I was going to write about the normal drivel of my day, my workout and my food choices (ho-hum), but after reading Wendy's post (her link at right), I've decided to write about this.
I always love it when things I learn in the business world carry over and can be applied in the real world. I've just realized that this is true of the concept of the Balanced Scorecard & KPIs.
In business terms, it's a way of measuring the state of your business based on four areas: Financial, Customer Satisfaction, Employee Satisfaction and Quality. Normally, we tend to think that by focusing too much on one thing that the other things will suffer. That's why it's called a balanced scorecard - you evaluate your progress on each of those areas and add them all up to give you an overall rating of how you're doing. And it's true: if you do focus too much on one part the other parts will suffer.
KPI is an acronym for Key Performance Indicators. These are the individual things within the balanced scorecard framework that you measure. They can have equal or different weights, depending on how much impact you think they have on the overall category.
So what the heck does this have to do with weight loss? Well, I think that it's very easy for us to put too much focus on one area of our lives to the exclusion of everything else. Plus, we can put too much weight (pun intended or not, depending on how you look at it) on our actual weight on the scales. There are many, MANY ways of measuring our progress in terms of physical health.
If we agree that Physical Health is one of the categories in our Balanced Scorecard of Life, then what are its KPIs? Here are some suggestions. You can decide which ones are meaningful to you and how much "weight" to put on each of them:
1. Weight
2. Body fat percentage
3. BMI
4. Body measurements
5. Morning resting heart rate
6. Clothing fit
7. Blood pressure
8. Cholesterol
9. Bone density
10. Number of days per month physically active
11. Length of daily workout sessions
12. Weight lifted
13. Improvements in race times
I'm sure there are more than just those, but it's a good place to start. For me, I tend to use weight, morning resting heart rate (it goes down as you get fitter), clothing fit, number of days physically active, length of workout sessions, amount of weight lifted and improvements in race times.
But the weird thing is -- and it's true for KPIs in business, too -- that each of those things can have an effect on the other. And sometimes they can have a "chicken-and-egg" relationship. The bottom line for me, though, is that I cannot measure my progress in terms of physical health simply by weight alone.
And the thing is, when taking a Balanced Scorecard approach to life, Physical Health is but one dimension. Emotional Health, Financial Health, Family/Relationship Health, Intellectual Health, Cultural Health, etc. are all equally important factors. The key is in figuring out the right balance for us.
One of the biggest mistakes that companies make is that they put too much focus on one area of their business to the exclusion of the others. I just want to make sure that doesn't happen to me in my life.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Monday, August 22, 2005
Feeling Thin
I have no explanation for it, but for some reason today I felt thin. Well, maybe thinner is a better way of describing it.
It certainly wasn't the number on the scales this morning that made me feel that way because it was a little higher than it's been, but that's probably PM-bloat. I rode my bike to work (no gym as I wanted to give my hip a break) and after I changed in the ladies room I was looking at myself in the full-length mirror and I just thought that I looked really slim. I was wearing a khaki-green A-line linen skirt and a black T-shirt. I guess it's just the way that the skirt skimmed my body that it didn't show the normal lumps and bumps (I'm sure J knows the technical reason for this). Anyway, I'll take it no matter what caused it.
The ride to/from work was a little windy today. It's also quite cold here, which is quite the change from the summer we've had this year. I'm glad to have the cool break - I just hope it holds out for my race in 11 days.
After work, I rode to the pool. I had to play that little bargaining game with myself again because I didn't really want to swim. The water was chilly and it was cloudy and windy out, so, being an outdoor pool, it wasn't very crowded. That said, the wind made for a slow return lap as I was swimming right into a headwind. I wasn't really "feeling" my swim today, so I called it quits after 1,000m (20 minutes). But I did manage a 400m set in 7:56, which is exactly the pace I want to go for my race (although that one is 2,000m).
Tomorrow morning I'll ride to the gym before work and do a Gravity class at 6:30. No elliptical, though, because of my hip (grrrrr). In the evening I'll do a bike workout and then take my bike into the shop for a quick tune-up while I'm away.
Only two more sleeps until vacation! Woo!
It certainly wasn't the number on the scales this morning that made me feel that way because it was a little higher than it's been, but that's probably PM-bloat. I rode my bike to work (no gym as I wanted to give my hip a break) and after I changed in the ladies room I was looking at myself in the full-length mirror and I just thought that I looked really slim. I was wearing a khaki-green A-line linen skirt and a black T-shirt. I guess it's just the way that the skirt skimmed my body that it didn't show the normal lumps and bumps (I'm sure J knows the technical reason for this). Anyway, I'll take it no matter what caused it.
The ride to/from work was a little windy today. It's also quite cold here, which is quite the change from the summer we've had this year. I'm glad to have the cool break - I just hope it holds out for my race in 11 days.
After work, I rode to the pool. I had to play that little bargaining game with myself again because I didn't really want to swim. The water was chilly and it was cloudy and windy out, so, being an outdoor pool, it wasn't very crowded. That said, the wind made for a slow return lap as I was swimming right into a headwind. I wasn't really "feeling" my swim today, so I called it quits after 1,000m (20 minutes). But I did manage a 400m set in 7:56, which is exactly the pace I want to go for my race (although that one is 2,000m).
Tomorrow morning I'll ride to the gym before work and do a Gravity class at 6:30. No elliptical, though, because of my hip (grrrrr). In the evening I'll do a bike workout and then take my bike into the shop for a quick tune-up while I'm away.
Only two more sleeps until vacation! Woo!
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Not according to plan
I ran this morning. I had delusions that I could just pick up where I left off pre-injury. Ha! I should have known better. Heck, I counsel others on that all the time! I did run into my friend GS this morning (he twisted his ankle badly on a trail run yesterday so not running) who suggested that maybe the 14K I had planned to run might be a little ambitious considering I'm coming off an injury. Oh, yes, he was so right.
Things started off OK. The weird thing was that when I got to the store I didn't see ONE person I recognized. Where were all the usuals? Anyway, finally hooked up with this guy, JW, whom I'd run with before. He's faster than I am but had been away for a while, so was happy to run at my pace. Along the way, we ran into Rocket Boy (a long time friend of mine) who was running alone in the opposite direction. He decided to join us so I had this great run flanked by two guys who are at least 10 years my junior. Go me!
But then it happend: At about the 25-minute mark, I started to feel the old familiar twinge in my hip. As we got a little further along, it just kind of settled into the typical dull ache. When we got to 32 minutes of running I finally had to say that I should probably turn around because I didn't want to re-injure myself. The thing is, I was feeling GREAT energy-wise; it was just my stupid hip that wasn't cooperating. Anyway, we ran back together and my total running time was 1:05. I think we covered about 9.5K.
After breakfast, I came home, took some drugs and iced my hip. It's feeling OK, but not great. We'll see how it feels tomorrow. So, I guess what I'm going to have to do is just stay off it for the next 13 days until my race and just do the race on faith that I have the inherent cardio and muscle fitness to do it. Sigh.
C1rque du S0leil was brilliant yesterday! It was lovely and exciting and quite the spectacle all around. I think the trampoline and high-flyers were my favourites. I also liked the acrobats who were doing trampoline-like moves while launching each other off the ends of a teeter-totter. THAT stressed me out - it was the only time I thought someone might fall or miss. It was great.
I'm just gonna chill for the rest of the day. I have sooooo much house cleaning to do, which I really should be doing today because I'll have limited time to do it before I leave for vacation on Wednesday morning. My flight is at 7AM, so I have to have everything ready to go by Tuesday night. Vacation! Yea!
Things started off OK. The weird thing was that when I got to the store I didn't see ONE person I recognized. Where were all the usuals? Anyway, finally hooked up with this guy, JW, whom I'd run with before. He's faster than I am but had been away for a while, so was happy to run at my pace. Along the way, we ran into Rocket Boy (a long time friend of mine) who was running alone in the opposite direction. He decided to join us so I had this great run flanked by two guys who are at least 10 years my junior. Go me!
But then it happend: At about the 25-minute mark, I started to feel the old familiar twinge in my hip. As we got a little further along, it just kind of settled into the typical dull ache. When we got to 32 minutes of running I finally had to say that I should probably turn around because I didn't want to re-injure myself. The thing is, I was feeling GREAT energy-wise; it was just my stupid hip that wasn't cooperating. Anyway, we ran back together and my total running time was 1:05. I think we covered about 9.5K.
After breakfast, I came home, took some drugs and iced my hip. It's feeling OK, but not great. We'll see how it feels tomorrow. So, I guess what I'm going to have to do is just stay off it for the next 13 days until my race and just do the race on faith that I have the inherent cardio and muscle fitness to do it. Sigh.
C1rque du S0leil was brilliant yesterday! It was lovely and exciting and quite the spectacle all around. I think the trampoline and high-flyers were my favourites. I also liked the acrobats who were doing trampoline-like moves while launching each other off the ends of a teeter-totter. THAT stressed me out - it was the only time I thought someone might fall or miss. It was great.
I'm just gonna chill for the rest of the day. I have sooooo much house cleaning to do, which I really should be doing today because I'll have limited time to do it before I leave for vacation on Wednesday morning. My flight is at 7AM, so I have to have everything ready to go by Tuesday night. Vacation! Yea!
Friday, August 19, 2005
Happiness is...
A swim lane all to myself! As much as I hate the production of going swimming, I love it when I get a lane all to myself and don't have to worry about going too fast or too slow - just going my own pace. Now THAT'S happiness! And I didn't even really want to go, but I made a bargain with myself that if I went I only had to do 15 minutes and if I still didn't feel like swimming I could quit. Well, as I knew would happen, once I got in the water I was happy to do the full 30 minutes - especially considering my own personal swim lane! And I had a really great workout, doing 1500m in just under 30 minutes.
We must have had some weird freak storm during the 45 minutes I was inside at the Rec Centre because when I came out the streets were flooded! Puddles in the curb lane were higher than ankle deep! Needless to say, traffic was a mess, so it took me much longer to get to where I was going.
Being the master multi-tasker that I am, I also had my laundry in the car to go to the laundromat after my swim. But after swimming I am always ravenous, so I had to stop along the way and pick up something to eat. And since I was so ravenous, I ate the first thing that appealed to me: Pizza! I drove by my fave pizzeria and it was just calling me name. Thin crust, pesto, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and Feta cheese. Mmmmmmm.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that I managed to get out at lunch and go to the gym. I did the elliptical for 30 minutes (3.6 miles) at a pretty high intensity level, but the best part was, I did it entirely PAIN FREE! I'm feeling very optimistic that I'll be able to run on Sunday. But I promise to be very good and stop at the first sign of pain. Promise!
So now I'm just chillin' on the couch, revelling in a day of accomplishment. It wasn't looking so good when I bailed on my bike ride to the gym/work at the first signs of rain this morning. But things started to pick up once I had that great lunchtime workout.
Plans for tomorrow: Going for a 100K ride with BJH. Well, she's only riding 58K with me and I have to do the other 42K on my own. That's not too bad, I guess. Maybe there'll be someone else who shows up who wants to do the full distance with me.
In the afternoon, J and I are going to see C1rque du S0leil. I bought the tickets months ago and forgot it was this weekend, which kind of sucks because I had planned to go up north for the weekend with my friends. Oh well.
No plans for Sunday yet. Maybe I should start getting organized for my vacation next week. Only 5 more sleeps! Woo!
We must have had some weird freak storm during the 45 minutes I was inside at the Rec Centre because when I came out the streets were flooded! Puddles in the curb lane were higher than ankle deep! Needless to say, traffic was a mess, so it took me much longer to get to where I was going.
Being the master multi-tasker that I am, I also had my laundry in the car to go to the laundromat after my swim. But after swimming I am always ravenous, so I had to stop along the way and pick up something to eat. And since I was so ravenous, I ate the first thing that appealed to me: Pizza! I drove by my fave pizzeria and it was just calling me name. Thin crust, pesto, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and Feta cheese. Mmmmmmm.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that I managed to get out at lunch and go to the gym. I did the elliptical for 30 minutes (3.6 miles) at a pretty high intensity level, but the best part was, I did it entirely PAIN FREE! I'm feeling very optimistic that I'll be able to run on Sunday. But I promise to be very good and stop at the first sign of pain. Promise!
So now I'm just chillin' on the couch, revelling in a day of accomplishment. It wasn't looking so good when I bailed on my bike ride to the gym/work at the first signs of rain this morning. But things started to pick up once I had that great lunchtime workout.
Plans for tomorrow: Going for a 100K ride with BJH. Well, she's only riding 58K with me and I have to do the other 42K on my own. That's not too bad, I guess. Maybe there'll be someone else who shows up who wants to do the full distance with me.
In the afternoon, J and I are going to see C1rque du S0leil. I bought the tickets months ago and forgot it was this weekend, which kind of sucks because I had planned to go up north for the weekend with my friends. Oh well.
No plans for Sunday yet. Maybe I should start getting organized for my vacation next week. Only 5 more sleeps! Woo!
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Done for two weeks!
Woo! I taught my last class until after Labour Day! I can finally breathe easy and not be "on stage" for the next three days of work. I made myself a little "to do" list of work shit I have to get done before I leave.
I love crossing things off my To Do list. The biggest chore on the list was marking a whack of exams that had been sitting on my desk since Monday. The second biggest (in retrospect, it's probably THE biggest), is the pile of assignments I have to grade because I'm really backed up on those.
To any teachers out there whose unions are fighting for more prep time: YOU DESERVE ALL THE PREP TIME YOU'RE ASKING FOR... AND THEN SOME! I'm not even a parent and I don't begrudge giving teachers whatever they're asking for. I don't have a minute to spare during the days I'm teaching - and I'm teaching adults - so I can only imagine how hard it is for teachers. And you get the summer off? GOOD FOR YOU, I say! You deserve it! Teachers are so underappreciated.
Tonight: just about to go for a bike ride with H. This is in lieu of a run since I still can't run (but might try on Sunday... we'll see). Hopefully there will be food and wine after said bike ride. Oh, and some good conversation. We're always good for that.
Off to get changed into my Spandex!
I love crossing things off my To Do list. The biggest chore on the list was marking a whack of exams that had been sitting on my desk since Monday. The second biggest (in retrospect, it's probably THE biggest), is the pile of assignments I have to grade because I'm really backed up on those.
To any teachers out there whose unions are fighting for more prep time: YOU DESERVE ALL THE PREP TIME YOU'RE ASKING FOR... AND THEN SOME! I'm not even a parent and I don't begrudge giving teachers whatever they're asking for. I don't have a minute to spare during the days I'm teaching - and I'm teaching adults - so I can only imagine how hard it is for teachers. And you get the summer off? GOOD FOR YOU, I say! You deserve it! Teachers are so underappreciated.
Tonight: just about to go for a bike ride with H. This is in lieu of a run since I still can't run (but might try on Sunday... we'll see). Hopefully there will be food and wine after said bike ride. Oh, and some good conversation. We're always good for that.
Off to get changed into my Spandex!
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Update:
For the record, yes, I did swim in Lake Ontario. And it was very clean and clear (although a little choppy tonight). The E.coli count (51 ppm) was well below the threshold. The Toronto City limit is 100 ppm (because they are following the Blue Flag program guidelines) with the national threshold being 200 ppm, so the water quality tonight was excellent. And it wasn't as frigid as last week.
I didn't eat nachos and chicken wings, but I did eat chicken souvlaki on a pita with Greek salad AND french fries! OMG, they were sooooo good! Just the frozen kind, but they were ever so crispy and went perfectly well with a mound of ketchup on the side. Oh, and a beer. OK, that's it... I'm officially going to diet hell now!
I didn't eat nachos and chicken wings, but I did eat chicken souvlaki on a pita with Greek salad AND french fries! OMG, they were sooooo good! Just the frozen kind, but they were ever so crispy and went perfectly well with a mound of ketchup on the side. Oh, and a beer. OK, that's it... I'm officially going to diet hell now!
I So Rock!
I beat the streetcar YET AGAIN! This time, I beat it by a large margin. So large that I was actually IN my apartment getting changed out of my cycling clothes when it went by. Go me! It was actually later than normal getting to the stop where I normally get on, so when I got on my bike at 4:37, there it was. I pulled up in front of my apartment building at 4:57, which I think is the fastest I've ever made it. And I had a headwind the whole way, too. Phew, I'm beat now!
I'm getting ready to go swimming now. It's a lovely day and the E.coli levels are low, so it's all good. Let's just hope the water isn't as cold as last week, though.
As much as I've complained about the heat this summer, I am also very thankful that I have not been rained on while commuting to/from work by bike. That's definitely a plus. Although I don't ride every day, I honestly can't remember it even being close to raining any morning.
Tomorrow is my final day of teaching this week, which is also my final day of teaching until after Labour Day! Woo! How excited am I??? Yowsa! After tomorrow I still have three days of work before I leave for Vancouver, but it will be nice not to have to be "on stage" in the classroom for such a long time. I'm counting the sleeps... (one!)
I caved on my eating a bit today. Not too much, but I had this beef and noodle thing from the Japanese place, which probably wasn't the best choice, plus my regular indulgence of a rice crispy square at 2:30. And definitely not enough water. Barely 1L, I figure. And then after swimming tonight I'm sure I'll indulge in some post-workout nachos, wings and beer. Sigh. I really love food. I'm going to miss it in the fall when I go back to Boot Camp.
Oh, and I almost forgot about all the chips, salsa, cheese, crackers, wine, bruschetta and cake I had on Monday night. But I'm taking a Mulligan on the cake since it was a BD cake and it was home made. Actually, it was two home-made cakes, so I had to have a piece of each. With ice cream. Oh, I'm soooooo bad!
But, the scales still settled at 170 again this morning, so I'm not too concerned.
I'm getting ready to go swimming now. It's a lovely day and the E.coli levels are low, so it's all good. Let's just hope the water isn't as cold as last week, though.
As much as I've complained about the heat this summer, I am also very thankful that I have not been rained on while commuting to/from work by bike. That's definitely a plus. Although I don't ride every day, I honestly can't remember it even being close to raining any morning.
Tomorrow is my final day of teaching this week, which is also my final day of teaching until after Labour Day! Woo! How excited am I??? Yowsa! After tomorrow I still have three days of work before I leave for Vancouver, but it will be nice not to have to be "on stage" in the classroom for such a long time. I'm counting the sleeps... (one!)
I caved on my eating a bit today. Not too much, but I had this beef and noodle thing from the Japanese place, which probably wasn't the best choice, plus my regular indulgence of a rice crispy square at 2:30. And definitely not enough water. Barely 1L, I figure. And then after swimming tonight I'm sure I'll indulge in some post-workout nachos, wings and beer. Sigh. I really love food. I'm going to miss it in the fall when I go back to Boot Camp.
Oh, and I almost forgot about all the chips, salsa, cheese, crackers, wine, bruschetta and cake I had on Monday night. But I'm taking a Mulligan on the cake since it was a BD cake and it was home made. Actually, it was two home-made cakes, so I had to have a piece of each. With ice cream. Oh, I'm soooooo bad!
But, the scales still settled at 170 again this morning, so I'm not too concerned.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
What to post?
I have nothing to say. OK, well, not NOTHING, but nothing interesting or profound or thought provoking. So, I'll simply give you an update of my day.
I didn't get to bed until after 11:30 last night and I had to wear my earplugs - not because of the noisy neighbour(s) that I've had problems with in the past - but because of a fucking CRICKET! It was right outside my window and try as I might, I couldn't locate it or get it to stop chirping! So, in went the earplugs and off to sleep I went (even though I could hear its muffled chirps through the moulded silicone plugs).
I was up at 5:45 and on my bike by 5:58 on the way to the gym. We had a "substitute" instructor for Gravity and I didn't really like her. I like my regular Gwen-Stefani-lookalike instructor better. She'll be back next week, though.
Since I was teaching today (and it was the first day of class), I didn't have time for anything more than the 30-minute class. But considering I rode 20 minutes in and 20 minutes home AND I went for an actual bike workout when I got home, I think I did pretty well. This evening I rode 29K in just over an hour (1:10) and the guy I was riding with pushed the pace pretty hard. I got well into the red zone on part of one lap when my HR got up to 165 (my max on the bike is 177). Normally, I don't let it get over 157 or so. But the good thing is that I didn't feel too much of the pain I'd brought on myself from my weekend bike ride. We'll see how the ol' quads and calves are tomorrow!
The plan for tomorrow is to ride into the gym again and try to do 30 minutes on the elliptical. I haven't done anything remotely resembling running since last Friday's treadmill run, so we'll see how the hip is feeling. I don't notice anything while walking, so that's all good. Honestly, I'm ITCHING to run (which is weird for me because running is my least favourite of the three sports), but I think some of that comes from the fact that I CAN'T run, so I feel deprived. It's almost like being on an exercise diet! Ha ha, that's a good one!
Tomorrow evening is open water swim night, so that will be good. Hopefully the water won't be as frigid as last week. Since I missed yesterday's swim, I'm itching for a good swim. And I only have a few days left of actual training for my race since I'm leaving on vacation next Wednesday morning (woo!). And I won't have access to any forms of exercise for an entire week than running, so I may be a little challenged to keep my fitness up in the 10 days before my race. Or, I'll have all kinds of pent-up energy and come blasting out of the gates on race day. Let's hope.
Haven't weighed myself in a couple of days. Last week I was still in the 169-range and I don't expect that there will be any significant difference as I haven't deliberately decreased my calorie intake. One of the things I allow myself is a fluctuation of 2-3 pounds on either side of where I've settled without getting too concerned (or excited). I've only seen 168 once. I don't start to think that things are awry unless I get up over 172. That's my motto: don't get too excited (or worried) about two pounds either way. Now, five pounds, and that's something to celebrate (or worry about - depending on which way it moved). I'll definitely have to weigh myself before I leave so that when I get back I can see if I did any damage going that long without exercising.
Hmmm, maybe I'll weigh myself tomorrow... Just out of curiosity, of course.
'Night, all!
I didn't get to bed until after 11:30 last night and I had to wear my earplugs - not because of the noisy neighbour(s) that I've had problems with in the past - but because of a fucking CRICKET! It was right outside my window and try as I might, I couldn't locate it or get it to stop chirping! So, in went the earplugs and off to sleep I went (even though I could hear its muffled chirps through the moulded silicone plugs).
I was up at 5:45 and on my bike by 5:58 on the way to the gym. We had a "substitute" instructor for Gravity and I didn't really like her. I like my regular Gwen-Stefani-lookalike instructor better. She'll be back next week, though.
Since I was teaching today (and it was the first day of class), I didn't have time for anything more than the 30-minute class. But considering I rode 20 minutes in and 20 minutes home AND I went for an actual bike workout when I got home, I think I did pretty well. This evening I rode 29K in just over an hour (1:10) and the guy I was riding with pushed the pace pretty hard. I got well into the red zone on part of one lap when my HR got up to 165 (my max on the bike is 177). Normally, I don't let it get over 157 or so. But the good thing is that I didn't feel too much of the pain I'd brought on myself from my weekend bike ride. We'll see how the ol' quads and calves are tomorrow!
The plan for tomorrow is to ride into the gym again and try to do 30 minutes on the elliptical. I haven't done anything remotely resembling running since last Friday's treadmill run, so we'll see how the hip is feeling. I don't notice anything while walking, so that's all good. Honestly, I'm ITCHING to run (which is weird for me because running is my least favourite of the three sports), but I think some of that comes from the fact that I CAN'T run, so I feel deprived. It's almost like being on an exercise diet! Ha ha, that's a good one!
Tomorrow evening is open water swim night, so that will be good. Hopefully the water won't be as frigid as last week. Since I missed yesterday's swim, I'm itching for a good swim. And I only have a few days left of actual training for my race since I'm leaving on vacation next Wednesday morning (woo!). And I won't have access to any forms of exercise for an entire week than running, so I may be a little challenged to keep my fitness up in the 10 days before my race. Or, I'll have all kinds of pent-up energy and come blasting out of the gates on race day. Let's hope.
Haven't weighed myself in a couple of days. Last week I was still in the 169-range and I don't expect that there will be any significant difference as I haven't deliberately decreased my calorie intake. One of the things I allow myself is a fluctuation of 2-3 pounds on either side of where I've settled without getting too concerned (or excited). I've only seen 168 once. I don't start to think that things are awry unless I get up over 172. That's my motto: don't get too excited (or worried) about two pounds either way. Now, five pounds, and that's something to celebrate (or worry about - depending on which way it moved). I'll definitely have to weigh myself before I leave so that when I get back I can see if I did any damage going that long without exercising.
Hmmm, maybe I'll weigh myself tomorrow... Just out of curiosity, of course.
'Night, all!
Monday, August 15, 2005
Foiled!
Ack! I went to the pool as planned after work (trying to squeeze in a workout before a dinner party I'm attending this evening) only to find out that they've changed the schedule for the summer! There was no 5-7PM swim - it's been changed to 7-8PM. That sucks royally! So, given that it would not have been logistically possible to get in my swim at the outdoor pool and still get to the party at home, here I sit at my computer to kill a bit of time before I have to leave for dinner.
I can't believe how sore I am today after my long ride on Saturday! I wasn't in any kind of pain yesterday, but today - yowsa! But it's the "good pain", not the kind to be concerned about. It hurts to sit and stand (using the glutes, hams and quads). Ooww, is all I can say.
So, I guess this means that today is a rest day and I have to do some kind of workout on Thursday. H and I are trying to get together, so I'll have to figure out how to fit it in. But flexibility is as important as anything, right?
I also started to plan out my training schedule for the next year. Yes, you heard me right: the next year. I have it broken down into four phases, some as long as 14 weeks, others as short as three. And each phase is broken up by a rest week (or two), which will give me something to look forward to. More details to follow on that once it's been put into place.
The focus of the first phase is on weight-loss. I've been saying all along that my focus during training this summer has NOT been on losing weight - just hoping to maintain - as it's too hard to train and try to lose weight. But come September 12 (just over a week after my race), it will be back to the weight-loss grindstone. My goal is to lose 15-20 pounds by the end of the 14-week period, which ends a week before Christmas. Since my birthday is in week 13, it will be a lovely BD present to myself if I can get to my goal weight of 150-155 by then. I'm also going to reward myself by buying a new suit. I'm still on the cusp of a size 12 (14 is too big and 12 too tight), so by then the 12 should be fitting me nicely. That's the plan, anyway.
Well, that's all the time I have to update now. Off to eat, drink and talk triathlon with all my IronBuddies!
I can't believe how sore I am today after my long ride on Saturday! I wasn't in any kind of pain yesterday, but today - yowsa! But it's the "good pain", not the kind to be concerned about. It hurts to sit and stand (using the glutes, hams and quads). Ooww, is all I can say.
So, I guess this means that today is a rest day and I have to do some kind of workout on Thursday. H and I are trying to get together, so I'll have to figure out how to fit it in. But flexibility is as important as anything, right?
I also started to plan out my training schedule for the next year. Yes, you heard me right: the next year. I have it broken down into four phases, some as long as 14 weeks, others as short as three. And each phase is broken up by a rest week (or two), which will give me something to look forward to. More details to follow on that once it's been put into place.
The focus of the first phase is on weight-loss. I've been saying all along that my focus during training this summer has NOT been on losing weight - just hoping to maintain - as it's too hard to train and try to lose weight. But come September 12 (just over a week after my race), it will be back to the weight-loss grindstone. My goal is to lose 15-20 pounds by the end of the 14-week period, which ends a week before Christmas. Since my birthday is in week 13, it will be a lovely BD present to myself if I can get to my goal weight of 150-155 by then. I'm also going to reward myself by buying a new suit. I'm still on the cusp of a size 12 (14 is too big and 12 too tight), so by then the 12 should be fitting me nicely. That's the plan, anyway.
Well, that's all the time I have to update now. Off to eat, drink and talk triathlon with all my IronBuddies!
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Still not running
I really miss running. I miss the peace. I miss the rhythm and power of my body while I'm running.
I don't miss the pain. The bad pain, that is. There is good pain that comes from running, the kind that reminds you that you exerted yourself and that your muscles are going to heal stronger than they were before.
But this stupid pain I've had in my hip has really sidelined me. It actually doesn't really hurt while I'm running, but later and the next day it is extremely sore. So, until I can get it fixed up with physio, I'm going to stay off running until my race in three weeks' time.
It seems crazy that I'm not going to run at all in training for a race where I'll have to run 21 kilometers (13 miles), but it takes me too long to recover from each run I do, so I don't want to risk doing anything that will aggravate the injury.
The good news is that I can increase my cycling mileage and that will have positive cross-over benefits to my running. So, I plan to spend some quality time in the saddle over the next week-and-a-half.
Yesterday, I rode 94K (about 57 miles) with a couple of friends. CL bailed on me at the last minute (she was going to ride the last 40K with me), so I thought I might have to do the ride entirely on my own. Luckily, there were two other friends who showed up at the spot where I started my ride and we rode together. Three of us did a 55K loop together and then one of them left and the other woman and I did a final 40K loop.
It was actually refreshing to be the fastest cyclist in the group for a change. Usually I'm the one bringing up the rear. But I actually felt very strong (not feeling the chain, as they say) and dragged my fat ass up the hills with greater ease than normal. I'm sure part of my strength was psychological because I was in the lead rather than playing catch-up.
I went over to CL and KL's for dinner last night. I had a couple of glasses of wine and got to bed later than I really wanted to considering how early I had to get up this morning.
I got up at 5:20AM to drive out to Cobourg to volunteer at a triathlon that a few friends were doing. My first volunteer job of the day was the best one - body marking! For the uninitiated, every athlete has their race number written on their upper arm and their age on their right calf. I got to mark up some of the hottest 15- to 59-year-olds in the area! There were some racers over 59 but I never got to mark them. Then it was off to the bike course where I had to stand on a corner and yell, "Stay to the right of the pilons. Oncoming traffic. Stay to the right. No, not that right, your OTHER right! Sheesh!" There was only one near collision as cyclists were coming both ways around the corner. It was also raining like the dickens, so the road was quite slick. There were two wipeouts on the corner - one minor, but the other one quite spectacular. But the second guy managed to get back on his bike and continue on (even though he nearly caused an accident while trying to merge into the pack of cyclists). I got to hang out with an OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) officer and chat for two hours. We had to wait until the very last rider passed in each direction. The last three riders were painfully slow (although real troopers). The woman who was in last place was being followed by her husband in a van (that was so sweet). It was her first race and she hadn't really trained properly, so he follower her. They haven't posted the results yet, so I don't know if she finished.
But that brings up an important note: there were all kinds of people - men and women - of all ages, sized and ability levels in this race. Each one was racing against their own potential and for their own reasons. Honestly, if there's anyone out there who is thinking they can't enter a race (of any kind - not just a triathlon), put those thoughts out of your head because anyone can do it.
After the race, I was paid a huge (but somewhat unbelievable) compliment by my friend SM (whom we call Mr. Bond). We were talking about the category they have in races called Clydesdale/Athena, which is for men over 200 pounds and women over 150 pounds (this is the category I won in last month). He said, "You aren't much over 150, are you? You can't be more than 155." Oh, bless your heart, Mr. Bond. He kept pushing me to tell him how much I weighed, but that was not something I felt like revealing. I would LOVE to weigh 155! Someday, I know I will (and I will look HOT and be even faster than I am now).
Oh, I just have to report on something from Friday night. I did go to the pool after doing laundry (yea, me!) and had a pretty good swim. I wasn't as fast as I'd been, but my form was great as I got my stroke count for 50m down to an astonishing 40 strokes! Now, for anyone who is a non-swimmer, that probably means absolutely nothing to you, but the fewer number of strokes you can take per length the better your form is. I used to take 52-55 strokes per length in that pool, so getting down to 40-44 is outstanding! Now if I can only work on my form not going to shit when I pick up the pace and go faster...
Plans for this week (OK, J, go take a nap now): swim tomorrow; bike commute, Gravity and bike workout on Tuesday; bike commute, elliptical and open-water swim Wednesday; Thursday - off; Friday bike commute, gym and maybe a bike ride in the evening.
I'm totally bummed that I'm not going away for the weekend next weekend. I was supposed to go up north with CL, KL and KH to CL's parents' place for a weekend of swimming, biking and not running, but I'm going to see Cirque du Soleil on Saturday afternoon, so that throws a monkey wrench in the whole works. Grrr!
I don't miss the pain. The bad pain, that is. There is good pain that comes from running, the kind that reminds you that you exerted yourself and that your muscles are going to heal stronger than they were before.
But this stupid pain I've had in my hip has really sidelined me. It actually doesn't really hurt while I'm running, but later and the next day it is extremely sore. So, until I can get it fixed up with physio, I'm going to stay off running until my race in three weeks' time.
It seems crazy that I'm not going to run at all in training for a race where I'll have to run 21 kilometers (13 miles), but it takes me too long to recover from each run I do, so I don't want to risk doing anything that will aggravate the injury.
The good news is that I can increase my cycling mileage and that will have positive cross-over benefits to my running. So, I plan to spend some quality time in the saddle over the next week-and-a-half.
Yesterday, I rode 94K (about 57 miles) with a couple of friends. CL bailed on me at the last minute (she was going to ride the last 40K with me), so I thought I might have to do the ride entirely on my own. Luckily, there were two other friends who showed up at the spot where I started my ride and we rode together. Three of us did a 55K loop together and then one of them left and the other woman and I did a final 40K loop.
It was actually refreshing to be the fastest cyclist in the group for a change. Usually I'm the one bringing up the rear. But I actually felt very strong (not feeling the chain, as they say) and dragged my fat ass up the hills with greater ease than normal. I'm sure part of my strength was psychological because I was in the lead rather than playing catch-up.
I went over to CL and KL's for dinner last night. I had a couple of glasses of wine and got to bed later than I really wanted to considering how early I had to get up this morning.
I got up at 5:20AM to drive out to Cobourg to volunteer at a triathlon that a few friends were doing. My first volunteer job of the day was the best one - body marking! For the uninitiated, every athlete has their race number written on their upper arm and their age on their right calf. I got to mark up some of the hottest 15- to 59-year-olds in the area! There were some racers over 59 but I never got to mark them. Then it was off to the bike course where I had to stand on a corner and yell, "Stay to the right of the pilons. Oncoming traffic. Stay to the right. No, not that right, your OTHER right! Sheesh!" There was only one near collision as cyclists were coming both ways around the corner. It was also raining like the dickens, so the road was quite slick. There were two wipeouts on the corner - one minor, but the other one quite spectacular. But the second guy managed to get back on his bike and continue on (even though he nearly caused an accident while trying to merge into the pack of cyclists). I got to hang out with an OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) officer and chat for two hours. We had to wait until the very last rider passed in each direction. The last three riders were painfully slow (although real troopers). The woman who was in last place was being followed by her husband in a van (that was so sweet). It was her first race and she hadn't really trained properly, so he follower her. They haven't posted the results yet, so I don't know if she finished.
But that brings up an important note: there were all kinds of people - men and women - of all ages, sized and ability levels in this race. Each one was racing against their own potential and for their own reasons. Honestly, if there's anyone out there who is thinking they can't enter a race (of any kind - not just a triathlon), put those thoughts out of your head because anyone can do it.
After the race, I was paid a huge (but somewhat unbelievable) compliment by my friend SM (whom we call Mr. Bond). We were talking about the category they have in races called Clydesdale/Athena, which is for men over 200 pounds and women over 150 pounds (this is the category I won in last month). He said, "You aren't much over 150, are you? You can't be more than 155." Oh, bless your heart, Mr. Bond. He kept pushing me to tell him how much I weighed, but that was not something I felt like revealing. I would LOVE to weigh 155! Someday, I know I will (and I will look HOT and be even faster than I am now).
Oh, I just have to report on something from Friday night. I did go to the pool after doing laundry (yea, me!) and had a pretty good swim. I wasn't as fast as I'd been, but my form was great as I got my stroke count for 50m down to an astonishing 40 strokes! Now, for anyone who is a non-swimmer, that probably means absolutely nothing to you, but the fewer number of strokes you can take per length the better your form is. I used to take 52-55 strokes per length in that pool, so getting down to 40-44 is outstanding! Now if I can only work on my form not going to shit when I pick up the pace and go faster...
Plans for this week (OK, J, go take a nap now): swim tomorrow; bike commute, Gravity and bike workout on Tuesday; bike commute, elliptical and open-water swim Wednesday; Thursday - off; Friday bike commute, gym and maybe a bike ride in the evening.
I'm totally bummed that I'm not going away for the weekend next weekend. I was supposed to go up north with CL, KL and KH to CL's parents' place for a weekend of swimming, biking and not running, but I'm going to see Cirque du Soleil on Saturday afternoon, so that throws a monkey wrench in the whole works. Grrr!
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Overwhelmed
Happy Birthday, JJ! The big 4-0! Woo! As I said, it's the decade of enlightenment!
I had a little mini panic attack before work this morning. I had a meeting at 8AM and I had some stuff to do beforehand to prepare. I was also teaching at 8:30, so I didn't have any time between my meeting and class starting. Luckily, I'm the teacher, so I can start class whenever I want (ha!).
But coming out of this meeting it started to hit me all the little things that our admin assistant used to take care of that I am now responsible for doing myself. Thank goodness I'm kind of on auto-pilot with the courses I'm teaching because now there's all this new stuff to take on that I have to figure out the ins and outs of.
When I started my job I was one of five people in the "training group". We had a director responsible for strategy, three trainers (including me) and an admin assistant. Well, first we lost one of our trainers to Project Land. Then the next trainer got sucked into a massive company-wide initiative. Shortly thereafter, our director announced her retirement. So that left me and Jen to hold the fort. Lucky for me, Jen knew exactly what I needed before I even knew myself that I needed it. She was on top of everything and helped me navigate. Well, on the heels of our VP (the guy I reported to directly) being fired, Jen has also left to pursue another opportunity outside the bank.
So that leaves me: strategy, facilitation, administration, ongoing tracking of training effectiveness, etc. There just are not enough hours in the day to stay on top of everything so I am sticking my head in the proverbial sand and just doing the bare minimum to get by.
We have a meeting with our new VP tomorrow and I'm not optimistic. I've heard some not-so-nice things about her (like, she's mean), whereas other people really respect her.
I think I can stick this out until the end of October when our current training schedule wraps up, but I'll need to know before then what our strategy is going to look like for the subsequent 12 months so that I can decide if I want to stay or go (or even if they want me to stay).
Aaaargh!
I'm having dinner with my dear friend PF tomorrow night. He's just joined the bank, too, so it will be good to hear his perspective on things. I'm also having lunch with KP on Monday (another former colleague from my past life who has landed at the same bank) and she's always good for some words of wisdom.
OK, for now, I will just go swimming and look at all the nice triathlete eye candy. The nice thing about eye candy: no calories! Woo!
I had a little mini panic attack before work this morning. I had a meeting at 8AM and I had some stuff to do beforehand to prepare. I was also teaching at 8:30, so I didn't have any time between my meeting and class starting. Luckily, I'm the teacher, so I can start class whenever I want (ha!).
But coming out of this meeting it started to hit me all the little things that our admin assistant used to take care of that I am now responsible for doing myself. Thank goodness I'm kind of on auto-pilot with the courses I'm teaching because now there's all this new stuff to take on that I have to figure out the ins and outs of.
When I started my job I was one of five people in the "training group". We had a director responsible for strategy, three trainers (including me) and an admin assistant. Well, first we lost one of our trainers to Project Land. Then the next trainer got sucked into a massive company-wide initiative. Shortly thereafter, our director announced her retirement. So that left me and Jen to hold the fort. Lucky for me, Jen knew exactly what I needed before I even knew myself that I needed it. She was on top of everything and helped me navigate. Well, on the heels of our VP (the guy I reported to directly) being fired, Jen has also left to pursue another opportunity outside the bank.
So that leaves me: strategy, facilitation, administration, ongoing tracking of training effectiveness, etc. There just are not enough hours in the day to stay on top of everything so I am sticking my head in the proverbial sand and just doing the bare minimum to get by.
We have a meeting with our new VP tomorrow and I'm not optimistic. I've heard some not-so-nice things about her (like, she's mean), whereas other people really respect her.
I think I can stick this out until the end of October when our current training schedule wraps up, but I'll need to know before then what our strategy is going to look like for the subsequent 12 months so that I can decide if I want to stay or go (or even if they want me to stay).
Aaaargh!
I'm having dinner with my dear friend PF tomorrow night. He's just joined the bank, too, so it will be good to hear his perspective on things. I'm also having lunch with KP on Monday (another former colleague from my past life who has landed at the same bank) and she's always good for some words of wisdom.
OK, for now, I will just go swimming and look at all the nice triathlete eye candy. The nice thing about eye candy: no calories! Woo!
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
No pain, no... PAIN!
I don't want to jinx anything, but I am feeling next to no pain in my hip right now. Shhhhhh! Don't tell my hip about that, OK? Actually, it wasn't until I was re-reading part of yesterday's entry that I realized that I didn't notice any pain as I carried my bike up the stairs a few minutes ago.
I am still bound and determined not to start running again until Friday, and then I'm only going to do 20 minutes on the treadmill. I don't want to start too soon and risk aggravating the injury and having it flare up again.
As expected, my upper body is in pain from yesterday's workout. It's a "good" pain; one that reminds you that you have pecs, triceps and biceps. I did a gravity workout at the gym this morning, so I got to use my sore upper body muscles yet again. I know it's usually better to rest in between strength sessions, but that's just the schedule at the gym. Tomorrow I'll do legs, but be sure to stay away from anything that aggravates my hip. I actually didn't feel any pain in any of the exercises I did in the Gravity class this morning, so that's good.
The plan for tonight is to do a bike ride (I'm due to leave here in 30 minutes, so I better get changed!). It's STINKING hot here again, but I seem to have acclimatized somewhat. But that still doesn't mean that I want it to stay hot!
I am still bound and determined not to start running again until Friday, and then I'm only going to do 20 minutes on the treadmill. I don't want to start too soon and risk aggravating the injury and having it flare up again.
As expected, my upper body is in pain from yesterday's workout. It's a "good" pain; one that reminds you that you have pecs, triceps and biceps. I did a gravity workout at the gym this morning, so I got to use my sore upper body muscles yet again. I know it's usually better to rest in between strength sessions, but that's just the schedule at the gym. Tomorrow I'll do legs, but be sure to stay away from anything that aggravates my hip. I actually didn't feel any pain in any of the exercises I did in the Gravity class this morning, so that's good.
The plan for tonight is to do a bike ride (I'm due to leave here in 30 minutes, so I better get changed!). It's STINKING hot here again, but I seem to have acclimatized somewhat. But that still doesn't mean that I want it to stay hot!
Monday, August 08, 2005
Hello, "Jim"
It's been two weeks, but I finally got together with "Jim" again. Things had just been crazy and I had been too tired - at least those were the excuses I gave "Jim" (and myself). Was I, perhaps, falling out of love with "Jim"? Absence certainly did not make the heart grow fonder. But once we reunited, it all became so familiar and comfortable. Maybe it was because we had such a good thing going there for a while, it just became easy to jump right back in. But the truth is, I really missed "Jim" these last two weeks.
In my old job, "Jim" and I used to get together regularly. Our relationship was easy back then due to proximity. But now I have to plan and make a point of getting together with "Jim". I usually have to fit "Jim" in before work because I can never find time at lunch and after work is crazy with all the training activities I do. And even though "Jim" never complained, I always felt guilty if I had to break a date. Like most, I always had the best intentions, but sometimes other priorities (like my desire to sleep) got in the way.
But "Jim" always gets the last word and "Jim" really kicked my butt today. I don't normally feel the pain until the next day, but I know it's going to be there. "Jim" looks all nice and friendly, but can bring me nothing but pain, especially when we've been apart for a while.
So, what did "Jim" and I do together this morning? Well, we started with 25 minutes of upper body weights (oh, I'm gonna feel my pecs tomorrow!), followed by 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. I had to turn the intensity down a couple of notches as my hip was still a bit sore.
Luckily, I had a date with the Marquis at noon today. He put me in all kinds of compromising positions (like my leg over his shoulder!) and then stuck me with needles. That's always the best part as I get to lie in a quiet room with my face in a hole in the table and veg for 20 minutes. When I left, I was feeling much less pain. Climbing stairs (especially with a 35-pound bike over my shoulder) is still a little painful.
I bailed on my swim this evening. The group was meeting up at the lake but I had ridden my bike to work today and was meeting CdeC after work before he caught his train back to Montreal, so I couldn't really fit it in. I thought I might go down to the pool, but by the time I got home I was bagged, so I bailed.
Oh well, "Jim" and I have a date again tomorrow morning, so I don't feel so bad about bailing on the swim.
On a completely unrelated topic, it finally clicked who the women are that I see on my morning ride into the gym: h00kers! I mean, they weren't all dressed up in thigh-high boots with outrageous hair and make-up; they looked relatively "normal" except for the fact that they (different women on different days) were standing on the corner of River and Labatt with no apparent reason for being there. But honestly, what kind of business can they drum up at 6AM on a Monday morning?? Maybe some poor sod who's looking for a quick bl0w on his way into work from the suburbs? I don't know... I just don't get that.
Plans for this week include a bike ride, a swim in the Big Lake (named Ontario) and an easy run. Saturday will be another long ride and Sunday a long(ish) run. I might also go out to Cobourg to volunteer at the Triathlon. Besides, I still have my "award" to pick up from the race I "won" a few weeks ago.
In my old job, "Jim" and I used to get together regularly. Our relationship was easy back then due to proximity. But now I have to plan and make a point of getting together with "Jim". I usually have to fit "Jim" in before work because I can never find time at lunch and after work is crazy with all the training activities I do. And even though "Jim" never complained, I always felt guilty if I had to break a date. Like most, I always had the best intentions, but sometimes other priorities (like my desire to sleep) got in the way.
But "Jim" always gets the last word and "Jim" really kicked my butt today. I don't normally feel the pain until the next day, but I know it's going to be there. "Jim" looks all nice and friendly, but can bring me nothing but pain, especially when we've been apart for a while.
So, what did "Jim" and I do together this morning? Well, we started with 25 minutes of upper body weights (oh, I'm gonna feel my pecs tomorrow!), followed by 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. I had to turn the intensity down a couple of notches as my hip was still a bit sore.
Luckily, I had a date with the Marquis at noon today. He put me in all kinds of compromising positions (like my leg over his shoulder!) and then stuck me with needles. That's always the best part as I get to lie in a quiet room with my face in a hole in the table and veg for 20 minutes. When I left, I was feeling much less pain. Climbing stairs (especially with a 35-pound bike over my shoulder) is still a little painful.
I bailed on my swim this evening. The group was meeting up at the lake but I had ridden my bike to work today and was meeting CdeC after work before he caught his train back to Montreal, so I couldn't really fit it in. I thought I might go down to the pool, but by the time I got home I was bagged, so I bailed.
Oh well, "Jim" and I have a date again tomorrow morning, so I don't feel so bad about bailing on the swim.
On a completely unrelated topic, it finally clicked who the women are that I see on my morning ride into the gym: h00kers! I mean, they weren't all dressed up in thigh-high boots with outrageous hair and make-up; they looked relatively "normal" except for the fact that they (different women on different days) were standing on the corner of River and Labatt with no apparent reason for being there. But honestly, what kind of business can they drum up at 6AM on a Monday morning?? Maybe some poor sod who's looking for a quick bl0w on his way into work from the suburbs? I don't know... I just don't get that.
Plans for this week include a bike ride, a swim in the Big Lake (named Ontario) and an easy run. Saturday will be another long ride and Sunday a long(ish) run. I might also go out to Cobourg to volunteer at the Triathlon. Besides, I still have my "award" to pick up from the race I "won" a few weeks ago.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
July's Workout Stats
Forgot to post these until now. Here are my stats for the month of July:
Cycling: 453 km (281 miles) in 19 hours, 7 minutes
Running: 88 km (55 miles) in 9 hours, 22 minutes
Swimming: 4.85 km (3 miles) in 2 hours
Elliptical: 14 km (8.8 miles) in 1 hour, 35 minutes
Strength: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Total days in the month of July: 31
Total days exercised: 21
My average calorie expenditure while exercising is 750 calories per hour (running is more, swimming is less), so using that number, I burned about 26,000 calories in more than 33 hours of training.
Just for comparison, in July 2004 I did the following:
Cycling: 282.5K
Running: 59.5K
Swimming: 7.2K
Days of exercise: 19
Cycling: 453 km (281 miles) in 19 hours, 7 minutes
Running: 88 km (55 miles) in 9 hours, 22 minutes
Swimming: 4.85 km (3 miles) in 2 hours
Elliptical: 14 km (8.8 miles) in 1 hour, 35 minutes
Strength: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Total days in the month of July: 31
Total days exercised: 21
My average calorie expenditure while exercising is 750 calories per hour (running is more, swimming is less), so using that number, I burned about 26,000 calories in more than 33 hours of training.
Just for comparison, in July 2004 I did the following:
Cycling: 282.5K
Running: 59.5K
Swimming: 7.2K
Days of exercise: 19
Weekend Update
I sometimes dread Sunday nights. It means that Monday is coming and that I have to go back to work. I'm not 100% motivated right now due to all the changes we've had.
Sunday has been weird so far. I actually took a nap from 5:15 - 6:30 this evening. I am not normally a napper, but when I came in, my bed was just calling to me. It's the coolest spot in my stiflingly hot apartment, so lying there was just something I did to cool myself off after being outside all day. Next thing I knew, I was as close to asleep as I can get without risking a good night's sleep. It was actually hard to drag myself out of bed at 6:30, but I forced myself to do it.
Let me back up and recount the events of the weekend:
Friday night:
We all left work early for a going away party for our boss at a local pub. I was in the last group of people to leave at 6:30PM (we'd been there since 3:30). I had a chance to meet up with some friends for dinner and a play, but I opted to walk to the mall downtown to find some last-minute necessities for the wedding I was going to on Saturday.
I was successful in finding what I needed and just went home afterwards. I'd had a few pints of beer, so I was happy to just go to bed early considering I had to get up early on Saturday.
Saturday:
Got up at 6:30AM. Picked my friend KH up at 7:30 and we drove out to Gulliver's Lake for a bike ride. We rode three loops of the normal route, which is roughly 90K (56 miles). It might have been a tad shy of that. We rode for 3 hours and 45 minutes. When we got back to the car, we decided to jump in the lake to cool off. Ahhhhh!
After spending almost 4 hours eating "sports food" we both needed some "real" food, so we stopped at Wendy's on the way home. I had a burger and a salad. Not the best choice, but I had just expended over 1,000 calories, so I felt entitled.
Traffic was bad on the way home, so after dropping KH off and picking up some last-minute grooming supplies, it was 3PM before I got in. I needed some vegging time on the couch, so I put a fresh coat of paint on my toes and relaxed there until almost 4PM. I then I had to shower, dress and be ready to leave for the wedding before 5PM. Again, traffic was nasty trying to get up north to where the wedding was.
The event was lovely and the happy couple looked wonderful. They're both such great people, so I'm very happy for both of them. After dinner, I got back in the car to drive downtown for J's BD party. Have I mentioned how nuts traffic was this weekend? Hideous.
I ended up at the BC's place where we sat out on the deck and had drinks and Hint o' Lime chips, which are PURE EVIL. I could not stop shoving them in my mouth. CdeC (my bro) is in town, so I asked him to walk me to the corner and wait with me while I hailed a cab. I got home and was in bed by 1:30AM.
I deliberately didn't set my alarm, even though I knew I wanted to run in the morning. I really like to have one morning of the weekend to wake up when my body feels like it, but that hasn't happened in a while. I woke around 8:00 and finally dragged my ass out of bed around 8:30. I ate breakfast and continued to veg on the couch until I finally thought it would be a good idea to go out running.
The first few steps I took were very painful and awkward. Not only was my hip painful, but my hamstrings were also tight and painful. I thought, this run isn't going to last very long! I was visibly hobbling as I ran. But after five minutes, things started to loosen up and I was feeling better. I didn't want to overdo things, so I ran at an easy pace and stopped once the pain started to increase. I got my coffee and limped the rest of the way home.
I met up with H and some other people for breakfast a bit later on. I rode my bike down, so when J called and said that she and CdeC were downtown, I just hopped back on my bike and rode down to meet them (about a 30-minute ride).
We just walked around the mall and in and out of shops for a few hours. Finally, we ended up on a patio and had some drinks and munchies. I left them just after 4:30 and rode home. That's when my bed started calling to me.
And now it's gone 7:30 and I have a pile of dishes calling my name... Is it bed-time yet?
Sunday has been weird so far. I actually took a nap from 5:15 - 6:30 this evening. I am not normally a napper, but when I came in, my bed was just calling to me. It's the coolest spot in my stiflingly hot apartment, so lying there was just something I did to cool myself off after being outside all day. Next thing I knew, I was as close to asleep as I can get without risking a good night's sleep. It was actually hard to drag myself out of bed at 6:30, but I forced myself to do it.
Let me back up and recount the events of the weekend:
Friday night:
We all left work early for a going away party for our boss at a local pub. I was in the last group of people to leave at 6:30PM (we'd been there since 3:30). I had a chance to meet up with some friends for dinner and a play, but I opted to walk to the mall downtown to find some last-minute necessities for the wedding I was going to on Saturday.
I was successful in finding what I needed and just went home afterwards. I'd had a few pints of beer, so I was happy to just go to bed early considering I had to get up early on Saturday.
Saturday:
Got up at 6:30AM. Picked my friend KH up at 7:30 and we drove out to Gulliver's Lake for a bike ride. We rode three loops of the normal route, which is roughly 90K (56 miles). It might have been a tad shy of that. We rode for 3 hours and 45 minutes. When we got back to the car, we decided to jump in the lake to cool off. Ahhhhh!
After spending almost 4 hours eating "sports food" we both needed some "real" food, so we stopped at Wendy's on the way home. I had a burger and a salad. Not the best choice, but I had just expended over 1,000 calories, so I felt entitled.
Traffic was bad on the way home, so after dropping KH off and picking up some last-minute grooming supplies, it was 3PM before I got in. I needed some vegging time on the couch, so I put a fresh coat of paint on my toes and relaxed there until almost 4PM. I then I had to shower, dress and be ready to leave for the wedding before 5PM. Again, traffic was nasty trying to get up north to where the wedding was.
The event was lovely and the happy couple looked wonderful. They're both such great people, so I'm very happy for both of them. After dinner, I got back in the car to drive downtown for J's BD party. Have I mentioned how nuts traffic was this weekend? Hideous.
I ended up at the BC's place where we sat out on the deck and had drinks and Hint o' Lime chips, which are PURE EVIL. I could not stop shoving them in my mouth. CdeC (my bro) is in town, so I asked him to walk me to the corner and wait with me while I hailed a cab. I got home and was in bed by 1:30AM.
I deliberately didn't set my alarm, even though I knew I wanted to run in the morning. I really like to have one morning of the weekend to wake up when my body feels like it, but that hasn't happened in a while. I woke around 8:00 and finally dragged my ass out of bed around 8:30. I ate breakfast and continued to veg on the couch until I finally thought it would be a good idea to go out running.
The first few steps I took were very painful and awkward. Not only was my hip painful, but my hamstrings were also tight and painful. I thought, this run isn't going to last very long! I was visibly hobbling as I ran. But after five minutes, things started to loosen up and I was feeling better. I didn't want to overdo things, so I ran at an easy pace and stopped once the pain started to increase. I got my coffee and limped the rest of the way home.
I met up with H and some other people for breakfast a bit later on. I rode my bike down, so when J called and said that she and CdeC were downtown, I just hopped back on my bike and rode down to meet them (about a 30-minute ride).
We just walked around the mall and in and out of shops for a few hours. Finally, we ended up on a patio and had some drinks and munchies. I left them just after 4:30 and rode home. That's when my bed started calling to me.
And now it's gone 7:30 and I have a pile of dishes calling my name... Is it bed-time yet?
Thursday, August 04, 2005
On Plan
OK, how come I can't be on plan with food AND exercise - at the same time?? I've had some fairly good food days lately. And when I say "fairly good" I mean that I haven't been snacking mindlessly, which can always be a problem for me.
That said, why can't my exercise be on plan at the same time? OK, I did have a race on the weekend, so I'm entitled to some recovery time, but I need to kick my own butt back to some physical activity.
Step one was going for a swim in the Lake last night. There were about 20 of us in total and I swam for about 30 minutes. I even got to swim with one of our local pro triathletes (for, like, two whole strokes until he way way ahead of me).
Step two was to drag my ass to the pool again this evening. After doing laundry, I was really debating with myself about going. I knew that a couple of friends were going, so that was a bit of motivation. But since my hip is still bugging me, I don't have a lot of exercise options right now. It also looked like it might rain, so I didn't want to go for a bike ride. Anyway, before I had a chance to really think about it, I had put on my bathing suit under my cycling clothes and had headed out the door. The good news is that I was "feeling" the water really well tonight and had a really fluid stroke. The whole thing felt effortless. I swam 10 laps of a 50m pool for a total of 1,000m in 20 minutes. After that, the lanes started to get really busy and it was crowded with guys who had no business being in the fast lane, so I bailed.
So, those were my baby steps back to exercise. You know, I am actually missing running right now. I am going to see the Marquis tomorrow morning, so hopefully he'll fix me up so that I can run with less pain. I still have not been back on my bike yet, but I still have some minor chaffing issues in some unmentionable places, so I'm not too eager to get back in the saddle.
Today, I had lunch with the BC, which was lovely. We were both basking in the cool air of the underground city as it's still so stinking hot here in the Big Smoke. Tomorrow is Friday, thank goodness. We're having a party for our outgoing boss after work tomorrow, so that means we can leave the office early. Woo!
That said, why can't my exercise be on plan at the same time? OK, I did have a race on the weekend, so I'm entitled to some recovery time, but I need to kick my own butt back to some physical activity.
Step one was going for a swim in the Lake last night. There were about 20 of us in total and I swam for about 30 minutes. I even got to swim with one of our local pro triathletes (for, like, two whole strokes until he way way ahead of me).
Step two was to drag my ass to the pool again this evening. After doing laundry, I was really debating with myself about going. I knew that a couple of friends were going, so that was a bit of motivation. But since my hip is still bugging me, I don't have a lot of exercise options right now. It also looked like it might rain, so I didn't want to go for a bike ride. Anyway, before I had a chance to really think about it, I had put on my bathing suit under my cycling clothes and had headed out the door. The good news is that I was "feeling" the water really well tonight and had a really fluid stroke. The whole thing felt effortless. I swam 10 laps of a 50m pool for a total of 1,000m in 20 minutes. After that, the lanes started to get really busy and it was crowded with guys who had no business being in the fast lane, so I bailed.
So, those were my baby steps back to exercise. You know, I am actually missing running right now. I am going to see the Marquis tomorrow morning, so hopefully he'll fix me up so that I can run with less pain. I still have not been back on my bike yet, but I still have some minor chaffing issues in some unmentionable places, so I'm not too eager to get back in the saddle.
Today, I had lunch with the BC, which was lovely. We were both basking in the cool air of the underground city as it's still so stinking hot here in the Big Smoke. Tomorrow is Friday, thank goodness. We're having a party for our outgoing boss after work tomorrow, so that means we can leave the office early. Woo!
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
I'm Blaming the Weather
Day Two in a row without exercise. I know, I know... I had a race on the weekend so I deserve some down time. It's just that I had planned to ride my bike after work but the weather was just NASTY. In fact, there was a plane crash at the airport today. Thankfully, nobody was killed and only 14 were injured. Not that this should rate, but CNN even picked up the story live, so it was a pretty big deal. They believe the weather played a factor in that.
I was actually surprised that the rain held off long enough that I made the 10-minute walk from the office to the parking lot without getting drenched.
My hip is still sore, but not as bad as it was on Sunday/Monday. I called The Marquis (that's the pet name I have for my athletic therapist because I think he secretly enjoys inflicting pain on his patients) to see if he can see me this week. I hope I hear back from him.
The weather is supposed to be crappy again tomorrow so my plans to go for a swim might be foiled. I wanted to swim in the lake but the water quality goes way down when we have rain like we did today. And if there's a threat of lightning, they close the outdoor pool, so either way I'm pooched. I could always swim indoors (blech!).
I'm teaching for the next two days off site, meaning that I won't have access to e-mail, etc. during the day. I hate that!
It's stinking hot again here and I'm in a bad mood. The weather channel is toying and lying to me again by promising cooler temps by next week sometime, but I won't believe that until I actually see it.
Spoke to my bro this evening. He's coming to town for J's BD party this weekend. I was joking with him about a new TV show coming out this fall called Everyone Hates Chris (that's his name). He wants a T-Shirt with that saying on it.
Sorry, no words of wisdom or waxing poetic today. Maybe tomorrow.
I was actually surprised that the rain held off long enough that I made the 10-minute walk from the office to the parking lot without getting drenched.
My hip is still sore, but not as bad as it was on Sunday/Monday. I called The Marquis (that's the pet name I have for my athletic therapist because I think he secretly enjoys inflicting pain on his patients) to see if he can see me this week. I hope I hear back from him.
The weather is supposed to be crappy again tomorrow so my plans to go for a swim might be foiled. I wanted to swim in the lake but the water quality goes way down when we have rain like we did today. And if there's a threat of lightning, they close the outdoor pool, so either way I'm pooched. I could always swim indoors (blech!).
I'm teaching for the next two days off site, meaning that I won't have access to e-mail, etc. during the day. I hate that!
It's stinking hot again here and I'm in a bad mood. The weather channel is toying and lying to me again by promising cooler temps by next week sometime, but I won't believe that until I actually see it.
Spoke to my bro this evening. He's coming to town for J's BD party this weekend. I was joking with him about a new TV show coming out this fall called Everyone Hates Chris (that's his name). He wants a T-Shirt with that saying on it.
Sorry, no words of wisdom or waxing poetic today. Maybe tomorrow.
Monday, August 01, 2005
365 Days ago...
I posted this entry. It was the day after my race in Kingston (the one I had a personal best in yesterday). I thought it was very interesting...
Monday, Aug. 02, 2004, 9:20 AM
Dear La,
When are you going to stop doing this? When are you going to stop underestimating and undermining your abilities? You do this all the time; you set low expectations for yourself so that a) you won’t have to stretch yourself to achieve them, and b) so that nobody expects any more of you. You have been doing this all your life – or at least back as far as high school. Don’t show them what you can do; otherwise they’ll expect it of you all the time. It’s very easy, isn’t it, to set the bar so low that you will never fail. Of course, you’d say that you have not been successful at everything you’ve done, but you’ve certainly been more successful than not.
That was a very humbling experience for you yesterday, wasn’t it? You didn’t respect the distance, yet did the race anyway, completely unprepared. But then, you set low expectations for yourself so that when you got off your bike, it was easy for you to quit. Granted, it was a hot day, you bonked, blah, blah, blah.
I’ll give you an out on yesterday’s race, but you really have to stop doing this to yourself. Start setting the bar higher. Start requiring more of yourself. Start expecting that you are entitled to the best life has to offer. Start pushing your limits a little bit – physically and emotionally. Stop giving up at the first sign of discomfort. Stop thinking that you are “less than”. Stop putting yourself down. Stop standing at the back of the room and putting yourself at the end of the line. Just stop, OK?
OK.
And one other thing... don't you think that you are being disrespectful by assuming that MV (and all other men, for that matter) would not find you attractive simply because you do not have the body of a super-model? You are being disrespectful by thinking that that's all they care about and that they can't be attracted to you anyway. The truth is that YOU do not find yourself attractive, which is why they also don't. So, stop doing that, too, OK?
Love, La
Monday, Aug. 02, 2004, 9:20 AM
Dear La,
When are you going to stop doing this? When are you going to stop underestimating and undermining your abilities? You do this all the time; you set low expectations for yourself so that a) you won’t have to stretch yourself to achieve them, and b) so that nobody expects any more of you. You have been doing this all your life – or at least back as far as high school. Don’t show them what you can do; otherwise they’ll expect it of you all the time. It’s very easy, isn’t it, to set the bar so low that you will never fail. Of course, you’d say that you have not been successful at everything you’ve done, but you’ve certainly been more successful than not.
That was a very humbling experience for you yesterday, wasn’t it? You didn’t respect the distance, yet did the race anyway, completely unprepared. But then, you set low expectations for yourself so that when you got off your bike, it was easy for you to quit. Granted, it was a hot day, you bonked, blah, blah, blah.
I’ll give you an out on yesterday’s race, but you really have to stop doing this to yourself. Start setting the bar higher. Start requiring more of yourself. Start expecting that you are entitled to the best life has to offer. Start pushing your limits a little bit – physically and emotionally. Stop giving up at the first sign of discomfort. Stop thinking that you are “less than”. Stop putting yourself down. Stop standing at the back of the room and putting yourself at the end of the line. Just stop, OK?
OK.
And one other thing... don't you think that you are being disrespectful by assuming that MV (and all other men, for that matter) would not find you attractive simply because you do not have the body of a super-model? You are being disrespectful by thinking that that's all they care about and that they can't be attracted to you anyway. The truth is that YOU do not find yourself attractive, which is why they also don't. So, stop doing that, too, OK?
Love, La
Oh, what a race!
Yesterday I raced the K-Town triathlon in Kingston, Ontario. This was my third time doing this race.
The race distances are: 2K (1.25-mile) swim in Lake Ontario, 56.5K (35-mile) bike ride, followed by a 15K (9-mile) run. I first did this race back in 2002 in a time of 4 hours, 44 minutes and 22 seconds. At the time, it was my longest distance race to date and was doing it in preparation for the Ottawa Half-Ironman a month later. I didn't do it in 2003 because it was the week after Ironman (duh!). Last year, I tried to race it on almost no training. My swim was faster, but my bike was a minute slower and I totally bonked and had a DNF (did not finish) as I was unable to do the run.
Fast forward to 2005. I have been very focused and disciplined with my training this year. I've spent lots more hours and kilometers on my bike. Running's been OK (although I'm slightly injured right now) and I haven't swum much the last month or so. Anyway, I was feeling good after my awesome performance at the Toronto Waterfront Tri two weeks ago. That said, I had this hip problem (probably IT, not hip flexor as I thought) crop up this week, so I didn't know how I'd fare on the run.
I drove down on Saturday and met some friends, Jo-Jo and Andy, at Race Kit Pickup and we had a bite of lunch to eat. These are people who belong to an on-line discussion board on running and triathlon that I belong to - I had never actually met them in person, so it was great to meet people in real life whom I'd only ever corresponded with on-line. I then met up with KH, CL and KL who I was staying with just north of the city. We walked around town and picked up supplies for dinner, etc.
When we got back to the cars I noticed that my cell phone was missing. We called it and couldn't hear it ringing anywhere in the car. Since we had been all over town, I couldn't think of where to even begin looking for it. Eventually, I just wrote it off and we went up to KH's friends' place up on Loughborough Lake where we were staying. After a dip in the lake, we ate like pigs and went to bed around 10PM fully stuffed.
I didn't sleep well (in the top bunk in a boathouse) and woke just before my alarm at 5:20AM. We all dressed, ate breakfast and prepared our stuff and headed out at 6:20AM. We got to the race site well before 7AM, so the line-up for bike check wasn't too long. Since I had registered so early I had a really great spot in transition right by the exit for the bike (everyone's spots are assigned, based on how early you registered). I set up my stuff and still had a bit of time to kill before the race started. I ran into several people I knew and just chatted until the race started. CL was doing the race as a relay with her husband (KL) - she was swimming and running and he was biking. She was very nervous about the swim as this was the longest distance she had ever done in open water. I tried to calm her down and reassure her that she would be fine.
The gun went off at 8AM sharp and we all began the 2K swim. It was a bit of a washing machine and I had to keep stopping to swim around people who were in my way. I did pretty well with sighting, which is often a problem for me with asymetrical swim courses (as this was). When I got to the dock, I reached up and two big guys grabbed my arms and hauled me out of the water. I hit the split timer on my watch and saw 41-something. Holy crap! That was a great time! I was hoping to do it in under 45 minutes, so I was very happy.
I took my time in T1 (swim-to-bike transition) - I actually walked instead of ran to my bike. I just didn't want to get my heard rate too high to start the bike. I got into my gear and out on the bike. My watch said: 2:36 for T1, but the official swim time includes T1, so it was recorded as 43:44. That was almost 5 minutes faster than last year and 8 minutes faster than in 2002. Go me!
The bike was great. I "didn't feel the chain" as they say. I rode within my ability and tried to keep my HR down. I didn't have any issues with the causeway, which was great (it's a bridge that can go up at any time and you have to stop on the bike if it does). At about the 35K mark I saw a guy walking his bike by the side of the road. I asked him if he needed anything and he said something about a tube. I stopped my bike and said that I had a spare 700cc tube if he wanted it. He said that he actually needed a CO2 cartridge (carbon dioxide tube used to inflate tires in emergency situations) as his had misfired when he changed his flat. I had three in my little case, so I fished one out and gave it to him. I'm not sure how long I was stopped, but I would guess 2-3 minutes max. I just couldn't leave him stranded there as I felt that it might be bad race Karma, so I gave up the time and hoped that I'd benefit from the kindness of a stranger at some point during my race. On the way back towards the causeway I saw my friend Andy walking by the side of the road with blood coming down the side of his head! He was with a couple of race officials and was being tended to. Apparently he had crashed going about 50kph (30mph) down a hill. Yikes! He's OK, though.
Bike time for 56.5K was 2:07:08, which was only a minute faster than last year (when I bonked) and about the same as in 2002. I was a little disappointed because I had worked on my cycling so much, but then I remembered having stopped for that guy, so I know it was actually faster than that.
T2 (bike-to-run transition) went pretty well. I met up with KL who had finished his bike leg (CL was already out on the run). I chatted with him as I put on my running shoes, etc. Total T2 time was 1:44. Officially, your T2 time is added to your run time.
I felt really good on the run. I ran the first K in 5:46, which is pretty good considering I had to run 15K. I also realized that this was a bit fast for a long-run pace, so I slowed down a bit. I saw Jo-Jo at the first water station and told her about having seen Andy who had crashed near the causeway. The run course was beautiful and all along the lake, so there was a lovely breeze. There was some shade, but also some very exposed sunny parts that I didn't like so well. I got to the 2K mark in just under 12 minutes and realized that I hadn't set my watch to beep for walk breaks every 10 minutes, so I took a walk break and started the timer when I started running again. My 5K split was 30:47, so that was all good (pretty close to my half-marathon race pace). My 2nd 5K split was 31:09, for a 10K time of 1:01:56 (not bad for me). I kept up with the 10-min run / 1-min walk the rest of the way and didn't take any unplanned walk breaks except for some hills on the return lap. On the way out I saw CL who had already made the turnaround. When I was on my way back I then saw my other friend KH who was a few minutes behind me. She's a faster runner than I am so I was worried that she might catch me.
As I got closer to the final water station I started to think about how great I was feeling compared to how I felt the first time I did the race in 2002. When I saw the final (14K) marker in the distance I decided to take my final walk break. I turned off my 10/1 because I didn't want my watch beeping at me. I told myself that when I got to the final K marker that I would start running again and hammer all the way to the end. I hit the lap timer on my watch so that I could see what I ran my final K in. As I was fiddling with my watch during my final walk break I saw that the actual time was 12:20PM. Somewhere on the bike my timer had stopped (my glove probably hit the stop button and I had started it again before the run), so I had no idea what my total time was. But since the race had started at 8AM that meant I had been out there for 4:20 - with only a little more than 1K to go on the run! Heck, I knew that I could run the final K in at least 6 minutes, which meant that I would cross the line in under 4:30! My goal had simply been to beat my time from 2002, with a "whisper" goal of coming in as close to 4:30 as possible. As I started to think about how well I was doing, I started to get a little emotional and choked up, but then I could feel my windpipe constricting and was having a hard time breathing. I talked myself down and calmed myself so that I could breathe again. I ran the final K in 5:42 and crossed the finish line in 4:26:36!
CL and KL where there at the finish line waiting for me with a big congratulations. I was over the moon with how well I had done - being able to crush my whisper goal is something I never dreamed of. And I certainly never dreamed that it would be my swim and my run that would do it for me! In the end, my run time was 1:35:45 (including T2), almost 10 full minutes faster than in 2002! Holy crap!
We had some post race food and even met Canadian Olympic Gold Medalist Simon Whitfield's mum, Linda, who was a volunteer at the race. My friend KH knows her because she used to babysit Simon when he was little. Before we left, I made one last-ditch effort to locate my missing cell phone. I retraced some steps from the previous day and checked the park's lost-and-found, but to no avail. Finally, I thought to call my cell phone to see if there were any messages. There weren't, but there was a message left for me at my home number! Turns out someone had found the phone on the street near the race site, found my home number pre-programmed into the phone, called it and left a message. He left the phone with the hotel right across from the race site, so when I went in, there it was at the front desk! I was sooooo happy to have retrieved it. That karma from helping the guy on the bike course paid itself back - although not in the way that I thought it would!
I am really stoked about how well this race went. I do need to have this hip looked at and probably stay off running for a while until it's healed. My next race is in 5 weeks time in Ottawa. That one is longer (2K swim, 90K bike and 21K run) and now I'm more confident of being able to meet my goal of doing it in 6 hours and 30 minutes.
The race distances are: 2K (1.25-mile) swim in Lake Ontario, 56.5K (35-mile) bike ride, followed by a 15K (9-mile) run. I first did this race back in 2002 in a time of 4 hours, 44 minutes and 22 seconds. At the time, it was my longest distance race to date and was doing it in preparation for the Ottawa Half-Ironman a month later. I didn't do it in 2003 because it was the week after Ironman (duh!). Last year, I tried to race it on almost no training. My swim was faster, but my bike was a minute slower and I totally bonked and had a DNF (did not finish) as I was unable to do the run.
Fast forward to 2005. I have been very focused and disciplined with my training this year. I've spent lots more hours and kilometers on my bike. Running's been OK (although I'm slightly injured right now) and I haven't swum much the last month or so. Anyway, I was feeling good after my awesome performance at the Toronto Waterfront Tri two weeks ago. That said, I had this hip problem (probably IT, not hip flexor as I thought) crop up this week, so I didn't know how I'd fare on the run.
I drove down on Saturday and met some friends, Jo-Jo and Andy, at Race Kit Pickup and we had a bite of lunch to eat. These are people who belong to an on-line discussion board on running and triathlon that I belong to - I had never actually met them in person, so it was great to meet people in real life whom I'd only ever corresponded with on-line. I then met up with KH, CL and KL who I was staying with just north of the city. We walked around town and picked up supplies for dinner, etc.
When we got back to the cars I noticed that my cell phone was missing. We called it and couldn't hear it ringing anywhere in the car. Since we had been all over town, I couldn't think of where to even begin looking for it. Eventually, I just wrote it off and we went up to KH's friends' place up on Loughborough Lake where we were staying. After a dip in the lake, we ate like pigs and went to bed around 10PM fully stuffed.
I didn't sleep well (in the top bunk in a boathouse) and woke just before my alarm at 5:20AM. We all dressed, ate breakfast and prepared our stuff and headed out at 6:20AM. We got to the race site well before 7AM, so the line-up for bike check wasn't too long. Since I had registered so early I had a really great spot in transition right by the exit for the bike (everyone's spots are assigned, based on how early you registered). I set up my stuff and still had a bit of time to kill before the race started. I ran into several people I knew and just chatted until the race started. CL was doing the race as a relay with her husband (KL) - she was swimming and running and he was biking. She was very nervous about the swim as this was the longest distance she had ever done in open water. I tried to calm her down and reassure her that she would be fine.
The gun went off at 8AM sharp and we all began the 2K swim. It was a bit of a washing machine and I had to keep stopping to swim around people who were in my way. I did pretty well with sighting, which is often a problem for me with asymetrical swim courses (as this was). When I got to the dock, I reached up and two big guys grabbed my arms and hauled me out of the water. I hit the split timer on my watch and saw 41-something. Holy crap! That was a great time! I was hoping to do it in under 45 minutes, so I was very happy.
I took my time in T1 (swim-to-bike transition) - I actually walked instead of ran to my bike. I just didn't want to get my heard rate too high to start the bike. I got into my gear and out on the bike. My watch said: 2:36 for T1, but the official swim time includes T1, so it was recorded as 43:44. That was almost 5 minutes faster than last year and 8 minutes faster than in 2002. Go me!
The bike was great. I "didn't feel the chain" as they say. I rode within my ability and tried to keep my HR down. I didn't have any issues with the causeway, which was great (it's a bridge that can go up at any time and you have to stop on the bike if it does). At about the 35K mark I saw a guy walking his bike by the side of the road. I asked him if he needed anything and he said something about a tube. I stopped my bike and said that I had a spare 700cc tube if he wanted it. He said that he actually needed a CO2 cartridge (carbon dioxide tube used to inflate tires in emergency situations) as his had misfired when he changed his flat. I had three in my little case, so I fished one out and gave it to him. I'm not sure how long I was stopped, but I would guess 2-3 minutes max. I just couldn't leave him stranded there as I felt that it might be bad race Karma, so I gave up the time and hoped that I'd benefit from the kindness of a stranger at some point during my race. On the way back towards the causeway I saw my friend Andy walking by the side of the road with blood coming down the side of his head! He was with a couple of race officials and was being tended to. Apparently he had crashed going about 50kph (30mph) down a hill. Yikes! He's OK, though.
Bike time for 56.5K was 2:07:08, which was only a minute faster than last year (when I bonked) and about the same as in 2002. I was a little disappointed because I had worked on my cycling so much, but then I remembered having stopped for that guy, so I know it was actually faster than that.
T2 (bike-to-run transition) went pretty well. I met up with KL who had finished his bike leg (CL was already out on the run). I chatted with him as I put on my running shoes, etc. Total T2 time was 1:44. Officially, your T2 time is added to your run time.
I felt really good on the run. I ran the first K in 5:46, which is pretty good considering I had to run 15K. I also realized that this was a bit fast for a long-run pace, so I slowed down a bit. I saw Jo-Jo at the first water station and told her about having seen Andy who had crashed near the causeway. The run course was beautiful and all along the lake, so there was a lovely breeze. There was some shade, but also some very exposed sunny parts that I didn't like so well. I got to the 2K mark in just under 12 minutes and realized that I hadn't set my watch to beep for walk breaks every 10 minutes, so I took a walk break and started the timer when I started running again. My 5K split was 30:47, so that was all good (pretty close to my half-marathon race pace). My 2nd 5K split was 31:09, for a 10K time of 1:01:56 (not bad for me). I kept up with the 10-min run / 1-min walk the rest of the way and didn't take any unplanned walk breaks except for some hills on the return lap. On the way out I saw CL who had already made the turnaround. When I was on my way back I then saw my other friend KH who was a few minutes behind me. She's a faster runner than I am so I was worried that she might catch me.
As I got closer to the final water station I started to think about how great I was feeling compared to how I felt the first time I did the race in 2002. When I saw the final (14K) marker in the distance I decided to take my final walk break. I turned off my 10/1 because I didn't want my watch beeping at me. I told myself that when I got to the final K marker that I would start running again and hammer all the way to the end. I hit the lap timer on my watch so that I could see what I ran my final K in. As I was fiddling with my watch during my final walk break I saw that the actual time was 12:20PM. Somewhere on the bike my timer had stopped (my glove probably hit the stop button and I had started it again before the run), so I had no idea what my total time was. But since the race had started at 8AM that meant I had been out there for 4:20 - with only a little more than 1K to go on the run! Heck, I knew that I could run the final K in at least 6 minutes, which meant that I would cross the line in under 4:30! My goal had simply been to beat my time from 2002, with a "whisper" goal of coming in as close to 4:30 as possible. As I started to think about how well I was doing, I started to get a little emotional and choked up, but then I could feel my windpipe constricting and was having a hard time breathing. I talked myself down and calmed myself so that I could breathe again. I ran the final K in 5:42 and crossed the finish line in 4:26:36!
CL and KL where there at the finish line waiting for me with a big congratulations. I was over the moon with how well I had done - being able to crush my whisper goal is something I never dreamed of. And I certainly never dreamed that it would be my swim and my run that would do it for me! In the end, my run time was 1:35:45 (including T2), almost 10 full minutes faster than in 2002! Holy crap!
We had some post race food and even met Canadian Olympic Gold Medalist Simon Whitfield's mum, Linda, who was a volunteer at the race. My friend KH knows her because she used to babysit Simon when he was little. Before we left, I made one last-ditch effort to locate my missing cell phone. I retraced some steps from the previous day and checked the park's lost-and-found, but to no avail. Finally, I thought to call my cell phone to see if there were any messages. There weren't, but there was a message left for me at my home number! Turns out someone had found the phone on the street near the race site, found my home number pre-programmed into the phone, called it and left a message. He left the phone with the hotel right across from the race site, so when I went in, there it was at the front desk! I was sooooo happy to have retrieved it. That karma from helping the guy on the bike course paid itself back - although not in the way that I thought it would!
I am really stoked about how well this race went. I do need to have this hip looked at and probably stay off running for a while until it's healed. My next race is in 5 weeks time in Ottawa. That one is longer (2K swim, 90K bike and 21K run) and now I'm more confident of being able to meet my goal of doing it in 6 hours and 30 minutes.
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