HELP!
It is Halloween and a bunch of mini chocolate bars followed me home and jumped down my throat! This is an epidemic as it is happeneing to a few of my other friends too! I am trying to resist, but it is so hard! A strong little group of them called KitKats seem to be winning the battle agianst me! HELP!
October 31, 2008
Klutzy Richelle
I am feeling pretty well recovered from my marathon now and was starting to get back into the regular routine, starting to run pain free and push hard on the bike when something tightened in my shoulder and neck. And when I say tight I mean can hardly turn my head without pain shooting into my neck and shoulder tight! It hurts so much to look even attempt to look left; which has made driving interesting as it hurts to shoulder check.
I finally went to see my favorite chiro, Dr. Bryan Myles! I saw another chiro the other day but, nothing seemed to release or get better. I love Dr. Bryan because he "beats me up" and always manages to fix me. Seriously! And if you ever have any issues, go see him at Balanced Health & Sports Therapy. Everytime I feel pain or have an injury I go see Bryan and he always knows how to fix it. He is one of the best chiro's around. He calls me a wimp sometimes but, we both know I am tougher than the football players he treats. Anyways, back to the story. I went to see Bryan and he could tell right away I had a rip out of place. He asked me if I had fallen......hmmm....Nope. Oh wait....the other day when I was with my run clinic I dropped back to see how the girls at the back who were happily chatting were doing. I clearly didn't notice the dip in the sidewalk for someone's driveway - need i say more!? I did manage to catch myself so I didn't completely end up sprawled out on the groud, and oddly enough the next day is when the trouble with my shoulder and next appeared. Mystery solved! NOTE: Mom stop laughing - yes, I am still your klutzy daughter! Luckily, Bryan treated me and I know I will be feeling better by tomorrow or Sunday!
So training is going OK in terms of getting back to it with this little glitch. I did do my first brick in a long time the other day and it was wonderful! I love bricks! And, the Bow Cycle class is back on with Team Tri Life ( http://www.teamtrilife.com/html/spin_classes.html ) and I might even be teaching it this upcoming Tuesday.
I finally went to see my favorite chiro, Dr. Bryan Myles! I saw another chiro the other day but, nothing seemed to release or get better. I love Dr. Bryan because he "beats me up" and always manages to fix me. Seriously! And if you ever have any issues, go see him at Balanced Health & Sports Therapy. Everytime I feel pain or have an injury I go see Bryan and he always knows how to fix it. He is one of the best chiro's around. He calls me a wimp sometimes but, we both know I am tougher than the football players he treats. Anyways, back to the story. I went to see Bryan and he could tell right away I had a rip out of place. He asked me if I had fallen......hmmm....Nope. Oh wait....the other day when I was with my run clinic I dropped back to see how the girls at the back who were happily chatting were doing. I clearly didn't notice the dip in the sidewalk for someone's driveway - need i say more!? I did manage to catch myself so I didn't completely end up sprawled out on the groud, and oddly enough the next day is when the trouble with my shoulder and next appeared. Mystery solved! NOTE: Mom stop laughing - yes, I am still your klutzy daughter! Luckily, Bryan treated me and I know I will be feeling better by tomorrow or Sunday!
So training is going OK in terms of getting back to it with this little glitch. I did do my first brick in a long time the other day and it was wonderful! I love bricks! And, the Bow Cycle class is back on with Team Tri Life ( http://www.teamtrilife.com/html/spin_classes.html ) and I might even be teaching it this upcoming Tuesday.
October 26, 2008
New job!
After a year of managing The Tech Shop I am leaving for a new position. This was a hard decision as I love my job and adore the staff and friends I work with there. I am moving onto a new opportunity that is still within this field. I will be managing Tri-It (www.tri-it.ca). I am very excited about joining the Tri-It family and managing this store. I really like the products Tri-It offers, the staff are amazingly friendly and knowledgeable, the clinics are awesome as they have great coaches who teach them, and the atmosphere of the store is fantastic (frequently a hang-out to have a cup of coffee, hear what people in the triathlon world are up to, and just talk about triathlon and running).
I will reiterate that I still fully support The Tech Shop as they too are an amazing store. It was a hard decision to make but, ultimately it is the right move for me. Thanks for all your support and those who helped me make the decision. I will be officially starting at Tri-It on November 4th! See you there!
I will reiterate that I still fully support The Tech Shop as they too are an amazing store. It was a hard decision to make but, ultimately it is the right move for me. Thanks for all your support and those who helped me make the decision. I will be officially starting at Tri-It on November 4th! See you there!
October 19, 2008
Swim, Bike and Run!
On Thursday I got back to training! I did an easy 45 minute bike on Thursday, an easy 1/2 hour run on Friday, and an easy 2000m swim on Saturday. When I say easy, I mean easy but that is OK. It was a great way to remind myself that I am a triathlete. During the run I was so excited, I smiled the whole time. It felt so good to be back running as almost 2 weeks off was torture for me. I am excited to again have run dates with my friends (so call me if you wanna run!) and run with my run clinics at work again. I have run clinic tomorrow morning and the girls have been asking when I can run again. It has been sad that I haven't been able to run with them either as I wave good-bye and say "have a good run" on those mornings. But that is behind me now and I am back running!
Then today I had an interval bike. It was a high cadence set however, I just can't seem to push the gears or cadence that I was last year. Not that at this point in the year I should be surprised. My heart rate soared and my quads felt tight when I got off the bike. I smiled; I love that feeling! I know there are at least some of you out there reading this that do agree with me.
So, with 6 months until Ironman Australia I will slowly ramp up my training and get back to it!
Then today I had an interval bike. It was a high cadence set however, I just can't seem to push the gears or cadence that I was last year. Not that at this point in the year I should be surprised. My heart rate soared and my quads felt tight when I got off the bike. I smiled; I love that feeling! I know there are at least some of you out there reading this that do agree with me.
So, with 6 months until Ironman Australia I will slowly ramp up my training and get back to it!
October 10, 2008
No swim, no bike, no run = no fun!
Yesterday I got out my wisdom teeth. I can eat liquid foods only, and am pretty much just hanging out on the couch (and I am BORED! There is only so much TV you can watch). I am completely swollen and sore. On top of all that I have a cold! So, I guess the forced recovery from the marathon is OK. I will let me body heal completely until I get back at it - which I can't wait for!
That is all that is new with me so, no training for the next 4 or 5 days.
That is all that is new with me so, no training for the next 4 or 5 days.
October 6, 2008
Portland Marathon
Me at the 26 mile mark AND me and my dad before the race.
I woke up and got ready quickly. I love race morning putting on your gear! I love the moment when you tie your shoes up - knowing you are going for a run!
Before we left I managed to eat a bit but, not what I should have. My stomach hurt and I tried hard to push it out of my mind. I am sure it was just nerves. When we got downtown I had alot of time to get ready before I had to head to the start line. I people watched for quite sometime until it was time to go. I gave a big hug and kiss to my parents and my poor dad looked like he was going to cry. I headed over to the starting chute and stood there freezing. The guy standing next to me asked if I would like his sweatshirt as we waited because it looked like I needed it more than him. I happily put it on as it took the edge off being so cold. I knew once I started running I would be OK which is why I didn't have anything with me. We stood there and talked for a bit, until the countdown started. I gave him back his sweatshirt and then the gun went off. Here we go! My first marathon!
The first part of the run was uphill and we were going fast. One part of me said to slow down and the other part said it is OK, just go with the flow. Bad choice! This was not my plan. I stuck with the 3:45 marathon group (even though 3:50 was my goal time) and was feeling great. It started to rain about 5 km in but, the temperature was perfect. As I ran along listening to my Ipod (the Portland marathon is an Ipod friendly course) I continued to feel great, loving the music I was listening to and ignoring the rain. Around the 20km mark I could feel my IT band twinge and then at the 21km mark I had to stop. Argh! I looked at my watch and it read 1:52. I was on track to my goal; slightly ahead actually. I knew the second half of the course was harder but, still confident I could reach my 3:50 marathon goal. I had to stop and stretch my IT band every kilometer but, was still running at a great pace. Then 30km came along. OK, I must have gone out too hard on the first half of the course because my legs were sore! My quads were screaming at me to stop running (along with my IT band). I managed to continue moving forward as best as I could combining running, walking and stretching. I laughed at one point as I was absolutely soaking wet. I couldn't believe how wet I was. The skies had opened up and it was like I was in the shower. There were rivers running down the sides of the streets, it became impossible to avoid the puddles, and I was absolutely soaked! Well, if I could make it through ITU World's this year in the pouring rain and cold, then I could make it through this.
With 5km to go I met another girl with major IT band issues too. We leap frogged each other the past few km's, passing each other as we stretched our IT bands. I also knew I would at least finish at this point, no matter the time! When I passed the 25 mile mark I refused to walk anymore as I wouldn't be able to get going again. I looked for my parents who promised to be at the 26 mile mark. I have never been so excited to see them! They were bursting with pride - I love my parents! I turned the corner into the final 0.2 km's and there was a huge billboard of a fat lady singing and there was opera music belting out from speakers! It was almost over! The fat lady had sung! I gave all I could into the finishing chute! As I crossed the finish line, I immediately began crying. I had done it! It was the hardest thing I had ever done and I was in pain but, I had completed my first marathon! They put the medal around my neck and I continued to cry. A nice volunteer walked me over to the medical tent where they put ice around my knee. I tried to comprehend what I had just done. I trained so hard and it always seemed so far away but, now it was over. And, I had done it!
I wondered around trying to get out of the athlete area to find my parents. When we finally found each other we immediately came home so I could eat, have an ice bath, and nap. I was doing everything I could so that I would recover as quickly as possible.
Today I am sore. My IT band hurts like heck today (along with my hamstrings and quads) and I can barely walk! But it sure was worth it! I can finally say I am a marathoner! And I plan to do more of them.
Before we left I managed to eat a bit but, not what I should have. My stomach hurt and I tried hard to push it out of my mind. I am sure it was just nerves. When we got downtown I had alot of time to get ready before I had to head to the start line. I people watched for quite sometime until it was time to go. I gave a big hug and kiss to my parents and my poor dad looked like he was going to cry. I headed over to the starting chute and stood there freezing. The guy standing next to me asked if I would like his sweatshirt as we waited because it looked like I needed it more than him. I happily put it on as it took the edge off being so cold. I knew once I started running I would be OK which is why I didn't have anything with me. We stood there and talked for a bit, until the countdown started. I gave him back his sweatshirt and then the gun went off. Here we go! My first marathon!
The first part of the run was uphill and we were going fast. One part of me said to slow down and the other part said it is OK, just go with the flow. Bad choice! This was not my plan. I stuck with the 3:45 marathon group (even though 3:50 was my goal time) and was feeling great. It started to rain about 5 km in but, the temperature was perfect. As I ran along listening to my Ipod (the Portland marathon is an Ipod friendly course) I continued to feel great, loving the music I was listening to and ignoring the rain. Around the 20km mark I could feel my IT band twinge and then at the 21km mark I had to stop. Argh! I looked at my watch and it read 1:52. I was on track to my goal; slightly ahead actually. I knew the second half of the course was harder but, still confident I could reach my 3:50 marathon goal. I had to stop and stretch my IT band every kilometer but, was still running at a great pace. Then 30km came along. OK, I must have gone out too hard on the first half of the course because my legs were sore! My quads were screaming at me to stop running (along with my IT band). I managed to continue moving forward as best as I could combining running, walking and stretching. I laughed at one point as I was absolutely soaking wet. I couldn't believe how wet I was. The skies had opened up and it was like I was in the shower. There were rivers running down the sides of the streets, it became impossible to avoid the puddles, and I was absolutely soaked! Well, if I could make it through ITU World's this year in the pouring rain and cold, then I could make it through this.
With 5km to go I met another girl with major IT band issues too. We leap frogged each other the past few km's, passing each other as we stretched our IT bands. I also knew I would at least finish at this point, no matter the time! When I passed the 25 mile mark I refused to walk anymore as I wouldn't be able to get going again. I looked for my parents who promised to be at the 26 mile mark. I have never been so excited to see them! They were bursting with pride - I love my parents! I turned the corner into the final 0.2 km's and there was a huge billboard of a fat lady singing and there was opera music belting out from speakers! It was almost over! The fat lady had sung! I gave all I could into the finishing chute! As I crossed the finish line, I immediately began crying. I had done it! It was the hardest thing I had ever done and I was in pain but, I had completed my first marathon! They put the medal around my neck and I continued to cry. A nice volunteer walked me over to the medical tent where they put ice around my knee. I tried to comprehend what I had just done. I trained so hard and it always seemed so far away but, now it was over. And, I had done it!
I wondered around trying to get out of the athlete area to find my parents. When we finally found each other we immediately came home so I could eat, have an ice bath, and nap. I was doing everything I could so that I would recover as quickly as possible.
Today I am sore. My IT band hurts like heck today (along with my hamstrings and quads) and I can barely walk! But it sure was worth it! I can finally say I am a marathoner! And I plan to do more of them.
October 2, 2008
3 days to go
OK, I admit it. I am cranky! I 've got the taper "blahs". Yesterday I took the entire day off from exercising! I was more than happy to walk Kita so I could at least get moving! Today I got to go for a short run. My legs felt heavy but, my watch and foot pod said otherwise (which I was happy and relieved about). Jeff and I ran errands and went for coffee which lifted my spirits to spend some time with him. He has been brilliant and patient with putting up with me. Then one of my athletes, whom I saw yesterday, called today to tell me she had a violent stomach flu! OMG! I really hope I do not get it!
I leave tomorrow for Portland to run the famous Portland Marathon. Thanks for all the well wishes and support! I feel like no matter what I do on that course, I have so many loving friends who will be happy for me. It makes it a little less scary!
And, as you can tell by the clock below, yes, I am doing Ironman Australia. The only reason I agreed to this madness is so Carole who is living in Brisbane, and I can spend some quality time together and finally get to race together. It is crazy! I do not deny that for a second! And, I do realize there will be many, many , many hours on the trainer but, I will call upon you all to come for a ride. I figure when I am doing 6 hours on the trainer, I can convince several people to come at different times of the day to get me covered. Ha! Well, that is the plan; we will see if it works out.
OK, off to bed early (but not before Grey's Anatomy) as I am very tired and have a 6am flight to catch!
I leave tomorrow for Portland to run the famous Portland Marathon. Thanks for all the well wishes and support! I feel like no matter what I do on that course, I have so many loving friends who will be happy for me. It makes it a little less scary!
And, as you can tell by the clock below, yes, I am doing Ironman Australia. The only reason I agreed to this madness is so Carole who is living in Brisbane, and I can spend some quality time together and finally get to race together. It is crazy! I do not deny that for a second! And, I do realize there will be many, many , many hours on the trainer but, I will call upon you all to come for a ride. I figure when I am doing 6 hours on the trainer, I can convince several people to come at different times of the day to get me covered. Ha! Well, that is the plan; we will see if it works out.
OK, off to bed early (but not before Grey's Anatomy) as I am very tired and have a 6am flight to catch!
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