Honey, can we move here...please??

Today started with an awesome breakfast compliments of the BnB hostess. Yum. Then we were off with the bikes on the car, headed to Jasper. I love it here, the mountains, crisp fresh air, and gorgeous scenery. Wildlife sightings every 10km or so....deer mostly but also bighorn sheep and a coyote.
We parked and headed out on the Icefields Parkway towards Lake Louise. The sun was shining, and the air was only slightly cool. I stopped to take my armwarmers off about 2km into the ride. I knew right away this would be a leisure ride for me. I was so happy to be in the surroundings, and I wanted to drink it all in. I stopped frequently for pictures and just to gawk, and rode at about a 104 HR the entire time. There was quite a bit of climbing on the way out, and with such a slow speed I only made it about 34km when the clouds started to look a bit like rain, and I was ready to turn around. I called D, who was a lot further out, and told him I was heading in. I think he was a bit shocked to hear how far behind him I was...tee hee. I was on a pleasure cruise...
I only got hit with a few big rain drops and made it back to town in about half the time it took to ride out. I cruised around town checking out the residential areas, the schools, the rec centre and then the pool. It is very quiet and laid back in Jasper. Unlike Banff, with its busloads of tourists and tacky souvenir shops, Jasper feels a bit more like a small town, than a tourist trap.
By the time I returned to the car D was there. We changed clothes and went for a walk to find lunch. We ended up in an awesome little sandwich shop that had the best vanilla coffee ever. The food was awesome and as I was sitting there, staring out at the mountains I said to D..."honey, can we move here...please?" He laughed, he is used to me saying that whenever we are in a town like that. Nelson was the same, as well as every time we are in Penticton. Something about those places makes me want to move there, have lots of babies and grow my own vegetables.....sigh.
Maybe in the next phase of our life, for now it is just great that we are able to drive there anytime and enjoy it.
I have a feeling it will be come our near to home vacation destination of choice.
When we got back to Hinton it was time for the carb loading pre race dinner. It is unusual to have one in a smaller race like this, but it was fantastic! Home made salads, pasta and sauce as well as home made cookies for desert!! I love the small town attitude, where everyone comes out and supports events like this. It beats many of the larger center races we have done, where your race fee gets you the race and nothing more.
We received our heat times and were happy to be told that we could show up 20mins before the heat start to set up and get marked. Another bonus- no sitting around for 2-3 hrs pre race, and we could sleep in until 7am. My kind of race for sure.

TFTD: Bike 2hrs50

Heading into God's Country

Today after meeting a client in the am and packing up the car, I headed southwest into the beautiful surroundings of the mountains. The drive from GP to Hinton was nothing short of spectacular. I almost forgot how much I love being surrounded by the majesty of the mountains. I was also treated to some wildlife sightings- a pair of bears- a black one and a brown one, numerous deer and a moose- unfortunately he was dead.
Grande Cache is gorgeous and I look forward to coming back and doing some riding and trail running around there.
I was snapping pics through the windshield while I could, but it was raining in spots and I was unable to pass some of the logging trucks so it was a bit too sketchy to catch some of the kodak moments.

As I was coming into Hinton I spotted a cyclist that looked really familiar...sure enough it was D out for a ride. After saying a quick hello, I headed into town and checked into our BnB. We had a great place to call home for a few days! 

D arrived shortly after and we cleaned up and headed out for dinner. After some pizza and beer (pre race food haha) it was an early bedtime to get ready for a ride in Jasper.

A great swim..finally

Things finally clicked in the pool today. Did 2x1500m. With rest it was just under 60mins. I am feeling good about the race Sunday, interested to see what happens in the race environment.
Super busy day, clients, classes, lots to do...but I am so happy to be doing so well with this business :-) Have had my cuz Heidi here this week, she is moving to Dawson Creek and is here getting furniture, and moving some stuff up. The company has been great, with D away all week it was really nice to have someone to come home to, and Heidi is always good for some laughs. It will be great having her up here so I have someone to have girl nights with!
I am really looking forward to seeing D tomorrow in Hinton. I am super stoked for a weekend in the mountains! And looking forward to a race in a new place.
TFTD: Swim 3000m 59mins
EZ Run 60min

Sunny Brick

I am loving the sunny weather....oooooeeee
Had an awesome ride 46km 1hr41 Run 30mins off the bike. Took about 10mins to find my legs and then felt strong and smooth. I raced Mother Nature all the way home, expecting to get dumped on by the thunder heads. It waited until about 5mins after I walked in the door:-)
Busy day with clients and classes, the girls were toughin it out tonight at the stairs. It rained hard until I arrived at the park. It cleared up for class and the rain stayed away until I was home.
Gotta love when the weather gods are smiling on you :-)

TFTD Bike 1hr41
Run 30mins

95 days...but who is counting

Another whirlwind day today for me. Managed to get to the pool for a 50min swim, felt better than I did last week in the water, but still not feeling it completely. Spent lots of time outside today with my groups, what a gorgeous day! When I finally got home tonight it was 7:45, still hot and not a hint of wind. I wanted to go out on my bike, but I hadn't eaten, and it was getting too late. Hopefully I can get in a ride tomorrow afternoon before the thundershowers move in.
TFTD: Swim 2500m 50mins
Strength/core: 45mins

oh yeah...95 days till Ironman Louisville!

I heart the sun

Had a busy day today with PT clients, program design and doing some work on my own plan. I changed up my normal weekly SBR days to better manage the schedule of classes and clients. This way I will not be running 4 hours in one day :-)
Hopefully the energy is better this week, although I suppose I am getting used to feeling tired.
Did my own 80min run this afternoon in the glorious sun, down in the park. My legs were tired and the run was not effortless, but I was really happy to be out there in the lush green-ness of the park trails, with the sun on my face, running just for me.
Tomorrow things wind up another notch, gotta hit the hay.

TFTD: Run 80mins

A week has gone by...

and this is my first post. It was a very busy week and I was really feeling the effects of the long weekend training compounded by the volume of the previous 2 weeks, and a full capacity schedule of classes and personal training. I was busy, but my own training was limited by a lack of energy, more than a lack of time. I can almost always find and make time...energy is another story.
So here is the week wrapped up:
Monday: 94km ride with D, heaps of fun taking a free ride on his wheel! Then a 25min T run.
Tuesday: no training...but my day looked like this- am run with client in the rain 60min, bootcamp class in the rain 60min, second bootcamp class in the rain 60min, pm run with learn to run class 60min, still in the rain. 4hrs in the cold rain and I was spent. Hung out on the couch with a blanket and tea all evening.
Wednesday: Swim (if you can call it that) felt like absolute crap in the water and shut er down after 1500m. almost not worth the changing, showering and changing required. struggled through 60mins on the trainer between PT and bootcamp.
Thursday: Swim- just skills and drills 50mins. feeling much better in the water. another 4 hrs of other training including another 2hrs of walk/run and 2hrs of bootcamp.
Friday: light day, met with a new client and caught up on some office work. Went for an easy 60min jog in the late afternoon. Felt sluggish and disconnected from my body for the first 30mins. Felt better the longer I ran and finished off with some strides that felt awesome.
Saturday: raining. Did a solid trainer session 90mins watching "revolver" good movie, great ride. I forgot how hard trainer riding is. Celebrated with sushi and spent the afternoon playing in dirt, planting flowers.
Sunday: am 35min run then a ride to Beaverlodge- felt awesome despite the wind. 76km in 2hrs39mins. Not bad since it is a hilly ride. Finished with a 20min run off the bike. First 10mins felt like crap and then hit my groove and picked it up. finished with strides feeling like a rock star. Had an awesome BBQ dinner with D before he packed up and hit the road for a week of work on the road :-( felt too sad sitting here alone so I went and saw the girls- played in the dirt, rode bikes and had a great time giggling with them. Now it is time to hit the hay for another busy week... Looking forward to heading up to Hinton on Friday where D and I will reunite and have a nice extended weekend getaway and race on Sunday. Saturday we will be doing a long ride between Jasper and Lake Louise and I am so pumped to ride in the rockies!!!

PS Big congrats to Alan Lam who completed the Blackfoot Ultra 80km trail run in under 10 hrs this weekend. Not only did he run the hills but he had a negative split and finished 6th. You rock my friend!!

Long Weekends Rock

Yesterday we decided to go "off road" for a run. We ventured out to the Wapiti nordic centre as that is where we heard the trails are. It is very beautiful here- not what you would expect from a place called Grande Prairie. It is close enough to the mountains that there are some good sized undulations and we are in the heart of the boreal forest which reminds me a lot of north/central SK where I grew up. Simply put, it is beautiful.

The trails we followed were groomed and wide. Certainly not trail trash material, but we were so happy to off the concrete and in the trees it didn't matter. I did 3 loops of the up and down trails and ran 

about 90mins total. I didn't start my watch so I really don't know and D was having tummy troubles so he pulled the plug about a 1/2 hr into it.

The sun shining through the trees and the smell of moss and pine filled my nose. The only sounds were birds chirping and the odd chipmunk scurrying through the 

underbrush. I completely felt like I belonged there, and the 90 min run went by in a heartbeat. Days like today are when I am most grateful that I became a runner.
Today I met with my client in the am, and then we geared up for a ride. We were waffling about where to go and how long to ride- both of us feeling a bit humbled by Saturday's sufferfest but also wanting to take full advantage of a holiday Monday. We decided on a tried and true 90km loop from our house that has a rest stop for refilling. D needed a recovery ride, and I really wanted to do a race pace ride, so we teamed up and both had successful training days. It was so fun to ride with D, and to feel some good speed without red lining. D was actually yawning, it was so slow for him..lol, but it is just what he needed too.
We did the 93km in just over 3hrs, averaging 29.3km/hr. I felt fantastic start to finish and was finally ready to do a T run with a full tank. I did the 5km loop around the lake in 25mins.
All in all a stellar May long weekend 'training camp' and we didn't have any travel time, hotel bills or fuel costs :-)

I am recharged for what will  be a full capacity week. Three classes going this week plus personal training...and my own training. I have to pinch myself sometimes to know that this is for real. My dream life is my real life...how cool is that?
Sunday TFTD: Trail Run 90mins
Monday TFTD: Bike 3hrs 10mins 93km
T-Run 25mins 5km

Thurs-Sat catch up

Thursday swim was 3000m with 1500m paddles. My shoulders were tired by the end. 

Did a 75min mtn bike ride with a client that I am sure I can't count as training :-) although the wind was so intense that it made for a tough ride on the old beater.

Friday was another swim, this time I did some full out intervals- I love the feeling of going balls to the wall (so to speak) in the pool. There is something really gratifying about working up a red faced, heavy breathing sweat in the pool.

Friday evening we headed out for our Friday night TT. The wind was ridiculous...again. 33 mins to go 22.5km out and then 1hr 20 to come back the same distance. It was mentally tougher than usual, I wanted to go fast and there was just no way...

Today we went out on a new loop. I am sitting here sunburnt, exhausted and with the sorest ass I have had in a long time. The ride had a bit of everything- good times, bad times...lol.  I called it a day after 6hrs and D came and picked my sorry (and sore) butt up. He finished the ride, but as I was somewhat relieved to hear, had almost a carbon copy experience to me. We both had a great 90km start, ran out of water, struggled from 120-140km where it was uphill into a headwind, and had to stop and regroup on the side of the road. By the time I hit Sexmith I was done and done, and was very happy to sit and wait for D to come retrieve me with the car.

I feel a bit disappointed about how much that ride took out of me, but I know it was a tough route and I have many more long ride opportunities to redeem myself. 

D's blog has more of the gory details of the ride. While decompressing afterwards we laughed at how we shared so many of the same experiences and thoughts out there :-)

All in all a solid day, with beautiful scenery and glorious sunshine!

Thursday TFTD: Swim 3000m 60min

Friday TFTD: Swim 2000m 50mins

Bike: 45km 1hr50

Saturday TFTD: Bike 160km 6hrs9mins

Just for fun...

Transfixed by the Wiggles

Her new "game" now that she knows it elicits a response...

That's better...what a beautiful face

Little ballerina in auntie's old leotard and tutu...

Showing off my farmer tan...and my guns. D looks impressed eh?

Me:1 Wind:0

Damn. The wind was out full force today, last I checked it was 50km/hr with gusts to 70km/hr. I almost convinced myself to ride inside, but I know that this is life here and I have to get used to it. I am determined to use the wind to make me a stronger rider and I know that my weakness in the wind has limited me in the past. No more! I will get lots of practice as I have heard that the wind is like this ALL the time.
I was mentally ready for today's ride. The way out was with the wind, I was holding 34-38km/hr without working very hard. I was tempted to keep going when I reached the 20km mark in 33mins, but I knew it was going to be a different story on the way back so I turned around and faced the music.
It was as tough and as slow as I expected, but I didn't care. I put my head down and pedaled with all I had. I was trying to keep my upper body relaxed, but I was getting blown around so much it was tough. The sun was shining and I had Doughtry blasting in my ears. It took me a ridiculous amount of time to get home averaging under 20km/hr... but I actually enjoyed every moment.
Once home I had a long transition getting dressed and stopping to fix my mtn bike seat, then headed back into the wind for a run. It was like being on a treadmill at times, legs moving but going nowhere, but I managed to do my 5km loop in 26mins.

Tonight in bootcamp we got blown around and rained on, but my campers are true Women of Strength and they powered up and down the stairs and the hill like troopers. Good work ladies!

TFTD: Bike: 1hr40mins
Run: 26mins

Sometimes I like surprises :-)

Today the first surprise was how good I felt in the pool. I felt tired when I woke up and only slightly more awake after an hour walk/run with a client. I hit the water with low expectations and was met with an immediate good feeling in the water. My pull felt strong and easy, and my body felt long and smooth. I did a 1500m set followed by 750 paddles and 250 free. I ran out of time and out ld have like to have done another 500m but I made the mistake of trying to sneak in a visit to the bank prior to swimming....
Tonight's bootcamp class was a gooder and I participated, putting us through an awesome full body strength blast.
I wasn't in a hurry to get home, as D was out of town, so I hung around chatting with the girls, stopped and filled up with gas, put air in my tires and washed the Jeep. I browsed around in Safeway for an easy dinner and finally came home. When the garage door lifted I was surprised to see D's car. He was home early- it was awesome to have him home and spend the evening together.
Road trips in his business are necessary and frequent. I am not a big fan but I know it is a part of life right now. The upside is the happiness that comes with reuniting after time apart.

TFTD: Swim 2500m 50min
Core/Strength: 60min

Sunny Monday Run

Today felt like summer...not spring, but summer! I went out for a run late in the day, after bribing my tired butt with a nap. Once I was out, I was so glad I went. Not because I felt great running- in fact my legs were heavy and tired- but because it was so beautiful out!
I was wearing shorts and a tank top and was actually too hot! The sun was out full force, no clouds, and the wind was its ever present self but it didn't have the same bite as usual.
I slogged through a 60 min run around the lake and the neighborhood. My legs came around slightly but I was very aware of the 9hrs of cycling I did since Friday.

TFTD: Run 60mins

The Bike Tan Begins...

What a great weekend we had on our bikes! Saturday we went out to Beaverlodge with plans to go further, but D had tire issues and had to call it a day early. Luckily I had a very strong intuitive hit that he was in trouble and he made it further than he would have with a couple more co2 cartridges from me. I picked him up about 12km from the finish which is pretty good since he originally flatted over 40km out.
I had a good ride, 86km in 3hrs20. No speed records being broken but that is not the point at this time of year.
Today we were out for a longer one and the wind was out full force. I had a great audiobook to listen to and really enjoyed my ride in the sun, but by the last 20km I was bonking hard and it was a tough slog to the finish. I didn't have near enough food or drink for the 4hr45min and I definitely need to plan better for these rides out in the middle of nowhere! There are very few services out there and we need to be self sufficient.

We got the first signs of a beginning bike tan (burn) today, which is a nice change from our pasty whiteness.
I am happy that my legs are not feeling tired and other than a sore undercarriage, I wouldn't know that I did 8hrs of cycling in the past 2 days.

Saturday TFTD: Bike 86km 3hrs20
Sunday TFTD: Bike 126km 4hrs45

Annnndd it's Friday!

Wow this week flew by! Having my parents stay with us and lots of time with family made for a busy week. Training has been good this week, but I feel a bit like I have been running out of gas over the past couple of days. Yesterday was a swim that was a tough slog to get through. Tonight we were out for a Friday night TT- although I was having a hard time pushing myself I am glad my motivator man helped me get out the door to do it.
We are looking forward to some time on the road this weekend, time to go long.

Thursday TFTD: Swim 2700m 55mins
Friday TFTD: Bike 40km 1hr25

Training, working, family and no time for posting...

Tuesday TFTD: Walk/Run with client: 50mins
Swim 50mins 2500m (1000m free, 1000m paddles, 500m free)
Run 70mins 13km
Strength/Core: 60mins

Wednesday TFTD: Bike 90mins (trainer)
T-Run 25mins

I realized that in my race report I said the swim was 500m... for those of you thinking, "dang girl you are slow!", well you are right, but I am not as slow as that. It was 750m :-)

Sunshine, family and a clean garage

Today was a fantastic day. My parents are staying with us for the week which is awesome. I had a great day with mom hanging out, doing some shopping and then we tackled the garage. The previous owners of this house were kind enough to leave a bunch of garbage out there when they left and I have been waiting for someone with a truck to come along so I could get rid of it. Dad and Jay loaded up all the scrap wood etc. and Mom and I pulled everything out, swept and organized everything. It looks fantastic and is another thing off my to do list.
Then I was off to enjoy the sunshine on my bike. I rode out the secondary highway behind our house- same route as Friday. There was only a mild crosswind to contend with and I kept it in the recovery zone. My ride time was the same as Friday to the minute.
I was happy happy happy to be on my bike even though I am still dealing with whatever was bothering me yesterday and had to stop to throw up once. Strangely enough, I felt fine and continued on as though nothing had happened. I tried to eat when I got home but my belly is just not right yet. Hopefully this passes by tomorrow, I have a a busy week and want a solid training week.

TFTD: Bike 1hr41mins 50km

First Tri of 08...blech.

It was a tough race, I woke up sick to my stomach and in the 3 hrs between then and the race finally starting it just got worse. Many many trips to the bathroom and I was thinking I would not even get through the swim. The good news is I finished- a mediocre result, but based on how I felt I am impressed with myself for getting through as well as I did.

This is the first race I have done where I just did not feel like racing at all. Coming into the race I was pumped and excited, but my body was just on zero on race morning and as much as I tried to convince myself otherwise, I was just not in that racing mood. It was tough, D was so excited and I wanted to be, but I just felt tired, nauseous and achy.

The race itself was only average for me because I just never felt that drive that I usually feel when I am racing. I pushed myself and managed some decent splits considering the course, but there was no heart in it. I felt more like I was going through the motions and pushing to go faster only because I knew the faster I went the faster I would be done.

The highlight of the race was having my parents there. D and I usually race together and we don't really ever have anyone on the sidelines cheering for us. It was really awesome- especially having a rough day- to have my parents there smiling and cheering us on.

My splits were Swim 12:56 Bike 41:25 Run 20:55 Total 1:15:15

There were some really fast people there- mostly young kids that are the up and comer junior elites. The girl that finished ahead of me in my age group came in just behind D, who had a great race and finished 3rd overall.

The bike course was pretty fun- four times up Emily Murphy hill- and a tough headwind on the section I named Grande Prairie road- full of potholes and a nasty head wind. I enjoyed the climbing- it warmed me up and I always passed a lot of people there which gave me a bit of a boost.

I learned a few things from this race, mostly about just how tough I have become mentally. That race was purely based on power of my mind.

My swim is coming along, I am happy to see that. I started at the back of the four people in my lane with a estimated time of 14mins and I ended up passing them all. The swim time includes getting to and in the pool as well as getting out and through the door to the timing mat. So that is a great split for me.

The bike time was ok, it was a constant turning, up and down course- filled with potholes and wind. There was also a section of no passing which slowed D a lot, but I didn't have any real issues there.

The run was just ok. I know I can run under 20mins for a 5km and I think on a good day I would have. I had a cramp the last km that was freaking me out, I was afraid of what would come out of me if I didn't back off a bit.

I am glad for a month of just nose to the grindstone training now. I feel like we missed out on a great riding weekend due to the travel for the race. I am planning a bike focus this week and am hoping this great weather sticks around for it.

Sunday TFTD: Sprint Tri 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run 1hr15min

Happy Friday!

It was a great day, I spent the morning with the girls got all my housewife work done in the afternoon and then went for an awesome ride with D when he got home. The wind was out (nothing new) but it was blowing from the West, which is opposite to the norm. So we had a headwind to start and it was a pretty brutal grind for the first 25km. The reward came on the return trip when the wind was at our backs and I was able to hold 38km-42km/hr. Sooo fun. Nothing is better than human powered speed. The weather was beautiful today too, first time I've been able to ride in shorts and a jersey. I am so pasty white, I need some sun on my skin.
Tomorrow am we are off to Edmonton for the UofA sprint. I am looking forward to giving a full out effort and seeing what happens.

TFTD: Bike 1hr41mins 50km

Still Thursday :-)

Had a great swim, pulled out the speed workout I wanted to do Tuesday and today my body was on board. Warmed up with 1000m and then tested the 'full out' gear to see what I could do. 5x100m came in at 1:41, 1:41, 1:40, 1:36, 1:34. I had the plan to do more but after the last one my arms turned to lead ;-) it was a serious effort but I was stoked with the numbers I pulled. I finished off with 500m cool down and called it a day. Next up was a trip to the treadmill for my first real run since Boston. I decided to go for the softer surface of the treadmill since I am still re-establishing a relationship with my legs after the marathon of destruction. I actually felt great on the run, despite all of the squats and lunges yesterday. I did 50mins and then had to hop off and get to class. The rain stopped and the sun even poked out for us! It was a great class with more running and some kickboxing skills and drills- great stress relief for all the ladies after a long week :-)
Tomorrow is my day off and I am pumped to be babysitting the girls in the morning- I haven't had enough kid time lately! Hopefully the weather is nice and we can bounce on the trampoline- great cross training right!?

TFTD: Swim 2000m 40mins
Run: 50mins

Is it Friday yet?

I feel like I have been in a time warp this week, in one sense it has flown by, and in another it feels like forever since the weekend. I have been super busy with my own training, personal training for clients and teaching bootcamp. I am not complaining though- I have the best, best, best job in the world (for me). I am so grateful that I have found a way to make my passion my full time job. I absolutely love all the women I am working with - true women of strength- and no matter how hectic the day is, I am enjoying every moment of what I do. That being said, I am looking forward to a day off tomorrow to get some home work done and get ready for yet another trip to Edmonton on Saturday. I am really excited to do the UofA sprint, a short and fast little race to test the body out and just give er the entire time and see how I do. My parents are meeting us in Edmonton to watch, and since the only other race they have seen me compete in is Ironman, they were surprised when I told them we would be done in around one hour... "That's it??" lol. They will be coming back to GP to stay the week up here visiting us and my bro and his family. I am looking forward to the family time very much!

Training wise it has been a mixed bag this week. Monday was a full on rest day and I was in bed by 9:30. Tuesday I hit the pool for some speed work but my body wasn't up for it so it turned into a skills workout. I was planning to do a short run Tuesday but was so tired I decided to have a short 20min nap and it turned into 2hrs. It was then time for bootcamp class and by the time I got home I was ready for dinner and bed. I guess my body was telling me something! I was in bed again by 9:30 and Wednesday I finally felt back to normal. Did an awesome 3K swim 3x1000 and felt some really good speed and strength in the water. I am doing flip turns now consistently and it has almost become automatic. After the swim I did a great indoor bike (raining out) and was able to do a solid strength workout with intervals. That evening it was Bootcamp in the cold and rain. I would have been hypothermic if I didn't participate so I added a 60min full body strength workout with some running to my day. Then it was off to a dinner for D's work. Unfortunately the actually dinner didn't hit the table until 10pm. I was starving and exhausted and ended up in bed after 11 with a full belly....not ideal.

This morning I felt a bit sluggish waking up, but it was off to a Personal Training session and now home for some office work before I get some of my own training in and then another bootcamp class in the the rain by the looks of things. This morning I was walking to my client's house in the pouring rain carrying my giant purple exercise ball. People were driving by looking at me like I had 3 heads and someone even stopped to ask if I wanted a ride..LOL I must have looked really pathetic.

The good news to all this rain is that the grass is turning green right in front of ,y eyes. Some sunshine on the weekend and things may just start looking like summer around here!

Tuesday: Swim 2250m 50mins
Wesnesday:Swim 3000m 60mins
Bike 75mins
Strength/Core 60mins