Swim, bike, run - How Bad ASS can I be?

That is right boys and girls you read it - 13 hours 50 minutes! That is the goal time for Ironman. How did I come up with that time. Well I have played with numbers in my head and thought I would be happy with finishing and all else is gravy. But last night in Spin class - our coach Larry - who is really working on our mental attitudes asked - what are your goals and I squeaked out Ironman - he was like NO - more specific - I was like to finish - he was like NO - more specific and then well someone else foolishly piped up and the heat was off of me for the time being. However Judith - aka - my guardian angel - after the class said to me what is your goal time I was like I thought maybe 15 hours and she was like - no you can do way better than that. She was like I think you can do 14.30 hours - I was like really and she was like you are can swim you are stronger than me on the bike when you want to be and you are a runner - you should make your goal 13:59! Okayyyyyy Sparky - let...

Slowly but surely I am able to do more and more which pleases me. I am sure I mentioned before that I coach 1/2 marathon clinics and as part of that I arrange for speakers. I have always been interested in bringing in some one to talk about sports psychology and since working with Barb and Larry Zimich I finally found someone. Larry is one of my cycle coaches, specifically I do the spin classes with him where we work on heart rate and cadence. He also does alot with us on mental and how we need to think like winners. So I asked him to talk to my group and what a hit he was. He talked about how training is 90% subconscious and 10% conscious. He gave examples of how he takes his groups out and pushes - which he does - and pushes. In one example the had his guys do 6 speed repeats and kept on them to get their speed up to 48km/hr and the got close or got there. He then had them stop, get off the bikes and talk to them, head them close their eyes and visualize themselves riding, vis...

R should be for running but recovery is taking a bit longer than I had hoped or wanted. And well for those that know me I am not the most patient person.... That is not to say I have not been running but I am nowhere near where I was or would like to be. AND..... my right leg/groin is acting up. Now how this is happening is beyond me since I landed on my left side but I guess I was hit from behind on both sides so.... Anyways 2 weeks ago I decided I had had enough and I was running and I did - it felt great and then when I stopped not so great about 20 minutes later but nothing a little Tylenol 3 won't fix. I was excited and happy - yeahhhhhh told my physio - she was not so excited but I was like hey I held off for 6 weeks - really!?!? It killed her to say that I should probably run more than once a week just so we could really find out how my body would react - well it is not reacting well. I am running 2x a week and by the end of the run on Sunday my groin and knee were ve...

Ever have that feeling that you have been there before...today I picked up Shazam's replacement. Same bike with minor changes - newer pedals - 2 bottle cages - shorter stem, and new name - Isis! That's right Isis - it is from a superhero cartoon I watched when I was little - the weird thing is I was telling my friend special K about it and she googled it and started laughing because it came up as the Isis and Shazam hour - I had totally forgotten about that (LOL). And then she found the saying Isis used for her magic powers to take hold - Oh zephyr winds that blow on high, lift me now so I can fly! - OMG - I have been outed - yep I am a geek. After weeks of harassing Kirsten about her obsession with Stargate and Star Trek she now has ammunitition. I know I will regret this. But back to Isis - so I also picked up gorgeous tights with pink stripes, a helmet - they only had white, new shoe covers, more lights and the most adorable little pink socks! I am hoping to get her s...

What a roller coaster the last week or so has been. I was starting to feel pretty good - got clearance from my physio to go to the pool and light spinning on the bike - I am always a bit sore after each workout but I expect it and have incorporated ice baths after to help with the healing process. ICBC came through and I got $$$ for the bike, helmet, tights and boots so that is good. Bike ordered just in the nick of time - there were only 3 left in Canada and none by the end of the day so that was a relief - should be arriving at the bike shop this week. Yippeee Physio seemed to be going okay she has been working on my left shoulder and mid back which is aches of and on. OMG - OMG - OMG the first treatment was on Tuesday and I woke up in the middle of the night with sharp pain but I took some motrin and was able to fall asleep. Was achy but no more than usual then I saw her again on Thursday and explained what had happened on Tuesday night. She seemed to think this was not too big...

*@!&@%$? It is just over 3 weeks since I was hit and I am starting to get just a smidge irritable. Trying really hard not to but when you are someone who trains 6 days a week and has run every Sunday for the last 7 years well you can guess. Got 2 quotes back about the bike - not repairable - big shock. Waiting for the 3rd - not sure why it is taking so long - but expect more of the same. The process is honestly pissing me off and I now see how and why people get lawyers. I did nothing wrong and yet I am the one driving around to all these bloody shops and getting quotes. I am the one who can't run or ride and who only got clearance for the pool last week. I am the one who aches every day and usually has a headache by the end of the day. Physio is all about these darn electrodes to stimulate the muscles - lots of fun - afterwards I usually feel pretty noxious and just want to go home and sleep. Fun times. Now I am told that since I am over the 3 week hump expect to have ...

Yes that is right you read the title right. Easy come, easy go. So you all got to see my beautiful new carbon fibre bike, I named her Shazam - yes I name all my bikes just like I name my cars. Weird - maybe but you know what I am not an ax-murder so c'est la vie. Anyways back to Shazam. So I got her sized up and was vibrating with excitement to go for an inaugural ride. So the next Saturday - almost 2 weeks ago now - I got up early and dressed up - as a precaution I even threw on my yellow riding jacket - just to make us more visible - for all the good it would do - and off we went. It was amazing - we flew up the hills and down the hills, gears changed smoothly - like a hot knife through butter, I felt like I was riding on air. I think I even giggled at one point - it was nirvana. We were bonding nicely and on our way back home from a really great ride out to Coquitlam and back. We made our left hand turn ON THE GREEN for the final push home. Then it happened. Out of now...

This weekend is the Portland Marathon - and the gang is all going except for me (sniff). I spent all my $$$ on Shazam so no fall marathon for me! I am super excited for them all because June is shooting for Boston qualifying time and I just KNOW she is going to nail it this time. Especially since this is a far easier course than Edge to Edge! I am also a little sad because I won't be at the finish line to see Carol, Pam, Jaime and Ann finish their first marathons. There is no other feeling in the world! I have told them they better take a gazillion pics and remember every second. Others going are Kirsten - doing her second and supporting Carol and Pam in their quest. Cory who will be pacing June, Chuck, and Carmen. On other news - training - yesterday was a great day overall. I ran, rode to work and back and then swam. I got up had some juice, dressed, grabbed dog and headed out for a run first thing - ran about 6km. Since I had been pondering when to get the second ride ...

The weather on the "wet" coast has been absolutely fabulous the past couple of weeks - better than it was all darn summer?!? So much so that I am hoping it holds for the weekend so I can take Shazam out for a ride. With the final sizing tweaks done I am beside myself to get out and ride her on the road. Last night was the first night back at Spin class -OMG - killer as usual but I love it. I love knowing that it is just another piece of in the puzzle to Ironman. It was nice to see the ladies I ride with since I have not rode with them since June - Lottie just did not have it in her for the climbs and I wanted to spare them listening to me curse. They are so inspirational the 4 of them - on Sunday the did the triple mountain ride. First I heard of it - they rode Mount Seymour then over and up Grouse mountain and then over to Cypress Mountain - all finished in under 6 hours. AND then they showed up for Spin Class last night - I am not sure I am in the same league as thes...

That is right I have bought her and she is gorgeous - I am so excited my very first new to me bike. She is a full carbon chariot that is a perfect fit for me- the Ruby Elite Compact. I am confident that together we will conquer Richter's Pass and the Yellow lake rollers. Is she not the most beautiful bike ever???? In other news I have been pretty good on the training - did miss Friday night's swim but it was sex toy party - swim - sex toy party -swim. The party won out and in the end it will also help with training as it should help with tension.... I have also realized that a fall marathon will have to be shelved since I just spent all my pennies on Shazam but that is okay. A little disappointing but in the big scheme of things it really is not that big a deal - I have done the training and it is not like I have not done one before. Plus I just can't faced doing a 2 loop marathon which is what Kelowna is. I am a little concerned as I have dropped 4 lbs in a week but...

The weather here on the wet coast has been absolutely fabulous. I am so happy that June finally arrived.... It has a been a dream to ride and run in. This past week workouts have been good - swimming started so I was in the pool Mon, Wed and Fri and I am now the fastest of the slowest!!! One really must bask in accomplishments.... The running has been great - really long mileage yesterday was a "quick" 37km if there is such a thing. Felt pretty good but IT band is making noise today - a little concerning but I will roll it out tonight and that to should pass. Not quite sure why I keep running these distances as I have not actually registered for any of the marathons - everyone thinks I am certifiable (more so than when I registered for IMC2009) because I am doing these long runs willingly and usually by myself?!?! Okay - I promised bike porn - after the tragic passing of my little car (moment of silence please)..... I finally got over to my bike coaches house to get my...

Well I have been faithfully working on keeping my training notes - that is writing down what I eat and drink each day as well as what I do in the way of phaysical activity. I have been reading various blogs and articles and it has dawned on me that besides swimming, running and riding I need to remember to work on my mental game and nutrition. Mentally I know that if I stick to the plan and remember to visualize success I will get there. That means do the workouts - no excuses - do the workouts - and I already learned that lesson from the first Half IRonman where I skipped a lot of workouts. I paid the price - DNF. Think positively - visualize success - I learned the power of that training for the 2nd half Ironman - very very important. Can never start to early on that. But I will be honest I am concerned about the nutrition - I am getting better but I am not a big eater while doing workouts. I have been reading articles on amounts and grams and on and on per hour, per pound...

Yep I did it - as of 10 minutes ago I am officially registered for Subaru Ironman 2009 - Canada. GAAK - that is the first wave of nausea and panic - oihh it is going to be a long year. Apparently last night I woke my husband up at 2am and starting talking about times I needed and cutoffs (LOL) I have never done that so obviously I am already obsessing - if anyone out there has suggestions on how to settle down I would appreciate them. The plan - basically swim, ride, run - LOTS. I have been thinking and planning and here is the general plan This week I start back in the pool with my swim coach - I figure we will work on technique and form till January - 3 x a week. January we start building the distance and in May out to the open water I go. Bike - I am shopping for a new bike and hope to have that done in the next few weeks so I can get it fit properly as my cycle coaches are moving to the interior pretty quick. I am still biking to work and back - 2 to 3x a week - total trip ...

Only 2 more sleeps then off for the annual trip to Kelowna/Penticton to watch Ironman. I am so excited since not only do I have so many friends racing this year but.... Monday morning I will line up and pay my $550 US to participate next year. OMG - I am so excited and I am only registering!!! Have been watching the weather network - my husband who is working again on the paramedic crews says they are saying 36 - that is crazy hot but the network says a more reasonalbe 27 which will feel like 31 - still very hot. So good luck to my friends Flo, Catherine, Judith and internet/blog buddy Kerry (doing her first). I will cross my fingers, knees, toes, eyelashes and whatever else I can. Wishing you fast times, no flats and cool temperatures. Shaun

I am currently coaching my 1/2 clinic - which seems to get larger every week... and training for my annual marathon. I like to do at least one full a year. I am struggling with this one though - mentally and a little physically. The knee ankle thing from the half-iron man while getting better is still hanging on and it is more than a little frustrating. As well with June and Cory coaching the full marathon clinic they are obviously running with the full. Kirsten and Pam are coaching the 10km clinic and thus running with them. They are doing the add-on's afterwards but I am usually quite a bit ahead of them by that point so can't run with them. Carol is still injured so not training and well that leaves me, myself and I to do the add-on's and training on my own. I don't know what the big deal is I train by myself a lot being the only triathlete in the group it tends to happen and I have trained for 2 fulls pretty much on my own but this year I am struggling - wi...

Yesterday was the Diva's only Tri - I had an okay race. I should be pleased - I mean I PB'd by 8 minutes, got under 1:30 which I said I would be happy with and I won a great jersey and hat as a door prize. It is silly not to be thrilled but I guess I know I could have done better and actually did. But more on that later. This is a great event - it is a sprint tri and women's only event so the vibe is amazing. I recommend it to anyone wanting to get into tri's and not be intimidated. I was in this race because it was an entry from 2 years ago that got comped - first due to a fractured heel and then again because of a city strike last year. I had hoped - foolishly - to podium - why do I say foolishly because I have not trained much since Oliver - I was off for 4 weeks from running and swimming because of the freak foot injury and had a hard-time getting back into the zone for the last 3 weeks - but I figured I had still been riding a lot so maybe.... When I arriv...

Okay - I am just full of it - I have a sprint tri in 10 days and I have been telling others and myself that I will not worry too much about this one that just do it for participation - what a load of crap! The entry in this race is from 2006 - I registered in 2006 and ended up fracturing my foot in a 1/2 marathon about 6 weeks before the race - the organizers were kind enough to comp me for 2007 and then in 2007 a city workers civil strike caused the race to be canceled so everyone got comped to this year. Hence why I am doing the race. I have done no real training - not a single brick - since the half IRon in Oliver 6 weeks ago. Been in the pool 5 times tops maybe and back to running at the end of June up to 16 km on Sundays. I have been riding to work and back 3 times a week - total 30km or so but it has been on the hybrid. So really to have any expectations of a fast race are ridiculous- the rational me understands this... but I am a teensy bit competitive - I try to tell everyo...

So I have been feeling a little guilty - I have not really been doing much since Oliver - the locked ankle was a little more serious with some minor ligament strain so I did not run for 3 weeks or so, I was also told no swimming as well so that left the bike. A good friend of mine bought a new training bike and wanted to reduce inventory so I am the proud owner of my first mountain bike - actually it is a hybrid and well since I have no gear I am using it as a commuter bike. I have started riding to work - I live on the side of a mountain so the ride to work it pretty good 15km pretty much down hill the ride home - yep 15km pretty much uphill. I try to ride 3 times a week but still feel like I am slacking. 3 weeks ago my new half marathon clinic started - usually this is a small clinic - 40 tops - not this one - 60+ people! I think it must be due to being a featured clinic leader in the lastest Running Room magazine. Either way that means I started running again and since I want ...

Yep another PB for the year!!! Canada Day 10km WALK - walk? Walk? You are a runner why were you not running you ask? Well because my good friend Carol - aka Care Bear has been injured for the past 3 months and to ensure that she did not run the race Bishop (my border collie) and I showed up to walk the course with her. See Carol has been doing physio and other stuff for the past 3 monthsbut has continued to run. She has been telling us that she has clearance to run but she got busted last week. That is right - the jig was up. See we all share the same physio and well needless to say between all of us we found out that she was not supposed to be running at all... which would explain why she is still injured. So the gang decided to stage an intervention - which has been more than a little difficult as Carol coaches a 5km clinic, is one of the pace leaders for my half marathon clinic and registers for every race under the sun. To say Carol is addicted to running is an understatement...

My favorite weekend of the year has come and gone and once again it was a huge success. For the last 12 years I have been involved with the Easter Seals 24 Hour Relay for the kids. Originally as a runner and team captain and the last 8 years on the planning committee as the Volunteer Coordinator. http://www.24hourrelay.com/ The event is a relay that goes along a 4km course for 24 hours. Teams register and hopefully have at least 15 - 20 runners that take turns running or walking the course while raising money to send kids with disabilities to camp at no cost to their families. I know how important this is as I have a nephew who used to go to these camps and it was the highlight of his summers. These kids are amazing and the camps are astounding allowing kids to rock climb, canoe, and a zillion other things while hanging out with their friends. It shows them that they can when often they are told they can't. The weather was perfect and pretty much all of my close friends we...

This past weekend I was in Tofino, on Vancouver Island to watch some friends - June (aka June Bug), Cory, and Carmen run the Edge to Edge marathon. June was going to try and qualify for Boston. Cory was recruited as her pacer and Carmen just wanted to run the course because she never had. The Shaunettes did a costume change to become the June Bugs and entered in a 5 woman relay team so that they could run and cheer. I got to do my first official stint as a cheerleader. What a great time - it was so much fun to actually be the one cheering and I now know why the girls love to do it. We headed over on Friday and after a few wrong turns (or lack of) we finally go to Tofino where we had rented a house for the weekend. The actual marathon is from Tofino to Uculet along the Pacific Rim Highway. In the first 10 km they actually run along the beach for about a km and then back to the highway and the view from the beach is stunning. Since my foot was still tender from the race the week be...

Best Day Ever.... June 1, 2008 Oliver BC I do not know where to even start - I guess with last year. Iron Mountain Triathlon - Whonnock Lake, Maple Ridge June 24th 2007 11 113 Shaunene Neilson DNF (unofficial time 8 hour - 52 minutes and some change) 5th Annual Persona Oliver Half Iron Triathlon June 1 - 2008 200 200/317 F 37/55 W4044 769 Shaunene Neilson 6:46:31 Yeah baby!!! Okay details - oh the details. It is best to start with the week and a half before the race - I have been riding with a group up Cypress on Wednesday nights. The second to last Wednesday I was out for my final Cypress ride before the race when my chain started skipping. Any time I got out of the saddle to accelerate the chain would jump and not to an easier gear! This was not good but I thought better now then on the race course. Took the bike into first shop and they replaced chain and cassette but it still was not fixed. Then the anxiety started to build - really hard to race...

Wow hard to believe that it is only 3 more days to the "big" day. My mind goes over and over everything that I need to do. I am absolutely beside my self with excitement/nerves. Lottie has a new rear derailer - have not rode her yet but will do so tonigt - fingers crossed that she is good to go. However I have a back-up just in case - one of the ladies I ride with lent me her old bike - she just upgraded and I must say it is a pretty nice ride and it has an actual Ironman sticker on it - I was pretty in awe when I saw that - wow I rode a bike that actually went to Ironman! It has to be a sign. Picked up wetsuits, extra tubes, nutrition, waterbottles, sunscreen, and other miscellaneous items today. Will pack it all tonight. Really it is all a matter of just doing the race now - I don't think I could do anymore training wise. I honestly believe that I have done all that I can do training and equipment wise. I will report back next week with all the details. Olive...

I am like a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Still no word on the final prognosis of the bike. I try not to worry but for those that know me I am the world's biggest worrier at the best of times so this is almost unbearable. Everything hangs in the balance - will I be racing or will I not? It is becoming a real possibility that I may not and that brings me to tears - foolish I know it is only a race but it is so very important to me. I guess I need to work on my priorities. Questions are constant as I sit by the phone - will they be able to save her (the bike). If so how long will it last? Does she have it in her for one more big ride? Is there time to find a replacement? And where do I find the money? And will the new one be the right one. I know it is only a bike but this was the bike I used in last year's epic Iron Mountain tri and so I guess I feel it needs to be the one I use in this year's. The emotional attachement is there it has been on...

Last night did the last ride up Cypress and it was harder than usual because my *#!&#?# chain kept skipping on the uphills and well for those that don't know Cypress is a friggin mountain. With 9 days to race day this is not good - actually potentially devastating. So I went to the bike shop this morning they open at 10am and I was there a 9:59. He looked at the chain did a wiggle here a wiggle there and said that may do it. I rode it nope and then he rode it and came back and said yep it is skipping... (thanks sherlock). So then he starts talking about derailers and so on and I start to feel sick as I realize $$$$ and this is just a guesstimate on his part. So I call my father-in-law who gave me the bike - please note last year I wanted to buy myself a new bike but no my hubby and father-in-law came up with the solution that I would take one of his old bikes. More and more i regret getting talked into this...stupid Scottish heritage I should have resisted the idea of a ...

I do not know which is worse months of training or the taper period before a race. Honestly it is almost too much... Is my bike in perfect running order? Where is my list of stuff to pack? How much did I drink today - how much did I eat today. Hmm what is that ache - it is new?!? Did someone just cough on me - OMG where is the Cold FX??? And so on and so on - I a am just a smidge anal and slightly more obsessive. Have been working on visualization techniques imagining my successful completion of each portion of the race. Broken down the race in parts as best I can since I have never even been to Oliver - so I am going in "blind". Reviewing my training and wondering what I could do in the next 2 weeks that will give me that extra edge without doing anything monumentally stupid - ie tripping and spraining an ankle on a pine cone or pulling a muscle in my shoulder by moving heavy boxes, or.... as you can see I have a history.... So I have started to re-read the Ul...

Quiet time in the office allows for race searches - just a few selections my fav is the Elephant run - but I'll be honest The Sahara one looks interesting. North pole one - Are you kidding me - no thank you - I have limits -Ice is for drinks.... http://www.extrememarathons.com/addo/ http://www.saharamarathon.co.uk/about.html http://www.npmarathon.com/ And of course still trying to figure out how I can convince my husband to let me do the Canadian Death race.... http://www.canadiandeathrace.com/ First lets get Ironman over and done with.

Last night we rode up to Cypress again - this time to the second lookout. I ride with 4 other ladies on a regular basis. Karen is quite younger - in her 20's, and is always gone. I have decided that my goal is to catch her or get closer to her every ride. Judith is also a strong rider and usually we play back and forth going up Cypress - always quite close so mentally I have decided that I need to stay ahead of her as a measure of my progress and improvement. No I am not competitive at all (LOL). Anyways last night we are heading up Cypress and I get to the base of Cypress not far behind Karen and have to wait about 5 minutes for the others. YES - I am getting better. Then we head up Cypress - I keep Karen in my sights until the first look out - albeit it was close to a 1km between us I could still see her jersey. Judith started out in front but I pulled ahead quickly and stayed ahead for the rest of the ride up. I was feeling pretty smug. Now please no this is all menta...

Yesterday was just a great day. The weather was absolutely perfect to don my pace bunny ears for the Vancouver Half Marathon. I really do like being a pace bunny, it is just a lot of fun to help people attain their goals and I think most of them got their goals. I needed to get a training run in and they needed a 2:30 bunny for the half - it was a perfect fit. Official time 2:28:21 - a bit fast but overall not bad since there were no course markers to help me judge my pace. Ran into a bunch of the clinic grads and from all respects and quickly perusing official stats everyone seemed to have a great race! Makes a coach proud. Then I got to watch the full marathoners finish which is always inspiring. Just a great day all round really rejuvenated my spirit for the final training push to Oliver. Less than 4 weeks to go....

Oh my god - apparently I have inner thigh muscles and they are very very very angry at me today. Last night was my first spin class. It is taught by Larry Zimich,my cycle coach's husband. He is of course one of the top road racers and one very sadistic man! I love him. The girls I train with all do his spin class where he works on form, cadence, heart rate and probably most important mental focus. They all swear by it and say the improvement have been huge. They also said it is stupid hard. Well as we know I automatically think aw come on seriously - How Bad Can it Be??? Answer: It is up there. It is one hour of intense training. I have never done a spin class so did not know what to think and was more than a little apprehensive after listening to the girls talk. He is brutal - it was great. At one point he was like Shaun you are riding to easy and came and pushed my tension right up. HELP and then I made a tiny move with my hand that some might have percieved as g...

2 posts in one day?!?! I just had to post it though- I am sooooo pumped! As you know I have been riding up Cypress Mountain every Wednesday with my coach - it never seems to get easier but again I guess it is because she always pushes - it is what I pay her for.... Every Thursday is my brick day where I ride down to Stanley park (5 min from my office) and do a 2 - 10km loops that has Prospect point - a 1km hill about halfway - followed by a 20 min run. Total ride to park and back 22 - 23 km. At the start of the year I was doing my loops in around 23 - 24 minutes a loop. I had set a lofty goal of 20 minutes a loop. Today I DID IT!!! Well not 20 minutes exactly but 20:26 - OMG!!! It was so awesome. I went out thinking I had a pretty hard ride last night I mean I had taken just over a minute off my climb time last night and it had hurt so - Barb pushed, cajoled and pushed some more last night - at one point I honestly thought I might get sick. So today I would just ride a stea...

We have slowly begun furnishing our first home - to that end we bought a beautiful brown leather couch. YOu see where this is going. You guessed it - Alley the wunder cat has found a new scratchy post! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! We have a leather chair that we have had for 10 years basically they arrived the same time and she has never marked it. But the leather couch..... I looked into declawing but just can not do that to her so the options are lock her in the laundry room for the rest of her life or give her away. But then I did some research on the net and found these soft paws - little cat nail covers. So I thought what the heck lets give'em a whirl. Only issue is that the same 2 keep falling off. Not sure what to do but am determined to get them to stay on otherwise she will have to move out because living in the laundry room is no life for her...

With 5 weeks till race day - I find myself having trouble getting "up" for all my workouts. Once I get out there and start going I am fine but I really mentally argue with myself to do it. And it does not help that I know this a normal part of training. Trying to think of ways to motivate myself is a daily struggle. Tonight I have another swim session with my new Master's group and I am not sure if I am just not meshing with this coach or his style is not my clicking for me but I don't feel like I am accomplishing anything. He stands and watches me swim and then I have to coax out of him what I need to work on. It does not feel interactive and I feel like I am digressing which is worrisome. I however have paid for this month so will finish it out before I make a final decision. He is nice enough, and they all seem nice. It might be that they are all exceptionally faster than me but again I am not sure that is the problem as they were all faster than me in Wes...

It never ceases to amaze me the great friends and family that I have and how without their never ending support and encouragement I am not sure I would be able to reach all my goals let alone go after them. On Monday my significant other stopped in the office on his way home to bring me roses for no other reason than just because and my sister sent me an amazing email that reduced me to tears because it was so sweet. I think far too often we forget the important role our family and friends play in our training. We take for granted that of course he will make dinner AGAIN because I am going to Masters for swimming or sure she can meet me Saturday after 2 not 11am since I have to get in my bike ride and then the sorry I did not make it I got a flat and blah blah blah - can we reschedule? I am fortunate in that I have Joe and my friends who I can use as training partners for different aspects of training. Anyone who has trained for or is considering training for longer distances can te...

Son of a - fruit juice!^@^#*$^% Last post I mentioned that life has been an itsy bit stressful and to top it off Joe has been down with a chest viral infection. Immediate actions taken: seperate sleeping arrangement, on to the Cold FX, intake of massive amounts of Vitamin C - and even the drastic step of eating real fresh fruit! I dialed the training back a bit - did not do the the long bike ride last weekend or swim. Did not do the brick yesterday or the speed workout last night. Woke up this am and Throat is scratchy and chest feels tight...... ARGGGHHHHHHH I do not have time for this!!! Just went to walk-in clinic as a proactive measure - I do not like that doctor. He says that my chest sounds rough - what is that?!?! - so I am now on antiobiotics he says it could be Bronchitis starting or Influenza A - if it is bronchitis antibiotics will help and I will know in 2 days - so take the next 48 hours off - WHAT - okay that is not so bad- 48 hours means I am back in the saddle on S...

to say the last 2 weeks have been hectic in my life would be a mild understatement. I am the classic overachiever Type A personality. Synopsis of the last 2 weeks - I am amazed I got any training in and did not have a nervous breakdown or get brutally sick. Even I have to admit I pushed the envelope a bit this time.... Besides working my regular full-time job I do transciption from home in the early am - 5am - 6:45am, I coach 1/2 marathon clinics on Thursday evenins and Sunday mornings, I have a 6 year old border collie that needs about 2 - 3 hours of walks/runs a day, and I am training for the Half Ironman in June. Pretty busy - most people go wow but wait I am not done yet. I also believe that you should give back to your community - it is important so I do charity work for the Lions Society - specifically I am their volunteer coordinator for 3 of their events the largest one being the 24 Hour Relay for the kids which planning for is well underway. Not really a big thing. Pret...

Okay maybe not the queen but pretty darn proud and feeling empowered after last night's workout out with Barb (cycle coach) and the gals in the group I ride with. Last night we did our first - well my first, they have all been up there - ride up to Cypress Mountain. I was anxious all day - first I was anxious about riding up the darn mountain and then even more anxious when I realized that we were riding to the base which was up another very steep road. Doubts abounded - would I be able to get up to the highway to get to Cypress? And then would I be able to get up Cypress without falling too far back? Then I started thinking about the downhill and got freaked about that to. By the time I pulled up to our meeting spot - Cindy looked at me as I got out of the car and said smile it will be okay - you'll be fine. I sure hope so I said. The ladies were great in reassuring me I would be okay - they were like are you worried about the down - I was like I am worried about both! ...

The thing about racing is the after effects. I refer to it as the hangover after the party - you had such a great time but you need to recover now. The thing is that unlike a true hangover I have no embarrassing regrets - any pictures taken I will be proud to have shown and I am not saying "Never again - this is the last time!" Keeping that in mind I just jumped back in taking Monday as a rest day and got back at it on Tuesday. The dilemma has been my right shoulder has been bothering me - so I have skipped all my swims - this morning I was going to go but did not thought after work but arm is still sore. The other thing is the long bike - normally would do this on Saturday am and should be about 2 hrs 45 min but I am running a 5km race and then was planning on going out for some wobbly pops. Thought about doing the bike today but I did time trials on Wednesday and a brick yesterday - seems like a lot.... Could do the bike on Sunday but after running 16 km "ish...

So yesterday was the olympic tri. It was the first "race" I have done since last year's Iron Mountain and I was pretty anxious to say the least. For those that don't know just go to my first ever post and have a boo, For those that don't have the time here is the the cole's notes version is I did a half iron - did not go well - I completed but not in reg time - I got a DNF - my morale and belief in myself took a big hit. Determined to put it to rest finally and prove to myself that it was just a bad day I registered for the Olympic to see how the training was going this time for the Oliver Half iron I registered for in June. I am very pleased with how yesterday went - a few more lessons learned to put in the bank and overall I think it well. Lesson 1 do NOT move heavy boxes the day before and pull a muscle in your shoulder - it will hurt and possibly affect your swim time.... Lesson 2- hiring a cycling coach - great idea! So being a slower swimmer I was...

That is the time I have until I get in the pool and start my swim at the Olympic Tri next weekend. Just got my swim time - 11:15am - so I will have to sit there and wait from 8am until then before I can get in the pool. Joe's time is 9:15 because he is faster so he was like we'll just take 2 cars. Great so you can finish and go home - thanks for the support.... Oh and guess what I am PMS'ing (could you tell by the bitchiness of that statement??) So I am just one big bundle of emotional anxiety. I am worse that a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Well that killed of 4 minutes now only 5 days, 21 hours and 50 minutes to wait....

So last night was the first night I met with my cycling coach -Barb, what a nice and delightful lady, oh and great rider to! There are about 6 other ladies in the group - 5 triathletes and one stinking fast road racer. First thing Barb noticed was my handlebars - too low but overall she liked my trainer. She actually said " that is a great bike" I had to laugh because it is older than god - it is a Bianchi that I bought second hand 8 years ago. A great bike in its time but compared to bikes out there now it is a dinosaur. So had the hubby change the angle of the bars last night when I got home. Looked at my road bike and the since I did get it fitted the bars are in the proper position. She talked about drills and cadence and had me do some drills and sprints. We worked on bike stability and she said that for never doing the drills before I was doing quite well. I am at the back of the group but that is okay since they have all cycled longer and trained with her for a...

So I have done it - finally hired a cycling coach. Last Saturday went for a ride- had been feeling pretty good staying true to the cycling portion of the program but after Saturday's ride the self doubts were going full tilt. The person who I was riding with gave me some tough love - I need to step it up- push harder, dig deeper, improve so that I do not have a repeat of Oliver. They of course are right - it is more than just logging miles so I have signed on for a 10 week session with ZImich coaching - they are a husband and wife team who come highly recommended. Tonight is the first session and I am a little anxious to hear what they have to say. But even more excited to hear their gameplan to help me improve and reach my goals. I will let you know how it goes. Shaun

People always ask why I train as much as I do. They say you are not going to win so why do it? Well good point - for anyone who knows me I am one of the most competitive people out there. I don't like losing - but there is definitions of losing - to me if you give it your all and don't quit then you win. I have no respect for quitters and whiners. Time is secondary - I mean lets face it I am NEVER going to win a half marathon, full or Ironman but that is not why I do this. As a coach I try to get this point across, to be in this sport you have to want it and stop competing with others, compete with yourself. Decide what your goal is for a race and go for it - whether it be to finish, or place or personal best. Stop worrying about what I or anyone else thinks, this is your journey because the one thing that will beat you is you. You have to be tenacious and a smidge stubborn and a competitor. If you have these and you do the training you will find success - sometimes not i...