Change-Change-Change.....

• Snow storm in September = work out in the gym
• Profile room is completely gone at the gym
• Mezzanine is under construction, so no bike trainers available = sore tailbone from stationary bikes with nasty seats
• New equipment with no time limits!

And most important of all - attitude change!!

Challenge Penticton Half had some good aspects and bad aspects for me - much of it due to my attitude.  I was very unsure of the run going in. Heading into Ironman Arizona, the run will be walk/run intervals for me, which I knew would be the case when I signed up.  Even though I was miserable during the walk at Challenge, I'm going to take it in stride and keep things in perspective at Arizona.  My goal is still to finish. The more time on my feet between now and race day, the better. As long as I'm moving forward --> it will get me closer to the finish line!!

Mind Games and Meltdowns

So..... the "race report".

Completed the 1/2 at Challenge Penticton (1900 m swim, 90 km bike, 21.2 km run) with disappointing overall results, but not a total wash out. As with all endeavours - many things to take away and ruminate on.

1. I need to own my s*%t - if you're going to have a meltdown the day before the race, that's not necessarily the best timing.... Hard to dig myself out of that one.   Keeping things in perspective: remembering why I'm here; giving myself credit for the work I've done and not letting others comments affect me negatively can be difficult.  Refocusing was hard!  Thanks for the reminder to be grateful Jenn Soost.
2. I was really pleased with my swim.  I held a good line throughout and continually passed people for the first 2/3.  Kept it steady and tried to "pull with purpose" and not miss the back end of my stroke.  I really enjoy lake swimming, but I need to remember I'm there with a purpose --> don't relax too much.  I was even more pleased to hear the swim was ~200m long, so that makes my time even better!!
3. I knew the bike course was going to be challenging for me b/c of the amount of climbing on the back half.  I knew I could complete it b/c we rode it in May at bike camp.  My unknown and worry - could I make the bike cut off on this type of course?  Looking at my bike split - I rode well on the way to Oliver (downhill net and a tailwind?) and I pushed up the hills - standing when I could and spinning up for the rest.  The initial hill in Oliver was a triumph - in May I switchbacked up the switchbacks, but ploughed up it on race day.  Best part of bike course - the tight switchbacks down, near the end before hitting highway 97 (right before the 2nd Texas gate).  So much fun.
4. The run.... *cue the music* du du dummmm.  A highlight off the top - I got to see the overall full iron distance winner - Jeff Symonds x2!!  He passed me on his way out and back - freakin' fast legs!!  My legs didn't feel too bad coming off the bike.  I told myself I was just going to get through 10 km twice. (12 km was my longest run pre-race).  I made it to 8 km doing my walk/run usual, but then my inner thighs started to cramp .....and then they wouldn't stop!  I had lots of salt tabs with me, I took them at regular intervals, but I couldn't get a handle on the cramps.  And there it is.  I walked miserably for the rest of the race.  Ice is always your friend.  
5. Overall, I did OK.  I didn't quit, b/c on Sat I didn't want to start. Head games can be a deal breaker and I know my friends that have completed ironman distance races talk about the difficulties during the race and that they must be overcome to complete this type of event.

On the lighter side - I had some good/funny moments during the day.

• So exciting to hear your people call you by name and cheer you on as you pass by! 
• Saw my coach twice on course and he shouted encouragement my way.
• Saw Katie Frauts finish first overall female for the 1/2 distance - she's amazing!!
• Not sure why the volunteers wanted my bike in T2, and not letting them have it - until they told me they'd rack it for me!  oh - here you go, thank you.
• Finishing the race, someone trying to strangle you - no wait, just the medal around your neck; someone asking you your shirt size - WTF?  I'm dazed and confused, now I have to give a clothing size, pick the correct distance and get out of the finish area?  Really all I can think of - get this timing chip off my ankle, I want my bike, gear bags and to get the hell out of Dodge!! As I write this, maybe that's why they kept asking me if I needed the med tent.  Finally I just asked them to stop talking/touching to me.  Strangest reaction to a finish that I've ever had!!
• Darren gave me a big hug at the finish line, but told me later how miserable I looked coming off the bike (knew I had to run...) --> apparently this was OK, but he at least wasn't a stranger!!
• Balancing my 3 gear bags on my bike heading back to motel, trying to take a shortcut that then involved getting my bike + 3 bags over a 500 ft tall fence (OK, maybe 3.5 feet, but I'm short), then walking a narrow ledge on the wrong side of said fence.  2 guys asked me if I could take their picture - "Sorry man - not today", while continuing to balance on ledge avoiding fall into rocks 500 ft below (OK - 1.5 ft).  (WTF is wrong with people - always thinking of themselves).
• Back at said motel, not knowing what to do with myself, tired, sore, still cramping, blah, blah, blah. Why not jump into the pool? So I did, then I couldn't get out - everytime I went near the ladder my legs seized up.  I'm obviously going to die here.
• Ate a ham and cheese sandwich - heavenly salvation.
• Saw most of our Talisman gang somewhere on course.  Everyone did so well - congratulations to all of you (Jan, Loreen, Hilary, Jen, Scott, Danielle, Katie, Eamon, Darren, Felix, Sheila, Kilah, Rick, Dave, Heather, Mike C and the coach - Elmar!!)
• In spite of all that - had a great dinner with the gang, went back to the finish line to cheer the last finishers and watch the fireworks.

What a day - my reactions were very different from previous races.
Ironman Arizona is on my mind and I'm going to finish it!! - lots of work to do (both mental and physical).  

I love my runners, I love my runners....

Ciao, happy training - Cindy

NO, you can't have my SEAT!!

My training continues to tick along.  Elmar posted a work out for Wed - hill repeats at Edworthy that he would also try to attend.  Hmmm, this could be good or not so good, but I thought I'd better take advantage of the individual attention!!

Got to Edworthy at agreed upon time and there he was at the top of the hill on my first of 8 repeats.  I'm really bad for getting the details of a work out correct.  I knew I had 8 repeats, but didn't look too closely at the details.  I know the last time I did hill repeats I killed the first 3 and fell apart on the last 3. I think he may have taken that into account and thought some supervision was in order??

Off I go - up and down, up and down.... I'm supposed to stay in an easy gear and stand for the whole hill. Now this isn't a long hill (1km), but it's steep, by my definition.  What the?  stand for the whole thing? And he's beside me the whole time.  Crap that's hard and I don't really do that well. He may have been speaking forcefully at me (I tell him he's not allowed to yell at me!) telling me to stand up as I was sitting, gasping for air, but still moving and fumbling with gears.

Then it got interesting - he threatened to take my seat, so I'd have to stand up and add 2 more repeats!! (I may have boasted that I am capable of 10 repeats).  Crap, it's not like I can out ride him to get away - would he really take my seat?  Up and down, he may have yelled at me - still threatening to take my seat.  Then he got sidetracked by his cycling teammates that were getting ready for their Wed group ride.  This was my chance to escape -  he left me on my own for the downhill.  He caught up to me and I chose to stick it out and did the last of 3 "standing" repeats.  Wasn't 100%, but he agreed it was the best of the 3.  I kept my seat.....

So there's the new measure - can I get to the top of Edworthy without sitting?

Had a great time volunteering at 70.3 Calgary this weekend.  So many great performances - it was a pleasure offering support to all the athletes at our Talisman Tri Club aid station.  Congratulations to everyone!!

Happy training - Ciao, Cindy

Tally for the week....

- 1 clean house - I actually can't take credit for it, but I really appreciate my house cleaning lady!
- 1 clean car (inside and out!)
- 3 clean bikes
- A visit to a very yummy bakery in Black Diamond
- 1 good week of work outs / 1 so-so week of workouts (16/18 hours completed one week) and not so good this past week...

- Couldn't hold it together for 2 big weeks of training.  Did well with long ride on Sat both weeks, but couldn't follow through with second long ride on Sunday both weeks.

When I stop to think about how things went it becomes pretty obvious - not much sleep and poor recovery food that was ill timed post ride on Sat. This then carries over to the next day, blah, blah, blah....

What is the  moral? Finding balance.  For my nephews birthday in May - I compromised and rode my bike to the party (in Drumheller). Last weekend - I compromised the workouts to spend time with family. 

On a more positive note - my running is progressing forward!! (slooowly).  I have given the Hoka's a fair trial, but can't tolerate the ankle situation - the shoe is not cut low enough around the ankle for me. The Altra's, on the other hand, seem to be agreeing with me.  Since I'm increasing my run very conservatively, I haven't had any significant soreness (calves/achilles) post runs - sore quads for 3 days post stairs - YES.  I start a new session with Llew this week, so we'll see how I do in the Altra's.  

That is all....

Happy training, Ciao Cindy

Runners, Runners Everywhere

Had my knee injected a couple of weeks ago with "Durolane" (stabilized hyaluronic acid) to relieve the painful arthritis that I've been dealing with for a few months.  The injection takes 3-4 weeks to reach it's peak effect and can be expected to be last for +/- 6 months.   Lots of water running; the introduction of the Alter G (anti-gravity treadmill); and walking has kept me moving.  I'm approaching the 3 week mark and have been running very conservatively for 30 min (2 min run; 3 min walk intervals) without issue. Lots of standing and hills on my bike will aggravate my knee, but it settles by the next day.  So far so good...

The other thing I considered was a change in running shoes.  This gets a bit more complicated - lots of reading and talking to people.  So I've basically got 3 pair of runners on the go....

Asics - Gel Nimbus

I've been using these for a number of years and chose them for the amount of cushioning they have. Not convinced they are the wrong shoe for me, but thought I'd explore some other options.  They have ~8 mm heel elevation, which I have only recently become aware of in comparing them to the Hoka's and Altra's.

Hoka One One - Bondi 3

These shoes have a huge sole of spongyness - 4 mm heel elevation.  It feels like the sole splays out as you strike the ground to absorb the shock of foot contact.  I'm still trying to be a mid-foot striker, but I find it hard to tell if I'm successful or not.  Not a fan of the laces, but easily changed. The lateral side digs into the bottom of my malleolus (feels "bruised" after a run of an hour.) I find my heel slips in them, which is another reason to change the laces out. Unsure about these ones, although I'm running on the anti-gravity treadmill for 1 - 1.5 hours at 50% of my body weight.   I know marathon/ultra distance runners who have switched to them and find them very tolerable.

Altra - Olympus

I'm trying these shoes with caution as they are a "zero drop" shoe (flat foot, similar to barefoot running or minimalist runners), but have a very roomy and wide toe box.  I've had several knowledgeable sources say to work up to wearing these shoes because the Asics are 8mm, Hokas are 4 mm heel elevation, so I may have an increased risk of calf/achilles strain with the sudden change in heel elevation.  I think this is reasonable and common sense advice to follow.  I do like the fit - especially the heel cup in the women's size and the lower lateral side doesn't bump my malleoli).  The Olympus is the trail running model, but of the 3 Altra models, it has the most cushioning.

I haven't come to a final conclusion yet on which one is most suitable for me, but as I progress my running to longer duration with less walking (and injury free - fingers crossed xx) I hope to have a conclusion.  

Dang, runners are expensive.....

Happy training - Ciao, Cindy

Patience....

AND.... not only did I get a promotion in the pool, I had a PB by 46 sec on my 500m time trial!!  Good thing, or Elmar may have demoted me.  I haven't had a big improvement like that in a long time. Very happy to have my coach and see improvements when I'm consistent with work outs.  Now to keep up with my lane mates, please be patient with me :) .... 

Reviewing my last blog post - my ride to Drum was pretty good.  I rode highway 9 instead of the secondary highway through Acme and the wind was not bad at all - I got in 102 km and there were even some corners along with a wide shoulder.  I started just off highway 1/9 intersection and stopped for a quick break at the gas station in Beiseker.  As I'm pulling in - a couple of guys on Harley's wave me in to park beside them.  We had a little chat - where you heading, nice ride, the usual banter between bikers and cyclists - it made my day!  

Can you be patient when you're going stir crazy? 

I have been very patient with my stupid arthritic knee and it's making me crazy.  I got in to see a sports med Doc at Winsport - and after a couple of visits to discuss options, I decided to try a visco-supplementation injection in my left knee.  Should do for 6 months of pain relief, and takes about 3-4 weeks to be fully effective.   I had the injection on Thurs and 72 hours of no activity.  Three days is a long time when it includes a weekend.  My knee was sore on Friday and Sat, but today felt back to normal. I'll get back to my workouts this week, take it easy with walk/run and see how it feels.  If it's still sore I'll continue on the elliptical.  The Alter G treadmill is currently under repair, so that's aggravating and trying my patience. 

Happy training, Ciao Cindy

FYI - if you need a referral to sports med, get your family Dr. to refer you to Winsport - they opened April, 2014 and they don't have a huge wait list, yet.  

I got a "PROMOTION"!!

Well, bike camp was very successful for me b/c Elmar promoted me in the pool!!  (Obviously the swim sessions coached by Paul paid off....)  I have graduated from the 2nd --> 3rd lane (lane #1 = slow, lane #8 = fast).  I'll take that.

Bike camp was hard work, but I really enjoyed it.  6 solid days of riding around Vernon was so nice - country roads with minimal traffic - not quite the same as Spain, but still beautiful. Third time I've been on this Vernon camp with Jack.  First time with Paul coaching too and it was fun.   Focused purpose with each ride, with steady build from day to day and great coaching.

I made it up most of the climbs - occasionally switch-backed up the switch-backs!  Did have 2 climbs where I walked my bike - one just too steep for me.  The other just too fatigued - in the rain, in a headwind, getting cold, on a climb that seemed to go on forever.  My original plan was to climb until I met the rest of the group heading back.  Then I was like - where the #!*k is everyone?   This was on the Friday and we had another long day on Sat, so I pulled the plug and when I saw the truck before the group - I gave the "thumb's down" sign and called it a day.  I think I still had 4'ish km to go, but also wanted to do well on Sat, so I made the right call for me.  The weather overall was warm for the most part - I think we had some sprinkles on Wed and Friday was miserable and wet.

Sat was the ride in and around Penticton. I have good memories of Penticton as we vacationed there a lot when I was a kid.  I visited with my mom (we spread her ashes their after she passed away), so I had a chat with her at Skaha Lake.  The campground we always stayed at is still there - the trees are so BIG - 40 years is a long time ago!!

The other highlight was Jack's brother-in-law, Kelly!!  He's a registered massage therapist and not only did he drive the support truck all week - he did massages in the evening for us.  What a great bonus after a long day in the saddle.

Had a bit of a taper going into camp and a recovery week after camp, so things are ramping up again. Nephew's b'day in Drumheller on Sat, so that's where I'll be riding to.  My previous 2 rides to Drum have been in a headwind for 90 km, so I'm not expecting anything different tomorrow.

Happy training - Ciao, Cindy