Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Taking the plunge....
Well tonight I did it....I signed up for my first Half Ironman. I have heard alots of good things about the GWN half I decided to make it my first. I am feeling excited already, I think its going to be a good training boost! More on this later....my bed is calling!
Monday, September 14, 2009
So, here is how my anniversary race went....
So here is how my anniversary race went.
I had a surprisingly good sleep the night before the race. I woke up in the morning to find my wife not in bed. I went down stairs and found her asleep on the couch. I woke her up and asked why she was there and not in bed. She told me that she was restless and thought she would keep me up and that I needed a good night sleep before the run. God love her but that made me feel like shite. I would rather be sleepless than have my very pregnant wife sleeping on the couch. I gave her a hug and a kiss and then sent her back to bed (not the couch).
I hopped in the car and cranked the music. I was feeling pretty good this morning, better than I had in a while. I really do love the drive out to the mountains. I can say that I wasn't nervous or even as excited as normal.....I would describe my mood as neutral.
I got to Canmore and bumped into a few friends. We chatted for a while until they had to start (doing the half not the 10km I was doing). Then I bumped into more friends that were doing the 10km. I was getting a bit excited at this point! Finally it was time to line up and start!! The horn blew the usual walk to the start line progressed. It still annoys me that people who should not be anywhere near the front put themselves right at the start. The first 1km I spent getting around people....grrrrr.
Things started to thin out and I was feeling comfortable. Like I had said previously, I didn't set any real goals (other than definitely be under an hour...but this is a standing order for me). I looked at my garmin a few times but for the most part just ran by how I felt. I remembered clearly why I liked running this race. The scenery in Canmore is awesome! I lived there for a short period after my university graduation. Loved it then but I do hate how touristy it has become.
Back to the race...it was perfect running weather. Sun was shining but not too hot! Before I knew it we were on the last 2km! We came off the river pathway and onto the final stretch....a 750m straight shot the the finish. I didn't really pick it up much at this point, I kept my steady pace. I crossed the line at 51:27 by chip. I was pretty content with this, it was 4 1/2 minutes faster than last year with not as much effort. It was a good day and I was smiling.
After meeting up with some friend afterwards for the race food, I headed home for some cycling. Greg had said to do an hour of easy cycling.....and for the most part I did ;). I headed out west on 1A and fell into a nice cadence and speed. I noticed that I could hear my music nice and clear.....that usually means a nice headwind on the way back.
Sure enough I turned around and there was the wind. I just put my head down and kept the legs moving (the felt surprisingly good). About half way back a guy passes me quick fast. I was thinking "wow that's some speed, nice work"! But as we kept riding I was getting closer...and then he would take off. This happened a couple of times after that. I don't know why but that drives me nuts...absolutely F'ing bonkers. All right the easy ride has ended.....shift gears and get aero. Very quickly after that he was behind me. I can have some degree of speed when I want too, lol. I came home and did a few laps around the neighbourhood to cool down. I felt awesome!!! Then there was today.....
I decided to go to Bootcamp at the gym for a change. The class is basically an hour of hell but you do it in a group setting and feel great for having done it. I had to stop going when my program was getting bumped up...I didn't have the time to do everything. So I go back today and what a rude awakening. The class started with 3 laps of a track....sweet easy. Then a short high kick warm up. Next wast the stop and go sprints with push ups and squat jumps. Next was push ups, squat jumps, and v sits reps. Ohhh can't forget the crab walk!!! Then its bent over rows with resistance bands and running. Finally it's time to run and do stairs (thank god now I can rest, lol). I would been happy if we had done that the whole time, lol. I am so freaking tired right now. My upper body strength has suffered over the summer (much like I am now). It was a good reminder that I need to work on my core!
On a personal noted, its crazy how life can change in a heart beat (and lack of ). One of the girls at work was supposed to be getting married one month from now. Last week he fiance died suddenly from a cardiac arrest. I had never met him but I don't think he was that old. I was just reading her facebook post about trying on her wedding dress. I can't imagine her pain. Anytime things like this happen it makes me appreciate life that much more. The last year has been very good for me. I got a great lifestyle change (thank you triathlon), got married and am awaiting the birth of my first child.
I am pretty excited to see this little guy ( I don't know for sure on this one...we aren't finding out the sex but I am hoping for a boy, lol). I think he/she will be the best thing I have ever had a hand in. I am planning to be in Hawaii when he wins in Kona ;). Bye for now!
D.
I had a surprisingly good sleep the night before the race. I woke up in the morning to find my wife not in bed. I went down stairs and found her asleep on the couch. I woke her up and asked why she was there and not in bed. She told me that she was restless and thought she would keep me up and that I needed a good night sleep before the run. God love her but that made me feel like shite. I would rather be sleepless than have my very pregnant wife sleeping on the couch. I gave her a hug and a kiss and then sent her back to bed (not the couch).
I hopped in the car and cranked the music. I was feeling pretty good this morning, better than I had in a while. I really do love the drive out to the mountains. I can say that I wasn't nervous or even as excited as normal.....I would describe my mood as neutral.
I got to Canmore and bumped into a few friends. We chatted for a while until they had to start (doing the half not the 10km I was doing). Then I bumped into more friends that were doing the 10km. I was getting a bit excited at this point! Finally it was time to line up and start!! The horn blew the usual walk to the start line progressed. It still annoys me that people who should not be anywhere near the front put themselves right at the start. The first 1km I spent getting around people....grrrrr.
Things started to thin out and I was feeling comfortable. Like I had said previously, I didn't set any real goals (other than definitely be under an hour...but this is a standing order for me). I looked at my garmin a few times but for the most part just ran by how I felt. I remembered clearly why I liked running this race. The scenery in Canmore is awesome! I lived there for a short period after my university graduation. Loved it then but I do hate how touristy it has become.
Back to the race...it was perfect running weather. Sun was shining but not too hot! Before I knew it we were on the last 2km! We came off the river pathway and onto the final stretch....a 750m straight shot the the finish. I didn't really pick it up much at this point, I kept my steady pace. I crossed the line at 51:27 by chip. I was pretty content with this, it was 4 1/2 minutes faster than last year with not as much effort. It was a good day and I was smiling.
After meeting up with some friend afterwards for the race food, I headed home for some cycling. Greg had said to do an hour of easy cycling.....and for the most part I did ;). I headed out west on 1A and fell into a nice cadence and speed. I noticed that I could hear my music nice and clear.....that usually means a nice headwind on the way back.
Sure enough I turned around and there was the wind. I just put my head down and kept the legs moving (the felt surprisingly good). About half way back a guy passes me quick fast. I was thinking "wow that's some speed, nice work"! But as we kept riding I was getting closer...and then he would take off. This happened a couple of times after that. I don't know why but that drives me nuts...absolutely F'ing bonkers. All right the easy ride has ended.....shift gears and get aero. Very quickly after that he was behind me. I can have some degree of speed when I want too, lol. I came home and did a few laps around the neighbourhood to cool down. I felt awesome!!! Then there was today.....
I decided to go to Bootcamp at the gym for a change. The class is basically an hour of hell but you do it in a group setting and feel great for having done it. I had to stop going when my program was getting bumped up...I didn't have the time to do everything. So I go back today and what a rude awakening. The class started with 3 laps of a track....sweet easy. Then a short high kick warm up. Next wast the stop and go sprints with push ups and squat jumps. Next was push ups, squat jumps, and v sits reps. Ohhh can't forget the crab walk!!! Then its bent over rows with resistance bands and running. Finally it's time to run and do stairs (thank god now I can rest, lol). I would been happy if we had done that the whole time, lol. I am so freaking tired right now. My upper body strength has suffered over the summer (much like I am now). It was a good reminder that I need to work on my core!
On a personal noted, its crazy how life can change in a heart beat (and lack of ). One of the girls at work was supposed to be getting married one month from now. Last week he fiance died suddenly from a cardiac arrest. I had never met him but I don't think he was that old. I was just reading her facebook post about trying on her wedding dress. I can't imagine her pain. Anytime things like this happen it makes me appreciate life that much more. The last year has been very good for me. I got a great lifestyle change (thank you triathlon), got married and am awaiting the birth of my first child.
I am pretty excited to see this little guy ( I don't know for sure on this one...we aren't finding out the sex but I am hoping for a boy, lol). I think he/she will be the best thing I have ever had a hand in. I am planning to be in Hawaii when he wins in Kona ;). Bye for now!
D.
Friday, September 11, 2009
My anniversary!
Sunday marks the anniversary of my first year or racing! It's hard to believe that a year has passed since my first running race. I remember the feeling when I crossed the finish line so clearly. I had never imagined myself running in any kind of race so it was a big thing for me. The past year has been awesome. I have raced one 5km, five 10km, 5 Half marathons, 1 duathlon, 2 sprint Tri's and one olympic Tri.
How am I celebrating my anniversary? I am running the Canmore CAUSE 10km run, the first race that I ever did. I had hoped to go to Montreal to do another Tri but decided that I needed be a bit more tight with the wallet. With an impending birth of my child its kind of a priority. The next best thing was this race. So I went an did an almost last minute registration today. I am looking forward to it now! I am going to just run this one solely for fun and not worry about time.
The last couple of days have been good on the training front. On Friday I had a really good ride in the evening. As the summer comes to an end I am realizing how much I am going to miss riding outside. I have developed a love for cycling! But on the good side I think my running will pick up a bit more. I will run in any weather and will continue to do that this winter. My swimming will hopefully continue to get better and better.
I am quite happy with the past year. I am pretty much where I had hoped to be. Next year I really want to make some big gains. I realize that this will require big commitment and effort but I will find a way. I have been fortunate to meet some really cool people in the whole process. Here is to a fun year past and exciting future!
How am I celebrating my anniversary? I am running the Canmore CAUSE 10km run, the first race that I ever did. I had hoped to go to Montreal to do another Tri but decided that I needed be a bit more tight with the wallet. With an impending birth of my child its kind of a priority. The next best thing was this race. So I went an did an almost last minute registration today. I am looking forward to it now! I am going to just run this one solely for fun and not worry about time.
The last couple of days have been good on the training front. On Friday I had a really good ride in the evening. As the summer comes to an end I am realizing how much I am going to miss riding outside. I have developed a love for cycling! But on the good side I think my running will pick up a bit more. I will run in any weather and will continue to do that this winter. My swimming will hopefully continue to get better and better.
I am quite happy with the past year. I am pretty much where I had hoped to be. Next year I really want to make some big gains. I realize that this will require big commitment and effort but I will find a way. I have been fortunate to meet some really cool people in the whole process. Here is to a fun year past and exciting future!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Hey.....I am over here......your mojo.....remember me??
For a little while now I can't say that I was thrilled with training. It seemed like training was becoming a chore.....I just didn't have my heart into it. I don't know 100% why this was happening. I had planned on going to Penticton to volunteer and sign up for IMC 2010 and this was stressing me out a bit. I was able to get the time off except for one stinkin' day...the sat before the race. I had planned to get off work, fly out there that night, drive out to Penticton in the AM, volunteer from 8-midnight, drive back to Kelowna, then back to Penticton to sign up. Wheeww busy time it would have been! But it didn't happen....
I had been having some doubts about being ready for it. I think my last race (Oly distance) "scared" me a bit. I had some cramping issues that really affected me. It made me think about my plans for next year. Then on a group ride, I was talking to Greg (my coach) and told him about my plans. Greg gave me some really helpful advice and basically said what I was thinking. In the end I decided to not sign up for IMC 2010. In a way this was hard choice...I really had hoped to be there racing. But in the end I feel very OK with it. I felt alot of pressure off my shoulders. My new goals......next summer I will try to get in 2 half IM distances and as many other races as possible. I will have 2 years of build to the big race now instead of 1. I am thinking GWN and Calgary 70.3 for my big races.
Since I wasn't going to sign up, I decided to stay in Calgary and volunteer next year. I just could not justify the expense to go out to volunteer, I would not have even gotten a "vacation" out of it. I was glued to my computer and iPhone for updates on race day. I did go out for a ride/run that day and I was motivated more than I had been in a while. It felt so good to be out training that day.....I missed that feeling.
A few days have passed and my mojo seems to be coming back quite strong. I am actually looking forward to getting out there each day. I am not sure if the "what should I do" stress was affecting me.....I think it did. Unfortunately my tri season is done. I had considered going to Montreal but I decided to skip that too. With a baby on the way, I want to get rid of the credit card debt. Looks like its running races for now!
I know IMC 2009 was hard for some this year (my one friend with 26 IM races said it was by far his hardest). But congrats to those that pushed on despite the rough race. It was fun watching the updates!
I had been having some doubts about being ready for it. I think my last race (Oly distance) "scared" me a bit. I had some cramping issues that really affected me. It made me think about my plans for next year. Then on a group ride, I was talking to Greg (my coach) and told him about my plans. Greg gave me some really helpful advice and basically said what I was thinking. In the end I decided to not sign up for IMC 2010. In a way this was hard choice...I really had hoped to be there racing. But in the end I feel very OK with it. I felt alot of pressure off my shoulders. My new goals......next summer I will try to get in 2 half IM distances and as many other races as possible. I will have 2 years of build to the big race now instead of 1. I am thinking GWN and Calgary 70.3 for my big races.
Since I wasn't going to sign up, I decided to stay in Calgary and volunteer next year. I just could not justify the expense to go out to volunteer, I would not have even gotten a "vacation" out of it. I was glued to my computer and iPhone for updates on race day. I did go out for a ride/run that day and I was motivated more than I had been in a while. It felt so good to be out training that day.....I missed that feeling.
A few days have passed and my mojo seems to be coming back quite strong. I am actually looking forward to getting out there each day. I am not sure if the "what should I do" stress was affecting me.....I think it did. Unfortunately my tri season is done. I had considered going to Montreal but I decided to skip that too. With a baby on the way, I want to get rid of the credit card debt. Looks like its running races for now!
I know IMC 2009 was hard for some this year (my one friend with 26 IM races said it was by far his hardest). But congrats to those that pushed on despite the rough race. It was fun watching the updates!
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