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

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...