Training

Training has been going really well! Since last week I have done:

Friday: run speedwork and some strength work at the track followed by a 1 hour swim (I was very tired during the swim)
Saturday: 1 hour swim at the pool
Sunday: brick at the U of C - 1 hour bike followed by a 1/2 hour run, and strength work
Monday: rest day; I hated this day as I usually have a swim as my rest day. I was dying to get on my bike (or even my elliptical!) for just 1/2 hour but, I resisted. Seriously, what to non-triathletes do in their spare time!?
Tuesday: 45 minute treadmill run and a 1.5 hour bike at Bow Cycle
Wednesday: 1 hour swim and I taught a 1.5 hour bike at Tri It
Thursday: a 1 hour 15 minute bike followed by a 20 minute transition run - I made the mistake of wearing capri tights in -10 degrees, and got a crazy cold rash! I guess it is time to put away the capri's for awhile.

Other than that I am boring and have no new news to tell you but, I will have some exciting things next week!

Tri It now has a Blog!

Tri It now has a blog! Keep up up-to-date on all the latest happenings at your favorite triathlon store. We will have race reports from sponsored athletes and staff, local race information, training and nutrition tips, special events, product information, and more!

Check us out at: www.blog.tri-it.ca

Like the Tasmanian Devil

Is it the Tasmanian Devil off of "Loony Toons" that spins around in circles everywhere he goes? That is what I feel like these days! Don't get me wrong, life is good.....just really busy! I have to write down every thing I have to do because if I don't, I am onto the next thing and I forget what happened 5 minutes ago. I apologize to all my friends whose emails I have not returned and whose calls are still parked on voicemail. Please don't hate me; I am just really busy...Tasmanian Devil busy, actually!

On a side note, training is going great! My plantar faciitis is a tad sore but the bike is phenomenal and I had a breakthrough at swimming this morning. I was doing a set of 4 x 100's at the hardest pace I could go in the pool. I usually hit around 1:40 for this. I went on my first set and hit 1:34 (29 stroke count/lap). I couldn't believe I hit in the 1:30's. I was ecstatic! My friend Chris pointed out I was not pausing during my stroke and simply taking too many strokes. I agreed but I have always had a high stroke count. He gave me some quick pointers and I went again The sets ended up looking like this:
Set 1 - 1:34 (29 stroke count/lap)
Set 2 - 1:34 (22 stroke count/lap)
Set 3 - 1:34 (23 stroke count/lap)
Set 4 - 1:37 (23 stroke count/lap) - with a pullbuoy
I am on cloud nine and I feel like something clicked in the water today. I know I can replicate this again as I get it now.

Ok, back to whirling around I go.

Changes

How things change. I have decided that I am no longer going to do Ironman Australia. I have put my pride aside (of the fact that I have told so many people I am doing it) and listened to my wonderful coach and a few other people who I respect greatly such as Greg Bradly. Ironman is a big commitment and the chance of jeopardizing the rest of my season and burning myself out just wasn't worth it. And spending 6 hours by myself in my basement on my trainer! It is the right decision but, I am hoping to still go to Australia and do an Olympic distance race on the Gold Coast (no, not Age Group World's; although I did qualify!).

Another change is that I am now coaching a drop-in spin session on Wednesday nights at Tri It. Not everyone can commit to a weekly spin session and this gives people the opportunity to try out a spin class or sneak one in when they can.

That is about it for now. Maybe more changes to come.... guess you will have to check back!

WETSUIT FOR SALE

Women’s 2007 Helix

Used 1 triathlon season

Women’s small (WS)
** size will fit a variety of sizes, from 105lbs - 135lbs

Price: $250

Let me know if you need more details, or would like to try it out: richelle@triathlete.com

Lesson Learned

When your coach tells you not to add workouts.....you should listen! I have been feeling good and chomping at the bit to do more than my wonderful coach has scheduled lately. Part of it could be that I don't know what to do with myself when I only have 1 workout in a day. So, this week almost daily I added either a bike or a run. Nothing too long really - just short workouts but adding workouts. I woke up today feeling tired. I had a brick to get done. I suffered through the bike and could not give my pedals the power that I should have. Secondly, my darn heart rate would not get to where it was supposed to! I tried but I was just too tired. I got off my bike and headed outside to get my run in. I wanted to run just 15 minutes but had to get through 45 minutes! I suffered but tried not to let it show....until... the last 20 minutes. For one all I could think about was coffee, eggs and toast, and two, I was tired! I even walked up a "hill" (it was actually more of a bump). I made my way back home and finished. For the rest of the day I have been dragging. I do know if I hadn't tried to be a rock star and ignore my coach I would be fine. Lesson learned! I plan to sleep in tomorrow and only do the workout on my calendar.

Attack of the Mini Chocolate Bars!

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!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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!

Ironman Australia Coundown

Get this widget!

I'm a triathlete again! (almost)

Over the past month I have felt more like a runner than a triathlete leading up to this marathon. I am 10 days out now! Today a few of us met for an early morning run around Cochrane and then Ang and I hit the pool. I love multi-sport workouts! I was exhausted, but happy. It felt great to be back in the pool after a month hiatus (the pool was shutdown for annual cleaning). Being back in the pool mentally was great, however, my body was not so sure. My shoulders got tired quick and as Ang pointed out before we got in, I have lost some bulk on my shoulders (darn! I worked hard for that!). I do have no doubt though, that it will come back quickly and that in just a few workouts I will not feel so laboured in the water.

With 10 days to go to the marathon I am now obviously in taper mode! I seem to be forever hungry and on Sunday, immediately after my run, I ate: 3 bowls of cereal, 1 cup of yogurt and 1 pita pizza that I had made the night before! I think my husband is starting to worry I have taken up power eating in place of triathlon. For those of you that are reading this that have trained for a marathon before, YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME! HA! HA! I just can't believe the bottomless pit I have become and I looking forward to getting back to normal. The good news is that I have not gained weight and am leaner than I have ever been before!

TRAINING TIP

I often get asked when is the best time of the day to train? Is it better to swim in the morning and run at night? Is it better to do my long runs on Saturday or Sunday? Well, the answer is actually quite simple. The best time of the day (or day) to train is the time and day that works best for you. Just get it done!

Happy Training!

-10km

Well, yesterday was my last really long run before my marathon. I only have 22km to run next Sunday (not sure when 22km became "only"! Hmmm....).

I had decided to wait until around 10:30am - 11am to start as it has been a bit chilly lately. However, as luck would have it as I stepped outside and looked at the temperature, 20 degrees I was a bit worried. Maybe I should have paid closer attention to the weather report! As I ran, I wound all around Cochrane in different neighborhoods. I had downloaded some new music too and have been loving Podrunner (DJ Steve Boyett) as it helps pass the time on these incredibly long runs.

At the 18km mark, I was passed by about 30 kids on bikes and realized the Terry Fox run was coming along that very path. I quickly found an exit off that trail and into a subdivision I could meander around in. It was so hot but I couldn't help enjoy it, realizing these days will be few and far between shortly. At the 28km mark I was out of water and extremely thirsty. I couldn't bare to go another 4km without water! I ran past a friend's house (who should remain nameless) and knocked on the door. I was excited for water! So excited! But there was no answer. I think my eyes filled with tears. I paused for a moment and turned the door knob. YES!!!!! I ran into the house, filled up 2 of my bottles, and chugged a glassful and went back out to face the final 4km of my run. THANK-YOU ________!!!!!! I ran around the neighborhood and finished the last few hundred meters mid-way up the Bonus Hill. I luckily finished right outside the convenience store right below my house so I walked in, bought an ice cream bar, and walked the rest of the Bonus Hill while happily eating my ice cream!!! 32km, I thought. I can suffer through another 10km in 3 weeks - it might not be pretty, but I know I can do it!

Tigger's "Kick that Cancer" Hoedown

Come kick up your heels for Terry!

An amazing silent auction, “toonie bar”, dancing and more!

September 27th, 2008
Frank Wills Memorial Hall 7:00 p.m.

Tickets: $5
(Tickets available at door unless we pre-sell them all which is what we’re hoping to do!)

For more information, contact Richelle: richelle@triathlete.com
To donate items for the silent auction please contact Angie at angie@teamtrilife.com

Just a few of the silent auction items we have thus far:

$300 bike fit from Luke Way
T3 Suunto watch and HR monitor
Deluxe Race Entry for Great White North Triathlon
Please note: This item will be auctioned off via email. The auction will close Saturday, September 13th.
Pamper yourself basket
Deluxe picnic set
A women’s executive bag
Crystal Glass and decanter set
Teak Tea Box

… And HOPEFULLY much more!

Come to laugh, dance, have a cocktail or two, and buy some really great stuff to help our Tigger.

This is Tigger’s second bout of cancer in 2 years. She survived the first one, and we know she’ll “kick” this on too.

Terry’s words… “Screw the cancer. I have way too many things to do yet !!!!”

Dodging bears and parades!

Today I had a 32km run to get done. OK, I admit it - I was supposed to do it yesterday but unlike Susi, Ken and Phil I wasn't willing to face that temperature and rain quite yet this fall. As I headed out on my run I was stopped by a gentleman a few meters outside my front door. There had a bear sighting in the area! "But I have a 32km run!" I whined to the kind man whom I had never met (oops). He recommended that I stick to neighborhoods and main roads (he said if I saw the bear I could jump over a fence. Hmmm.......OK! And off I went. I stuck to main roads and avoided the pathways (darn, I love running the pathways in Cochrane on my long run days). I headed downtown Cochrane and saw alot of horses and parade floats. Crap! The Labour Day parade! I hit some side streets and managed to avoid the parade and most of the crowds. As I past by some parade go-ers though I did get a few odd looks. I was the only person not dressed in Western wear as the Cochrane Rodeo was on this weekend.

The run went fairly well but I did have some IT band tightness and managed to run only until 26km and walked the rest. Augh! This is frustrating as last weekend I had run 30km with no issues. This is all apart of training for a marathon though. Sometimes you just have to listen to your body. As I walked up the "bonus hill" my friend Jonathan, who is an amazing runner and triathlete, came bounding up the hill beside me. He was on a long run too. He looked so strong and I wished I could take some energy (and running ability) for myself.

When I got home and made sure I stretched (after my new favorite post-run snack, PowerBar Creamy Chocolate Recovery Shake). We are all guilty of not stretching after we swim, bike and run but, if you commit to it you will help ward off some of those annoying injuries.

Cheering on Ironman 2008

This weekend I went to Penticton to cheer on Team TriLife members during their IMC. It was a blast! Everyone did so well and came across the finish line vertical - and smiling! I got emotional a few times as certain people came across the finish line. Because I have been training with them I know how hard they have worked. I volunteered as finish line catcher and was able to "catch" many TTL athlete's and other friends. I loved seeing them right after they raced. If you ever are in Penticton watching the race, I highly recommend volunteering as a finish line catcher. I had a BLAST!!!!!! We danced, cheered and celebrated with the athlete's. I met some amazing people too! It was so much fun! (Check out: http://www.red-rider.ca/finishline/index.htm ). Lyle, the coordinator is super awesome and so much fun! He was dancing around with us!

Anyway, everyone I knew who raced was in great spirits and nobody seemed to be medically in trouble after they raced (although Cindy was acting like she was drunk and was being really funny!). I am so proud of everyone who reached their goals and made it through the 140.6 miles of swimming, biking and running. Way to go!

And yes, I was also there to sign-up for Ironman 2009! So.....circle August 30th, 2009 on your calendars and I will see you in Penticton next year!