We are lucky living in Canada but...

Hi Everyone,

Happy Canada Day weekend.  We are lucky to live in this great big land.  We have unparalleled freedom to choose what we want to do with our lives, how we live, who we associate with and a tax system that gives us a safety net of health care and social assistance when and if required.  Yes, we all gripe about taxes and that the system is not perfect but I know how lucky we are to have what we have as many other countries do not.  I can't comprehend going to a hospital and being turned away as we can not afford it or do not have a coverage plan. So yeah to Canada.  But some of us are not as lucky and that is one of the reasons I'm swimming, biking and running for Gate 3:16. 

My goal was to have 3000.00 for my first three races but I'm stuck at $1,310.00.  Although we do live in a land that will help the less fortunate these people can not always access it.  In order to access funding a person must have a home address and in many cases the client's at Gate 3:16 are "renting" space somewhere or hopping from one place to the next to sleep under a roof.  When we think of homelessness we have a misconception that homelessness are those people on the street  but we have people who are below the poverty line, who are working and just don't have the financial ability to rent accommodations.  Gate 3:16 helps these people by providing them two meals per day, literacy skills, haircuts, access to computers, phones, faxes and help navigating social assistance.  Basic things the average Canadian takes for granted.  I appreciate you reading my blog and would ask you to consider a donation to my fundraising goal.  The link to the Canada Helps donation page is on the right.

Last weekend many of my Ironmotivation team-mates and I were in the Muskokas for a training camp.  I shared a room with two of my fellow athletes who will be racing in the 70.3 in September. It was a blast. Saturday we headed out for 90K bike ride and for days after we were talking about the quantity and steepness of the hills. As for Sunday it started with 2.1K swim which was followed by a 8K run.  I'm happy to report I did not freak in the water and was very comfortable.  The swim time does make me nervous as we only have 8 hours and 44 minutes to complete the race and I'm not the fastest when it comes to the swim and the run.  I did look at posted times for last years finishers and it does seem doable even with the length of time the swim will take.  The run is always tough as I fear the pain that accompanies it.  Although its less then during the race in Guelph its still there being a pest.  Dr. Jason's treatments are starting to work and I'm confident I'll be in top shape for the race. 

After tomorrow I'll be relaxing for three days and appreciating how lucky we are to live in Canada. 

Happy 145th Birthday Canada.

Liz

Post Guelph and Pre Muskoka

I have been a bit remiss for not posting how the race in Guelph went last weekend.  I have had almost a week now to ponder this event and its results.  Yes, I finished but it just did not have the same feel as Texas.  The swim was good, long, but good.  I did not panic I just swam and completed the 1.5K distance.  I was not last but close to it. When I came out I knew I would be able to swim .5K more to complete the 2K distance in the Kingston long and for the Muskoka half-iron.  I must say running up the hill to transition this year was much better than last I was not as woozy coming out of the water and knowing what was coming helped.  The bike is usually my fastest event but for some reason I did not have the same feel for this 40K ride.  I'm pleased with my time of 1 hour 28 minutes and 50 seconds which nets out to be an average of 27K per hour. It was not my best ride but it was an okay ride.  The run is where I went off the rails.  I woke up with pain in the calves and hoped lots of hydration would help but lets just say that 1 hour and 15 minute 10K was brutal.  Looking back it was the run that spoiled the day.  On the plus I feel my nutrition and hydration was better and I was very comfortable in the water.  The other factor maybe sleep. I choose to drive in the day of the event and was up at 4:30am and did not get the usual amount of sleep which is so important.  I have come to terms with this race and its time to put it the past and concentrate on the next one and the big one.

This weekend some of the Ironmotivation team will be heading to Muskoka for a training camp.  Tomorrow will bring either a 90K or 180K bike depending on your race and then Sunday brings a 2K swim and a 12K run for me.  I am looking forward to the run to see how the calves hold up.   This past Wednesday saw me with Dr. J for Active Recovery Treatment - its a technique to lengthen the muscles.  Oh boy it was painful but later in the afternoon it was better.  We are giving some heel lifts a try too to see if it helps and then there are shoes.  Did I mention I got a great deal on runners in the States?  Well, they might not have been such a deal as they don't seem to feel the same as the current ones.  Coach Paul told me a story where one of our DRTC coaches Robbie purchased an exact pair of shoes in the States and she did here and found out that depending on the store the shoe may actually be made a little bit different.  So I returned to the Running Room and purchased another pair and will test drive them, I think, on Sunday.

Sunday sees many of my fellow Ironmotivation team members and  DRTC members at the half ironman in Mt Tremblant and Syracuse and other distances in Wellend.  Good Luck !!

Next week I'll provide an update on the funding raising.  One of the reasons I'm on this journey to the Muskoka 70.3 half ironman.

Have a great weekend,
Liz

You know the Ontario tri season has hit when we go outside to swim

In Ontario we have two triathlon series Recharge with Milk and the Subaru Series each offering a race late in May.  The earliest being Victoria Day long weekend in Waterloo.  We had a wonderful warm long weekend but the lake would still be oh so very cold.  I don't know anyone in the Durham Triathlon Club who participated in either of these races rather most of us start with the Guelph Race on Father's Day weekend. This race offers the Try-A-Tri, Sprint and Olympic distances. The club will be represented well with Cam and Frances in the Try-A-Tri, Jeff, Tara, Deanna, Peter in the Sprint and Liza, Alison and myself in the Olympic. There are probably others but our roving reporter's ask on our facebook page resulted with these names. Like Cam and Frances for many of us this was our first race and holds a special place in our memories.  Wishing Cam and Frances the same awesome experience I had in this first race. 

Unlike the 81 degree lake in Texas the water in Guelph will be a bit chillier.  Probably not wet suit mandatory but cold enough to take the option to wear it. Swimming in a wet suit has some advantages including buoyancy, slickness and protection.  Two disadvantages are a sense of constriction as the suit is like a second layer and very tight and depending on the model the pull (arm movement) is constricted. A new triathlete may have these concerns on top of concerns about swimming in open water.  Open water presents many new challenges such as the vastness of the lake (no edges to grab on to), none stop swimming (no ends), waves, the depth (sounds strange but this is one of my fears), cold, close proximity to others thus a kick or hit does happen, fish, algae to name a few.  There are many things to like including seeing birds, the shoreline, houses, city scape rather than watching brick walls or the pool deck go by. Seeing the sky, the sun, the sand dunes at the bottom (Holmes Point & Wasaga Beach) and when the zone hits you don't have to stop at 25 meters.  The swim in Texas changed my outlook on this discipline.  I'm not sure I can describe it but it gave me a confidence and a calmness I have not had in the past.  This feeling was there in our last two swim classes and in our first club swim.  Texas will hold a very special place in my heart as the place I actually felt comfortable swimming in a lake.  I don't know if this feeling will continue but I have a place I can go to in my mind's eye when I'm swimming that may calm me down.  I guess I should take it as a sign its time to move from the "D" lane in swim class.  I asked Coach Christine which lane was the development lane and her response " do you really need it? " I guess its time to face the next fear swimming with the "big" kids.

Here we are, all 25 of us, swimming at Jackson's Point in our first club swim of 2012.

Even if its cloudy and raining this weekend there is sun above those clouds.

- Liz

Texas Pictures & Shoes

A few pictures from Texas.

On the deck for swim start

Maybe me

Ladybird lake and the skyscape I was looking at during the swim

In the finishing chute

Shoes - Sometime back I posted a picture of my very old and worn out orange shoes which I ran a half marathon in and my races last year.  I would suggest some of my feet, leg and ankle issues were attributed to those shoes. While in Texas I took advantage of the great shoe prices and purchased a new pair of runners.  The ones I purchased just before Around the Bay have around 800 Klm on them and I was hoping for a  few more however that won't happen.  A few weeks back I had some minor knee pain and thought about new shoes but this happened again yesterday.  Various web sites recommend changing them every 300 to 400 miles.   Dr. Jason agreed and the new shoes will be on my fit later this week. Next race in Guelph will be with my new purple "go faster" shoe.  The purple will make me go faster I think.  The old shoes will become the normal use pair and then my normal use pair will become my house shoes.  Before I know it I'll have be the Imelda Marcos of running shoes :-) 

Have a great week,
Liz