Motivation 2.0

The new year is always a time to reflect on goals and set resolutions; I've already done the goal setting, now I need to dig deep and find the motivation to stay on-track so that I do more than just finish a race, because I already know that I'm a "finisher." 

Yes, post-Ironman I managed to gain a few pounds.  Is that enough motivation?  Not really, but it's a good start.

I'm not especially pleased with my pace while running; running has always been my mental block, but with good reason, as I'm not usually in the top half of the pack.  Is that enough motivation? Maybe it will become part of the raison d'etre.

My climbing ability (both running and cycling) could use some improvement - I do very well on the descents and flats but climbing feels like there is an anchor attached to the back of my bike.  Is this enough motivation?  I suppose, but I've already addressed this issue on the bike by engaging a coach who focuses on cycling power and am using my Cinqo Quark to build power.

So what's it gonna take???

You've got to want it, you've got to want...

... that feeling of pushing through a tough workout.
... that feeling of pushing through the proverbial ceiling or the plateau to attain a blissful state of "aaaaahhhhhhhhhh."
... to wake up at 5:30am to swim so-that-you-can-rush-home-to-get-the-kids-ready-for school-and-then-start-your-day.
... the physical ability to move your body - whatever the pace - so that you remain healthy and strong.
... to setting a healthy example for your kids.
... the pain of exhertion so that you can find the mental focus to relish it - or find ways to distract yourself from it!

I understand and accept that I am a little bit crazy for wanting to do these things.  I know that this year, when I cross the line, my effort has been sincere and I will be satisfied. 

Change it up

Post Ironman is a tough time for lots of athletes; in fact, a lot of us get a bit depressed to not have a big goal, we are tired, we aren't used to using our social skills... it's mentally tough.  I tried to prepare for the post-Ironman blues by signing up for the Banff Winterstart 8-mile fun run, by getting back into a quasi-workout schedule, and by making sure I spent extra extra time with my family.  For the most part, I'd say the preparations were good:

- Winterstart was fun.  I tagged along with a core group of TTL people, bunked in with Leslie-Ann for the night, and ran up the mountain in the dark.  It wasn't a PB on this course, although certainly a respectable time.  I had fun, it's fun to run fast, I had forgotten that part.  And the girls were great.  We went out for sangria and pizza, then dancing, whew, what a night - thanks ladies!
- My quasi-regular workout schedule: in order to motivate myself, I decided to invest in a new power meter for my bike, the CinQo Quark.  Love.  It.  Wowie wow wow what a great idea!  It's smooth as silk, I love that I can see my effort and keep that effort consistent and know that I'm not cheating on a workout (even unintentionally!).  Great idea. 
- My coach of 3 years has decided to pursue other interests, which threw me for a loop.  I spent considerable time researching and interviewing coaches prior to Ironman, so I had a pretty good idea of the key players in Calgary.  It's also nice to know that there are some new coaches since that time.  I have decided to focus on power for my biking skills so I selected a coach who can best guide me through this skill; he's also got great pedigree and I like his style of coaching.  It's a change, it takes a bit of getting used to, but it's definitely a change for the good. 
- Spend extra time with my family: it's always a good idea to deposit goodwill into the family bank, that way, when I start talking about my next race, I have a bit of street cred to work with! 

And speaking of my next race....

... time to change it up!  I'm going back to my mountain bike this year with a focus on XTerra.  My BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) is still top secret, but my "A" race for the 2012 season will be Canadian Nationals, held in Canmore.  That's another change, Nationals has been held for the previous two seasons in Whistler, and with the move to Canmore, this will be more exciting for me.  I'm already excited!  And I'll have to do some mountain bike racing along the way, maybe even some trail running.  It's going to be tough, but I've found my motivation again. 

Are you ready for the ride?  Here we go!

Fresh Ink

Yup, I got the tattoo.

Let's start back at the beginning.....

A couple of years ago, I got my first tattoo.  I was inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert's book, "Eat, Pray, Love" to find a word that I believed represented my current state of mind and goals, and that also represented all that I aspire towards physically, mentally, and emotionally.  I often return to Gilbert's book and with each visit I find a  new piece of wisdom that seems to relate to whatever chaos I've got brewing.  This one word serves as a reminder that I need to bring the chaos back to one simple point, realign myself with the goals I have set, and, damn it, get it in gear.

With all of that preamble, in March 2009 I booked an appointment and etched my word onto the inside of my right ankle.  To be honest, I wasn't thrilled with the outcome.  The tat did its job, but I wasn't thrilled with the quality of art that resulted.

And so, the first order of business was to touch up my existing tattoo:

Wowie wow wow, the result is awesome.  I gave the artist free reign to do what he felt was best: he strengthened the lines, made it much more about calligraphy, and added the drop shadow.

I love it.

So what about the M-dot, you ask???

Yes, I wanted the M-dot, yes I wanted the Canadian leaf, but I also wanted something that would be in the same family as my first tattoo.  I browsed the web, saw some cool stuff, saw a lot of the same stuff, and ultimately combined a few of those ideas with some of my own.

Ta-dah!

It will take a few more days to heal, it will blend a bit more together between the colours, and I am THRILLED with the result.

Thanks to Tim at PI (Personalized Image) studio in Banff - you guys rock.

What do you think?  Too small??? Too colourful????

IRONMAN pics!

I received my Ironman pics today - super excited to share them, I think they show what a great day I had.
Thanks again for everyone's well-wishes and congrats - it has taken almost a week for the magnitude of what I accomplished to sink in, and I find myself getting more and more excited as I talk about the experience with people.

Here they are!

Subaru Ironman Canada 2011

I'm in the big white splash.  :)

Have I mentioned how much I love my bike?

And the long, hot run:

Of course, it's all worth it in the end!  Don't forget to check out the video, too!

Stay tuned for upcoming pics of the new tattoo!

Guess What??? I'm an IRONMAN!!!

On August 28, 2011, I joined the ranks of those who proudly call themselves IRONMAN. What a ride!

 (NB: I'll post more pics later, including my Finish Line photo, these are some candids).

The day dawned early - the ice machine outside my hotel room was active at 4am. (Sheesh people, it's just going to melt anyways!) I chewed thru my quinoa and cranberry cereal (modified recipe from Quinoa 365), lathered up the sunscreen, even in areas that wouldn't see the sun, suited up in my TTL gear, filled my water bottles with ice (that would promptly melt), and headed into the dawn. Athletes were drawn to the centre of the beach by an unseen magnet, quiet with anticipation. Ah, the atmosphere of an Ironman morning is unmatched for its energy, the air tastes acrid and sweet at the same time. Maybe it's the adrenaline, maybe it's the atheletes knowing that their time, their day, it has arrived.

Getting everything into T1 was easy - uncrowded, unhurried, time seemed to expand. There wasn't even a line at the portapotties! And then time started to contract: people exponentially multiplied, I started to see familiar faces, lots of hugs, back to the portapotty (there's a line now), then off to find my wetsuit fitter; Tara B is far and away the BEST amateur wetsuit fitter I've even known (she should go pro). She wrestled me into that thing, no gaps or pulling away from my neck, a perfect fit. Time shrunk again and I needed to get onto the beach. Angie A snagged me at the line for a good luck hug and some sage advice that likely saved my race (thanks Angie!) - but I'll get to that in a few moments.

The Swim: 3.8km
I found my spot on the beach, then waded into the water. I didn't want to be too far back, as I am a strong enough swimmer that I can handle a few bumps, and I wanted to find some feet to follow. Easier said than done! From the moment my face hit the water, there was constant contact from the other competitors, all of us wanted to share the same space, swim the same line. Egads, it was chaos! In spite of the chaos, I didn't panic - I kept moving forward, one stroke after the other, I found a rhythm in the chaos and pushing and bumping and kicking and punching and shoving. Then came the heel to my left eye. Sheesh, that one hurt. I honestly thought that when I surfaced on the beach I'd have a black eye. And the suction on my goggles got extra tight, like it was sucking my eyeball out!! With all the jostling around, I didn't want to stop to adjust my goggles, so I kept on swimming. The second corner was worse than the first! I popped my head up to sight on the next buoy and ran into a wall of people! I muttered, "Where are we going?" and heard several people chuckle and say "good question!" The swim back to the beach didn't improve much, lots of contact. I tried all kinds of strategies, speed up, slow down, move to either side, but I guess I was just in the mix of it all. And honestly, if I can survive a swim like that, I can survive any kind of swim in the future.
All of that bumping around cost me: based on training swims and previous race results, I had hoped for a faster swim. My swim time is still admirable, I'm just a bit disappointed, because I felt strong, I didn't have to stop and adjust, I swam as smoothly as possible.
Swim: 1:25:36
Swim rank: 110 out of 127 Women 35-39
Swim rank: 2028 out of 2811 overall

T1
Tara B saw me coming and dashed for my bag - thanks Tara! - and I hurried off to claim a seat in the tent. Wow, it was crowded in there, time to get moving and get out of here! The sunscreen station was thorough, thanks, I didn't even get a sliver of a burn all day long (which was one of my biggest concerns). I waved at Madi S and headed for the road.

The Bike: 180km
I love my bike. She's shiny and light and takes me to fun places. Today, she worked hard: the temperature was rapidly rising (it would top out around 35+ degrees) and it was windy and I spilled nutrition and food all over her. What a trooper.
The ride out of town was uneventful, but I was thirsty. Very, very thirsty. So on the way up MacLean Creek road I decided to grab some water at the aid station. Much better. Shannon O and I played leapfrog a few times, as we would all day long, and then I buckled in for the long ride: keep it simple, keep it steady. Drafting was a big problem. I know the marshals did their best, but it was a crowded road and I saw packs of people moving forward. Knowing that the only thing to do was to ride MY ride, I put my head down and kept spinning. The ride up Richter wasn't so bad - everyone complains about it - but I saw Jen S and decided to keep her butt in view the whole way up (as she reminded me, "Let's see if Richelle's spin class pays off!"). At the top I put my foot down for a quick minute to adjust some nutrition bottles and saw Rona S and Leslie Ann M spin past. I gave a quick wave to my support crew Ryan and Emma, then got ready for the fun part: descending Richter's. Wow, I love speed, to the tune of 63km/hour! And gravity is free!
Next up, The Rollers. Now that the sun was viciously beating down on us, the wind also decided to pick up, so the downhill portions were actually hard work. Eventually I made it to the out and back, tore open my Special Needs Bag and devoured some salt tabs, used some chamois butters, and grabbed more water. I know the aid stations ran out later in the day, but rest assured I drank every last drop in the bottles that I picked up. I took the extra salt tabs with me and continued to consume them every hour; I hadn't trained with them, but I bet they saved my body a lot of grief this day. In fact, I was starting to feel a bit nauseous, which I have come to learn means that I'm dangerously close to the limits of exertion. The salt tabs almost instantly took away my nausea. At this point the temperature was ridiculously hot, the sun was beating so hard on my black shorts that they felt like they had spontaneously burst into flame, and I was sweating hard. It was H.O.T.
The climb up Yellow Lake was hard. I kept spinning, I passed people who were walking, I kept spinning, I passed people who were sitting in the shade, I kept spinning. At the top there is no respite, just a short flat stretch before one final climb. I kept spinning, knowing that the downhill into town was within reach. I put a big smile on my face and let my bike carry me home. But wait - the wind was back, right in my face, forcing me to pedal. I kept it light, kept spinning, back to town.
The bike portion was fun: I didn't over-exert myself, I didn't run out of gas, but I did run out of "zip." The heat just sucked it right out of me. My legs weren't heavy, but they weren't full of energy either; I was having an okay day. Did I have expectations for the ride? Sure, I'd love to have been faster, but given the heat, I'm super pleased with my bike results.
Bike Time: 7:19:15
Bike Rank: 121 out of 127 women 35-39
Bike Rank: 2260 out of 2811 overall

This pic was taken by pro Triathlete Jordan Bryden, and I love that I have a smile on my face, sunscreen everywhere, and I'm ready to get it in gear!

T2
In retrospect I should have paid closer attention to the people who took my bike. I crossed the dismount line into T2 and someone grabbed my bike and pointed me in the other direction. That's a lot of trust in a total stranger! Thank-you to the wonderful volunteers who looked after the athletes and our gear.
Into the tent, strip, get dressed, get more sunscreen, get moving.

OUCH!!!!! WHY DO MY FEET HURT!!!!!!

The Run: 42.6km
I have spent countless hours with Sarah PG (thanks Sarah!) at physio sorting out the issues under my toes, and issues with my hips/IT band.  Can you believe that neither of these things reared their ugly heads at Ironman? Nope, instead, a whole new problem surfaced: the metatarsals in my feet were THROBBING!!!  The big, long foot bones in both feet were screaming at me.  Every step was painful.  Now what????
I gulped down some Tylenol and set out at a brisk walk, hoping that the pain would go away.
I saw our neighbours Kris and Renata cheering for me, I saw my kids, my family, my sister who came from Ontario to watch me do this crazy thing.  Wow, what a rush, the support was overwhelming.
And did I mention it was HOT?  I was in danger of overheating, I could tell that my focus was less than perfect, and all I wanted was some air conditioning.  I don't do well with heat; I prefer the high-teens to low-twenties for temperature, no humidity, nice and temperate.  I melt in the heat, I get instant heat rash, I feel simply wretched in the heat.  And now I was faced with running a marathon in the 35+ degree heat.  Here is where Angie's sage advice came into play: she suggested that at each aid station I grab a baggie of ice (or a cup of ice) and carry it with me.  I could either suck on the ice water, use it to cool myself, or just hold it in my mouth.  She was right.  I took ice at each aid station and put three cubes down the front and back of my top (I later felt my top and discovered it was deliciously cool, those ice cubes kept my core temp low, to good effect).  I avoided the sprinklers as they would simply weigh down my shoes with water and potentially cause blisters.  I grabbed a slice of orange and a cup of Coke at the aid stations until my tummy said "eeewww" and I drank water and took salt tabs every hour.
On the way out, I saw Angie and the TTL tent - what a great cheering section!  I was disappointed that I wasn't running, but I kept my pace strong.  Angie trotted beside me and commented on my fast pace (it's the long legs, Angie) and reminded me that I got to choose how to deal with this dilemma.  She was right, I just kept moving forward, no free walking, and then when the downhills approached, I decided to suck it up and run down them (gravity is free!).  The running portions got longer and longer, and eventually I passed Shannon (we leapfrogged again - she did wonders for my morale all day, thanks to Shannon for her wisdom and perseverence!) and then she would pass me again.  I walked uphill, ran downhill and kept moving forward.  I saw my sister at the turn-around in OK Falls, she was pushing Amy, nice to see my family, they all watched me like an exhibit at the zoo as I applied Second Skin to my budding blisters, then I was off again, headed for home.  The run back along the lake had cooled down a bit, I actually enjoyed this part of the run, and yes, I was running again, not fast, but faster than walking.  I was eating pretzels and soup, sucking on water and ice.  By the time I reached town it was dark, kinda eerie.  Lots of encouragement from pedestrians along the way, back to town, back to Lakeshore.  There was TTL at the turn-around, cheers and high-fives, there was my family, time to get it in gear again.  I ran the last kilometer into the finish line, the crowd was fantastic, I had the finisher's chute all to myself, hit the blue carpet and BLISS.  I crossed the line!  Cindy Spence, you are an Ironman!
I know that my training made it possible to run this marathon.  I believe I had the legs for it, that I had the focus for it, that I was ready for it.  Once I found my feet (or maybe once they were numbed from the 6 Tylenol I gobbled down), the running seemed easier than walking.  I even negative split my marathon, I mean, how crazy is that?  I have no ambition to ever run in Boston, and sure, I'd like to improve my 10k PB or feel better running uphill; but, for now, I am pleased with this marathon.  I fought back after some serious heat issues, didn't have a single GI issue all day, fueled the marathon portion entirely with on-course nutrition, and finished with a smile. 
Marathon time: 6:12:56
Run rank: 1323 out of 167 women 35-39
Run rank: 2195 out of 2811 overall

 I love that I'm running with such focus in this photo, I look stronger than I have ever felt, and I'm racing Ironman! (photo courtesy of Jordan Bryden)

Yes, I had to do some walking, but you can see the heat and how much I was sweating in this pic.  At least there's a BIG smile on my face!

On Hitting the Blue Carpet: T3
I need to offer up a huge, extra-special thanks to my catchers, Scott and Mike, both from TTL.  I was really dazed when I crossed the line, I don't even remember gathering my Finisher shirt or having my photo taken, I think I started to be aware of my surroundings sometime after my first slice of pizza, just as Scott and Mike were saying good-bye.  They helped me find a seat, get some food, and stay upright.  Thanks guys, you were great.

Over-all Ironman time: 15:14:47
Ironman rank:127/167 women 35-39
Ironman rank: 2197 out of 2811 overall

And now for the thank-you's:
Thank-you to Richelle L, who deserves Coach of the Year for her unending enthusiasm and belief in my abilities, even when I doubted and cursed and raged and laughed.
Thank-you to my sister, Robin M, who flew with my 10-month old niece to be at this momentous event in my life.
Thank-you to the friends who think I've disappeared off the face of the earth (Ironman training is all-consuming, sorry for deserting you) - you know who you are.
Thank-you to the girls who sent me music for my marathon - I thought of you along the journey and call upon your strength.
Thank-you to my daughters, for loving me even when I am a crazy Ironman-in-training.
Thank-you to Ryan, for loving me just because.

I promise to post more pics soon, the official video and pics are coming, they look great, but the download is slow.  Stay tuned!

.... what's next?
Well isn't that the question hanging in the air.  Yes, I still want to race triathlon.  Yes, I miss my mountain bike.  Let's wait a few weeks to decide, shall we?

.... and yes, I'm getting the tattoo, I'll post pics of that, too!  :)

The Dress Rehearsal: Great White North Half-Ironman Race Report

So with all of the training that Richelle has prescribed and that I have enthusiastically completed, I was ready to see what kind of results I'd get at a longer distance event, like a half-ironman. I wanted to treat GWN as a dress rehearsal for IMC, what a perfect opportunity to let it all hang out without worrying about the outcome or possible disaster.

Here are the distances: swim 2km, bike 90km, run 21.3km. I raced GWN two years ago as my first half-iron, and while the 6:45ish finishing time was a good performance on that day, I was also hoping to up the ante and see what the added training would do for me. I was ready for a dress rehearsal, time to try out nutrition, clothing, strategies etc. And see how far I could push the envelope.

This is how the day unfolded...

Lesley-Anne was kind enough to drive us to the lake, rather than take the uber-early bus (thanks LA!). I quickly headed to transition, organized my bike and other stuff, headed for the port-a-potty line, then worked myself into my (new!) wetsuit. Fits like a glove. I dove into the lake for a short warm-up (yucky murky water at the shore, ugh!), back on shore. I totally ignored all the crazies who natter about wheels and nutrition, I found my quiet zone and worked my plan. After exiting the water, while standing around waiting for the start, I was beside Cindy & Scott, who were sporting their Garmin 310XT's. I usually don't start my watch until the bike, as it is big and bulky and tends to get trapped in my wetsuit. Scott pointed out that because I have the quick release band, I can easily palm and twist off the Garmin. In a split second decision (and primarily because this is my dress-rehearsal race), I ran over to my bike and activated the Auto Multisport function. A huge THANKS to Scott and Cindy for their words of wisdom; this is what I love about our Team, we're good support and share info and experiences in a very open manner, it's awesome. The Garmin was a big success, I like having the extra data from the swim portion, transition info, love it.

Time to hit the water! My race plan called for getting into the mix of it all, taking some bumps and swimming with my peer group. Yep, I was certainly in unfamiliar territory! Lots of bumps, a kick to the chin, someone swam over my back, quite the washing machine! It ironed itself out after the first 400m, I kept swimming thru it all, long strokes, felt like a fish! Wonderful! The first lap was over quickly, sub 20min, then on to the 2nd lap. Not as bumpy, somehow I slowed down a bit, but still a huge improvement over 2009.
2009 swim time: +45min
2011 swim time: 40min

T1 was smooth, I probably could have gone faster, but it was smooth. I heard Angie at the mount line, I saw Danielle M, we gave a little cheer, then I pedaled up the hill.

I don't remember much about my bike ride, other than it was hillier course than I recalled from 2009. I remember trying to cram in my allotted nutrition, but I started to feel nauseous; I was unsure whether it was the nutrition or the exertion level, so I took little sips and prayed they would sustain me until the run portion of the race. The hills really sapped my speed, I lost ground to a lot of competitors on the hills, why oh why am I so slow on the hills, I train on hills, I mountain bike, I'm consistent on the hills with a good turnover rate, for the love of all things holy, why do hills slam into me like a freight train??? Something to work on, I'm sure.... anyhow, I stayed pretty focused, only momentary lapses, and the out and back course was helpful in determining where other teammates were on the course, cheering for them, encouraging them, receiving some cheers back. Nice.
2009 bike time: 3:16
2011 bike time: 3:04

T2 also went smoothly. Again, I could have been a bit quicker, but it felt like I was missing something, so I did a triple check before running out the gate. No harm done.

The half-marathon that they throw at us after swimming and biking is no picnic. Your legs are tired, and running 21.3km's is not what tired legs want to do. I generally pound thru the first 10km and hope that I can hang on; it's between 10-14km that I lose focus, I allow the nagging aches and pains to consume me, and I walk. Today was no exception, I desparately wanted to walk and walk and walk. I was tired, I needed motivation. That's when the TTL people starting appearing, as it was the out-and-back section of the course. TTL rocks, I am so thankful that we give each other a smile, a high five, a "go girl", whatever. It picked me up and pushed me forward, a gentle push to move me ahead. I also thought back to my race planning, and reminded myself that if an 8-year old can run 1km in 5:28, I needed to get it in gear. So I did.

In the past, the run portion of the race seems to have been my achilles heel: tummy trouble, nutrition issues, foot issues. I was determined not to let any of these slow me down. Yes, my foot started to hurt, yes, I grabbed the wrong nutrition bottle this morning so after the first sip I knew I would be doomed if I continued sipping, and yes, my tummy was still nauseous. The important part is how I solved these race-day in-the-moment issues.
1) ignore the foot: pain is temporary. Try to wiggle my feet a bit so that it stretches out, just keep going. I need to go back to see Sarah P again for more ideas for IMC. Post-race I iced it, stretched it, rolled it, and now my foot is back to normal.
2) time to look for alternative nutrition. The aid stations are serving flat cola and oranges, let's see what happens. I took mini sips of flat cola, it seemed to stay down and didn't jiggle in my tummy, in fact the sugar content was yummy, and little sips successfully got me through the run from min 61-110. Then I sampled a couple of orange wedges. Wow, they tasted amazing! And they seemed to work even better than the cola! Who knew?!
3) I decided that being nauseous was a by-product of my exertion level. Richelle had encouraged me to go hard on the bike and still hold steady on the run (similar to Wasa). Well, my bike was certainly a strong ride, and when I hit the run my HR was hovering around 160, where it stayed the entire run, even elevating a bit towards the end. I'm pretty certain that this high exertion level caused my nausea. And since I didn't actually vomit, I think it indicates that I was on the fine line of racing to my limit and totally blowing up.
Turns out the run portion of my race may no longer be my achilles heel:
2009 run time: 2:45ish
2011 run time: 2:22

Total 2009 time: 6:45ish
Total 2011 time: 6:07

Overall, I'm super excited about my results, my performance, my teammates, everything! This dress rehearsal was a huge success!

Now I'm ready for training camp, and I know that when August 28th rolls around, I'll be ready for that, too!

Wasa Lake Triathlon June 12, 2011 Race Report

Wasa Lake Triathlon June 12, 2011 Race Report

For the third year in a row, we packed up the family and headed for Wasa Lake, BC for the annual triathlon festival. This year we added another family member to the mix: our eldest daughter wanted to "race like mummy," so she signed up for the Tri Kids Challenge. I am so incredibly proud of my daughter! It makes my heart fill with laughter and pride and joy at seeing her so enthusiastic about triathlon. She swam 100m, biked 5km, and ran 1km in :31:37. Yes, she was pooped, but thrilled to have a medal of her own! Here are some pics:






On Sunday, it was my turn. My race plan was to make the bike hurt more than usual, so that my run would be very tough. Let's see how it all played out....

The swim start looked a bit intimidating, as it was one loop in the lake, for a total of 1500m. Seeing the big orange buoys so far from shore gave me a bit of a shiver! Once in the water, I decided to swim with the pack, and I found a couple of girls who swam about my pace, and who weren't interested in elbows and feet in the face. We swam along well for the the first 700m, but I lost the good feet at the first turn. Oh well. You'll notice how uneventful the first 700m were! That's because I was using long, relaxed strokes, easy breathing, no need to stop and look around, staying in the crowd but not being crowded. The return to shore was equally uneventful, a good, solid swim - and I improved my time over last year by almost a full minute!

The bike course was new this year. We headed out of Wasa Lake towards Fort Steele, up a series of rollers. Of course, I anticipated a bit of a hurt festival on the ride up, but was looking forward to the ride down. It didn't disappoint! Even with almost triple the elevation gain of the previous year, I rode the same time split, had an overall lower HR, practiced staying out of a draft zone, and had a good effort with nutrition while riding. Nice job!

The run course was the same as in previous years - loop around the lake and back again. My goal was to walk only thru aid stations if needed, but otherwise be consistent and persistent. Here's the comparison with last year:



The run is all pretty evened out year over year - except that I had a harder bike, and my overall HR was lower by about 5 BPM. It also FELT good.

Overall, my time didn't improve much over previous year (only better by a minute or so), but the effort was harder (due to the hills on the bike course), yet while my effort was increased, my biometrics such as HR were improved. And it felt STRONG. Which is exactly what I will need for my next two races.

Stay tuned for more racing action!

Race Report: Scotia Bank Calgary Half Marathon, May 29, 2011

After the debacle of weather and feet at the Calgary Police Half, I asked Richelle for permission to run the Calgary Half (I'd like to point out that I asked her permission prior to bridging the subject with my husband....). Her response was encouraging: "Absolutely."

I decided to run it as a training LDS, especially since the weekend prior I was at the CSR training camp in Penticton (awesome camp, great mileage, it's enough material to demand an entire blog post, check back here later in the week!). My goal was to run the course and reach the finish line happy with an honest effort. Because there wasn't a lot of pressure, I was very zen about the race all week during taper, and even at the pre-race package pick-up, Richelle commented that this was a very different type of approach for me, and that I seemed very calm.

Race day dawned sunny and wonderful. I met up with TTL people at the C-train station, we hung out together, laughed a bit, warmed up together, waited for the starting gun. And..... we're off!

I really liked the course, as it covered very familiar territory, I knew the distances between landmarks and could estimate how much longer to refueling or walk breaks or whatever. About 13 or 14km into the run, I checked my watch and thought, hey, I'm feeling pretty good here, let's see what happens if I turn up the intensity??? Okay, this feels good! At 17km I turned it up again! As it happens, I turned it up enough for a PB!! Yep, on a day that was supposed to be a solid training run, I PB'd by almost a full minute. Cool.

Now, I know that I run with a fast crowd (ha ha, pun intended), so it took a while to get excited about setting a PB, 'cause most people that I train with run the half-mary in the 1:45 to 1:55 range, so it's a bit embarrassing to admit to PB'ing with 2:11:28. However, now that a few days have passed, I'm actually very proud and excited to OWN that 2:11:28 PB, cause it was the result of a season of hard work, it came to me unexpected and unaware, and hell, a PB is a PB!

And now, back to IMC training.....

Quinoa Chocolate Cake: Better than the real thing!

Instead of the traditional pies (yummy lemon meringue, apple, pumpkin and butter tarts) that I usually bake with Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, I opted for a new idea that uses my favourite new ingredient: quinoa.
It's such a quick, healthy alternative to pasta, crackers, cereal, beef, etc., and I've discovered it in bulk (flour, yellow, black and red) at Community Natural Foods, which is making it more affordable, too.
The cookbook Quinoa 365 by Green & Hemming is wonderful - it gives you lots of options for everything from breakfast to dessert. I've tried several recipes, including a hot cranberry cereal that has become a breakfast staple in my fridge, several soups that rotate thru my kitchen, a tuna casserole that my kids will eat, muffins, loaves, and now, chocolate cake!
This chocolate cake has NO FLOUR in it, and my guests and kids loved it. Here's the recipe:

Moist Chocolate Cake (Quinoa 365 by Green & Hemming, pg 159)
2/3c white or golden quinoa
1 1/3c water
1/3c milk
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4c butter, melted then cooled
1 1/2c cane sugar
1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Bring quinoa and water to a boil, cover and simmer 10 min. Turn off heat, leave covered for 10 min. Fluff with a fork and cool.
Preheat oven to 3 50 degrees. Lightly grease 2x8" cake pans. **Line the bottom of the pans w parchment paper.
Combine the milk, eggs, and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Add 2c of cooked quinoa and butter and continue to blend until smooth.
Whisk together in a large bowl the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add contents of the blender and mix well. Divide evenly between the two pans and bake on centre oven rack for 40-45 min. Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan before serving. Frost if desired I just served it with a sprinkle of powered icing sugar and ice cream).
Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week of freeze for up to 1 month.
Yummy!

Race Report: Calgary Police Half Marathon, Sunday, April 17, 2011

Yep, the conditions today were horrible. Lots of snow and ice, the single-track, hard-packed, icy trail with divets that were perfect for rolling your ankle, the sidewalks had "brown sugar" snow which made it feel like running in sand.... yeah, not a lot of positives there. In fact, my feet are killing me.

The temperature was good - at least, I dressed for it. The thermometer read -4C when I left the house, and while the snow continued to come down, the sun did break thru just as I crested the top of the Weaselhead hill.

My point about the weather report? It could have been worse, no one was out there running for a PB (certainly not me!), and if you walked away without falling down, it was a good day.

And my day got even better!

Richelle and I tossed around a number of potential paces for me to run. Then the weather forecast kicked in (see above), so we revamped it to be a run for heart rate. We agreed on some HR zones for various stretches of the race. I pointed out that those HRs would make me slow; but keeping my HR under control helps me on two fronts: 1) it helps me avoid detours into the bushes (sorry, too much info?), and 2) it is good practice for IMC.

Here's the good news about my race today: I stayed close to or within all the HR zones that Richelle gave me, my goal of "consistent and persistent" during my intervals was bang on target, I had no tummy troubles, and I gained a huge measure of confidence for running at both Great White and IMC. The final 4km I kicked it up a notch, as per Richelle's directions, and felt spent at the line. Another plus: I recovered quickly, ready to keep going.

My training has been going well over the winter and early spring - although I've lost my speed. I feel like a tortoise (or a tank, depending on my mood!): slow and steady gets you across the line. I know that I'll need the endurance element, but I miss a bit of the speed.... oh well, today wasn't about speed anyhow!

Today's race was about consistency, pacing, HR zones. Does it matter that this is the slowest half Mary that I've ever done? Nope. Was it good prep for IMC? Absolutely.

Sabotage!

This week it feels like all my workouts are being sabotaged!!!! And my goal of consistency is severely off course!!!

Here's what happened:
Saturday I skied at Sunshine in some wicked snow conditions with a group of avid skiers. So tough day on the legs, but awesome day on the mountain.
Sunday I ditched my bike/brick for a x-country ski at Elk Pass and UP Blueberry Hill. It was another awesome day with sunshine and girlfriends, wouldn't trade it for anything!
Monday I headed for Edmonton. Now, Edmonton got an obscene amount of snow this year, and with the +10 temperatures, the city is a big slush festival. I had hoped (perhaps naively) that the sidewalks along the sunny riverbank would be clear, like they (mostly) are in Calgary. Nope. A min of 4" of slush!!! So my speed work run turned into a stair workout, simply because the stairs were there and I was dressed to run and it was sunny and let's go already. So I did 8 set of stairs behind the Alberta Legislature. Probably not my smartest move.
Tuesday I overslept and missed my swim, then I drove like a mad woman and made it in time for Angie's spin class that I turned into a brick. The bike was hard, the brick felt amazing.
Wednesday I was scheduled to attend a breakfast meeting, but misread the invitation and was in the wrong spot at the right time. Trying to remain positive, I took it as a sign that I now had two free hours, let's go do that swim. Why did my swim feel so entirely wretched? Because I hadnt eaten the breakfast that was scheduled at my meeting. I've never bonked in a pool before, man did that suck. 2300m later I called Richelle, on the verge of tears. She chided me for the stairs, and suggested I forego the 30min easy run that afternoon, and look at a thursday as a fresh start. Great idea.
Let me internet by saying, she was right, the mental break was exactly what I needed. Thank Richelle.
Thursday. Once again I overslept my alarm, so my spin for today is already off kilter. I'm rock climbing with a girlfriend tonite, super excited to have a social life, but now I'm stressng about my bike.
Despite my best efforts, my training this week just seems to be spiraling out of control.
Focus for Friday: put in an honest effort for my LSD of 22km. If that works out, maybe an ez spin in the evening to make my legs feel better.
Wish me luck!!!
Cindy