2012 Recap (3/3): A year in pictures

Last but not least, a year in pictures, some of them never published before. Isn't this exciting?? (everyone clap now :-)). I realize that I don't talk about my life outside running, biking, swimming and other fitness related activities here, but as I said in the first post when I re-opened this blog for everyone to read, I have been around the blogosphere for a long, long time... 10 years more precisely, and I've ridden this rollercoaster a few times before. It doesn't make me feel any younger, but what else is new?

Since I've started working out, it seems that the clock no longer ticks so loud. I have found peace and happiness and I am having a blast, every single day that I let those endorphins run free. These pictures are proof that there is a way out.

January

Happy New Year 2012!

New haircut, a bit of hair color, feeling damn good. Wearing burgundy. Resolutions: keep up the pace, stay healthy and happy (spoiler alert, they are pretty much the same this year). Kept this image as an avatar for a while.

Icy baths trigger my Raynaud's. D'uh!

At the same time, I learn to live with Raynaud's, I eat a lot of broccoli and spinach, I still count my calories. I go to the physio therapist, my neck and back bother me, I pulled something in my shoulder. Not a big deal, but I hate the nagging, burning ache. It goes away eventually (acupuncture helped).

February

I love running tights, oh the freedom!

I buy my first pair of running tights. I still love my cat hat which I bought in Montreal. It makes me feel strong and agile. I fall in love with purple. I buy two more pairs of Adidas shoes from Ebay because they are soooo comfy ($35/each, a bargain!).

Then we get snow!! It's a miracle, so I go snowboarding with my older son after a 5yr interruption and I don't break any bones or get a concussion, another miracle!

I look much better than I board

My pet fish Chloe is getting big. Look how gorgeous she is.

Chloe in her element

March

Winning!!

I keep on running, there is a race coming up. I really start to enjoy winning free coffee.
I start swimming regularly, discover a few pools around Brampton, big and small. I try Total Immersion, but find my groove with Swim Smooth. I watch a LOT of swimming videos on You Tube, I make a few of myself as well. I really look like a turd in the pool.

I finish the month conquering Heartbreak Hill at Around the Bay relay race with hubbs.

On the way to the top

April

I go rollerblading for fun. I still can't believe how great that day was, we need to go back! Once a year is definitely not enough.

Roller skating old skool

I run my first marathon, totally out of the blue - because I was in Paris by friggin' chance and I had nothing else better to do :-)

At my mom's home in Paris

I also visit London for the first time and do my "active recovery" by walking along the Thames and going up and down countless stairs.

Riri call home

May

The travels continue, I go to Los Angeles for work and visit my favorite spot, Santa Monica pier. Too bad it was pretty cold, because I could have jumped in the ocean.

Santa Monica Pier

Usually during those travels, I try to walk everywhere and run as often as I can. I didn't run that time though, I was tapering for the Mississauga Marathon. Coming back home though, I felt like running again and I remember those skies when we dropped my sons to sport camps and we went out for a run. I love me some dramatic skies.

Scary

A week later, I run the Mississaga Marathon - y'all know by now how that went. Below is a pic from when people could still be seen around.

Running Mississauga - it's a beautiful day!

My pet fish Chloe dies unexpectedly, and we welcome Calypso. She is tiny but feisty!

Calypso is in the house!

I also welcome Neo, my Cervelo One tri bike and I have my first (and only) professional bike fit done. Neo is also tiny, 650c wheels, 50" high, but it fits my 5'3" frame perfectly. We've been happy together so far.

Riri meet Neo, Neo meet Riri

June

June was rainy and hot. I met my friend Troy's dog Max. Puppy butt.

Did I just say puppy butt?

Dork face after a run in the rain. 

Does this wet tshirt make me look hot?

I receive my first ever wetsuit, an XTerra Vortex and it fits like a glove. I definitely feel hot in this. Long live rubber.

Full body flotation device

My husband buys me THE triathlon watch, the mighty Garmin 910XT. And I go nuts.

OMG OMG OMG!!!

Oh, and did I mention that I start biking a lot?

Breaking the Velominati's Rules.

July

I feel the happiest that I've been in my life. This triathlon training did the trick! I needed to capture the moment, so I took a pic, which became my new avatar.

I can't believe this feeling

I keep on swimming and I fall in love with Professor's Lake where I do 2-3 loops every Thursday with the Brampton FMCT Tri Club.

Crystal clean Professor's Lake

I still love my bike and I buy an aero drink bottle so I stop falling on my face while trying to reach for the other bottles while I ride. Look, ma, no hands! I also ride in the rain and I feel confident that I can do this!

I'm legit, bitches.

I even conquer Horseshoe Hill multiple times for fun. Ok, not really for fun, but because coach Dave said so.

Horseshoe Hill, complete with sunshine and deer flies.

Eventually, it all leads to this. I become a triathlete. Hell yeah!!

I'm still standing

And then I relax in Algonquin. We hike a lot, we swim, bike, run a little. 

Coffee, compression socks and sandals.

We geocache wherever we go because it makes it even more fun.

Geohikeswimming

We even jump from bridges into the water with our clothes on because we'd be fools not to.

August

I buy myself a new swimsuit because all the previous ones turned into parachutes. Not sure what else we do aside from the usual. It seems like a blur. It must have involved some running though, since I prepare for the Toronto Scotiabank Marathon.

Blue whale

I vaguely remember rollercoasters too.

Spinning round and round high above ground

September

I meet Chrissie Wellington and I get inspired to keep on triathloning.

Chrissie and I, all smiles

Then I do the immersive experience, volunteering as a "catcher" at Ironman Muskoka 70.3. I have a blast, I get to meet the "stars" such as Rachel Joyce and Tom Lowe and witness some very dramatic situations. This is definitely harder than it looks!

I promise myself to go down this chute the following year.

So I bike some more...

and I run some more...

And mornings are hard... do I really need to go out at 5:30 am??

Who turned on the light?!

Thankfully there are protein bars to keep me going because it's way too early to prepare breakfast.

Guess my favorite

And the long runs become really long, like the 32k one I did in France (again!) on the Coulee Verte du Sud Parisien...

... plus a "recovery walk" the same day to visit a castle and smell the flowers (and munch on apples) with my friend Frederique.

Castles are everywhere

October

Continued my European visit with another trip to London for work and came back with an ingrown nail thanks to running too much on heels between trains and meetings. It hurt. A LOT.

I was supposed to run here, dammit!

To add to my stupidity, I also buy my first pair of minimalist shoes, the New Balance Minimus WR00 and I overdo it, that is I run 1h40 the first time I wear them because they feel so good, like running barefoot. Oh well, I keep on learning from my mistakes. A week before the Toronto Marathon, oops.

Anyway, I take on a good dose of painkillers and line up for the marathon anyway, with hubbs nonetheless.

Show time!

My third, his first, and we both cross the finish line with a smile on our face. Mission accomplished, we can now put a seal on this season, but not before...

November

We sign up for Ironman Muskoka 70.3 and celebrate with Muskoka beer, wheee!

Hiccup

And coach starts giving me treadmill and indoor bike workouts, which really hurt.

Intervals, intervals, intervals.

I do a last outdoor ride that almost makes my teeth fall out.

Frozen smile

December

But then in December, I start spinning again and I have a blast. 

Spin, baby, spin!

And find new trails around the office, which keep me sane... most of the time.

Let the sunshine in

As well as a new gym, which I start frequenting on my lunch breaks.

When the weather permits, I put my Ninja on, my purple sweater and my tights and I go out and run again... The loop is looped. Another year awaits, the warrior in me is ready to fight.

This is my life, this is who I am now. An athlete, a mom, wife, cubicle slave and business traveler. I could not be here without the support of my family, my friends and the online blogging community, as well as Facebook, Runkeeper, Twitter and Fitocracy. Many thanks to all my friends, near and far, I feel that together we can move mountains. 

I am really happy to have found this passion for running and triathlons, which turned into a lifestyle that keeps on shaping me inside and out every day. I am also deeply humbled by all your efforts and seeing you giving your all in races and personal challenges. You are my inspiration and I hope to be able to inspire you in return.

In Memoriam : Ron Gehring

Ron was one of my reasons to get out of bed every day. He was a great friend, always kind and supportive of my efforts and even if we never met, it felt like I'd known him forever. He was an avid cyclist and trail runner and he was looking forward to A Bigger New Year. We motivated each other to finish our first marathons last year and we even had a friendly competition between us to do an Ironman first.

Ron was in a bike accident on Wednesday and he suffered extensive brain injuries. He left this world last night at 6pm. RIP Ron and heartfelt condolences to his family, wife Debra and son Ashton. I will keep on racing you, Ron!

2012 Recap (2/3): A year in races

This should be quick as I am not a serial racer, for a few reasons, first being that I cannot afford spending so much in race fees, and second, because I am trying hard not to injure myself, even though there have been some exceptions to this rule as you will see below (generally I try not to run more than a race a month).

The season started with Around the Bay 15k relay with hubbs, which was also his first race as an adult runner (those high-school meets don't count, sorry dud). The previous year I had run it with my friend Carol, but because of an Achilles injury she had to bail out and hubbs volunteered to be the second "Geeky Chick" this time around. It was also a great way for me to discover the second part of the course, a lot hillier, but scenic route, complete with Heartbreak Hill, a gospel choir and grim reapers.

We finished the race happy to have found a common hobby that takes us outside of the house and keeps us in shape (geocaching is a close second), a lifestyle that we can strive to instill into our children.

A new partnership

A few weeks later, while I was preparing for my first marathon, I found myself travelling for business to Europe and just like that, decided to take a chance and run the Paris Marathon with only 23km under the belt as the longest run of the season. It was the best decision that I could have made. I had a blast and set a PR that still stands as of today, despite two more marathons run afterwards. I am extremely happy to have been able to share this experience with my mom and my best friend Frederique. I was able to complete this marathon without stopping, not longer than the time of a big squeeshy hug anyway. It was also the best organized (despite the complete lack of portapotties), most crowded (35k marathon runners, oy!), with best/most real food (bananas, raisins, oranges, sugar cubes) instead of gels/sport drinks and overall incredible energy throughout. Not a single quiet spot along the road, I wish all races were like this.

Jetlagged much?

A week later, I was due to run the Toronto Yonge St. 10k, which surprisingly enough, gave me another PR. I will just blame the negative incline on this one, or the endorphins from the week before which may have been lingering in my legs... we'll never know.

New race, new bling

Two more weeks went by and the Mississauga Marathon, for which I was training for in first place, knocked on my door. I was feeling great, so I decided to run it, even though I had already met my season goal of conquering the 42.2k distance. A risky move, and a test for my legs. Running this marathon ended being a test for the mind instead, as I battled with the decision to start walking around km 25 when the crowds, participants and food almost disappeared. In my stubborn mind, walking equaled "failure" to remain constant in my effort and you know, HTFU and all that jazz. Eventually, I believe that making this decision was a small victory in itself. I accepted the fact that no two races are the same and while there are days with, there are most certainly days without.

Flying to the finish line

I chose to enjoy the day instead of trying to convince myself that I was unbreakable. I am only human afterall. Besides, I felt like I had nothing else to prove to this distance after running the Paris Marathon three weeks prior. If the photo above doesn't say it all, then I don't know...

After this race, I switched gears, so to speak, and started thinking triathlon. I decided to participate in the Ride for Heart 50k Road Race which was going to be a rehearsal for the upcoming 45k bike segment of the Olympic triathlon one month later. After buying my first tri bike via a Kijiji ad, I took Neo, my new two-wheeled boyfriend on the Toronto highways and enjoyed the company of 20,000 other cyclists in this celebration of health and beating heart disease. Needless to say, I had a blast.

Cyclists take over the city highways

Then on July 22, I became a triathlete at the Toronto Triathlon Festival. The morning of the race I was sick with the flu and a total nervous wreck, but motivated to finish the race no matter what. I had spent countless hours in the pool, on the bike and on the road not to line up for the start of this inaugural race and again, the beginning of new adventures and fitness challenges. The day went by in a blur, with my cough and heart rate unable to settle down, but in the end I crossed the finish line with a huge smile, even though the last km was a complete torture.

I am a triathlete!

I continued the season training for the last marathon of the year, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, which I had set to do as redemption from the year before when everything went down to hell in the month preceding the race, my dad's passing from cancer, my gallbladder surgery and a pulled calf all at once. I did all my runs with hubbs, hoping that he would join me in this journey. I surprised him with a race entry, knowing that secretly he was eager to celebrate his hard work and putting up with my whining and murderous mood during our long runs.

Toronto marathoners

Hubbs ended up having the perfect race, while I hurt my insides with too much drinking at the aid stations and had to take walking breaks once again for the worst performance of the year. However I managed a strong finish accompanied by a great feeling of relief. For weeks afterwards I was glowing with pride for hubbs' achievement, which got to be the perfect ending to a season that started modestly, but confirmed our new partnership in distance running and triathloning.

I am now looking forward to another year of races, fun filled workouts and limits pushed. We are both signed up for Ironman Muskoka 70.3, our 2013 A-race, which I had the chance to experience last year as "catcher". Let the sufferfest begin! :-)