Anticipation....

Will it be a yes or a no.  I have to wait 4 days --> agony.  If I was on "Twitter" that would be #agony.

Tour d'Afrique - Indian Adventure 2014

Can you call it a race if you don't break a sweat?

It was a beautiful hot('ish) day on Sunday for Lake Chaparral Triathlon.

My Dad came to stuff (I mean "help") me into my wetsuit pre-race - thanks Dad!  Had my usual mediocre swim, but I always start at the back and pass people continually, so at least I feel like I'm gaining time.

Had a great bike - was able to keep my speed up on everything (pushed myself to keep spinning on the uphill), so was pleased.  I've discovered doing a sprint distance allows me to go all out on the bike and still survive the run, so that's what I did.  But whose idea was it to put a 90' turn at the bottom of a nice downhill??

The run started fine - got through the first couple of km's; I'm thinking of everything Llew tells us - strong core ("zip it up"); heels to bum; relaxed shoulders - pull the rope; and most importantly 2 inches shorter!! This is what I appear to have forgotten as I went along and felt the twinge in my calf, that progressed into an "Oh crap - this AGAIN":(  And I walked the remaining km's.... and I didn't break a sweat.

Disappointing, but as Cathy said - you must practice to get better.  Fair point, I'm not running between classes with Llew.  Or, someone could just ride beside me (or let's be realistic - walk fast, while I "run") and tell me to do all this stuff.  Maybe I'll put it all together at some point.

Came home feeling frustrated and thought maybe this is a sign that triathlon really isn't for me.  Then I thought about all the races I've completed and even though I won't ever win anything - I'm out there. I finish even when I feel like I'm wasting my time and the coaches time.  I don't think I'm ready to give up just yet.  

So you can still participate and not break a sweat.  Signed up for tri club stuff in the fall - may have to talk to Jon about this - I've gone overboard with classes again.  I'm not quite ready to surrender and I may take Cathy's advice....

When I compare this triathlon to the performance (and the aftermath) I had at a mountain bike race - 24 Hours of Adrenalin in July, I think triathlon is the safer bet for me.

Ciao and happy training.

It Came in Twos

Well, I completed two rides this weekend....

First one on Saturday

• uneventful

Second one on Sunday

• stung twice by a wasp
• 2 flat tires
• changed 2 tires

That is all.

I Have Returned....

WOW, close to a year since my last blog.....

A lot ....or not much has happened since then, depends on how you look at it. The fall turned into winter and the loss of 3 kind souls/friends in October and November had me very depressed by Christmas.  Lost a young (37) co-worker to her 3rd recurrence of breast cancer, my friend lost her son to suicide, and my best friend's dad was diagnosed with liver and pancreatic cancer - diagnosis to death was 12 days.  Depression sucks.  On the road to recovery with great support from family and friends.

A Top 10 List to get up to speed:

1. I continued training through the fall, had a quiet Christmas holiday with family - which helped immensely with my mental health.  Returned to training in January along with the trauma of turning forthy nine in January - not sure how I feel about that (oh wait, I was traumatized).  ..."27" seems to still want to fit.
2. Signed up with running coach, Llew Edwards, in January through the Talisman.  Wonder if Llew was warned about Cathy and I??  Llew's amazing and focuses on run technique which I'm really enjoying, but he's obsessed with core, core and just a little bit more CORE....
3. Experienced biathlon at the Canmore Nordic Centre.  It was so much fun - I had never shot a gun before!  The gun I got to use belongs to a former Olympian, had a custom paint job, and had been to the Olympics twice!  I bought myself some cross country skis this year and got out on them a couple of times - something else I'm slow at.
4. 2 weeks in Mallorca, Spain for Tri-Club Camp in May!!  Beautiful rides, warm weather, great resort and getting sick (boooo) in the middle.  Decided I might be more of a "bike tourist" than a "camp geek", since riding yourself into the ground for 2 weeks looking at the bum in front of you in the  pace line was trying....
5. Wasa sprint was first race in June.  I had a 5 minute PB (which included a potty break in T2).  Very happy with my run - thanks Llew!
6. Detour due to the crazy floods in June. Talisman pools are out of commission.  Fear not triathletes - Lake Bonavista is our temporary home for swimming, compliments of one of our members - thanks Faizel.
7. First Mountain Bike Race ever - 24 Hours of Adrenalin at Canmore Nordic Centre!!  Obviously the dream of a "27" year old....  I was on a corporate team with my brother and nephew and 5 others, so only had to do 1 lap, at night - it wasn't pretty.  I have more bruises from that one lap than all bruises combined from last year.  I love my bike helmut.
8. Get to volunteer and witness many fellow triathletes complete the Calgary 70.3 tomorrow - some for the first time and others with repeat performances.  Good luck everyone!!
9. Next up for me - Lake Chaparral Sprint Triathlon.
10. AND.... the big question - Who's going to come out on top tomorrow - Jon or Grant??  Waiting with baited breath as I'm so impressed by both of them!!  Good luck guys.

Happy training,

Ciao Cindy

I don't have an iPhone

I felt so alone.....
The group stopped at the store, everyone took out there iPhones, stood in a circle - silence.  Is that the same as navel gazing?
I refilled my water bottle with tap water - is that scandalous?
Oh wait, I have lovely Italian bike shoes, whew that was close...
I liked the irony of the silence, while they stood in a circle.

I now own an iPhone....

"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

Documentary vs. Mocumentary...

Funny, but not really.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgh9h2ePYw&feature=player_embedded

.... and this is where I hope to be in January 2014

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NayzkKbT_OU&feature=youtu.be

..... and this is really cool

http://www.ignant.de/2012/07/17/floating/