tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70612470603148742352024-03-05T01:03:07.312-05:00Perpetually Moving TargetRirinettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.comBlogger271125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-70071687938135832852017-04-30T18:46:00.000-04:002017-04-30T18:53:44.936-04:00You blink and it's MayI can hardly believe that I wrote the previous post 4 weeks ago!! How's that even possible? I suppose this is what happens when your life changes drastically and you try to keep up with the new rhythm. But more about this later... The first race of the season is less than 2 months away and I am NOT freaking out. Nope. I'm good. I am also a terrible liar.<br />
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Here's something that doesn't lie. Strava.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jfTJU_9AJ3_E0r3sWhqr_ODIm4kv0Fm9zBpQpOenAtOcM-G5OhIw0BzBA0wmk5q1eec4xKxez7fRKSnDcE37bg7Gp21p3XanKojmfOtBnZdbvqnHdol_-lONV0ZlLhWGICWUL7l1DW0/s1600/Workouts+April.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jfTJU_9AJ3_E0r3sWhqr_ODIm4kv0Fm9zBpQpOenAtOcM-G5OhIw0BzBA0wmk5q1eec4xKxez7fRKSnDcE37bg7Gp21p3XanKojmfOtBnZdbvqnHdol_-lONV0ZlLhWGICWUL7l1DW0/s400/Workouts+April.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
As you can see, I only averaged 2-3 workouts a week, but when you think about it, my work as an arborist IS a daily workout. They call us something like... <i>industrial athletes</i>, I kid you not. (Check this out - <i>"<a href="http://www.isa-arbor.com/events/conference/proceedings/2014/2014_Amanda_Carpenter.pdf" target="_blank">Caring for your body as a production arborist</a>"</i>). The ISA even mentions something about a <a href="http://www.isa-arbor.com/events/conference/presentationDescription.aspx?ID=1156" target="_blank">sawdust triathlon</a>. Wait, what?? I suppose it counts as training after all.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHXDWXSe_80V3Zsh1VQLrtabbqGMNZAwWUxKi_ISlww5gcIkHbQ1BAK9MszcO1nRyNhn4eV6NqYW5AUNOAKx5ExZaw3QeJvonyWd-Z6JqmYzZEOjvfRjkBQ4NIDcOIcu_qaWEgJfIWaI/s1600/16819150_10154875614576955_8522321605216765500_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHXDWXSe_80V3Zsh1VQLrtabbqGMNZAwWUxKi_ISlww5gcIkHbQ1BAK9MszcO1nRyNhn4eV6NqYW5AUNOAKx5ExZaw3QeJvonyWd-Z6JqmYzZEOjvfRjkBQ4NIDcOIcu_qaWEgJfIWaI/s640/16819150_10154875614576955_8522321605216765500_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This must be the core workout</td></tr>
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Now, back to the other kind of triathlon. Alas, I only managed to train in 2 of the 3 sports. And let's not debate whether triathlon is one sport or three, or more, mmmkay?<br />
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I ran 5km three times and biked 7 times, with the longest bike workout being 2h. I still have a long way to 3h on the trainer, but it should be doable before June comes around. I may even bump my FTP by 5 points or so. As to running, the goal is to get to 10km before the end of the month.<br />
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Just for fun, here are the <a href="https://www.trainerroad.com/career/ririnette" target="_blank">Trainer Road bike workouts</a> I did, in order of progression:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Ericsson 1h</li>
<li>Bays 1h</li>
<li>Carson 1h</li>
<li>Glassy-1 1.5h</li>
<li>Baird-1 1h</li>
<li>Boarstone 2h</li>
<li>Phoenix 1.5h</li>
</ul>
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Last but not least - 8fit: I completely forgot about it. Seriously. I kept ignoring its reminders and eventually it left me alone. Yesterday, however, I was in mood for Yoga and I did a quick Neck and Shoulders routine which felt amazeballs.<br />
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I also found some wonderful breakfast ideas and I already tried one today:<br />
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Chocolate Banana Pudding<br />
<ul>
<li>1 serving of instant Maple and Brown Sugar Steel Cut Oats (PC blue menu)</li>
<li>120ml soy milk</li>
<li>1/2 tsp raw cocoa</li>
<li>15 almonds</li>
<li>1 banana</li>
</ul>
Directions: microwave the milk and oats for 2.5min, mix in cocoa, almonds and banana slices. (Optional add in 1tsp sesame seeds and a pinch of salt)<br />
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Ready in 5 minutes and absolutely delish!</div>
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I'll try to blog more often, as I settle into a routine. Easier said than done, I'm aware. But at least I'll tell you this. I am not going anywhere. ;-)</div>
Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-70989790776947403862017-04-03T12:13:00.000-04:002017-04-03T13:50:20.194-04:00Getting ready to climb, cut, tri all the things and rescue dummiesIt's been a tough week for squeezing workouts in, but I finished better than I started, I guess. The first 3 days were busy with exams and outdoor school fun, but at the end of Wednesday I was finally done! I chose to study rather than do workouts because I really wanted to finish strong, and I did not regret my decision. Over the course of the week I found out that I won a bursary for being top student in the Plant Healthcare class, and an award for being the toughest female climber this year. To be honest, I was surprised by both (I didn't even know about the bursary until last week!) and I wanted to bask a little in my pride for making it to the top at the ripe age of 42. Maybe going through enough shit in life does make you more determined and combative after all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are the Arborist Nerds</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much Hi-Viz! (all the teachers and students from this year)</td></tr>
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If you want to see more pictures from our "Humber Games" fun day, <a href="http://www.ericbatty.com/blog/humber-games" target="_blank">go here</a>.<br /><br />
So the first day that I could really work out was Thursday. Sometime in the afternoon between Uber Eats deliveries, I jumped on the trainer and completed <a href="https://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/5637941-mount-field" target="_blank">Mount Field</a> in Trainer Road. It was pretty surreal to watch the big snowflakes falling outside the window, a day after the beautiful blue sky and spring like temperatures that you can see above.</div>
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The next day I went to the graduation ceremony in the morning, followed by a drive to Guelph to help a friend go to a job interview (3h round trip), followed by a drive downtown Toronto for celebratory drinks with my schoolmates. Needless to say, I only worked my clutch leg that day. </div>
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Come Saturday though, the weather turned back to spring mode and I went outside for a run, in crops, tshirt and a light hoodie. Did another 4km loop, thankfully without pain, which gives me hope for my running season. I hope not to jinx it by talking about it here.</div>
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Then back home, the 8Fit app was bugging me to do a workout, so I fit that in before bed. Alas it had a lot of jumping/running on the spot and my feet reminded me the next day that I should have done these exercises in running shoes, not barefoot. I should have also put a bra on. Oh well.</div>
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And finally, on Sunday, tadaaa..... first 90m workout on the bike (<a href="https://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/5655386-baxter" target="_blank">Baxter</a>) and 1500m of swimming in the pool. The biggest challenge of the day was to find a swimsuit that I could fit in, and after a few minutes of wrestling with one, I found reassurance that it won't burst at the seams while doing a flip turn (I didn't do any of those, just in case). Of course I forgot my Garmin at home and I cannot share any data, but you have to believe me that I spent enough time in the water to get goggle eyes, dry skin and everything. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepAAIkSaDDw6CK4qDIapfhIvM082v1gDebCzcA9YKEEAr8DsO4-WFM8RO64GVUe04qzOZn1KNq1pR0Zw-nFKxrTf9nyHt2kraEs1tfTZxvcT3J7GVQiJDZphOpCAS8pr_31D8nZdDGQA/s1600/Photo+2017-04-02%252C+1+48+22+PM+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepAAIkSaDDw6CK4qDIapfhIvM082v1gDebCzcA9YKEEAr8DsO4-WFM8RO64GVUe04qzOZn1KNq1pR0Zw-nFKxrTf9nyHt2kraEs1tfTZxvcT3J7GVQiJDZphOpCAS8pr_31D8nZdDGQA/s400/Photo+2017-04-02%252C+1+48+22+PM+%25281%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How`s this for proof</td></tr>
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I have no idea what hubbs has in store for me next, but I know that on my rest day I should probably get rid of the 4 baskets of clothes that are waiting for me in the middle of the bedroom and before the end of the week, attempt to run a 5k. With another pool session or two, and maybe a ride outside too... Tuesday and Wednesday I will be in classroom again, renewing my First Aid Certification once again (because I let it expire and it`s kind of a big deal in this industry). Let`s see how much of a workout they put us through. I see a lot of chest compressions and breathing into rubber dummies in my future. One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand... breathe! </div>
Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-53412796294349702122017-03-26T18:43:00.001-04:002017-03-26T18:56:42.549-04:00And then she bloggedI may be blogging every 6 months only, but any pulse is better than no pulse. In other words, I'm not dead yet! Or I may be coming back from the dead, you never know. Mmmm, brrraaaains!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DoswOdCLU3DslikzoZp6bocblFxaxQIJHoEfoknCKfMcbpm-8tHmQ5ylAm83-5IaVrV_K1Nm3LBKDzzVR4mHiFBHx35rWHu2UOOSr4L_lIxbRRbGGpkwZsNQ0s8eciQbzuzMK6EV5ws/s1600/CountdowtoIMMT703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DoswOdCLU3DslikzoZp6bocblFxaxQIJHoEfoknCKfMcbpm-8tHmQ5ylAm83-5IaVrV_K1Nm3LBKDzzVR4mHiFBHx35rWHu2UOOSr4L_lIxbRRbGGpkwZsNQ0s8eciQbzuzMK6EV5ws/s320/CountdowtoIMMT703.jpg" width="152" /></a>The reason that I'm blogging again is because there are 90 days left before Ironman Mt. Tremblant 70.3, and since I signed up for it last year in a drunken stupor, and I am not planning on dropping out, I have to get my ass in gear and actually train for it.<br />
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Training... a strange word for sure. I don't quite remember what it means to train with a big goal in mind since I spent last year in sherpa mode while hubby was getting his full Ironman on. Little races sprinkled across the season are rather stress free, but this is year is going to be different, because I am not only signed up for one half Ironman, but two!! Last time I did one of those was in 2014... let's see if I remember what 10h of weekly workouts means.<br />
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I am starting slow though, because I AM slow and sluggish and I packed on too many pounds over the last 12 months. Let's not go there. Fact is, my fitness has taken a dive into the abyss while I concentrated on reaching the top of the trees. Speaking of which, I will be graduating with an Urban Arboriculture diploma from Humber College in 5 days. Who wants to hire me??<br />
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I also stopped going to Taekwondo at the end of last year because my working schedule at Swiss Chalet, combined with school, stress to find an arborist job and exhaustion from climbing trees did not make it possible to keep up with it, not in a manner that justified the monthly fee, especially on a student budget. So, while I am missing it like crazy, I felt that I had to make a choice and look at this year's priorities. When life settles down, I may be able to get back to it. Remind me to work on my patterns regularly, mmmmkay?<br />
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And that's it for the "life" updates. Let's get back to training, shall we? I asked my hubby to coach me this year because I trust his approach and he knows better than anyone what state of mind and physical shape I am in on a daily basis. He started me with a few bike rides and short runs and I am happy to report that I completed them all. The "official" start was a week ago and in this time I did the following:<br />
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Sunday: Trainer Road <a href="https://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/5545129-pettit-1" target="_blank">"Pettit -1"</a> - 1h<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couples who sweat together are happy together</td></tr>
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Monday: rest<br />
Tuesday: Trainer Road <a href="https://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/5564049-goddard" target="_blank">"Goddard"</a> - 1h (single leg drills and MVO2 and endurance spins, oh my!)<br />
Wednesday: 4km run/walk (after a tough trial day in a tree) - 29min<br />
Thursday: school practice day and meeting with old friends for beers<br />
Friday: pruning job and single rope technique training<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think my butt is too big for this tree</td></tr>
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Saturday: Training Road <a href="https://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/5600078-shasta" target="_blank">"Shasta"</a> - 1h<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce and I spending quality time in the bat cave</td></tr>
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Sunday : 4km run - 27min<br />
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Last but not least, I am also doing a few workouts here and there thanks to <a href="https://8fit.com/" target="_blank">8Fit</a>. It's an iPhone app that made a fitness program based on my goals and I really love it. It gives me high intensity (HIIT) workouts less than 15 minutes as often as I feel like during the week plus Yoga and meal plans. For 80 bucks a year, it's packed with features and what I love the most about it is how it reminds me every day to get off the couch and move my butt.<br />
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I hope to be able to find time to blog again... the fact that I cancelled my Swiss Chalet shifts for this week must have helped for sure. Let's keep in touch and happy training!!Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-63734832602270138122016-11-06T20:23:00.000-05:002016-11-06T20:23:00.340-05:00Excuses, excuses... and a new life aheadThere is a post in my drafts about the Barrelman Swim/Bike, another one about the Zoo Run 10K, yet here I am starting another one full of excuses instead. Life happened, again. About the same time last year I abandoned my blog, but for entirely different reasons. I was about to hit a concrete wall, quite literally. This time around, life is pretty full of awesome.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fall is my favorite season. The smile says it all.</td></tr>
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At the end of September, the Monday after Barrelman, I left my 16 yr long career in computer engineering to start a new adventure. I went back to school to become an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arborist" target="_blank">arborist</a>. I am in a two semester program at the Humber College that will give me a diploma in Urban Arboriculture sometime in April 2017.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humber North Campus and the daily sunrise</td></tr>
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To say that it is intense it is an understatement. We learn tree biology, how to identify over 50 trees, everything about safety in working at heights, operating a chainsaw, a chipper and other sharp and dangerous objects. We learn about tree diseases, fungi, how to identify failures in a tree and how to deal with hydro, wildlife, construction, root damage etc. And that's just the theory. We learn to make more than a dozen knots (blindfolded), how to climb a tree, walk on limbs, do aerial rescues, prune, fell trees, chip brush, set up our climbing system, use a lanyard and much more. For people with little upper body strength like me, every practice session is a full body workout. You can probably understand how much soreness and muscle tiredness I deal with on a daily basis. You may think it's an excuse, but I had weeks when I could not even hold my fork and knife at lunch to eat. Going to Taekwondo, swimming, biking or running was just too much physically.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing trees has never been more exciting, especially when you do it safely.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to my classroom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOhbz9HG99y5FRvmIugPixzLve65a_fJzgdoeY8-wpZXMmtszAKxaJyo2Lpd4NgDqTMO1_i-Iw7-APi9Ex8Gx5WkG4i6Qr1kySSb6FWvsHdmqbvdObRMd2A_Zau3PG50LI2d4U40A5mg/s1600/14889862_10154537789061955_1081940577434950850_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOhbz9HG99y5FRvmIugPixzLve65a_fJzgdoeY8-wpZXMmtszAKxaJyo2Lpd4NgDqTMO1_i-Iw7-APi9Ex8Gx5WkG4i6Qr1kySSb6FWvsHdmqbvdObRMd2A_Zau3PG50LI2d4U40A5mg/s400/14889862_10154537789061955_1081940577434950850_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree identification bouquet after a walk through the Arboretum</td></tr>
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Then mid October I started not one job, but two. I work as a server at Swiss Chalet and Uber EATS driver, just so I can help Zin make ends meet. It hasn't been easy. I've been learning the value of money the hard way. When I earn 15 bucks from a delivery and then I spend 15 bucks on my lunch, I see exactly where the money is going. This is the kind of perspective that I didn't have before. But such is life, and it is quite humbling to go back to earning minimum wage. But aside from bringing enough money to help pay our bills, I have no other sources of stress, which is a huge step forward from what my life used to be. I spend 3 days a week outside climbing trees and cutting wood, then evenings making other people's day by bringing them food, be it at their table or at their door. I am actually having a lot of fun, in a new and challenging way, and I have zero regrets about leaving the corporate world behind.<br />
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Alas, working weekends and evenings also removed lots of opportunities for working out. I thought about going for a run today, but my last "excuse" is that I have also been sick for the past two weeks. I have been coughing, and coughing often and hard. Combined with the crisp, cold autumn air and my asthma, the cough has been relentless. After 10 days of Tylenol Cold and Sinus, I went to the doctor and begged for a Codeine cough syrup that should do the trick by knocking myself out for a few nights.<br />
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And these are the reasons why I stopped working out in the last month (my last run was on October 10) and concentrated on surviving my new arborist training days. I really hope to be able to get on top of this cold and at least go back to Taekwondo. I decided to wait for January to start my training for Ironman Mt Tremblant 70.3. Until then, I am going to concentrate on my next belt grading at the end of December and maybe, just maybe, being able to sneak in a run or two.<br />
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One thing that happened though and I almost forgot about, is that I attended another Taekwondo tournament and I didn't get my ribs broken this time, yeah! I ended getting silver in sparring and gold in patterns in my division. Besides, I got my Encyclopedia signed by the founder of Taekwondo's son, and president of the International Taekwondo Federation, Grand Master Choi Jung Hwa. A day full of win, indeed!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two gigantic medals at a very special tournament</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humbled to have the Taekwondo Encyclopedia signed by the founder's son</td></tr>
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And this is all I can share today, with the little time I have on my hands. School exams are going to occupy most of my free time going forward, aside from everything else that has to do with being an adult, like saving for our kids' college and paying our mortgage and taxes on time. Maybe I will find some time to write race reports, maybe I'll choose to take a nap instead. I honestly don't know. I am living so much in the present, I rather not make any ambitious plans. Right now, it's all about enjoying the special moments in the canopy like the one below.<br />
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Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-53518359875293807182016-09-15T12:26:00.002-04:002016-09-15T14:57:05.105-04:00Ontario Women's Triathlon Race ReportMy first ever running race was a women's 5K and it had chocolate, firefighters and medals that looked like silver keychains (I don't even remember getting one). I said never again. The marketing towards women of all things bubbly and pink was making me gag. No surprise since I am more of a tomboy myself and I don't get fashion, makeup and high heels. Whatever, that's not the point here. Ever since that first race, I was turned off by women specific races. It just seemed that they were getting more and more ridiculous as the time went by.<br />
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When Iron Girl came to Ontario a few years ago, I rolled my eyes three times inside my head when I saw the pink glitter on the medal. Only Swarowski crystals were missing from it, or was there a big, fat one in the middle?... I don't remember. Maybe I am just jealous that I didn't get one... A couple of years forward, and Multisport announced that they were going to have their own women's tri and I was very reluctant to participate. However, once I heard that Paolina Allan was going to be race director, and knowing her badassery, I started wondering if it was worth giving it a try. Only idiots don't change their minds, the saying goes. Phaedra said she was going to go, a few women from our tri club were interested as well... I said, what the hell, let's make it a party! (with a good dose of estrogen thrown in it, yikes).<br />
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Honestly, the lack of medals in triathlon has started to get to me. I race for bling, ok?? And it does not have to be pink, or to be covered in glitter, to be worth fighting for. While I have gotten into the top 10 often enough, I only made it on a triathlon podium once, and it was at Barrelman swim/bike last year thanks to a field of 20. So anyway... this race had medals, yay!! And they were going to be ... pink. *sigh* Beggars can be choosers, right? Yet another reason to toe the line.<br />
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The morning of the race started like any other weekend for a triathlete... alarm clock at 6am to head out for a workout. Given that I was going to drive for over an hour, I was very thankful for the 10am late start. I took my sweet time to eat breakfast, pack my transition bag, fill my water bottles etc... Zin helped me with my bike, then off I went. I was still undecided what to wear, so I took both my <a href="http://fmct.ca/" target="_blank">FMCT</a> tri kit and my <a href="http://trstriathlon.com/" target="_blank">TRS Racing</a> team bike jersey and tri shorts. The weather gods promised to dump copious amounts of water on our heads, but I was still unsure about the temperature. I decided to wait to arrive on site to make a choice.<br />
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Once there, I racked my bike, then proceeded to pick up my race kit, chip and get body marked. Once again, the 42 on my calf smiled at me. The <i>"Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything"</i> according to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In a few days from now, I may even start glowing in the dark, you'll see. I made a portapotty stop, hugged my friends, listened to John Salt and Paolina doing the race briefing (I didn't even bother look at the race maps, oops), then squeezed into my wetsuit as the first raindrops were starting to fall on us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FMCT models. I want to be Barb when I grow up. </td></tr>
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I headed to the beach, trying to figure out where the run back to T1 was going to be. Someone said that we're going through a tunnel?? Oh, there it is! It goes under the road... that's cool, I guess. I was going to be in the second wave with the 40-49 ladies. The lack of men in the race was a little confusing, but in the end everyone in wetsuits and swim caps looked just about the same, with a little more curves and spunk. The energy was awesome to tell you the truth. Not only it was going to be one of the largest Multisport races, but it had 250 women and that was truly impressive. To put it in perspective, the last Olympic tri of the season had 173 participants altogether. The thought of a larger age group gave me an even bigger motivation to race hard and see how I can hold my own out there, despite my serious lack of training this season.<br />
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With all the excitement around, I had little to no time to warm up. I was still trying to figure out the course buoys and how many dolphin dives I was supposed to do, thanks to the shallow water that went on forever. I did manage to get in the water for a minute or two, just enough to get water inside my wetsuit and on my face. I watched with amusement the first wave start and how many women ran all the way up to the first buoy. But I could hear Paolina in the back telling us that's better to swim as soon as we can and I took a mental note. Not even 3 minutes later the gun went off and it was our time to run through the waves, even though there were none that morning.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Went to Hell and back</td></tr>
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I ran for maybe 20 meters, then did 2-3 dolphin dives and started swimming pretty hard, while a bunch of feet were hitting the ground all around me. And for the first time ever in my open water swimming experience, I could not breathe. I could feel a panic attack building up and I was unable to take deep breaths. Usually big breaths are supposed to help with regaining your calm, but it was impossible to do so at the time. I faced two options: stand up and walk, or <i>just keep swimming... just keep swimming... just keep swimming... </i>I opted for the second option just because Ellen always makes me laugh. It took at least 200m to finally be able to breathe somewhat normally. However, given how hard I was swimming, there was no time to take peaceful breaths. I was in full race mode, alright. Thankfully the course (500m) was very short and I knew that I only needed to survive the ordeal for 10 minutes or so. I swam until my arms hit the sand, then stood up and ran towards the shore. You can tell by the photo above that was not my most blissful swim. As a matter of fact, it was <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/707468186" target="_blank">my fastest swim this year</a>!! Where is T1 again??<br />
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It seemed like it took forever to get back, as we almost ran a full circle around the transition area. That's ok, more time to appreciate how I did not die. Yay me.<br />
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Back in transition, I found my spot without too much effort and quickly put on my helmet and bike shoes. By then the rain was in full force, but having thought to cover my mat with a large garbage bag before the race start, I was glad to see that both pairs of shoes were not yet soaked. I trotted my way out of transition and right away got in aero and dropped the hammer. The ride was an out and back along Lake Simcoe and I was joyfully reminded of the ride I did with Zin, Paul and Mellen last year that brought us to Jackson Point on a cold fall day. This time it was quite warm, despite the buckets of water being dumped on us. I love riding in the rain, especially when the course is flat and I am not freezing my ass. I kept passing girls and lost my voice shouting "Left!". During the entire ride I was only passed twice, once by Clare and once by Felicia. I took a note of their names and wondered if I was going to see them again that day, but given the difference in speed, it was more like... buh bye!! Enjoy the podium!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My bike Trinity and I having fun in the rain</td></tr>
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I did not look at my watch once, going only by feel and asking myself every once in a while... can you push harder? Obviously my fitness is nowhere near where it was before, but I still felt quite powerful passing so many people out there. Obviously, this was a race targeted towards beginners, so I cannot really compare, but still... an <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/707468204" target="_blank">average of 30.5kph</a> is not too shabby. I took a gel halfway and a few sips of water. I had never done such a short race and I kept wondering if I wasn't supposed to drink more, but the rain kept me hydrated, I guess.<br />
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And so I was back in transition in just over 29 minutes. Question was, how much was I going to hurt on the run? I quickly changed into my running shoes and put on my bib, then ran out. I waited a few minutes to settle into a groove before looking at my watch. I saw some numbers in the 5:30/km and decided to try and stay on that pace until the end. I knew that I had run faster earlier in the season, but not after a bike. This was going to be a challenge, but doable I thought. I passed a few women and gave myself a virtual pat on the back. 4km... that is less than a Taekwondo run around the block. I can do this!!<br />
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Once I got to the turnaround, I passed a woman in my AG. Honestly I wasn't sure whether she was in the du or the tri, but it made me run scared. From that moment on, my goal became to keep ahead of her. I did not look back, but I kept pushing forward.<br />
You can clearly see how I kicked it into the second gear by my heart rate trace, for a<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/707468202" target="_blank"> beautiful negative split</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9-GxzUgguOwppXa2XcZn-hk3GVM_ygFGelsyZIuYF-xizQyZS3hQVInnvsj30HJRTsMShvt_JYDpVKBYk05FRBS5krfr3gYKJemjrCuPLwrUmp22ac58eOG-i4pS6Uacrwu0Ar4AJNA/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9-GxzUgguOwppXa2XcZn-hk3GVM_ygFGelsyZIuYF-xizQyZS3hQVInnvsj30HJRTsMShvt_JYDpVKBYk05FRBS5krfr3gYKJemjrCuPLwrUmp22ac58eOG-i4pS6Uacrwu0Ar4AJNA/s400/Capture.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
In the end I met my goal of 5:30min/km, but I was spent!! I kept wondering in the last km if I was going to puke at the finish line again. I crossed the mat exhausted but relieved to be done. Can you tell? Thanks to this effort I finished 5th out of 32 in my age group and I could not be happier with this result.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That was a hard fight, it deserved a fist pump!</td></tr>
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Paolina gave me my medal and I instantly forgot that it was pink. New distance (my shortest race ever!), new PR, sweet medal, great company, fantastic venue. When can I do it again?? It was truly amazing and I could not be happier for Multisport and Paolina for such a success. I heard that they are going to add more women's races next year and I say, bring it on!! You made me a convert and I love it how they encourage more women to join the sport. I will be more than happy to represent!<br />
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After the race I made sure to change clothes since I was soaked to the bone, then went to grab some food and a glass of bubbly. I watched the awards ceremony and I was super happy to see Barb, <a href="http://blistersandblacktoenails.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Phaedra</a> and Amanda on the podium. So much fun!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I won the crazy hair competition this time, yay! Phaedra must be impressed.</td></tr>
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Then I went home and hang my new medal along with all the other ones. I may not have many, not even a rack to display them properly, but this one truly brought a smile to my face for everything that it represents. I made some awesome friendships thanks to running and triathlon and this medal shows how I finally embraced the community and the joyful spirit that brings us all together in competition and outside of it. It may be pink, but I love it.<br />
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Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-56267048438524853562016-09-05T21:31:00.000-04:002016-09-05T21:42:46.896-04:00Not afraidCue Eminem music:<br />
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Yeah... something like all that minus the dick in the dirt part because that sounds gross. And although Eminem wrote this song for his comeback, mine isn't really one yet. Or maybe it is a different kind of comeback and that's what I want to talk about.<br />
<br />
I've been living in fear of injury for over two years now. As a result, at first sign of discomfort when I run, I stop. I honestly thought that I was smarter than others for listening to my body and being cautious, with the thought that it would serve me in the long run (pun intended), and that my recovery would be faster. And while I am no longer injured per se after all this time, I have learned in the process that my soon 42 year old body cannot function properly without a certain amount of maintenance and conditioning. Besides, I have no financial means to have a physio therapist on speed dial. I see people doing all kinds of crazy stuff to keep themselves together (cortisone injections, dry needling, acupuncture - so many needles!), but this sounds more like a band-aid to me. I want to be CURED of all my aches and pains. I want all my boo-boos to go away, to feel like a brand new coin coming out of the mint. I want, I want, I want... The Universe seems to have other plans for me though, and it all starts to make sense now. (I should really not write blog posts while drunk, but I'm sticking to this story, at least for the rest of the post).<br />
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I don't believe in God, but I believe in karma. Does this make me spiritual? I guess it depends where I am in my menstrual cycle. When all those hormones come rushing to break havoc on my psyche, I cling onto anything to make myself feel better, especially ice cream. And some days I just want to believe that things happen for a reason.<br />
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Like my return to Taekwondo. About 10 years ago I was sinking into the black hole of depression and decided to throw away all my belts, uniforms etc. I must have said something like "screw this, I'm too broken for this shit". Yet I kept one uniform and my last belt, safely in my Taekwondo gym bag. The same bag that went on accumulating dust in my basement and that I took out in a similar situation last December. I remember being on my bike and not being able to pedal without pain and once again I said "fuck all this, I am too broken to do triathlons". And I went back to Taekwondo. The loop was looped, a bit like the infinity symbol. I should get a tattoo or something. Since then I worked my way around injuries by doing a good amount of painful workouts in the dojang paired with enough swim/bike/run workouts to keep myself from thinking that I've given up.<br />
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I told you <a href="http://ririnette.blogspot.ca/2016/08/national-lazy-but-motivational-day.html" target="_blank">a little wile ago</a> that I was going to have my first belt grading at my current school on August 27. Twelve years later since I got my blue belt. I worked hard to re-learn to do a proper sine wave, to bring my hips into submission to do a side kick, to remember half a dozen patterns, to speak Korean "taekwonese", to learn the purpose and method of each movement, to follow protocol, and most and foremost - to FOCUS with the goal of bringing my mind and body together and stop losing my shit. On top of it, I had to do it all this in front of my instructors and whoever else was going to be in audience. Anxiety reached its peak. I lost countless nights of sleep. To say that I was scared was an understatement. Yet when the day came I showed up and I did my best. It was not perfect by any means of the imagination - I am still pretty rusty after all - but at the end of the day, I did not break. And that my friends, was monumental.<br />
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(Photos courtesy <a href="http://www.msunderstoodphotography.com/#!" target="_blank">Miss Julia Sapershteyn</a>)</div>
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A couple of days later I went out for a run and decided to push the pace. Once again, I pushed the fear aside and told myself that I am a better runner than 9 months ago. Last year I could not do 20 lunges without being sore for 4 days. One night at the dojang I did 600 lunges and the next day I went back for more. In January I could not do a kick in slow motion. Now I can do 4 dozens. My flexibility and strength have increased tremendously. It cannot be for nothing. I still feel my IT bands being tight every once in a while, but I've rarely felt pain during my runs this year. So I kept telling myself while I was running that I am no longer broken, that I can be a runner again. I still need to follow a proper progression, of course, but I should be able to run a little longer if I wanted to. And so I signed up for my longest running race of this year, the Toronto Zoo Run 10K on September 24. I am working towards it, and my goal is to keep the pain at bay.<br />
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Last but not least, yesterday I conquered another fear. Two years ago when I turned 40, I made a "to do" list of sorts which I called <a href="http://ririnette.blogspot.ca/2013/11/40-steps-to-40.html" target="_blank">"40 steps to 40"</a> and one of them was to try stand up paddle boarding. Not sure what kept me from making it happen - maybe it was fear, maybe competing priorities with the Ironman training... Looking back, maybe I just procrastinated until it was too late. Yesterday I was tired from a lot of time spent in the saddle two days in a row and a hard taekwondo workout the day before, so I let Zin swim by himself at the quarry and I decided to rest instead. Soon enough though, that plan went out of the window because a couple of ladies returned from a SUP trip on the lake and left their paddle boards beside me. The lake was calm as glass and the conditions looked ideal for trying. I asked them if they rented the boards and they said yes, and that it would only cost $10. Another sign that it was meant to happen as I had brought exactly $10 with me, even though I had not planned to pay for my swim.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the plan</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then this became the plan. Only idiots don't change their minds, right?</td></tr>
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I knew that I would have no issues swimming if I were to fall in the water, so I did not wear any extra safety. I just hopped on and paddled away. It took about 30 minutes to feel comfortable on it and release the tension in my legs. Being in the middle of a lake standing up on a wobbly board with nothing to hang onto is a little unnerving, for sure. But eventually I let go of my fear and managed to have fun. I spent about 45 minutes on it, at times paddling pretty hard, so it was no surprise that when I came back my arms and back were aching. So much for resting, haha. I'll leave that for another day, when there will be no bucket list items waiting for me.<br />
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Until then, Carpe Diem!!<br />
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<br />Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-78942715631992042432016-09-02T15:14:00.000-04:002016-09-02T20:56:15.958-04:00My supercalifragilisticexpialidocious sherpa Ironman vacationIf I had a better word than "super" to describe this vacation I would have used it, but the truth is, I needed the extra <i>califragilisticexpialidocious</i> to make you understand just how amazing this week was (and how long this blog post is going to be, oops - my bad).<br />
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We left for Mt. Tremblant on Wednesday and I knew that I was in for a long drive, but the few stops along the way, especially the one in Ottawa in the Bayward Market for mussels, fries and treats made it rather enjoyable. We arrived at destination around 5:30pm and after settling in our condo at <a href="http://www.captremblant.com/default-en.html" target="_blank">Cap Tremblant Resort</a>, we decided to go out for a shakeout run on the Petit Train du Nord trail, part of the run course and a stone throw away from where we were staying.<br />
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(Brace yourselves, there will be photos, and lots of them!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The walk towards the condo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fgq0PzbZzd8x1PllcecXWONJH2ej9ZhwzLVJ3-IO43MYpJCenfBq61twfOQYyG1XQ3xywolLsr-xVc40e8yP-54I_gM4_IgDDgbzL2UeOH0epCSvUX5HWTTRdK5YOrYKUAXp9oukvFs/s1600/14054000_10154314001286955_5850599783316466485_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fgq0PzbZzd8x1PllcecXWONJH2ej9ZhwzLVJ3-IO43MYpJCenfBq61twfOQYyG1XQ3xywolLsr-xVc40e8yP-54I_gM4_IgDDgbzL2UeOH0epCSvUX5HWTTRdK5YOrYKUAXp9oukvFs/s400/14054000_10154314001286955_5850599783316466485_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our condo is at the bottom. No stairs, yay!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUnN3TtdE4vu4YA6LwgJvySX0BELdT-c099IBYkHKJvI_e5kE3KwElfJgQLA4Z83kH9K2JdwWrReZ6wd_KxjvbbWCb0urU12nrd1YbbYqK21mdKPAZuMkeIXITECuJ0f-XFgzgtWlwlQ/s1600/14064042_10154311049911955_7480242325601546687_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUnN3TtdE4vu4YA6LwgJvySX0BELdT-c099IBYkHKJvI_e5kE3KwElfJgQLA4Z83kH9K2JdwWrReZ6wd_KxjvbbWCb0urU12nrd1YbbYqK21mdKPAZuMkeIXITECuJ0f-XFgzgtWlwlQ/s400/14064042_10154311049911955_7480242325601546687_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5OsQ2wcboMz9YL43KizMhHpn0T9sTEJCSpXHToycIDnAC3r7LsxnLatjlc1M3fWTBOS7VVd7b55FcLX7WenifYPU39jvRdZsF2p7tsvKxyjD7DaIsxYzN4AO3b8FBv3dlUy6XYhaWuE/s1600/14068113_10154311049886955_2768193896190218782_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5OsQ2wcboMz9YL43KizMhHpn0T9sTEJCSpXHToycIDnAC3r7LsxnLatjlc1M3fWTBOS7VVd7b55FcLX7WenifYPU39jvRdZsF2p7tsvKxyjD7DaIsxYzN4AO3b8FBv3dlUy6XYhaWuE/s400/14068113_10154311049886955_2768193896190218782_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seating area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhts-KDsfKg3r4ykLriUrBexLyq0D8nDDn4-9GJNY_RKek9mqpGRe4MNrHLyEAOS2UB6o8BMkE2enK7onNlMkDUGt0dpgM3a19RrUbNPx2974kiKmN6_bHUY4hLzJXcPaKej_05si_GNk4/s1600/14039998_10154311049831955_6495154861984250611_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhts-KDsfKg3r4ykLriUrBexLyq0D8nDDn4-9GJNY_RKek9mqpGRe4MNrHLyEAOS2UB6o8BMkE2enK7onNlMkDUGt0dpgM3a19RrUbNPx2974kiKmN6_bHUY4hLzJXcPaKej_05si_GNk4/s400/14039998_10154311049831955_6495154861984250611_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYitbHrXPN23RGE7srwHBs7tS-Ip3UlWwTdPUwjAOlsUXBli1sKNjzV-ajPdaQ8nU0JY4TphuQ3lvXjx0OcWiNIe1ckLpr6r533X18uOlcuRs7gE8lNfR_aLDDoasJiCarCK31svFs9uk/s1600/13934713_10154311049746955_994111448656309474_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYitbHrXPN23RGE7srwHBs7tS-Ip3UlWwTdPUwjAOlsUXBli1sKNjzV-ajPdaQ8nU0JY4TphuQ3lvXjx0OcWiNIe1ckLpr6r533X18uOlcuRs7gE8lNfR_aLDDoasJiCarCK31svFs9uk/s400/13934713_10154311049746955_994111448656309474_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Cozy, eh? I could not believe it when I saw it. Very quiet, spacious... exactly what we needed, and perfectly located in the old Mt Tremblant, away from all the craziness of the athletes village.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7m-bMx3NSSPm-TXHC4PbLsWwG14uUvq0IpYdAuiWi4APbEnxPPv5XGWv2BQ9-mGxxYzNqW272rySC3RAlmGThHkN3gQmIEcsx09nHMAPoYSeqfPIYFYLTmmuLHnvLbVJUl4Mqq9zTmQ/s1600/13934675_10154314001421955_2390467229900044781_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7m-bMx3NSSPm-TXHC4PbLsWwG14uUvq0IpYdAuiWi4APbEnxPPv5XGWv2BQ9-mGxxYzNqW272rySC3RAlmGThHkN3gQmIEcsx09nHMAPoYSeqfPIYFYLTmmuLHnvLbVJUl4Mqq9zTmQ/s400/13934675_10154314001421955_2390467229900044781_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the start of the run with my Ironman in Training</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtBK64_olexS1Xlf_9CtNsmbQCMXMRXfzzyXQiUcxxlMPOKcGr7Flnj1PsLSwZid_3V9qEOQWiX-ONMEGQNL-3FFHoLtNrCe9nj4q8JBCZpn7H7GYsfu-vLicaJ8Sowm3ohsrWg2I_A0/s1600/14045531_10154314001386955_1851762922872232769_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtBK64_olexS1Xlf_9CtNsmbQCMXMRXfzzyXQiUcxxlMPOKcGr7Flnj1PsLSwZid_3V9qEOQWiX-ONMEGQNL-3FFHoLtNrCe9nj4q8JBCZpn7H7GYsfu-vLicaJ8Sowm3ohsrWg2I_A0/s400/14045531_10154314001386955_1851762922872232769_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh deer! Stopped us dead in our tracks and we took pictures and a video. These guys were totally unphased.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Zin ran 8km run and I settled on a 6km distance as an out and back on the trail. It was exactly what we needed after sitting down for 8+ hours. Back at the resort we took a shower and went out for dinner because we were starving!</div>
<br />
The next day we met with friends for lunch in the athletes' village, then walked around for a bit, immersing ourselves into the M-Dot Extravaganza and posing for pictures, pretty much like everyone else. My favorite past time in these places is to find the hardcore IM fans and the wannabe pros. Quite entertaining if you ask me. So much compression gear and aero everything! But let's go back to the most memorable detail, the food.<br />
<br />
We ate in a restaurant called <a href="http://socalkitchen.ca/#menu-section" target="_blank">SoCal Kitchen</a> and it was absolutely delicious. I even placed the guacamole as second best that I've eaten, first being the one that I make based on an <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/guacamole-recipe.html" target="_blank">Alton Brown recipe</a>, of course.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGqDomAU91RGCnDW4oQS6OHkaFG0NSpOl9O2xezxe5czJfJ9IU2YX4DgFW8u4f5xtPTBPtyggnwk8uOWXB3ur-zZZt_FbOLB3AhCYK1HH-Qra2wVSNbsmgF4APQTcwDBPVflsRNjFOnA/s1600/13962533_10154314001091955_3457875097357375192_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGqDomAU91RGCnDW4oQS6OHkaFG0NSpOl9O2xezxe5czJfJ9IU2YX4DgFW8u4f5xtPTBPtyggnwk8uOWXB3ur-zZZt_FbOLB3AhCYK1HH-Qra2wVSNbsmgF4APQTcwDBPVflsRNjFOnA/s400/13962533_10154314001091955_3457875097357375192_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much yum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtuiKfKFeLTZvkOarSbOVqPPfMO3zLi1Ko4CHzeWaGJ1oQOaqlp9kAZV2RBvrwbiyQnYVKFmzlZ56-4WQhRrKAH145PvaEakqClSGoWra01azMLGBiaAXAq1H_JHyD8OJ6TK3aXnD6z4/s1600/14063813_10154314000861955_5390810043289354656_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtuiKfKFeLTZvkOarSbOVqPPfMO3zLi1Ko4CHzeWaGJ1oQOaqlp9kAZV2RBvrwbiyQnYVKFmzlZ56-4WQhRrKAH145PvaEakqClSGoWra01azMLGBiaAXAq1H_JHyD8OJ6TK3aXnD6z4/s400/14063813_10154314000861955_5390810043289354656_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Athletes athletes everywhere</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSwZCouiaH3fts07ztfN3C6hBwmBo-2Bqj6EA-BI21hiBX5T-ovgn_aD9GZR_Zqv5kGyJ2YOGX4cMOwrb3pd_Nt04eYzbYqVMeBovEzKva19ij3c9BVE7w5934JwUbpFTbmm2vP6t9zU/s1600/13962740_10154314001161955_4419401284836560990_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSwZCouiaH3fts07ztfN3C6hBwmBo-2Bqj6EA-BI21hiBX5T-ovgn_aD9GZR_Zqv5kGyJ2YOGX4cMOwrb3pd_Nt04eYzbYqVMeBovEzKva19ij3c9BVE7w5934JwUbpFTbmm2vP6t9zU/s400/13962740_10154314001161955_4419401284836560990_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gorgeous day in the village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxMl44xn5QGEdZfyc-2NFQRAe_wRcgsPHyOUr5liRB_XRE04_VsA7bykmOdhRfiXBsrXU1xlDpR62pQ-5pR1bMvpuurTE6lhv0HdXLPArK_yMnZme63-ljNeNtpMbxztwrHPjDobDGi0/s1600/14046104_10154314001016955_7557283891846849389_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxMl44xn5QGEdZfyc-2NFQRAe_wRcgsPHyOUr5liRB_XRE04_VsA7bykmOdhRfiXBsrXU1xlDpR62pQ-5pR1bMvpuurTE6lhv0HdXLPArK_yMnZme63-ljNeNtpMbxztwrHPjDobDGi0/s400/14046104_10154314001016955_7557283891846849389_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quick ride in the gondola to save the legs with view on the finish line</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhopkRtCC9zVbbhI-fsbl6eFO2u3105jH06xuOn9NyuEhRcWhAJ5q8F2g5i6xURrJII-lgIdXj3t7wNwACx8bh-JXVp7mhKksvOyQhsG2KTx76lXwUdeFI9KoB8HXJStHTK9xanHX8Bx4w/s1600/14079464_10154314000941955_4611681938926705635_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhopkRtCC9zVbbhI-fsbl6eFO2u3105jH06xuOn9NyuEhRcWhAJ5q8F2g5i6xURrJII-lgIdXj3t7wNwACx8bh-JXVp7mhKksvOyQhsG2KTx76lXwUdeFI9KoB8HXJStHTK9xanHX8Bx4w/s400/14079464_10154314000941955_4611681938926705635_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pledging allegiance to M-Dot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4O1k5fhrv2meTDPkCwcftp1Ko1q0xIB3qFWtFR6ut8jcU9au6ME13jYpEfOJYES-RS989cBH4RTavVG74OUYJPfKc7qh3EN49_rnP686v65Rb9nH8mTVxqA_E3vl3AlaFF8yafMz2X8/s1600/14088644_10154316845311955_4500240453218611781_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4O1k5fhrv2meTDPkCwcftp1Ko1q0xIB3qFWtFR6ut8jcU9au6ME13jYpEfOJYES-RS989cBH4RTavVG74OUYJPfKc7qh3EN49_rnP686v65Rb9nH8mTVxqA_E3vl3AlaFF8yafMz2X8/s400/14088644_10154316845311955_4500240453218611781_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And another postcard view from the gondola with the changing tent in the background</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We spent a bit of time up and down the streets of the village, wondering what else we could eat, then headed over to Lake Tremblant for a swim. I had never swum there outside <a href="http://ririnette.blogspot.ca/2014/09/2014-ironman-mt-tremblant-race-report.html" target="_blank">my IM race day back in 2014</a>, so I was really looking forward to finding my zen in those waters without the pressure of the race. Little did I know that I was going to have one of the toughest swims in my life. The lake was super choppy and the training course was tricky, so Zin, our friend Louis and I decided to go out to the 7th buoy and back. According to my Strava, <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/681006013" target="_blank">we swam for 1.4km</a> in about 34 minutes, but it felt like double the effort. We were pretty happy to be done!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKX-GPPWDHxBbTZhuxb48TXxjqAA7ILab7bN3qMPcue4Pc0_LigvBFycDiXEo5zwvHSoiOaGpt6R8s-jZ99r4RiUlXsYyaBX8EwjQwBi6hDJgcRnwwbdrJTsGzwuDT264ep9yJUfit_q0/s1600/14079461_10154314000781955_2258145578590649944_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKX-GPPWDHxBbTZhuxb48TXxjqAA7ILab7bN3qMPcue4Pc0_LigvBFycDiXEo5zwvHSoiOaGpt6R8s-jZ99r4RiUlXsYyaBX8EwjQwBi6hDJgcRnwwbdrJTsGzwuDT264ep9yJUfit_q0/s400/14079461_10154314000781955_2258145578590649944_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't even remember if this was before or after. Let's pretend it was after and the wetsuits dried really really fast.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We rushed back to the condo, took a shower and went out for dinner with friends, again. If this sounds familiar, it's because we love to eat, as you must have noticed. This time we met a larger group of friends from our tri club in St Jovite at Le Vieux Four, one of our favorite Italian restaurants in the area. And in a very non Italian fashion, I had mussels and fries, again. And they were even better than those I had in Ottawa at the Fish Market. However I was a little disappointed because the waiter forgot to bring me a salad with goat cheese that I ordered as appetizer and I finished by drowning my sorrow into a cup of Tiramisu. (story of my life)<br />
<br />
The next morning, we went to St Jovite for breakfast and started the carb loading in style. Started? Umm... for the day, that's it. Bon appetit!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJzd1TLvvOttPU0HldMM-SifbY6kk8ndZd8ywSz7Ano6DtLvopPyVGMIDo4UHB7Zww82pwGVArOBhF9nb1Hk7QjLcjZ48YWKmUuwVrirzrdBcWfcUghYR_wzxEV3VucrHQ9vC8LRy3t0/s1600/14068091_10154314001191955_2928080700088724406_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJzd1TLvvOttPU0HldMM-SifbY6kk8ndZd8ywSz7Ano6DtLvopPyVGMIDo4UHB7Zww82pwGVArOBhF9nb1Hk7QjLcjZ48YWKmUuwVrirzrdBcWfcUghYR_wzxEV3VucrHQ9vC8LRy3t0/s400/14068091_10154314001191955_2928080700088724406_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brioche and almond croissant. Orgasmic.</td></tr>
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Back to our home for the week, Zin had a bike workout on the menu, and I supported him by streaming the men's Olympic triathlon on my laptop since CBC did not care to show it on TV. I also cheered him from the couch and refilled his bottles when asked. I am such a nice sherpa.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AFRL3ezS_QIpDDHRvqzfXfIpDPF90J3BmqpXQxulmZq6zfTyuayMzp0rFX0SK11h6Cr2zz-U9gCZUgETnQ8G4g-ytfAVN9xoJVHRhO40h2HwJRYjRRKsqExbd9thmxy0I-HlLauNahc/s1600/14054210_10154314001326955_7290169901865213260_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AFRL3ezS_QIpDDHRvqzfXfIpDPF90J3BmqpXQxulmZq6zfTyuayMzp0rFX0SK11h6Cr2zz-U9gCZUgETnQ8G4g-ytfAVN9xoJVHRhO40h2HwJRYjRRKsqExbd9thmxy0I-HlLauNahc/s400/14054210_10154314001326955_7290169901865213260_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Then we went back to the village for registration. Hubbs and our friends met again and they all lined up at registration, at the M-Dot sign for pictures and in the IM store where they collectively left a little fortune. You can't help it when it's your first Ironman, I guess. For once, I was pretty restraint I should say. I bought 2 IM beer/cider glasses (because we had booze in the fridge), the last Kona DVD (because the Kona Lottery is no more and IM did not send me one this year) and a magnet for our car since we were both going to be legitimate 140.6 drivers.<br />
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And speaking of legit, here's another M-Dot picture because I was wearing my finisher tshirt. So legit, I'm going to show it to you in XL. Ahem.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKGHbGux48KLbDK6DLp9rCnkdb6BEAZkDKDEvzC9BmL1xlA32PzWwkgtUjgOAiiNnXOjyLZMG-mh-kOyO45Qv7wq6uemOFp5x3S8x-soije0ZPztBXz5Fsg0TvyCD-r2erFbQnh7TqWw/s1600/14086242_10155112921395961_3593014130773114079_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKGHbGux48KLbDK6DLp9rCnkdb6BEAZkDKDEvzC9BmL1xlA32PzWwkgtUjgOAiiNnXOjyLZMG-mh-kOyO45Qv7wq6uemOFp5x3S8x-soije0ZPztBXz5Fsg0TvyCD-r2erFbQnh7TqWw/s640/14086242_10155112921395961_3593014130773114079_o.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two thumbs up for this IM finisher. I hope I didn't break your screen...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Back to St Jovite for a late lunch at The Vieux Four. I really, really wanted that goat cheese salad, and Zin continued his carb loading with pizza. I also could not resist the Profiterolles, so here they are in all their beauty, before I murdered them. You must wonder who is doing an Ironman here... But it explains why I put on 10lb since the beginning of the year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2Xcd37IzUZZPGGD8HXHEZ4hGrXWoQhknUotDVKeeLWYCeX4cNTSfl3_BvE2aMWLhgfF1-A_QZnagBzoX__SAQkP7jM45a-OIfMdZzK_8gm4QyXwnGTaxeRSZ68MOKT-tjWG_nuAw8W4/s1600/14095935_10154316845061955_613448152838186788_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2Xcd37IzUZZPGGD8HXHEZ4hGrXWoQhknUotDVKeeLWYCeX4cNTSfl3_BvE2aMWLhgfF1-A_QZnagBzoX__SAQkP7jM45a-OIfMdZzK_8gm4QyXwnGTaxeRSZ68MOKT-tjWG_nuAw8W4/s400/14095935_10154316845061955_613448152838186788_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a 3rd crouton there, but I ate it before I took the picture</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgY_fLmoQ6lcfebMx0UmWAgoFw9_UzmUCZRa8rYwMk0lxGkHyv5YylwkuiCOVoMg7wSvlLKIP31S-9gsQAP7Hkk3lyOvddPNwfSX0Gockz6NmQndBq7WQXxroJRt_stABWhMD4nj5G_gQ/s1600/13939401_10154316844991955_2280079811388579012_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgY_fLmoQ6lcfebMx0UmWAgoFw9_UzmUCZRa8rYwMk0lxGkHyv5YylwkuiCOVoMg7wSvlLKIP31S-9gsQAP7Hkk3lyOvddPNwfSX0Gockz6NmQndBq7WQXxroJRt_stABWhMD4nj5G_gQ/s320/13939401_10154316844991955_2280079811388579012_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No caption necessary. Lick the screen here.</td></tr>
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Once again, we went back to the condo and I was itching to go on my bike (and burn some of those damn calories). Zin told me not to ride the bike course because he didn't want me to die before I saw him finish the IM, so I listened and went to ride on the safer parts of the course. Sort of. We needed to settle the argument whether Montee Ryan was going up or down towards the highway 117, so I took the Petit Train du Nord to Montee Ryan, then "up" to the village, then on the run course to old Mt Tremblant (Chemin du Village), and on the Petit Train du Nord for another loop. I guess the argument is settled now (he won).<br />
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It was absolutely glorious, aside from the ... uphill section on Montee Ryan. I was on my road bike and did not have clip-on bike shoes, and let's say I struggled a bit there. However the smile was stuck on my face for the rest of the ride and I just didn't want to go back inside. I rode for about 1.5h, then called it a day. Not only it was getting late, but I was also tasked to get us dinner, and as a good sherpa, I drove back to the village and quickly stole a chicken from St Hubert (within the free 15 minutes parking that I found without a credit card).<br />
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What day is it again? Friday, that's right... Pretty sure that I got a few things mixed up above, but who cares... it all happened one day or another. Swim, bike, run, eat, sleep... repeat.<br />
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Saturday morning I tried to beat the rush at the beach and started my day with an early swim in Lac Mercier. There were only one or two people in the water and I could not wait to join them. I brought my little orange buoy just in case I was going to meet a weeds monster or a local version of the Loch Ness, but soon enough I completely forgot that it was trailing behind me. So much for the extra safety. At least it kept my car keys and phone dry.<br />
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As for the swim, I loved every minute of it. I was apprehensive at first of the big, unknown lake, but it turned out to be the most beautiful swim that I've ever done. I even <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/682728709" target="_blank">swam in a heart shape</a> for posterity in Strava. How cool is that?<br />
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For lunch we went back to the village because I was in mood for another salad, this time with duck confit. The restaurant La Forge at the top of the main street in the village makes an an awesome version of it, and I eat it every time I go to Tremblant. You should try it sometime, preferably paired with a pint of Stella. ;-) The afternoon was pretty uneventful for once as everyone decided to rest their legs before the big day. Since I did not have the race pressure, I chose to tire my legs a little more instead, with another run on the trail, topped with a walk from the condo to the trail and back, which added another 2.5km to the total.<br />
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I was pretty tired from all the walking/biking/swimming though and chose to keep it short, only a <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/683107677" target="_blank">5km out and back</a>. However, <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/683107686" target="_blank">the walk b</a>ack added another challenge with the 15-30% incline of the road. It was so steep, I had even been afraid to ride on it on my bike. Once again, I met deer on the path and even saw a few that made the climb all the way to our backyard.<br />
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The rest of the evening was quiet as well... We watched some TV, then went to bed early. I believe it was 9:30pm. Zin fell asleep instantly. I am so jealous... I think I woke up around 2am and it was almost impossible to fall asleep again. I don't remember exactly when our alarm went off, but it mustn't have been later than 4am. All I remember is that we got dressed, had something quick for breakfast and then I drove Zin to the transition area where I dropped him off before going to park the car near the swim start.<br />
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The plan was to stay with hubbs until the start of the race, then go back to the car, pick up the road bike and follow him all day with my camera, hopefully able to take some good pics and give him some kisses in return.<br />
After a bit of a freak out because he forgot his aero drink bottle straw at home, we met at the swim start and I finally managed to calm down knowing that he found a bike technician in transition who helped him out. Many thanks to Cycle Technique for their assistance!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhce-j9nXLBV3JL2d8XXDKBTvl_kgW8-z8BCmBJRqDqZdzZYfoLXpeSDCRvMD4cIbrt116ZGM5NSIIDpUguOYZSeSNkP0KUJm4IQmfeh9-4nT3jYal47nKmzwdA-xgiPo5GcDVgqGW1UiQ/s1600/14034689_10154320768191955_1998097694848157643_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhce-j9nXLBV3JL2d8XXDKBTvl_kgW8-z8BCmBJRqDqZdzZYfoLXpeSDCRvMD4cIbrt116ZGM5NSIIDpUguOYZSeSNkP0KUJm4IQmfeh9-4nT3jYal47nKmzwdA-xgiPo5GcDVgqGW1UiQ/s400/14034689_10154320768191955_1998097694848157643_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It never gets easier... just a little overwhelmed.</td></tr>
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Soon enough we heard the deafening noise made by the jets flying above us and we knew that we had to make our way to the beach. I asked Zin not to die once again and gave him a goodbye kiss. I watched all the waves starting the swim and once everyone was in the water I made my way back to the car where I picked up my bike. I rode back to the village and positioned myself along the red carpet that led from the swim exit to the changing tent, starting the wait. I saw the pros coming out, then fast Matt, our club coach, Louis, Paul and eventually Zin, who did not have the best swim, but gave me a thumb up nonetheless. Apparently there had been a lot of chop on the second half of the swim and that made it a lot more challenging than expected. I knew hubbs was a good cyclist though and I was expecting him to catch up. Onward and upward!<br />
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I then ran towards the road and took my camera out again, waiting for him to start the bike. And then I waited again... crazy how 5 minutes seem like an eternity sometimes...<br />
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Eventually I saw him zooming by and managed to take the kick ass picture below. It was going to be one of the best I took that day since everything went down from there... especially the weather. A few minutes later and it was pouring!<br />
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I quickly retreated to the city in search for coffee. By then I was completely wet and was trying to minimize the damage on my camera. Thankfully my camera bag had a protective sleeve and I had brought big garbage bags to wear over my clothes... not very helpful to keep the rain out, but at least they kept me warm.<br />
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After camping for an hour or so under a big patio umbrella at one of the coffee shops atop of the village, I took my courage in my hands and rode over to the General Store to buy an umbrella for my camera. I had procrastinated the entire trip, hoping that the weather gods would be wrong, but it was clear by then that the rain was not going to stop. I bought one of the last umbrellas they had, and the perfect size to carry around. I was back in business, yeah! Quickly I rode over to the turn around at the end of the first loop and Zin showed up less than 5 minutes later, woohooo!! Despite the downpour he was having a great bike and I could not be happier to see him safe after seeing so many police vehicles and ambulances leaving for emergencies the road.<br />
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Another hour or two went by and I tried to keep myself busy catching Pokemon in the village. But soon enough I had to go back on the road to see him coming back from the second loop and start the run. I was once again relieved to see him zooming by on his way to Chemin Duplessis and I knew that it would take about 30min for him to roll into transition. I went over to the run start and saw a few familiar faces leaving the changing tent. Eventually Zin appeared in a dry change of clothes and he stopped to give me a kiss. Everyone shouted "oh les amoureux!!"and cheered for us. And so he was on his way again... From the number of open umbrellas around you can guess that his dryness was not going to last.<br />
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By then it was almost 2pm and I was starving!! I joined Matt's family in the village and they brought me a yummy vegan pizza, which I inhaled (thank you!!!). This time we were going to wait for Matt to start his second loop in the marathon. He was having the best day ever and we were all excited that he might qualify for Kona. As you can see, his wife Cary and I were all smiles, despite being drenched to the bone. The ice cream must have helped for sure!<br />
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Once again I saw the pros running by, then Matt and soon enough, my hubby. I gave him another kiss, the crowds went wild again and my smile got even bigger. That's when the Ironman photographer nearby captured the image below. I am famous, yay!<br />
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From that moment on I started following him on the run course on my bike, trying to dodge runners and cars left and right. That course was sure interesting for a paparazzi like me... But it was a lot of fun. Here's hubbs doing his best shuffle run on the second lap. He was struggling a bit because he could not hold down calories, but he was making forward progress and that was great. If he was going to keep up the pace he was going to finish in daylight. How awesome for his first Ironman!<br />
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I waited for him to come back at the end of the Petit Train du Nord and saw a lot of familiar faces again: our friends Paul, Louis and Mike Cooke, Durwin Brennan, then Jamie from the blog <a href="http://www.fromcouchtoironwoman.com/" target="_blank">"From Couch to Ironwoman"</a>. It was really great to see them all. Once he started running the last 5km I knew that I had to go ahead and drop by the car to pick up Zindine's dry clothes so he can change into them after the finish. I stayed with him for another 5 minutes then hurried up to get myself to the finish line before he arrived.<br />
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There is always plenty of movement in the stands and I had no doubt that I'd get a good spot to see him finish. I left my bike somewhere at the back and joined by Maggie, Louis's wife and kids, I started the countdown. It took maybe another 10-15 minutes, then I heard Mike Reilly calling his name. I was over the moon and so incredibly proud of my hubby for finishing under 11h30, more precisely in 11h 19min 23sec. You can see me in the video on the left of the arch (second row from the bottom) taking pictures with my DSLR and yelling "Wooohoooooo!!!!".<br />
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We were soon joined by Matt and Cary who gave us the best news of the day: Matt finished 3rd in his AG and qualified for Kona!! There is going to be such a party in our tri club!! Louis joined the finishers' ranks just 30 minutes later, then Paul. For their first Ironman, and despite the very harsh conditions, these guys absolutely rocked it!! So much respect to all.<br />
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The boys went to shower and change clothes at Louis's place, then we went out for pizza. I had a salad again (because I had pizza at lunch) and for once I skipped dessert. I did however splurge in a different store as I was sick and tired of my wet running shoes, so I bought the first pair of flats that I found and it was a pair of Birkenstock, my first! However I still had to wear my wet shoes one last time to go pick up the car and then Zin and his stuff from transition. </div>
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All went without a hiccup and we were back in our condo by 10pm. This day almost felt too ...easy. Nope, I don't believe it either. I know that it certainly wasn't for any of the athletes. Plus, spectating is quite a sport in itself, so I crashed on the couch, exhausted but so friggin' happy!
The next day we were lining up for the finisher jacket at 6am, no surprise here. The boys were feeling a little tired, but not tired enough for some shenanigans with the fallen Ironman sign. Not sure what happened to it... but it literally went downhill from there. By noon that M-Dot was completely destroyed.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Which one of you broke the Ironman sign, huh?</td></tr>
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We were surprised to see that there were no "special" jackets other than the ones we had seen a few days before in the store. So be it. The boys got theirs then we went for breakfast. I had one breakfast, Zin had two, of course. It was so, so good! We definitely recommend the restaurant <a href="http://www.restaurantlesaintlouis.com/" target="_blank">Le Saint Louis</a> in the old Mt Tremblant. <br />
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We spent the rest of the day being lazy. No more workouts for either one of us, d'uh. I have little recollection of what happened that day, so it's probably better that I start wrapping up this blog post as well. The next day we drove back home anyway, The End. </div>
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We had just about the best time ever. Beautiful setting, excellent food, great company, and outstanding races by all our friends. How could I ask for more? There is only one thing left to do.... sign up for another one. Hahaha!! Ok, maybe not an Ironman, but we'll go back to Mt Tremblant next summer as we all signed up for the 70.3, yeah!!!<br />
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If you read all the way here... congratulations. You are an endurance reader. Bravo!!
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Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-33525469908843731462016-08-25T16:05:00.000-04:002016-08-25T16:11:56.107-04:00Because they're worth itI started this blog post 10 days ago, then we went on vacation to Mt. Tremblant where hubby participated in his first full Ironman. You will have to wait for a future blog post to read how it all went down, because for now I want to finish this one... So time shift your brain to 2 weeks ago, then read below...<br />
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I had a very rewarding week, and not from beating any records or piling miles in crazy workouts, but from spending quality time with my family and friends. And it felt really good to be able to arrange my life around these moments.<br />
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As I was saying in the previous blog post, on Wednesday I gave up my Taekwondo workout for a trip downtown with my older son to watch the Blue Jays game. Not only the Jays won, but the evening delivered another surprise in meeting Kari and Dorothy, my IM Muskoka finish line friends who were in TO for their honeymoon fun filled activities. Can you tell how happy I was?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kari takes awesome pics. How do you like my 'do?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am totally crashing their girls' night out</td></tr>
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The next day, on Thursday, I gave up my Taekwondo class again (I hope my instructor does not read this), this time for a friend of mine, Amy, a runner who signed up for her first try a tri in a couple of weeks and needed a bit of confidence building in open water. I suggested Professor's Lake as one of the best places to try, since we have lifeguards and a manageable 750m loop, and a lot of people around to help with encouragement and tips. Besides, I had planned to swim with her and make sure that she is as comfortable in the water as possible. If I can say, my mission has always been to help people fall in love with open water swimming the same way I did a few years ago. I know it's a tough task because humans are not natural swimmers, but I'm always up for it.<br />
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The lake was warm and quiet and we beat the storm by a hair. Moreover, I think Amy enjoyed herself in the water and I truly hope that it helped her for her upcoming race. I swam a loop with her and one by myself, and managed to find my zen at the end of the day, which is always my goal.<br />
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The next day I tried going to Taekwondo again (I swear!), but just as I pulled in the school's parking lot, Zin called me and asked that I pick him up after getting two flats on the bike. He was stranded somewhere in Caledon and like a good wifey and sherpa, I drove there right away and rescued him. Yep, he was also worth it.<br />
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On Saturday I fulfilled my sherpa duties again, by driving Zin to Cambridge where he picked up his race wheels after having them serviced by Chris from <a href="http://3sixty5cycling.com/" target="_blank">3Sixty5 Cycling</a> (and one of our <a href="http://fmct.ca/" target="_blank">club</a> founding members if you didn't know). Zin's plan was to ride back home from Cambridge, a total of 100km, but his plan eventually got aborted after a monster storm hit our area and he had to be picked up again. Poor guy he was soaked to the bone and survived dodging tree branches flying across the road. I knew this was going to be a bad storm as soon as I heard tornado warnings on the radio and indeed, it was pretty scary out there. So glad that I could help though.<br />
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In the afternoon I finally made it to Taekwondo!! YAY ME!! It was a super hard workout which made up for the sessions missed during the week, and gave me additional confidence for the upcoming belt grading on the 27th of August. With each of these classes I learn a little more, so hopefully it sticks for long enough to become muscle and brain memory.<br />
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Weather wise, Mother Nature ended her temper tantrum on time for us to go back to Professor's Lake on Sunday for another open water swim with the club. At the last minute, <a href="http://blistersandblacktoenails.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Phaedra</a> decided to join us as well, and she suggested that we do a bike ride together afterwards. I could not be more excited since we had never ridden together before and it was definitely time to catch up on life, etc. As for me, catching her up on the bike... that was another story, haha. She isn't an AG champion for nothing.<br />
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The swim was pretty awesome, as usual. Did my two loops, then had some fun trying to fulfill my social media duties by capturing the moment. No iPhones were harmed in this picture, but it was close. Above is Phaedra's version, below is mine. Isn't it fun to see different perspectives?<br />
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We then headed to our place to start the ride. Zin did a tube change on Phadra's bike because it had suspiciously leaked a lot of air, then we were on our way, direction Erin for butter tarts.<br />
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As I had anticipated, I had a lot of fun, in a torturous kind of way, leading most of the time because not only I was scared to let Phaedra pull me above my abilities, but also because it was a new route for her and it was polite that I showed the way. It was super hot and since we started the ride pretty late, we struggled at times, but we still enjoyed ourselves, especially on the downhills. Phaedra is a girl after my heart, taking off at times to HAMMER DOWN (then she had to wait for me, with enough time to have pizza delivered). I hope she beat enough records that day. I know for one that I got <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/676115555" target="_blank">a few Strava PRs and an Extreme Suffer Score</a>. What?? Not EPIC?? I must be getting better... I should ride with them fast girls more often. ;-)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can read the suffer scores on our face. And I tried competing for the craziest 'do, but Phaedra still won.</td></tr>
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And that's about it for the week before the last. All in all, I chose to spend quality time with those close to my heart and at the end of the day, I had zero regrets. No workouts are worth more than friendships. I even Face Timed with my best friend from France, but I know she'd kill me if I posted here the great screen shot that I took during our call. These moments always bring the best smiles, the smiles that make our jaw hurt and remind us that we are not alone. A good friend is never too far, you just have to pick up the phone or send a text. You never know how the stars align and you get to spend the best of times. To many more like these!! <3 Thank you my friends!</div>
Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-19411417249983354102016-08-10T16:57:00.000-04:002016-08-10T16:57:44.067-04:00National Lazy but Motivational DayDid you know that today is National Lazy Day? I had no clue until about a minute ago when I saw it trending on Twitter. Since I have been feeling pretty lazy lately, it gave me enough motivation to write a blog post. Not sure how that worked, but whatever.<br />
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Actually I am not even sure it was laziness to write a blog post, since this one has been circling inside my brain for over a week, but in other areas such as indoor cycling, for sure. I cannot fathom going on the trainer these days, and yes - that IS pure laziness. As to the blog post... well, every once in a while I find myself boring.<br />
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I came back from Kingston, it was still the weekend, a long one that is thanks to Canada's Civic Holiday. As a good group leader, I organized 2 club social rides last week. One on Monday because there seemed to be a lot of interest and I don't turn down an occasion to ride outside, especially when I don't go to work, and another one on Saturday. Both between 60-70km, with a coffee/treats stop in the middle. They turned out awesome and I could not have been happier for the company and the exhilarating moments zooming up and down our countryside's roads. And the treats delivered too!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nobody gets left behind</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butter tart and fancy mocha for the win!</td></tr>
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I don't remember doing anything special on Tuesday/Wednesday of last week, other than a lot of walking and Pokehunting. On Thursday I returned to Professor's Lake for our weekly OWS practice. I did 2 x 750m blissful loops, and had a great time in the water, as usual. I am already starting to think about the dreadful pool workouts and how I am going to skip those again coming winter time. Following the swim, I ran around the lake but it was super hot again and gave up after 5km because of stomach cramps. On Sunday I went to the C3 Quarry and did two more loops there for 2.2km total, and tried pushing myself a little, just to stay ahead of a breast stroker who almost made me give up freestroke because she was putting me to shame.<br />
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And that's it for last week. Took it easy, spent time with my peeps, went to our club workouts... boring, right? And so I wonder... do you guys really care? Do you mind reading about the same type of workouts week after week? I mean, I have no big goals, I am not smashing any records, my life is pretty ordinary with a family, a cat and a full time job. Sure, my hubby is training for an Ironman, but I am not talking about his workouts. Do you care about all the pictures that I post? Do I post too many of those? Is my smile driving you crazy? Jeez, I dunno... I mostly write for myself, my friends, my family... and 5 other readers who comment every once in a while. Should I care about building interaction? Should I care at all?? What are YOU looking for in my blog? Why don't you leave me a comment to let me know, so I can stop agonizing over this?<br />
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And now, for something just as boring, this week's workouts. My Taekwondo squad is back, and so are the daily classes, yay!! I am so proud of my school, I could burst. They brought back 12 medals from the ITF World Championships in UK. Below is a video with highlights from Day 1 and most podiums.<br />
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So now, with my belt grading being scheduled on August 27, I need to focus on Taekwondo training, especially since I'll be taking a week off for going to Mt Tremblant with hubbs. I already went back Monday and Tuesday and it was not pretty. Taking 10 days off sure brought the DOMS back. I was going to go again tonight, but an opportunity arose to go to the Blue Jays's game with my older son and I'm taking it!! It's been a while since we spent some time together, and these moments are increasingly rare these days. And that's all folks... short and sweet.<br />
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There won't be much tri training until the end of the month, but sure I will try to sneak in a swim, bike or run when I can. Life is all about the opportunities that we take... Here are two motivational videos that I discovered lately. They are wonderful.<br />
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Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-63231812155259146262016-08-05T12:43:00.001-04:002016-08-05T13:41:15.311-04:002016 Kingston Triathlon and Pokehunting Race Report Last year I accompanied my hubby to Kingston and he raced the Long Course triathlon. We drove the bike course together and I was able to spend a weekend on site to appreciate the city and its surroundings (Wolfe Island is great for biking! I <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/360647006" target="_blank">still have a QOM</a> there by the way, ha! Don't you get any ideas...). Look at all the Zzzz's!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmY3N3dFJnFZrObTERhqs0oMkJ1VQQsMmqdplJzwp8z504PyvG8nfHGvvuyJL2Q7oZGdcq8wxJ4Ro1Ea7AovJzAQfEoLb5oBuXat31CZQdfLYr54MA7oYmR7bgCRq9s8IEQw0-1AfV_g/s1600/Wolfe+sland.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmY3N3dFJnFZrObTERhqs0oMkJ1VQQsMmqdplJzwp8z504PyvG8nfHGvvuyJL2Q7oZGdcq8wxJ4Ro1Ea7AovJzAQfEoLb5oBuXat31CZQdfLYr54MA7oYmR7bgCRq9s8IEQw0-1AfV_g/s400/Wolfe+sland.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
But since the triathlon is not on Wolfe Island, let's move on. I decided last year that I would race there one day, a bucket list item for sure. I could not be happier when Zin decided to return this year and because I follow him everywhere like a good sherpa, I signed up for the shorter version of the race, which was still the longer breed of sprint triathlon: 750m swim, 30km bike, 7.2km run. I was a little apprehensive because the longest I had run this year was 6km, and I was hoping that my knees were going to take me 1.2km farther without much complaining. Overall I was in a good head space and without competitive goals this year, I was only looking for a happy finish.<br />
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The Friday before the race I took the day off work again, so I can have a mega long weekend (Monday we were also off for Civic Holiday) and went on another bike ride with Mellen. This time we planned to go to Schomberg and ride about 78km. Mellen had ridden 160km the day before, so I wasn't too scared of the speed she'd impose on me with that many kms in her legs. Easy, peasy so I thought. In our enthusiasm though, we decided to go a bit too far north before turning towards Schomberg and got stuck in no man's land, which added approximately a 23km detour to our route. Besides, once we got to Schomberg the usual road was in construction and we had to take another detour...Oh well, we made it, we had a coffee at the Scruffy Duck restaurant (the only one open on a Friday, why??) and a Bounce protein ball (those are pretty awesome if you've never tried them). We realized that the Bounce headquarters for Canada were in the same place as the Scruffy Duck and they were the most appropriate snack that we could buy there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChZe5plgPkIby2iKC4NR238JauVTo8rk4nnX6AqD3phyxEteLC2GgRVjz1Xmo1HzdWx78vnMamvIi6o0GJYxAJ2Q76RqRxM_qy1VRe5XVuhjCSNAdhZjqJuLv_aOgok203icxusIuJo0/s1600/IMG_5078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChZe5plgPkIby2iKC4NR238JauVTo8rk4nnX6AqD3phyxEteLC2GgRVjz1Xmo1HzdWx78vnMamvIi6o0GJYxAJ2Q76RqRxM_qy1VRe5XVuhjCSNAdhZjqJuLv_aOgok203icxusIuJo0/s400/IMG_5078.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh Scruffy, what a mighty duck you are!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsU91y-1PEmA412soTNxRi4-nTMI0MwvnlJA5sBIV5nn5fU-tgzvDFqOFNJv4svdELolp0-jFoHUA8nXNkXa7Ly2U9INDa_jHlF3YnK13tQgU6_RZktjO5reHgfopfBir_pMehfNI7eQo/s1600/IMG_5079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsU91y-1PEmA412soTNxRi4-nTMI0MwvnlJA5sBIV5nn5fU-tgzvDFqOFNJv4svdELolp0-jFoHUA8nXNkXa7Ly2U9INDa_jHlF3YnK13tQgU6_RZktjO5reHgfopfBir_pMehfNI7eQo/s400/IMG_5079.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bounce baby, bounce!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAVVoFy0gGXrw1DZeaZgEUNrtFet9QNi3OpUsjNohakQzF4wTetRTwAc4YwBfy47q9wQoZRCBKPOORTfNpZ9TBt5IQQ4e800Yses9J25jPkoihru54oHFWvOfByW0X8iihdXVcTF4xLo/s1600/IMG_5080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAVVoFy0gGXrw1DZeaZgEUNrtFet9QNi3OpUsjNohakQzF4wTetRTwAc4YwBfy47q9wQoZRCBKPOORTfNpZ9TBt5IQQ4e800Yses9J25jPkoihru54oHFWvOfByW0X8iihdXVcTF4xLo/s400/IMG_5080.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking over a Pokemon Gym may not have been in the plans, but it was too tempting.</td></tr>
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Sorry for the detour to the race report, but it was worth mentioning that I went into the race with a few more km in the legs than I had planned for... Thankfully Saturday we drove there, mostly, and I could rest them. Soo... after a long and painful drive, we made it to the race site with 15 minutes to spare for kit pickup. That was quick and easy, but I spent a little more time around the harbourfront to catch a bunch of Pokemon. Yup, that place was Pokemon Central apparently and you would not have recognized the transition area if you saw it. People and Pokemon everywhere!! There was even a Pokemon themed fundraiser in the middle of it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlM0i_zvz2LcNFt85Omqc53TEuyml2wro6dhBQImyCNSnuqJVidcMGnPLKR3CCxFohj81vJCYbWDt_OHsRm8W_h5uhtWaYW3SUFFEObSugOZSbwiAsg3IY0lRA1kTEyZ0dKImHgBTdl4g/s1600/13900126_10154260304186955_4338836168706197974_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlM0i_zvz2LcNFt85Omqc53TEuyml2wro6dhBQImyCNSnuqJVidcMGnPLKR3CCxFohj81vJCYbWDt_OHsRm8W_h5uhtWaYW3SUFFEObSugOZSbwiAsg3IY0lRA1kTEyZ0dKImHgBTdl4g/s640/13900126_10154260304186955_4338836168706197974_n.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from transition. Gotta catch them all!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBtQjmxY9zmPdKhTDVmZIAZpS4JrNJ7XVO3G_T2mv-QB_s_TJimYH7lrWU1jNNtM3QeoyteLpYL0bUZOxuKsfX-fCa51BFlYURZHQ40tTRIIdFza3TlKySEVSahzU94OljJ329JzjBuU/s1600/13880365_10154260304756955_5975304246289779457_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBtQjmxY9zmPdKhTDVmZIAZpS4JrNJ7XVO3G_T2mv-QB_s_TJimYH7lrWU1jNNtM3QeoyteLpYL0bUZOxuKsfX-fCa51BFlYURZHQ40tTRIIdFza3TlKySEVSahzU94OljJ329JzjBuU/s400/13880365_10154260304756955_5975304246289779457_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Transition? What transition?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbeelIzI8-ey5t-wRdhEIcf14Dg9VpAJgyGdyx-LsfCcUgzPYulGIIC55bZUhhhw9pf0gl4ux9ldPgSTWiM5vMF7xLQE1W_LUes0oVB78HJqZ2kvyuUYo1QuZxVndwcFB4jjDrE8VK1s/s1600/IMG_5333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbeelIzI8-ey5t-wRdhEIcf14Dg9VpAJgyGdyx-LsfCcUgzPYulGIIC55bZUhhhw9pf0gl4ux9ldPgSTWiM5vMF7xLQE1W_LUes0oVB78HJqZ2kvyuUYo1QuZxVndwcFB4jjDrE8VK1s/s400/IMG_5333.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is that a rat in my portapotty?</td></tr>
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After catching enough of them digital creatures to satisfy my appetite (mostly Magikarp, Psyduck, Poliwag, Staryu and Squirtles), we went to the hotel to check in. We stayed at the Howard Johnson Inn and got a cool little room on the second floor, super clean, with all amenities included and a mighty AC unit, which we had to switch off after it turned our room into a freezer. Because we skipped lunch, we were quite hungry, so we didn't lose much time and went back to the waterfront to find a place to eat dinner. We pretty much stepped into the first place that we found, which served mostly Mexican style seafood dishes, conveniently located on top of a lured Pokestop.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXVFZieyKJVJ3SOYJ3t9ClvBMMOMZmUIOzZkr12RDTlQLqUfPvyUSaGYpEGvJvMap2461ctpJCAq_DK5D-XWwf3O2CCB48M13ntdCKrfvL6a0X4-xfpbOhZ8oAi1OURk0443wlSfDvm8/s1600/IMG_5149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXVFZieyKJVJ3SOYJ3t9ClvBMMOMZmUIOzZkr12RDTlQLqUfPvyUSaGYpEGvJvMap2461ctpJCAq_DK5D-XWwf3O2CCB48M13ntdCKrfvL6a0X4-xfpbOhZ8oAi1OURk0443wlSfDvm8/s400/IMG_5149.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tacos for days!</td></tr>
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We went for ALL THE TACOS and supplemented with a salad and guac on the side. It was so-so in my opinion, but definitely hit the spot.<br />
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We didn't spend too much time on our feet because at least one of us was thinking about podium. Ok, just one of us, who am I kidding. So we went back to the hotel, hoping to find a channel that would show Luke Aikin's jump from 25000 feet without a parachute. By the time we got back though, it was already on You Tube. Watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOBavry0K2E" target="_blank">here</a> if you are inclined.<br />
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I don't even remember what we ended watching on TV, but I think we switched the lights off around 10:45pm and we woke up at 5:30am... maybe? Jeez it's such a blur already. All I remember is that Zin wanted us to be in transition by 7am, and after turning around the block a few times to find parking, we made it on time. We went to pick up our tracking chips and get body marked, then chatted with the many friends who were also attending the race.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsnsrJpV1d6qc3gJ9zohkM7JYAMO3sPUHCgzUNxAF1KSD_kkqliEDH-ASOihV8uPKCRsdrHfiiD2gHRAMWls5FWOSR6QBUZeSdFvlehT67CdlUwkBWgsQKZfEMqC2-m_J6p1txLYQqzo/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsnsrJpV1d6qc3gJ9zohkM7JYAMO3sPUHCgzUNxAF1KSD_kkqliEDH-ASOihV8uPKCRsdrHfiiD2gHRAMWls5FWOSR6QBUZeSdFvlehT67CdlUwkBWgsQKZfEMqC2-m_J6p1txLYQqzo/s400/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kimtor ready to race and volunteer!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie with the Kyrasdair.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYQozl1VCe8VwKZBFlYnvTWBqAB9u9xnVqzxfcv9MnfykfL-33BV7EPMm7XeyDrzkNCPMq0J6Eia82dENyVH__fJFPJbCYndfaCkBq2IPXtCIk0LxWvw0bsJBGS1xpn2JBYCR1l2_iCY/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYQozl1VCe8VwKZBFlYnvTWBqAB9u9xnVqzxfcv9MnfykfL-33BV7EPMm7XeyDrzkNCPMq0J6Eia82dENyVH__fJFPJbCYndfaCkBq2IPXtCIk0LxWvw0bsJBGS1xpn2JBYCR1l2_iCY/s400/FullSizeRender+%25282%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyra and Alasdair, serial racers.</td></tr>
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We went to the nearby Tim Hortons to pick up breakfast and I packed on the goodies because I still had 2h ahead before the start of my race. Back in transition, I set up my little spot and chatted some more. Found Mari and Janet, as well as Nathalie, who were all going to do the "little" tri with me. I was still very sleepy by then and to be honest, not very motivated. I even joked with Mari and Janet that we should rather go as a relay team, but after I realized that they were dead serious to switch, I backed out of my proposal. I still wanted to do this race, sleepwalking or not.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLl925-2wnX9zURTX6a62CWJhjLaxoLeg1TobHnDWb5sO-mdQnPAeIA8rLdOoaIc1Y4R8lHaj0GoIPqnZadb4Py9555BrHZ17WAb1MI0wjB8jlJIdw1Ok3uG8h61NDH2BORn2row1_0c/s1600/13882377_10154262319936955_8949835588641016877_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLl925-2wnX9zURTX6a62CWJhjLaxoLeg1TobHnDWb5sO-mdQnPAeIA8rLdOoaIc1Y4R8lHaj0GoIPqnZadb4Py9555BrHZ17WAb1MI0wjB8jlJIdw1Ok3uG8h61NDH2BORn2row1_0c/s400/13882377_10154262319936955_8949835588641016877_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long course guys racked in the sprint area... hmm.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpOeulsclCZo6vsslzazFV62FXBkrQtC4lGXxj1_M3zancvbNP48-xuElcowxSraT-OvjdSLThnLHPymXrSqPn2uf25t4xsaAGrOlWOCdF0tFK_G-4my_0QvQIAkKfKRWJmnUlawBhS0/s1600/13895205_10154262321016955_4117665058030858047_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpOeulsclCZo6vsslzazFV62FXBkrQtC4lGXxj1_M3zancvbNP48-xuElcowxSraT-OvjdSLThnLHPymXrSqPn2uf25t4xsaAGrOlWOCdF0tFK_G-4my_0QvQIAkKfKRWJmnUlawBhS0/s400/13895205_10154262321016955_4117665058030858047_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colour of the day, pink!</td></tr>
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After getting all my stuff in order, I put on my wetsuit, went to cheer on Zin and <a href="http://www.twoyearstokona.com/" target="_blank">Kim</a> who were coming through T1, then headed over to the lake for a warmup swim. Once I jumped in, I could not believe it how warm the water was. For Lake Ontario, it was almost a miracle, or maybe that's what happens when you start behind 150 athletes from the Long Course. :-)<br />
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I was in the third wave, and the gun went off at 9:06. I was already in a much more enthusiastic mood and ready to take on the course! I went straight for the first green buoy and caught some feet for a bit. After making the first turn, I was a little more lonely since many athletes were way ahead of me by then and I was stuck with a few breast strokers who were going for my ribs. I managed to swim around them, then concentrated on the battle with the chop. After the third turn buoy, all was smooth sailing back to the shore and I was very much enjoying every minute of it. I came out of the water with a huge smile on my face, despite feeling rather dizzy and wiping out on the ramp (thank you volunteers and Hector for helping me out!). <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/660348503" target="_blank">Swim time, 16:43</a>.<br />
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I had one of my slowest transitions ever. Just when I made it back to my spot, a girl came out of the water rather panicked and asked me to help her get the wetsuit off. Her zipper was stuck and after struggling with it for a few seconds, I managed to get it to open. I told myself, she better not be in my AG, lol. Eventually I got moving as well and then spent another 30sec at the mounting line, struggling to get on my bike. The chain was jammed and I had not checked it when I racked it. Oh well, after a big push, praying that I don't break it, I finally put it in the right gear in order to make forward progress.<br />
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Hubby had given me a power number to try to hold for the ride (near my FTP), but not only that number felt rather unattainable on the bike without blowing up, I had plans involving my heart rate instead. I really, really wanted to have a pleasant race and I was already thinking about my run.<br />
So after passing "the" hill and saw my HR around 175, I decided to bring it under 170 for the rest of the bike leg. I think it was the right decision because I had a blast. I played leapfrog with a few girls, I didn't care about those passing me, aside from one dude that was veering so much in and out of his lane, he was making me nervous. I tried to kill the downhills as usual. I seriously bike for the downhills, I think I mentioned this before. It's the only way to redeem yourself after being constantly passed on the uphills, right?<br />
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I had a gel and some water about halfway and concentrated on keeping the rubber side down. Since the ride was an out and back, it went by really fast. I finished this leg in <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/660353477" target="_blank">just over 1h</a>, then managed to get lost in transition, again!!<br />
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Yep. Wrong row. And since mine was pretty hard to access, I beat another record for the slowest transition ever. I should have had my other half of muffin and finish my breakfast lemonade while I was at it. But I found my bearings eventually, went around the round benches Pokestop which thankfully was not lured at the moment and changed into my running shoes. Took my cap, race belt and my chews and off I went. Where was that run exit again?? Oh yes, towards the fountain Pokestop. You Pokemon, get out of my way!!<br />
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The run was completely in unknown territory, so I followed the crowd. I quickly discovered that it was a beauty, very scenic along the lake, with well stocked water stations and a lot of people cheering along. I was having such a great time, I almost regretted not doing the long course. That is, until we hit "the" other hill before the turn around. I didn't even notice that we ran by "the" Kingston maximum security penitentiary where all the bad boys used to be locked up until 2013 when it closed. But I did notice the helipad and wondered if it was a hospital or some government building. Not far, I suppose... Did you know that Kingston had <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingston,_Ontario" target="_blank">7 Correctional Institutions</a>?<br />
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My goal with this run, was of course, to finish. I chose not to look at my watch at all and go by feel. I was so happy to be there and race, nothing else really mattered. And so I ran happy, giving thumbs up and thanks to those who were cheering, encouraging runners when I was passing them and saying "good job" when they were passing me. I took water at each station, drank half of the cup, the rest went on my chest and back. I ate my Gu chomps at the turn around, ran back up the hill and down, letting the gravity do its thing to settle my heart rate. I promised myself not to walk during the run unless absolutely necessary. I had many of these occasions in the past when I had a stomach cramp or worse, knee pain, but this time there was no reason. I gave high fives to Nathalie, Mari, Janet, <a href="https://kyraonthego.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Alasdair and Kyra</a>. I saw Matt, our club coach and friend zooming by. He was really killing it. I kept wondering if Zin was having a good day. I was a little worried to tell you the truth, he seemed to me far back from the leaders, but in fact was just a perception because people from 3 races were mixed together.<br />
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I started thinking that the ideal scenario was be that he'd catch me in the last 100 meters and we'd run together to the finish (<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/660348524" target="_blank">run time 43 minutes</a>). But I crossed the finish line ahead of him, hoping that he would follow not far behind. Thankfully I did not get to worry for too long, as he arrived merely 5-10 minutes later. I was elated to find out that he actually finished second in his AG, improving in all disciplines by a big margin since the previous year. Here he is with Matt, who took 1st in his AG! <a href="http://fmct.ca/" target="_blank">FMCT</a> on the podium again, booyah!!<br />
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We waited around for the sprint and long course awards, and I took the opportunity to hunt Pokemons and talk strategy with Matt in leveling up, taking over gyms and evolving for most points. This was serious business, according to this pic.<br />
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We also spent some time with Nathalie, Kyra and Alasdair who ended being the racer of the day! Zin won a cute Timex watch and I got 2 dozens Magikarp and a cute medal because the organizers realized that us Sprint Tri people did not get any for "The Legend" and it was a mistake. Better late than never, for sure. Hey, just for the medal I will be back!<br />
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I am kidding. The medal was a nice surprise, but I was not even expecting one. I also finished 5th out of 12 in my AG with a total time of <a href="https://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.xhtml?raceid=30457&bib=488" target="_blank">2:07:24</a>, which was another pleasant surprise. I will definitely be back, medal or not. I absolutely loved everything about this course, and the Pokehunting was the cherry on the cake. Always such a pleasure to race with Multisport Canada, and Steve Fleck even got my name right. All in all, a very successful weekend and I had just about the perfect race. No pain, no disappointment, and so much fun!Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-53349378969929837712016-07-28T14:49:00.001-04:002016-07-28T14:49:22.097-04:00Fun and torturous timesThis summer is going by so fast! Maybe because of the anticipation of new beginnings in September... and because we're just 3 days away from the end of July, for crying out loud. That's it, the countdown to setting the Christmas tree has started.<br />
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My athletic endeavors have been rather uneventful lately, which is probably a good thing. If you remember my plans stated here last week, I managed to keep myself accountable for at least the triathlon related workouts. On Thursday I went to the lake for our weekly OWS and spent most of the time with two new members, helping them to become more comfortable in deep water. This left me with just enough time to do a 750m loop on my own, and it was a good way to clear my head at the end of a stressful day. To add more endorphins to the mix, I also followed the swim with a 6km run around the lake. Judging by the tightness in my knees, it is probably the max distance that I can run right now and I can't really complain. I'll take anything over 30 minutes as a good enough challenge for my wobbly joints.<br />
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Friday was another scorching day and Taekwondo did not happen. Neither did the Saturday black belt training as I chose to spend some time with my family instead. I did make it to the little party that our school put for our team representing Canada at the ITF World Championships in London, UK. It was pretty sweet and I hope our team is going to bring some shiny hardware back this week.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His and hers</td></tr>
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The next day I had to wake up early for our club's second triathlon simulation day of the year. And 5:30am is damn early for a Sunday. Oh the things we do for our members... After marking the course, Zin and I went over to Professor's Lake to set up the transition racks, the tent and the whole shebang with the rest of the crew. Of course, I also had to set up my own transition spot. I was going to "race" after all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can tell how hot it's been this year by the color of the grass.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aww, isn't he a sweet hubby? Thank you hon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All set! Isn't Trinity pretty with her red tyres?</td></tr>
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I got in the water shortly after 8am and swam <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/652212818" target="_blank">2 loops</a> trying to stay close to Mellen who seemed to have a few difficulties swimming straight, which gave me a little advantage on the distance and made me feel like a champion mermaid. That's what happens when you get only 3h of sleep, eh Mellen? However she swam another loop and biked some 100km afterwards, so I'm just pretending to compete here, haha.<br />
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Then it was time to bike. I was supposed to lead the beginners' group, but I only had one taker, so I rode with an older gentleman called Dave who was just about the perfect match for a <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/652212935" target="_blank">40km relaxed ride</a>. He was also quite chatty, so I had a good time. Until I found out that we had an acquaintance in common who died 2 years ago, that is. Unbelievable. A person who I considered the epitome of success in life, who had everything going for him: fame, fortune, a beautiful family, and the most amazing house, where I used to go party with the company I worked for when I first came to Canada. He was one of the kindest and most knowledgeable people I knew, and a genius in the field of mathematics. And cancer took all this away. Yet another reason to say: Fuck cancer.<br />
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Oof, that was heavy. Back to our cancer fighting activities (one can hope, right?). Last on the day's menu, the run. Dave and I went running together as well, and thankfully we managed to change subjects in time to appreciate our surroundings. A loop around Professor's Lake and everything was right with the world again. While on the run I was, of course, pokemoning, and trying to make an omelette with a few eggs in my Pokedex. One of them refused to hatch when the time was up, so I continued running in (little) circles until it did, which brought my total to 4.7km run. You gotta do what you gotta do (aka I'm that cuckoo. Some call it stupid too, and I'm totally fine with it - you should see the number of Instagram and twitter users that I lost since I started talking Pokemon Go).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doesn't it look like fun?</td></tr>
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Alright, once that was done I could finally call it a day. We dismantled the transition zone, packed everything and went back home. I had to meet with hubbs later on to pick up his bike because he was doing a "mega" training day (3km swim, 140km bike, 30km run) and he was afraid to leave it in his car in the middle of the Caledon trailway. I spent the rest of the day waiting (and worrying) for him that he was going to melt under the hot sun. I am glad that he didn't, but he came back home 10lb lighter (not a joke).<br />
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This week I took a rest day on Monday, not only because there are no Taekwondo classes for two weeks, but also because I was going to start a new Trainer Road bike program the next day in preparation for Barrelman swim/bike where I will be defending my AG win from last year. So on Tuesday, after much procrastinating, I opened my laptop, clipped on my (power) pedals and started the 1h torture (Strava <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/654780695" target="_blank">8 min FTP test</a> here). Zin set the workout for me at 85% down from my previous FTP, where I used virtual power thanks to my speed/cadence sensor and the trainer data. This time, the truth was going to come out, whether I wanted it or not. As I said from the beginning, I was pretty sure that I lost 30 <i>virtual</i> watts between the previous FTP and this one, and I was bang on the money.<br />
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Overall I am rather happy how I paced this test and proud that I pushed through when the tough got tougher. One can only look at my max HR during these intervals to feel my pain.<br />
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I was surprised to see that the test did not destroy me as I had feared. The next day I even went for another 6km run and I survived it just fine. Tomorrow I took another day off from work and I plan on going on another bike ride with Mellen, then Kingston triathlon race on Sunday! I will be doing the (longer) sprint, while Zin will be doing the long course tri. An exciting week for sure!<br />
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If you are in Canada, do you have any plans for the long weekend? For me, any long weekend is good enough reason to be giddy! Have fun, kids!Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-24201477973640515142016-07-20T21:46:00.001-04:002016-07-20T21:46:58.021-04:00Lazy days of summerComing back from Muskoka I felt a little drained. Not only because I spent most of my weekend on two feet, but also because of a heatwave that we've been "blessed" with for the past two weeks. Only today I felt that my brain wasn't ready to melt as soon as I stepped out of the door.<br />
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I don't do so well with racing in heat anymore. Not that it bothers me on the spot, but after such an effort I need to go down for a long nap. I did not have this opportunity on Sunday after the race, and to make matters worse, the heatwave got really out of control Mon-Wed, to the point that I completely gave up all ideas of exercising. I have to pat myself on the back for even leaving the house and going to work.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yay for more water!</td></tr>
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On Thursday I finally came out of this lazy stupor and went to Professor's Lake for our club's open water swim. A storm was looming on the horizon, but it did not affect our time in the water. I did 2 loops for a total of 1500m then decided to go on a 3km run loop around the lake. To be honest, after all the heat, the idea of running in the rain was rather inviting. About 1km in, this is what the storm looked like from the distance (and I still had to make it across the pond).<br />
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Unsurprisingly, I got soaked in the last km, but it felt absolutely wonderful. Once I finished the loop I waited for Mellen and hubbs who were running a little behind, then headed home for dinner. All of a sudden, I was full of energy again!<br />
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The next day, when Mellen asked if I wanted to go with her on a bike ride, I could not say no. As I had other errands to run and a wedding reception to go to in the evening, I took the day off and chose to enjoy it to the maximum.<br />
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We chose to rode from my house to Erin and back. To be honest, I was very apprehensive because Mellen is so much stronger than me on the bike, but without knowing it, she had already planned to tire herself up before showing up. As a matter of fact, she rode 70km to start the day, then met with me for another 75km. I had one of my best rides of the year, but finished with another Strava <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/641877748" target="_blank">extreme suffer score</a> because of a 170bpm average over 2h50. I am THAT out of shape, OK? Mellen's HR... <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/641918638/analysis/8820/19764" target="_blank">140bpm</a>. Alright then, glad that she did not fall asleep.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still dry before the deluge</td></tr>
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I should probably thank the rain for keeping us on the edge of our seats, literally. We got soaked (again!) on our way back from Erin. It was still a lot of fun, especially flying down Mississauga road with cross winds and all the speed! Despite the copious amount of sugar that I eat, I am also glad to report that I did not melt.<br />
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However, I was afraid to melt under the sun once I came back home, so I settled on a lazy chair in a shady spot with a cold beverage. It was glorious. I may or may not have fallen asleep in the process.<br />
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Apparently epic suffer scores require epic rest days, so Saturday I had to take the day off. Again. And while I was resting I did the unimaginable. I downloaded Pokemon Go!! And what does one do when they have a new toy? They go Pokemon hunting. With their cat. Like a certifiable crazy cat lady.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I caught a Pokemon. His name is Picchu and he is very athletic. Special powers are Killer Purr and Vertical Jump.</td></tr>
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Then this happened. It was one of the first goals that day. I ended with over 15k steps, over 3 times more than a regular working day, 5 times more than a weekend on the couch.<br />
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Since then I went hunting every day. I now take the "long road" while going to the nearby coffee shop, just so that I walk by all 4 Pokestops within a 2km radius. I saw dozens of teenagers and grown up people outside enjoying the game. If someone puts a lure on one of these pokestops, it's pandemonium. Teens and adults come over on bikes, skateboards, cars or just by walking. It definitely took the neighbours out of their homes and it's really awesome to see.<br />
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My sons got on their bikes again. We compare Pokedexes and combat levels. We are bonding again around a silly game. Say what you want, but I do enjoy their company again. After 5 days I reached level 13 and caught/evolved 47 different Pokemons out of 150. This makes me happy.<br />
Just look at the Pokemon effect on my activity level from the last 3 days.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq26pR4oPkDJHNGA-WuT3vrr4-uswwiiXqddpp7ttgBYp6Hq2UxBiNU0IevAgnR40afWDJYldOxIIifwpyaQgwXwNDp7IIHKxwy3TITaCewLJaH0jkIHHunEJM8yclol9WP8kwlx1CZ1w/s1600/Photo+2016-07-20%252C+8+24+48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq26pR4oPkDJHNGA-WuT3vrr4-uswwiiXqddpp7ttgBYp6Hq2UxBiNU0IevAgnR40afWDJYldOxIIifwpyaQgwXwNDp7IIHKxwy3TITaCewLJaH0jkIHHunEJM8yclol9WP8kwlx1CZ1w/s400/Photo+2016-07-20%252C+8+24+48+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at me (Pokemon) GO!</td></tr>
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The craziness has also taken over my office. We have 2 gyms and 4 Pokestops on the campus and I find myself walking around the office a lot more, working from the cafe where people put lures regularly, and going outside to visit the pond. It almost makes the office bearable, almost. Can you argue with this?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXUTQdK0vNIx1xlem4Rd90RrPbyJq5Dqde03BCXMLbSpnpbQRl6_c_OndzK8TkZ1sdcL2rWqv9kUyc0fGQKi8qi4b2ANGqlLbnj9rj4tTKUYMmZgHbg_wcI9z1dw9i5aFRPWks08G9cc/s1600/IMG_4858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXUTQdK0vNIx1xlem4Rd90RrPbyJq5Dqde03BCXMLbSpnpbQRl6_c_OndzK8TkZ1sdcL2rWqv9kUyc0fGQKi8qi4b2ANGqlLbnj9rj4tTKUYMmZgHbg_wcI9z1dw9i5aFRPWks08G9cc/s400/IMG_4858.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Pokestop</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6EuKTLbRql_Q68-26tDuMr9qF2WVsuam91teHrtXH58XnoY5WJocj6CvaifqUgKip4Svheld3FRW87eFQRIlHBaqZttJ71ov1XQL2ZA3mvEswsgQeJadFRKKyKdAVvoEN93CPT7mu5g8/s1600/IMG_4863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6EuKTLbRql_Q68-26tDuMr9qF2WVsuam91teHrtXH58XnoY5WJocj6CvaifqUgKip4Svheld3FRW87eFQRIlHBaqZttJ71ov1XQL2ZA3mvEswsgQeJadFRKKyKdAVvoEN93CPT7mu5g8/s400/IMG_4863.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where is my Pokeball when I need it? Did the game freeze on me? Oh wait... </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwV6N_FFRGeSggWDuHdamrg4Li0wRD7FH4_MmP9k82AF1TV8ag1WacOkJ73cB23QvXuG8szQO2kAEOzuvA04sdYQdo-0hyMzV11xr2CHQGiEdiV1xpV3s8aYQ7rywbKOMeuC02QIJpq0/s1600/IMG_4900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwV6N_FFRGeSggWDuHdamrg4Li0wRD7FH4_MmP9k82AF1TV8ag1WacOkJ73cB23QvXuG8szQO2kAEOzuvA04sdYQdo-0hyMzV11xr2CHQGiEdiV1xpV3s8aYQ7rywbKOMeuC02QIJpq0/s400/IMG_4900.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comfortable sandals are mandatory for Pokemon hunting</td></tr>
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But don't get fooled by the idyllic conditions, the inside is still a zoo and my head is still up in the trees. Probably a good introduction to what I'll be doing in 2 months from now: I am going back to school and will abandon the IT world for good. I had 16 good years going from computer engineer to Sr. Manager of a team of 30, climbing the ladder as high as I felt comfortable, but now it's time for a change. I have decided to become an Arborist (wiki link <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arborist" target="_blank">here</a>) and signed up for the <a href="http://www.humber.ca/program/urban-arboriculture-tree-care" target="_blank">Urban Arboriculture</a> program at Humber College. I guess I'll be climbing even higher now, ha! Classes start September 26 and I could not be more excited about it. The program lasts 2 semesters and if all goes well, next spring I will be working outside, taking care of trees as a "tree surgeon" with my new best friend, the chainsaw. I honestly feel that I fit right in. Not only the people that I met in the industry are so friendly and down to earth, they welcomed me with open arms and I think that I will feel much better in this environment, doing something <i>good</i> that makes a difference for nature and the habitat. And who knows where this path takes me. A new adventure for sure, with a lot of hard, physical work, learning and growing challenges, pretty much from the bottom up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzcL43cXd0GOYzZgmbxhr2lPRMaNCCYXsJrmiKZVvriUQl4-Eyr1FKACUgIKY7nFdCr5zpfNfAb-rFQKZLcldxoRAoWqKakwTv4uCIbMSmygSlSTcosaidTJzf6QddKa3YAcVGkT66Qo/s1600/IMG_4871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzcL43cXd0GOYzZgmbxhr2lPRMaNCCYXsJrmiKZVvriUQl4-Eyr1FKACUgIKY7nFdCr5zpfNfAb-rFQKZLcldxoRAoWqKakwTv4uCIbMSmygSlSTcosaidTJzf6QddKa3YAcVGkT66Qo/s400/IMG_4871.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trees, you've got a friend in me</td></tr>
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Alright, now back to working out before my work becomes a work out. On Monday and Tuesday of this week I also went back to Taekwondo after a 10 day break. I think I needed this break after the emotional roller-coaster that took so much energy out of me. On both days we started the class with a jog/sprints combo and I survived both days without any pain. I suffered while stretching though, but that was to be expected. I worked on my patterns until my brain gave up and I was no longer able to coordinate my left with my right. That must be sign of a good workout, or I'm just getting old, as usual.<br />
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Today I took another day off from exercising, but I plan on swimming/running tomorrow, TKD class on Friday and/or Saturday, then triathlon simulation day on Sunday. Keeping the fun alive, one day at a time. Cheers!Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-45476741231499124322016-07-14T10:48:00.001-04:002016-07-14T13:18:05.625-04:00IM Muskoka 70.3 Relay Race ReportA couple of weeks ago, most specifically the day after I completed the <a href="http://ririnette.blogspot.ca/2016/06/a-semblance-of-normality.html" target="_blank">epic 107km hilly ride with Sam</a>, a friend from Huntsville contacted me on Facebook and asked if I wanted to participate in the race as part of a relay, since their original cyclist got the shingles (ouch, I hope he's ok). I was flattered and a little apprehensive at first, but after asking if they were competitive and was told that they didn't have any podium plans, I accepted. After all, I had done two hilly rides this year over 90km and a total of 6 rides over 50km. Ha! This was going to be a gongshow. I had never "attacked" a race so undertrained, but I could not resist the calling of "The Beast" and riding the Muskoka rollercoaster roads alongside hubbs, my friends <a href="http://breakingmyrunnersin.blogspot.com/2016/07/ironman-703-muskoka.html" target="_blank">Sam</a>, <a href="http://runningintune.blogspot.com/2016/07/im-muskoka-703-race-report.html" target="_blank">Emma</a>, Mellen, and a few other friends from out tri club.<br />
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On the other hand, I had also promised to volunteer at the finish line, but I was reassured that I'd have enough time to recover and take on my duties for a couple of hours afterwards. After all, our relay swimmer was also the finish line volunteer captain and she understood that I may come with "limitations".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6JGHmtExh1OmNZRmQ1F9hXHA5R_polvXE5DchfiRqrahlA2Zb2fg8CVJdLEX08zMzsDdOuiqcbY25pEEwNRaz2lHSCT_2mE2io-huaBaMgqip4A7eQfnAfiEHb8IhYLUchJW6Z2Ic3Q/s1600/Photo+2016-07-09%252C+6+08+46+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6JGHmtExh1OmNZRmQ1F9hXHA5R_polvXE5DchfiRqrahlA2Zb2fg8CVJdLEX08zMzsDdOuiqcbY25pEEwNRaz2lHSCT_2mE2io-huaBaMgqip4A7eQfnAfiEHb8IhYLUchJW6Z2Ic3Q/s400/Photo+2016-07-09%252C+6+08+46+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beat every sunrise</td></tr>
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We woke up early on Saturday to drive to Huntsville, with the plan to ride our bikes for 45min and give our legs a spin before the race. I was welcoming the thought since my last ride was <a href="http://ririnette.blogspot.ca/2016/07/fighting-with-my-brain-summer-cold-and.html" target="_blank">with the girls on Canada Day</a>, more than a week before. Alas one hour later, we hit this:<br />
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Lovely, just lovely. And so our plans went through the window. We hoped that the rain would stop eventually, but it never did. Since we arrived in town way early to be able to check in, we crashed in a friend's hotel room and watched Le Tour until noon when we went to Deerhurst to pick up our race kits. I met my relay team mates then we all went to Farmer's Daughter for lunch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsh2FLD8tKdVdd8ofXOlgQ8Zte5DEd6nZm-sjS_YGqmYZWT-jQnoJChbPHT9guFCV6Z5fi1ZgxS4CB5SRw_HFzVLG2NPamye3HU9HOWHsSRQjy4fmeGG4cRc9oJ5fkOiUP8uuA9yLt0Y8/s1600/Photo+2016-07-09%252C+11+12+19+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsh2FLD8tKdVdd8ofXOlgQ8Zte5DEd6nZm-sjS_YGqmYZWT-jQnoJChbPHT9guFCV6Z5fi1ZgxS4CB5SRw_HFzVLG2NPamye3HU9HOWHsSRQjy4fmeGG4cRc9oJ5fkOiUP8uuA9yLt0Y8/s400/Photo+2016-07-09%252C+11+12+19+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Froome-bullet tearing it down the mountain</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicHcTjtNqpb75UVwF10QbgPBa82q2ZsfV73dpOCtlPoI4dPcViXsck68-vw4XPyZbzI9t49R3Dh3Le8mdLJkViBADP6asNmsEv50tXQufe6FNmdX97R4w07z0cXJd2BieyzYNViDJ8nE/s1600/Photo+2016-07-09%252C+2+03+29+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicHcTjtNqpb75UVwF10QbgPBa82q2ZsfV73dpOCtlPoI4dPcViXsck68-vw4XPyZbzI9t49R3Dh3Le8mdLJkViBADP6asNmsEv50tXQufe6FNmdX97R4w07z0cXJd2BieyzYNViDJ8nE/s320/Photo+2016-07-09%252C+2+03+29+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carb loading done right</td></tr>
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After lunch we went to the hotel to check in, relaxed for a bit (Zin took a nap), then we went to Walmart to buy large garbage bags and electrical tape. It was clear by then that the bikes were going to spend the night drenched and we wanted to avoid seeing all the greasy parts washed dry. We made it to transition right before it closed and I said goodbye to Trinity after covering her the best I could.<br />
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It was still pouring and after a quick stop by Tim Hortons, we went back to the hotel to change into dry clothes, then headed out for dinner at Boston Pizza with our friends Louis and Mellen (who sure knows how to fuel on veggies).<br />
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I had some shrimp tacos that didn't impress me much and my only hope was that they would not upset my stomach, Thankfully they were inoffensive. I also stayed away from dessert and booze, which was a first.<br />
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Back at the hotel, I organized my transition bag (easy peasy), then watched American Ninja Warrior and took a shower. We turned the lights off around 10:15pm and the next thing I remember is the alarm going off. This was by far, the best sleep I've ever had before a race. I had absolutely no clue that the power went out during the night and that my hubby woke up several times. I don't even think that I moved a limb that night.<br />
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We woke up at 5am and 1/2 an hour later we were out the door, meeting with Sam in the lobby. We all went to Tim Hortons for breakfast, where I had a cinnamon raisin bagel and a butter tart that I had bought the day before at Farmer's Daughter. I wasn't that hungry, but a little worried about the lack of protein. Oh well. I was going to eat enough bugs on the bike and I still had a banana and peanut butter for later on.<br />
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After making sure that we were caffeinated enough, we drove to the airstrip to park the car, then took the shuttle to transition where we arrived shortly after 6am. I got body marked and headed to the relay racks. Zin came over to inflate my tires, and I could tell that he was already "in the zone". I had to keep the chatting short <strike>and sweet</strike> because the time was flying by. Kari, our swimmer, was already in transition and thankfully we were a lot more relaxed for being in the last swim wave. We chatted for a bit, took a few pictures and managed to keep the anxiety at bay. See, all smiles!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7qcND-8BRYFfiTBJmdSmg1fbbz9-KuNjLX8hftIWueYGPjLG8iBAZKtWnqZvXl_G9SsVKGmcuJA2rgg3gT2Oofr2gU0KyMhsHL9WTdrXstXHOZtN4nYwByyVoOMH0s4DnHiLz9M2QYk/s1600/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+6+32+52+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7qcND-8BRYFfiTBJmdSmg1fbbz9-KuNjLX8hftIWueYGPjLG8iBAZKtWnqZvXl_G9SsVKGmcuJA2rgg3gT2Oofr2gU0KyMhsHL9WTdrXstXHOZtN4nYwByyVoOMH0s4DnHiLz9M2QYk/s400/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+6+32+52+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
When the transition closed at 6:45am, we all went down to the swim start. The lake was calm, beautiful and very inviting. I really wanted to jump in, at least for a few minutes. It'll have to wait for another time...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Cu4zAhkh6WWRZ8uUHmV8WxnlsJ9DJtS3Q8nmsRcGt9onvYuY87Ib4uNVd0MAfbK7odOBy9nGmpeex5mNnRWzhHxf8y971RsO3XQUWQ5SbrfVlG5bIwX-2btdVGvrfQe6-u9Q9aDnZkM/s1600/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+6+45+04+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Cu4zAhkh6WWRZ8uUHmV8WxnlsJ9DJtS3Q8nmsRcGt9onvYuY87Ib4uNVd0MAfbK7odOBy9nGmpeex5mNnRWzhHxf8y971RsO3XQUWQ5SbrfVlG5bIwX-2btdVGvrfQe6-u9Q9aDnZkM/s400/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+6+45+04+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serenity now...</td></tr>
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The third member of our team, Brent, joined us and we all watched Kari putting her fish skin on. Zin walked by, I gave him a kiss, he gave me his wedding ring in return. I wasn't sure if he just divorced me or wanted me to keep it safe. Hmmm. Pretty much everyone went with option 1.<br />
I also saw Sam and Mellen and snapped another pic to capture their smiles. Gotta catch them all like Pokem..<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1oX_arZMDDm2lQBWiXeYrlFqx05D41rCRthvZMoVnej1m35MIH8BlLWXTzym7LHdrVga03qsC63oYn3XzFjNdyF2CYmRJapm049WCf2UskDJr5p0tH2t468vV51jpYChxgsA-pFy099g/s1600/174slj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1oX_arZMDDm2lQBWiXeYrlFqx05D41rCRthvZMoVnej1m35MIH8BlLWXTzym7LHdrVga03qsC63oYn3XzFjNdyF2CYmRJapm049WCf2UskDJr5p0tH2t468vV51jpYChxgsA-pFy099g/s320/174slj.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ooops, sorry.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6mtVr5bMctEFZR19WPx57E6xNwU8Np5tDdjSmOQIBeFsTEvLFZIjqesfItKgczrd0yX-vdHqsmrRAmlptsEG3SL8-JZzr4ZAhz-fWT-ICHY4TLnflehwUOnrPhTHgjKcpRcsI6R79ig/s1600/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+7+00+45+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6mtVr5bMctEFZR19WPx57E6xNwU8Np5tDdjSmOQIBeFsTEvLFZIjqesfItKgczrd0yX-vdHqsmrRAmlptsEG3SL8-JZzr4ZAhz-fWT-ICHY4TLnflehwUOnrPhTHgjKcpRcsI6R79ig/s400/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+7+00+45+AM.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone got the joke.</td></tr>
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Soon enough it was time to part ways and I went down to the beach to watch one or two waves start their day. Look at them go!!<br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o3WPK6uv9wg" width="480"></iframe></center>
<br />
I took in some inspiration and energy from these brave athletes and headed back to T1 for another potty break. Kari said that she was hoping to finish the swim in about 35 minutes and that's when I started to freak out. Brent was planning to run in less than 1:45 and... and... I was nowhere near this kind of times. At the very best I was hoping for a 3h35-3:45 time, but I had already forgotten than my best time in Muskoka was a 3h41, 3 years ago, when I was training seriously and was 15 pounds lighter. Ignorance is bliss they say. But at no time I felt pressured to perform better, so I figured that doing my very best that day was probably going to be good enough. Hey Brent, let's take a pic while I am still smiling.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AoNdz9Ar1mh3jEB3XKy4qvE9cT1sCfsxYUD6_ZK1sGYytOOJQ_P78VkF6T8WLe3-9AeoJ5-tuk9prMPs0P3qQPsZcmGmlMsXRRhBbCl7qHhuflJWEY7YL6JFg6pKc1vBfsDiPnMkXe0/s1600/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+8+07+43+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AoNdz9Ar1mh3jEB3XKy4qvE9cT1sCfsxYUD6_ZK1sGYytOOJQ_P78VkF6T8WLe3-9AeoJ5-tuk9prMPs0P3qQPsZcmGmlMsXRRhBbCl7qHhuflJWEY7YL6JFg6pKc1vBfsDiPnMkXe0/s400/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+8+07+43+AM.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Kari finished her swim just as she predicted in 35 minutes and now it was my turn to meet my promise. Pressure's on!! I trotted my bike out of transition and started powering on. Did I mention that for the first time ever I was also riding with a power meter? I swore not to check it during the ride though because I was sure that it was going to make me depressed. I had no clue what all the numbers meant anyway since I had not done an FTP test with it yet. It was all about the data porn (and a reference for the future). As a matter of fact, I decided not to check any numbers because they really didn't mean anything given my lack of fitness. The only thing that mattered in my mind was to make it in 3h45.<br />
<br />
I rode this course about 5 times in total and while it got better at some point in the past, I knew that I was going to be in for a world of hurt. I tried to stay positive and did not care about all the people who were passing me up on the hills. You gotta work hard to push 148lb up, but at least I knew that I had an advantage going down. Wheeeeee! Watch me zooming by. It's all about gravity, and the junk in the trunk, folks! And maybe a bit of race wheels. The first water station took me by surprise. It really didn't seem that far, but I believe that's where I saw Sue Sitki the photographer and she took the picture below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCVQlARbDelQ6WyZ5pzEzTftTo3FBwJ-GRtGs8fri27opLXaS0StNetIGWHFD4h1oIFNCuxpx8y_h346bjCpWn5Gydkvy61Wr_E-jSy6NFwr5TWMT5LV4ZD9giHIKLd6sjS-a1CHLUaM/s1600/Bike3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCVQlARbDelQ6WyZ5pzEzTftTo3FBwJ-GRtGs8fri27opLXaS0StNetIGWHFD4h1oIFNCuxpx8y_h346bjCpWn5Gydkvy61Wr_E-jSy6NFwr5TWMT5LV4ZD9giHIKLd6sjS-a1CHLUaM/s400/Bike3.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
I don't think I have seen so many lost bottles, entire hydration systems, bottle holders and even cadence sensors in the middle of the road. It was quite disheartening and I kept wondering how these people were going to manage the course with less nutrition than what they had planned for.<br />
<br />
The first challenge that I was apprehending was Dwight Beach Rd, which I missed riding back in May. However, once I made the turn, I didn't find it that bad at all. No gravel, but a few bumps and cracks, just like I remembered them from 2013. I stayed on the left, passed a lot of people who were descending way more carefully than me and enjoyed the scenery. That is a pretty stretch after all, if you can ignore the incline and how hard you are panting (and swearing) at times.<br />
<br />
Once I reached the highway I started taking in some calories and playing leapfrog with a few people. Some of them didn't seem to have gotten the memo that it was a non drafting race and were blatantly playing the wheel sucking game. Thankfully not with me because I would have told them to bugger off. And speaking of following too closely, I almost got in an accident when a guy hit my back wheel and made me scream in terror. The guy then manages to pass me and says "sorry, I was looking at my bike". I was pretty furious, but told him politely to look at the road instead. This was probably the closest I got to hitting the ground in a race.<br />
<br />
Aside from my heart rate going through the roof during this incident, this part of the course was rather uneventful. I descended as fast as I could, trying to use the momentum to get me over the hills. Repeat ad nauseatum. Reached Dorset and said no to the water and Gatorade, again. For nutrition I had with me a Picky Bar, 2 Fruit3 bars and 2 Gu gels, as well as 2 bottles of Scratch and 1 bottle of water. I was nowhere near to needing a drink, but I made a mental note to drink more. At that point I had only eaten a Fruit bar and 1/2 of my Picky Bar, 1/2 of my water and 1/4 of my Scratch mix.<br />
<br />
The second challenge of this route for me was the hill out of Dorset, just before the highway 117. There were lots of people cheering at the top of the hill and I jokingly asked for another gear or two as I had run out of cogs. Alas nobody had a spare to get me out of my misery. I was riding a 28 cog in the back, but I wish I had a 32. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger... oh, shut up. It was super hard and I was already having thoughts of giving up. I was looking forward to the halfway mark, then the turn on Brunel, then the one on South Portage and then the one on North Portage, and finally the one on Deerhurst Rd. Somebody get me a teleporter if cogs is too much to ask for!!<br />
<br />
Anyway... keep riding on. And just like that, the hunger stroke. By the time I got to Baysville I had eaten every solid food I had and finished my water bottle. Not much progress on the Scratch, but I was feeling a little gassy and didn't feel like drinking electrolytes. At this point, after 60km I still had not peed. I was wondering if I was drinking enough, once again. So at the aid station there I grabbed a bottle of Gatorade and 2 Clif bars. The right hip/IT band/knee/adductor went on vacation and said to my left side "sorry mate, you're on your own - good luck!". I replied with a few expletives and told them that there was going to be no negotiation. We still had 34km ahead and not the easiest either.<br />
<br />
Somewhere on Brunel at the top of a hill I saw a photographer. Despite feeling slow as a slug, seeing him there gave me reassurance that it was not too late for him to pack his camera and go home. I gave him a pair of horns and smiled. He said "I got this!" and my next wish became to make it back in one piece to see the photo (I am buying these).<br />
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By then I was in survival mode. It was quite hard to push with the right side of my body MIA and I was scared of injuring myself again. But if there is something that I've learned over the past few years is that what I am dealing with is not really an injury, but tightness due to my hips not working properly, from a mechanical standpoint. This requires daily maintenance which I don't do, hence powering through imbalances, depending on which hip decides to take a day off. So anyway, back to my pity party on two wheels.<br />
<br />
Back in May when I rode this course, you may remember that I (also) missed the turn on South Portage and continued on Brunel until I reached Huntsville. I rode that day in 3h53, but I was not "racing". About halfway I was still on time to make it back to Deerhurst in 3h45, if I were to maintain a 25kph average that is. Well, once I made the turn on South Portage and I got a painful reminder that a LOT more hills were going to slow me down, my time goal went out the window. I was now hoping to make back it in less than 4h, with a stretch goal of less than 3h53. I hate to think this way, but if it had not been for my relay team, I may have abandoned. I kept telling myself that I could not let them down. They offered me this opportunity, the least I could do was to finish the ride so that Brent can run and we can all get a shiny medal.<br />
<br />
It was hard, a lot harder than I thought. But of course, it's been 3 years since I rode the full course! Senility must have kicked in because I could not remember this kind of pain. Nope, I am not going to read that <a href="http://ririnette.blogspot.ca/2013/09/2013-ironman-muskoka-703-race-report.html" target="_blank">race report</a> again, for sure it will bring me down. So young, so fit, so light!! Aaaargh. Just keep riding, just keep riding... And do NOT, don't you DARE, walk up those hills. Nope, not doing that. Between us, I was also scared to fall off my bike in the process, so it was better to avoid it altogether. As a matter of fact, I saw two guys falling just in front of me while trying to get back on their bikes, on one of the last hills of North Portage. I really hope their day got better afterwards.<br />
<br />
With a bit of delay, I made it back to T2. I ended riding the course in 3h50, thus meeting my stretch goal of beating my training time, on a harder course. All this without a mechanical, falling off, passing out from dehydration or worse, dying. You may think that I am over dramatic, but it's always a possibility when you go as fast as you can down the hills and you could hit a bump, a deer or a squirrel that's going to make you fly off your bike head down into the pavement. Every time I say goodbye to Zin before a race I ask him not to die. I am glad that none of us did, even though he had a mechanical (again!) and ended with his worst personal time on this course.<br />
<br />
So anyway, back in transition Brent took the chip off my ankle and he started the run. I pretty much collapsed under a tree and stared at the sky for about 15 minutes. I was feeling extremely hot and thirsty and made it a personal mission to find some ice cream. I went inside the Deerhurst building to the gift shop and found a fudgesicle. I could have eaten 5, but I decided to buy one and really savour it. I changed into my capris and flip flops, took off my bike jersey and walked over to the finish line, in a sports bra. At that point I could care less, I knew that I'd get a volunteer tshirt and although I was feeling a bit self-conscious, being among sweaty and tired triathletes walking around like zombies removed the inhibition.<br />
<br />
For the next couple of hours I worked mostly under a tent opening water bottles and giving those to finishers. I cannot thank Kari enough for assigning me to this job. Even though I got blisters from opening hundreds of bottles, having my hands in cold water and doing a minimum amount of walking was just perfect after the effort put on the bike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCn9LXawT9THvjWvNT3ArnsMsOm9xZP85_DhOz7DqrYlZTgsi_100x0WKCF0UFJLnu2BEViXQiSa46zxh_NuVe9bNokTwKIcb9mZBxGMoDguZs2dZ-QXF7yIkyrqOW1ZTGzuLXCFtukaQ/s1600/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+3+54+58+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCn9LXawT9THvjWvNT3ArnsMsOm9xZP85_DhOz7DqrYlZTgsi_100x0WKCF0UFJLnu2BEViXQiSa46zxh_NuVe9bNokTwKIcb9mZBxGMoDguZs2dZ-QXF7yIkyrqOW1ZTGzuLXCFtukaQ/s400/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+3+54+58+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">80yr young and going to the 70.3 Worlds Championships</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrbOTRqSae9t5-_YynOb9SAXAc4fuT0LVbT2BVdFBXuZxOhbPt7wI-L8k71ZSlYQ3b2wHAlWJTw2IgoZW6C3xaRN1M3cmXWma76aekKS2qxAnON65Umf_ODOSQY9dLbhvI0FrIbFtDSQ/s1600/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+4+19+32+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrbOTRqSae9t5-_YynOb9SAXAc4fuT0LVbT2BVdFBXuZxOhbPt7wI-L8k71ZSlYQ3b2wHAlWJTw2IgoZW6C3xaRN1M3cmXWma76aekKS2qxAnON65Umf_ODOSQY9dLbhvI0FrIbFtDSQ/s400/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+4+19+32+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tracy receiving her medal and a heartfelt hug from her proud dad</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMNT6F4ZKhtw-nOrnB0F529OMv__C4I3YGI16Gpsf1NWUF6EtWgeUjfyvan0GDHqFY_wvQhDwymG6O_XP9rc9sMX8Lpj8VTgLToWHt4QDClffSXbW0CR_6aIjVZ1mmYkD0MOpoRT9G0M/s1600/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+4+33+07+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMNT6F4ZKhtw-nOrnB0F529OMv__C4I3YGI16Gpsf1NWUF6EtWgeUjfyvan0GDHqFY_wvQhDwymG6O_XP9rc9sMX8Lpj8VTgLToWHt4QDClffSXbW0CR_6aIjVZ1mmYkD0MOpoRT9G0M/s400/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+4+33+07+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finish line waiting for the last athlete</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi819iJCSJ90YwYlyUOa0jZ04IbFTyp4BaPgUWJJhR_ByRQShcbiXWvITU4rZ57d5eM9gT-hXLk8QNhuS8BQsWtEOnd8cUoz8aVxMW0RDdAGkwm0aZ-zztYC8pbOLPZjbSXK2U-dC6f7PI/s1600/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+4+40+48+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi819iJCSJ90YwYlyUOa0jZ04IbFTyp4BaPgUWJJhR_ByRQShcbiXWvITU4rZ57d5eM9gT-hXLk8QNhuS8BQsWtEOnd8cUoz8aVxMW0RDdAGkwm0aZ-zztYC8pbOLPZjbSXK2U-dC6f7PI/s400/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+4+40+48+PM.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My own finish!</td></tr>
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I stayed until all finishers crossed the line, with an official time or not. Everyone got a medal. All my friends got a squeeshy hug. I poured water on Emma's back while holding her, I cried with Sam, I lifted Mellen up, wondering how many pounds she lost while putting on a killer effort (8th out of 81 in her age group!), I gave Zin another kiss (that was salty!). I melted when I saw Tracy's dad putting the medal around her neck. I watched in awe the 80yr old finisher sprinting down the chute. Made sure that all my friends finished and were well taken care of. James, Narinder from the FMCT club, Steve and Tammy from our open water swims (Tammy won her age group!). All the Iron Canucks that I knew. Virgil the goofball. Brent, our speedy runner who finished in 1h43, putting us in the 22nd place out of 50 teams with a total time of 6h14. Saw them all crossing the line and once again reinforced my belief that the finish line is the best place to be.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuNKtZvruwd0wvGZxqm2fj_vAE4VRHZX7TDxBZypArr4SDuQ7cCa4SNiw4WRUKP4iiHZFPM9Cy9TxpveVln5PJpONJBecW13U2E0vaevGZTO95cfGbijzmTGnIa_jZBJtpiQW3TpUICo/s1600/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+5+05+59+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuNKtZvruwd0wvGZxqm2fj_vAE4VRHZX7TDxBZypArr4SDuQ7cCa4SNiw4WRUKP4iiHZFPM9Cy9TxpveVln5PJpONJBecW13U2E0vaevGZTO95cfGbijzmTGnIa_jZBJtpiQW3TpUICo/s400/Photo+2016-07-10%252C+5+05+59+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last bike standing</td></tr>
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Many thanks to Kari and Dorothy for being the most awesome team captains and for their warm, non judgmental welcome into the relay team "Help Wanted". I sure had a lot of fun despite pushing through the pain and I hope that I can continue to attend this event year after year for as long as it will bring athletes to the beautiful and challenging Muskoka. Can't wait to see what the rest of the season and next year will bring as we train for Ironman Mt Tremblant 70.3. Yup, I signed up and I will cross the finish line either on two feet, two hands or all fours.Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-73090382289327842472016-07-03T22:14:00.003-04:002016-07-03T22:14:31.583-04:00Fighting with my brain, a summer cold and unexpected painsComing back from the race weekend, I wasn't feeling eager to go back to training at all. It doesn't help that work is draining me emotionally as well so by the evening I am a huge mess. Case in point, on Monday I went to my Taekwondo class and right off the bat my instructor asked me why I didn't come to the belt grading. Not giving me a chance to answer, I spent the rest of the class with tears in my eyes, as the negative thoughts took over. I was convinced that he thought I was a coward and knowing this wasn't true, I could not shake off the feeling of having been misunderstood. We went through all our patterns and I had a very hard time concentrating and I kept making mistakes. At the end of the class I burst in tears and I had to talk about it with the instructor. Of course, it was all in my head, as usual - but anxiety had reached its peak and I had to fight a panic attack and the shame of losing my shit in front of a bunch of kids. Not pretty.<br />
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In the following two days it went from bad to worse. On Tuesday I fell sick with a cold and my tooth ache came back. On Wednesday I started two more medications and the cocktail made me dizzy and nauseous. I also got my period and in my infinite wisdom, I decided to go back to Taekwondo. We started the class with conditioning (insert sprints, lunges, frog leaps etc), followed by a gazillion side piercing kicks. Let's say that I did my best, but by the end of the class I was surprised that I had not passed out.<br />
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On Thursday I went swimming with the tri club at Professor's Lake and fought the chop for 2 loops then called it a night. I didn't want to make my cold worse since Friday morning I was going to meet with a bunch of friends for a Canada Day bike ride. Since sleeping hadn't been that great the entire week, I was definitely feeling tired and the weekend had not even started. I was not looking forward to the 5:30am alarm clock, and as a matter of fact, I even procrastinated getting out of bed and ended being late.<br />
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I met with Emma, Sam, Kim and Ivanka in Burlington after a 40 minutes drive for which I was ill prepared. I had to find my helmet, shoes, gloves, bottles, shades and put everything in the car along with the bike. Thankfully Zin had inflated my tires. Alas there was no coffee and I ran out of time to pick one from Tim Hortons. Once again, I started the day in a state of panic.<br />
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To add insult to injury, 15 minutes within the group ride it started pouring. And it pretty much did not stop for most of the ride. We were soon soaked to the bone, but tried keeping the spirits high.<br />
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About 30km in the ride Sam got a flat and I wiped out in slo-mo because my shoe refused to unclip while trying to stop. With a bloody knee and achy wrist, I helped Sam change the tube because she was shivering so hard, poor cookie. I even inflated my first tube ever because I never got a flat myself in 5 years and this was my first application in the field. ;-) I don't remember how many f-bombs I let out during the operation, but I think I broke a personal record.<br />
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For the next 25km all I could think of was a hot Mocha at the Starbucks where we parked our cars and a warm change of clothes. I am glad to report that both were a success. All in all, despite the super soaker and bruised bum, it was a lot of fun.<br />
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The next morning, another early alarm going off, but this time for a swim with Sam at the quarry. She'd never come to Caledon for a swim there and I promised to go with her the weekend before. Summer cold and achy limbs don't care, the premise of a breakfast with this girl was a good enough reason to jump in the water at 7am. The air was cold, but the water was super warm, so the swim was rather awesome. I did two loops for a distance of 2.2km in just about 50 minutes, then drove down the road to the Red Onion where Zin joined us for brekkie.<br />
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I spent the rest of the day/weekend on the couch, nursing my stubborn cold and praying for my tooth ache to leave me in peace until Tuesday when I'll have the tooth extracted. The cat was the best and kept me company. I hope I didn't give him my cold, because we snuggled pretty long and hard.<br />
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What else is left to say? On Sunday evening I was really craving a run, so I went out for a 5km around the block in my Hokas. No knee pain, but geez - that felt hard! I tried running "easy" but the heart wouldn't have it any other way but in Z4-Z5. Oh well, I have to keep reminding myself how badly out of shape I am. And I'm still sick, which most likely plays a role as well. Let's see what the next week will bring. I think I'll need a lot of exercise to chase all demons away, if not I may just end up punching someone in the office and that's not going to end up well.Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-36617959585162768982016-06-28T17:38:00.000-04:002016-07-01T19:21:00.546-04:00Welland Sprint Triathlon Race ReportHow do you write one of these race reports again? Well, screw that. There are no rules. But I should talk about race day at least... and mine started early. Like really, really, really early. Something like 2am.. That's about right. It's around the time that I stopped sleeping. I pet the cat. I checked my phone multiple times. I watched my hubby sleeping. I listened to the sounds of the house. I wondered if the boys had gone to sleep. I brought the cat a little closer, asked him to purr some sleep into me. Didn't work. I was super nervous, but not as much about the race as I was about a last minute decision to drive back in town right after the race and attend my Taekwondo's school belt grading. And it didn't help that I had not talked to my instructor about this and I sent him an email just before going to sleep and I was expecting him to say not to bother, but instead he said it was my call. Doesn't he know I suck at last moment decisions?? Aaaaargh. Keep calm and try to sleep. One, two, three sheep.<br />
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I had no choice but to get out of bed once the alarm clock went off... It was 5am. I hopped in the shower, then had breakfast with hubbs. A slice of bread with prosciutto and a chocolate croissant. We stopped by Tim Hortons for coffee, then started the 1.5h drive to Welland. Made it there with 1h to spare and I was the one to be cool as a cucumber while Zin was the Energizer bunny. Dude, chill... it's just a sprint distance. It'll be over before you digest your toast.<br />
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We lined up with <a href="http://runningintune.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Emma</a> for registration, then we grabbed our paperwork and hardware, aka bib and chip. I don't know about the others, but I also got a semi-permanent tattoo on my calf, judging by the fact that 3 days later I still have a big fat 42 sharpied on. In transition I found myself a little spot on a rack in the middle of everything, just to get confused enough to see my synapses firing early in the morning.<br />
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I went to a portapotty to put on my tri bottom and take care of a last minute business, then put on my wetsuit. Given that I don't fit in my TRS tri top, I decided to swim in a sports bra under my wetsuit, then wear my bike jersey on the bike and run, which will be the modus operandi for the rest of the season. That's what happens when you get fat(ter) and Coeur decides to change the fabric and make the tops smaller.<br />
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Fast forward to the swim start, this was going to be a time trial with each athlete starting 5 sec apart. I was number 167, so I had some time to warm up and chat with a few friends from our <a href="http://fmct.ca/" target="_blank">FMCT</a> tri club. Oh, look, it's Bob Hatcher the photographer! Let's take a picture in our rubber suits. Zin, take your hand off my boob!! What is it now, "touch a boob" for good luck? (Jeez, I can't take him anywhere.) Bob captured the moment just a second later.<br />
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Aren't we cute in our matchy-matchy caps and goggles though? Too bad that I don't fit in my ROKA wetsuit either. *Sigh* We would have been perfect for advertising. Anyway... swimming on... 3.. 2..1.. GO! I went straight for the first green buoy, found the sighting line, hugged the line, turned at second green buoy, then third green buoy, found the sighting line again, hugged the line, made a last turn towards the exit. The End. Most uneventful swim evah. I stayed in the zone, swam happy and made it around the pond in 14:39 with zero contact. I think the course was a little short, or maybe was for those who knew how to swim straight. I don't remember coming close to anyone in the race... I often wondered if they knew about the line and why they were swimming way over there when they could have swum way over here where the buoys and the line were.<br />
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I was a little confused coming out of the water because I thought we were going to turn right and take the stairs up to transition like at Barrelman, but instead I was instructed to go on the grass, around the building and through the above passage that made for some crappy pictures and longer swim times.<br />
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In transition I had a hard time closing my bike jersey and it seemed like it took forever. Lesson learned, over the head it goes next time. I went sockless in my bike shoes as usual, but another surprise was the run out. So freaking long, all the way to the road, which is another difference with Barrelman, where we took the path along the water instead. This also skewed our averages but thankfully someone created a Strava segment for the road portion only and we can all hang onto our pride for a little longer.<br />
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Despite my lack of training, I managed to push enough watts for a 31km/h average. I'll take it. I remember having a lot of fun trying to bring my heart rate down, but to no avail. Average 177bpm, yikes! Is that called riding the red line or I'm making things up? I'm the queen of false idioms, so what the hell do I know. Someone will tell me that my English sucks eventually. But I do look good on the bike, so there.<br />
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I remember passing a bunch of people, none in my AG though, then being passed by the fast dudes who made me feel that I was standing still. I ate a gel at km 10, drank some water. It was freaking hot out there, but somewhat enjoyable thanks to the headwind on the way back to T2. It took me 38min to ride the 20km and overall I had a lot of fun. However I knew that once I'd start running my joy would disappear in a heartbeat, pun intended.<br />
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And just like I thought, after changing into my running shoes, it hit me. This was going to be my first brick of the year!! Happy happy joy joy! NOT. Are we done yet?? Wait, is this a HILL on this path? (it was just a bump, but it felt like a mountain) And where is the first kilometer marker dammit!? My watch was in multisport mode and it was not showing my pace. I had no idea how fast I was going, just that it felt dreadful. I decided to hit lap at each km marker to see my average. First km, 5:58, but effort level was feeling like a 4:58. I decided not to look at my heart rate and go by feel. By death feel that is. I kept pushing and started the mind games and inner monologues. At TKD I ran 5:15 for 6km, this is freaking slow. I can do this. Yeah, I know that my HR had been in Z5 for 45 min, but it should only take 20 more minutes. I won't die in 20min, I promise. Look, I can almost see the 2km marker. I even saw the top athletes coming back, so I am not THAT slow. I will pass out before I die and there are enough people on the path, one of them must know CPR. I can do this. Look, someone calls my name. Oh, right - I am wearing my bib.<br />
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Here comes the turn around, but wait... why are these people running on this parallel road? So this isn't the turn around after all. Fuck. I take a bit of water at each station, mostly on my head and down my back. I am SO glad this is just a 5km race. I cry for hubbs and our friends who are going to do the long course the next day. I finally reach the turnaround and think about the rest of the people on my way back. I did not see anyone in my AG passing me. This is encouraging. I can't be in front because I'm a slow swimmer, but where are the other athletes? Behind me I hope. Just STAY there. I can do this. I started feeling sick. Stitches left and right: one from the stomach, one from the ribs, one from the spleen, most likely another one because it can. I must stay under 6min/km. I MUST. One more km. I should pick it up now so I look good running down the chute. Boom chakalaka!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These people behind me look impressed. Or maybe I farted really loud, I don't remember.</td></tr>
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Two steps later... OH THE AGONY<br />
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And FINALLY...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy to see Bob and the finish line. No matter what, he'll make me loo good. </td></tr>
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Dramatic, eh? Just wait.<br />
I shake John's hand, I take three steps towards the girl who removes the ankle chips. She takes it off, then I say... I GOTTA PUKE. I lean above the gate and leave it ALL on the gravel. It felt like never ending, so the folks from the medical come over and ask me if I was ok. They bring me water. I drink 4-5 cups, I don't remember, then I make my way towards the exit. Now that's how you end a race, although I don't wish it to anyone else. Gives a literal meaning to leaving it all on the course I guess.<br />
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I finished the run in 29:57, mission accomplished to stay under 6min/km, but with a HR average of 180! The overall time was 1:27:21, which is 4 minutes slower than my PR on this distance, but for a first race and no training it's quite the accomplishment I'd say. From the beginning until the end I was 9th/16 in my AG, so that explains why it felt like I was racing alone.<br />
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I met with Emma and Zin, we took a pic, then I lied down because I was not feeling right.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is it hot as balls or is it just me?? Why aren't there more naked people in the picture??</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup, this hurts. And no, I am not giving birth. And don't ask me while my knees are blue, I have no freaking clue.</td></tr>
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I took a few minutes to collect my pains, then noticed Zin and Emma had jumped in the water. Now, that's a brilliant idea. I took off my jersey and dove in as well. What a glorious, glorious feeling. I must have spent a good 10 minutes in there, doing the starfish and feeling the aches leaving my body miraculously. I may or may not have peed as well. Then we all went back to the transition and asked someone for a "fresh" picture. What a difference a cold swim makes!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's do it again!!</td></tr>
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By that time it was already 11am and too late to drive back to Brampton for my Taekwondo grading. Besides I was starving and dizzy and I hadn't even started packing. The grading plans went flying out of the window and I told myself "what the hell was I thinking??" I could not imagine a single minute driving back and spending another 5h in the dojang. One more lesson learned. I'll have to wait two more months. I already waited 12 years, who is still counting?<br />
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I went to grab some food while these two started packing. We found out that Zin had placed second in his age group, so we decided to hang around for the podium and the prizes. He won a Timex watch too, yay! I think we finally left the race site around 1pm and went to Swiss Chalet for lunch, then to the residence to check in for the weekend, since these two were going to do it all again the next day. Crazies. And this is where my first race report of the year ends. Hope you had fun watching my descent into agony and rising from the ashes, hahaha. It's all good, triathlon is fun!! Over and out.Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-5318366321879958962016-06-19T19:31:00.000-04:002016-06-19T19:37:05.331-04:00A semblance of normalityAnother week in the books and no boo boo to spoil the party. Now that's how you start a blog post! Where's my <a href="http://emojidictionary.emojifoundation.com/home.php?emoji=emoji528.jpg" target="_blank">muscle emoji</a> when I need it? <br />
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I went to Taekwondo on Tuesday and we did a 6.2km run at the beginning. I tried to stay on top of the leaderboard as the fastest of the group, but the instructor's son put on his 6'5" long legs and left me in his dust, after I beat him the week before. I ran like a maniac though, finishing the run in 34min 40sec, a 45 sec improvement over the previous run, but with the HR in the red, average 181. I pretty much do a speed workout every night I run there, reason why I try to limit the runs to 2 a week so I don't kill my legs, especially since I had little choice over the days I went training and they ended being back to back. Not good.<br />
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The next day I ran again, but thankfully only 4.5km. Then we worked on some sparring techniques - lots of high kicks. Not sure what was easier for the ribs - the power kicks we did the day before or the combination kicks during sparring training. But I managed just fine, despite training with the black belts as they prepare for the ITF Taekwondo World Championships. Speaking of which... this is what ITF Taekwondo looks like.<br />
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And this is our school <a href="http://www.millersitf.com/" target="_blank">Miller's Taekwondo</a>:<br />
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I still take painkillers at night because sleeping on the injured side is hard and I don't get my beauty sleep that helps me function like a human. Hopeful that by the end of the month the bruised ribs will be just a distant memory.<br />
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Thursday was OWS night at Professor's Like. A beauty of a swim... so different from the Sunday before. The lake was like glass, although on the chilly side. I helped a new member swim two loops, so it was full of zen. Bubbles bubbles breathe... Look, a pretty cloud and the sky is so blue! Where is that buoy again? I just got lost in my thoughts... as usual. I love open water swimming! Too bad I didn't give any of this love to the pool over the winter, but that's ok. I am not going to break any records this season anyway.<br />
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The week went by very fast and with the arrival of the weekend, the apprehension of the longest ride of the year, on the hottest day so far. My friend <a href="http://breakingmyrunnersin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sam</a> from<a href="http://breakingmyrunnersin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> "Breaking my Runners In"</a> is training for Muskoka 70.3 and she wanted to do a <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/613122459" target="_blank">hilly 100km workout</a>. Crazy as I am, I said yes to joining in the <strike>fun</strike> pain. <a href="http://runningintune.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Emma</a> made us a route starting from Burlington, complete with a donut stop, 1000m of elevation and <i>only</i> 39 turns. I had to wonder if Emma was PMSing or something, because it delivered! I didn't count all the hills, but the motto quickly became "it ain't over till it's over". The meanest one was strategically placed at km 85, and the last one was just 500m before the finish. Thanks Emma!! What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't be fooled by our smiles, this was after 45km ONLY.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TRS Team photo! (suck the belly in)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think we climbed that thing in the back</td></tr>
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The route was really beautiful though and it had a few awesome downhills too, good enough for some Strava PRs. I drank 4 bottles of water, 2 of Gatorade, had 2 gels and a fruit bar, plus a butter tart. I managed my nutrition pretty well for the conditions, just like in the good ol' days when workouts like these were the routine. The only thing missing were the salty balls, haha.<br />
Oh wait... here they are.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry, not sorry. </td></tr>
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We met with them boys just before the donut/butter tarts stop. Hubby is on the left. These guys were out for 170km in preparation for Ironman Mt Tremblant. They still had 100km left when we met them, and again... don't get fooled by the smiles. The sweaty and delirious ones at the end of the ride are just below.<br />
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I went back home and prepared lunch for the boys, then waited for hubbs to arrive from his own epic adventure. We barely had 1h to rest, then went out to one of TFC's soccer matches since we have a few season tickets. For once TFC won, against LA Galaxy nonetheless.<br />
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If we look a little pooped, it's totally normal. It was only after we got a cold drink in the shade that we perked up a little. We even compared tan lines. I definitely win.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He may have a nice caramel color, but I am a real cyclist.</td></tr>
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The next morning I slept in. Oh, what a glorious sleep. Our cat didn't even bother me, but of course... Zin woke up early again, this time to run 28km (and it distracted the cat away from the bedroom). It sucks to be Ironman in training sometimes.<br />
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Another scorcher of a day, but I spent most of it inside, until I went out for another open water swim that is. This time, direction the Quarry where our friend Mellen joined us for some quality "mermaiding". Aren't we pretty?<br />
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Another season first, and a 2200m swim that woke up my ribs by the end. Little by little I am getting there... Not ready to do long triathlons any time soon, but I can do some long swims and bike rides, and survive short, fast runs.<br />
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Little did I know, the ride I did yesterday was a blessing. Just today I was asked to replace someone at Muskoka 70.3 for the bike segment of a relay and I said yes!! I was really bummed last year when I didn't get to play on that course, but this year I am taking every opportunity as a chance to remind myself that I am not completely broken and I can still do things. I may only ride my bike every 3 weeks, but at this point I know that I can survive the Muskoka hills. It won't be my fastest time on that course since I lost a lot of fitness (and packed on 10 pounds), but I plan on having as much fun as I can while keeping the #rubbersidedown. Since hubby is doing the race as well, I am going to have triple the fun: racing, catching people and cheering my friends across the finish line. Now that's going to be awesome. Stay tuned... first race of the season is next Saturday!Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-8195447683846874042016-06-13T23:05:00.001-04:002016-06-13T23:05:43.729-04:00Back at itSo the ribs situation, while annoying because I cannot sleep very well, is not a deal breaker. Last week I went back to Taekwondo and we had to run 6km (like every class from now on). I was apprehensive to have my insides hit my ribs while in motion, but in the end it was not too bad. It felt like I had a stubborn side stitch and the next day the pain was a lot milder. Go figure. Only a dull, constant pain remained. No more sharp shooting pain, so... yay? The next day we had to run another 6km. That too went well, although I had some pain in the knee that kept coming and going, just to mess with my mojo. Stupid knee, I bet next time it's going to be the other one to bother me. I guess I am still not ready to run two days in a row. By the end of the week I could even do some kicks and add some power into them, so things are moving into the right direction. Still not much core power to help me with balance, but that too shall come back one day.<br />
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Alright, enough with the complaints for today. After the crazy training sessions during the week, I took it up a notch on Saturday. How masochistic I am, you must be wondering.<br />
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In the middle of a career change (more on this later), I had signed up to attend an event put together by the Women in Arboriculture Canada group, my new adoptive family. I woke up early (for a Saturday, but not for a triathlete!) and drove to St Thomas, about 15km south of London, ON. Arrived there right on time to grab a tshirt, a few promotional materials, a buff and a catalogue for <a href="https://www.universalfieldsupplies.com/" target="_blank">Universal Field Supplies</a>, the Arborist reference store in the Peel region. Rope, carabiners, pulleys, harnesses - OH MY. After getting introduced people left and right, whose names I mostly forgot, we watched a demo for Single Rope Technique done with both fancy, and not as fancy gear, then got released into the wild to climb (designated) trees in the park.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Our playground for the day</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Arborists in the wild</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Tree climbing champions - learning from the best!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I want this setup</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlYA_qUHKoB_QEbJy6Tr7d31HVQjZbyZ93C4HUBfkMIzGOgXYcobCsppx17wdwPyPBsyPtYF24t6FR7dYSODH_kGBjOEQ4xRWg7PDJ0aH64dEGkctWZxR3xC8z2d7yAIkD7oWyrDwpZ4/s1600/13407173_10154135117646955_7299112602075511284_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlYA_qUHKoB_QEbJy6Tr7d31HVQjZbyZ93C4HUBfkMIzGOgXYcobCsppx17wdwPyPBsyPtYF24t6FR7dYSODH_kGBjOEQ4xRWg7PDJ0aH64dEGkctWZxR3xC8z2d7yAIkD7oWyrDwpZ4/s400/13407173_10154135117646955_7299112602075511284_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Girls know how to have fun</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Excuse my butt hanging out of my pants - but I am climbing a tree!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I am not in there, but not far. About 5 girls up ahead.</td></tr>
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I had my own challenges during the day because I went completely unprepared, resulting in some painful blisters on my hands. The only piece of equipment that I could use was my hard hat which I had to wear while under the canopy. The rest of the equipment was graciously lent by other ladies who didn't even flinch at the idea of sharing with a complete n00b that they met an hour before. I learned lots, met awesome people and had a good upper body workout to prove that I belonged in this "industrial athletes" group.<br />
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The next day I had to wake up early again, boo. This time, for an open water swim, the second of the season with the <a href="http://fmct.ca/" target="_blank">FMCT tri club</a> at Professor's Lake. It was super windy and the lake had a nice chop, therefore I chose to spare my ribs (see what I did here?) and swim only one 750m loop. It was more than enough. I returned home so tired, that I jumped back in bed and slept until noon.<br />
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And this completed my epic week of crazy, adventurous workouts. Let's see how this one goes.Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-88929697321055564132016-06-06T11:48:00.000-04:002016-06-06T12:03:11.282-04:00My finest video editing moment yetIn absence of motivation to go swimming, I attended <a href="http://fmct.ca/" target="_blank">our club</a>'s last indoor swimming practice last week on Tuesday. I am sharing this because I got to play with our rarely used GoPro and had a lot of fun following people up and down the pool during their workout, mentally analyzing everyone's technique because you gotta put your NCCP certification at work sometimes, even if it's for nothing. Nobody is paying me to give them feedback and I do that for free anyway because I have this tendency to give unsolicited advice left and right, especially when I'm drunk. But I digress.<br />
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Lo and behold, the fruit of my first video editing attempt, playing with Windows Movie Maker. This was also a first. In the past I used some fancier software because I needed color correction and flipping images and whatnot. Now I treat videos more radically. Yellow tint? Cut, cut, cut! Man, I can't hold on the thought train today. Back to the subject, once again: my personal greatness in filmmaking. Tadaaaaa. You will need to play it with sound, because it took me only 2h to find the right soundrack, free of copyright, so that Youtube doesn't choke on it. And I'm damn proud of it. Please tell me that I don't suck. My ego really needs some stroking on this dreadful Monday.<br />
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I know you liked it. But please don't judge my peeps, or I'll break your ribs.<br />
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Oh yeah, on that note, my ribs are still giving me a lot of grief. I spent last week heavily medicated, had to work from home two days and went to my ART specialist to see what exactly was out of whack because no other doctor would touch my ribs. The doctors would look at them, say... yep, you're broken. Stop this. Go back to taking pictures or something. Stop hitting people. You're too old for this shit. No, seriously.<br />
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I heard that before, about 10 years ago when I fractured a leg hitting my heavy bag. But I ain't giving up, so stop telling me what's good for me. Alas I was also unable to exercise because any movement of my trunk would send me screaming and hyperventilating.<br />
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On Saturday I had to take my car to the mechanic to replace a broken muffler and decided to come back home by bike. My first time back on the saddle since the Muskoka long weekend, and it didn't suck. I could breathe through it quite nicely, but I also had the wind at my back and no hills to power up to. I was optimistic that I could return to exercising and I stopped all painkillers. Today I also went back to ART for another torture session. I feel so good after these sessions, they're crack, pun intended. I am not a masochist, but I can move a lot better afterwards and I am no longer in huge amounts of pain, at least for 6h or so. Hopefully it will last longer this time... At least until after my evening Taekwondo class. I did not go at all last week because I'm not THAT stupid.<br />
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I don't know what I'll be able to do, running is still out of question because all the bouncing inside my belly is very painful. Maybe I'll work on my patterns and my sine wave, Or I could just listen to my teacher and stop being such a pussy. Not verbatim, of course, he'd get some weird looks if he said that. But sometimes he means it, alright. Will let you know how it goes... Upward and onward! And if you are not confused enough, my first triathlon race is two and a half weeks from now!
Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-18799254465279476792016-06-02T16:24:00.000-04:002016-06-02T22:43:37.970-04:00Alive and kickingHey hey hey, what's up dudes? You thought I disappeared without saying goodbye? Not so fast. Truth is, I've hit a really hard patch at the end of last year, which continued into this year to the point that I had to seek professional help. Very thankful for the medical professionals, my family and my friends, I am now back to some kind of normal. I went back on anti-depressant medication and it's probably the best decision that I could have made. I still have the occasional freak out, but at least I don't feel like throwing myself under a bus every month.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found myself a new passion</td></tr>
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Looking at my sad mug in the last post was also making things worse, so I decided to make my blog private for a while. I pretty much hated myself and the situation I was in and the post was rather triggering. I could not bear the thought of more bad news, fighting with my health, my injuries, my willpower. As a matter of fact, at the end of December I completely threw the towel on my triathlon training and went back to Taekwondo. I think it was fate that made me stop in a traffic jam on a route that I never take, just to notice an ITF Taekwondo school, about 15 min from my house. I decided to check it out and I loved it instantly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First day back in the dojang</td></tr>
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I figured that all the leg training and stretching could only do me good. It took a while to feel flexible enough to do leg kicks that felt almost impossible with achy and stiff hips. It's a small school, people are nice there and classes are pretty hard on a regular basis. Exactly the type of challenge that I needed. Last time I did Taekwondo was in 2005 and I thought I would never get back to it. I even gave away most of my uniforms, belts etc. Thankfully I had kept one uniform and my latest belt (blue) and I could get back into it without much delay. I have been working pretty hard since December, going to classes at least 2-3 times a week. It didn't help that I broke one of my toes in January and it slowed down my progress.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first competition in 12 years</td></tr>
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But since then I re-learned all the patterns and managed to catch up with my belt level to the point that I could attend my first competition in 12 years, just this past Saturday. Thanks to my instructor, who is a perfectionist freak (love him!), I took gold in patterns (technique), beating 2 other ladies of higher belt ranks than me. In sparring I faced an older lady wearing a black stripe (see third place below) and we put on a show, according to the spectators. We tied at first, then had to spar again, and she beat me. Because we were only 3 in sparring, a draw made such that she sparred again, with a yellow stripe, and I was given bronze. No big deal at all, that's how it goes when there aren't many competitors in a category.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winner winner chicken dinner (and a few bruised ribs)</td></tr>
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Since then I have been feeling the effects of a hard fought sparring match and as a matter of fact, I have a few bruised ribs that I'll have checked out this afternoon. Something doesn't feel right. Not only the strongest painkillers don't help at all, but I also feel clicking, popping and rubbing on the side of my ribs when I bend my torso. It should be interesting to know what's going on. But I'm not complaining. Sure it will take a few weeks to heal, but it's the risk of the sport. What do you expect when you are kicked and punched repeatedly. My fault for not defending myself better. I will definitely work on it for the next time.<br />
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Now, back to the subject of triathlon and everything that goes with it, I am slowly making progress. I signed up for a few sprint races this summer (Welland, Kingston, the Georgina Women's Triathlon) and will go back to Barrelman for the half iron swim-bike. Nothing too crazy, given that my focus will continue being my Taekwondo classes and getting stronger glutes, hips and core, while also fulfilling my sherpa duties for hubbs, as he's ramping up for Ironman Mt Tremblant. But as I was saying, I did notice that my running has been improving. Not only we run on a regular basis at the beginning of each Taekwondo class, but I also did a few longer runs on my own, and I managed to go all the way to 6km without pain. Now, another thing worth mentioning, is that I went back to my natural running form and I am not forcing myself to land on my forefoot anymore. Maybe that is part of the solution, and only time will tell.<br />
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And that's it for the newest news. It will be hard to recap 9 months of hiatus, but as in Riri fashion, will share a few photos to bring you all up to speed.<br />
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At the end of the season I put on my cow onesie and rang my cowbell hard and loud for friends at the annual Egg Nog Jog. It was supposed to be my last race of the year, another DNS. I had fun supporting my friends, even if deep down it hurt.<br />
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The rest of the month was rather uneventful. I did a lot of couch surfing, procrastinating and giving the finger to my bike and swim classes.<br />
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The new year started with a long awaited vacation to Mexico, our first ever to the Carribean and the blue ocean and turtles and colorful fishes. We only had to wait 20 years, but we finally made it!!<br />
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Pretty much everything went downhill from there, mental health wise, but eventually I turned things around after going to France and reconnecting with my best friend.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting Claude Monet's gardens</td></tr>
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Recently I was able to attend the Muskoka Triathlon Training camp that our club organizes every year and I am proud to report that I managed to complete the Muskoka 70.3 bike loop and some more, plus running, plus swimming, all over the course of 3 magnificent sunny days. All without training. Ha! And I did not destroy my legs. Not until I got them badly bruised at the Taekwondo tournament, but that was to be expected, d'uh.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Said Hi to the lonely bear on the side of Brunel Rd, just like last year</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFozz18oIP6YwxnQhKS20zhHEqNCZhZFG_oqp7TG2c8i0q3hniYi47z9rMwlAHxs9YAQXvSGh2ghdMAdFXV8ng-d7jTvgaKBPr3QyvOwCE749PpPcaLAXClPEyHHuH6iqlQ58rvkl1dI/s1600/13221748_10154084818856955_3823772500302955067_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFozz18oIP6YwxnQhKS20zhHEqNCZhZFG_oqp7TG2c8i0q3hniYi47z9rMwlAHxs9YAQXvSGh2ghdMAdFXV8ng-d7jTvgaKBPr3QyvOwCE749PpPcaLAXClPEyHHuH6iqlQ58rvkl1dI/s400/13221748_10154084818856955_3823772500302955067_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shared the cottage and adventures with these awesome peeps</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOro3KUS7AWmrR41fkSq-5bOgOWHnPs6jsrE_HcL7NuqQdKM2Y4yoTlwe3YN5dTZrdKctBvnGu4anCQCk1vM-6-penxp49O5pmwxvrksXlmZZop62pKRwqyc2IxnonO7bkYbKI2Mf4Gyk/s1600/13267964_10154090375251955_7133480149423332534_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOro3KUS7AWmrR41fkSq-5bOgOWHnPs6jsrE_HcL7NuqQdKM2Y4yoTlwe3YN5dTZrdKctBvnGu4anCQCk1vM-6-penxp49O5pmwxvrksXlmZZop62pKRwqyc2IxnonO7bkYbKI2Mf4Gyk/s640/13267964_10154090375251955_7133480149423332534_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found a pretty bridge, took a picture for my TRS team</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQIfQ-wTbfcW-2i5ADGB9Eo6M8xoOK0OlAMgMH3zXydMTu94nNHNfJ65ufOKHWln-uu4yO7aXNXI2omFX1i8D-MiCTCaIQSMxP9oZK6GlywhjZX1NmNQlQnJnCj5AaT2Pg-FGlOzgswc/s1600/13227211_10154090375976955_2589225968637126026_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQIfQ-wTbfcW-2i5ADGB9Eo6M8xoOK0OlAMgMH3zXydMTu94nNHNfJ65ufOKHWln-uu4yO7aXNXI2omFX1i8D-MiCTCaIQSMxP9oZK6GlywhjZX1NmNQlQnJnCj5AaT2Pg-FGlOzgswc/s400/13227211_10154090375976955_2589225968637126026_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First OWS of the year, safety first thanks to DC Rainmaker</td></tr>
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I hope this comeback post will settle all rumors concerning my absence. Not that I need TMZ to look into my life, but my three blog readers may enjoy getting back in touch without sending in the paparazzi. It's been a rocky ride, but I'm hanging in there and more important, I try to keep moving. Mens sana in corpore sano. And last but not least, BELIEVE.<br />
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<br />Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-6951861083181893802015-10-16T22:08:00.000-04:002015-10-16T22:14:53.758-04:00Recently in picturesA few weeks have passed since the end of the triathlon season and I started settling into a new routine, where exercising is becoming once more a battle of the brains vs the legs. One thing is for sure, the less I work out and sit without stretching, the more my knees hurt. But anyway, this is a reminder that I should not get too comfortable in my laziness. My hubby made me a plan for my next race, The Egg Nog Jog, some time mid-December. It's a local race, 10.6km long, hilly and most likely cold, and if my asthma won't have killed me by then, I may even enjoy. So I will be trying to get a little more running in until then, but most likely not going over 15k at most. My plan is based loosely on the "Run Less Run Faster" formula, but tailored to my current abilities. It also helps to know that once I wake up I can just ask hubbs "what should I do today?" and he can just look at me and adjust the plan on the fly.<br />
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Knowing how fluid my physical and mental health can be, a structure helps, but having someone understand and witness first hand the challenges that I am facing, can be a life saver. And without going into too many details, my plan looks something like this:</div>
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<i>Monday: rest or Yoga (optional)</i></div>
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<i>Tuesday: Swim or Bike + Physio routine</i></div>
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<i>Wednesday: Speed/Hills Work</i></div>
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<i>Thursday: Swim or Bike + Physio routine</i></div>
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<i>Friday: Long Tempo</i></div>
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<i>Saturday: Long Bike</i></div>
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<i>Sunday: Long Run + Swim (optional)</i></div>
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I will also continue to do my physio and go to the gym for some hot Yoga every once in a while, depending on how much stretching and zen time I need. I am currently in week 4, and I cannot say that everything has been perfect until now, but I will let the pictures below speak for themselves. Here's a visual update with everything that made my life exciting since the Barrelman.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQvaZ9NQ51sxXf7t1-i33n1qr1nDshoHW35LAd1CQfoF19l6hBtWYswwYb0uVUPAsHVnxIrQJmeEd2dWKnGHYdtzV9gZuNdK7t27gwzHhkWLtjd2Gp_seQkxYCrFmzTswR40MJviMPUI/s1600/Photo+2015-09-29%252C+8+20+12+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQvaZ9NQ51sxXf7t1-i33n1qr1nDshoHW35LAd1CQfoF19l6hBtWYswwYb0uVUPAsHVnxIrQJmeEd2dWKnGHYdtzV9gZuNdK7t27gwzHhkWLtjd2Gp_seQkxYCrFmzTswR40MJviMPUI/s400/Photo+2015-09-29%252C+8+20+12+AM.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tough morning. Sad face. Where's that emoticon when I need it?</td></tr>
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Stress. Tiredness. Days when work makes me feel super shitty about myself. Which leads to insomnia. And more tiredness. And more stress. Too many mornings waking up and seeing the struggle on my face. And still waiting to take some real time off this year. But deadlines come first, so I wait.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwpgDw9pbmFAbXdkvTwaDtZ1qBAiho9Wx0YG9K-38aFBamPMT6uVZ34XZJey8KulreDqaJpH4c7rdlbrOdvTYVHOiqBJeQ8fBv6ETeze208BkJXeWh4Ko_XdjqCFQpQmSPdkSwzxFWjY/s1600/Photo+2015-09-24%252C+6+19+40+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwpgDw9pbmFAbXdkvTwaDtZ1qBAiho9Wx0YG9K-38aFBamPMT6uVZ34XZJey8KulreDqaJpH4c7rdlbrOdvTYVHOiqBJeQ8fBv6ETeze208BkJXeWh4Ko_XdjqCFQpQmSPdkSwzxFWjY/s400/Photo+2015-09-24%252C+6+19+40+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working my way up through those</td></tr>
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<div>
I started reading again. After finishing Ronda Rousey's book "My Fight/Your Fight"(I'm such a fan!), I decided to tackle the other dozen books that I once started but never finished. There are more on my iPad too. Currently reading Chris Hadfield's "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth". Can you tell that I like non fiction?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELMm0jftYd9sRP1TIPRQKe_1NbBREgbEd1Fla6I9QQFywHXmZZht5Kq0GemKejkyh0kCsTIhYF9O8Jkew1FCacMGc7mtPgTPP6cL9U5WUAuAbkyj97CpmKgmofoSmzhpEyOkqrsj74ow/s1600/Photo+2015-09-26%252C+7+14+41+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELMm0jftYd9sRP1TIPRQKe_1NbBREgbEd1Fla6I9QQFywHXmZZht5Kq0GemKejkyh0kCsTIhYF9O8Jkew1FCacMGc7mtPgTPP6cL9U5WUAuAbkyj97CpmKgmofoSmzhpEyOkqrsj74ow/s400/Photo+2015-09-26%252C+7+14+41+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romantic sunset</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvr-lT3IsPoH3FVGd-0U8DRISI3IoFZbMN3fD45o_fRz74NJ_4rlQGHoUbW_7lmO4pLa2la-c5HYqM2R1O-t4iBhd2zQvl07O6SOvCFUJdi2ncJzd-7-tLYgkJPGfdvRPPfmVQolyh8JA/s1600/Photo+2015-09-26%252C+7+16+15+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvr-lT3IsPoH3FVGd-0U8DRISI3IoFZbMN3fD45o_fRz74NJ_4rlQGHoUbW_7lmO4pLa2la-c5HYqM2R1O-t4iBhd2zQvl07O6SOvCFUJdi2ncJzd-7-tLYgkJPGfdvRPPfmVQolyh8JA/s400/Photo+2015-09-26%252C+7+16+15+PM.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And selfie. With sunset glow as a bonus.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HkVDxFFTs0nt8D0kBDaAXNAgAG1mIaeh_JMYxJucQimnB10eAYwz8K8EI1MDOG0rk7C17fnQUz26ruA1FszHfFZWJdiSa2EmPhAj-LTQ4oPJO7SkTPuPahXSXOFS-KJnBv4Us_AqFLA/s1600/Photo+2015-09-26%252C+9+21+15+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HkVDxFFTs0nt8D0kBDaAXNAgAG1mIaeh_JMYxJucQimnB10eAYwz8K8EI1MDOG0rk7C17fnQUz26ruA1FszHfFZWJdiSa2EmPhAj-LTQ4oPJO7SkTPuPahXSXOFS-KJnBv4Us_AqFLA/s400/Photo+2015-09-26%252C+9+21+15+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlqi7YY8aD4ilcr7QhwEi995rchnh67FHtl0HPELUb-A9SowGYHbV7PgXD1rQFOpQ5tJ_RqUq_DiBSSRr9nOk8ZHQz1BBkZR39JaOA0Gl87RUIDO89-qmvj0sPuqeMLa3-f8N91x0Bk8/s1600/Photo+2015-09-26%252C+9+27+52+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlqi7YY8aD4ilcr7QhwEi995rchnh67FHtl0HPELUb-A9SowGYHbV7PgXD1rQFOpQ5tJ_RqUq_DiBSSRr9nOk8ZHQz1BBkZR39JaOA0Gl87RUIDO89-qmvj0sPuqeMLa3-f8N91x0Bk8/s400/Photo+2015-09-26%252C+9+27+52+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
Zin spoiled me with concert tickets and we saw Stromae in Toronto. A beautiful sunset, quality time with hubbs, and music that I love - it made it all better, at least temporarily. It was such a treat!!</div>
<div>
Speaking of which...</div>
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<div>
I managed to squeeze in a lunch with <a href="http://ivealwaysbeenajoiner.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Nicole</a> at my favorite Pho place near my office. That was pretty special too. </div>
<div>
But then I fell sick. And stayed sick for a while... A nasty cold, with lots of coughing and head congestion and pills for 10 days straight. The cough remained, everything else got better. Asthma took over and it sidelined me for almost a week. I could not exercise without coughing my lungs out. I still can't. If it's too cold, windy or my heart beats too hard, I get coughing fits that leave me feeling like death ran me over. Needless to say, I am quite fed up with this illness and asthmatic episode.</div>
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I had enough ups and downs in the last 3 weeks, but one of the highlights has been to pace a friend in her first ever race, the Collingwood 10K.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-phirtSif16hyqRJy4vZraVXKjX8IBmnUBoFoO-D7ywFKLxy73ssZDrfcyv3QnluOZFgmaHYnFWYUJxWWSw5mqC1b2vgFUfO5ZafP4qiaGtwKDXcBVtV-FMxyfK5aQR4hukaiafVdtA/s1600/12039048_10154357162590961_7915554057315798098_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-phirtSif16hyqRJy4vZraVXKjX8IBmnUBoFoO-D7ywFKLxy73ssZDrfcyv3QnluOZFgmaHYnFWYUJxWWSw5mqC1b2vgFUfO5ZafP4qiaGtwKDXcBVtV-FMxyfK5aQR4hukaiafVdtA/s400/12039048_10154357162590961_7915554057315798098_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumit7YRe0l3j-IUA_eRbQA4D8AUxspamvkHy7hfVRalX2KuBwjy1VLoz514hugymPYd5-FCQ48QgHGvBhgfHCD5zqGUCANzGZPVwRkcyk-6g571BT2YPbWv_KLpeox1BdSY_TX4UCRdk/s1600/12141593_10154357162830961_2378017034171345263_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumit7YRe0l3j-IUA_eRbQA4D8AUxspamvkHy7hfVRalX2KuBwjy1VLoz514hugymPYd5-FCQ48QgHGvBhgfHCD5zqGUCANzGZPVwRkcyk-6g571BT2YPbWv_KLpeox1BdSY_TX4UCRdk/s400/12141593_10154357162830961_2378017034171345263_n.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let my friend own the finish line</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTqTbV2ZgYkvGfM8v96jgyCdXGstezmf0BBBjuDYBN0H6xjcqGLR6qwd9sLw66vjnMKiJFU7ju8lUzim-YCjGdt7Yu4_C3GzvFTg38W8yL82pUpf7NbOQEaD8AuThPr2DjOmTena8yqs/s1600/12068864_10154357162945961_1003334304326665723_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTqTbV2ZgYkvGfM8v96jgyCdXGstezmf0BBBjuDYBN0H6xjcqGLR6qwd9sLw66vjnMKiJFU7ju8lUzim-YCjGdt7Yu4_C3GzvFTg38W8yL82pUpf7NbOQEaD8AuThPr2DjOmTena8yqs/s400/12068864_10154357162945961_1003334304326665723_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best feeling ever!</td></tr>
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We had an amazing race, executed a perfect negative split and my friend finished 4 min faster than she had anticipated in 1h02. Mission accomplished, and I got my first <a href="http://ririnette.blogspot.ca/p/bling-bling.html" target="_blank">running medal</a> in over a year.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7N46pVDdLzY7p9ylrge8LCkVkDEwDKeyRI2yCjNT6J8JLpF_BM5ZX3o53Z9DR1mCqYMiO7cL0iFjMF9ihZone6jP1kyM9vUKsVsstQWt0p9L5pB4pKXEZbQQQrT6XnB0aKJMs9aHeun4/s1600/Photo+2015-10-03%252C+9+43+05+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7N46pVDdLzY7p9ylrge8LCkVkDEwDKeyRI2yCjNT6J8JLpF_BM5ZX3o53Z9DR1mCqYMiO7cL0iFjMF9ihZone6jP1kyM9vUKsVsstQWt0p9L5pB4pKXEZbQQQrT6XnB0aKJMs9aHeun4/s320/Photo+2015-10-03%252C+9+43+05+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
The following week I skipped all workouts for 5 days in the hope of seeing my cough go away. It didn't. Eventually I gave in and went out for a run, which I took easy so I didn't start another coughing fit. The next day I also did an easy trainer ride, in which I had to maintain my HR under 125bpm, or I would cough again and again. It was really not fun at all. </div>
<div>
The long weekend came and we had 3 splendid days in a row with lots of sunshine and warmth. Just perfect for being outside. My hubby went on a very long bike ride (165km!) on Saturday with a few friends and at the last minute I decided to be their support vehicle and follow them with water, Gatorade, bananas and gummy bears to help them replenish their reserves. I knew from experience how daunting such a long ride can become after a few hours on the saddle. Apparently they loved it because they're going for 200km next (cuckoo!).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdpxBVhMYrMEC8epkHV-WBFfpvaT4mmaGqQAhvEX5rM-MqfYeMwK65zbG4ZahyphenhyphenFA-ViDHBEk-b68Y3qQPQTfW5uXmfN9sFr2MpmgLu_3_JPug1l_tZbEuZERktcC7jOhhWirEPMJ6-b0/s1600/Photo+2015-10-10%252C+2+16+08+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdpxBVhMYrMEC8epkHV-WBFfpvaT4mmaGqQAhvEX5rM-MqfYeMwK65zbG4ZahyphenhyphenFA-ViDHBEk-b68Y3qQPQTfW5uXmfN9sFr2MpmgLu_3_JPug1l_tZbEuZERktcC7jOhhWirEPMJ6-b0/s400/Photo+2015-10-10%252C+2+16+08+PM.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone will have to explain this tree to me</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbFTvCtkzdG0zfY5ogefHQY4Me11lgAnqNvEQ5c4IXZlx1gJX0h95rIc3ntoFYXjQd2DFLH3Q4s20lQcgb-YG5NRD-gBCdyv1fF5L8VWVxP03dp5FVBZAVzwjm38TtxUH9Oy80nSNfdg/s1600/Photo+2015-10-10%252C+2+16+48+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbFTvCtkzdG0zfY5ogefHQY4Me11lgAnqNvEQ5c4IXZlx1gJX0h95rIc3ntoFYXjQd2DFLH3Q4s20lQcgb-YG5NRD-gBCdyv1fF5L8VWVxP03dp5FVBZAVzwjm38TtxUH9Oy80nSNfdg/s400/Photo+2015-10-10%252C+2+16+48+PM.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hope nobody died here</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53vu1_jkz23Lmq1-GgByZ2O5ZYDzFJpf_Wlm58sXsDCV8Nn28X0yQWEwYZltO8wx0HMGyvRMvG5KrRKecf4vLZ3dSP7QaIKvE9ydMPQxwHD9thSp0CMzfAYltPfBt3FL_KOqE22YZ7RQ/s1600/Photo+2015-10-10%252C+10+51+41+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53vu1_jkz23Lmq1-GgByZ2O5ZYDzFJpf_Wlm58sXsDCV8Nn28X0yQWEwYZltO8wx0HMGyvRMvG5KrRKecf4vLZ3dSP7QaIKvE9ydMPQxwHD9thSp0CMzfAYltPfBt3FL_KOqE22YZ7RQ/s400/Photo+2015-10-10%252C+10+51+41+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foliage porn</td></tr>
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<div>
I also ate the most perfect French Toast that day, when we went to a diner after the ride with the group.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0j6vw0Jez5Sj8T5sbCvtf0AvP2YrIXicq2_zFMQbw7ATeiCTScJHmmGk8fpkbD0HRZIC4OaBhoPlhm5vrj4CG3BV8ZJiA-z7hmqBKHagBciP_PaVzOVh3Otc3aErZc3LgajErVclX6c/s1600/Photo+2015-10-10%252C+4+52+06+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0j6vw0Jez5Sj8T5sbCvtf0AvP2YrIXicq2_zFMQbw7ATeiCTScJHmmGk8fpkbD0HRZIC4OaBhoPlhm5vrj4CG3BV8ZJiA-z7hmqBKHagBciP_PaVzOVh3Otc3aErZc3LgajErVclX6c/s400/Photo+2015-10-10%252C+4+52+06+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much yum. Go eat this in Georgetown.</td></tr>
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<div>
The next day we met with friends from the tri club again, but this time for a run, which I was apprehending a little because it was going to be my longest and hilliest run this year. But the weather was once more spectacular and the company lovely, so I could not have asked for a better day to tackle this new challenge. We met at the Inglewood Arena in Caledon and ran up to the Forks of the Credit and back, for a total of 11.2km.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAaYTrNnwyxIEYg34uHt59U1O2w1yFNnx1D_kGTrobrNOochOp9Vy1FSvn0oYpcn0etGKwtmiY9-CjmlvAWvrfyPlyC3sRdcpgwTzxEJBc6snE0NiCoUo4sABmQGV0tXGPd_XDKGlUXE/s1600/Photo+2015-10-11%252C+9+34+58+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAaYTrNnwyxIEYg34uHt59U1O2w1yFNnx1D_kGTrobrNOochOp9Vy1FSvn0oYpcn0etGKwtmiY9-CjmlvAWvrfyPlyC3sRdcpgwTzxEJBc6snE0NiCoUo4sABmQGV0tXGPd_XDKGlUXE/s400/Photo+2015-10-11%252C+9+34+58+AM.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We run after boys</td></tr>
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I finished the run wanting more. Yes, I was really craving a bike ride then, but thankfully the weekend wasn't over yet. The following day was pretty much carbon copy of this one, just that we spent the morning on our bikes. We went back to the Forks of the Credit with a stop in Belfountain for coffee (mocha for me) and a cookie. It was glorious.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love following the Sky line</td></tr>
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Look at that! Smiles two days in a row. Now only if I didn't have to go back to work the next day. But before that... one more thing I had to do because it's a duty and a privilege: voting in the federal election.</div>
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And that's it my friends. I'd rather leave this blog post with a smile because soon enough another frown will take its place. One last piece of news though, because it did take me a week to finish this post, we have now booked our stay in Mt Tremblant for 2016 and our first ever vacation in the Carribean in January, which has been 20 years in the making. Yep, in a few weeks we'll be celebrating 20 years of dating (and 18 of marriage). There is so much to look forward to in the next year, this smile better last a few more days.</div>
Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-41850742198534492812015-09-27T16:13:00.000-04:002015-09-27T20:31:26.511-04:002015 Niagara Falls Barrelman Swim-Bike Race ReportThis time it is over. The triathlon season, that is! Don't get any ideas, the blog and I are not splitting just yet. And to end it on a good note, after all the gloom and doom of the last post, there isn't anything better than a race report that seals another PR. But of course, it was my first ever swim-bike event, so d'uh!<br />
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This race wasn't even on my radar this year, being injured and such, but since the season was going pretty well, I decided to give it a try despite not having biked more than 70K this year. A 2km swim, followed by a 90km bike - one way or another I would have finished it (and I wasn't going to tell my physio about it). But life is more exciting when you walk on the edge, and all signs pointed to a pretty good outcome to my IT band and knee woes. I am no expert, but a few months of running and biking without pain is rather encouraging. Hubbs was also signed up, as were a few of our friends and members from our <a href="http://fmct.ca/" target="_blank">FMCT</a> tri club. I was the only one to do the swim-bike, but I didn't feel much out of place.<br />
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For having done <a href="http://ririnette.blogspot.ca/2014/06/the-rose-city-welland-half-race-report.html">Welland Half-Iron triathlon</a> before, I knew most of the bike course and the swim didn't scare me, especially knowing that it was going to be held at the spanking new Flatwater Centre, in the same canal as the Welland swim.<br />
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Zin and I took a hotel room in Niagara Falls and left the boys at home because they weren't in the mood to spend yet another weekend spectating and cheering on random strangers. It's better not to argue with teenagers. On Saturday we arrived at the Flatwater Centre shortly after lunch and we picked up our race kits, checked out the place and chatted with friends. Because we were getting hungry, we drove downtown Welland for a bite. The city was deserted and we had a hard time finding a place that was open for lunch. We settled on a restaurant that was serving all day breakfast and I had a club house sandwich with fries and Zin a burger and a salad. It was decent and cheap, and we were happy that they didn't turn us down since they were closing at 2pm. With happy bellehs we returned to Flatwater Centre for the mandatory pre-race briefing, then we dropped our bikes in T1. It was a rainy and very windy day and I was hoping that the next day would have better conditions because I was not in the mood to pick up a fight with Mother Nature.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre race selfie with hubbs</td></tr>
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This race had separate transitions because the bike was going to take us from Welland to Niagara Falls, where the triathletes were going to start and finish their run along the falls (twice). In the morning, we were supposed to drive to T2, from where a shuttle was going to take us to T1. A bit complicated, because we had several bags to drop off at different locations and that was putting all kinds of stress on my confused brain. Anyway, we got to our room in Niagara Falls under a downpour, but thankfully it was on the main floor and we could park our car just in front of the door. We unpacked all our race crap, then we filled our dry clothes, swim, and run bags with their respective contents . 5pm came quickly and we drove to Clifton Hill to have dinner with some of our friends and their families (including <a href="http://runningintune.blogspot.com/2015/09/barrelman-half-iron-distance-triathlon.html" target="_blank">Emma</a> and <a href="https://kyraonthego.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/race-report-barrelman-12-ironman-2/" target="_blank">Kyra</a>) at Rainforest Cafe. I played it safe and had a healthy dinner: salmon with veggies and rice. But since we were also in celebratory spirits, Kyra and her husband Alasdair treated us to a Volcano cake (which we split 5 ways). That thing was huge!! A sweet way to end an awesome evening with great friends. Let's hope that we won't wait until next year's Barrelman to do this again.<br />
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After dinner we went back to our hotel where we finished setting up our bags and nutrition. Alas around us, the party was just getting started, so I informed Zin that I was going to sleep with ear plugs and that he better have a good alarm clock so we don't miss the shuttle. I read for a bit, then went to bed - I don't even remember if it was 10pm yet. The alarm went off at 5am and it took us only 45 minutes to shower, get ready for the race, pack all our belonging and leave. We stopped by the nearby Tim Hortons for breakfast and I had an English muffin with peameal bacon, an orange juice and a raisin bagel on the go. At 6:15am we picked up 2 more friends on Clifton Hill and all together we drove to T2. Parked our cars, Zin dropped his run bag, then the shuttle took us to Welland in about 30 min time. I don't know if we were the first bus to arrive in T1, but John Salt was already there with camera in hand and a welcome for all of us as we stepped off the bus. It put a smile on my face. I love John's passion for his Multisport races and this is what drives me to come back year after year. He makes us feel like family.<br />
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I dropped my wetsuit bag in transition, checked that my tires were still inflated and that a raccoon did not eat the gels off my bike. Then I went to get body marked, where I found Nicole, who surprised us all by volunteering at the race. <a href="http://ivealwaysbeenajoiner.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">She's always been a joiner</a>, indeed. I love her to bits.<br />
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I spent the next hour chit chatting as usual, taking pictures, lining up to go potty, and overall trying to stay relaxed. Not sure how successful I was because my stomach was telling me otherwise. After two bathroom breaks, things started to settle down though. I was finally confident enough that I wasn't going to need another poo break to put on my wetsuit, then ate my banana and headed to the water to warm up. At this point I lost Zin and I had no clue where he was, so I told myself that I'll see him on the bike because he was going to pass me then, if not in the water. I was in the first wave after the pros and I could not wait to get started. You can see me in the picture below just above the word Triathlon, pressing Start on my Garmin watch. I believe <a href="https://kyraonthego.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/race-report-barrelman-12-ironman-2/" target="_blank">Kyra</a> is just a few feet behind me, and I can see <a href="http://breakingmyrunnersin.blogspot.com/2015/09/barrelman-703.html" target="_blank">Sam</a> and <a href="http://runningintune.blogspot.com/2015/09/barrelman-half-iron-distance-triathlon.html" target="_blank">Emma</a> too.<br />
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And then we were off! I am most likely towards the top right corner of this pic. My plan was to keep as close as possible to the small red buoys because they were all attached by a rope that you could follow underwater and avoid sighting.<br />
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This was by far the swim with the most contact that I've been in. But of course, everyone wanted a piece of the rope. I ended swimming right on top of it for most of the first half of the swim, which made me bump into every single one of the large sighting buoys. It made for some awkward moments and a bit of a stop and go for me, as I was trying to deal with my bewilderment and find a way to go around them. I tried zig zagging the best I could, especially while passing people. It really seemed that were was nowhere to go at times and it got me a little frustrated. After the first turn buoy, things started to calm down for a bit, but then got wild again on the way back, because of the damn rope. The entire swim I was shoulder to shoulder with another woman and it felt like we were swim twinsies. For quite a long time I thought it was Sam since we all had the same swim goggles, but I could not spot the X on her wetsuit as much as I tried. Eventually I made peace with the fact that I was getting frisky with a total stranger.<br />
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It is along this stretch that guys from the following waves started passing me. It got physical again, but overall not too violent. It was only at the last sigh buoy before the turn that things got ugly. The girl who was swimming beside me hit me with her elbow on the face and my goggles filled with water instantly. I stopped to put them back on, but I was in a hurry and I didn't do a very good job. I ended the swim with leaky goggles and a lot of water in my eyes, but pretty happy that I was finally done.<br />
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Below are pics taken by Nicole of me, Emma, Sam and Zin as we were running to transition. Hello there, friend!<br />
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By my smile, I was quite content with my swim, despite an average time of 41:27, about 3 minutes slower than Muskoka 70.3.<br />
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Moving on! No matter what, this day was going to finish with a PR. Back in T1, I removed my wetsuit and put it in the bag, then put on my bike jersey and my new bike shoes, after a split decision to forego the socks once again. Threw the socks in the bag, then trotted my way out of transition for a beautiful day on the Niagara Peninsula flatland. As you can see, the sun was shining and ... it must have been in my eyes because I didn't see the photographer until it was too late. I really love this pic though. You can see the swim exit in the background too.<br />
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The bike, just as I imagined it, was about to bring a lot of hurt. I am not a fan of flat courses because your legs never get a break, but sure they are satisfying because you get to see big numbers on the Garmin. As soon as we got out of the city I took a look at my speed and it was still going up. I think I was averaging about 34kph by that moment and I was glad that my legs showed up. I ate my first gel after 15 minutes and it gave me an instant side stitch. With the <a href="http://ririnette.blogspot.ca/2015/09/2015-wasaga-beach-olympic-triathlon.html" target="_blank">Wasaga race</a> still fresh in my mind, I told myself "NOT AGAIN!!" and hoped that it would go away. I drank some water 10 minutes later and it disappeared as quickly as it came. Phew, back to business.<br />
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Zin passed me close to the 30k mark and he made me smile as I could hear him from afar, howling like a wolf at me. It could have only been him, lol. I still had a lot of water in my bottles, so I decided to skip the first bottle exchange. I kept eating gels at 25 minute intervals, then a homemade energy bar at 50km. That's when I started drinking my Endura as well. I remember a LOT of turns on this route. And the chip seal by the stinky canal, twice (when did we turn around??). I kept passing people, but I also got passed by a lot of men. I remember passing at least 3-4 people in the swim bike event. And NO girls passed me at any point in time. Now that was really promising.<br />
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After 40km though, the wind started to slow me down. I tried my best to keep my head in the game, but I could see my speed going down... and down... and down... I remembered my speed last year in Welland and my finish time of 2:48 and change. Yes, I was 10 times better trained last year, but I felt that I had no excuses but try to match that result this year. The effort that I was putting on just didn't feel hard enough (<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/396754284/overview" target="_blank">see Strava file</a>), but then I still had 30km to go. Hard to know when to sit back and relax and when to push to the max when all you've done this year were "all out" races. So after taking a bit of a break, so to speak, I started fighting for it. I really, really wanted to keep that speed. Since I don't train with power, all I had for metrics were my heart rate and my breathing. I truly went by feel, chasing the panting, hard breathing and burn in the quads. Here are some pretty graphs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_CmPwRU5RunjUHipDSDbNRIOQ9ymE215gfeLd-dXOcXLKZSWSHxjSGNgGTdEZqhcKkjzM1etl538KvY4RkzCNt_58bC12Iod8G-y2hmLDAV7aL8euY4lLM1j7EyTJkP-nJqr7H1DKPiw/s1600/Welland+bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_CmPwRU5RunjUHipDSDbNRIOQ9ymE215gfeLd-dXOcXLKZSWSHxjSGNgGTdEZqhcKkjzM1etl538KvY4RkzCNt_58bC12Iod8G-y2hmLDAV7aL8euY4lLM1j7EyTJkP-nJqr7H1DKPiw/s400/Welland+bike.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwCs3P9Of9yLUyni_RJury0NPFV0cl-tQYOn_aGYiiZ22vGhMnmYiIUssm-_dj8QFkC-4puILLyPYu-k40ZrgtgkwDNOIC-C6wiwHHdb9nYekGkmRdYSHWGLJ9Adp96ZXlbseSDBwrNk/s1600/Barrelman+curves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwCs3P9Of9yLUyni_RJury0NPFV0cl-tQYOn_aGYiiZ22vGhMnmYiIUssm-_dj8QFkC-4puILLyPYu-k40ZrgtgkwDNOIC-C6wiwHHdb9nYekGkmRdYSHWGLJ9Adp96ZXlbseSDBwrNk/s400/Barrelman+curves.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Most of the last 20km were a mental struggle. I knew that I could trash my legs because I didn't have to run afterwards, but I was honestly getting bored and demotivated. The only thing that kept me going hard was that no women had passed me and the dream of ending on a podium was within my reach (or so it seemed). I had never been on a podium in triathlon before, but came very close. Now, with only 50 people in the swim-bike out of which 20 were women, I had a chance. I channeled my best inner champion, reminding myself the Ronda Rousey's words (the book I just read) and how she always attacks a fight like a winner. There may have been a few swear words in there too, but I kept those under my breath. I took a last gel at 80km because I was getting hungry again and pushed on.<br />
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After being convinced that the course was going to be long because of the km markers that kept coming later and later after my watch had beeped, it ended being short by 1.1km. I was really enjoying the path along the river when all of a sudden we turned a corner, and there was the dismount line. I felt utterly confused, but also very happy that I was done. I struggled to get off my bike and almost face planted when my leg hit the bottle that I was carrying at the back. The bottle fell, but I kept going because I needed to reach the mat! The volunteer wanted me to take the bottle, but I yelled "I don't care about it!!" and it was so true. At that moment, all that mattered was to reach the finish line.<br />
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As soon as I stepped into transition, I felt my legs giving up. I used my bike to hold myself up, then the medical volunteers arrived and I gave them my bike saying that I needed to lie down. I could not see properly anymore and I pretty much collapsed, unable to move. Legs had seized up and were hurting from knee up just like after a marathon. After about 5 minutes of looking at the sky, I was able to sit up and cheer on my friends who just started arriving in transition. After a little while, I returned to pick up my lost bottle, then took my bike to its spot at the other end of the transition. My legs could not bend much at the knees, so it was pretty hilarious to see me walking around I suppose. I knew that I was done, but I still had to go to the finish line to grab my medal, hat and return my chip. I took the (long) walk there, told them that I was done with my race and they gave me my bling. I wasn't going to walk another 100m to get inside the chute for a finish picture that didn't make sense anyway, so the photographer took my pic right there outside the chute. I don't quite like that picture, so I'll share a selfie instead.<br />
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I went back to transition and spent 5 more minutes on the ground, then took off my bike shoes and decided to go look for food. I ended at the Recharge with Milk recovery zone, where I slipped into a pair of recovery boots. The guy who set it up asked me how strong I wanted the compression and I said "give me the MAX!!". I must have spent about 20 min there, chatting with <a href="http://www.twoyearstokona.com/" target="_blank">Kim</a> and Hector and trying to relax. Since I had not found my dry clothes bag with my phone yet, I asked Kim if she could check the results and tell me how I did. She looked and gave me the news : 1st in my AG, 2nd OA. I could not believe what I was hearing. I was absolutely stoked!! My first ever podium and I finished (almost) on top overall. I jumped out of the boots and my legs were feeling FANTASTIC. Seriously, I was ready to run a marathon!! Quite the difference with 20 minutes prior, so I am convinced that these boots did the trick. (mental note, start saving for a pair NOW).<br />
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I went back to the finish line to wait for hubbs and picked up my dry clothes bag on the way. Since I had finished, my vision was blurry and I could barely see around. I was thinking that I may need food, but I didn't want to miss him coming in. He finished about 10 min later, then we waited around for the rest of the troops. I managed to get food eventually, but the blurred vision didn't go away. It stayed with me for about 3h and it was starting to worry me, but I knew that it happened before when I put in a long efforts. I read later on that it's a combination of low blood sugar and low tension, so not to worry. But it's something that I need to ponder on for sure.<br />
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The awards ceremony came and to my surprise, I did not get to be on top of the podium. It appears that another lady had finished ahead of me and she was in the 45-49 AG, but since they combine women under 30 and over 40 for the awards, she snatched the 2nd OA and the top spot for women above 40. I was a bit confused as she was not in the results, but apparently she changed at the last minute from the triathlon to the swim bike and Sportstats did not have that update.<br />
See the results, 2 days later and she was still not in the list (<a href="https://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.xhtml?raceid=28242&status=results" target="_blank">she is now</a>).<br />
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Anyway, I wasn't bitter because she was 7min faster than me overall and deserved to be ahead of me, but on the moment it got me wondering if she had given up after the bike or really switched to the swim bike since her results were showing in the triathlon section.<br />
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She does look like a bad ass triathlete compared to the pink marshmallow in the picture above. But I am still proud. I keep my top AG spot and overall podium. Not sure where all the other people are... I must have been the only one super excited to end up with a second medal!<br />
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I am extremely happy with the outcome of this race, as I know that I went there and gave it all. All our friends crossed the finish line, many of them with sweet PRs. I can't wait to go back next year and get a taste of that mist from the Falls on the half marathon as well. ;-)</div>
Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-81913590916445627562015-09-16T08:28:00.000-04:002015-09-16T08:28:50.282-04:00Redefining friendship on social mediaToday I've unfriended more than 30 people on Facebook. It may have been you, or one of your friends. It is not often that I talk about my "friends" as defined by social media, but given that I've spent every single second of my last run mulling the contents of this blog post, which continued to torture me today, I had to do something about it. This was not an easy decision. As a matter of fact, I've been debating it for over a year, but only recently it started to consume me to the point where it's been affecting my emotional well being. If you've followed me long enough, you should know that I take my mental health pretty seriously. Because if I weren't... I wouldn't be here to talk about it.<br />
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The next question is obviously WHY. And the answer is very simple: because being connected to these people HURTS. How?? See, I wear my heart on the sleeve. I am an extrovert, not shy of giving compliments (and they are always genuine) or telling someone that I like them and that I want to be their friend. With some of these people I did just that, months or even years ago. Because I really cared about them. Many of them inspire me on a daily basis and I know that they are GOOD people. But they all have something in common: they don't care about me (or if they do, they never showed it). Some of them may consider me a weirdo, a groupie, a fan, or purely an annoyance to whom they rest connected for reasons that I cannot comprehend. Connecting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram for the sake of it, because we're teammates, because we share the same hobby, because of curiosity, because it may turn into a business opportunity, or a sale opportunity, because we want to keep tabs on each other, or who knows what other stupid reason devoid of care, compassion or empathy - it's not for me. I am not strong, nor superficial enough for it.<br />
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Sometimes I admit, I accept friendship requests too quickly, but I always take the time and try to connect with the person. If they don't reciprocate in any shape or form, if they never answer my questions, comments or concerns, if they never share my enthusiasm, or never Like something that makes me happy, it becomes a relationship that I'm uncomfortable with. I put so much energy into every single one of the connections that I make, that after a while it starts eating me at the core that this person doesn't give a shit. And so I unfriend, to protect myself from these feelings that can become a real burden on my psyche.<br />
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Lately there has also been another trend on some of the blogs I read. Their authors feel a sense of pride in making declarations that end up hurting more than they can imagine, such as "I never take selfies", "I don't eat sugar" or "I never weigh myself", or "I never run in skirts". For all of us who do take selfies, obsess with the scale, enjoy a dessert every once in a while, or just find running skirts extremely comfortable - those statements make us feel like shit because they ARE judgmental. The author may not say it out loud, but they must find comfort in knowing that they are better than us, the other 99%. The effort that I need to put in justifying these statements for those who make them it's seriously draining. Maybe they don't mean it, or maybe it's their way of reassuring themselves. Who am I to tell them what to write on their own virtual space anyway? So I rather take a bow and retreat in my own corner of the Internet.<br />
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Last but not least, I've unfriended a bunch of triathletes that I've connected with via the groups that I belong to on Facebook. Some of these people are pros, or full time coaches, or people who only share, breathe and live triathlon. These people are obviously too busy to connect with their audience, or choose not to waste their energy on people who are not part of their immediate circle - thus ignoring 90% of their connections (and they do have a shit ton of social media friends, so I can understand the "noise" that must be surrounding them). But while they are inspiring in their dedication to beating PRs, qualifying for Kona, or getting the most defined and toned body, they also could benefit from showing their human side: failures, injuries, stretch marks, DNFs. People who only show the "perfect" side of their lives, only mingle with other pros or "fast" people, or spend half their time plugging their sponsors, make me angry. Anger is something that I've been feeling more and more lately and it doesn't make me a better person. So, I had to unfriend these people as well to shield myself from the shitty feelings that get triggered whenever I open social media and stumble on them.<br />
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I have no intention in changing any of these people. They all do what they want with their lives, their friends, their hobbies. And I do the same with mine. We all want the best for ourselves, that's for sure. So anyway, I really do hate these kind of posts and I am still debating whether to publish this, but maybe something good will come out of it, who knows.Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-12329630144985268892015-09-13T21:07:00.000-04:002015-09-14T14:12:42.109-04:002015 Lakeside Sprint Triathlon Race ReportHere we are, last triathlon of the season. The months flew by and just a few posts ago I was still wallowing in self pity. Things are better now and it's been a while since I felt my knees hurting while running or biking. Am I completely healed? I don't know, and to tell you the truth - I am, and will forever remain cautious, I guess. If I don't do my strength and maintenance workouts, there are consequences for sure. But I digress. I don't know where I was going with this... a sort of conclusion to my season or a preamble to my race? Come'on thoughts, make up your mind!<br />
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So, Lakeside Sprint Tri. It was also the <a href="http://ririnette.blogspot.ca/2014/09/2014-lakeside-sprint-triathlon-race.html">season ender last year</a>, and since I like competing against myself, going back was a good way of seeing if I've improved in any of the disciplines. The week before the race was a sort of mini taper, but sprinkled with a few quality workouts, such as 6x400s on the track or the <a href="https://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/2339503-Truuli-2" target="_blank">Truuli-2 workout on Trainer Road</a>, that I did the day before the race (like you're supposed to, according to the Trainer Road gurus). I was skeptical at first, but as soon as I finished this workout I was so pumped up and ready to go, that I was almost bummed that I'd have to sleep on it instead.<br />
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I prepared my tri bag the night before and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the race start was once again pushed to 10am (thank you Multisport!!) and I would not have to wake up at ass-o'clock to make the 2h drive to Lakeside. Sleeping until 6am on race day, what a treat!! I was super tired anyway, and by 10pm I went to bed and fell asleep immediately. The alarm clock rang in the middle of a nightmare that had me following the GPS to Lakeside, but ending in Woodstock instead. The dream was so vivid, that I woke up sweating and on the verge of having a panic attack, but I was instantly relieved to see that I was still in my bed and Mr. Google did not send me to the wrong race site.<br />
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I showered, put on my <a href="http://coeursports.com/" target="_blank">Coeur team kit</a>, then had breakfast: a slice of bread with margarine and a thick slice of ham, 2 boiled eggs, and a Portugese egg tart that I had bought the night before. Nothing new on race day? I love living dangerously, what can I say?<br />
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Took my water bottle, my Gu Espresso Gel (for the buzz effect on the bike) and THE banana (my only pre race ritual that I cannot live without), and started driving at 7am sharply. The roads took me through long stretches of farm country and I had to trust my GPS that it would get me to destination on time, despite the road closures that I ran into and put me a little on the edge.<br />
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I made it to Lakeside with plenty of time to set up my transition spot leisurely and even chat for a while with my friends Carly, Dana and my old coach Dave.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yay for a selfie with Carly!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakJgx-AM_k0HxHprB2dBFCqjWOy-w7lbIgGB193uuzuFScrZboOZA8XILbEpXrQ_7_aDqfupniDGAcPaeEJVAgl5pjHy0zgh1dRZHRa0n6N3cw98fw4pJbAvTll1gQFblB4ydA3Q1QCE/s1600/Photo+2015-09-12%252C+9+36+27+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakJgx-AM_k0HxHprB2dBFCqjWOy-w7lbIgGB193uuzuFScrZboOZA8XILbEpXrQ_7_aDqfupniDGAcPaeEJVAgl5pjHy0zgh1dRZHRa0n6N3cw98fw4pJbAvTll1gQFblB4ydA3Q1QCE/s400/Photo+2015-09-12%252C+9+36+27+AM.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And yay for a selfie with Dana!</td></tr>
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I even had a rack with my number (163) on it! Despite the record number of women in my 40-44 AG (31), I found the transition not being as crowded as in previous races, so maybe we were spread out better, who knows. And despite the cold, the sun was poking its rays through the clouds and made the conditions look rather promising. It's always a good feeling once everything is under control and you're only minutes away from another adventure and hopefully, a lot of FUN.<br />
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I visited the portapotties for a last time, ate my banana, then put on my wetsuit. It was the best way to stay warm anyway and from what I had heard, the water was much warmer than the air as well - a balmy 22C, about 10C higher. With 15 minutes to spare I went to the lake to do my swim warmup, but it may have been a mistake because it only took me about 5 minutes and then I shivered for another 15 until my wave was sent off. Must have been the cold because I peed no less than 5 times in the water. Everything to keep myself warm!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJNtlMiTBeWoFJ9QIjd_niRKq_fjDhj7QJpwLgChSTiatFcBygpF6fttERdqwoJyu8Vw68CfSADYj7tTyGBtMZ6hEj4D9K7LP3_yotzZi8ueqvaPrtL0kfzNt6UTJ0nEFydqne4XVvSI/s1600/Photo+2015-09-12%252C+9+35+49+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJNtlMiTBeWoFJ9QIjd_niRKq_fjDhj7QJpwLgChSTiatFcBygpF6fttERdqwoJyu8Vw68CfSADYj7tTyGBtMZ6hEj4D9K7LP3_yotzZi8ueqvaPrtL0kfzNt6UTJ0nEFydqne4XVvSI/s400/Photo+2015-09-12%252C+9+35+49+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The swim was very crowded, and my strategy this time was to concentrate on doing long, powerful, and complete strokes instead of the high cadence motor boat. I also sighted less than usual and kept my head low. All this made the swim less strenuous, in spite the moments when I was literally grunting and swallowing mouthfulls of weedy water. It kept me hydrated though, and that was a plus. I didn't find any feet to follow, but I think I passed quite a few people, especially from the wave before. I finished the swim feeling the most relaxed this year and that's a good sign that whatever I was doing worked to my advantage. It was also the fastest swim this year, on par with the <a href="http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman-70.3/muskoka.aspx#axzz3IDTJKcAh">Muskoka 70.3 relay</a> (actually even faster).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpQXATT6MIW14m4zS6Ej8UBVMGP9wcHC9yVdWTrXVwLDPWY3ZH3LPumy_nd4ybObG-6DH2lCTG_DfNHMrCfVhoI6l-ZeXuQpryuwyY1VYIwO4oYFRZjGuVKmZ9zVlsI32Lcbu3ce8yQ0/s1600/11225327_10153507763456233_3897852039897255312_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpQXATT6MIW14m4zS6Ej8UBVMGP9wcHC9yVdWTrXVwLDPWY3ZH3LPumy_nd4ybObG-6DH2lCTG_DfNHMrCfVhoI6l-ZeXuQpryuwyY1VYIwO4oYFRZjGuVKmZ9zVlsI32Lcbu3ce8yQ0/s400/11225327_10153507763456233_3897852039897255312_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at all the white caps still swimming behind me, and the blue ones from the wave before. Booyah!</td></tr>
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The transition was short and sweet and I hopped on my bike in no time... so fast that my heart was still up in my throat. I also forgot to change sports on my watch and found myself fiddling with it while riding and that seemed as dangerous as driving and texting. I gave up after a wind gust almost pushed me sideways and scared the crap out of me (not literally, jeez). Once more, I found the route extremely crowded and for the first 5km I kept passing people without a chance of moving to the right that much. I was getting really worried that I may get a penalty, but it's not like I had where to go without hitting the brakes or getting myself within someone else's drafting zone. The crowds thinned out by the time I reached the 10km turnaround, and for the rest of the race another girl and I kept passing each other back and forth - but thankfully she was not in my AG (but looked very legit in a Team Canada tri suit). According to Sportstats, I passed 31 people on the bike and 5 of them were in my AG. Not bad me thinks, especially with all the rolling hills and headwind on the longest stretch of the road. I ate my gel about 2/3rd of the way after being slowed down by the headwind. I finished the bike in 39 min and change, 6th in my AG. I had NO idea of my time since my watch was all screwed up, but it felt like a solid bike ride by the amount of effort that I put in.<br />
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I had another fast transition, in just under 1 minute. I chose to go sockless again, since it was only a 5km and I had already removed enough skin from my toes to see blisters coming back so soon. I took my Gu Chomps with me, thinking that I may need them (I didn't). I also managed to reset my watch and change it to Run mode (I should learn how to use the Multisport mode next year, d'uh), and the plan was to get to the first kilometer and assess my effort level. Once I got there I hit lap and saw 5:12. Whoa, that was fast and I wasn't feeling bad at all. Can I keep the pace up? A few hills were coming up ahead, but then I could just use the downhills to recover. I finished the next kilometer in 5:08. Even better! Those were definitely my fastest paces this year and I was still feeling like a million bucks. The next 2km were pretty tough because of the hills, but I still managed some decent times (5:20 and 5:40). Last kilometer, I took it home (4:56). I could not wait for the paved section as I knew that I was just around the corner from the finish chute. 3 ladies in my AG passed me on the run, but they were very strong and most likely running under 5 min/km. I knew that I could not keep up with them, but everything can happen, so I never gave up mentally. I had an awesome run, what can I say. I managed my pace really well and in the end it paid off.<br />
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I finished with a big smile on my face and... wait for it... a 5 MINUTE PR (for both this race and the sprint distance) and a time of 1:23:49!!! I was already happy with my <a href="http://ririnette.blogspot.ca/2015/08/2015-bracebridge-sprint-triathlon-race.html">8 seconds PR at Bracebridge</a>, so you can imagine how I felt when I saw the time on the board. But the field was also very strong and despite my best effort to date, I finished 9th/31 in my AG and more than a minute slower than the previous girls.<br />
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I went to change into dry clothes because my tri suit was still damp, then took a few bites of banana, oranges and pretzels and went back to transition to pack my stuff. I was on a schedule to leave as soon as possible because I wanted to get to hospital in time to visit my friend <a href="http://carollevesque.com/" target="_blank">Carol</a> before going to pick up my son from his <a href="http://www.lifesavingsociety.com/swimming-lifesaving/lifesaving/bronze-medallion.aspx" target="_blank">Bronze Medallion</a> class, so I didn't stay for the awards or draw prizes. Dana later told me via Twitter that my name was called for the second best prize, but I'll take karma and a PR over a prize any day. It was a day that kept on wining though!<br />
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And if you want more proof that this day could not have been better, here's what welcomed us later when we pulled into our driveway.<br />
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In the end, this triathlon season, just like this double rainbow, was pretty spectacular. I didn't do an Ironman, not even a half - but I don't feel less of an athlete because of it. I had a lot of fun, I remained healthy, I even got a shiny new PR - and I didn't kill my legs in the process. I gained a lot more insight into racing short distance and I can definitely see myself continuing on this path in my old age. And maybe, just maybe I'll also make it on the podium then. </div>
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For now, I have one more Multisport event on my calendar: The <a href="http://niagarafallstriathlon.com/" target="_blank">Barrelman 1/2 distance</a> swim/bike. My longest ride this year was about 70km, so that's going to be interesting. Let's hope that I didn't jinx myself with all the tiger blood and winning above. Between us, I am more looking forward to another weekend away than the race itself, haha. Niagara Falls for the win, yeah! #eyeroll #sarcasm ... I am so blasé!</div>
Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-68773212137076378012015-09-07T18:34:00.001-04:002015-09-07T19:09:37.240-04:00Cheering and volunteering at the inaugural 2015 Ironman MuskokaIf you read my <a href="http://ririnette.blogspot.ca/2015/09/2015-wasaga-beach-olympic-triathlon.html">Wasaga Beach Olympic Tri race report</a>, you know in what shape I left for Huntsville. In two words: not pretty. Tired, stinky, hungry, thirsty, and eager to take a shower and relax a little. The drive to Muskoka was quiet and introspective and I reached the destination shortly before 5pm, just as the skies opened up and cleared the muggy air. I joined my friend Wendy at the Super 8 Hotel in Huntsville where we shared a room for the weekend. She was going to race in the Ironman, along with 12 other of my friends and members of the <a href="http://fmct.ca/">FMCT club</a>, and I was going to be her sherpa and volunteer at the event.<br />
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After I settled into our room and took a well needed shower, Wendy and I went to Boston Pizza for dinner and indulged in a healthy meal (salmon, steamed vegetables), and finished with a not so healthy <a href="https://order.bostonpizza.com/#/menu/6E91988B-91AA-4837-8D8D-5C60A25C0C7A/ToGo/Pickup/group/71db0dd0-dd5e-4e14-9743-40164b8de700/item/f3c47bea-51ad-48d7-b322-c133259c0483" target="_blank">chocolate explosion</a> cake that we shared. Given that I had skipped lunch, I didn't even flinch. Down in ma' belly, decadent calories! We called it a night pretty early afterwards, as the alarm clock was set for 4am.<br />
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I slept pretty well myself - but of course, I was completely exhausted and I had no race anxiety to keep me up all night. When the alarm clock went off, I was almost anticipating it. I had no issues waking up and I was ready to go go go, and so excited to see my friends taking on The Beast.<br />
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I ate a peanut butter and jelly bagel, while Wendy ate her honey nut cheerios, then we were on our way. I wasn't very hungry, but I made sure to take a lot of snacks with me to have enough to eat until midnight. On site, I waited for Wendy to get her bike ready, then we went inside for a potty break and that's when I noticed that she didn't have her chip on her ankle. I rang the panic bell and together we started running around, asking the volunteers where the Sportstats tent was. To our surprise, there was no Sportstats tent near transition, but I knew from Ironman Mt. Tremblant that they should have chips at the swim start. However, we could not afford to waste too much time going back and forth from the beach to transition with just under 30 minutes to start. After asking half a dozen people, eventually we found a volunteer captain who had the idea of calling Nick Stoehr, the race director (or maybe it was Rich Trenholm), and he confirmed that they had spare timing chips at the swim start. Phew! All we had to do was to run there and hope for the best.<br />
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We said our goodbyes on the parking lot near the beach, I took Wendy's flip flops, then I joined the spectators' side with the plan of going as close as possible to the mass of athletes and check on Wendy to make sure that she found a chip. There were lots of athletes and finding friends in the sea of green and pink caps wasn't easy. I managed to see Amanda (from our club) and Kim (from <a href="http://www.twoyearstokona.com/" target="_blank">Two Years to Kona</a>), but the music was loud and all my screaming didn't help. I was desperately trying to find my bestie <a href="http://carollevesque.com/ironman-muskoka-2015-race-report" target="_blank">Carol</a>, but to no avail. Big sad face, as I had promised her that I'd give her a big hug before the start.<br />
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While I was looking for both of them, Wendy found herself a chip. You can see her picking it up at <a href="http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/coverage/detail.aspx?race=muskoka&y=2015#axzz3kzyzbAXz" target="_blank">20:30 in the live stream video</a> from the swim start (<a href="http://www.wonwithone.com/" target="_blank">Won with One</a> red top).<br />
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I didn't know this until later when I finally saw her walking towards the start. As for Carol, I missed her when she walked just in front of me. But she was in the middle of a group of very tall guys, so I'm not surprised. There she is at the bottom of the screen beside the guy with TEAM on his wetsuit, and I am against the railing near the speaker with my Ironman backpack (30:05).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EVP4LJ4AVOyXxA5IraLKq7xzcfzkRv1bHnBorfMKTK51hyn1bpusF_WJzfWwq79n6i-FBAu878ZWRFsGjhOXxIMmV8-XkgB8BVM-ObrW_rhWOJY0K-7o16MaxLzhfXQYHdAZf5XJdSU/s1600/Carol+swim+start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EVP4LJ4AVOyXxA5IraLKq7xzcfzkRv1bHnBorfMKTK51hyn1bpusF_WJzfWwq79n6i-FBAu878ZWRFsGjhOXxIMmV8-XkgB8BVM-ObrW_rhWOJY0K-7o16MaxLzhfXQYHdAZf5XJdSU/s400/Carol+swim+start.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I saw Wendy just a minute later and I was super stoked to see that the chip situation was under control. You can see me again with my hands in the air <a href="http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/coverage/detail.aspx?race=muskoka&y=2015#axzz3kzyzbAXz" target="_blank">calling her at 30:54</a> (I had no idea that I was on camera). After all athletes entered the water I was somewhat relieved and went to ask whether Wendy's chip remained the same and if I could track her online. I was reassured that her chip has been paired with her bib and that after the swim it will appear in the results. Okay then, that sounded rather promising. And on that note, I walked over to the swim finish.<br />
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It was a cool and overcast morning and the temperatures were forecasted in the mid 20s C. Just perfect for racing! I thought about the IMMT athletes and how much they suffered in the heat and told myself that people at IM Muskoka were much luckier, especially while dealing with this grueling course. The flatter part of the race though, the swim in Peninsula Lake, was looking like it was going to be fast. The water was like glass and not even The Beast, that was hiding at the swim exit was going to disturb it. (Who put that thing there?? So fitting.)<br />
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Just as I thought, the first athletes started coming out the water around the 54min mark. I saw many of the people I knew finishing the swim and I was so happy to finally see <a href="http://carollevesque.com/ironman-muskoka-2015-race-report" target="_blank">Carol</a>, that I started screaming like an idiot. I ran up after her to give her a hug, which I managed to do just before she hopped on her bike. Then I came back to wait for Wendy and once she came out of the water, I followed her back up. Who said spectating wasn't a sport? It wasn't even 9am and I was spent. She went in transition to her bike, but not before having a swarm of volunteers coming to cover her in sunscreen. I found the scene absolutely hilarious and I could not resist but taking a snapshot.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sunscreen team in action</td></tr>
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I chose to stay around Deerhurst for the remainder of the day. I waited until everyone else I knew got on the bike, then I went to check out the Ironman store. So much M-Dot swag, my eyes started to bleed. I did buy my husband an IM Muskoka 70.3 backpack because I lost his string bag from a few years ago when we did our first 70.3 there, then I went to sit down and rest for a bit before deciding what to do with my free time. While I was hooked to a plug, charging my phone, I chatted with Paolina Allan from Ignition Fitness about Kim and her spectacular swim, then Paul from my tri club joined me after arriving at the resort for his bike handler volunteer job.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look who I found in transition! The fantastic Captain Tracy.</td></tr>
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Paul and I went to look for the volunteers' tent and we were lucky to find breakfast being served. I had a muffin and a juice, then went back to transition to find the bike handler team captain. It took me about 30 seconds to decide to take on a second volunteer shift that day. I had done bike handling at IMMT and this team looked like they could use some help. We spent the next 1.5h talking about catching bikes, running with bikes, putting bikes on the rack, what to ask the athletes, what to do with the numbers on the rack, with the bike computers, their nutrition, their shoes, where to line up to hand over the bikes, which side athletes were dismounting most on, etc. I quickly realized that this team had very different instructions/opinions than the team at IMMT, so it took me a moment to re-adjust my thinking. It's hard not to judge, knowing that this was a first Ironman for this team, while IMMT had it going on for a few years and it was a well oiled machine. But I gave up on my (strong) opinions and let the captain run the show as he thought was best. Sometimes you just have to trust the people and the process, even if they are different. And guess what? It all worked out very well in the end. Given that this race had 1200 less athletes than IMMT, the stream of bikes was spaced enough that we weren't rushed and we didn't even have to use the spare rack.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul showing everyone how it's done</td></tr>
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I spent most of the day running with the bikes, leaving the catching to the most eager folks in the team. In the end, while it was a hard job because I had to walk/run a lot, it was also a lot of fun. It allowed me to see all my friends coming in with their bikes, and give them hugs, encouragements, high fives, or just play the paparazzi by taking photos and videos for their friends and family.<br />
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Around 5pm I asked to be excused since I was getting tired and I really wanted a little break before starting the next shift. I went inside Deerhurst and noticed that they had dinner food for the athletes and volunteers, but I didn't have a wristband that would give me access to it. Since I joined the bike handlers team impromptu, I was only given a tshirt, but no wristband - so I went over to the finish line where I checked in with Kari and got my wristband. Now I was legit and I could eat. Not even 5 minutes later the same wristband was being cut and I could put some food into my plate. I took a sub, pasta salad, an apple and another banana. I ate the pasta and the fruits and decided to keep the sub for later. I charged my phone again for a bit and spent about 30 minutes catching up on social media, lounging on one of the fancy chairs inside the building.<br />
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However the clock was ticking and I was missing all the action at the finish line. I put my backpack away, I said Hi to all my volunteer friends and joined in the fun. It took me a few minutes to understand how this finish line was working and oops, I must have jumped the line before the other volunteers a few times until Dorothy kindly reminded me that I should line up like everybody else. I looked around me and that's when I realized how many of us were there. Whoa, quite the blue and red army!<br />
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I was quickly made aware of the rest of the rules (no swearing! - cameras were on us), the Tough Toonie bibs and medal, and the chip strap that people could keep if they wanted to. The rest was just about the same as I knew it. Catch people, make sure they don't collapse, and if they do, use the wheelchair and call a medic. Offer as much support as needed, be it physical or emotional. Don't shy away from sweaty hugs and people crying in your arms. After all, I had done that just the day before and it wasn't even an Ironman. Slaying The Beast must have been a huge challenge and it's totally understandable that the relief of crossing the finish line makes all the bottled emotions spill over.<br />
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Personally I had promised a few friends to catch them and/or give them their medals. The first one to cross the finish line was Kim who is on her journey to qualify for Kona. She had a tough run, but she persevered and finished 3rd in her AG (read her blog report <a href="http://www.twoyearstokona.com/race-reports/ironman-muskoka-2015/" target="_blank">here</a>). I could not have been more proud to catch her. I gave her the medal too, then together we took the slow walk towards the massage tent where she had her legs looked after. I don't know who took the picture above, but it's special to me and I know that I'll cherish that moment forever. I am happy to have it immortalized.<br />
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As the night fell on Deerhurst, the athletes kept coming in, tired but elated, finishing a journey that may have started months or years before. I was absolutely astounded to see so many first time Ironman finishers that came in under 12h. My mind could not comprehend how come so many of them liked the course. Out of all North American races, Muskoka is in the top 5 for toughness. Yet, people must be gluttons for punishment. Or they trained for it really well, or they were so freaking high on endorphins that they had no clue what they were talking about. Most likely a mix of all.<br />
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Our volunteers team kept everyone entertained and welcomed every finisher with a high five and a few words of congratulations. Those two above were a hoot, dancing and singing and pumping up the audience. Even the photographer played along. Nice photobomb, lol! Some friends finished the race before the night fell, others came in after dark. <a href="http://carollevesque.com/ironman-muskoka-2015-race-report" target="_blank">Carol</a> started her run without her chip, so it was hard to track her, but eventually she made it and I felt so relieved (what's it with my friends and their timing chip)!! I gave her a long, teary hug. She is one of the crazies who chose Muskoka as their first Ironman and because of health issues I was nervous that something may have gone wrong. But she is also one of the strongest people that I know and I had no doubts that she'll want to finish no matter what. I was assisting another athlete when she crossed the line because without a chip they could not announce her arrival in advance, but I found her right after she got her medal and the moment we had at the finish line won't be going away from my memory any time soon.<br />
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Wendy came in about 1h later. Another fighter who battled injuries and a hectic training schedule the entire season. Wendy and I have known each other for a couple of years now and Ironman is what brought us together. We became training buddies and friends when we realized that we were neighbours, and I could not fathom not being there for her, just like she was for me <a href="http://ririnette.blogspot.ca/2014/09/2014-ironman-mt-tremblant-race-report.html" target="_blank">last year at IMMT</a>. Muskoka was her third Ironman and because of circumstances, her goal was to finish. There she is, looking awesome as usual, a big smile on her face, despite running on huge blood blisters. After giving her too a very sweaty and squeeshy hug, she left to get some food and I continued my shift. There were still 40 min left and about 50 more athletes on the course. Last athlete finished with about 3 minutes to spare and it was rather anticlimactic, since we were told that there were two more to follow, but actually none were left (because of some error).<br />
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And just like that, it was over. We watched the fireworks, said our goodbyes, Kari, Dorothy - the most amazing finish line team captains. Got a hug from Rich Thenholm, doc extraordinaire and the life of this event. I'll most likely be back next year, as both athlete (IM Muskoka 70.3 "Redemption") and IM volunteer and I know that no matter what, this place will remain a special one. One day, I may choose to measure myself against The Beast as well, but I am in no hurry - this body of mine is still on the mend.<br />
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After leaving the finish line I managed to find Wendy who was chatting with friends made on the course. I checked her bike out, then I left her with her belongings to wait for me to come back with the car from the air strip parking lot. It took me a little while to find the shuttle bus (it has been changing locations every year) and I almost got in a panic, thinking that I may have missed the last one. Thankfully I saw a bus silhouette in the distance and I ran to it just before it closed its doors. Fifteen minutes later I was back with the car and to the hotel shortly thereafter where I collapsed in my bed, happy to be able to rest and appreciate everything that happened.<br />
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I will leave you with 2 videos from the event, so you can appreciate as well the way this day unfolded for athletes, volunteers and everyone else who came to witness history being made, right here in Muskoka.<br />
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Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061247060314874235.post-21217293051058152582015-09-03T23:04:00.000-04:002015-09-04T08:58:30.778-04:002015 Wasaga Beach Olympic Triathlon Race ReportLast week was absolutely insane. I was busy every single day from the moment I woke up until late at night, mostly because I procrastinated with a few things that I had planned, which ended bringing me a great deal of anxiety and didn't leave me any time for rest. As a result, I only managed to fit in a bike and a run workout before the longest race of the year to date, the Wasaga Beach Olympic Triathlon. The plan was to go to Wasaga to race on Saturday, then from there, drive straight to Huntsville to meet my friend Wendy and volunteer the following day at Ironman Muskoka.<br />
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I was happy to hear that the race had a late start, which meant that I could sleep in. We still had 1.5h drive ahead of us, but at least I didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn. Waking up at 7am on a race day sure felt wonderful. I prepared my bags the night before since I needed to pack for a few days worth. I had everything ready by 10pm, then I went to bed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSjgLYEA2q7HOi4-q5pnI-r4JNEm5-ilHVVyH30YW1gccD3UjEVSo0dCZ7S8-NMyZVKvCzqJcXKfUi4UB-n998-Z09OppXZuUt_rc-xYc8ql3uaOp02Af5ZpD-OznAK_jKP2QZ75DDc4/s1600/Photo+2015-08-29%252C+7+51+33+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSjgLYEA2q7HOi4-q5pnI-r4JNEm5-ilHVVyH30YW1gccD3UjEVSo0dCZ7S8-NMyZVKvCzqJcXKfUi4UB-n998-Z09OppXZuUt_rc-xYc8ql3uaOp02Af5ZpD-OznAK_jKP2QZ75DDc4/s400/Photo+2015-08-29%252C+7+51+33+AM.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A reluctant thumb up. Let's do this, yay?</td></tr>
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It all feels like such a blur, I don't even remember what I had for breakfast. So I'll skip that part. I just know that by 8am on the dot, hubby and I were leaving our driveway each in our own car, direction Wasaga Beach. I was nervous as hell, not knowing if my legs were going to hold for 10km on the run without pain, since my longest run this year was 8km (once). The drive was very scenic, straight north on Airport Rd and all its roller-coaster hills. It was a nice way to start the morning instead of battling the crowds up the dreadful Hwy 400. Shortly before 9:30am we were pulling into one of the many parking lots along the Lake Huron waterfront.<br />
<br />
I started taking my paraphernalia out of the car when all of a sudden I notice that I don't have my helmet. FML. But of course, I didn't even think about going in the garage after it. Damn, damn damn. What do I do?? Thankfully Zin had his spare one in his car and after a quick check that it fit (sorta, but please don't tell the officials mmmkay?), I decided to race with it. YOLO! Moving on...<br />
<br />
I picked up my race kit, chip, got body marked, then wheeled my bike into transition where I set up my little slice of real estate in the middle of a rack because all the premium spots were already taken, haha.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlz2TKXxLqFNKspL_wQhCld_7EoR4mi1pu6XjzaNXScKPhoOli8naXm9SabJQW7bftSQyAWSa1QZ_a40kqoPAK-1OZnkQGXHRmF2oWZp8uhmr-dXK3_er998IOE_5WA6g24e1U2RQ9uA/s1600/Photo+2015-08-29%252C+9+50+24+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlz2TKXxLqFNKspL_wQhCld_7EoR4mi1pu6XjzaNXScKPhoOli8naXm9SabJQW7bftSQyAWSa1QZ_a40kqoPAK-1OZnkQGXHRmF2oWZp8uhmr-dXK3_er998IOE_5WA6g24e1U2RQ9uA/s400/Photo+2015-08-29%252C+9+50+24+AM.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
It was early enough and nerves were slowly dissipating, so I walked around transition for a bit and chatted with <a href="https://kyraonthego.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Kyra</a> and her husband Alasdair, then took some pictures with them and hubbs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnDesfg-bNE5h5EHJ4566QbSYodibVXgvNL-42LOM919aaHFoIw2d8JUe8WNiEx_kpqS11Vnyle006niGnVMVdiaby3oydWcUxJvBGlZLBtAmGc29XGdQ-y0KdDnQ9qnkxcwnqmWnNmI/s1600/Photo+2015-08-29%252C+9+59+39+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnDesfg-bNE5h5EHJ4566QbSYodibVXgvNL-42LOM919aaHFoIw2d8JUe8WNiEx_kpqS11Vnyle006niGnVMVdiaby3oydWcUxJvBGlZLBtAmGc29XGdQ-y0KdDnQ9qnkxcwnqmWnNmI/s400/Photo+2015-08-29%252C+9+59+39+AM.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awwww. Aren't we cute.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMC-ztGV35aGF2g93PBgtry7lmdGv7OPilKgoA1GgrYXpbZLoFEtzAa-CSGKU8TCvc7es6kuj_BuLH-0omsFL_HPHvetlEEOHgojR_jmnqTjYBmF6BglLuhx48DpyD1eQDIxX0gGalFpc/s1600/Photo+2015-08-29%252C+10+00+12+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMC-ztGV35aGF2g93PBgtry7lmdGv7OPilKgoA1GgrYXpbZLoFEtzAa-CSGKU8TCvc7es6kuj_BuLH-0omsFL_HPHvetlEEOHgojR_jmnqTjYBmF6BglLuhx48DpyD1eQDIxX0gGalFpc/s400/Photo+2015-08-29%252C+10+00+12+AM.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love Alasdair's kit - I recognize him everywhere we go!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdjdMVC337NpUwVxVkEm0_i-dzgFmldMXrd5djs5RJgbhk8mdIBRpQt7lyzeEdQ9YS7gDcSmNPhS7kpaqISWq9LCvqIQ52S9tu7ZoDlw7mSNXhzQHN1INyonWaqdBI2veNM9MEK4iPno/s1600/Photo+2015-08-29%252C+9+49+46+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdjdMVC337NpUwVxVkEm0_i-dzgFmldMXrd5djs5RJgbhk8mdIBRpQt7lyzeEdQ9YS7gDcSmNPhS7kpaqISWq9LCvqIQ52S9tu7ZoDlw7mSNXhzQHN1INyonWaqdBI2veNM9MEK4iPno/s400/Photo+2015-08-29%252C+9+49+46+AM.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ladies in Pink</td></tr>
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Took a last portaloo break, chatted a bit more, and finally put on my wetsuit and walked to the beach for a warm up swim. I looked at the water and wondered what Steve Fleck meant by "flat swim". I mean, seriously, dude... This was no flat swim. Or maybe it was getting choppier by the minute. Fact is, I tried taking a few dolphin dives and felt like jumping into a wall of water every single time. Okay then... this was going to be interesting. The previous three years the swim was cancelled at this race, so I considered myself lucky that I was going to do a triathlon that day. I remember a few rough swims at Professor's Lake, and of course, last year's IMMT swim that was the worst in all the years they had the race there. But this... this was something else. I wasn't sure how I was going to swim out against the waves, and even less, make it out and back unscathed. But I reminded myself how much I love open water swimming and started laughing at the situation and joking with the other athletes. I could actually see myself running to the first buoy instead of swimming and for some reason I thought it was hilarious. This swim was going to bring all kinds of challenges for sure.<br />
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I was in the third wave and soon enough the gun went off and I jumped in with both feet so to speak. I tried kicking for a bit, but fighting with the waves was tiring enough. Being mentally prepared for a personal worst, I shut the legs off and concentrated on my stroke, or whatever was left of it. I noticed that half of the time I was either trying to stay horizontal and not over rotate, or look for a buoy. Since buoys were hard to sight, I settled on the boats instead.There was a lot of boat movement around though and people everywhere. I think they were trying to keep everyone on course, but I bet it wasn't easy. The waves were pretty insane. I was constantly going up and down and I was expecting to get sea sick at any moment. To reach the first turn buoy felt as long as an Ironman swim, and that wasn't even half of it. My husband said it well, it was just like a washing machine and I felt like covering more vertical space than distance.<br />
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Eventually I reached the second turn buoy and started moving towards the beach. At this point, I could not see a thing, and especially not the exit arch. I decided to follow a gentleman and put my faith in his sighting skills. Everything was blending on the shore and all buildings looked the same to me. In hindsight, I should have settled on a better landmark than the arch before I started the swim. Oh well, lesson learned. I finally made it to water shallow enough that my hands were touching bottom. I stood up and walked the rest. I don't know why I was looking so cheerful in the photos, but I guess I was happy to be done. It must have been before I looked at my watch. 38 minutes, yikes!! Definitely my worst swim time evah.<br />
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I had an uneventful transition and hopped on my bike, eager to get going. About 2/3 of bikes were already gone, and I was wondering how far ahead they were. I could not have been the only one to have a crappy swim, right? (insert some pretty mean wishful thinking there).<br />
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The legs weren't feeling that great, and about 5km in, a stitch decided to settle into the right side of my stomach, just below the ribs. Great. I wasn't sure where it was coming from - this was a first. I held off drinking and eating until about 30min in, but then I got thirsty. I had a bottle of Endura with me and 2 gels. I started drinking the Endura, but with difficulty because the damn stitch was rather stubborn. Although the course was relatively flat with a few short climbs, I didn't feel like pushing too big of a gear. I kept passing people, at least that was entertaining. Played leap frog with a guy for a while, then I told him "break's over, let's get to work", but he didn't follow. I felt very lonely on this ride, mostly because for the first time this year it was not an out and back and I realized that I was not going to see my hubby before the run.<br />
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All this time the stomach kept hurting and I didn't know what to do. I wanted to pee, but I could not concentrate enough to pee on the bike, and I was not going to stop for it without an urge big enough. With 15km to spare, I turned onto another road and then BAM, headwind. I saw lots of people slowing down, but I had just eaten my gel and I was feeling stronger than when I started. When I think about it, I wasn't doing any better, it was just a matter of perspective. You learn about it in physics class, I suppose. As a matter of fact, I was still feeling like shit and I could not wait to be done. Again. Another picture of me smiling as I was finishing the second leg of this race.<br />
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It looks like I was having fun, but not really. And that helmet? LOL!<br />
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Another quick transition and then the run... the stomach was hurting so much, I didn't even bother taking my Clif Blocks with me. By that time I was in survival mode. One step in front of the other... and one more hour of pain. I figured that it must be gas pain from swallowing too much air during the swim, but I admit to have been spoiled in 6 years of running and only once I had to deal with it, during Welland Half last year. But that race had cola and cola makes all gas come out eventually. This race only had water and Heed (yuck) and I was feeling defeated already.<br />
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I tried treating it like a stitch and breathe out while striking the ground with the foot on the opposite side... or was it the same side? For the life of me, I could not remember, so I tried both, to no avail. There was this guy on the bike cheering us on, and he made me smile. I love it when people call out my name and say encouraging things. Too bad it didn't make the pain go away. As I was approaching the end of the first loop, I wanted to be done, to drop out of the race right there. But I saw my old coach and he encouraged me and I didn't want to disappoint him. I ran by him and said, "I'm feeling like hell", then went on to the second loop.<br />
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The legs were not hurting - so I didn't have a good enough reason to stop. I marched on. I saw Kyra not far behind and I was thinking that she was going to catch up with me in no time. When I reached the split on the road and took a right turn into a side street, I hit pit bottom. I walked for a minute or two, pressing into my stomach, angry at my body for giving me grief (and not moving the gas fast enough). I started having a panic attack and over ventilating, which of course was not helping. At that point I was seriously thinking about knocking on doors and begging for Coke. I managed to pull myself together just before I turned left towards the main road. I saw the guy on the bike again and I told him that thanks to him I was moving again. He said "I have the easy job!" and he made me smile once more. At this point I think I had about 2km left and I told myself: "15 minutes left, max! You can run for 15 minutes. It's almost over". About 200m before the last water station I pass a lady in my age group who was walking. Then she starts running again and passes me back. I wasn't going to run after her for sure. I said "good job", but inside my head I was saying "knock yourself out, you've got nothing to fear - I am dying here". To my surprise, I passed another lady in my age group who stopped for a drink at the last water station. Then 100m later, I saw the first lady walking again and I passed her too.<br />
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I had 1km left and I was running strong again. I had made the decision that none of them were going to pass me again. It was stupid and foolish, but it worked.<br />
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I reached the chute and just seconds from the finish line, Paul, a friend from the <a href="http://fmct.ca/" target="_blank">FMCT</a> snapped this picture of me. I don't think I looked back once in the last km, but I was sprinting like a mad woman, and I remember feeling that I was going pass out from lack of oxygen, pain or whatever else was going on with my body. I had never pushed like that in a race, so this was all unknown territory.<br />
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I crossed the finish line and I remember John Salt shaking my hand. I wonder if he thought that I was going to puke right there, it would not have been a first. I've seen other finishers leaving it all on the course, but I don't know how many had shitty races because of freaking gas pain. The next two pictures are the worst I've seen myself crossing a finish line. Yes, you can laugh, I totally look like a zombie. Is there a casting call near by?<br />
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I took a few more steps and drank a cup or two of water, then started sobbing. I had never felt so overwhelmed in my life. It's like my body could not decide whether to collapse or not. It's hard to explain. Kyra crossed the finish line about a minute later and said "it looks like you need a hug". Indeed, it was all that I needed. And I cried like a baby in her arms (thank you so much!). Legs were shaking and I was feeling lightheaded, so I went to sit down on the beach, looking incredulous at my stomach that had the shape of a balloon. And I had yet to pee as well. As for my legs? ALL GOOD. What about that, eh. I finished in 3:04, not my best time, and not my worst. I got 7th in my AG and remember the 2 ladies that I passed? They finished 15 and 20 seconds after me. Now that was satisfying!<br />
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Not sure how long I sat there, but the awards ceremony was going to start and I still wanted my cola. I wasn't hungry, but mind was still in problem solving mode. Remember that scene in Alien, or Prometheus? I wanted that Gas Baby out!! Right away!! I drank a Pepsi, but it had all its bubbles. Didn't help. I ate a few tiny slices of orange and a two-bite banana, then chatted for a while with friends. I waited for the draw to be finished, just in case I won something, then went to transition to pack my stuff. Exchanged more hugs, said goodbye to everyone I knew, gave a kiss to hubbs, then I left for Huntsville, glad to be resting my limbs and hopeful that soon enough I was going to be able to eat something more substantial.<br />
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For the rest of the weekend, you'll have to wait for the next blog post. I'm too tired to edit this one and I want to press Publish. YOLO again!Ririnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08655714425760755697noreply@blogger.com3