clip-in cycling shoes, basic repair kit, gloves... the list can go crazy, but some are essential (helmet & pedals). Go for the best components you can afford within your budget.

How much riding do I do? Up to x 3/week through the winter on a trainer (5 - 6 hr/week), and ~7-8 hr/week in the summer.

What is my primary focus? Triathlons and road riding, 150 -200 km/week through the summer.

What are my goals? GO FASTER! I love going downhill as fast as I can to make the next transition uphill less work - Talisman ETS and Triclub coaches know of what they speak! I'm not a "light weight" (although I've lost 52 lb in my 5 years of training - and kept it off), so I do have an advantage on the downhills and really work on the uphills.

My gearing (crank set on the front and cassette ratio on the back) also needed serious consideration. All my test rides included that "evil" hill on the south side of Edworthy Park. I went up and down that hill on a Cervelo P2, Trek Madone 5.1 & 5.2, Cannondale Synapse, and finally the Argon 18 E112. The conclusion was definitely a compact crank set (50/39) on the front and an 11/28 cassette on the back. This meant I was able to give up my "granny gear" (3rd ring on the front), but still not die on hills, or worse - get off and push. The 11/28 cassette is a new option available this year from Shimano. The crank set numbers of the front rings (50/39) refer to the number of "cogs" on the ring, same goes for the 11/28 - smallest ring has 11 cogs and each successive ring has more cogs on it with the biggest having 28 cogs.

Bike frame size/wheel size. My Argon 18 E112 is an extra small frame (I'm 5' 2" tall). All of the bikes I test rode were either 47 cm or 48 cm frame sizes. This limits options in regard to wheel size on some models. For example - Cervelo has a 47 cm frame, but only fits 650cc wheels. This is not an issue/disadvantage, but I have been used to 700cc wheels, so I wanted 700cc wheels on my new bike (really a personal choice). The fit of the frame is what's important. Many manufacturers have frames that are "women specific designs" (WSD), but I was able to be fitted on the Argon 18 E112 extra small frame without any problems (OK, they did have to cut the seat post down even more for me). Argon 18 doesn't make a WSD frame, but I did get a carbon frame!!

Bike fit. I did spend time with Adam Redmond of Speed Matrix. He also works out of Speed Theory. He did a complete bike fit with me using the Retul Bike Fit System. It was amazing. I had my Cannondale bike fitted about 3 years after I purchased it and what a difference it made - not only in comfort, but also in the power I was able to produce, so I knew from past experience how important this component is. Adam is a Kinesiologist with a specialty in Biomechanics, so I had great confidence in him. The "Physio" in me likes the science behind the fit process.

I've had my lovely new red bike for almost a month. I did fall off of it on my first ride outside - "OH MY GOD, I DIDN'T SCRATCH IT, DID I"? No, my butt and my knee saved me, but I see my new carbon water bottle cage is a little "scratched" - oopsy. I was so anxious to get a new bike because I was heading out to Vernon with the Talisman Triclub/ETS for a 4 day bike camp May 4-9, 2010. I think I drove Jon nuts for the 2 months prior to this - is the bike here, did you get it in yet, blah, blah, blah. But it arrived, I had a fit with Adam, and I rode it for 4 days straight ~400 km total. I completed a time trial and NO ONE physically passed me! (There were lots of the "big guns" who were faster, but I was first one off and everyone else went in 1 minute intervals and I got to the finish point just in the nick of time!) This was the highlight of my week - that bike is very fast!

Onward to a great summer of training!