This weekend I raced the Great White North 1/2 Ironman held in Stony Plain, Alberta. It was a well organized event and was the 19th time it'd been hosted by Stony Plain. The were many many many wheat and canola fields which we passed on the drive to Stony Plain. At 1 point on the bike I looked over my right shoulder to see the dramatic black and white clouds (it POURED rain shortly after the race ended), with green and yellow fields in the foreground. I wish I had my camera.
We were treated to an amazing carbo dinner Friday night. It was delicious and extra delicious after a 3 hour drive from Calgary. Saturday was a relaxed day in the hotel. We slept in (till 9pm), watched Argentina lose to Germany in the world cup :(. And also watched the first stage of the Tour de France. The pre-race jitters were worked out by a short swim in the lake (lots of goose poo!), and 20 minute bike ride around the hotel. I was in bed by 10pm, but probably asleep past midnight because the room was a little TOO warm.
The swim was two loops around Hubbles Lake and was 2000m, 100m longer than a typical 1/2 IM distance. I surprised myself when i saw 21:XX on the watch after the first lap. In total the swim took 43:44, 3 minutes faster than my previous 1900m swims. Since the course was 100m longer, I was 5 minutes faster than previous races!
The bike course was described as 'flat'. However, race day was WINDY! typical to Alberta, it was a Western wind. Training in Calgary usually means a headwind AND slight incline when heading west making for a slow ride out, and FAST ride back. I was suprised to see the speed I was averaging going into the wind, but it made sense since it was a flat course. I pushed harder going into the wind, figuring that I'd have an easier ride coming back. I kept a cadence of 90rpm, and was able to pass quite a few people. Wade Church, the event organizer, made a big deal about drafting...it annoyed me when riders would make a pass, then slow down once they moved back in 'line'. Instead of maintaining their speed and creating room for me, I'd have to make a pass on them...which 'over-revved' my engine. At the 50km turnaround my legs were starting to feel the burn....and I was extremely glad to ride the wind home. It was at this point that I passed a teammate (Tina). I eventually slowed down, and She passed me again. I struggled through the last 20km but was happy to get to the run. total bike time was 2:52:17 which includes T1. Average speed of 31.3km/hr
The BIG focus of this race was to have a good run. Previous races had 2:10 and 2:30 1/2 marathons which is no where near what i should be running. The key was to start slow. I gave myself the limit of 5:15min/km which i held for 2km's. From there i went by feel and by about the 5th km I was down to 5:00min/km. I did some quick math which worked out to an average pace BELOW 5:00min/km.........WHAT????? I thought I was running 5:15's? At this point i thought maybe the signs were in the wrong spot.....but redid the calculations at the 10th km and sure enough I was still below a 5:00min/km pace. This got me pumped so i picked it up a bit so that the WATCH was reading 4:45min/km which meant I was running 4:20's?? I ran with the fuel belt, which i normally don't do, but it seemed to work for me! I was able to take a swig of gel/water mix whenever I felt my HR, cadence, or speed falling. I was very pleased with my run which ended up being 1:42:37, average pace 4:52min/km. The goal was 7:30min/mile...but I was 17sec/mile slower....but who cares when you shave 45 mins off your previous PB!
GWN is a qualifier for Ironman Canada.....What does that mean??
to get a spot in Canada's only full distance Ironman, you have to show up 1 year in advance with $550 in hand. For those that can't make the trip to penticton, 1 option is to go for a community spot which involves donating or raising a LARGE sum of money ($2000, i think). The other way is to find a race which will qualify you. Spots are given away based on placing within your age group and there is also the lottery system where names are drawn at random.
There were 4 people in our age group wanting spots, and for some reason they allocated 2 IMC spots to our age group. I qualified for the 2nd spot......and accepted it! I originally wanted to race Ironman in 2012, but decided 2011 would be a good year.....But now that's been shifted up to 2010! What a great way to celebrate being 25.
I wouldn't have accepted the position if I wasn't ready, or didn't have the base fitness. May long weekend was spent in penticton biking the course a couple times. The Run has been solid with intervals up to 10x1mile repeats. The swim has felt solid, even though I swim 4 times a month!
I have 8 weeks to prepare for the longest distance Triathlon I've ever attempted!
The next 4 weeks will involve stretching the swims from 2/week to 4/week when i'm back in town. distance will increase from 2500m to 5000m. I've ridden 100km+ 6 times this season? That'll increase to 200km and also a few 160km's in there. Mile repeats will continue, but some longer duration runs will be included as well.
I like that I only have 2 months to worry and do my final preparations for this race. The alternative is to sweat over the race for 12 full months, battle with mental issues of 'can i do this?' and also risk the potential of overtraining TOO early in the season and peaking early as well. I believe that I'll get through the race. My goal is to run a strong marathon. This was the same mentality as GWN, and it caused me to pace myself on the bike.
Overall time was 5:18:36. thanks to the CSR fans who came out to cheer, and to all the volunteers for making the race possible. Many CSR athlets had personal bests! Coach Cal had a solid race and ran himself into 3rd place with a SMOKIN time of 4:08:48. A couple other athletes qualified and accepted Ironman spots. My runner partner, Jane, got a spot and I'm so happy for her! Crescent Road here we come!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Paragliding!
This weekend I took a FUN course introducing myself to the sport of paragliding. The focus was on ground handling and learning to take off. The first day had constant wind for about 2 hours and we go some good practice in, but then the wind shifted and was heading the wrong direction. We called it quits at 1030am.
Day 2 brought us to a steeper, longer hill and the wind was much better. It actually picked up towards the end, and the instructors called it quits because of the chance of catching a thermal, and the potential for us to freak out, and crash to the ground........My theory is that they stop the lesson right when you're feeling confident and wanting more. It's a good way to hook you for the intermediate course.
Normally you wouldn't attempt 20 take offs in a 2 hour span. As a result, my biceps and groin are bruised from the unpadded equipment. max height was maybe 10 ft off the ground and flew for 15 seconds :)
The cost of the course was $100 and well worth it! I'll have to sit and think about the $750 intermediate course....it's tempting.
There was a really good sermon at Centre Street today. I was challenged in many ways including being a good family member and also leading a good family (in the future). Being a member of God's family also means helping out other families in need (single parents etc).
Day 2 brought us to a steeper, longer hill and the wind was much better. It actually picked up towards the end, and the instructors called it quits because of the chance of catching a thermal, and the potential for us to freak out, and crash to the ground........My theory is that they stop the lesson right when you're feeling confident and wanting more. It's a good way to hook you for the intermediate course.
Normally you wouldn't attempt 20 take offs in a 2 hour span. As a result, my biceps and groin are bruised from the unpadded equipment. max height was maybe 10 ft off the ground and flew for 15 seconds :)
The cost of the course was $100 and well worth it! I'll have to sit and think about the $750 intermediate course....it's tempting.
There was a really good sermon at Centre Street today. I was challenged in many ways including being a good family member and also leading a good family (in the future). Being a member of God's family also means helping out other families in need (single parents etc).
Monday, June 14, 2010
Hobby Updates
Cooking - I made Pho last week and invited a friend over for lunch. I found the recipe online, but the broth included beef/chicken bones, staranise, fish sauce, onion, ginger and some other stuff. It called for Daikon which i couldn't find at T&T. It started off too watery, so I had to boil it down but ended up tasting great! I left it in the thermos overnight instead of boiling on low heat all night.
Photography - We shot a wedding this weekend (Janna and Andrew Wing). Lovely couple who pretty much started dating long distance. It's amazing to see how God has led them through the past 3 years. No they're both going to be doctors and are moving to Halifax, NS. I wish them all the best.
Adventure sports - My paragliding course is this weekend. I looked at the details last night and now I'm a little worried. After 1.5 hours in the classroom, they'll take us out for 4 hours of flying. I hope I learn enough emergency maneuvers in the 1.5 hours! I kinda like my legs and don't want them to be crushed from a fall.
Triathlon - I took time off for the wedding this weekend and I'm taking a Vibrations course in town at the start of next shift. I have a solid 2 week period to get in some quality training for GWN, which is July 4th. This is my 1 and only triathlon this year. Signing up for IMC 2011 was dependent on my results and feelings with GWN, but I've jumped the gun and already plan on signing up for IMC. I finally bought mtn bike shoes and pedals and headed to COP last week with the crew. We did a few warm up loops before hitting the Canada Cup Trail. FUN FUN FUN!!! I'm tempted to try Xterra now, but mtn biking in itself is fun enough.
Travel - I booked tickets to Honolulu in October. I'll spend the night there before heading to KONA for 5 days. I plan on watching and taking photos of the kona IM. After that I'll do some coffee tours, scuba dive with manta rays, mtn bike through volcano national park.
Then it's off to Maui for some more scubadiving and site seeing. Xterra world champs are also that weekend so I will take photos....(and perhaps race since i'll have my bike....yes..I know i just said i wouldn't race xterra..but we all know that it'll happen eventually). Racing xterra depends on A) someone dropping out due to injury or cuz they're BEAT tired from racing Kona B) Coach Cal pulling some strings and getting the organizers to let me race. If i can't get a spot i'll run the 10km trail run the day before.
I believe that's it for hobbies!
Photography - We shot a wedding this weekend (Janna and Andrew Wing). Lovely couple who pretty much started dating long distance. It's amazing to see how God has led them through the past 3 years. No they're both going to be doctors and are moving to Halifax, NS. I wish them all the best.
Adventure sports - My paragliding course is this weekend. I looked at the details last night and now I'm a little worried. After 1.5 hours in the classroom, they'll take us out for 4 hours of flying. I hope I learn enough emergency maneuvers in the 1.5 hours! I kinda like my legs and don't want them to be crushed from a fall.
Triathlon - I took time off for the wedding this weekend and I'm taking a Vibrations course in town at the start of next shift. I have a solid 2 week period to get in some quality training for GWN, which is July 4th. This is my 1 and only triathlon this year. Signing up for IMC 2011 was dependent on my results and feelings with GWN, but I've jumped the gun and already plan on signing up for IMC. I finally bought mtn bike shoes and pedals and headed to COP last week with the crew. We did a few warm up loops before hitting the Canada Cup Trail. FUN FUN FUN!!! I'm tempted to try Xterra now, but mtn biking in itself is fun enough.
Travel - I booked tickets to Honolulu in October. I'll spend the night there before heading to KONA for 5 days. I plan on watching and taking photos of the kona IM. After that I'll do some coffee tours, scuba dive with manta rays, mtn bike through volcano national park.
Then it's off to Maui for some more scubadiving and site seeing. Xterra world champs are also that weekend so I will take photos....(and perhaps race since i'll have my bike....yes..I know i just said i wouldn't race xterra..but we all know that it'll happen eventually). Racing xterra depends on A) someone dropping out due to injury or cuz they're BEAT tired from racing Kona B) Coach Cal pulling some strings and getting the organizers to let me race. If i can't get a spot i'll run the 10km trail run the day before.
I believe that's it for hobbies!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
I paper cut my face today
I paper cut my face while licking an envelope.
The envelope was to send a deposit cheque to book a 12-14 person house in penticton for Ironman 2011! It's a little bit early, but the owner allowed me to book early and I was able to meet him and see the place when I was in penticton last weekend.
We rode 120km, ran 16miles, and rode 160km over the 3 day camp. A few of us skipped the swim in skaha lake (cold at this time of year), in order to wine taste! I came home with 28 bottles of wine. Surprisingly, over half the bottles were whites. I've learned that whites 'cellar' for shorter periods of time before they're ready to drink...so perhaps I actually knew what I was doing. haha. I need a wine fridge now to keep the wine at 7C. The red which I'll cellar for a few years is 2007 'superego' from Therapy Vineyards. Cab Sauv- 63%, Merlot- 23%, Cab Franc- 10%, Shiraz-2%, Petite Verdot- 2%
The envelope was to send a deposit cheque to book a 12-14 person house in penticton for Ironman 2011! It's a little bit early, but the owner allowed me to book early and I was able to meet him and see the place when I was in penticton last weekend.
We rode 120km, ran 16miles, and rode 160km over the 3 day camp. A few of us skipped the swim in skaha lake (cold at this time of year), in order to wine taste! I came home with 28 bottles of wine. Surprisingly, over half the bottles were whites. I've learned that whites 'cellar' for shorter periods of time before they're ready to drink...so perhaps I actually knew what I was doing. haha. I need a wine fridge now to keep the wine at 7C. The red which I'll cellar for a few years is 2007 'superego' from Therapy Vineyards. Cab Sauv- 63%, Merlot- 23%, Cab Franc- 10%, Shiraz-2%, Petite Verdot- 2%
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Calgary Police 1/2 Marathon
I ran the Police Half last week. The weather was nice and warm leading up to race day, but Calgary decided to snow and rain the night before the race. Conditions were windy and the course was hilly.
I was 1 minute faster than last year's time, but quite a bit off from what I was expecting. Maybe my fitness isn't where I thought it was. My time was 1:38:07.
The week leading up to the race, I did testing at the Human Performance Lab. It was for the Reebok zigtech shoe. they claim to reduce wear by %20, and call the shoe an 'energy drink' for your feet/legs. The shoe is lighter than average shoe, and gradual drop from the heel to toe (to put you in a forward position). I didn't feel much of a difference between the shoes, the results showed slight to no benefit when running with the zigtech versus the control shoe. I got a free pair of the $120 shoe for my 4 hours of effort. I also got my VO2 scores, and associated Heart Rates. From looking at my lactate threshold heart rate, I don't think i'm running fast enough for tempo and speed work outs. It's time to talk to the coach, and make some modifications.
On a happier note, my birthday is coming up. I've been looking back through older photos. 2 years ago I was extremely sore because it was the day after my 1st marathon. And on may 7th, I flew to hawaii as a graduation present from my parents. I feel like the past 2 years have FLOWN by!
I was 1 minute faster than last year's time, but quite a bit off from what I was expecting. Maybe my fitness isn't where I thought it was. My time was 1:38:07.
The week leading up to the race, I did testing at the Human Performance Lab. It was for the Reebok zigtech shoe. they claim to reduce wear by %20, and call the shoe an 'energy drink' for your feet/legs. The shoe is lighter than average shoe, and gradual drop from the heel to toe (to put you in a forward position). I didn't feel much of a difference between the shoes, the results showed slight to no benefit when running with the zigtech versus the control shoe. I got a free pair of the $120 shoe for my 4 hours of effort. I also got my VO2 scores, and associated Heart Rates. From looking at my lactate threshold heart rate, I don't think i'm running fast enough for tempo and speed work outs. It's time to talk to the coach, and make some modifications.
On a happier note, my birthday is coming up. I've been looking back through older photos. 2 years ago I was extremely sore because it was the day after my 1st marathon. And on may 7th, I flew to hawaii as a graduation present from my parents. I feel like the past 2 years have FLOWN by!
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