I'm going out on a limb here and doing a blog update, even though it was within the last month that I last posted!! (Nobody said I was good at this!) I thought the contrast between my run last night and my run today was worthy of noting.
Last night my daughter Ali had dryland training for volleyball at our local rec center. There is a running track there, and like all respectable triathletes I figured I might as well make good use of my time and run while she "trained". Our track is 232.7 meters around. There is a soccer field, a gymnastics center and a gymnasium to look at below but not much to keep you entertained.
I started my run unsure of how long or far I would go. For lack of anything better to do I ended up doing my long run which, it turns out, was 18k and 1:30 long. One hour and 30 minutes of going round and round and round and round! At least we change directions every half hour. Still... it was mind numbing.
So... what was the difference today? Well, it was snowing, and cold and wintery, but I decided I needed to get outside and get some fresh air. It wasn't as cold as it has been, so I thought I'd try taking one Jack Russel with me and see how his feet held up.
Let me tell you... the running Gods were with me! Duncan (the Jack Russell terrorist) was able to run no problems! We met a beautiful Belgium German Shepard pup who he had a great run with, and he LOVED the snow!!! Then, I came home, got the other JR pup named Dexter, and we were off for another bit of running and fun in the snow! Dexter was a happy little camper too and no footy issues. What a GREAT day to decide to get out!!!
2 happy AND tired dogs, some wonderful fresh air, and an unexpected wonderful wintery run in the snow!!!! A pretty good way to end the week I'd say.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
I had a really strong race at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Florida as I think all of you know. I've had so many congrats from all of you.. thank you. I guess I'll write my final thoughts on the race here.
I'm struggling to feel content with my race. I know I exceeded my time goal... that's in black and white, clear as mud on paper. I thought I could hit a 4:40 for s/b/r, plus 5 - 6 min for transitions making a 4:45 a realistic goal. I finished in 4:40:07 and 7th in my age group, far exceeding what I believed I was capable of. On paper, I should be ecstatic with the event. So... what am I struggling with.
The drafting in the race was a huge issue. I've beat that to death in my race report so I don't need to re-visit it. I guess the one thing I have gained clarity on since I wrote that report is that out of the 6 women in front of me, I know that none of them could have rode any cleaner than I did. It would be easy for them to draft more than I did, but not to ride cleaner. That gives me my 7th place finish in very good conscious. I believe I earned that spot:)
The run is another issue though. If I had ran the 1:45 time and ran it solidly... meaning I committed to "running" and ran as hard as I could on the given day, I would have been satisfied with that result and run split. Where my disappointment comes is that I let the pain of racing get to me, and I broke down and walked 11 times during the half marathon. (I know it was 11 because I counted the walks on my Suunto download. It's easy to see them there as speed drops.) These walk breaks were simply because I was tired, and couldn't force myself to keep running. For me, that was a lapse in focus and commitment to race regardless of finishing time and place.
A lot of folks think that I'm 100% result and time focused... and I do work hard to do well and enjoy strong results at the end of the day. The thing that I think people miss though is that for me, finishing time is always second to execution.
For example, my best Ironman race was when I finished in 11:07 in 2007 at Ironman Canada. That is my "zen" Ironman. I can't find one minute in the day where I let myself down. I raced to my potential from start to finish. In 2008 I went faster... 11:04, but can think of several times I lost focus and my desire to race. I value the 11:07 more than the 11:04 because of how I raced. At Great White North 2009, I executed brilliantly from start to finish. My only "time loser" that day was that I couldn't get my wetsuit off... but that had nothing to do with execution. That day is my "zen" 70.3 race! It's not my fastest, but it's where I raced the best.
So, I guess I'll wrap this one up by saying that Clearwater was an amazing race on so many levels. It felt like a world championship once race day arrived... not much before. Still, I hope to go back next year as I'd like to give it a go again and take what I've learned this year to the start line. Hopefully I can find a way to get that "zen" day next year... I guess we'll find out if I make my way back.
Thanks for reading. Angie
I'm struggling to feel content with my race. I know I exceeded my time goal... that's in black and white, clear as mud on paper. I thought I could hit a 4:40 for s/b/r, plus 5 - 6 min for transitions making a 4:45 a realistic goal. I finished in 4:40:07 and 7th in my age group, far exceeding what I believed I was capable of. On paper, I should be ecstatic with the event. So... what am I struggling with.
The drafting in the race was a huge issue. I've beat that to death in my race report so I don't need to re-visit it. I guess the one thing I have gained clarity on since I wrote that report is that out of the 6 women in front of me, I know that none of them could have rode any cleaner than I did. It would be easy for them to draft more than I did, but not to ride cleaner. That gives me my 7th place finish in very good conscious. I believe I earned that spot:)
The run is another issue though. If I had ran the 1:45 time and ran it solidly... meaning I committed to "running" and ran as hard as I could on the given day, I would have been satisfied with that result and run split. Where my disappointment comes is that I let the pain of racing get to me, and I broke down and walked 11 times during the half marathon. (I know it was 11 because I counted the walks on my Suunto download. It's easy to see them there as speed drops.) These walk breaks were simply because I was tired, and couldn't force myself to keep running. For me, that was a lapse in focus and commitment to race regardless of finishing time and place.
A lot of folks think that I'm 100% result and time focused... and I do work hard to do well and enjoy strong results at the end of the day. The thing that I think people miss though is that for me, finishing time is always second to execution.
For example, my best Ironman race was when I finished in 11:07 in 2007 at Ironman Canada. That is my "zen" Ironman. I can't find one minute in the day where I let myself down. I raced to my potential from start to finish. In 2008 I went faster... 11:04, but can think of several times I lost focus and my desire to race. I value the 11:07 more than the 11:04 because of how I raced. At Great White North 2009, I executed brilliantly from start to finish. My only "time loser" that day was that I couldn't get my wetsuit off... but that had nothing to do with execution. That day is my "zen" 70.3 race! It's not my fastest, but it's where I raced the best.
So, I guess I'll wrap this one up by saying that Clearwater was an amazing race on so many levels. It felt like a world championship once race day arrived... not much before. Still, I hope to go back next year as I'd like to give it a go again and take what I've learned this year to the start line. Hopefully I can find a way to get that "zen" day next year... I guess we'll find out if I make my way back.
Thanks for reading. Angie
Friday, November 13, 2009
Clearwater #2
This should technically be Clearwater #3 since this is day 3 in the Sunshine State. I figured that since I missed yesterday though I would stick with chronological order and call this "#2".
From my most basic observations Florida is not the "Sunshine State". The 3 days I've spent here it could be the "Cloudy State", or the "Windy State", or the "State where Angie is always cold" state... but definitely not anything with the word "sunshine" in it. Luckily today there is blue sky, however the wind is still howling and the I need a sweatshirt to stop shivering.
Yesterday was a very low key day. Ken, Jaimie and I went to the Clearwater Aquarium. It's really small and quaint... not at all fancy, but you get up close and personal to the few marine animals they have. It's a rescue facility committed to re-integrating sea critters to the ocean. I found it interesting however that every sea critter they talked about had a reason to not go back their natural habitat so were lifers in the aquarium. Still, it was a good outing.
Last night Ken helped me google every woman in my age group. (Pathetic... I know!) There are a few websites that make searching results really easy. One is www.triresults.com. The other is Bay Area something or other. What I learned was that there are a lot of really really smoking fast women registered in this race. Peggy Yetman was second in Kona in our AG this year. (I'm hoping she's tired!) Cassie McWilliams should be a pro, and there are a few others who are in a league of their own so to speak! There's a good group of women at similar speed to me from what I can tell, and I'm very much looking forward to a good race with these athletes. (Of course my biggest hope is that they all decide to ride clean and not cheat by drafting. From what I understand the chances of this happening are pretty slim!) I also read today that there wasn't any body marking in Kona, making me think there won't be any ages written on the calf of competitors to tell us how we're doing in our AG. So.. it could be a true time trial assuming a few riders stay out of the draft packs:)
The other big news for today is that the swim course has been moved from the ocean side of Clearwater to the Harbor. It will be a deep water mass start for pro men and women, and the age groupers will be a time trial start. I think this means we'll go at 3 second intervals on our own. It means you can't tell where you're at in your age group because everyone starts at different times. On the plus side maybe it will help a bit with drafting. I guess we'll see. This is the first time this has happened at the race so tomorrow could be a bit of an experiment. The website describing the changes is here: http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3/worldchampionship70.3/clearwater2009/relocation-of-swim-for-foster-grant-ironman-world-championship-70.3
Finally I guess I should tell you I'm a bundle of nerves today. I don't remember the last time I felt like this pre-race, but I'm settling down finally at almost 2:00 in the afternoon. This morning I honestly was a nervous jittery puddle of goo! I know that when the gun goes though I'll get my brain in the game and do everything I can to race smart, to race hard, and to race clean. The results will take care of themselves when I get to the finish line!
As I finish writing this the wind is HOWLING outside our door, but at least the sun is shining. I'll take it as a positive sign.
Bye for now... Angie
From my most basic observations Florida is not the "Sunshine State". The 3 days I've spent here it could be the "Cloudy State", or the "Windy State", or the "State where Angie is always cold" state... but definitely not anything with the word "sunshine" in it. Luckily today there is blue sky, however the wind is still howling and the I need a sweatshirt to stop shivering.
Yesterday was a very low key day. Ken, Jaimie and I went to the Clearwater Aquarium. It's really small and quaint... not at all fancy, but you get up close and personal to the few marine animals they have. It's a rescue facility committed to re-integrating sea critters to the ocean. I found it interesting however that every sea critter they talked about had a reason to not go back their natural habitat so were lifers in the aquarium. Still, it was a good outing.
Last night Ken helped me google every woman in my age group. (Pathetic... I know!) There are a few websites that make searching results really easy. One is www.triresults.com. The other is Bay Area something or other. What I learned was that there are a lot of really really smoking fast women registered in this race. Peggy Yetman was second in Kona in our AG this year. (I'm hoping she's tired!) Cassie McWilliams should be a pro, and there are a few others who are in a league of their own so to speak! There's a good group of women at similar speed to me from what I can tell, and I'm very much looking forward to a good race with these athletes. (Of course my biggest hope is that they all decide to ride clean and not cheat by drafting. From what I understand the chances of this happening are pretty slim!) I also read today that there wasn't any body marking in Kona, making me think there won't be any ages written on the calf of competitors to tell us how we're doing in our AG. So.. it could be a true time trial assuming a few riders stay out of the draft packs:)
The other big news for today is that the swim course has been moved from the ocean side of Clearwater to the Harbor. It will be a deep water mass start for pro men and women, and the age groupers will be a time trial start. I think this means we'll go at 3 second intervals on our own. It means you can't tell where you're at in your age group because everyone starts at different times. On the plus side maybe it will help a bit with drafting. I guess we'll see. This is the first time this has happened at the race so tomorrow could be a bit of an experiment. The website describing the changes is here: http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3/worldchampionship70.3/clearwater2009/relocation-of-swim-for-foster-grant-ironman-world-championship-70.3
Finally I guess I should tell you I'm a bundle of nerves today. I don't remember the last time I felt like this pre-race, but I'm settling down finally at almost 2:00 in the afternoon. This morning I honestly was a nervous jittery puddle of goo! I know that when the gun goes though I'll get my brain in the game and do everything I can to race smart, to race hard, and to race clean. The results will take care of themselves when I get to the finish line!
As I finish writing this the wind is HOWLING outside our door, but at least the sun is shining. I'll take it as a positive sign.
Bye for now... Angie
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Clearwater 70.3 World Championships Update #1
I've decided I should blog about my experience in Clearwater. As you may know, blogging is not something I'm good at getting to, but this experience seems worthy of a little typing time. So... what's it like in Florida?
The trip here was uneventful and pretty easy from a travel perspective. We flew direct on West Jet from Calgary to Orlando, and then it was about an hour and a half drive from Orlando to the condo in Clearwater. Ken and I had outstanding sushi on the way which really made the trip!
The condo we're staying in is right on the beach. I am sitting in the living room typing this with a very strong wind blowing in our patio door off the ocean. If it was hot it would be a perfect day! Unfortunately it's cloudy, and windy and cold but the weather is supposed to improve between now and Saturday which is race day.
This morning we went for coffee at a quaint little coffee shop a few k away. It was a very yummy latte... 1/4 pump caramel as always. A great way to start the day. Some groceries then off to the expo to get our race packages. It was FREEZING in the gazebo where package pick up is located with rain blowing sideways off the water into where the tables are. As always the volunteers were amazing, and it was a quick trip around to sign the waivers, get my cap and a run down on what to do with ALL the numbers in my bag, sign in my timing chip and of course, get the goody bag. If always amazes me how every Ironman expo feels the same, no matter where you are. This one was no exception. On the plus side there is a pair of Foster Grant sunglasses in our packages! A nice little bonus!
We then went to the merchanise tent and once again I left buying nothing. I did have a great chat though with a lady I met in Oceanside in April. She's in my age group and very fit and fast. We talked about the course and what we both hope to do. She outran me at Oceanside by 3 - 4 minutes. I'm hoping to catch her on Saturday! We both agree though that how we race is more important than results which we can't control. It was nice to talk to a competitive woman who has a similar approach to racing as I do. We talked about drafting too and how to manage "not" giving it energy on race day. I know that will be my biggest challenge.
We had lunch and Jaimie Roth and I went for a 20 min ride. Wow... riding flat is a really novel experience! I can't say I felt all that safe on the roads. There is a bike lane but it's such a busy street that cars are pulling in and out from the side all over the place, so I was a bit nervous.
From a "race" feel... my bike felt amazing! Ken put it together for me... thanks Ken!... and adjusted the placement of my pads for my aerobars and it's a good change. I also have new pedals that feel great and for the first time in a long time I can clip in and out without effort! For the few minutes I was on my bike I felt "one" with my bike! That's a GOOD thing!
I came home, spent about 30 min fiddling with new speed laces in my runners, then went for a 12 min run. I alternated 1 min fast / 1 min easy and it felt SO good! I'm hoping this is a sign that my cold is done and my chest is clear. I do feel a pretty big need to swim... I'm missing the water. That will be on the agenda tomorrow after our fishing trip! (I'm SO excited about the fishing trip. I think it will be cold, but I REALLY want to catch a BIG fish. A bizarre thing coming from me I know... it's just something I want to do!)
So... that's day 1 in Clearwater. No big pro sightings yet. The expo was pretty quiet today but I expect it to be a busy place tomorrow. We are going to go to Jaimie's favorite restaurant tonight even though we have lots of food for dinner:)
So... that's a wrap for day 1!! Hope all is well in Canada. Angie
The trip here was uneventful and pretty easy from a travel perspective. We flew direct on West Jet from Calgary to Orlando, and then it was about an hour and a half drive from Orlando to the condo in Clearwater. Ken and I had outstanding sushi on the way which really made the trip!
The condo we're staying in is right on the beach. I am sitting in the living room typing this with a very strong wind blowing in our patio door off the ocean. If it was hot it would be a perfect day! Unfortunately it's cloudy, and windy and cold but the weather is supposed to improve between now and Saturday which is race day.
This morning we went for coffee at a quaint little coffee shop a few k away. It was a very yummy latte... 1/4 pump caramel as always. A great way to start the day. Some groceries then off to the expo to get our race packages. It was FREEZING in the gazebo where package pick up is located with rain blowing sideways off the water into where the tables are. As always the volunteers were amazing, and it was a quick trip around to sign the waivers, get my cap and a run down on what to do with ALL the numbers in my bag, sign in my timing chip and of course, get the goody bag. If always amazes me how every Ironman expo feels the same, no matter where you are. This one was no exception. On the plus side there is a pair of Foster Grant sunglasses in our packages! A nice little bonus!
We then went to the merchanise tent and once again I left buying nothing. I did have a great chat though with a lady I met in Oceanside in April. She's in my age group and very fit and fast. We talked about the course and what we both hope to do. She outran me at Oceanside by 3 - 4 minutes. I'm hoping to catch her on Saturday! We both agree though that how we race is more important than results which we can't control. It was nice to talk to a competitive woman who has a similar approach to racing as I do. We talked about drafting too and how to manage "not" giving it energy on race day. I know that will be my biggest challenge.
We had lunch and Jaimie Roth and I went for a 20 min ride. Wow... riding flat is a really novel experience! I can't say I felt all that safe on the roads. There is a bike lane but it's such a busy street that cars are pulling in and out from the side all over the place, so I was a bit nervous.
From a "race" feel... my bike felt amazing! Ken put it together for me... thanks Ken!... and adjusted the placement of my pads for my aerobars and it's a good change. I also have new pedals that feel great and for the first time in a long time I can clip in and out without effort! For the few minutes I was on my bike I felt "one" with my bike! That's a GOOD thing!
I came home, spent about 30 min fiddling with new speed laces in my runners, then went for a 12 min run. I alternated 1 min fast / 1 min easy and it felt SO good! I'm hoping this is a sign that my cold is done and my chest is clear. I do feel a pretty big need to swim... I'm missing the water. That will be on the agenda tomorrow after our fishing trip! (I'm SO excited about the fishing trip. I think it will be cold, but I REALLY want to catch a BIG fish. A bizarre thing coming from me I know... it's just something I want to do!)
So... that's day 1 in Clearwater. No big pro sightings yet. The expo was pretty quiet today but I expect it to be a busy place tomorrow. We are going to go to Jaimie's favorite restaurant tonight even though we have lots of food for dinner:)
So... that's a wrap for day 1!! Hope all is well in Canada. Angie
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Ironman Canada... Quite a day...
Ironman Canada has come and gone for another year. This was a new experiencefor me in that it was the first time I was there not as an athlete / coach, but only as a coach. Now that it's over and I can reflect on what the day was like, I can say that racing is easier. Supporting, cheering, riding the Ironman rollercoaster of ups and downs through the days with all of my athletes is a much more challenging way to spend a day than when my focus is on me. It was also equally as rewarding; maybe more so, than when I race.
There are so many Ironman stories from the athletes, specatators, family members. I very much hope you get to share them with my team. We have started an "Athlete Blog" link in the hope that people lurking around our website can go there and get a feel for what TTL athletes are up to. Thanks to Ken for doing that for me.
For me the day was about sharing on so many levels. There was our team of amazing Ironman athletes. We saw a few of them in the morning, had hugs, well wishes... by then my job is done. I can only support. There was the team of Team Tri Life supporters. We had more folks in orange and purple on the sidelines as in the race! Then there was the spouses and children of our athletes. They were there to cheer but I know that deep down inside there is always that bit of worry... is he OK? How did Richter go? Is her nutrition working? Did he flat? Daddy... when is Mommy coming? All those questions and really, all a spouse can do is wait. It's a hard job.
Highlights for me through the day are many. Listening to the most beautiful rendition of O' Canada then watching 2600 athltes take off across the lake was nothing short of spectacular. Then it was a quick potty break in the Lakeside Inn (a flush toilet with running water on IM day! WOW!)... and off to watch our athletes out on the bike.
We stood on the corner and screamed our heads off counting them as they went by. At times it was like watching a swarm of bees in colorful outfits trying to pull out TTL colors. Poor Jason... he didn't have a TTL jersey, but we still managed to see him through the day! Siobhan was lost too. I saw her once when she was coming in on the bike, and that was only because she yelled at me!
As we counted down our swimmers turned cyclists we knew the day was underway. Ken survived (yah!), Michael with the shoulder cracked in 2 places got out of the swim and on to his bike. Step 1 down... now could he manage 180k ride on an injured shoulder that hadn't been outside on a bike in a month? Joanne came out 15 min earlier than my time estimate! GO JOZ GO! Sarah and Chad ROCKED the swim! Rena, Cindy, Carla, Hope and Tracey were smiling ear to ear! Jason looked focused and ready to tackle the day. Kelvin... he had a great swim! It was very exciting to see him! Richelle... she was smiling and little did we know she wouldn't stop for the rest of the day! It was a great start! I was off to breakfast.
There was a lot of talk about what could happen on the bike. I had some people at home on their computers sending me updates, but the only timing mat on the bike course is on Richters, so apart from that progress on the bike is unknown. I was carefully checking time and average speed to that point whenver I got updates, creating excitement for some atheltes and perhaps a bit of worry for others. Why are they slower than I anticipated? Maybe they're a bit fast... are they excecuting their race plan? All I can do at this point is wonder and know they are prepared to have their best day. The questions still come no matter how much I tell myself that.
As our Team comes in on the bike I'm so proud and amazed at the pieces of their day I get as they ride by. (I was at Cherry Lane Mall... a GREAT place for me to spend the day as I saw them coming and going bike and run.) Rena flatted twice, Michael had crashed again but was OK and going to make it through the ride... only road rash. Cindy had crashed and was a bit out of it. Sarah was flying and smiling. Kelvin... he was struggling but still moving forward. Richelle...smiles and screams of "I'm doing an Ironman" as she rode by. (I thought that might have worn off by that point! It didn't!) Hope feeling GREAT! JoZ made the cut off. So many stories... a mini celebration as each went by. Now on to the tough part... the run!
I loved where I was on the course because I got to run with each athlete as they went by. I missed Siobhan and Jay... I apologize for that. (Neither were in TTL gear... a poor excuse on my part, but the only one I have!) A quick little chat and I offered final words of advice as the headed out to Skaha. I got a hug from some, others told me they felt great, some didn't feel so good. Cindy was in a bit of shock from her crash. I told her to look forward and remember her box. What happened behind her is over and done. No more energy in that direction... only look forward. Michael didn't feel great, neither did Ken, but both were moving well. Carla looked like she was fresh as a daisy, and Richelle was still smiling screaming "I'm doing an Ironman". Kelvin was walking and in some pain. He asked how Sarah was and I told him she was flying. He had a very emotional moment right then... well deserved and heart felt. His goal was to finish... I had no doubt he would, but I knew it would be a long day. Hope said she felt GREAT! JoZ was on her way out. Rena and Tracey were running hard... both were tired but moving well. Chad was flying... Whoa Chad... it's a long way to go!!!!!
Now the second biggest wait of the day was about to start. I was very lucky to have spotters on the course and TTL volunteers at the finish line. Annie, John, Caroline, Susan... we had a network of communication that kept us abreast of how people looked, what they were saying, and where they were in their Ironman day. That is one of my favorite parts of Ironman this year. The sharing amongst the specatators. My thumbs are still recovering from the texting... but it was well worth it! I also had my buddy Chris on his computer at home sending me updates throughout the day. Without him and my sister Nadine I would have been lost. Thank you to both of you.
I got an update that Chad was on his way home. He was the first TTL athlete, I let our finish line supports know he was coming, and ran with him for a few seconds. He was beyond talking... eyes straight forward but running. Sarah was next... unfortunately I was in the bathroom... SORRY Sarah!!! Then came Ken. He was a hurting unit let me tell you. I think the words "Stupid Ironman" came out of his mouth. He had had a tough day but was getting it done. I was off to the finish line for Ken... (He didn't really mean that... he'll be back at the start line one day soon.)
As I was waiting for Ken the texts were flying... Richelle was at the Sicamouse, Cindy was close, Tracey was about to finish... Carla and Rena were great! I ran from the meet and greet area to the finish to try to see what I could. John, Yolanda and Shannon were catching the finishers. All smiles and some tears. Again, our TTL supporters were a HUGE part of the day.
I can't begin to tell you how much this day meant to me. To see people I have grown close to over the year accomplish their goals and dreams. Seeing Sarah after a 1 hour PR, getting a hug from Chad as he cried thanking me for making his lifelong dream of finishing an Ironman come true. Knowing that Tracy had a hard day after an emotional week but still PR'd. Rena... had the day of her life in spite of 2 flats. No excuses. She was all smiles when all was said and done. Richelle... the happiest Ironman alive. She raced happy and exceeded expectations. Cindy had a 40 min PR in spite of the crash. How did she do that? Carla... she qualified at Great White North and was a nervous wreck for a few weeks after taking the spot. She cruised through the day and made it look easy. Ken... he said the easiest part of the day was his swim??? That tells me he had a tough one out there. Jason... he had a challenging few months leading up to the race with his fiance Sarah having to pull out and go from athlete to supporter. His goal was to finish strong and smiling... check! He got it done. Hope... she pr'd her swim, pr'd her bike, and was in great spirits heading out on the run. Unfortunately her heel didn't like the challenge of an Ironman mary, and she was forced to walk from 17 miles on. Seeing Hope on the run course with 5k to go was a hard part of my day. She was so sad and dissappointed in her day. It wasn't what she envisioned. It was also out of her hands as her heel could only take so much. She would get it done. Michael went from feeling awful on the way out, to telling me "This is cool" on the way in. He had ran the last 10k and while it wasn't the IM day he originally thought he'd have before the crash, he got it done! Wow... that is a testiment of the power of the Ironman spirit. Kelvin... a big hug and tears for him. I walked with him for a minute. I did the math, and knew he would make the cutoff. I called Sarah to let her know he'd do it. She never gave up, and I don't think she sat down. She needed to know he was safe. He got it done. JoZ... she made the bike cut off this year... next time she will get to the run turn around in time. She learned so much, and while the outcome was not what she wanted... she knows this is only the start of a lifetime of triathlon, training, friends, and Ironman races. Baby steps...
I'm writing this a week and a half after the race, and I'm amazed at how emotional I still can be at the stories. Cindy's mantra was 'Angie said expect the unexpected"and our day rang true to that from start to finish.
Thank you to all of our Ironman Athletes for letting me along for this ride. I've watched you train, question your abilities, believe in yourself, plan, nurture friendships, support each other, and be amazing human beings throughout the last year or more. I am so thankful that I have all of you in my life and on my team.
Recover well and celebrate. It was one heck of a day.
There are so many Ironman stories from the athletes, specatators, family members. I very much hope you get to share them with my team. We have started an "Athlete Blog" link in the hope that people lurking around our website can go there and get a feel for what TTL athletes are up to. Thanks to Ken for doing that for me.
For me the day was about sharing on so many levels. There was our team of amazing Ironman athletes. We saw a few of them in the morning, had hugs, well wishes... by then my job is done. I can only support. There was the team of Team Tri Life supporters. We had more folks in orange and purple on the sidelines as in the race! Then there was the spouses and children of our athletes. They were there to cheer but I know that deep down inside there is always that bit of worry... is he OK? How did Richter go? Is her nutrition working? Did he flat? Daddy... when is Mommy coming? All those questions and really, all a spouse can do is wait. It's a hard job.
Highlights for me through the day are many. Listening to the most beautiful rendition of O' Canada then watching 2600 athltes take off across the lake was nothing short of spectacular. Then it was a quick potty break in the Lakeside Inn (a flush toilet with running water on IM day! WOW!)... and off to watch our athletes out on the bike.
We stood on the corner and screamed our heads off counting them as they went by. At times it was like watching a swarm of bees in colorful outfits trying to pull out TTL colors. Poor Jason... he didn't have a TTL jersey, but we still managed to see him through the day! Siobhan was lost too. I saw her once when she was coming in on the bike, and that was only because she yelled at me!
As we counted down our swimmers turned cyclists we knew the day was underway. Ken survived (yah!), Michael with the shoulder cracked in 2 places got out of the swim and on to his bike. Step 1 down... now could he manage 180k ride on an injured shoulder that hadn't been outside on a bike in a month? Joanne came out 15 min earlier than my time estimate! GO JOZ GO! Sarah and Chad ROCKED the swim! Rena, Cindy, Carla, Hope and Tracey were smiling ear to ear! Jason looked focused and ready to tackle the day. Kelvin... he had a great swim! It was very exciting to see him! Richelle... she was smiling and little did we know she wouldn't stop for the rest of the day! It was a great start! I was off to breakfast.
There was a lot of talk about what could happen on the bike. I had some people at home on their computers sending me updates, but the only timing mat on the bike course is on Richters, so apart from that progress on the bike is unknown. I was carefully checking time and average speed to that point whenver I got updates, creating excitement for some atheltes and perhaps a bit of worry for others. Why are they slower than I anticipated? Maybe they're a bit fast... are they excecuting their race plan? All I can do at this point is wonder and know they are prepared to have their best day. The questions still come no matter how much I tell myself that.
As our Team comes in on the bike I'm so proud and amazed at the pieces of their day I get as they ride by. (I was at Cherry Lane Mall... a GREAT place for me to spend the day as I saw them coming and going bike and run.) Rena flatted twice, Michael had crashed again but was OK and going to make it through the ride... only road rash. Cindy had crashed and was a bit out of it. Sarah was flying and smiling. Kelvin... he was struggling but still moving forward. Richelle...smiles and screams of "I'm doing an Ironman" as she rode by. (I thought that might have worn off by that point! It didn't!) Hope feeling GREAT! JoZ made the cut off. So many stories... a mini celebration as each went by. Now on to the tough part... the run!
I loved where I was on the course because I got to run with each athlete as they went by. I missed Siobhan and Jay... I apologize for that. (Neither were in TTL gear... a poor excuse on my part, but the only one I have!) A quick little chat and I offered final words of advice as the headed out to Skaha. I got a hug from some, others told me they felt great, some didn't feel so good. Cindy was in a bit of shock from her crash. I told her to look forward and remember her box. What happened behind her is over and done. No more energy in that direction... only look forward. Michael didn't feel great, neither did Ken, but both were moving well. Carla looked like she was fresh as a daisy, and Richelle was still smiling screaming "I'm doing an Ironman". Kelvin was walking and in some pain. He asked how Sarah was and I told him she was flying. He had a very emotional moment right then... well deserved and heart felt. His goal was to finish... I had no doubt he would, but I knew it would be a long day. Hope said she felt GREAT! JoZ was on her way out. Rena and Tracey were running hard... both were tired but moving well. Chad was flying... Whoa Chad... it's a long way to go!!!!!
Now the second biggest wait of the day was about to start. I was very lucky to have spotters on the course and TTL volunteers at the finish line. Annie, John, Caroline, Susan... we had a network of communication that kept us abreast of how people looked, what they were saying, and where they were in their Ironman day. That is one of my favorite parts of Ironman this year. The sharing amongst the specatators. My thumbs are still recovering from the texting... but it was well worth it! I also had my buddy Chris on his computer at home sending me updates throughout the day. Without him and my sister Nadine I would have been lost. Thank you to both of you.
I got an update that Chad was on his way home. He was the first TTL athlete, I let our finish line supports know he was coming, and ran with him for a few seconds. He was beyond talking... eyes straight forward but running. Sarah was next... unfortunately I was in the bathroom... SORRY Sarah!!! Then came Ken. He was a hurting unit let me tell you. I think the words "Stupid Ironman" came out of his mouth. He had had a tough day but was getting it done. I was off to the finish line for Ken... (He didn't really mean that... he'll be back at the start line one day soon.)
As I was waiting for Ken the texts were flying... Richelle was at the Sicamouse, Cindy was close, Tracey was about to finish... Carla and Rena were great! I ran from the meet and greet area to the finish to try to see what I could. John, Yolanda and Shannon were catching the finishers. All smiles and some tears. Again, our TTL supporters were a HUGE part of the day.
I can't begin to tell you how much this day meant to me. To see people I have grown close to over the year accomplish their goals and dreams. Seeing Sarah after a 1 hour PR, getting a hug from Chad as he cried thanking me for making his lifelong dream of finishing an Ironman come true. Knowing that Tracy had a hard day after an emotional week but still PR'd. Rena... had the day of her life in spite of 2 flats. No excuses. She was all smiles when all was said and done. Richelle... the happiest Ironman alive. She raced happy and exceeded expectations. Cindy had a 40 min PR in spite of the crash. How did she do that? Carla... she qualified at Great White North and was a nervous wreck for a few weeks after taking the spot. She cruised through the day and made it look easy. Ken... he said the easiest part of the day was his swim??? That tells me he had a tough one out there. Jason... he had a challenging few months leading up to the race with his fiance Sarah having to pull out and go from athlete to supporter. His goal was to finish strong and smiling... check! He got it done. Hope... she pr'd her swim, pr'd her bike, and was in great spirits heading out on the run. Unfortunately her heel didn't like the challenge of an Ironman mary, and she was forced to walk from 17 miles on. Seeing Hope on the run course with 5k to go was a hard part of my day. She was so sad and dissappointed in her day. It wasn't what she envisioned. It was also out of her hands as her heel could only take so much. She would get it done. Michael went from feeling awful on the way out, to telling me "This is cool" on the way in. He had ran the last 10k and while it wasn't the IM day he originally thought he'd have before the crash, he got it done! Wow... that is a testiment of the power of the Ironman spirit. Kelvin... a big hug and tears for him. I walked with him for a minute. I did the math, and knew he would make the cutoff. I called Sarah to let her know he'd do it. She never gave up, and I don't think she sat down. She needed to know he was safe. He got it done. JoZ... she made the bike cut off this year... next time she will get to the run turn around in time. She learned so much, and while the outcome was not what she wanted... she knows this is only the start of a lifetime of triathlon, training, friends, and Ironman races. Baby steps...
I'm writing this a week and a half after the race, and I'm amazed at how emotional I still can be at the stories. Cindy's mantra was 'Angie said expect the unexpected"and our day rang true to that from start to finish.
Thank you to all of our Ironman Athletes for letting me along for this ride. I've watched you train, question your abilities, believe in yourself, plan, nurture friendships, support each other, and be amazing human beings throughout the last year or more. I am so thankful that I have all of you in my life and on my team.
Recover well and celebrate. It was one heck of a day.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
The Advantage of Being Directionally Challenged!
In the last week I've had 2 "opportunities" to get lost. Seems a bit odd to write about it, but the second episode of misplacement created a good story that I would like to share.
The first one is pretty stupid... I was driving to Red Deer, where I grew up and where I have driven 100's of times in my life, and I accidentally turned South rather than North on the Airdrie overpass. Rather than turning around to go the right way I tried to take a short cut through, that eventually led me to Water Valley and the lovely hamlet of Dog Pound! What is normally an hour and a half trip turned into a 2 1/2 hour trip and garnered me some good chuckles out of my family! I arrived in one piece, feeling like a dolt but happy with how pretty the drive was!
The second incident is a better story... promise!
On Thursday I went for my long ride. My goal was about 90 - 100k, and I left with not much of a plan as to where to go. I wanted to base the route on the wind and it actually worked quite well!
Ken and I rode up Horsecreek. To start the wind was strongly out of the West. As we progressed North however it started to turn into a headwind, so, the logical ride for me was the challenging and scenic Bottrel loop that I had avoided thus far this year! This is the PERFECT North wind route!
I left Ken and headed on my way. I was enjoying myself SO much! The scenery was amazing... everything was green from the rain. There were streams, and creeks, and old barns. I saw a pen of very cute donkeys... it was just a lovely day for a ride. I made all the right turns, and knew I needed to take Lochend Road South to get back to Cochrane.
Who knew that Lochend isn't called Lochend at that end of the road!! I looked... and all I saw was "Range Road ##". I kept going. Before I knew it I'd descended a BIG hill, and was in the little village of Madden. I'd always wanted to see Madden so wasn't upset with the change of plans. Not much to see, but now I can say "I've seen it"!
The road kept going South, and gradually turned to the East. I'm not good with N/S/E/W as a general rule, but this was easy to figure out. I knew I was getting farther and farther from Cochrane. I didn't see any cyclists either which was a bit concerning AND I had no idea what road I was on.
I tried to wave a driver down to ask for directions. She waved back. (Grrrr...) I only brought 600 calories with me, and that was weighing on me quite heavily by this point. I had no money... not a dime, and didn't bring near enough food for a longer ride. Stress was mounting and the scenery lost it's appeal. I was hungry!
As I made a forced right hand turn to stay on pavement there was a truck moving slowly the other way. They had their window open and I seized the opportunity to ask for help!
"Excuse me... could you please tell me where I'm at? I'm lost!" As it turns out they were lost too. They had a dog and were trying to find Water Valley.
So... we had a GREAT chat exchanging directions, and as we were saying goodbye I decided to throw it out there... just ask the question that was looming large in my mind!
"Do you have any food?!" Her initial response was no. My heart sank to my toes and I thought I was doomed. Then, like a gift from the greater good, she reached into her purse and presented me with a Twix bar! I have never ever been so happy to see a melted glob of chocolate, wafer and caramel in my entire life!!!!! We parted ways, and I gobbled down the life saving chocolate bar!!!!
From there on in I was able to go back to enjoying the scenery. Within about 20 min I knew exactly where I was, and my 90k ride turned into a117k amazing journey on a new route I hope to ride often...
The moral of the story is always take more food than you think you need and don't be afraid to ask for directions! It all works out in the end:)
Thanks for reading if you made it this far!
The first one is pretty stupid... I was driving to Red Deer, where I grew up and where I have driven 100's of times in my life, and I accidentally turned South rather than North on the Airdrie overpass. Rather than turning around to go the right way I tried to take a short cut through, that eventually led me to Water Valley and the lovely hamlet of Dog Pound! What is normally an hour and a half trip turned into a 2 1/2 hour trip and garnered me some good chuckles out of my family! I arrived in one piece, feeling like a dolt but happy with how pretty the drive was!
The second incident is a better story... promise!
On Thursday I went for my long ride. My goal was about 90 - 100k, and I left with not much of a plan as to where to go. I wanted to base the route on the wind and it actually worked quite well!
Ken and I rode up Horsecreek. To start the wind was strongly out of the West. As we progressed North however it started to turn into a headwind, so, the logical ride for me was the challenging and scenic Bottrel loop that I had avoided thus far this year! This is the PERFECT North wind route!
I left Ken and headed on my way. I was enjoying myself SO much! The scenery was amazing... everything was green from the rain. There were streams, and creeks, and old barns. I saw a pen of very cute donkeys... it was just a lovely day for a ride. I made all the right turns, and knew I needed to take Lochend Road South to get back to Cochrane.
Who knew that Lochend isn't called Lochend at that end of the road!! I looked... and all I saw was "Range Road ##". I kept going. Before I knew it I'd descended a BIG hill, and was in the little village of Madden. I'd always wanted to see Madden so wasn't upset with the change of plans. Not much to see, but now I can say "I've seen it"!
The road kept going South, and gradually turned to the East. I'm not good with N/S/E/W as a general rule, but this was easy to figure out. I knew I was getting farther and farther from Cochrane. I didn't see any cyclists either which was a bit concerning AND I had no idea what road I was on.
I tried to wave a driver down to ask for directions. She waved back. (Grrrr...) I only brought 600 calories with me, and that was weighing on me quite heavily by this point. I had no money... not a dime, and didn't bring near enough food for a longer ride. Stress was mounting and the scenery lost it's appeal. I was hungry!
As I made a forced right hand turn to stay on pavement there was a truck moving slowly the other way. They had their window open and I seized the opportunity to ask for help!
"Excuse me... could you please tell me where I'm at? I'm lost!" As it turns out they were lost too. They had a dog and were trying to find Water Valley.
So... we had a GREAT chat exchanging directions, and as we were saying goodbye I decided to throw it out there... just ask the question that was looming large in my mind!
"Do you have any food?!" Her initial response was no. My heart sank to my toes and I thought I was doomed. Then, like a gift from the greater good, she reached into her purse and presented me with a Twix bar! I have never ever been so happy to see a melted glob of chocolate, wafer and caramel in my entire life!!!!! We parted ways, and I gobbled down the life saving chocolate bar!!!!
From there on in I was able to go back to enjoying the scenery. Within about 20 min I knew exactly where I was, and my 90k ride turned into a117k amazing journey on a new route I hope to ride often...
The moral of the story is always take more food than you think you need and don't be afraid to ask for directions! It all works out in the end:)
Thanks for reading if you made it this far!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Heart of the Rockies OD Tri...
I raced Heart of the Rockies OD triathlon on Sunday. I have had a string of very good races lately, and am thankful for that. This day was not a "Zen" race for me which is what I would call GWN. It doesn't get any better than my GWN day from an execution perspective. This race though my head was not fully in the game. I had a very average swim. I got on the heels of an older fellow and he wasn't fast enough. I'd make a move to get in front, and end up swimming beside him, so I settled in and made a decision to conserve energy. It was an OK swim, but not great. (There wasn't anybody else around to draft off of.) The bike was tail wind out and headwind back with relentless hills. I forgot how tough this course was. My watts were lower than I expected them to be on the way out, then they took a nose dive on the way back. I'm not sure it if was fatigue from GWN lingering around in those leg muscles, or my head giving in to the discomfort in my quads. Either way, I lost my mojo to push and watts suffered. This is my biggest disappointment with how I executed. The run... it was SO hard. Oh my!!! We left Invermere and meandered our way all the way up to the top of the hill on HW 93. Up a steep wall, down or flat... repeat! Only one fellow broke 40 min and he ran a 2:55 off the bike at Kona last year, so that gives you an idea of how hard it was. I'm going to admit this... it's a bit like AA... I walked a few times on the run. I just wanted too. Oddly, I don't feel as bad about that as I do about the lack of effort on the second half of the bike. On the plus side, the run course was beautiful and once I thought about it I enjoyed the challenge. The last kilometer was downhill which was nice as well. How did things turn out? After all my whining I think you'll roll your eyes at the end result. I won the race overall for women and got a great glass trophy that is proudly displayed in our condo in Panorama. The best part of the day was getting to the finish line to quite a large group of cheerers and hearing "Here is Angie Anderson, our first place female"... and getting lots of support. That was REALLY cool. I've never won a race that wasn't heats. This was the first one where we started together and they knew I was the winner at the finish line. I liked that part:) So... for me... it still comes down to execution. I enjoyed the win, but what I really value is a well executed race. At Oceanside I was 10th in my Age Group... a big pond of fast fish for sure, but I was really happy with that day as I raced as hard as I could. At the Turner Valley Sprint on July 1, I raced my little heart out. That win felt better than this one, just because I know I really worked for it. GWN... you know that story. So... onto the next event. I'm racing the Delta Half Marathon on Aug. 9th in Vancouver. It's flat and fast and at sea level. I'm very much hoping to get my head into the game there better than I did this weekend.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Junior Nationals with Alberta's Canada Summer Games Team
I am in Ottawa for the Triathlon Canada Junior Elite Nationals. What a gift to be here with amazing athletes, Bart who is my manager and Lisa a Mom who has been the best tour guide ever. Tomorrow is the big race. I can't wait. I'll let you know how it goes. One thing I know for sure is that being here with our team has made me crazy excited about Canada Summer Games in PEI. I'm a pretty lucky coach to be able to have this opportunity.
Friday, June 26, 2009
A quote I like...
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." Shunryu Suzuki
Relentless...
The word... "Relentless"...
Hmmmm why do I like that word? At a lecture the other night by Dr. Steve Norris on "How to Parent your Superstar" he talked about the word "relentless". It struck a chord with me. Alpine Canada has it in their motto... "The Relentless Pursuit of Excellence" or something like that. Dr. Norris talked about Steve Nash and what he did when he missed a free throw losing his team a championship game. (I'm not a basketball fan... I don't know the team of the game.) What did Steve Nash do when he came home back to Victoria? He went to the gym at U of Vic upon arriving home after a long flight and threw 500 free throws till the wee hours of the morning. He went home, slept a bit, came back to the gym and threw another 500 free throws. He had lunch, and yup... you guessed it... went back and threw ANOTHER 500 free throws.
His pursuit of excellence was "relentless". Here is a man who is one of the best in the world, and he didn't sit on his accolades and accept the fate of the team. He relentlessly went to work to find the error... where did he go wrong?
We triathletes are not so different really, in our pursuit to be the best we can be. Sometimes our efforts bring us gold, sometimes coal, but we learn from every little experience in the pursuit of excellence.... "our" excellence. I think it's important that we define what "excellence" means to us as well. Is it time, execution, nailing nutrition, pacing the bike well, maintaining a happy face and bright shiny attitude from start to finish, placing in our age group, moving up in our age group, not panicking in the swim, remembering to eat on the bike, celebrating the accomplishments of others when we are disappointed in our own, running the whole run, remembering where our bike is in transition, making it home for our kids birthday party and still getting our training in.... the possibilities are endless.
So... find your own definition of success and remember it will change from race to race, day to day, sometimes moment to moment. Be relentless in your pursuit to accomplish what it is you seek, and be the first to say "I did a GREAT job and I am proud of myself"... then move on to the next check mark. As long as we keep learning, accept failure as a part of the journey to success, and acknowledge that we cannot know everything, we will relentlessly learn and improve. I hope to look at life that way until mine is over.
Something to think about anyway:) Thanks for reading.
Hmmmm why do I like that word? At a lecture the other night by Dr. Steve Norris on "How to Parent your Superstar" he talked about the word "relentless". It struck a chord with me. Alpine Canada has it in their motto... "The Relentless Pursuit of Excellence" or something like that. Dr. Norris talked about Steve Nash and what he did when he missed a free throw losing his team a championship game. (I'm not a basketball fan... I don't know the team of the game.) What did Steve Nash do when he came home back to Victoria? He went to the gym at U of Vic upon arriving home after a long flight and threw 500 free throws till the wee hours of the morning. He went home, slept a bit, came back to the gym and threw another 500 free throws. He had lunch, and yup... you guessed it... went back and threw ANOTHER 500 free throws.
His pursuit of excellence was "relentless". Here is a man who is one of the best in the world, and he didn't sit on his accolades and accept the fate of the team. He relentlessly went to work to find the error... where did he go wrong?
We triathletes are not so different really, in our pursuit to be the best we can be. Sometimes our efforts bring us gold, sometimes coal, but we learn from every little experience in the pursuit of excellence.... "our" excellence. I think it's important that we define what "excellence" means to us as well. Is it time, execution, nailing nutrition, pacing the bike well, maintaining a happy face and bright shiny attitude from start to finish, placing in our age group, moving up in our age group, not panicking in the swim, remembering to eat on the bike, celebrating the accomplishments of others when we are disappointed in our own, running the whole run, remembering where our bike is in transition, making it home for our kids birthday party and still getting our training in.... the possibilities are endless.
So... find your own definition of success and remember it will change from race to race, day to day, sometimes moment to moment. Be relentless in your pursuit to accomplish what it is you seek, and be the first to say "I did a GREAT job and I am proud of myself"... then move on to the next check mark. As long as we keep learning, accept failure as a part of the journey to success, and acknowledge that we cannot know everything, we will relentlessly learn and improve. I hope to look at life that way until mine is over.
Something to think about anyway:) Thanks for reading.
Enough with the 10k nastiness!
I looked back at my posts and realized that I am a 10k complainer! I'm unhappy if the course is long; I'm unhappy if the course is short; and I'm unhappy if the course if bang on but I execute poorly! It's kind of like the 3 Bears... no bowl of porridge is just right and I should suck it up and change my attitude:)
So... here is the new me. I had a GREAT swim this morning. I got to share a lane with my wonderful athlete Cindy, then David a good friend. Beside us were 2 of the Roth clan working hard. I was in my happy place. The water felt "heavy" but the clock indicated things were going well. I was motivated and glad to be there!
I got home and forced myself straight out on a run. It was windy (again) but not as bad as yesterday so I got it done. Who knew I could have SUCH A GREAT RUN! The sun was shining, I was by myself enjoying the beauty and serenity of our wonderful path system in Cochrane, I saw a beautiful Husky puppy and others out enjoying the day. Running felt fast and effortless. All was good.
It got me thinking about how lucky I am to have triathlon in my life. It gives me purpose every day. I'm surrounded by people who share my passion and are highly motivated to love life. Sure training can be a challenge to fit around the rest of our responsibilities, but I know that we always feel better once we've got it done. I'm the first to say "leave the vacuum alone... get your run in" and I base that opinion on the fact that I always feel better after the run, but not so much after the vacuuming gets done. I've heard people say that training for an Ironman is a burden. I was surprised at that. We all make a choice to go this route with our time, so how does a "choice" become a burden?
Think about places in the world where every living moment is spent doing tasks to survive. Getting water and food, building shelters, keeping your family safe; all things we take for granted. We have an existence where we are able to make choices about how to spend our time at some point pretty much every day.
So... the next time you are struggling to get out the door to swim / bike or run, give yourself a quick kick in the behind to "gently" remind you that you get to make this choice. We are a privileged group. I'm thankful for that.
So... here is the new me. I had a GREAT swim this morning. I got to share a lane with my wonderful athlete Cindy, then David a good friend. Beside us were 2 of the Roth clan working hard. I was in my happy place. The water felt "heavy" but the clock indicated things were going well. I was motivated and glad to be there!
I got home and forced myself straight out on a run. It was windy (again) but not as bad as yesterday so I got it done. Who knew I could have SUCH A GREAT RUN! The sun was shining, I was by myself enjoying the beauty and serenity of our wonderful path system in Cochrane, I saw a beautiful Husky puppy and others out enjoying the day. Running felt fast and effortless. All was good.
It got me thinking about how lucky I am to have triathlon in my life. It gives me purpose every day. I'm surrounded by people who share my passion and are highly motivated to love life. Sure training can be a challenge to fit around the rest of our responsibilities, but I know that we always feel better once we've got it done. I'm the first to say "leave the vacuum alone... get your run in" and I base that opinion on the fact that I always feel better after the run, but not so much after the vacuuming gets done. I've heard people say that training for an Ironman is a burden. I was surprised at that. We all make a choice to go this route with our time, so how does a "choice" become a burden?
Think about places in the world where every living moment is spent doing tasks to survive. Getting water and food, building shelters, keeping your family safe; all things we take for granted. We have an existence where we are able to make choices about how to spend our time at some point pretty much every day.
So... the next time you are struggling to get out the door to swim / bike or run, give yourself a quick kick in the behind to "gently" remind you that you get to make this choice. We are a privileged group. I'm thankful for that.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
PR's aren't all they're cracked up to be...
I've learned in the past 6 months that I'm not a good blogger. Honestly, when I'm riding or running I often come up with little tidbits of info to throw up on my blog, but I get home and never ever follow through with it. I'm finding out though that lots of people come to my website and take a boo at my blog. How disturbing that the first thing they see is a pad full of goo drawn out of my foot:) Time to move on past that.
So... TONS of things I could write about. Maybe about how today I was riding in a pace line behind Ken and the great Carmen Augustini into a kick arse headwind thinking I'm about the luckiest gal in the whole world to be riding behind these uber rider blokes. I could talk about that.
I could also talk about missing Terry "Tigger" Toma... but that's too hard right now. She's been gone since April 1st and I still don't have it in place. It will take a while.
I could also talk about the fact that my two daughters are aging and at the ages of 13 and 15 going into grades 9 and 11 I'm too darn close to being out of a "Mommy" job. I don't really want to talk about that either.
So many options... so little time.
Let's talk about the PR that pissed me off!!!!!
I'm not a fast runner. My times are coming down though and darn it, I'm working at it. From the perspective of some folks, I do OK. From the perspective of other (speedy) folks, I'm a big of a plodder. Still, I'm doing the work to improve, and it's paying off.
To why am I pissy about a PR? (The alliteration is killing me!)
The Foothills Academy 10k was a few weeks ago. I didn't taper really but I wanted to see a 44?? when I crossed the finish line. That was my goal. I'm not big on time goals but for this 10k, I set a time goal thinking it was realistic that I be able to accomplish it.
So, I started the race and I felt GREAT! I used my foot pod for pace, and was holding just below goal pace. Those darn km markers said I was going faster than I was, but who the heck is going to listen to that when I have my speed right on my wrist. At about 3k I started to feel not as good, but I hung on like a trooper. At the 5k mark I was amazed to see my 5k pr! How cool is that! A 5k pr in a 10k race:) Oops... can you say "poor execution"!!!!
So, the next 5k I suffered... BADLY. I will even admit to walking. Yup... I had a bit of a mental lapse for about 10 seconds and I walked. I'm a bit shamed to admit it, but I was hurting SO bad. I tried all the tried and true mental tricks... the ones that get me through and IM race. Nothing worked. I walked.
After that I pulled myself together and soldiered on. I had to finish this thing and I could still hit the goal time. Pain is temporary... pride is forever... right!!!
At the finish I clicked my watch. Mission accomplished. The deed is done. I finally have an official 1ok time reading "44" and I should have been thrilled!!!! Why wasn't I?
It all comes down to my deep rooted belief that a well executed race is a beautiful thing. Any distance any speed... if you execute well the time will come. Process goals process goals process goals. That's the key. What will you eat and drink? How will you pace? What are your mental strategies to keep your legs moving when your brain tells them to stop? These are a few of the things we need to look after to race well.
On this day, on this simple little 10k, I got the time goal, but my execution sucked. In the end I ran the second 5k 1:14 slower than the first. That is just ugly. The wierd thing is that poor pacing totally took away from the joy of the time. I would have been very happy with my finish stat IF I'd raced well. Who knew:)
So... next time you go to a start line think about what you value most and put the "steps" in place to honor that. I know I will... if I ever do another 10k!!!! Maybe next month.
Bye for now:) Angie
So... TONS of things I could write about. Maybe about how today I was riding in a pace line behind Ken and the great Carmen Augustini into a kick arse headwind thinking I'm about the luckiest gal in the whole world to be riding behind these uber rider blokes. I could talk about that.
I could also talk about missing Terry "Tigger" Toma... but that's too hard right now. She's been gone since April 1st and I still don't have it in place. It will take a while.
I could also talk about the fact that my two daughters are aging and at the ages of 13 and 15 going into grades 9 and 11 I'm too darn close to being out of a "Mommy" job. I don't really want to talk about that either.
So many options... so little time.
Let's talk about the PR that pissed me off!!!!!
I'm not a fast runner. My times are coming down though and darn it, I'm working at it. From the perspective of some folks, I do OK. From the perspective of other (speedy) folks, I'm a big of a plodder. Still, I'm doing the work to improve, and it's paying off.
To why am I pissy about a PR? (The alliteration is killing me!)
The Foothills Academy 10k was a few weeks ago. I didn't taper really but I wanted to see a 44?? when I crossed the finish line. That was my goal. I'm not big on time goals but for this 10k, I set a time goal thinking it was realistic that I be able to accomplish it.
So, I started the race and I felt GREAT! I used my foot pod for pace, and was holding just below goal pace. Those darn km markers said I was going faster than I was, but who the heck is going to listen to that when I have my speed right on my wrist. At about 3k I started to feel not as good, but I hung on like a trooper. At the 5k mark I was amazed to see my 5k pr! How cool is that! A 5k pr in a 10k race:) Oops... can you say "poor execution"!!!!
So, the next 5k I suffered... BADLY. I will even admit to walking. Yup... I had a bit of a mental lapse for about 10 seconds and I walked. I'm a bit shamed to admit it, but I was hurting SO bad. I tried all the tried and true mental tricks... the ones that get me through and IM race. Nothing worked. I walked.
After that I pulled myself together and soldiered on. I had to finish this thing and I could still hit the goal time. Pain is temporary... pride is forever... right!!!
At the finish I clicked my watch. Mission accomplished. The deed is done. I finally have an official 1ok time reading "44" and I should have been thrilled!!!! Why wasn't I?
It all comes down to my deep rooted belief that a well executed race is a beautiful thing. Any distance any speed... if you execute well the time will come. Process goals process goals process goals. That's the key. What will you eat and drink? How will you pace? What are your mental strategies to keep your legs moving when your brain tells them to stop? These are a few of the things we need to look after to race well.
On this day, on this simple little 10k, I got the time goal, but my execution sucked. In the end I ran the second 5k 1:14 slower than the first. That is just ugly. The wierd thing is that poor pacing totally took away from the joy of the time. I would have been very happy with my finish stat IF I'd raced well. Who knew:)
So... next time you go to a start line think about what you value most and put the "steps" in place to honor that. I know I will... if I ever do another 10k!!!! Maybe next month.
Bye for now:) Angie
Monday, March 16, 2009
Goo
The miracles of modern medicine! In about September I got this nasty lump on my foot. It grew to a bit larger than my lateral malleolus (ankle bone) and was lumpy on top... full of pressure. Yesterday I finally got the goo sucked out. The picture says it all, but if you want to really be grossed out look at this...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pugFvLGfkis
Friday, February 20, 2009
Quitting....
Well, I'm back at Panorama and I've decided that's when I blog. I've had a few complaints about my lack of blogging (Kelly... you know who I'm talking to), so I'm finally sitting down to get it done.
I'm guessing that the title of this post... " Quitting"... seems a bit odd for those of you who know me. It's not something I talk about, think about, aspire to do. It's not in my "framework" as a general rule. I think that's why I'm blogging about it.
I was at the pool on Monday of this week. There was a bit of a planned but unplanned group of tri geeks taking up one lane in the pool. Four men, all very good (aka: much better than me) swimmers, but I took the challenge and hopped in. Chris, Jonathon, Jaimie and Ross... thank you for the 43 min of torture.
The workout was 50's on a minute. 43 of them to be exact. It was a pyramid where we did 1 hard/2 easy, 2 hard / 2 easy etc. It built to 5 hard / 2 easy, then went back down. The boys were getting more rest than me, but I was THRILLED with my splits as I was consistent throughout and able to hold 40 - 41 second 50's. An EPIC swim for me. Stroke mechanics went out the door; this was survival. I didn't quit! I pushed through and finished the workout. It was so hard and I was extremely thankful it was over...
Until it wasn't.
So, Ross and Jon get out leaving Jaimie, Chris and I in the pool. "Splashy Boy 1 and Splashy Boy 2" banter back and forth deciding how we should end this workout. (Nicknames given by a nice lady who lane swims a lot.) They decide we should do 2 x 100m hard on 2:15. Tons of rest. It will be fine. I should have said no, but I'm weak and thought I could get through.
The first 100 I finish in 1:29. I was shocked I pulled that out since my arms were no longer attached to my body and without feeling! We rest, and head off on the second 100. I complete my first 50, push off the wall only to meet Chris coming in to finish his 100 as I hit the flags. (He swims about a 1:07 - 1:10 100 so he's WAY faster than me. I like to call him "Super Human Freak"... with love of course:) When he went by me something snapped and I quit. Yup... I put my feet down, and just quit. It wasn't even a conscious decision. It just happened. The stupid thing is I wasn't even THAT pissed off at myself. I just quit. It was over, done with, no more, nada... the workout complete. A few easy 25's to cool down and home I went.
The next morning I was at the track doing speed work at 6:30 am. An ungodly hour I might add... but that's when Pete could run. We were doing 6 x 3 min hard with 2 min easy. It was hard, and we were running faster than I anticipated we would. I was really struggling this week with energy. The weeks of volume and intensity really seemed to be catching up with me. Somehow though, this workout was coming together.
On the 4th interval, something happened in my brain. I was struggling, and my reference point for feeling crappy flashed back to that moment at the pool when I put my feet down and quit. I now knew that to make the pain stop, I simply had to stop moving, and the discomfort instantly goes away. It works... I've done it. I could quit.
This is the lesson. It took every part of my being to push through and finish that interval. I knew then that quitting one time re-set my tolerance for training discomfort, and gave me permission to do it again. This is BAD with a capital "B". I am not a professional athlete, but I train hard and take a lot of pride in what I've accomplished in the sport of triathlon through hard work and commitment to training. Quitting is not what I'm about.
So, I pushed through the 4th interval, and went on to have a good 5th and a stellar 6th. The workout was done and the lesson was learned.
When we race, we make reference to past training sessions. In an ideal world we should find examples that inspire us to push through moments of mental lapse when our brain tells us to back off and take a break. We want to stop moving, but we don't. What I learned from this week is that quitting once makes it tempting to quit again. The choice to quit in that 4th interval was a much more appealing choice than running to finish what I started. In the end, I got the job done and more important than the fitness gained from a hard workout, was the lesson learned about quitting.
I am not a quitter... I was once, but not anymore. Have a great day!
I'm guessing that the title of this post... " Quitting"... seems a bit odd for those of you who know me. It's not something I talk about, think about, aspire to do. It's not in my "framework" as a general rule. I think that's why I'm blogging about it.
I was at the pool on Monday of this week. There was a bit of a planned but unplanned group of tri geeks taking up one lane in the pool. Four men, all very good (aka: much better than me) swimmers, but I took the challenge and hopped in. Chris, Jonathon, Jaimie and Ross... thank you for the 43 min of torture.
The workout was 50's on a minute. 43 of them to be exact. It was a pyramid where we did 1 hard/2 easy, 2 hard / 2 easy etc. It built to 5 hard / 2 easy, then went back down. The boys were getting more rest than me, but I was THRILLED with my splits as I was consistent throughout and able to hold 40 - 41 second 50's. An EPIC swim for me. Stroke mechanics went out the door; this was survival. I didn't quit! I pushed through and finished the workout. It was so hard and I was extremely thankful it was over...
Until it wasn't.
So, Ross and Jon get out leaving Jaimie, Chris and I in the pool. "Splashy Boy 1 and Splashy Boy 2" banter back and forth deciding how we should end this workout. (Nicknames given by a nice lady who lane swims a lot.) They decide we should do 2 x 100m hard on 2:15. Tons of rest. It will be fine. I should have said no, but I'm weak and thought I could get through.
The first 100 I finish in 1:29. I was shocked I pulled that out since my arms were no longer attached to my body and without feeling! We rest, and head off on the second 100. I complete my first 50, push off the wall only to meet Chris coming in to finish his 100 as I hit the flags. (He swims about a 1:07 - 1:10 100 so he's WAY faster than me. I like to call him "Super Human Freak"... with love of course:) When he went by me something snapped and I quit. Yup... I put my feet down, and just quit. It wasn't even a conscious decision. It just happened. The stupid thing is I wasn't even THAT pissed off at myself. I just quit. It was over, done with, no more, nada... the workout complete. A few easy 25's to cool down and home I went.
The next morning I was at the track doing speed work at 6:30 am. An ungodly hour I might add... but that's when Pete could run. We were doing 6 x 3 min hard with 2 min easy. It was hard, and we were running faster than I anticipated we would. I was really struggling this week with energy. The weeks of volume and intensity really seemed to be catching up with me. Somehow though, this workout was coming together.
On the 4th interval, something happened in my brain. I was struggling, and my reference point for feeling crappy flashed back to that moment at the pool when I put my feet down and quit. I now knew that to make the pain stop, I simply had to stop moving, and the discomfort instantly goes away. It works... I've done it. I could quit.
This is the lesson. It took every part of my being to push through and finish that interval. I knew then that quitting one time re-set my tolerance for training discomfort, and gave me permission to do it again. This is BAD with a capital "B". I am not a professional athlete, but I train hard and take a lot of pride in what I've accomplished in the sport of triathlon through hard work and commitment to training. Quitting is not what I'm about.
So, I pushed through the 4th interval, and went on to have a good 5th and a stellar 6th. The workout was done and the lesson was learned.
When we race, we make reference to past training sessions. In an ideal world we should find examples that inspire us to push through moments of mental lapse when our brain tells us to back off and take a break. We want to stop moving, but we don't. What I learned from this week is that quitting once makes it tempting to quit again. The choice to quit in that 4th interval was a much more appealing choice than running to finish what I started. In the end, I got the job done and more important than the fitness gained from a hard workout, was the lesson learned about quitting.
I am not a quitter... I was once, but not anymore. Have a great day!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Beautiful Wintery Snowy Runs.... WOW!
The holidays are almost over; I have 2 days before we are back at normal life. The kids have to go to school, household chores take a good hunk of the day, and work and training fall back into their regular routine. There is comfort in routine, but I'm not quite ready to pop back into it just yet!!! Puleassee..... can I have a few more days in Pano!
Oh ya... the beautiful wintery snowy run story...
When I come up the mountain I rarely leave. I pride myself in not starting the car and hunkering down in the snow for the duration of the trip. Unfortunately when you are in a condo with 9 people for 8 days, someone has to get groceries! So, a friend who I have not talked to for a very long time stopped by and mentioned she was going to run in town. I put on a brave face and decided to "break the habit" and head to town! It worked well with a run / grocery shop, so was an easy sell to the family unit who stayed on the mountain.
We parked in the grocery store parking lot to kill two birds with one stone, and headed out. It was a gentle run to start, and we picked it up a bit as we went. I was worried we wouldn't have much to talk about since our lives are very different and we've not really had a visit in so long. I was wrong on both accounts. Joanne is a high powered corporate lawyer. I'm a triathlon coach. Our lives are so different, but somehow, on this snowy day running on Westside Road in Invermere we had a wonderful, intimate joyful run with rich flowing conversation that will be etched in my memory for a long time as a keeper; the runs you reflect on often because there was something special about it.
We had an amazing view of the lake, and there were deer at every turn. Snow was abundant as was sun and cold, and I loved every minute.
So, take a shot at something different once in a while. A new running route and wonderful company inspired me to do the unthinkable a second day in a row! Yup.... I went down and did a short run the next day after several hours shopping and having lunch with my sister, my niece and my beautiful amazing daughter Ali. It was a girls day until I ditched them at the grocery store to do a short run. Again, there were deer, and snow, and sun... and again... it was amazing!
I wonder when the next run will bring.
Oh ya... the beautiful wintery snowy run story...
When I come up the mountain I rarely leave. I pride myself in not starting the car and hunkering down in the snow for the duration of the trip. Unfortunately when you are in a condo with 9 people for 8 days, someone has to get groceries! So, a friend who I have not talked to for a very long time stopped by and mentioned she was going to run in town. I put on a brave face and decided to "break the habit" and head to town! It worked well with a run / grocery shop, so was an easy sell to the family unit who stayed on the mountain.
We parked in the grocery store parking lot to kill two birds with one stone, and headed out. It was a gentle run to start, and we picked it up a bit as we went. I was worried we wouldn't have much to talk about since our lives are very different and we've not really had a visit in so long. I was wrong on both accounts. Joanne is a high powered corporate lawyer. I'm a triathlon coach. Our lives are so different, but somehow, on this snowy day running on Westside Road in Invermere we had a wonderful, intimate joyful run with rich flowing conversation that will be etched in my memory for a long time as a keeper; the runs you reflect on often because there was something special about it.
We had an amazing view of the lake, and there were deer at every turn. Snow was abundant as was sun and cold, and I loved every minute.
So, take a shot at something different once in a while. A new running route and wonderful company inspired me to do the unthinkable a second day in a row! Yup.... I went down and did a short run the next day after several hours shopping and having lunch with my sister, my niece and my beautiful amazing daughter Ali. It was a girls day until I ditched them at the grocery store to do a short run. Again, there were deer, and snow, and sun... and again... it was amazing!
I wonder when the next run will bring.
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