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

Ok everyone - I know that it is supposed to the season of giving and such but I really, really, really want this. A Confirmed Race Registration for Challenge Roth Full Distance Triathlon Race for 2015.    On early Saturday morning (dec 6) - REALLY EARLY  - 3:00am PST early - I have one last chance to grab a slot through on-line registration. What I like about this is that I will also get to make a donation if successful to a worthy charity as part of my registration - which I think is a really great thing the Roth group is doing. Here is the issue there are only 300 spots and I am as anxious as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs that I again will not be fast enough again.  I just HAVE to do this race.  The last time I was this anxious about something was when I was waiting to see if I had gotten one of 10 coveted spots for Team Nathan in 2009.  So if you could all do a power hum, fingers and toes crossing thing for me I would really appreciate it. Oh and if yo

Challenge Roth is on my bucket list While training for my last Iron distance race - Challenge Penticton in 2013, I decided that I would do 1 more solo Iron Distance race and then I would retire from that particular distance: a)  to chase my bucket list goal of doing an Ultra  -the time needed to train for that meant I could not train for Iron distance b) because if you do 3 Iron distance races no-one can say it was a fluke and c) I like the number 3 - it is an OCD thing.  Now I had not thought much about which one I would do, I just knew I would do one more.  At the wrap up dinner for Challenge Penticton in 2013, Felix kept talking about Challenge Roth.  He kept talking about its roots and how it was similar to Penticton and the community spirit.  It resonated with me because I know some of the founders of the Original Ironman in Penticton, I love the Penticton race and I keep going there because of the community spirit and the volunteers.  I turned to Joe and said I am doing R

So first I will be completely honest - I stole the title from another article on wellfesto.com  because I loved it and I have been searching for a title for this post. I have been thinking about this post for awhile now based on a lot of conversations with different people over the past few months and more with the change in my personal mind set.  In a previous post I mentioned that I had an epithany during my 2013 Oliver Half Ironman.  So I had my "ah Ha" moment but now to learn from it, share it and implement it. I feel like I need to start back in 2000 when I decided with some friends over many beers at a camp out that we would do a marathon.  Had always wanted to do one and it seemed like a fantastic idea.  I even got up the next morning feeling a little rough and went out for a 10km run with the guys and when we got back promptly crawled back in my tent and collapsed.  However the seed was planted - I did some research and found out that there was a marathon in Van

For those that know me I am confident - I know who I am, I OWN it.  I don't hide me and my views and quite frankly I am an opinionated, stubborn, strong Bitch.  I know this and I own it - I make no apologies for it. I however am not a braggart - if you ask I will tell you and I see nothing wrong with talking about your hobbies and accomplishments.  I earned my tattoo and wear it proudly but I don't walk in each Monday morning and announce what I did on the weekend.  (Now facebook and the blog are a bit different so I guess maybe I do brag - sigh) I try to do some physical activity every day - ride to work, run at lunch, swim, stretch (OK THAT WAS A FIB)  but honestly I do try to do something.  I do it because I worry about my weight - any woman over 40 pre-menopausal does and because it makes me feel better.  Lately at work people have noticed that I run at lunch or ride to work.  A few know I race and ask about it  - I don't advertise it, the conversations just happe

Cole's notes version Joe CRUSHED his 2011 time by 1 hour and 39 minutes. - Final time 12:19:06 Team Gets Better with Age rocked the course finishing 29 minutes behind Joe  12:48:04 Okay for those interested in details here they are. Joe and I got up at 4:45 am so we would have time to eat and digest before going in the water.  The weather reports had been sketchy all weekend calling for rain, thunderstorms, wind, sun - it was changing from hour to hour so we had no idea what we would get.  We were hoping for calm water and warm to hot temperatures with no wind.  Thankfully when we headed out the door at 5:45am the lake looked  calm, the sky clear of dark clouds and it was nice and warm.  We made sure to wake up Joe sr before leaving and I reminded him I hoped to be out of the water around 8:40 am so be there for the chip handoff.  It was quite a bit quieter walking down to Transition than previous years but with only 1400 athletes in all races combined not unexpected

Only 6 more sleeps until Challenge Penticton - aka the original Ironman Canada.  Yes for all of you that think the Penticton race is no more you are wrong.   SO VERY WRONG it is alive and going strong.  Without bringing up all the drama and yada yada basically the folks in Penticton rebranded their race.  They wanted it to be about the community and athletes again and not so corporate which is where it had been going in the last few years when IRONMAN became a brand and a corporation. The group that won the contract is CHALLENGE - not well known in North America but huge in Europe and elsewhere in the world.  Their mandate is athlete and community first.  They run the biggest Iron Distance race in the world - Challenge Roth which is my dream to race in but that is another story. So back to Penticton - the course is the same as the old course,l the volunteers are, as always, amazing and yes the iconic Steve King is still calling the finish line.    New things - they have a relay

I have been "racing" in half marathon, marathons, short, middle and long distance triathlons as well as cycling for about 14 years now. I say "racing" because the leaders/winners are in no way threatened by me.  For those that know me I am a smidge competitive.  This is more for me and maybe the 5 or 6 people in my time zone on the course but yep I am competitive. I don't quit, I train religiously and I race hard.  My friends will tell you I am different animal when the gun goes off in a race as opposed to a training day.  I am intense and the I push - I always say there is no such thing as a "training race"  It is a race- throw it down and go! 2012 was not a great year - I had a torn calf muscle, I bounced myself pretty hard off the pavement and got a nasty concussion out of it and the start of 2013 was not going much better.  I had registered for Challenge Pentiction - just a renaming of IRonman Canada, Penticton - same course, same distance so

Ah lets just admit it I am not very good at this blogging stuff but I will try again to be more consistent in my blogs.  I guess I just feel like I don't really have a lot to say most of the time. SO lets see since Oct 2012 what has happened. Had an epithany at the Oliver Half Ironman in June of 2013 Finished another Iron Distance Race - the inaugural Challenge Penticton - 2013 - it was awesome. Travelled to N. Ireland and Amsterdam and fell in love with the cycling culture in Amsterdam.  Met my step-grandson and generally got to catch up with family in Belfast. Ran some great trail races.  Lost my running partner - Bishop after 13.5 years  :(   but gained a new running partner in training Blue.  Still miss Bishop - always will but love Blue more and more each day.  Lost my mother-in-law to cancer at Christmas back to Belfast for the funeral.  I hate Cancer!  Because we want a well adjusted puppy I have been low key on the racing and training just doing the occasio