Would you like a tomato with your bike tune up?

YES PLEASE! LOL!!

Yesterday, a plate of fresh home-grown tomatoes (sliced and peppered) awaited me at The Tuck Shop. I had emailed Gord telling him I would be coming over to see him immediately after swimming. I had wolfed down a nut/seed/raisin bar but was still hungry....

When I saw that plate of fresh tomatoes and two toothpicks -- I was in heaven! LOL!! We did a *cheers* with our toothpicks and dug in. Gord must have seen the look of hunger still on my face, because he disappeared into the house and brought out a heated Greek-seasoned chicken breast. YUM!!! That hit the spot!!

All that AND I got my race wheels, brake pads, and bike tuned up! A girl can't go wrong with that eh? :) :)

I returned from the Penticton camp on Sunday -- as usual, the coaches pushed me to my limits and beyond -- and I learned so much about myself.

I had a hard time emotionally at the camp though --- Friday we found out Kerry had committed suicide. Saturday I left for Penticton. Sigh. When I arrived in Penticton, everywhere I looked I saw Kerry.

I was the first to arrive at the beach for an easy swim. Usually, Kerry was ALWAYS the first one to arrive anywhere. I had to do a double take when I saw a big red truck with Alberta plates drive into the parking lot.

I dove into the camp sessions with gusto, but there were a number of examples where it was obvious Kerry's death was really impacting me...

For example: I showed up for our bike ride without my bike shoes. Everyone was forced to wait for me as I had to drive back to my condo and back to the meeting spot. Of course the condo was on the other side of town so they were all waiting 30 minutes for me!!!! I felt TERRIBLE!!!

Then, when I finally returned, I couldn't find a parking space...I finally found one and then ran over to the group....Only to realize I had left my helmet in the trunk. Sigh.

There are only so many times one can apologize and everyone was so good and I felt like such a total shit!!!

Ahhhh well. Thank goodness our camp was filled with kind, caring, awesome people. Thank you everyone for putting up with me!

Now, enough of feeling sorry for myself! As a good blogger friend emailed me....I might be down for a while, but soon enough, I'll pop up again like a cork. Thanks for that image, Ken. :) :)

Therefore, without further ado, may I present to you "Julie's highlights of Penticton Phat Camp 2010"

1. Volunteering at the local Olympic/Sprint triathlon as a kick off to our camp....I was paired with local team mate and good friend Tessa. We were in charge of blocking/directing traffic in and out of the Tim Horton's. As the race dragged on and there were fewer and fewer racers, we started taking pictures of each other *posing* with out neon vests and our traffic flags. LMAO!!!!

2. Biking for 3.5 hour (hilly!) with extremely sore legs....and realizing I could do it! You know how when your legs are sore from a previous day's workout and you can barely walk down the stairs? Well, my legs were that sore. I reached the section where coach Sara would tell me to do the longer or the shorter route. She told me, "I don't care if your legs are sore. Are you feeling woozy at all?" Even in the 35 degree heat, I was woozy free, so I trucked on the longer route. Couldn't believe I did it!!

3. Swimming so slow near the end of the camp, that my coach was worried about me out in the lake! LOL!!! When I get fatigued, swimming is the first thing that goes, and for me, it's like I am barely moving. LMAO!!!!

4. Complete and utter disappointment at the Pasta Factory in Penticton. I was totally craving a real proper spaghetti with meat sauce with melted cheese on top and what I got was the blandest most disgusting gut bomb ever. I went there again the next night and ordered a different dish -- still bland and gross. Ahhhh, Tomato Street, how I miss thee.........

5. The bike bottle rodeo. Coach Sara saw just how much work I need on my bike handling skills. LOL!! Good news, is that since I've been home, I set up my own bike bottle rodeo in the high school parking lot and PICKED UP MY VERY FIRST BOTTLE OFF THE GROUND as I rode by!!! YAHOOOOO!!!!! I can't wait to start picking up the little bottles next!!!

6. I couldn't believe I could push myself so much after doing Ironman Coeur D'Alene. I know I am fitter, but I had no idea that I would be able to do a proper camp 3 weeks after an Ironman. Man! This was a big eye-opener for me.

Well, that's it for now. I've got to repair some holes in my wetsuit, pack up, and then race the Calgary 70.3 on Sunday. :)

By the way, Coach Sara gave me the go ahead for the Silverman iron distance tri in November!!!!! YES!!!!!! :) :) :) :)

A Tribute to Kerry

Coach Sara wrote a wonderful post over on her blog in memory of Kerry.

I have always admired those people who have the ability to use language to really get their feelings across. Sara is one of those people. I am so grateful that her post has given a voice to my own feelings about Kerry.

Kerry Enick Update......

******** UPDATE*********


His body has been identified.




The article says "Body Found Near River" and then has a picture of Kerry smiling below it....

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/07/15/calgary-missing-kerry-enick-inglewood-truck.html

My prayers are with his wife and his family.

Last night, I had a hard time sleeping -- talking with fellow teammates and trying to process this...

Kerry Enick -- Still Missing

Mercury Rising Triathlon teammate Kerry Enick (from Calgary) has been missing since last Wednesday, July 7. The police have now found his red truck, but are still looking for Kerry.

City of Calgary Newsroom Link: http://newsroom.calgary.ca/pr/calgary/seeking-public-assistance-163831.aspx



Kerry is a fixture in the Calgary triathlon community. Everyone either knows him or knows of him -- if you have ANY info at all....any tips, maybe you think you have seen him, please call the police!!!!!

I am so worried for him --- I've been praying and praying for his safe return.

Please come home safely, Kerry!!!!!!!

Wind.

It was blasting away here in the Pass yesterday when I took my bike out. I knew it was going to be a brutal ride when I saw the trees bending in the wind and had hard time hearing my parents as they came walking up the front lawn....

And it was. A brutal ride.

I rode into the wind for the first bit -- there were a number of times the wind would buffet me about, and I nearly fell over a handful of times. That got my heart racing and my legs pedaling I tell you!! I was wobbling occasionally and stopped once on the way out to see if I had a flat....Nope.

When I eventually turned around, the tail wind was so strong and the cross winds so unpredictable, this was the first time I had to ride my brakes with the tail wind on the way home. I had a number of wobbles here too and stopped once more to make sure I didn't have a flat. Nope! Just the freaking wind!!

As I wobbled (or as the wheels "danced" underneath me -- this is how I use positive self-talk to eliminate fear, LOL!!) I experimented with different body positions to try and not wobble any more. Hahahahahahahahah!!! Haven't figured out the correct posture yet, but I'm not afraid of wobbling anymore. Errrrrr...IS that a good thing? LOL!!!!

So, I thought I'd compile a little list...

You Know it is Windy in the Crowsnest Pass When.....

• You have trouble opening your car door to get into the car, AND you have trouble hanging onto it as you get in the car to prevent it from being ripped from its hinges...

Should have held on to that door buddy!

• The new decorative light standards purchased by town council are not strong enough to hold decorative flower pots....

Seriously, there was quite the uproar when it was discovered
the new standards wouldn't hold up in the wind....

• Drivers do a double take when they see the flags in front of the town office in Coleman ARE NOT MOVING. People call each other up: "Quick! Get outside and DO something! the wind is not blowing!"

• There are whitecaps at the Lakes. (Errrr, is there ever a time there isn't whitecaps at the Lakes? Hee-hee!)

Now you know why you NEVER see people on that lake! LOL!

• When turning into Pincher Creek, you think there is something wrong with your steering wheel as you have to hold it crooked to keep your car driving straight....

AARGH!! She's a blowin' today matey!

Well, that's all folks! Penticton camp is coming up this weekend and I am looking forward to some great training and some HEAT. I'll leave the wind here thank you very much. Heh-heh-heh. Happy training everyone! :) :)

Notes on IM Recovery

Recovering after an IM is WAAAAAAYYYYY easier the fitter you are. The very first IM I ever did, I felt so nauseous and terrible for hours afterward. I could barely walk, and I remember I had to take the medal off my neck as it was pulling down my head....

This year after IMCDA, my muscles were sore, but I felt soooo much better. For the first time I ate (and wanted to eat!) two pieces of the finish line pizza. Hahahahaha!!! No nausea.

I mowed through that pizza -- I even got a pizza sauce stain
on the finisher's medal ribbon. LOL!!

Every single muscle in my body hurt though -- that hasn't changed. When I took a shower, even rubbing soap on my arms -- just touching my arms -- every little muscle was sore. Hahahahahaha!!!

Another first this year, was not having the roof of my mouth feel raw like a skinned rabbit (sorry Susi, but you love me still right? Hee-hee!) It always happened the day after an IM -- the roof of my mouth was so tender and raw, I could barely eat anything -- anything would irritate it. This year -- nada. Don't know if my uber coach and her nutrition plan for me had anything to do with it (YES!). :) :)

The day after IMCDA this year, I wanted red meat...BAD. I went to IHOP and ordered a steak and cheese omlette, then had a burger for lunch, then, when I got home, I made beef fajitas.

YES!! I am so glad I live in Alberta!! Hahahahaha!!

My legs still swell up considerably the day after an IM....Like HUGE. Driving home the day after probably didn't help matters -- my legs and ankles were so swollen and huge; my ankles actually wrinkled where they bend just from pressing on the gas pedal. So gross.

When I sat down at the restaurant to eat my burger, I kept poking my ankles and my legs and marveling at how swollen they were.

My tongue was white and corpse-looking the day after IMCDA. Oh man, I kept looking at it in the mirror and then brushed it with toothpaste.



For the first time, I haven't been laid out for the next few weeks after an IM in a comatose state of pain and exhaustion....True the first few days after IMCDA I felt like the biggest bag of a$$ EVER -- a feeling of utter crappiness and exhaustion....A kind of exhaustion where you can only sleep so much and the rest of time you just lay around feeling like crap.

I called my Mom and would tell her how crappy I feel. Then I would call Mike and say "I feel like crap." Then I would lie there in front of my computer watching TV episodes/movies and think of how crappy I felt. LOL!!!

I sprouted a number of zits on my chin the next few days after IMCDA too -- I think it must be all the Carbo Pro/gels/Gatorade = SUGAR just coming out of my body.


Ironman is such a shock to the body-- it takes a few days for my body to reset itself as it were.

This year is the first time I've been able to work out after an IM as well. I am in recovery mode, and my coach has given me some general guidelines to follow for the next couple of weeks.

Have you ever noticed that after a race you feel like you've made a step up in your fitness? I've felt like that for Olympic and Half Iron distances....this is the first time I've felt it after an Ironman though. Mainly because this year, one Ironman race doesn't signal the end of my *season*. :) :) :)

Yesterday, I took my bike out into the wind for about an hour spin. I wasn't expecting anything since it was so windy and I am in recovery mode. My plan was to bike to this turn off that when it is windy (like it was yesterday) takes me 28-30 min. to get to. When the wind isn't blowing, I can get there anywhere from 20 to 25 minutes.

Imagine my surprise when I glanced at my watch just out of curiosity and saw that I had made it there in 24 minutes. WHOA. I had to go further then I planned...and as it turned out, I still didn't go far enough, because when I made it home my watch read 53 minutes...

I'm really excited to be able to use an IRONMAN race as a stepping stone to more fitness. My God, how things have changed in the last 6 years....LMAO!!!!