Sooo, how's my training been going? Well, it started off with a bang and the first three weeks were fabulous. I've been swimming two to three times per week, running three times per week, but lagging a bit on the bike rides. I need to start being consistent with the bike as that will probably be my nemesis at Lake Placid. Teaching a spin class alone will not get me to the top of Whiteface Mountain!
This week was a bit of a bust with my training. I only got one swim in, one bike and one run. I'm not happy about it, but it definitely makes me angry enough at myself to re-focus and get my a$$ in gear for this coming week.
This has been a challenging year for me already, but I am determined to stay focused and to work through whatever obstacles the universe decides to throw at me. I have an amazing husband, great friends and family and a renewed hope for what lies ahead. Quoting from a horoscope one of my best buds sent to me: "A big change is happening in your life... this change is building momentum and will bring great happiness, opportunities, and rewards for the karma you have earned." There's a lot more good stuff it said, but let's just say that, if it's right, I'm going to be one freaking happy camper this year!
...And I was born in the Year of the Dragon so this, apparently, is my year to shine! Bring it on, I'm ready!
Saturday, 21 January 2012
Monday, 2 January 2012
Reflections on 2011
2011 was a year of many exciting adventures and a couple of accomplishments I'm a little proud of. One thing I'm very proud of is participating in two charity bike rides. The first one was the Ride to Conquer Cancer, riding 220K from Toronto to Niagara Falls over the course of two days. It was a weekend of tears, laughter, hope and camaraderie.
The second ride I participated in was The Maritime Bike Tour to support a charity called Craig's Cause in its efforts to raise funds and awareness for pancreatic cancer. This bike tour required us to ride 100K a day for five days through the Maritime provinces. Whoever said the Maritimes are flat lied. We knew one particular day would be very challenging and that was the day we rode up French Mountain on Cape Breton Island. 12K of straight up. Very happy to say that we did it. Here's a photo:
The Maritimers lived up to their reputation of great hospitality and being great hosts. We met the most amazing people on this trip and they will remain life-long friends. If you're interested in supporting this cause, send me a line and I'll send you the link, or just google it.
The NYC Half Marathon was a personal favourite this year. We went down with a great group of friends and had a blast running through Central Park and Times Square. When else are you going to get to close down Times Square for 20,000 runners? Best part? I get to do it again in 2012!! So stoked!
I had the pleasure of travelling to Spain and witnessing a good friend fulfill a goal of racing in the World Duathlon Championships. The trip was spectacular and so was his performance. I love Spain. I love the people, the food, the wine, the shopping....not necessarily in that order. And we also made up a new word: Culo Sombrero. Try translating that one. I think we made up the English version of that word, too.
One thing I truly enjoyed this year was going for monthly dinners with a very special friend. We made a commitment that we would take the time out of our very busy schedules to slow down the pace and enjoy a great meal at a wonderful restaurant. The fact that they had half price bottles of wine didn't factor into the equation at all.....really.....uhmm, maybe just a little.
Forging stronger relationships with my husband, friends and family wasn't something that I set out to do consciously, and maybe that sounds naive, but as a result of certain circumstances this year, I came to appreciate them even more and realized how much I rely on them for their love and support and for that I am truly grateful.
As for resolutions, I haven't really made any other than to cherish the people in my life that matter most.
The second ride I participated in was The Maritime Bike Tour to support a charity called Craig's Cause in its efforts to raise funds and awareness for pancreatic cancer. This bike tour required us to ride 100K a day for five days through the Maritime provinces. Whoever said the Maritimes are flat lied. We knew one particular day would be very challenging and that was the day we rode up French Mountain on Cape Breton Island. 12K of straight up. Very happy to say that we did it. Here's a photo:
The Maritimers lived up to their reputation of great hospitality and being great hosts. We met the most amazing people on this trip and they will remain life-long friends. If you're interested in supporting this cause, send me a line and I'll send you the link, or just google it.
The NYC Half Marathon was a personal favourite this year. We went down with a great group of friends and had a blast running through Central Park and Times Square. When else are you going to get to close down Times Square for 20,000 runners? Best part? I get to do it again in 2012!! So stoked!
I had the pleasure of travelling to Spain and witnessing a good friend fulfill a goal of racing in the World Duathlon Championships. The trip was spectacular and so was his performance. I love Spain. I love the people, the food, the wine, the shopping....not necessarily in that order. And we also made up a new word: Culo Sombrero. Try translating that one. I think we made up the English version of that word, too.
One thing I truly enjoyed this year was going for monthly dinners with a very special friend. We made a commitment that we would take the time out of our very busy schedules to slow down the pace and enjoy a great meal at a wonderful restaurant. The fact that they had half price bottles of wine didn't factor into the equation at all.....really.....uhmm, maybe just a little.
Forging stronger relationships with my husband, friends and family wasn't something that I set out to do consciously, and maybe that sounds naive, but as a result of certain circumstances this year, I came to appreciate them even more and realized how much I rely on them for their love and support and for that I am truly grateful.
As for resolutions, I haven't really made any other than to cherish the people in my life that matter most.
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Ironman Training Begins!
Ironman training officially began on December 26 and what better way to do it than with the Boxing Day 10 Miler in Hamilton. Next to the Around the Bay, it is probably my favourite race. I had a goal in mind with this race and I really wanted to PB it. I figured I could take at least five minutes off my best time, so I went to my trusty website (www.coolrunning.com) to figure out exactly what pace I needed to run to reach my goal. There's a pace calculator link on that website. If you've never used it before, try it! It helped me figure out the pace I needed to run my sub-2:00 half marathon in November and it helped me achieve my last goal. I'm happy to say that I was able to bust out a personal best by 10 minutes. The best part was seeing the rest of our huge gang blast through the course and have their own PB's. It was a great day. Topping it off was going to the pub with everybody after and getting a free beer when you show them your race bib! How awesome is that!?!
Now, running a 10 mile race for the start of Ironman training is a little unorthodox when you don't need to do that distance, but what the heck, it's great fun and I got to work off all that extra Christmas cheer I packed on over the weekend. I have a huge Italian family so that always means lots and lots and lots of food.
So, Ironman. Now, I need to get down to business. I'm not overwhelmed just yet because the distances and time commitment aren't too intense. I'll probably speak about that in a few months when it gets harder to get in the workouts when my commute to work takes me almost an hour and a half each way. This means reeeaaallly early morning workouts and also evening workouts -- in the same day. There may even be days where I'll have to do three workouts. Ugghh! So in the spirit of my being accountable, I have done two runs this week. I was supposed to swim last night, but bailed. I can say it was because Christmas is exhausting; we had friends over for lunch, which necessarily included wine, and my legs were tired, but those are excuses. This means I need to get in the pool for sure this week, maybe even tomorrow morning. I will be teaching a spin and core class tonight and since I'm teaching, there's no getting out of that. Not that I want to. I love this group and we always have a lot of fun -- especially the whimpering during core class (okay, that's usually my husband). I have another bike workout, swim and run to do on the weekend. Should be interesting, given that it's New Year's weekend, but I'm committed and will get it done!
Now, running a 10 mile race for the start of Ironman training is a little unorthodox when you don't need to do that distance, but what the heck, it's great fun and I got to work off all that extra Christmas cheer I packed on over the weekend. I have a huge Italian family so that always means lots and lots and lots of food.
So, Ironman. Now, I need to get down to business. I'm not overwhelmed just yet because the distances and time commitment aren't too intense. I'll probably speak about that in a few months when it gets harder to get in the workouts when my commute to work takes me almost an hour and a half each way. This means reeeaaallly early morning workouts and also evening workouts -- in the same day. There may even be days where I'll have to do three workouts. Ugghh! So in the spirit of my being accountable, I have done two runs this week. I was supposed to swim last night, but bailed. I can say it was because Christmas is exhausting; we had friends over for lunch, which necessarily included wine, and my legs were tired, but those are excuses. This means I need to get in the pool for sure this week, maybe even tomorrow morning. I will be teaching a spin and core class tonight and since I'm teaching, there's no getting out of that. Not that I want to. I love this group and we always have a lot of fun -- especially the whimpering during core class (okay, that's usually my husband). I have another bike workout, swim and run to do on the weekend. Should be interesting, given that it's New Year's weekend, but I'm committed and will get it done!
Oh, I forgot to mention I got the BEST Christmas present. Garmin has come out with a new triathlon watch, the 910XT, and as soon as it's in stock, it will be in my sweaty hands!! I didn't even know this thing was on the market so happy surprise to me! Here's a photo:
Hope everyone made some happy memories during this holiday season. Wishing the new year brings lots of joy, happiness, success and lasting friendships.
Sunday, 18 December 2011
First Blog Ever....
I'm starting this blog more to be accountable to myself in my training for IM Lake Placid. I've started reading a book entitled "You Are an Ironman" by Jacques Steinberg, and the athletes that he's following are either writing blogs or have journals. I used to be pretty committed about logging my workouts, but in between starting a new business, still working my other full-time job and training, that went by the wayside. No more! Serious training begins December 26 -- and I'll start that with a local Boxing Day 10-Miler race that is tough, but awesome! Providing all goes well and I stay healthy, I want a personal best. I'll let you know how that goes.
If I suck at this blog thing, let me know and tell me what I should/shouldn't be doing.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)