Life is good back home on Canadian soil! The smell of GREEN is so insanely amazing -- you don't get that smell in Cozumel.
The lilacs are blooming and when I run down the highway I get to run AND smell the flowers at the same time. Yes, I think this is extremely funny -- this is my type of joke. See everyone? I don't have to stop and smell the flowers, I can have my cake and eat it too!! (To really mess up some metaphors! Hahahahahaha.)
I did a sprint race on June 2 in Elkford and ended up 1st overall female and 2nd overall. I had the fastest bike split overall -- I was pretty pumped about that.
I've recently had a revelation about triathlon --- are you ready for it?
Most people are full of bullshit.
When I first started this sport, I was so intimidated by everyone "running until they puke," "going on the pain train," etc, that I felt I was a big wimp and I wasn't pushing myself hard enough. Even now I hear how people describe how they are almost blacking out during a swim set -- all this crap is like suffering is the only way to improvement. Not your usual work out, rest, kind of suffering, but the full on brutal kind.
Well, it is all bullshit.
I remember thinking I have to breathe so hard during intervals otherwise I am not working hard enough. What happened with that strategy is I gave myself vocal chord dysfunction. How idiotic is that?!?!?! I wanted to breathe hard and be so out of breath and that is exactly what I got. I was on inhalers until a specialist told me, "You taught yourself how to do this, you can teach yourself how to stop."
I am forever grateful to that doctor!!! What a liberating concept.
It reminds me of a sign hanging in Gord The Bike Guru's shop -- "If you want it BAD, that's what you'll get."
Working with Coach Sara, I've worked on slowing things down instead of busting out of the gate like a mad bull. For example, keeping my HR under a certain number for running. The best lesson was a swim set where I did:
5x 100m @ 2.10
5x 100m @ 2.05
5x 100m @ 2.00
5x 100m @ 1.55
No breaks between the 100s, one set of 5 rolled right into the next. When I paced it properly I couldn't believe the difference in how I felt. Going steady and strong is a lot more difficult than going balls out. Everyone has seen that guy (and/or have been that guy, lol) that goes balls out for 25-50m in the pool and then gets slower and slower as the session progresses.
These lessons I have learned in the pool have translated over to biking and running as well -- it is very awesome. :) :)
Improvement doesn't have to come from all this negative crap of blood, sweat, and tears.
All for now!
Julie
xxxxxxoooooo
Friday, June 14, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Whales and Ironman Los Cabos Race Report 2013!!!
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| Who's driving the happy bus? I'm driving the happy bus! |
You may be wondering what in the world I've been up to...plenty!! After IM Cozumel I got the dreaded post-IM cold. Nasty, nasty thing. You know the kind that ends up with your chest burning and you coughing up globules of colourful mucous? That kind.
In the midst of this mucous-haze, for some reason I decided to sign up for IM Los Cabos which took place on March 17, 2013. Well, to be entirely honest, there were actually a number of reasons why I decided to dive into an IM a few short months after Cozumel:
- My Mom had been planning a February "girls only" Mexican vacation since last year...co-ordinating with my sister's hectic work schedule took us about a year to pin her down to a specific date.
- Going along with said theme, none of us had been to Los Cabos before, and as there was an IM going to be held there a month after we were there, why not train on the course and do the race?
- This is my favourite reason: For some time now I have openly desired to have some heavy training weeks at an all-inclusive resort. Hmmm...."openly desired" doesn't quite capture the sentiment. Let me try again -- I loudly fantasized about all the first and second breakfasts I could eat -- the umlimited salad, the sheer unabandoned joy of conusming food without having to shop for it, cook it, then clean the dishes. Seriously, I still get giddy and flip-flops in my stomach at how truly awesome it is to just show up and eat.
- Did I mention I was exhilirated at the mere thought of not having to cook and clean? Seriously, as my training load increases, the amount of food I eat is staggering -- and it takes most of the day to cook ahead. I am getting ahead of myself here, but in the last couple of weeks before the race I was barely keeping up with my appetite -- in the morning as I would eat 1st breakfast, I would simultaneously cook big pots and trays of the following (for the next few days consumption):
- One big pot of quinoa
- One big pot of carrots, yams, parsnips
- One big pot of rice
- Oven tray of potatos and another tray of chicken breasts
Unluckily, while in Tucson I caught the Mother Of All Plagues as did every other living soul in Tucson. Sara brought her two-year old daughter Rosalee down to Tucson and we would take turns caring for her, all the while balancing training...and eating. (haha.) This was going well, until both Sara and I AND Rosie became sick. I'm talking really sick here.
The low point of this (mis)adventure came the day I was driving Sonja (another of Sara's athletes who arrived the day we went for our first visit to the Urgent Care Clinic) to a massage appointment. Sara, Sonja, Rosalee and I loaded into the suv rental...I got pulled over for speeding by the Po-Po!!!
Oh My GOD. I hate the po-po -- I always feel guilty and terrified at the same time. I slumped in the seat, I could hardly breathe I was so sick, and I felt like I was going to sink into a pool of despair. The cop let me off with a stern warning, whereupon I rolled up the window and burst into tears, freaking out everyone. I announced between gasping between those tear-shuddering inhalations, "I always cry when the po-po stop me! I can't help it, just ignore me and I'll be fine!"
We had just dropped Sonja off when we heard a thick, wet, heaving sound coming from the car seat in the back. Roslaee had FOUR full-on gigantic barfs one after the other. All over herself and the car seat.
At that point, Sara and I simply said nothing but stared straight ahead and continued to drive back to the condo. A few minutes passed by when I said, "Maybe we should roll down the windows because I bet it must smell in here." We were both so sick ourselves we had no sense of smell.
Oh man.
Fast forward to Los Cabos -- I was still sick but recovering. My first week there was the pits, but the second week I managed to get in a solid training week.
Ok -- a lot of things have happened and I am going to rattle them off here so I can get on with my race report:
- I went from Paleo, to attempting Vegan, and then settled nicely into going Gluten-Free. Yes, I know I am totally on of those people. Hahahahaha. The vegan thing did not work for me at all -- I need protein and the beans I ate left me bloated and gassy. And for those people that say eating a combination of cucumber and whatever other vegetable makes a complete protein -- I say BULLSHIT. I valiantly tried this for 6 weeks and it did not work for me. For me -- let me repeat myself. If it works for you -- yippee-skippee. But it did not work for me.
- Gluten-Free has been the ticket for me. I've had to buy new clothes as my body is leaning out on its own. It's funny actually. The next step was cutting back on fat. I was eating so many nuts and eggs I thought there was no way I could make even the smallest of changes. Sara helped me out with this, and I started making small changes at first -- which led to bigger changes.
My Dad accompanied me to this inaugural event...his first time in Mexico and at an all-inclusive:
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| Breakfast at the Holiday Inn Resort in San Jose Del Cabo! Note the pink water bottle. :D |
Los Cabos shares a similarity with Crowsnest Pass...
Crowsnest Pass is not really a place -- it is made up of five towns: Bellevue, Hillcrest, Frank (where I live and 4 other people, lol), Blairmore and Coleman. Despite the town's council trying to force everyone to call it the Crowsnest Pass (and before any locals gets their panties in a knot, I always say I am from the Crowsnest Pass so trust me I am on your side) -- the post office doesn't agree, neither does Enmax. In any case, you get my drift right?
Los Cabos is actually made up of two places: San Jose Del Cabo (where T2 and the finish line was) and Cabo San Lucas (where the swim and T1 and all the drunk people go to party on spring break.) The "Los Cabos corridor" is something you will hear when you are down there.
Onto to race prep...how do you load a bunch of tri bikes to T1? Why you take the bus of course!!
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| Don't be fooled, there is a definite technique to carrying and tilting your bike onto a tour bus. |
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| Thankful your bike made it through the airport gorillas ok? You ain't seen nothing yet! Hahahaha! |
I only took a couple of pics of T1 as it was stinking bloody hot outside....
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| Numero 1235 -- racked in transition and swaying perilously from side to side in the wind. |
TOTAL TIME: 12:01:35
Swim: 1:10:50
T1: 4:22
Bike: 6:29:18
T2: 2:22
Run: 4:14:43
The more full IM races I do, the more I realize that each race is unique and different. Even the same race year to year must be looked at like a brand new race as conditions change. (This is actually a life lesson given to me by my Bike Guru -- Gord.)
This race was the most challenging one I have done (so far.) The conditions and the course itself were at 9/10 on my scale of challenge anyways. The swim itself was fine - I didn't notice anything about the swim -- it was the typical IM swim.
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| On the move! Yeehaw! :D |
The bike on the other hand was brutishly challenging. It was very, very hot. It was very, very windy. And it was very, very hilly. When we biked towards Cabo San Lucas the second time, the headwind was incredibly strong and I just did what I could to keep moving forward.
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| Rule #1 of IM bike portion -- never miss a photo op! HAHAHA! |
The low point of the race for me was the second time up the airport toll road. It was very hot and still at points. The kind of baking oven that could drive a person insane. The cross winds were bad, but honestly, the heat was so relentless, that when I got into aero and my front wheel caught the side-winds and tossed me around the highway, I wasn't even scared. Hahaha -- It was such a relief to be actually moving at a decent pace that for the first time ever, I wasn't scared or overly cautious as I descended into cross-winds. Hahahahaha -- go figure!
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| Getting it done. |
I saw that I was well over 6 hours on the bike and thought to myself, "Oh...it is THAT kind of course!" Hahahaha. I was looking forward to getting off the bike and running the marathon!
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| Bet you can't lift your leg that high after biking 180km, hahahahahaha. |
Somehow, Sara has tranformed me into a runner and I not only look forward to the run now, but I even have multiple gears during it -- other than survival mode! I feel like I am a hunter going to go hunt me down some runners! Hee-hee!
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| Sporting my custom MRT kit! Made for the Mexican heat. And my now trademark bikini bottoms. Booyah! |
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| I had taken one more step in this photo. Hahahahaha! |
Every aid station I would say, "Agua Por Favor!" Then, "Gracias!" The entire race. Hahahah.
During the last few miles, there was one woman who would pass me but I would hang on to. Her boyfriend/husband met her during the last lap and ran with her, going in front of me to get her water and pass it to her. The bugger then hid in some bushes during the far out and back and rejoined her again. He knew he was doing something wrong. I made it my mission to take her down and show them both that integrity is the speedier option.
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| Where the hell is the garbage can? HAHAH -- I carried my special needs bag for a while, lol!!! |
I recognized that I let this into my head, but at the same time I was comfortable with my decision to let it fuel me. It was not a negative force. She would pull away a little but I would draw right close to her again and again.
I started to get sucked deep into The Zone and realized that I had another gear that I would use for the last mile...
Chickie poo was slowing down ahead of me. I ran closer and closer to her. She looked behind her twice. I thought to myself, "Yes, I am coming for you."
At the final out and back we crossed the timing mats and she looked behind at me once again. I ran around the corner and then used my last Mile of Awesome Gear. Hahahahaha!
I left her behind and ran by a lot of people that last mile! It was a really great feeling.
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| The Leg of Awesome. Hahahahaha. |
The great feeling lasted until I stopped forward motion. Hahahah -- the usual.
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| I just finished my 12th Ironman! Where's the nachos? |
A couple of days after the race my Dad and I went on a whale-watching expedition:
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| We saw sea lions.... |
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| Sea lions hitchin' a ride and getting fish to boot! |
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| Los Arcos |
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| A pod of dolphins!!!! (I almost jumped overboard at this point.) |
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| WHALES!!! |
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| So awesome, you could hear them breathe. |
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| Massive creatures -- I'm profoundly moved by this experience. |
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| Baby whale! |
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| I can watch them all day. |
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| Blissing out. :D |
Saturday, December 1, 2012
How to Race an Ironman in Bikini Bottoms
Oh yes, I did.
The back story is this: I had a speedsuit but I didn't realize it was one of the old ones....the ones deemed illegal. A few days before IMCoz I quickly came to the hand-fluttering conclusion that I had (for not the first time in my life) nothing to wear!!
My planned tri jersey was not skin tight so there was no way I was going to swim in the ocean with that sucker on. Picture a ballooning action caused by my top filling with water and seriously impeding any forward momentum. As to my tri shorts -- I had pulled the little waist string out of them as soon as I got them (Doesn't everyone do this? Haha!) and while they are tight enough on land, a similar ballooning action may or may not have happened with them. (As a side note, I have been having issues with my usual go-to pair of desoto tri shorts lately -- why oh why do all chamois seams end RIGHT at the junction of where thigh meets crotch? Saddle sore turned into cyst-thing, healed and then as soon as I rode again on the island, the cyst thing puffed up again. Bike short makers take heed: I would love to find a pair of tri shorts where the chamois is larger than the crotchal-area. LARGER -- so the chamois ends somewhere on my bum and inner thigh -- not the crease. NO MORE CREASE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!)
I had nothing to wear to race in but a pink tri top and a pair of Splish bikini bottoms. They were my special bottoms too -- the bikini top has a maple leaf on it and the bum of the bottoms says "EH?" on them. The top was too loose (I have lost weight this year) but the bottoms fit just right (I haven't lost weight there). Plus they still had the little waist-stringy thing in them. (YAY!)
I was strangely excited about winging off an IM in this kind of uncoordinated fashion, and set about planning The Mother of All Lubrication plans.
I had brought lubes of all kinds with me -- body glide, this roller stuff I got in Penticton earlier this year (it looks like those old-school deodorant roller things), bike butter stuff and good old Vaseline. I used giant gobs of vaseline and lubed every seam of my bikini bottoms -- yes there are not many seams, but every inch of thread I smeared with the stuff. The new roller glide stuff I bought I rolled all over my body --- especially underneath my tri top as my run plan is to cram zip lock baggies with gels and salt tabs down there.
OK....enough about all that stuff, onto the race itself.
For the quick and dirty version here are my times:
Swim: 1:19:51
T1: 3:56
Bike: 6:02:43
T2: 2:10
Run: 4:11:32
Total: 11:40:12
Swim: 1:19:51
WTF HAPPENED HERE? I was looking forward to a swim PR as Cozumel is known for its "notoriously fast swim." I mean people who are regularly 1:20+ swimmers have shaved off more than 10 minutes off their time here, so I was really pumped about some current-assisted swim fun! Alas, the fast times were not to be had. More than 300 people didn't finish the swim! Yes the current really was that bad. After the last turn buoy, it was unreal. I remember thinking to myself, this is a really long swim...(by the way I only ran into a buoy once head on -- awesome experience, I recommend everyone do it at least once in their lives, hahahah!)
Climbing out of the water and hoisting myself up the stairs and running through the loooooong transition. The female change tent was past the mens....of course it was, just like at a shopping mall when you really, really have to go pee and you are navigating down a seemingly endless corridor and see the mens washroom first and have to scoot another 50m to get to the womens --- Aaaaarrrggghhhh. Hahahahaah!
Once I got on my bike I looked at my watch and saw 8:24am (we had started at 7am). I was gob-smacked! I was a bit down but then started thinking that the swim course might be long and everyone else was probably experiencing the same thing. It was driving me crazy wondering though -- it would have been nice to have someone shouting out: The swim course was screwed! Everyone's times are 10-15 minutes slower!
Bike: 6:02:43
I felt great the first lap around the island, but then started to feel burpy and close to the edge of race-blowup. I had to sit up out of the aero bars and burp quite a bit. When I would settle back down into aero, I found I had to slow down as the feeling would creep back up again. It was HOT -- for those of you who don't think it was hot, bull-roar. Seriously the Cozumel "winter" is hotter than the Crowsnest Pass hottest day of summer. And the humidity compounds it.
I only had to pee twice and what I managed to eke out was hardly worth mentioning (oh the double entendre and sneaky innuendo here, yes I think I am soooo clever!! HAHAHAHAHA!). It was at the end of the third lap that it occured to me to try pouring water over the back of my neck. That really helped! DUH. Should have thought of that sooner!!
Once I got into T2 I dipped my hand in the biggest tub of Vaseline I have ever seen and dolloped it on my inner thighs. As I was doing it I was thinking to myself, "Geez I took a lot of vaseline." lol You can never have enough vaseline! There was a woman that was in there with me and she looked as hot and bewildered as I felt.
Run: 4:11:32
It was all about the run. Coach Sara had given me clear instructions about the run and this was my focus -- my entire world was about cooling down and getting as much cold water all over my body as I could. I felt like total crap from the get-go, so I knew that it was crucial what I did in the first 10km would dictate the rest of the marathon. (I learned my lesson from last year's IMC that's for sure!!)
The way people were blasting out during the first 10km I knew there was going to be carnage on the course later on. And there was. I am really pleased with my run --- I negative split every split! I got stronger and faster and felt awesome on the run -- this is a HUGE success for me. :) :)
I do need to figure out a better salt pill delivery method though....the ole-baggie-down-the-tri-top trick doesn't work so well when you start dumping water all over yourself. My baggy filled with water and dissolved the pills, so I had to start mining them out and taking chunks of salt pills out. SALTY -- WHOO BOY! But that's what Ironman is all about -- you pee yourself, get all gross and sweaty and stinky and do stuff you never think you would do. lol.
Random other stuff:
(okay another paragraph -- lol) As if this weren't enough, as you exited transition, you had the option to purchase race tattoos, in which case you could stand in ANOTHER line while the volunteers proceeded to use rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs to vigoroulsy rub off the markings you had just received. Oh yes.
**********RANT OVER**************RANT OVER************RANT OVER**********
Now don't get me wrong -- I may complain and moan but Ironman Cozumel is an AWESOME race. The volunteers are absolutely incredible!! I love Cozumel -- as in LOVE Cozumel! The people, the island, the people, the people, did I mention the people? Hahahah! I have so many friends here and Cozumel literally feels like home to me. So please take my whinging with a big grain of salt -- it's like family whinging. It's all part of the experience. :)
Now to the most awesome part of the race -- the aftermath. My dear and beautiful friend Christi (who volunteered from 4am - 1:30am!!!) met me at the finish line and took care of me. Thank you Christi! "Thank you" just doesn't encapsulate all she did during the race -- she volunteered her butt off AND took photos AND did all this red cross volunteering stuff AND walked back to town from the race start when the taxis were going too slow. I LOVE YOU CHRISTI! :) :)
After I exited the finish line area, I met Mike right away and then these three little kids came up to me with pieces of paper and pens. They wanted an autograph! I saw they had garnered a few other autographs and thought it was so cute! My feeling of nausea and imminent-pass-out-itits evaporated as I signed their little pieces of paper.
On the spur of the moment I decided to give this one little girl the shell necklace you are handed once you cross the finish line. I was *almost* tempted to give one of them my medal....but I am not THAT altruistic. BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
I think that people thought I was someone else because a line of people formed wanting to take my picture and get my autograph. I am not kidding!! Mike filmed some of this -- he had his gopro going with his scuba light to illuminate the scene. Here is the video he posted to youtube -- I felt so awkward and uncomfortable but you can't say no to all these cute little kids!!!!!
The really funny part was when I saw Mary Beth Ellis (who WON the race) come out literally two steps away from me, and I asked her if I could take my picture with her (and she was so gracious and said yes)...people lined up to wait until I was done with Mary Beth so then they could continue to take pics with me. I kept asking Mike, "What is going on?" lol!!!
I didn't know she had won the race and when asked her about her race she was so gracious and humble -- she never even said that she had won!!! I found out the next day!! LOL!!
The back story is this: I had a speedsuit but I didn't realize it was one of the old ones....the ones deemed illegal. A few days before IMCoz I quickly came to the hand-fluttering conclusion that I had (for not the first time in my life) nothing to wear!!
My planned tri jersey was not skin tight so there was no way I was going to swim in the ocean with that sucker on. Picture a ballooning action caused by my top filling with water and seriously impeding any forward momentum. As to my tri shorts -- I had pulled the little waist string out of them as soon as I got them (Doesn't everyone do this? Haha!) and while they are tight enough on land, a similar ballooning action may or may not have happened with them. (As a side note, I have been having issues with my usual go-to pair of desoto tri shorts lately -- why oh why do all chamois seams end RIGHT at the junction of where thigh meets crotch? Saddle sore turned into cyst-thing, healed and then as soon as I rode again on the island, the cyst thing puffed up again. Bike short makers take heed: I would love to find a pair of tri shorts where the chamois is larger than the crotchal-area. LARGER -- so the chamois ends somewhere on my bum and inner thigh -- not the crease. NO MORE CREASE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!)
I had nothing to wear to race in but a pink tri top and a pair of Splish bikini bottoms. They were my special bottoms too -- the bikini top has a maple leaf on it and the bum of the bottoms says "EH?" on them. The top was too loose (I have lost weight this year) but the bottoms fit just right (I haven't lost weight there). Plus they still had the little waist-stringy thing in them. (YAY!)
I was strangely excited about winging off an IM in this kind of uncoordinated fashion, and set about planning The Mother of All Lubrication plans.
I had brought lubes of all kinds with me -- body glide, this roller stuff I got in Penticton earlier this year (it looks like those old-school deodorant roller things), bike butter stuff and good old Vaseline. I used giant gobs of vaseline and lubed every seam of my bikini bottoms -- yes there are not many seams, but every inch of thread I smeared with the stuff. The new roller glide stuff I bought I rolled all over my body --- especially underneath my tri top as my run plan is to cram zip lock baggies with gels and salt tabs down there.
OK....enough about all that stuff, onto the race itself.
For the quick and dirty version here are my times:
Swim: 1:19:51
T1: 3:56
Bike: 6:02:43
T2: 2:10
Run: 4:11:32
Total: 11:40:12
Swim: 1:19:51
WTF HAPPENED HERE? I was looking forward to a swim PR as Cozumel is known for its "notoriously fast swim." I mean people who are regularly 1:20+ swimmers have shaved off more than 10 minutes off their time here, so I was really pumped about some current-assisted swim fun! Alas, the fast times were not to be had. More than 300 people didn't finish the swim! Yes the current really was that bad. After the last turn buoy, it was unreal. I remember thinking to myself, this is a really long swim...(by the way I only ran into a buoy once head on -- awesome experience, I recommend everyone do it at least once in their lives, hahahah!)
Climbing out of the water and hoisting myself up the stairs and running through the loooooong transition. The female change tent was past the mens....of course it was, just like at a shopping mall when you really, really have to go pee and you are navigating down a seemingly endless corridor and see the mens washroom first and have to scoot another 50m to get to the womens --- Aaaaarrrggghhhh. Hahahahaah!
Once I got on my bike I looked at my watch and saw 8:24am (we had started at 7am). I was gob-smacked! I was a bit down but then started thinking that the swim course might be long and everyone else was probably experiencing the same thing. It was driving me crazy wondering though -- it would have been nice to have someone shouting out: The swim course was screwed! Everyone's times are 10-15 minutes slower!
Bike: 6:02:43
I felt great the first lap around the island, but then started to feel burpy and close to the edge of race-blowup. I had to sit up out of the aero bars and burp quite a bit. When I would settle back down into aero, I found I had to slow down as the feeling would creep back up again. It was HOT -- for those of you who don't think it was hot, bull-roar. Seriously the Cozumel "winter" is hotter than the Crowsnest Pass hottest day of summer. And the humidity compounds it.
 |
| Rockin' the bikini bottoms -- BOOYAH! |
I only had to pee twice and what I managed to eke out was hardly worth mentioning (oh the double entendre and sneaky innuendo here, yes I think I am soooo clever!! HAHAHAHAHA!). It was at the end of the third lap that it occured to me to try pouring water over the back of my neck. That really helped! DUH. Should have thought of that sooner!!
 |
| Around and around the island! |
Once I got into T2 I dipped my hand in the biggest tub of Vaseline I have ever seen and dolloped it on my inner thighs. As I was doing it I was thinking to myself, "Geez I took a lot of vaseline." lol You can never have enough vaseline! There was a woman that was in there with me and she looked as hot and bewildered as I felt.
 |
| At least it LOOKS like I was in aero the whole time, lol. |
Run: 4:11:32
It was all about the run. Coach Sara had given me clear instructions about the run and this was my focus -- my entire world was about cooling down and getting as much cold water all over my body as I could. I felt like total crap from the get-go, so I knew that it was crucial what I did in the first 10km would dictate the rest of the marathon. (I learned my lesson from last year's IMC that's for sure!!)
+Julie+Anderson+2012-12-01+16-16-05.png) |
| Photo Credit: Christi Courtney -- Baggy down the sports bra strikes again! |
The way people were blasting out during the first 10km I knew there was going to be carnage on the course later on. And there was. I am really pleased with my run --- I negative split every split! I got stronger and faster and felt awesome on the run -- this is a HUGE success for me. :) :)
 |
| Look Coach Sara! I did it! I did it! |
+Julie+Anderson+2012-12-01+16-17-00.png) |
| Honestly it FELT like I was running! HAHAHAHA! Photo Credit -- Christi Courtney |
I do need to figure out a better salt pill delivery method though....the ole-baggie-down-the-tri-top trick doesn't work so well when you start dumping water all over yourself. My baggy filled with water and dissolved the pills, so I had to start mining them out and taking chunks of salt pills out. SALTY -- WHOO BOY! But that's what Ironman is all about -- you pee yourself, get all gross and sweaty and stinky and do stuff you never think you would do. lol.
+Julie+Anderson+2012-12-01+16-18-24.png) |
| Still "speed-walking" I see, lol! Photo Credit -- Christi Courtney |
Random other stuff:
- Where were the porta-potties on the run course?!?!?! I literally saw ONE.
- Note to the guy that holds the pre-race athlete meeting: Next time why don't you let us athletes ask questions and you answer them with the microphone instead of waiting until the end of the meeting and answering each persons question one by one. Talk about re-inventing the wheel.
- Run special needs -- why oh why are you so complicated? How do you work, why was it so difficult, thank you to the volunteers who got my bag and RAN it to me.
- Yes, I got stung by jellyfish.
- Mike volunteered to be one of the scuba divers watching out for us athletes. It was so awesome when I saw him I did a little swim-stroke-wave.
- Body-marking the day before the race was The Ultimate Gong Show and reminded me of what the Crowsnest Pass town council might do if they were given the task of body-marking. Think bureaucrats and line ups and making things much more complicated and time-consuming than they need to be. Seriously, the ridiculousness of this deserves its own paragraph:
(okay another paragraph -- lol) As if this weren't enough, as you exited transition, you had the option to purchase race tattoos, in which case you could stand in ANOTHER line while the volunteers proceeded to use rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs to vigoroulsy rub off the markings you had just received. Oh yes.
**********RANT OVER**************RANT OVER************RANT OVER**********
Now don't get me wrong -- I may complain and moan but Ironman Cozumel is an AWESOME race. The volunteers are absolutely incredible!! I love Cozumel -- as in LOVE Cozumel! The people, the island, the people, the people, did I mention the people? Hahahah! I have so many friends here and Cozumel literally feels like home to me. So please take my whinging with a big grain of salt -- it's like family whinging. It's all part of the experience. :)
 |
| At the end -- chafe free, oh yeah baby. Bikini bottoms are the BOMB! I'll be wearing these again! |
Now to the most awesome part of the race -- the aftermath. My dear and beautiful friend Christi (who volunteered from 4am - 1:30am!!!) met me at the finish line and took care of me. Thank you Christi! "Thank you" just doesn't encapsulate all she did during the race -- she volunteered her butt off AND took photos AND did all this red cross volunteering stuff AND walked back to town from the race start when the taxis were going too slow. I LOVE YOU CHRISTI! :) :)
 |
| My dear friend Christi Courtney!! YAY CHRISTI! Thank you for being everything!!! |
After I exited the finish line area, I met Mike right away and then these three little kids came up to me with pieces of paper and pens. They wanted an autograph! I saw they had garnered a few other autographs and thought it was so cute! My feeling of nausea and imminent-pass-out-itits evaporated as I signed their little pieces of paper.
On the spur of the moment I decided to give this one little girl the shell necklace you are handed once you cross the finish line. I was *almost* tempted to give one of them my medal....but I am not THAT altruistic. BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
I think that people thought I was someone else because a line of people formed wanting to take my picture and get my autograph. I am not kidding!! Mike filmed some of this -- he had his gopro going with his scuba light to illuminate the scene. Here is the video he posted to youtube -- I felt so awkward and uncomfortable but you can't say no to all these cute little kids!!!!!
The really funny part was when I saw Mary Beth Ellis (who WON the race) come out literally two steps away from me, and I asked her if I could take my picture with her (and she was so gracious and said yes)...people lined up to wait until I was done with Mary Beth so then they could continue to take pics with me. I kept asking Mike, "What is going on?" lol!!!
+Julie+Anderson+2012-12-01+16-21-08.png) |
| 11 hour and 40 minutes later I am still talking even when I have my arm around the women's champion. lmao! |
I didn't know she had won the race and when asked her about her race she was so gracious and humble -- she never even said that she had won!!! I found out the next day!! LOL!!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Interviewed by High School Students
My friend (and Masters swim coach who is also a high school teacher) invited me to be a guinea pig for one of her classes...
Her students were practicing interviewing skills and she thought that my Ironman experiences would make an interesting subject for her students.
I agreed and was looking forward to it! I was really excited about sharing my triathlon experiences but was also worried...
Worried about what?
Well, for those of you who know me, when I get excited I do not stop talking. DO NOT STOP TALKING. And I laugh and I giggle and I talk faster and faster and go and go and go until I sort of come to and sit there out of breath and think to myself, "Whew, what did I just say?" Hahahahahahahaha!!
Additionally, I was concerned that in my zeal of talking about all things triathlon I would let a curse word slip out (or worse, more than one.) Truthfully, that was my biggest fear. You have no idea how I kept coaching myself, "Julie, DO NOT SWEAR!"
Thank goodness I had the foresight to wear a tank top to the class -- I was sweating like a pig I was so nervous. (And did you know that Wally's World sells some great quality workout gear now? I am totally not kidding! Their clothing used to be total crap, but I bought two Lululemon-type tank tops --- the kind with the bra cups in them -- for $15 each! And a pair of running capris and shorts too -- great quality. On this same tangent, Wally's World in Pincher also have the best fresh beets that I can buy around here, lol.)
Back to sweating like a pig.
The kids started off the exercise by introducing themselves one by one and then they started asking questions. I found it challenging talking to people who have NO IDEA about triathlon. I have been isolated from normal people for so long in my tri-bubble world, that I quickly realized I had a hard time explaining things using non-tri terminology -- as well as explaining concepts about training, etc.
There were some really insightful questions by the kids and I had a great time -- especially talking about how I ate 42 eggs a week, heh-heh-heh.
As the class drew to a close (say around 5 minutes before the bell), everyone promptly started shuffling their books/papers together and started getting ready to leave. I was in the middle of answering a question and was like, "Oh...I remember doing this as a kid." Hahahaha -- nothing personal lady, but we want to get outta here. :)
The best part about this little exercise was the gift my friend presented me about a week later -- she had compiled some of the reports the kids had written into a duotang, which the students had all signed! It was so cute and awesome I almost cried!!!
To the kids in that English class: thank you guys for the experience -- you guys were awesome., I had a blast and was so happy that I:
Recovery after Ironman Canada went great! I started doing yoga and weights 3 times a week and can not believe how even a tiny bit of yoga has eliminated all pain -- all those niggles that I thought I just had to put up with. I am a total convert.
A cheap convert however. Youtube has a zillion FREE online yoga classes for all levels of ability. You have no idea how satisfied I feel at saving money by not taking a class.
Ironman Cozumel is November 25 and I am sooooo excited to return to the island to see all my new friends I made earlier this year! I will be armed with a load of pink water bottles to distribute out to my new buds!! YAY!
All for now!
:) :)
Her students were practicing interviewing skills and she thought that my Ironman experiences would make an interesting subject for her students.
I agreed and was looking forward to it! I was really excited about sharing my triathlon experiences but was also worried...
Worried about what?
Well, for those of you who know me, when I get excited I do not stop talking. DO NOT STOP TALKING. And I laugh and I giggle and I talk faster and faster and go and go and go until I sort of come to and sit there out of breath and think to myself, "Whew, what did I just say?" Hahahahahahahaha!!
Additionally, I was concerned that in my zeal of talking about all things triathlon I would let a curse word slip out (or worse, more than one.) Truthfully, that was my biggest fear. You have no idea how I kept coaching myself, "Julie, DO NOT SWEAR!"
Thank goodness I had the foresight to wear a tank top to the class -- I was sweating like a pig I was so nervous. (And did you know that Wally's World sells some great quality workout gear now? I am totally not kidding! Their clothing used to be total crap, but I bought two Lululemon-type tank tops --- the kind with the bra cups in them -- for $15 each! And a pair of running capris and shorts too -- great quality. On this same tangent, Wally's World in Pincher also have the best fresh beets that I can buy around here, lol.)
Back to sweating like a pig.
The kids started off the exercise by introducing themselves one by one and then they started asking questions. I found it challenging talking to people who have NO IDEA about triathlon. I have been isolated from normal people for so long in my tri-bubble world, that I quickly realized I had a hard time explaining things using non-tri terminology -- as well as explaining concepts about training, etc.
There were some really insightful questions by the kids and I had a great time -- especially talking about how I ate 42 eggs a week, heh-heh-heh.
As the class drew to a close (say around 5 minutes before the bell), everyone promptly started shuffling their books/papers together and started getting ready to leave. I was in the middle of answering a question and was like, "Oh...I remember doing this as a kid." Hahahaha -- nothing personal lady, but we want to get outta here. :)
The best part about this little exercise was the gift my friend presented me about a week later -- she had compiled some of the reports the kids had written into a duotang, which the students had all signed! It was so cute and awesome I almost cried!!!
To the kids in that English class: thank you guys for the experience -- you guys were awesome., I had a blast and was so happy that I:
- Did not swear.
- Did not wear a t-shirt that would have had major armpit sweat happening
- Managed to be somewhat coherent
Recovery after Ironman Canada went great! I started doing yoga and weights 3 times a week and can not believe how even a tiny bit of yoga has eliminated all pain -- all those niggles that I thought I just had to put up with. I am a total convert.
A cheap convert however. Youtube has a zillion FREE online yoga classes for all levels of ability. You have no idea how satisfied I feel at saving money by not taking a class.
Ironman Cozumel is November 25 and I am sooooo excited to return to the island to see all my new friends I made earlier this year! I will be armed with a load of pink water bottles to distribute out to my new buds!! YAY!
All for now!
:) :)
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Ironman Canada 2012 Race Report
Well, I finally broke the 12 hour mark and earned a 47 minute PB at this race. (Yes I am happy, but definitely not content. lol -- Next stop is going under 11...one step at a time!)
Here are my stats to get those out of the way:
Time: 11:13:51
Swim: 1:07:42
T1: 2:18
Bike: 5:51:56
T2: 2:37
Run: 4:09:18
After all was said and done, I have to admit that this was actually an "easy" Ironman....if such a thing exists.
Don't hit me or scream at the computer! I am being totally honest here. Apart from muscle pain (I mean, it's gonna hurt somewhat, it IS an Ironman), I never went to any deep, dark place. I had a plan, stuck with it, and bingo, bango, bucko. :)
This was the first IM where I really noticed an improved fitness level. (By the way, this was my 8th IMC and my 10th frigging iron-distance race!!!)
Going into the race, I knew my goal was emotional management. Control my emotions. Last year at IMC, when I spent most of the marathon standing on the side of the road doubled over in pain, I was so upset as I saw person after person run by me. People who I KNEW I was faster than.
This emotional negativity added to my stomach distress...but I didn't realize that until I was in the last mile of the marathon. My very awesome and dear friend, Susi, came running beside me and told me to "breathe deep," and "calm down." When I started controlling my breathing, I'll be damned if my stomach problems eased up a bit!!
The realization hit me with the force of one of my crab-apples bombing me in the autumn...
"You mean I did THIS to myself?!"
"I DID THIS TO MYSELF!?!?!?!?!"
Fast forward to a year later...race day. I have learned a lot about myself and my emotions and was ready.
Swim
The swim felt pedestrian. It felt "easy" in a I-am-fit-and-have-tapered-well kind of way. The biggest difference I felt was my calm, low heart rate in the change tent after the swim. After a sprint, olympic, or 1/2 iron swim, my HR always feels like it is through the roof. (And it probably is, being you can go a lot harder in a shorter distance as opposed to an IM.)
I was sitting there on a chair putting my socks and cycling shoes on, when I thought to myself, "Geez, my HR is so low! I feel so relaxed and calm!" What a feeling!
Bike
The bike was a blur...I was very focused on what I had to do and was literally in my own bubble the entire bike ride. I had a great talk with Coach Sara before the race, and her words were in my head. Everything was happening as it was meant to happen.
At Richter this year, I spun up and passed a lot of people. It was so odd! It felt very easy! Like the change tent, I marvelled at how low my HR felt, how effortless it was. I wish that feeling of ease lasted through the climb to Yellow Lake, but next year!! :) :)
I ate by feel, and when I started to play the game of "Is it gas or am I hungry?" I switched to liquid nutrition. (This was a big revelation for me this year too -- about 3:30 into a ride, I don't want to eat, even though my body wants to. In the past, I didn't have a good strategy for dealing with this, and would often simply stop eating. Not this year, baby! Hahahaha!! This year, I premixed bottles of plain Carbo-Pro. No other flavour, because there comes a point on the bike where I don't WANT any flavour, I just need calories. And it worked.)
Run
I was looking forward to the run this year. I had many goals throughout the day, and one of them was to get off the bike strong and ready to run.
My feet were frigging KILLING me when I got off the bike!! There was a man in front of me who was obviously feeling pain too as I watched him try to run/hobble through T2. I don't know whether it is the vibrations from the road sent through the cycling shoes and into my feet, but holy smokes my feet hurt and hurt BAD. Anyone have insight into this? I suspect it is the rough out-and-back section that does this, because I have never had sore feet like this at smoother-paved races. Thoughts?
It has taken me a LOOOOOONG time to figure out a feeding/watering strategy for an IM race:
Two things I did that totally work for me are: carry my own water bottle, filled with just water. (I bought two at a gas station before the race and put one in my special needs run bag), and carry my own gels in a baggy and stuff it down my sports bra. The baggy-technique needs to be refined because the chafing that goes on in there is absolutely spectacular and the polysporin tube got squeezed a lot in the days that followed, let me tell you.
I had my salt tabs in another baggie that was already down my top from the bike portion. I just reach in, feel for a pill and take it.
There were a few moments where I would get dizzy/light-headed, and I would ask myself, do I need to drink, eat, or take a salt tab? At a couple of aid stations, I opted for gatorade instead of always taking a gel.
At one point during the run, I was faffing around with the lid to the water bottle (note to self, don't buy a water bottle with a pop-off lid ever again! Buy the one where you can pull open with your teeth) and couldn't get the stupid thing open. I was getting sort of dizzy running and looking at it. I thought to myself, "When I look at it closely, I get dizzy." So, of course, right away, I start looking at my bottle as closely as I can and keep feeling dizzy. (This is the same phenomenon as when someone says, "Don't think of pink elephants." lol!!)
I did this a couple of more times (looked at the bottle, not thought of pink elephants) until a voice in my head said, "If you get dizzy from looking at it closely, DON'T LOOK AT IT." Wow, imagine that, eh? lol -- and it worked. :)
Strangely enough, the voice was not that of my Bunler. Why strange you ask? Because ALL the way through the run, Mike's voice boomed in my head, "Calm the hell down." LMAO!!!!
I am not kidding!!
Poor Mike, he never said anything like that to me before the race (although he has said something similar to me on other occasions when I am freaking out over the toilet seat, the crumbs on the counter or the dirty socks lying 2 inches from the laundry hamper), but as you recall, my goal was to manage my emotions, and when I needed the mental boost, my subconscious decided to call on Mike! Hahahahaha!!!! I heard it over and over again, "Calm the hell down." lol.
In the months prior to Ironman Canada, I had run a lot of my long runs on a this super hilly dirt road behind my house. It goes up to another little housing division and there are very steep portions on it. I would run this loop again and again -- when it was really hot out too. I made myself hurt on those runs so the run at IMC would feel easier than what I was doing in training. That was my plan anyways! lol!
And it did work. I was ready for the hilly portions, and just chugged, chugged along. My feet were killing me from the pounding of the pavement...my running shoes are not good for running a marathon on pavement (they are fine up to a half-marathon, but the pounding just hurt soooo much) and the top of my right foot really hurt where the elastic lace was a bit tight. I wasn't stopping to fix it, and it irritated me the entire 4 hours and 9 minutes, lol.
Over the finish line and whoo hoo, I am signed up for next year's race: Challenge Penticton.
Ironman Cozumel is on November 25! Time to start training again!! YAY!!!
Here are my stats to get those out of the way:
Time: 11:13:51
Swim: 1:07:42
T1: 2:18
Bike: 5:51:56
T2: 2:37
Run: 4:09:18
After all was said and done, I have to admit that this was actually an "easy" Ironman....if such a thing exists.
Don't hit me or scream at the computer! I am being totally honest here. Apart from muscle pain (I mean, it's gonna hurt somewhat, it IS an Ironman), I never went to any deep, dark place. I had a plan, stuck with it, and bingo, bango, bucko. :)
This was the first IM where I really noticed an improved fitness level. (By the way, this was my 8th IMC and my 10th frigging iron-distance race!!!)
Going into the race, I knew my goal was emotional management. Control my emotions. Last year at IMC, when I spent most of the marathon standing on the side of the road doubled over in pain, I was so upset as I saw person after person run by me. People who I KNEW I was faster than.
This emotional negativity added to my stomach distress...but I didn't realize that until I was in the last mile of the marathon. My very awesome and dear friend, Susi, came running beside me and told me to "breathe deep," and "calm down." When I started controlling my breathing, I'll be damned if my stomach problems eased up a bit!!
The realization hit me with the force of one of my crab-apples bombing me in the autumn...
"You mean I did THIS to myself?!"
"I DID THIS TO MYSELF!?!?!?!?!"
Fast forward to a year later...race day. I have learned a lot about myself and my emotions and was ready.
Swim
The swim felt pedestrian. It felt "easy" in a I-am-fit-and-have-tapered-well kind of way. The biggest difference I felt was my calm, low heart rate in the change tent after the swim. After a sprint, olympic, or 1/2 iron swim, my HR always feels like it is through the roof. (And it probably is, being you can go a lot harder in a shorter distance as opposed to an IM.)
I was sitting there on a chair putting my socks and cycling shoes on, when I thought to myself, "Geez, my HR is so low! I feel so relaxed and calm!" What a feeling!
Bike
The bike was a blur...I was very focused on what I had to do and was literally in my own bubble the entire bike ride. I had a great talk with Coach Sara before the race, and her words were in my head. Everything was happening as it was meant to happen.
At Richter this year, I spun up and passed a lot of people. It was so odd! It felt very easy! Like the change tent, I marvelled at how low my HR felt, how effortless it was. I wish that feeling of ease lasted through the climb to Yellow Lake, but next year!! :) :)
I ate by feel, and when I started to play the game of "Is it gas or am I hungry?" I switched to liquid nutrition. (This was a big revelation for me this year too -- about 3:30 into a ride, I don't want to eat, even though my body wants to. In the past, I didn't have a good strategy for dealing with this, and would often simply stop eating. Not this year, baby! Hahahaha!! This year, I premixed bottles of plain Carbo-Pro. No other flavour, because there comes a point on the bike where I don't WANT any flavour, I just need calories. And it worked.)
Run
I was looking forward to the run this year. I had many goals throughout the day, and one of them was to get off the bike strong and ready to run.
My feet were frigging KILLING me when I got off the bike!! There was a man in front of me who was obviously feeling pain too as I watched him try to run/hobble through T2. I don't know whether it is the vibrations from the road sent through the cycling shoes and into my feet, but holy smokes my feet hurt and hurt BAD. Anyone have insight into this? I suspect it is the rough out-and-back section that does this, because I have never had sore feet like this at smoother-paved races. Thoughts?
It has taken me a LOOOOOONG time to figure out a feeding/watering strategy for an IM race:
- How to drink out of aid station cups without stopping.
- How to get in the calories to keep running.
Two things I did that totally work for me are: carry my own water bottle, filled with just water. (I bought two at a gas station before the race and put one in my special needs run bag), and carry my own gels in a baggy and stuff it down my sports bra. The baggy-technique needs to be refined because the chafing that goes on in there is absolutely spectacular and the polysporin tube got squeezed a lot in the days that followed, let me tell you.
I had my salt tabs in another baggie that was already down my top from the bike portion. I just reach in, feel for a pill and take it.
There were a few moments where I would get dizzy/light-headed, and I would ask myself, do I need to drink, eat, or take a salt tab? At a couple of aid stations, I opted for gatorade instead of always taking a gel.
At one point during the run, I was faffing around with the lid to the water bottle (note to self, don't buy a water bottle with a pop-off lid ever again! Buy the one where you can pull open with your teeth) and couldn't get the stupid thing open. I was getting sort of dizzy running and looking at it. I thought to myself, "When I look at it closely, I get dizzy." So, of course, right away, I start looking at my bottle as closely as I can and keep feeling dizzy. (This is the same phenomenon as when someone says, "Don't think of pink elephants." lol!!)
I did this a couple of more times (looked at the bottle, not thought of pink elephants) until a voice in my head said, "If you get dizzy from looking at it closely, DON'T LOOK AT IT." Wow, imagine that, eh? lol -- and it worked. :)
Strangely enough, the voice was not that of my Bunler. Why strange you ask? Because ALL the way through the run, Mike's voice boomed in my head, "Calm the hell down." LMAO!!!!
I am not kidding!!
Poor Mike, he never said anything like that to me before the race (although he has said something similar to me on other occasions when I am freaking out over the toilet seat, the crumbs on the counter or the dirty socks lying 2 inches from the laundry hamper), but as you recall, my goal was to manage my emotions, and when I needed the mental boost, my subconscious decided to call on Mike! Hahahahaha!!!! I heard it over and over again, "Calm the hell down." lol.
In the months prior to Ironman Canada, I had run a lot of my long runs on a this super hilly dirt road behind my house. It goes up to another little housing division and there are very steep portions on it. I would run this loop again and again -- when it was really hot out too. I made myself hurt on those runs so the run at IMC would feel easier than what I was doing in training. That was my plan anyways! lol!
And it did work. I was ready for the hilly portions, and just chugged, chugged along. My feet were killing me from the pounding of the pavement...my running shoes are not good for running a marathon on pavement (they are fine up to a half-marathon, but the pounding just hurt soooo much) and the top of my right foot really hurt where the elastic lace was a bit tight. I wasn't stopping to fix it, and it irritated me the entire 4 hours and 9 minutes, lol.
Over the finish line and whoo hoo, I am signed up for next year's race: Challenge Penticton.
Ironman Cozumel is on November 25! Time to start training again!! YAY!!!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Magrath "I swam the dam" Olympic Race Report
Last week was a busy week for me. My team (Mercury Rising Triathlon) put on our annual PHAT camp in Penticton. The weather was gorgeous -- really hot and wonderful. Our group of campers had a blast and trained hard. Me included! :)
I left the camp early after our session on Thursday as I was racing on Saturday. Thursday's session was transition practice. We donned our wetsuits and ran to our bikes, biked about 200m, then ran for about 25m. The coaches would critique us and then we would do it again.
The absolute best was the final transition practice -- we all swam out to this wooden platform and then we climbed up on it, jumped off (I chose cannonball style, and even yelled CANNONBALL when I jumped, lmao) swam back, stripped off our suits, biked and ran again. So much fun. Hahaha!
One of my fellow teammates was hilarious -- he didn't want to wait to climb up the ladder of the platform, so he hoisted himself up! LMAO -- I was laughing so hard -- it was so much fun to throw a bit of playtime in the midst of a workout. :) :)
The drive home was brutal...I had car trouble which left me going up every pass at 40km/hour. Behind all the semi trucks doing the same thing. GAD! I had my 4-way flashers on and chugged up every hill, praying that I would get up to the top. lol -- When I made it to Castlegar I found an OK Tire and the owner took a look at my car. He thought the car had bad gas -- water in the fuel.
He changed the fuel filter and off I went -- and again had to chug up every hill at 40km/hour. Man, that stretched out a long drive to an even longer drive.
Anyways, I finally got home, and didn't really unpack anything as I was off to Magrath to do a pre-comp day. The famous MOMMA came with me -- I found the reservoir with buoys set up and did a lap of the swim there, then tested out my NEW (to-me!) amazing bike, then a little run.
Enough blather -- onto the race report!!
First off -- let me say -- I won the race!!!! I was first overall female!!!!! :D :D :D :D
My time was 2:19:38!!!!
Swim: 25:09
I was 6th overall out of the water -- overall, meaning men included too! LMAO!! How awesome is that? Coach Sara had given me instructions to get in a really good warm up prior to the race. I was curious as to how I would do at the race considering I was coming right out of a big training camp...
Before the race, I jogged every time I used the porta-potty. And I got in a good 15-20 minute swim warm up too. A real warm up this time -- not a swim piddly-diddly pretend warm up like I usually do. Where I swim to a buoy and then float around and talk with people. No, this time, I actually SWAM. Hahahahaha!!
Swim was great! I found some feet which was awesome because the field spread out very quickly as there were only 67 people racing the oly.
Bike: 1:07:04
Great bike ride -- my new bike handles SO differently than the cervelo. I can never use my front race wheel when it is windy as the gusts blow me all over the road, but my Scott Plasma 3 TT is like a tank in the wind -- but a ROCKET TANK!! It is SO stable and steady with my race wheels -- I was so excited about this discovery!
And it corners on its own!!! At the camp, we rode up to Apex ski resort and on the descent (this was my first time up there) there are all these switchbacks with signs warning to slow down to 20km/hr or 30km/hr. I was scared of these, so held my brakes and went really slowly around each one.
I have no problems going fast when the road is straight or sweeping, but those switchback things are scary. Coach Sara hung back for me and told me I was "riding like a beginner." LMAO! She gave me a bunch of advice to sharpen my bike skills.
I was thinking of this advice when I was nearing the completion of the bike portion and there was a 90 degree turn -- I leaned into the corner and the frigging bike just sprang into it!! I was so surprised at how easy and how differently it handled compared to the cervelo, my mouth dropped open. Hahahaha!
I never realized how a different bike could fit you better and what that could translate to...Another thing I noticed on the Scott, is that I can stay in aero and grab the water bottles on my frame and drink them while going balls-out in a race. No way could I do that on the cervelo. I can't do that on the cervelo even if I am going slow. I have to sit up and balance to remove a water bottle.
I was intimidated at first by my new bike, but after the race I was in LOVE with it. I LOVE IT!!!!
The bike also has shorter cranks -- 165s instead of 172.5s. I noticed this too -- I could spin up the little inclines much more easily, and my back didn't hurt at all coming off the bike to the run. SO AWESOME.
It rained at this race too -- lol.
Run: 47:24
I want to run faster, but I'll take it!!
The best part about the race is a t-shirt I received....along with the usual race t-shirt, which is awesome by the way, I discovered in my little baggy another shirt...this one said on the back: I Won The Last Dam Tri.
LMAO. The front of both shirts read: I swam the Dam, Tri Like the End is Nigh. Hahahaha -- Mormon community and a great sense of humour there!
I left the camp early after our session on Thursday as I was racing on Saturday. Thursday's session was transition practice. We donned our wetsuits and ran to our bikes, biked about 200m, then ran for about 25m. The coaches would critique us and then we would do it again.
The absolute best was the final transition practice -- we all swam out to this wooden platform and then we climbed up on it, jumped off (I chose cannonball style, and even yelled CANNONBALL when I jumped, lmao) swam back, stripped off our suits, biked and ran again. So much fun. Hahaha!
One of my fellow teammates was hilarious -- he didn't want to wait to climb up the ladder of the platform, so he hoisted himself up! LMAO -- I was laughing so hard -- it was so much fun to throw a bit of playtime in the midst of a workout. :) :)
The drive home was brutal...I had car trouble which left me going up every pass at 40km/hour. Behind all the semi trucks doing the same thing. GAD! I had my 4-way flashers on and chugged up every hill, praying that I would get up to the top. lol -- When I made it to Castlegar I found an OK Tire and the owner took a look at my car. He thought the car had bad gas -- water in the fuel.
He changed the fuel filter and off I went -- and again had to chug up every hill at 40km/hour. Man, that stretched out a long drive to an even longer drive.
Anyways, I finally got home, and didn't really unpack anything as I was off to Magrath to do a pre-comp day. The famous MOMMA came with me -- I found the reservoir with buoys set up and did a lap of the swim there, then tested out my NEW (to-me!) amazing bike, then a little run.
Enough blather -- onto the race report!!
First off -- let me say -- I won the race!!!! I was first overall female!!!!! :D :D :D :D
My time was 2:19:38!!!!
Swim: 25:09
I was 6th overall out of the water -- overall, meaning men included too! LMAO!! How awesome is that? Coach Sara had given me instructions to get in a really good warm up prior to the race. I was curious as to how I would do at the race considering I was coming right out of a big training camp...
Before the race, I jogged every time I used the porta-potty. And I got in a good 15-20 minute swim warm up too. A real warm up this time -- not a swim piddly-diddly pretend warm up like I usually do. Where I swim to a buoy and then float around and talk with people. No, this time, I actually SWAM. Hahahahaha!!
Swim was great! I found some feet which was awesome because the field spread out very quickly as there were only 67 people racing the oly.
Bike: 1:07:04
Great bike ride -- my new bike handles SO differently than the cervelo. I can never use my front race wheel when it is windy as the gusts blow me all over the road, but my Scott Plasma 3 TT is like a tank in the wind -- but a ROCKET TANK!! It is SO stable and steady with my race wheels -- I was so excited about this discovery!
And it corners on its own!!! At the camp, we rode up to Apex ski resort and on the descent (this was my first time up there) there are all these switchbacks with signs warning to slow down to 20km/hr or 30km/hr. I was scared of these, so held my brakes and went really slowly around each one.
I have no problems going fast when the road is straight or sweeping, but those switchback things are scary. Coach Sara hung back for me and told me I was "riding like a beginner." LMAO! She gave me a bunch of advice to sharpen my bike skills.
I was thinking of this advice when I was nearing the completion of the bike portion and there was a 90 degree turn -- I leaned into the corner and the frigging bike just sprang into it!! I was so surprised at how easy and how differently it handled compared to the cervelo, my mouth dropped open. Hahahaha!
I never realized how a different bike could fit you better and what that could translate to...Another thing I noticed on the Scott, is that I can stay in aero and grab the water bottles on my frame and drink them while going balls-out in a race. No way could I do that on the cervelo. I can't do that on the cervelo even if I am going slow. I have to sit up and balance to remove a water bottle.
I was intimidated at first by my new bike, but after the race I was in LOVE with it. I LOVE IT!!!!
The bike also has shorter cranks -- 165s instead of 172.5s. I noticed this too -- I could spin up the little inclines much more easily, and my back didn't hurt at all coming off the bike to the run. SO AWESOME.
It rained at this race too -- lol.
Run: 47:24
I want to run faster, but I'll take it!!
The best part about the race is a t-shirt I received....along with the usual race t-shirt, which is awesome by the way, I discovered in my little baggy another shirt...this one said on the back: I Won The Last Dam Tri.
LMAO. The front of both shirts read: I swam the Dam, Tri Like the End is Nigh. Hahahaha -- Mormon community and a great sense of humour there!
 | |
| I am wearing Coach Sara's hand me down tri top -- finding a white tri top is hard, and this one brought me luck!! |
Monday, July 16, 2012
I've been RETULED!!!
Have you heard about the Retul bike fit?
I have -- off and on in forums and online advertisements. It looked quite thorough and complex in the photo-essays of various pros getting fit: Wires attached to body parts, computer screens measuring data, and all manner of seat and cleat adjustments.
When I returned from Mexico with a snapped aero bar (duct-taped in place), I immediately purchased a new set of aero bars. The only thing was, this new set of aero bars was totally different than my original ones. The aero pads were Profile not Vision and they sat up much higher than my old ones.
I didn't realize this until a few days later when I raced the Oliver 1/2 iron. My position felt terrible. I felt so out of whack and my lower back was killing me for about 8km of the run when I got off the bike.
After the race, I messed around with my seat post and raised it an inch and it felt better, but still not quite right.
I needed help!
Since I had just purchased a new-to-me bike (a Scott Plasma 3 TT), the time was right for me to take both my Cervelo and my new bike in to get a proper fit. I wanted a PROPER fit.
I had heard about Speed Matrix in Calgary via a friend's facebook post a month earlier....She raved about how amazing her bike fit was. As she was an athlete I respected and trusted, I whipped out Dr. Google and perused the website, and liked what I saw. I contacted Adam from Speed Matrix, and set up an appointment...
My appointment was with Rory -- he is very detail-oriented and thorough. Totally thorough. I have been to places where as the hours tick by (and yes, a proper bike fit can literally take hours), the attention given to your fit starts to wane.
Not so with Rory!! He measured my leg length, my flexibility, watched how I walked, and kept asking me questions about the distances I raced, any issues or pain I experienced, etc. He took all this information into account as he made an initial set-up of my bike.
I climbed on and he watched me pedal and would make more adjustments -- to the seat, aero-bars, cleats, everything. Nothing got past his eye -- one minor adjustment impacts other aspects of your bike fit -- all this he took into account and explained to me in a totally understandable way. For example, moving the seat forward or backward, up or down, affects how you pedal. He would watch me pedal and then make an adjustment and suddenly I was turning perfect circles! (Well not PERFECT, lol, but the movement from clunky-pedalling to smooth stroke by just an adjustment was very impressive. I didn't have to change anything about the way I pedalled, the adjustment made me a more efficient cyclist!)
I really, really appreciated the time he took to explain what to him was basic cycling knowledge and principles. I have been intimidated by asking questions at bike shops before because of that kind of know-it-all attitude undercurrent. Like I am made to feel like an idiot because for years I always unclipped when turning a corner because I was too scared to go around a pylon. Or because I am a "triathlete" I have no bike skills and I don't know cyclist lingo or inside jokes, and I sort of stand there with a red face, laughing in agreement with whatever is said and coming out of the experience awkward and still unknowledgeable...AND feeling like an idiot.
With Rory, he patiently took the time to answer every question I asked -- even when the answer was so simple and obvious. (Most of my questions were, "Why?" lol.) I never owned a bike before I started in triathlon. Well...not true, I had a mountain bike that I rode around town on....but I have never owned a road bike, I don't have all these years of expeience of riding with other people, etc.
A simple cycling concept to other people, is like a frigging revelation to me -- and Rory explained stuff succintly and in a way that I felt empowered....not belittled. :)
OK -- onto the bike fit details!!
Time for the wire thingies!! YAY!!
Rory put these little adhesive velcro circles along one side of my body: on my wrist, my elbow, my hip, my knee, my ankle, my foot. Then, a wire was secured with the other half of the velcro circle. From here, I would start to pedal and the data would be transmitted to the computer. Rory could see and measure so much info -- my right knee was out of whack for example, so another cleat wedge was added and adjustment made.
I was impressed by the fact that the fit was tailored to ME as an individual. Not to some *average standard.* How I sit on the bike, how I pedal, etc. For example, when I rest on the aero pads, I don't rest on my forearms, I rest on my elbows. That is just what I do. So, instead of trying to change ME, Rory changed my SET-UP. How cool is that?
Then, the whole thing was repeated on the other side of my body.
My Cervelo was fit first -- when I got home, I went out for a 2.5 hour ride and it literally "felt like home." That's what I wrote in email back to Rory and Adam. It just felt so good!
The next week, I took in my new-to-me bike to get it fit and the results were awesome as well!!
If you are having any questions or concerns about your own personal bike fit, I totally recommend Speed Matrix in Calgary. And...if you do, make sure you CLEAN your bike very thoroughly before you take it in!!!!
This is important as the bike fitter can focus on bike-fitting (as opposed to getting covered in all your grease and crap, lol) -- and it is the courteous thing to do. One other thing -- getting your bike tuned up is not included in getting your bike fit. I mean, it makes sense after you have been there for 4 hours going over your fit with a fine tooth comb!
Thank you to Adam and Rory for dialing in my bike fit. What a difference a proper fit makes. Thanks guys!!!
Speed Matrix is located in Speed Theory -- one block east of Mountain Equipment Co-op. (735A - 10th Ave SW, Calgary, AB).
I have -- off and on in forums and online advertisements. It looked quite thorough and complex in the photo-essays of various pros getting fit: Wires attached to body parts, computer screens measuring data, and all manner of seat and cleat adjustments.
When I returned from Mexico with a snapped aero bar (duct-taped in place), I immediately purchased a new set of aero bars. The only thing was, this new set of aero bars was totally different than my original ones. The aero pads were Profile not Vision and they sat up much higher than my old ones.
I didn't realize this until a few days later when I raced the Oliver 1/2 iron. My position felt terrible. I felt so out of whack and my lower back was killing me for about 8km of the run when I got off the bike.
After the race, I messed around with my seat post and raised it an inch and it felt better, but still not quite right.
I needed help!
Since I had just purchased a new-to-me bike (a Scott Plasma 3 TT), the time was right for me to take both my Cervelo and my new bike in to get a proper fit. I wanted a PROPER fit.
I had heard about Speed Matrix in Calgary via a friend's facebook post a month earlier....She raved about how amazing her bike fit was. As she was an athlete I respected and trusted, I whipped out Dr. Google and perused the website, and liked what I saw. I contacted Adam from Speed Matrix, and set up an appointment...
My appointment was with Rory -- he is very detail-oriented and thorough. Totally thorough. I have been to places where as the hours tick by (and yes, a proper bike fit can literally take hours), the attention given to your fit starts to wane.
Not so with Rory!! He measured my leg length, my flexibility, watched how I walked, and kept asking me questions about the distances I raced, any issues or pain I experienced, etc. He took all this information into account as he made an initial set-up of my bike.
I climbed on and he watched me pedal and would make more adjustments -- to the seat, aero-bars, cleats, everything. Nothing got past his eye -- one minor adjustment impacts other aspects of your bike fit -- all this he took into account and explained to me in a totally understandable way. For example, moving the seat forward or backward, up or down, affects how you pedal. He would watch me pedal and then make an adjustment and suddenly I was turning perfect circles! (Well not PERFECT, lol, but the movement from clunky-pedalling to smooth stroke by just an adjustment was very impressive. I didn't have to change anything about the way I pedalled, the adjustment made me a more efficient cyclist!)
I really, really appreciated the time he took to explain what to him was basic cycling knowledge and principles. I have been intimidated by asking questions at bike shops before because of that kind of know-it-all attitude undercurrent. Like I am made to feel like an idiot because for years I always unclipped when turning a corner because I was too scared to go around a pylon. Or because I am a "triathlete" I have no bike skills and I don't know cyclist lingo or inside jokes, and I sort of stand there with a red face, laughing in agreement with whatever is said and coming out of the experience awkward and still unknowledgeable...AND feeling like an idiot.
With Rory, he patiently took the time to answer every question I asked -- even when the answer was so simple and obvious. (Most of my questions were, "Why?" lol.) I never owned a bike before I started in triathlon. Well...not true, I had a mountain bike that I rode around town on....but I have never owned a road bike, I don't have all these years of expeience of riding with other people, etc.
A simple cycling concept to other people, is like a frigging revelation to me -- and Rory explained stuff succintly and in a way that I felt empowered....not belittled. :)
OK -- onto the bike fit details!!
Time for the wire thingies!! YAY!!
Rory put these little adhesive velcro circles along one side of my body: on my wrist, my elbow, my hip, my knee, my ankle, my foot. Then, a wire was secured with the other half of the velcro circle. From here, I would start to pedal and the data would be transmitted to the computer. Rory could see and measure so much info -- my right knee was out of whack for example, so another cleat wedge was added and adjustment made.
I was impressed by the fact that the fit was tailored to ME as an individual. Not to some *average standard.* How I sit on the bike, how I pedal, etc. For example, when I rest on the aero pads, I don't rest on my forearms, I rest on my elbows. That is just what I do. So, instead of trying to change ME, Rory changed my SET-UP. How cool is that?
Then, the whole thing was repeated on the other side of my body.
My Cervelo was fit first -- when I got home, I went out for a 2.5 hour ride and it literally "felt like home." That's what I wrote in email back to Rory and Adam. It just felt so good!
The next week, I took in my new-to-me bike to get it fit and the results were awesome as well!!
If you are having any questions or concerns about your own personal bike fit, I totally recommend Speed Matrix in Calgary. And...if you do, make sure you CLEAN your bike very thoroughly before you take it in!!!!
This is important as the bike fitter can focus on bike-fitting (as opposed to getting covered in all your grease and crap, lol) -- and it is the courteous thing to do. One other thing -- getting your bike tuned up is not included in getting your bike fit. I mean, it makes sense after you have been there for 4 hours going over your fit with a fine tooth comb!
Thank you to Adam and Rory for dialing in my bike fit. What a difference a proper fit makes. Thanks guys!!!
Speed Matrix is located in Speed Theory -- one block east of Mountain Equipment Co-op. (735A - 10th Ave SW, Calgary, AB).
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