Lisa Mensink--Triathlete

Check out my new website....

2010-08-08T01:09:00.001-06:00

....for all further updates. Goto to www.lisamensink.com. I'll be posting recent races/updates on that site from now on. Special thanks to Adam at Rev 3 and Trakkers for setting up the new site for me!!
Cheers,
Lisa

Tour de Europa Stop #3

2010-07-20T12:45:00.000-06:00

Race # 3: Hamburg World Champs Series. By far the most competitive race that I've been in this year. The swim was interesting, got stuck in the battle, got covered in green (the algae was rampant in the 26 degree water!), came out farther back than I should (coach so not happy with this!). Didn't panic, hammered on the bike , suffered real bad the first couple laps, we caught the leaders, I found my biking legs and moved my way to the front of the pack, so much nicer through the corners. Good T2, came out in the front of the race again, hamstrings and back not happy with me, lost contact with the lead runners, felt better the back half of the run, finished off in 17th place, a solid day in a strong field. Still a little frustrated since I know I can swim & run better than that!

Also check this out: I'm currently ranked #1 for the ITU World Champs Series Best Cyclist Ranking!! There is some extra prize $ up for grabs at the end of the season if I stay in the top 3!

Couple pics from Coach Bjoern who, with wife Stephanie were shouting at me the whole race:

Now back in the south of Holland. Road all the way to Germany today (boarder is only 5km away). Feeling pretty good today. London on Thursday. Race on Saturday. Again check out: www.triathlon.org/tv for coverage.

Below: A modern windmill overshadowing a classic one on the right:

One last thing: Check out my new website: http://www.lisamensink.com/. I'll be posting my blogs from there from now on, so change your bookmarks! I can't believe that domain name was free...what are the chances?

Til London.

Lisa

Race Day...tomorrow...

2010-07-17T11:21:00.000-06:00

Well, it's finally getting close! The men's race in Hamburg was today and we are on Sunday. Sometimes I like to watch the men's race before ours, you get to scope the course, see how the race plays out, it gets me focused on my day to come. But sometimes, it's pure torture, I wish it was me out there racing, not waiting another 26 hours to race! Today, it was fun to watch and Bjoern, Lifesport coach extraordinaire, and his wife were out, so I had some company while spectating (although, I left them early once I decided my legs had enough standing). Now I'm ready for my turn!
Tomorrow's start time is precisely 3:16pm local time. Why 3:16 you ask, I have no idea, but when the German's say 3:16, you start at 3:16 and I like it! Except for the fact that I have to wait all day to race! So you can check out the action on: www.triathlon.org/tv

Back to reading my book and waiting for 3:16 to arrive.
Cheers,
Lisa

Seeing black...and Orange....

2010-07-12T10:02:00.001-06:00

Race #2 completed. Let me tell you, it was easier said than done in the "European heat wave"! With temperatures soaring into the mid-30's it made for a HOT run! I had an excellent start in the swim, a solid bike where not much happened and then was first out of T2....I knew it was going to be a hot one, so I figured it was an all or nothing type deal...either I went for it and felt like a million bucks in the heat or I went for it and blew up in the heat. Well, it ended up being somewhere in the middle, not a great run but not a bad run for the conditions and how I felt (the run course was apparently ~10.5k). I hung on, just as I started seeing stars and things were about to fade to black, for an 8th place finish! I also missed out on being Dutch Champion (a feat I have yet to conquer!), a young Dutch girl had a great day and ran up from the second pack to finish 5th overall. Things are looking great for the Dutch women this season!

After the race I was driven down to the south of country to stay and train with the young Dutch team. On sunday night we all went to the town center to watch the football game.....here is the sea of Orange....

It was too bad about the outcome, otherwise there would have been quite a party around the country!

Up Next: The Hamburg ITU World Championship race series event on July 18th. This one is at a decent time and should be covered live, click here.

Euro Week 1 & 1/2...the Cole's Notes version...

2010-07-08T03:26:00.000-06:00

I've been a bad blogger lately! My apologies! Here is a summary of the last week and a bit.

It started off in the Dublin airport waiting 3 hours for a ride that never came, then a ride on the local bus (the milk run to Athlone) and a taxi ride to the hotel, with bike and bags in tow! There was a bag that was lost, a chat with local police and a lovely Irish couple who had rescued my bag! Then there was a race which didn't go so well. My mind & body still seemed to be somewhere in a time zone over the Atlantic. This lead to a missed bike pack, a transition penalty of 15 seconds for not putting my wetsuit in my box, and a run that felt like Leprecons were hanging onto my legs! Needless to say, the coaches and I made the decision to stop since I was well back and had 3 more races to come! Not a easy decision, since I hate having a DNF beside my name, but a professional one.

Now I am staying with my parents and niece in a little town north of Holten (the site of my next race). We are visiting my relatives who live out here and have come watch me race in Holten before. I'm feeling pretty excited for the race on Saturday, start #3 and I got a mention on the ITU race preview article.

That's all for now! After the race it's off to the south of Holland and the BIG GAME is on Sunday, should be fun!!

Hup Holland Hup!

Cheers,

Lisa

and.....she's off....

2010-06-29T13:12:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post from the YYC AC lounge! After a couple months at home, with only a trip to Des Moines, I'm off on my next adventure.

This one includes a tour of western Europe. First up: European Championships in Athlone, Ireland this weekend. I fly into Dublin today. From there, I meet up with my parents & niece in Holland and race there. Should be fun to have the family there to watch! After that, Hamburg, London, a stop in the Swiss Alps and finally my favourite, Kitzbuhel!

I'll try to keep the updates frequent and with photos!! Check out http://www.triathlon.org/ for results and live feeds.
Enjoy the summer!
Lisa

Grey, Red & Green

2010-06-16T17:20:00.005-06:00

In sticking with the colour theme of my last post, I'll use grey, red & green to describe my last week or so.....

GREY: The colour of the sky everywhere I go these days. A rain cloud seems to be stalking me. Rain & clouds from the past few weeks in Calgary even followed me all the way to Des Moines, Iowa for the ITU World Cup event. I landed in a storm and took off in a storm. It poured pretty much continuously for 3 days, so much they had to cancel the kids race the day before ours due to lightening and flooding! Then race morning, I opened the curtains only to see this:

That's the only picture I took in Des Moines! I was certain that they would cancel the swim due to the lightening in the area but the rain fortunately stopped for the ITU races.

RED: The colour of my back. Since it was still raining when I left the hotel for the race, sunscreen didn't even cross my mind! The sun did manage to pop out just long enough for the last part of the bike and the run. Since my skin has not seen the sun since I returned from Australia, I was a little crispy after the race. Made for an uncomfortable plane ride home!

GREEN: The colour of our grass after all this rain (still not as nice as our neighbours lawn!)...and the colour of a payday at the races! Hy Vee in Des Moines puts on a great race, takes care of the athletes and has the biggest prize purse in Triathlon. The $ went 50 deep, so it was nice to see 100 athletes lined up at the end of the race to get paid!!

Since I made the decision to race DM only 2 weeks out, I wasn't expecting too much on the day, especially since my last triathlon was in April in Sydney. Coach & I made the decision to use this race as part of my prep for my 'tour de Europa' coming up in July.

The race went something like this: In the water, I rolled with the punches, literally, had my suit pulled around a buoy, made up some lost ground on the second lap, excited front pack (minus the 2 ex-swimmers vying for the swim prime out front). On the wheels, my legs were lacking a bit of snappiness but I stayed out of trouble and in the mix. On the first lap of the run, my legs had forgotten the shock of running that hard off the bike, was passed by Emma Snowsill (the eventual race winner and superstar runner) like I was in the 'Fun Run', fell back a few spots but then found my legs and moved back up 5 spots. Finishing off in 14th place. Good hit out before the next round of races and a decent finish for a stacked World Cup field earning me a solid pay-cheque.

Up next: a few more weeks in Calgary to sharpen my racing skills and then the Tour de Europa begins....more on that next post!

Cheers,

Lisa

Blue

2010-06-01T14:05:00.005-06:00

Blue is the my favourite colour. It's a colour that makes me feel warm, calm and relaxed. I like to think about "blue" when things get uncomfortable....like during a massage (unlike what most people think, my massages are anything but relaxing!), or a particularly though session with my athletic therapist (Wendy @ Riverside Sports Therapy, she's the best), or when I really want to stop during a intervals with Coach Paul on the track....think blue, blue ocean, blue sky, Noosa blue, warm blue, relax....

Ahhh....doesn't that make you feel relaxed??

Getting into this frame of mind has been a challenge for me the last few days. I'm not going to sugar coat it, I've been downright blue about this:

The weather in Calgary has made me feel like this:

They promise me some blue skies tomorrow....hopefully that tames my springtime-in-Calgary blues! In the meantime, I'll keep thinking blue and keep the angry blue monster at bay....blue skies, warm blue oceans, yummy blueberries.....

Lisa

I love monday's!

2010-05-25T10:18:00.006-06:00

I've had my head down and been getting some great training in since I got back in Calgary. Monday's have become my 'legs off day' or 'recovery' day, so after this last 2 weeks of high volume training, Monday was a day off training!! Although, it seemed to get filled with all sorts of house 'chores'!

Spring WAS here in Calgary, at least for a few days. With the warmer weather came beautiful blooms that made my allergies flare up....I can deal with a week or two of sneezing if it means that the warmer weather is coming!!

A beautiful day riding below. Although my next ride was in full winter gear this past weekend....brrr....it was chilly!!! Summer, please come soon!!

I also got my new Team Timex Orbea Ordu (& my road bike!) fit right! Thanks to Luke Way for the fit, we made some good changes and I feel more comfortable, powerful & faster on my bikes already!! Check out www.triway.ca to read more about Luke and his bike fitting talents.
Now I am organizing my trip to Europe, it's an action packed few weeks over there this year!! 5 races, a stop in the Swiss mountains and some visiting with family in the Netherlands. More on that trip later.....up next: Des Moines ITU World Cup race on June 13th.

Back to training....1km repeats tonight at the track!!!
Lisa

More St G Photos

2010-05-13T10:05:00.002-06:00

More random pics from St George.....Thanks to Lifesport Coach Bjoern for the photos!

The Lifesport Ironman St George Camp crew:
On the new mountain bike, enjoying the sun!

My kind of Ironman Aid-station!!

Richard and coach Paul enjoy a little draft....it was a WINDY ride!!

Descending through Snow Canyon Park....my favourite road in all of St. George!

Good news....it's finally starting to warm up in Calgary!!!

Nothing like a 10k road race (so-so time), some swimming with 'chutes' & a short time trail on the new Orbea Ordu (love it!!!) to get my focus & fitness back on track for Europe in July!!

Cross your fingers & hope we have seen the last of the snow for the spring!!

Lisa

Rippin' it up in St G & the return of winter...

2010-05-05T12:05:00.005-06:00

Last week Richard and I packed up the car and headed 1900km south for a little fun in the sun on our mountain bikes & to watch the Ironman in St George Utah! Here's some pics of our mountain biking adventures:

Miles & miles of singletrack to cycle on... The 'Acid Drops': fun to play in:

Richard demonstrating how it's done:

Me dropping down.....Xterra here I come!!

Enjoying the blue sky & vista views of the surrounding rocks....

Still love the geology...perified wood in the Navajo sandstone....

We returned this week, after a drive home so windy it pushed my roof rack back a foot, to the lovely spring weather of Calgary.....ahhh back on trainer as the snow is still flying!!! Boo hoo!!

Lisa

Spring Fever

2010-04-21T20:29:00.003-06:00

After returning home & a long chat with the coach, I've been on a 10-day mini-break. Meaning, unstructured on-my-own training sessions. It's been good chance to clear my head and rest the body. Luckily the weather in Calgary has been cooperating! It's been 18-23 degrees and sunny for the past week and I've taken full advantage of the early spring weather!

I've cleaned the garage, done loads of laundry, BBQ'd up a storm, steam cleaned the floors, pulled out the deck furniture, started my taxes (got bored part way through) & raked the lawn....this turned out to be a 2 person job....below is a pile of pine cones from 1/4 of our front lawn.....I guess our 50+ year old pine trees decided it was time to drop ALL their cones at once! That and it's been a dry year in Calgary....I have been doing some 'training' too. The weekend involved heading to the mountains to cycle Elbow Valley--one of the roads closed during the winter--makes for some great early spring cycling. This one is on highway 66 west of Bragg Creek (closed until May 15th)...how often do you get to ride in the mountains on a paved hilly 2 lane road with NO CARS??

The view from the back of my helmet on one of the climbs, still pockets of snow on the sides but the road was clear all the way up & over the pass! It's a fast decent!

I had such a good time on the weekend that I headed out solo today to do some hill repeats. Blue skies, 23 degrees, no cars, just me, the road, and nature! Seriously, I didn't see anyone out there until my way back to the car!

One more shot of the view....ahhh....love those mountains!!!

Up next: Round 2: Summer racing prep-training. I'm feeling refreshed (except for the sore back from raking!), motivated and eager to get back at it! Bring on round 2!

Lisa

A rough day at the office...

2010-04-10T21:37:00.003-06:00

I'll make this one a quick one, cause I need a shower!

It started with a punch in the face and ended with a needle (after 3 tries) in the arm. Not my best day out there. I salvaged a horrible swim with a strong bike to get myself (and a couple other girls) back on the lead pack. I decided to spot everyone a few seconds in T2 and started the run off the pack of girls at the front. I had some up & down moments running, feeling the heat and the liters of harbour water I decided to drink during the swim...it was sloshing around! Then I went too soon for the sprint for 20th and finished in 22nd spot. They grabbed me at the finish, strapped me in some Hannibal Lecter chair and wheeled me to the medic tent before I knew what was happening and stuck me with a needle....apparently I didn't look so good...

Not the result I wanted but there were some positives, so I'll focus on those. Plus, the IV made me feel fantastic after! Guess I have to give them more local emergency contacts too...Richard couldn't make it to the medi tent in time...

Off to enjoy a few hours in Sydney. Home Monday. Back to the drawing board...

Lisa

Boomerang

2010-04-09T23:21:00.003-06:00

Race time 5:50pm MST Saturday night. Watch live: www.triathlon.org/tv

Sydney is awesome, just wish I had an extra day after the race to tour around! That's alright, I'll be back. Peter's roommate gave me the nickname Boomerang, 'cause I just keep coming back!'

Til after the race!
Lisa

A Wise Old Blind Man Once Said....

2010-04-06T21:05:00.003-06:00

My last full day in Noosa went like this:

An early wake up call and off to my last surf swim session. Since it is "fall" here, the days are getting shorter, so it was still a bit dark as we entered the water at 5:45. After watching an episode of my favourite Aussie show last night, Bondi Rescue, about a shark sighting (turned out to be a seal!), my imagination was in full swing this morning! We started doing some intervals in the water when the sun came up. The sunrise over Noosa National Park was amazing...I wish I had my camera. Then on the very last interval, I caught a nice wave and rode it all the way into the beach. I left my last surf swim satisfied!

Then it was back home for brekky and a quick rest beofre heading off to the track for some intervals. First I had to stop at the used book store to swap out the books I'd finished for one for the trip home. On my way out, I had my head down reading the back of my new book when I looked up and a smiling old blind guy (complete with white cane) was walking briskly towards me. I had to make a quick move to jump out of his way and he must have sensed me, cause he smiled and said "You have a happy day!" and walked on. I said "Thank you, I will!" With that positive greeting, I was off to the grass track for my intervals/steeple chase (the track was wet & full of obstacles like sand and thick grass!). Here's a pic of the sand trap in Lane 1:

My intervals went awesome, mainly because whenever it hurt, I just thought of the blind guy and it made me smile!

Then I had to say goodbye to Red. I was a little sad but he served me well. Till next year Red!

Next, I finish off my last full day in Noosa with a massage. Ahhh, doesn't get better than that! Off to Sydney tomorrow and race day on Sunday!

In the words of a Wise-old-blind Man in Noosa:

You have a Happy day!

Lisa

8 Days

2010-04-03T01:10:00.002-06:00

I’ve finally started to feel like I’ve recovered from the Mooloolaba race. Think I was a little more dehydrated from the race than I thought. I had a rough couple days there but now feel like a million bucks. A couple hard training sessions and massage seemed to have done the job!

Here’s a pic from the ITU site: that’s me leading the bike pack:

Only 8 days left in Oz. The last week of a training camp is always the hardest. Usually your mind/head is ready to get back to home after 6 weeks. I miss Richard, my friends & my family (missed my nephews B-day AGAIN). On the other hand, I really love it here in Noosa, so I’ll be sad to leave. I’m onto my ‘lasts’….the last Saturday group ride, the last surf swim, the last Sunday trip to the market for tropical fruit, the last poisonous snake encounter, the last ‘bush rat’ living with me….

This will be the site of my last swim session on Thursday morning:
I’m determined to make all my ‘lasts’ the best yet. My last mile repeats were again epic, a little lonely without my training buddies, but I dedicated every repeat to them (this time it was hot & sunny and not a bush turkey in sight girls!). I can’t wait for my last surf swim session on Wednesday…watch out waves, here I come! Then it’s off to Sydney on the 8th, race on the 11th (evening of the 10th for NA), and then HOME on the 12th!

This time it they should have VIDEO coverage of the race: www.triathlon.org/tv

Til my next sporadic update…
Lisa

Leader of the Pack...for 5.5km anyway...

2010-03-29T17:04:00.001-06:00

The first race of the year done.

Here’s a quick summary of the race:

Swim: Awesome start, got through the surf unscathed and out front. Couple swimmers to my left that came to the first buoys first, so I tucked in behind. It was probably the most civilized World Cup swim I’ve ever been in. It’s so much nicer at the front of the pack! Only problem was around 1k, my swim cap came right off my head, so I had 500m of swimming with my hair swirling around my eyes and face. I screwed up my exit from the water (mainly due to the fact that I had a mat of hair blocking my view!) and it put me a bit farther back on the exit but still front pack.

Bike: I had to work a bit to make up the ground I lost coming out of the water but got on the lead pack fairly quickly. The ride was a bit disappointing, no one really willing to work. I tried to get the group going but the effort seemed not to work. This lead to the chase pack almost catching us in T2 and bringing along some strong runners with it (& the eventual winner).

Run: I came out of transition slightly behind and worked hard to run up to the girls ahead. I was running in a group of 5 women at the front of the race (!). I was feeling great, relaxed and positive—then around 5.5k I had a small lapse in concentration and a gap opened up between me and the other girls….I wasn’t able to close it after that. I managed to stumble my way around the course, the heat was having it’s way with me, tried to minimize the damage, but was passed by 4 girls in the last 1km, but I managed to steal a spot back at the line with a sprint to get in there for 9th.

Since this finish equals my best world cup finish, I’m happy with this result. Also, as my first race back post-stress fracture, I wasn’t expecting much, I also know that I can run faster and just need to tweak a few things before the next race.
I’m trying to find some photos that I can post, but if you go to http://triathlon.org/multimedia/slideshow/C495/ there a couple good pics in there.

Now, I have 10 more days in Noosa, a short flight to Sydney, and then the first World Championships Series race on April 11th. The competition is sure to be even fiercer but after last weekend, I know I’m ready for that step up!

More later,
Lisa

The Great Aussie BBQ

2010-03-22T19:00:00.001-06:00

Ahhh....the rain has subsided for a the last few days...cross your fingers it stays away for the next fortnight (had to use that word, they use it here all the time!)!

Here is the beach where we jump in the water at 5:30am for our surf swims:
The gang also took advantage of the break in the hurricane winds to have a BBQ. Coach Paul trying to figure out the grill....

He got it sorted and grilled up a feast for all to enjoy:

Up next: Mooloolaba World Cup on Sunday (Saturday evening for North America). Check out www.triathlon.org for live coverage and details. Should be a good hit out...first big test of the season!!

Hope everything is well back home!

Lisa

Riding The Wave

2010-03-13T14:16:00.003-07:00

Training camps are a bit like our surf swim sessions out here. You head out from the beach full of energy and optimism, working hard but feeling good, ducking under the waves as they roll towards you. Finally you emerge on the back side of the break in the open ocean, enjoying the swells as they roll by. Then it’s time to swim back to the beach. Sometimes your timing is perfect, you catch the best wave and ride it all the way into the beach, sometimes you try your hardest but just miss the good ones and have to swim it in without the help of a wave. Other times you go for a big one and realize, a moment too late, that you aren’t going to make it and have to let the power of the wave have it’s way. Sometimes you make it out with little damage, other times you get smashed hard into the sand and aren’t sure which way is up! No matter how you get back to the beach, you turn around and do it again.

My camp here in Noosa has been a bit like that. Ups & downs and a few smashings. I’ve had some epic days out here. One day, while doing hill repeats solo on my bike it started to pour. As soon as I finished my workout, the rain stopped, epic. The only other person out there was a local who I would pass going the opposite direction every 10’ or so and wave at. We ended up riding together a few days later, again in the rain, and bonded over our rain/hill riding day.
Corner 7 on Noosa Hill:

Then there are the epic workouts that you wish someone else, even a stranger, was there to witness. In the driving rain & wind I headed out on my scooter to a quiet dirt road to run my intervals on (I’m sticking to softer surfaces here, since my bones are prone to stress fractures!). I got there soaked, cold and not very motivated. I managed to pull myself together and had a fantastic workout witnessed only by Red, my scooter! Another epic one.

My legs covered in sand post run.

Then there was what I call the ‘Misery Loves Company’ workout. Mile repeats on a sandy track in the national park, complete with wild Turkey’s running around. We were all in this one together, in the pouring rain, slugging out mile after mile—but this time, no camera--I couldn’t have done it without my fellow training mates out there suffering too! I also had a chance to return to that gravel road, with Heather & coach Paul, and in the hot sun we toughed out a long tempo run while Paul provided the aid station, again epic.

Along with these epic days, there were also the smashings, a swim where I thought I might drown if I didn’t have a pull buoy, a 4 hour ride where I had to ingest way too many Power Gels just to keep the pedals turning in the gale force head wind that appeared the last few kms! These days make you stronger too, mentally & physically.

Anyway, training has been going well for this time of the year, and it looks like cyclone Ului that has been causing the torrential downpours is almost gone…I also finished my first race of the 2010 season…the Splash & Dash 4 Ca$h! Unfortunately, I finished second to a young Aussie whipper snapper, but it was good to get a short race in before Mooloolaba next weekend, I haven’t raced since September last year…almost forgot how! More on the upcoming races later.

That’s all for now!
Lisa

Lisa’s guide to Dealing with Australian Wildlife Encounters

2010-03-13T01:32:00.002-07:00

What is it? Something like 9/10 poisonous snakes live here? Killer spiders, evil ants, & sharks…My rules for Australian wildlife are simple; never touch any animal/insect I come into close proximity to, never walk barefoot in the grass, never be the first one down a pathway in the morning, and always pretend that shadow you saw in the water was just a friendly dolphin.

We named the giant spider that lives in the garden Charlie (see photo in last post). We thought this would make him seem less of a threat, more like a friend. My friend Charlie decided to try to trap me in his web the other morning…that’s what I get for being friendly I suppose. The wind and rain destroyed his normal garden entrapment during the night, so he decided to build a new one ACROSS the driveway and wait for me to walk into it in the morning! Luckily, my roommate, Birgit, was there to save me and took down the rest of the GIANT web with a stick! Thanks Charlie.

The next day, while running down the pathway deep in my own thoughts (well, more like in a world of pain since my legs were killing me that day!), I nearly stepped on a Brown snake…one of the most deadly snakes in all of Oz….I startled it and had trapped it between me and a steep sidewall…..

Here is a pop quiz. When you see a strange animal in Australia, likely poisonous or just wants to eat you, how do you react? You:

a) Freeze in your tracks, stay as motionless as you can…maybe it will think you are a tree and go away.
b) Stop, whip out the camera, get as close to it as you can for the money shot and post the pic on your blog. Poking it with a stick & aggravating it to get a better photo is ideal.
c) Jump up & down, wave your arms, show your teeth and charge the animal. Use the “I’m bigger & louder than you are” technique to try to scare it off. Doesn’t that work for a Grizzly??
d) Scream like a girl, shout profanities, and run off faster than you ever have, never looking back!

If your answer is d) that is exactly what I did when I saw the snake start to slither beside my foot! Her name is Maggi and she lives just off the pathway (I had to return the same route and was on high alert, but only found the entrance to her den). Hopefully Maggi and I never meet again.

Till my next wildlife encounter...
Lisa

Meet me at the grass track, high noon....

2010-03-09T20:47:00.004-07:00

It’s been just over a week in Oz. The rain has taken a little break and the sun is shining, bringing with it the heat. The other day Coach Paul had a special track session planned between my morning bike with the group (always a good leg burner) and my late afternoon pool strength (pull) session. That left the only time to run around noon. Cruel you say? Yes, but not on Paul’s part; our ITU races are always set for the heat of the day, so these sessions are good for me to acclimatize to the heat & sun that will probably be out for race day! To make the run session extra fun (sense the sarcasm) the track here is grass… it was wet and muddy and slopes to one side. Ahhh fun!

Now training is in full swing and the first race of the season is approaching fast. Mooloolaba is March 28 & Sydney is April 11th. I will post more on those later. Just a short update for now.
Hope all is well at home!The guy above is our neighbour....it gives me the willies just looking at this picture...I have to sprint by him at night!
Lisa

No Worries Mate!

2010-03-05T16:58:00.002-07:00

Well, I've been a bit AWOL the last week or so. I made it to Australia and the internet situation is a little dodgy....apparently my email account was hacked and sent out a rather random email to everyone in my contacts list!! So, if I haven't chatted with you in awhile and you got that email, HI, and I'm sorry, delete it!!!

Anyway, I'll write more later. All is well here, lots of rain but it's warm and I'm outside, so I can't complain!

Lisa

Coast to Coast & the Other Side of the World

2010-02-25T13:59:00.003-07:00

Every year I say I want to cut down on the number of trips I take and have an easier, quite schedule. Every year that plan gets derailed somehow, this year seems to be no exception either. I don't know how it happens but suddenly I'm booking plane tickets, signing up for races in the middle of winter and packing my bags!

After a quick week in Victoria that involved some swimming, some sweating, some mile repeats and hills with my Lifesport teammates, I left the budding cherry blossom trees for a blast of winter on the opposite coast.....

This trip was to meet all my new Team Timex buddies. Why New Jersey you ask? Timex is partnered up with the NY Giants and we were able to make use of their fancy new practise facilities....this place is sweet!!!

We also played a little football...for me this was an hour of avoiding the football and trying not to tear something in my knee....so fragile!! Seriously, Triathletes should not be allowed on the field!
There was also the night at Medieval Times....I thought these places didn't actually exist except on the Simpsons...Not sure what to say about this place except...Go Red Knight!

And since we had a view of NYC from the Timex facility, there was an evening in NY! Here I am with Triathlete & coach, Chris Thomas, in Times Square. Lights, lights, lights....

Up next? I'm packing for the long journey to summer....going back to Noosa, Australia for some training and races to see where the training is at. Then I can focus on what I need to' tweak' when I get back in April and get down to some serious work for the summer races in Europe!!

Start counting those airmiles....
Lisa

On the road again....

2010-02-12T18:23:00.003-07:00

Let the games begin...not just the Olympic games in Vancouver, but the 2010 travel season for me! I'm currently in Victoria for a quick camp to kick off my season right. Then I travel over the New York (well New Jersey, NY just sounds cooler) for a Team Timex gathering. Then home for a whole week of quality Richard time and laundry/packing time. Then it's down to Australia to get down to some serious business!!!

My morning wake up view, not too shabby!!
Right now I am watching the opening ceremonies for the winter Olympics, half awake, half asleep, hungry but too tired to cook. It's been a tough couple days for me, just what I needed to get my butt in gear--or at very least, very sore!!

After 5 months of no travel and relative calm, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!

Time for 2 weeks of televised Olympic watching!!

Lisa

The Case of the Missing Quatchi..

2010-02-04T11:17:00.004-07:00

The Crime: The other night Richard and I discovered that one of stuffed Quatchi's, the best mascot for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, is MIA & there is no evidence of his whereabouts....
Our matching key chain Quatchi's that we both got for Christmas presents:
The prime suspect: Piper (aka The Red Devil). No way, you say, she's too sweet and innocent to do something to Quatchi?!

Piper is an Irish Terrier who is very cute but also very tough and too smart for her own good! We dog-sat her when she was a puppy...she destroyed any stretching tool (foam roller, TP massage stuff) I left out and played a game of 'catch-me-if-you-can' with little muddy paws on our carpet...but that was a couple years ago. Now she's mellowed but I'm convinced she's upped her game! I close all the bedroom doors when I leave her alone but I'm almost certain she's stashed Quatchi somewhere (or ate him, but no evidence of that yet...).

The Verdict: Innocent until proven guilty. Piper is off the hook until I find some more evidence. Who knows, maybe Quatchi is hiding in the laundry...

Not a triathlon related post....I've been watching too much Law & Order.

Dreamin' 'bout Tuesday...

2010-02-01T12:53:00.003-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posting....but in my defense, it's been a tough couple weeks in terms of training. I've barely had time for much else....case in point: my clean laundry pile (pictured below)...normally I find folding laundry relaxing, but I hardly had the energy to do that lately! Heavy training load+a bout of insomnia=one mentally & physically tired girl.

Not to worry though, after toughing out a double swim + bike day on wednesday-during which I wanted to rest my head on my aerobars as we did intervals-I managed to finish the week off with a good swim on saturday and a much improved run on sunday. This was all followed by an hour of laundry folding and 10 hours of sleep last night (finally!), and I feel like a million bucks today! One more swim this afternoon today and then...wait for it...a FULL DAY OFF on tuesday...I've been dreaming about tuesday since last tuesday...I can't wait!!

Tonight the Red Devil arrives for her stay at Chateau R&L...more on that later!!

Lisa

Running in Circles

2010-01-24T09:03:00.002-07:00

Ahhh, run training in the winter in Calgary....snow, icy sidewalks, and darkness. We had a stretch of nice weather to start the year off but now it's back to winter and the warm temps managed to partially melt some of the snow and coat sidewalks and roads in black ice, making for treacherous running conditions. So my run group takes to the 453m indoor track that runs around the Olympic speed skating oval.
The 'paper clips' outside the oval:
A plus to running around the oval ice is that you get to watch the speed skaters. With the Olympic games in Vancouver so close, lately Olympic fever has taken over the oval:

There have been all sorts of speed skating elite at the oval. Last week there were the Russians & Japanese Olympic teams working out during our run practise! No sign of the Dutch team yet, I've been keeping my eyes out for them!

That's all for now. Back to swim-bike-running. I'll report any other sightings....

Lisa

Juggling Act

2010-01-13T10:30:00.004-07:00

The sport of triathlon is a juggling act. One sport would be so much easier. I tend to want to do all 3 sports full-on and want to feel great in all 3 sports at all times....Sometimes it's not that easy. Injuries happen, winter happens (trapping my bike inside) and sometimes you just need to focus on one sport and neglect the others to make gains in that sport.

Right now I'm on a 'swim focus'. It started primarily due to my stress fracture that sidelined my running, weather that is not very conducive to logging long hours in the saddle, and the fact that my swim was so hit-and-miss last season. So to the pool I went. At the start I was struggling with my new group; fading during the last half of workouts (all 5km+), being last on every set and had days were I felt I was actually going backwards. But I stuck with it, made it through the dreaded "Christmas training camp", have energy left after a 7km workout, have been asked a couple times if I "wanted to go ahead" in the lane, and yesterday I was even told that I was getting "way faster" by a fellow swimmer! Finally the hard work in the water was starting to show!

While swimming, I was still spinning on the bike and starting to build my run back up--but they haven't been my priorities. Last week, I jumped back in with my super run group to start training some harder intervals. What a shock to the system! Coming back from injury is always a challenge, it's a long road back and there have been lots of ups and downs. Last night I checked my ego at the door and slugged out some 2km repeats. They hurt, I've forgotten how to run fast & hard, my legs screamed, my lungs burned and my times were slow....but it felt oh so good to be back on the road. My run coach assured me.."every workout will get better & better, don't worry, you'll work your way back".

Once again; I'm struggling to finish run workouts, I'm last on every repeat, and I'll have days where I'll feel like I'm running backwards.....and once again, I'll put my head down and work my way up the pack and hopefully sometime soon, I'll get asked if I "want to go ahead".....it always seems like a such a long road back until you get ro the end......

Time to juggle the sports; keep my swim fast, kepp up my bike fitness (until I can get back on the road), and build my run back up.....with a plan that they'll all come together for race season!
Lisa

Winter wonderland

2010-01-06T13:07:00.003-07:00

Just a quick post. Still swimming up a storm. Throwing some runs & rides in there as well. Snowshoeing with the swim team last weekend was fun. The next day I did a 3 hour skate ski and felt the effects of the my overzealous pole use in the pool on monday! My skate technique is not the best but I still get a great workout out of it!

Here is Richard & I standing on Lake Watrich in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park:

Other than that, I've been busy planning out my upcoming season & training camps. Big things to come! Will let you know when I finalize everything

Lisa

Swimming in the 'D' Lane

2009-12-30T17:18:00.003-07:00

Happy Holidays!! You know it's time for an update when your Dad calls you and says..." you really need to update your blog Lisa..."

Well, after a short but sweet Christmas break, I've been on 'Christmas training camp' with my swim group. I've been relegated to the back of the distance lane or the D lane. When I swam, I avoided the D lane, it wasn't somewhere I ever wanted to venture...it only meant longer sets and swimming more meters....funny how things turn out!

Here is how to tell if you've been swimming too much lately:

You've swam a total of 31km in 3 days

Sometimes when you try to go fast, you can't feel if your arms are moving!

Half way through the workout you daydream about how good your Powerbar is going to taste

After workout you are so hungry that you HAVE to eat your Powerbar in the shower...gross I know, but I was beyond hungry

You aren't sure you'll be able to hold onto the steering wheel while driving home after practise
You've stopped showering between workouts, there just doesn't seem to be a point & Richard doesn't seem to mind the chlorine smell
Because of the above, you have also ceased to brush your hair, again, no point

This is how you feel after 3 heavy days of swimming:

Phew...one more practice tomorrow and then thankfully, the swimming gods have closed every single pool in Calgary on New Year's Day, so it's a day out of the water!!! Then, it's a weekend of snowshoeing and skate skiing on the books...I hope my arms can use the poles!!

Happy New Year everyone!
Lisa

1900 Kilometers....+200km....

2009-12-16T21:12:00.005-07:00

After my last post, Richard and I snapped, we had enough of the -20 something weather and packed up the car and headed south. We drove and drove, lil' Blue (my car) had developed a shutter, a cold weather wobble....we even had to stop an hour out of Calgary to spray it down in hopes that the chunks of ice on the axles and in the wheel wells would melt....the wobble persisted for about 1000km, very annoying.

Our destination was St. George Utah & my parents place down there. Our heads were filled of visions of palm trees, clear roads, tons of biking & running outdoors and maybe even walking outside without a jacket & gloves. So south we drove, the snow persisted...we made it to Idaho Falls the first day...it was still -20...this poor Llama was outside all night, we checked to make sure it was still alive in the morning...guess Llama wool is pretty thick, poor guy!

We pushed on in search of warmer weather....we willed the snow away, we wished for the St. George to be BELOW the snow line....about 10' outside of St G we finally dropped below the snow line, just barely, but the next morning we woke to this:

The locals blamed a "Canadian cold front" that brought the abnormal snow, we called it "a cruel joke". After a couple cups of coffee, a swim at the local pool, thoughts of jumping on my trainer (yuck), and a couple clicks on expedia, we made the decision to drive a further 200km south in search of some heat--we weren't expecting the tropics people, temps above the melting point were all we wanted! So Vegas it was! I'd never been, so we thought is might be fun. Since gamblin' & drinkin' aren't really our thing, we opted for hours of people watching, hitting bike shops (I'm looking for a new mountain bike) and running down 'the strip' instead. Oh the sites you see when you run down Las Vegas Boulevard at 8am....and YES it started to warm up in Vegas and finally in St George! I also heard a rumour that there might be an ITU World Cup/Champ race in Vegas 2011...fun!

Us at the Bellagio fountains:

Richard petting what I dubbed 'the ode to global warming' in the Venetian. A polar bear and cub growing flowers instead of fur, floating on a lone piece ice....

After the quick Vegas stop, it was back up to St G. The drive back into Utah is beautiful, even more so once we saw all the snow was gone!

The last few days have been filled with swimming and exploring the local area by bike and foot. Richard and I rode a loop of next year's Ironman St George...if you are planning on racing this one, just let me know and I can give you my scouting notes! All I can say is you better start riding hills!!

I did a fantastic training ride up in Snow Canyon Park....don't worry, no snow here, in fact I was down to just shirt and shorts after my first hill repeat! The road through the park is almost exactly 20' of uphill riding (only 10' down!), precisely what coach wanted me to do: 2x20' at low rpm, perfect! What made the ride even better was the rocks! I could spend all day on that road going up and down and looking at the Geology. Here are some pictures from today's ride. The petrified dunes:

With signs & lookout stops like this along the way, it made descending dangerous and I was rarely looking at the pavement in front of me!

Apparently these guys like the rocks too...I only saw a couple small furry things dart across the road:

Ahhh....Igneous rocks (basalt lava rocks) capping the Navajo sandstone....does it get better than this??

That's all to report for now. Up next a run on the red rocks.....

Cheers,

Lisa

Ol' Man Winter

2009-12-05T10:26:00.002-07:00

He is here and he means business...I managed to get in a training ride outside on Nov 26, which is pretty late for Calgary but winter is now in full force...here are some pictures from a chilly walk with Shaggy in the dog park...it was so windy all the snow was blown away!

Here's a video in case the pictures didn't give you the full effect, check out the snow blowing across the field:

The snow drift on the side of the house:

You know that you live somewhere cold if:

your toes are cold & steam rises off you when you are riding inside with the door propped open during spin class
you're wearing long underwear 24/7
you've bought a new pair of boots that are rated to -40 degrees
the only jacket you've worn in 4 days makes you look like the Michelin man (see 1st pic)
you've considered paying insane amounts for a last minute flight to somewhere warm

Bundle up. I'm planning a trip south....
Lisa

Can you say destination race....

2009-11-30T15:06:00.004-07:00

Picture yourself swim/bike/running in the majestic mountains of Banff National Park! That's right folks, the Subaru Triathlon Series is bringing a race to Banff in 2010! If you're looking for something a little different (potential for wildlife sightings on the bike course is high!), have always wanted to swim in the sparkling blue-green waters of a mountain lake, or have dreamed of running down the streets of Banff in a tri-suit, this race is for you! Plus, you can add a couple days onto your trip and go for a hike or a gondola ride after! Oh yeah, a post-race stop at one of the chocolate shops in town is a must ; )

Here's the press release. Dec 1 registration opens...and it's capped!

Banff Triathlon Announced Registration Opens December 1st; Race Capped at 500 spots!!!

The Subaru West Coast Triathlon Series is excited to announce that Banff National Park will be added to the 2010 line up of races with the introduction of the Subaru Banff Triathlon. This race could quickly become known as the most beautiful triathlon in the world with the swim taking place in pristine Two Jack Lake followed by the cycle around the breathtakingly beautiful Minnewanka Loop. The run will trek around the town of Banff and finish down famous Banff avenue with the Cascade Mountain as the back drop and in to Central Park, nestled on the edges of the Bow River. Don't miss out on this incredible sporting experience - Banff National Park is the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains World Heritage Site, a global treasure of natural beauty, wildness, and diversity of life. The event will take place on September 11th and include an Olympic and Sprint distance event. Be part of the inaugural race in 2010! Registration will be capped at 500 spots and will open on December 1, 2009. For more information or to register click here.

Start planning 2010 now!!!

Deers, the yogi master & a new nemesis...

2009-11-27T11:16:00.011-07:00

So I've had more urban deer encounters in the past week and 1/2 than I have seen all year. It all started last week during the morning walk that Shaggy and I take down the back alleys in the neighbourhood. We came to a backyard with a fake plastic deer in it--our neighbourhood was built in the 50's so it is a mix of the retired (with a plethora of lawn ornaments), empty nesters and young couples. I had walked right past it, Shaggy on the other hand, froze, transfixed by the deer. He got his back up (this is rarely done by him!) and stalked ever so slowly toward it, unsure what it was...it was hilarious. Then he got close enough to sniff it nose to nose and realized it was fake and trotted off satisfied. Next I saw the big guy cycling last week and a family of 5 (real ones) on the street early one morning on a walk with Shaggy. I was lucky enough to see them first and grab Shags before he took off towards them! Then I had to stop and let 2 deer leisurely cross the path I was riding on in Fish Creek on Thursday!

I also finally caught Shaggy's yoga in action. Stealing another recovery technique from Shaggy, I have made an effort to attend a weekly yoga/core class--even though I am probably the worst yoga-ist (if that's a word) in the class, with the exception of the core portion, which I excel at! Take note of Yogi Master Shag's aptly named 'downward facing dog' stretch--with a couch adaptation....this is done multiple times a day, he also regularly does the 'upward facing dog' stretch before heading outside....

On the training front, it's more of the same; swim (a lot)/bike/run (well, jog). Actually, I've been swimming so much that last week I came out of the pool after 6400m with hickies on my neck! This is what happens when you swim way too much and your skin is way too dry!! I also took a big blow to my already deflated swimming ego--I got beat by a breaststroker in a 100m showdown the other day...in my defence he races somewhere in the ballpark of 1:00 for 100m breastroke and it was after 4800m of swimming & sprinting on the friday of a big week of training--so I was a little tired! Either way, I have myself a new nemesis in the pool....watch out evil breastroker...as Dr. Claw would say...I'll get you next time Breastroker....next time!!

And since I can't bring myself to cheer for any team east of Winnipeg and my Stamps are out....Go Riders Go!

Over & out,

Lisa

2009-11-19T17:53:00.007-07:00

Yesterday a 2.5hour base ride was on the schedule...thankfully the weather in Calgary is still decent, I want to limit my indoor trainer time as much as I can, so I suited up and headed South! I rode from the house to Fish Creek Provincial Park on my cross bike (=road bike with wider tires so you can take it off pavement) to play on the trails down there.

My cross bike is my old commuter bike and is named Jake. That's the name he came with, I didn't give him his name, kind of like a rescue puppy, he already had a name when I picked him out. It's been well used year round, so it's a bit rusty from being left covered in snow, outfitted with full fenders, a pannier carrier, a rear studded tire (for riding on ice & snow), a bell (mandatory on Calgary pathways, and they will ticket!) and is a bit of a beast (compared to Maddy!).

All suited up. At first I thought I was over dressed but once I dropped into the park valley, I wish I had more on!! Love the white leg warmers??

Ice on the creek...brrrr....but the ride was still fun. I rarely head to the park, so every turn was new stuff--I just couldn't feel my toes...

I also ran into this guy below...it hard to see but it was a large young male with new a small rack of antlers. I cycled within a meter of him--it totally scared me when he stood up right beside me! After I took this picture with my phone, he turned towards me on the path and started trotting towards me. I dropped my phone in my pocket and got out of there....he was young but BIG!

As for the rest of my training, it's been up and down this week in the pool. Monday, I was a killing it in the pool, tuesday/wednesday, not so much! I think I'm just a bit rusty on the all important recovery and nutrition that is needed with the higher volume of training. I've decided to take a few notes from Shaggy's play book. He's always ready to go for each walk/run/ball chase session....but in between workouts, he recovers like a rockstar:

Well, I'm off to rest up for swimming....it's time trail night, I have to be on my game--move over Shaggy!!

Oh yeah...this is for Louise and the Saskatchewan rellies: GO STAMPS GO!!!

Lisa

Tryin' to find a rhythm...

2009-11-13T08:18:00.004-07:00

The first week back is always the toughest. I'm tired, I have muscles so sore & exhausted that just getting out of bed is a challenge (not complaining, I love the aches and pains that come with training, even missed it a little over the last 6 weeks!), and I have a new schedule to adjust to. I find the hardest thing is finding my rhythm....the first week, I forget things for workouts, I'm a little late due to traffic or parking, or forget to check the gym hours to make sure it's open! It just takes a week to get my act together again!

As for the training, I am back RUNNING!!! Pain free too! It's going to be a slow build but I'm loving every step! In the pool, it's been about finding my rhythm too, this past season, we didn't focus on my swimming and my stroke & endurance suffered a bit. I'm currently swimming with the UofC team and getting my butt kicked daily! The other day was 'circuit day' or as I renamed after the practice, 'torture Lisa day'. I'll spare you all the details, but it included swimming attached to a bucket pulley system, we swam pulling a GIANT bucket full of water up the pulley. I almost drown. Then we moved onto my personal fav, 'chutes'! That's right, swimming with a parachute attached to you. here is a pic of one below:
Don't be fooled, it looks small, but man it is hard!! There was also some underwater swimming, again a fav, and countless pull ups from getting in and out of the pool! I could barely drive home! The next day was filled with so many flip turns my toes ached from pushing off the wall. The good news is....after a couple of weeks of barely making the sets, I'm starting to see some gains and feeling a bit of rhythm in the pool...finally!!

As for the bike...this weekend, while watching the race that I was supposed to be at, I will be doing my first 'test set'....coach wants baseline numbers to start the season off...oh it's going to hurt!!

GOOD LUCK at Clearwater!!!
Lisa

An important day

2009-11-11T10:47:00.002-07:00

Why walk when you can run?

2009-11-08T12:34:00.003-07:00

Day 1 starts Monday!!! My official return to training is a 'go' tomorrow. I'll be starting a light walk/run program, maybe some water running (my fav), get back on the bike--my cross bike until is gets too cold--and tons of swimming with the U of C group!

After 6 weeks off, copious amounts of Halloween candy consumed (Triathlete on off-season+ Halloween=trouble!), tons of house 'projects' completed, countless walks/hikes with Shaggy, and a good mental break--I'll have some work to do to get back into form for next year. Clearwater 70.3 Worlds Champs is next weekend, sucks that I can't be there but I'll use it as extra motivation to kick-start the 2010 season!

Good Luck to all those racing next weekend--wish I was there with you!!

That's all for now.
Lisa

CeraSport on Board!

2009-11-02T11:31:00.005-07:00

When I first started racing Triathlon, I really struggled with hydration and nutrition. After some experimentation with various electrolyte drinks my first couple seasons racing, I was down to plain ol' water on the bike--I just couldn't stomach the super sweet drinks or some of them just didn't sit well when I raced. Once I started competing at a higher level, I realized that water just wasn't going to help me get great performances--especially in hot weather.Enter CeraSport. This rice-based electrolyte drink works great! It's not super sweet (but has great variety of flavours) and since it's not sugar-based, my stomach loves it! CeraSport is now one of my valued supporters, here is the official press release. You can order this great product online or chat with me if you want to try it, check their site out: http://www.ceraproductsinc.com/.

And yes, the pumpkin on the left was mine!
Stayed tuned....my return to training has been scheduled for Nov 9...and yes that includes running!!! SO excited!

Lisa

I know I won...

2009-11-01T07:20:00.003-07:00

Happy Halloween!!
Richard & I had our annual pumpkin carving contest yesterday, I'm pretty sure I won, but you can decide....which one do you like better???

A candle light version:
Other than that it's been a week full of Shaggy walks, a persistent cold/flu that just won't leave me, a Metric concert, raking leaves and changing light fixtures! No running yet....boo hoo...one more week off.

I've been dreaming of running....I may have even tried a few steps the other day--I had to keep up with Shaggy on the path!

Lisa

My Buddy and Me

2009-10-21T09:09:00.005-06:00

Not much going on in Calgary these days. I'm officially in "off-season", it's hard for me to do nothing! It's helped that I've been sick for over a week, it's forced me to take some time off. Time off is important, I know, I don't want to start back up for next season and be burnt out before race season even starts.

Shaggy has been my partner in crime the last few weeks, he is staying at our house while my parents reno theirs. We go for long walks & hikes (since I can't run, it's the next best thing), we run errands, we fix things in/around the house (all the things I've let slide the last few months!), we take naps, we try new recipes, and we watch the hockey game together!

A couple more weeks until I can start up running again...I can't wait!! It will be a SLOW build up--a few weeks of walk/running to be safe, in the meantime, I've been hitting the gym to work on my weaknesses and imbalances. I am determined to have an injury free season next year!

Lisa

20 Bucks & Water Logged

2009-10-10T08:39:00.005-06:00

Ol' Man Winter made his first appearance post-summer here in Calgary. Every year it happens, a big temperature swing, snow blowing around, the North wind howling, yet no one is ever ready! I took Shaggy (he's crashing at our place while my parents reno theirs) to the dog park the other day. I thought I was dressed for the cold, I got out of the car and started walking with him, at first it was ok but once I crested the hill and the wind hit me, I just wanted to lie down and pass out! I found out once I got back and could feel my fingers again that it was -17 with the windchill! Now, I've said this before, but since I have been chasing summer for the past few years, I have become a 'winter wimp'!

I was then on the hunt for my winter gear. It happens every year, where the heck did I stash all that stuff??!! It was worse this year since I think that Richard put all my stuff away in the very last place I would look! I found my long underwear, my down parka and my winter boots (after 30min of searching) for Shaggy's next walk. Winter is not so bad if you dress for it! The best part about pulling out the new wardrobe is the pocket check! I usually find an assortment of chap sticks, miscellaneous receipts, and this year it was a 20 dollar bill! Nice!

I do love winter (if dressed for it!) but I still prefer this kind of weather:
The other night my Mom and I attended a Swimming Calgary fundraiser called Making Waves. It was a fun night with Olympic Gold Medallist (1992, 100m Backstroke, 53.98) Mark Tewksbury! This may date me a bit, but Mark and I actually swam on the same team (different groups) back in the early 90's. They even showed his gold medal swim--53.98 in a tiny Speedo--no illegal suits then!!

Here is Mark and I at the event. He has a new book out--The Great Traits of Champions--that we picked up and got him to sign...I don't think he remembered who I was though!

On the training front, I have an unofficial stress fracture (an early interpretation of my MRI). No running for 3 more weeks. That mean water running for 3 more weeks....In the meantime, I've jumped back in the water with the University of Calgary swim team. I'm last for pretty much everything except for the kick sets!! It's good though, makes me work hard in the pool! As for Clearwater, I have to have a chat with Coach, he's in Hawaii right now, to discuss the new game plan.

Time to go for a winter walk with the dog, then jump on my bike while watching the Hawaii Ironman on the computer!

Lisa

Legalize it

2009-10-06T10:40:00.006-06:00

What the what?!

That's right everyone; after nearly 10 years of dating, multiple months of living in different countries (Netherlands, UK, US, Singapore, Australia, SE Asia), 4 years after buying a house, long after achieving 'common-law' status, 3 years of engagement, nearly getting married in Noosa last year, and 2 whole weeks of 'planning', believe it or not, we finally made it all legal!

It was a small, low-key ceremony/event on October 2 in Canmore with a few family and friends. The weather wasn't the greatest, but I think all had fun out in the mountains for a weekend. Thanks to my good friend Gord Timm for supplying the venue and accommodations!

Note: Although the cat matches the 'decorations', it was not a planned part of the ceremony....cats are good luck right??!

That's all for now.

Best of luck to all that are racing in Hawaii this weekend! Go TEAM LIFESPORT!!

Lisa

An Analysis: Injuries & Water Running

2009-09-28T14:54:00.006-06:00

Water running, aka Aqua jogging. Why do it? Can you really get a in a good run workout? Can you do it without looking like a total geek? Since I know I can't be the only one out there dealing with an injury that prohibits running, I thought I would share my thoughts on water running.

The Injury: When you have an injury that prevents you from running sometimes the psychological strain of not being able to run can be worse than your physical pain. I know I'm not alone on this one, I loath not being able to run, especially when I see others out there on a nice day running when I can't!! Sometimes it takes an injury to make us realize how much we love to run and that it's an essential part of our daily life. Although you may be keen to return to running, rest is an important part of your recovery, so don't rush it. You may need to cut way back on running -- or eliminate it entirely, as in my case -- until you recover from your injury.

So what to do in the meantime? I don't want to lose too much of my run strength/speed if I can at all help it! The answer: Water Running!

The Facts:

at sea level, air is 784 times less dense than water=it's MUCH harder to run in water than in air!
The buoyancy of an object in water is exactly the same force as the weight of the displaced water=you float, therefore reducing impact on joints, limbs, muscles.

The Gear:

A pool with a deep end--I like to do the bulk of my workout in the deep end but us the shallow end to do drills and strides and to check my form from time to time (only if you don't feel any pain with the impact).
water belt--Some people don't use the belt but I find that it really helps me focus on my form and prevents me from cheating! And yes, you will look like a geek!
an old, but clean, pair of racing flats. I always clear them with the lifeguards before I jump into the water with them on! I like wearing shoes for the added resistance and I find it gives my feet more of a sensation of running and stops you from pointing your toes!

The workouts:

Believe it or not, you can get a really good workout water running. I find I really have to push it to get my HR up and have read that your max HR can be 10% lower running in water than on land.
You can do your 'long slow distance' workouts (low heartrate running) in the pool, although these get a little boring. Thankfully my pool has music playing and there is usually some bad swim technique for me to critique in the lap lanes while I run!
You can also do intervals in the pool. I find these workouts go by fast as you are always changing your pace and have to focus on technique and form throughout to really get a good workout.

Here is a sample workout (short but sweet):

Warm up: 10' easy jog, drills and strides (yes, you can still do these in the water!)

Main set: 6x(3' hard running, 2' recovery)

Cool down: 10' easy

There you have it! For those who are injured, you can still run, although it will have to be in the water, but just think how good it will feel to finally run on pavement!!

Back to the pool for me!
Lisa

Fully & Completely

2009-09-22T17:07:00.014-06:00

It's been awhile since my last update. I've been busy, tired, lazy,unmotivated...all the excuses. Actually, the jet-lag really kicked my butt this trip. Think the 2 week turn around to Australia really messed up me up!

Went to the Tragically Hip concert on Monday. We were 2nd row, so close we were part of the show! It was a great concert, I've seen them before but this was by far their best concert--Gord Downie (lead singer) sweats more than me during a high intensity indoor trainer ride! For those that don't know the band, they are a classic Canadian rock band. They are on tour right now, hitting the US in October/Novemeber and then heading to the Netherlands in November...Amsterdam, Utrecht, Groningen (where some of my family lives), and Eindhoven! The first 3 days of fall in Calgary have been 30, 33 and tomorrow is supposed to be 28 degrees Celsius(80-92F)!! Crazy! I'll take it--normally the daytime high right now is 15.

What a view! Check out the mountains on my ride today....beautiful blue skies! I rode straight into the mountains today--they were calling me from the house today!

Injury report: leg still aggravated. X-ray negative, so that is good. Might have an MRI next week.

That's all to report for now!

Lisa

The Goldie

2009-09-14T19:04:00.003-06:00

Ahhh, the ups and downs of sport.

Here's the race report: I was violated in the swim, seriously, thoughts of "say NO, then GO, and TELL someone you trust" came into my head when I was swimming. Not sure if it was the due to my start position (as many of decent swimmers who started near me came out of the water with me too) or if I was just too tense being stuck in the chaos, or if my swim was just weak. Anyhoo, got onto the bike and ended up being second chase group that didn't want to work together and lost almost 2' to the lead group of 7.

Now for the run, here I should explain first. I've had some left leg pain since I stepped on a rock at the Calgary 70.3. It's manifested itself in various aches and pains, from my heel, to my calf & glute medius, and finally to my tibialis anterior (or what I call shin splints). I was pretty optimistic that I would be good to go on race day, I'd raced the Aquathon and felt ok after but race morning, my 'tib' was not too happy with me. To keep this short, the run into the swim hurt, T1 was not comfortable and T2, not good. I ran one lap to see if it would ease but it didn't. I made the decision to pull out--not wanting to do any further damage in hopes I can still finish off the season in Clearwater (70.3 World Champs) in November. Now, I won't even type what I think the problem might be, since I'm hoping it's not that, but I'll be getting it all checked out once I get home. Disappointing, yes, earth shattering, no. I just have a new game plan now.

Now some pics: Yours truly in Surfers Paradise--not a cloud in the sky the entire time there. Beautiful beaches, but the whole 'scene' is not my style...maybe if I were 21 and backpacking....

The skyscrapers in Paradise, quite a contrast from Noosa!
Me, after my first surf lesson--complete with a certificate! It's as hard as it looks people! I was definitely not a natural! At one point the instructor jumped on the board with me to help me stand up....It was kind of like when you first learn to ride a bike without training wheels, you remember; when your Dad runs with you and says he's holding onto the seat but he actually isn't and then you realize he's not and start to wobble and crash...I managed to get up, and stay up, thinking he was still with me, then I looked back and realized he'd let go and got so excited that I began to wobble and down I went hard in about a foot of water (it was low tide)!

It was fun, and I want to try it again but I'm sore and banged up today from the board kicking my butt for 2 hours!

That's about all for now. I am currently in Auckland taking the milk-run home. Will keep you posted on the status as soon as I know.

I may have one more flat white for the road.....

-SOrry for missing practically everyone who was down in the Gold Coast, we were staying a little farther from the race site than I thought & my internet/telephone access was limited. Hope everyone had a good race!

Leaving Noosa....

2009-09-06T16:46:00.002-06:00

Sigh, I head south to the Gold Coast tomorrow, my last day in Noosa. Here is are a few of the reasons I love it here:

My first workout of the day is usually completed by 7:30am
Due to the early start, I have a good excuse to go to bed at 8pm!
Beaches named Sunshine and Sunrise
The National Park and it's sandy trails and beautiful views is a 7 min jog from here
Squad swim group--I always seem to step up my game for Max (the coach) while I'm swimming here!
Always a bike group heading out every morning
Bike lanes all around Noosa Heads
No buildings over 3 stories
The brilliant stars at night

That's all for now, a 3hour drive to Surfers Paradise (where the Dutch team hotel is) and then race day on Sunday.

G'Day Mate!

Lisa

Made it!

2009-09-01T16:35:00.002-06:00

Well, I've actually been here a few days. Noosa is still the same, except a little cooler in 'winter', although Sept 1 is officially the first day of spring!

My first order of business after my long flight to Auckland (on the upper deck of a 747!). A flat white and a kiwi for Breakie.
Ahhh....doesn't get much better than this...ocean temp currently 19-20 degrees.

My ride for the week in Noosa...I call her Molly. Note the pink flamingo on the front fender!

A few more days here and then I meet up with the rest of the Dutch team on the Gold Coast. Race day is Sept 13th (the 12th in North America!).

Hope all is well!

Lisa

Going Down Under

2009-08-26T15:12:00.002-06:00

Short post:
Kelowna race report: ok. Not the run I wanted to have, finished 4th.

Head South tomorrow. One week in Noosa (yeah!) and one week on the Gold Coast for the ITU World Championships Finale!!

Good luck to all racing IMC this weekend!

Will update from Down Under as soon as I can!
Lisa

Round 5: Lisa vs The Kelowna Apple Triathlon

2009-08-20T07:30:00.006-06:00

I leave Friday to race at the Kelowna Apple Triathlon. This will be my fifth time racing in Kelowna. Here is the tally from the previous 4 races:

2004: I was racing my first "full season" of age-group racing. The night before, the skies opened up! I could hardly sleep listening to the pouring rain. In the morning it was still wet and there were threatening clouds overhead. We went down the race start to set up transition (now a mud pit) and headed to the lake. The race had been ruled non-wetsuit, so I left mine in the hotel. 10' before the start, they changed their minds, wetsuits were allowed...everyone bolted for transition...I had none and was left standing on the beach freezing. Then there was a lightening strike, they ended up canceling the race due to 'unsafe conditions'.

Round 1 Score: Mother Nature 1, Lisa 0, Apple Tri 0

2005: I entered the race as an Elite. I had a sloppy transition and missed the front bike pack by a hair. It was a hot run, I ran a 42' 10k and finished 14th. After the race, once we arrived at my parents hotel parking lot, I bolted from the car and puked all over the driveway! I had to lie down for an hour while my heat stroke (or whatever it was) subsided before we could drive home!

Round 2 Score: Apple Tri 1, Lisa 0

Me running in 2005, black probably wasn't the best choice....
2006: Again, I entered the ITU points race this year. I had a solid swim and Mary Beth Ellis, my 2009 Timex teammate, and I built up a solid lead on the bike. Onto the run, I was experimenting with some new race shoes and got the most painful blisters I have ever had! I could barely tolerate each step. MB passed me and then I was passed on the last lap, finishing off with an excruciating 40' 10k split for 3rd place, some prize money, and bloody feet. I could barely stand to wear flip-flops for 2 weeks!

Round 3 Score: Lisa 1, My Evil Shoes 1, Apple Tri 0

Me and MB on the bike:
2007: Once again, I entered the ITU points race. This time I had a strong swim, solid bike and cruised home for the win (without bleeding feet) with a 38' 10k split!

Round 4 Score: Lisa 1, Apple Tri 0

The tally: Lisa 2, Apple Tri 1, Mother Nature 1, My Evil Shoes 1

Up Next? Round 5 on Sunday....it's a tight race, stay tuned to find out who wins this one!!

Lisa

Rose Coloured Glasses

2009-08-17T19:59:00.002-06:00

So, admittedly I left for my second workout of the day in a bit of a grumpy mood. As I rode out to the west and came to the top of the Springbank hill, my mood changed. It was warm (ish) out, the sun was shining bright, the mountains looked enormous, the sky was bluer than blue and the rolling fields were a lush green--it cheered me up instantly! I rode on in bliss for a little while longer when I realized that everything seemed brighter and happier cause I left my 'racer red' lenses in my Rudy Project sun glasses after my last ride--it was cold and grey that day. Then I remembered that I used to use this trick back in my swimming days...I had my 'happy goggles' they were red or yellow ones that I saved for those days when I needed a little extra motivation to get in the pool. I may never take my red lenses out...

The cool weather inspired me to go to the farmers market and make a stew last week. It was yummy.
You know you've had a good few days of training when your dish drying rack contains this many water bottles!

An update on the latest plan:

Racing the Kelowna ITU points race on the weekend. Just to keep myself sharp, no rest before this one! Then I leave for Australia on Aug 27th for my final prep before the World Champs Finale. I'll be returning to Noosa for a week and half, so I'm super excited!

That's all for now, if you need a little pick-me-up, I recommend 'racer red'....

Lisa

By The Numbers

2009-08-12T14:10:00.002-06:00

Since I'm experiencing a wee bit of writers block for my blog, I'll doing something one of the local papers here does in the sport section. It's called 'by the numbers'; I'll sum up my last week by the numbers that tell the tale....

1327--distance in kilometers from Calgary to Winnipeg.

0--the hours/minutes/seconds I spent on the internet, checking e-mails, watching TV last week at the beach.

2/3--games of Crib won by me after Richard taught me how to play.

3--significant wildlife spotting's in the last week & 1/2. 2 bald eagles, one in Calgary and one in Victoria beach (fighting an osprey!) and 1 brown-coloured black bear crossing the road during one of rides in Vic Beach!

77--meters to the top of the Golden Boy's torch on the top of the Winnipeg Legislature Building.

2--place I finished at the Victoria Beach 5k run...the girl who won totally ran behind me and then sprinted the last 400m (normally my tactic)...I just ate a bowl of bran flakes and was in no mood for sprinting! I don't recommend a high fiber breakie before running a 'fun run'....makes it not so fun!!

3--pictures summing up my little break:
Richard on one of the many Victoria Beach glacial erratics...Precambrian shield rock!
Phone booth in the woods...ahh...love the beach life!

The golden boy at 77m high...

4.5--weeks until the ITU World Championships Grand Finale on the Gold Coast, Australia!

Back to work for me!

Lisa

YeeHaw!

2009-08-03T07:45:00.003-06:00

What a race! The inaugral Ironman Calgary 70.3 was yesterday and was a success! The weather and course were fantastic! Great job to all those who organized/sponsored/volunteered/raced this weekend!

The swim start:

Now, my race: The swim, not so hot, I'd wanted to be with the front guys and get a solid lead out of the water. Instead I got stuck in the second pack with my own teammate (a boy who will remain nameless...don't worry--I didn't take it personally!) knocking my goggles off my face not once, but twice and a few of the other girls were able to hang on since our pack was not very organized! But that's the way is goes in the open water sometimes!

Onto the bike, I was out of transistion first but the lead didn't last as Mirinda had a great swim and passed me pretty quick. I struggled for the first 20k, high HR and low Watts, but somehow turned it around and finished with a solid bike split (my fastest over 90km on a tough 94k course), and came off the bike in 3rd, only 1 min down from Magali.

The run is where it got a bit ugly. I had a quick first few kms, closing the gap to second place to ~40seconds, but my legs were not happy! In fact my left foot was numb for about 14k! Not sure what that was all about. Anyway, to keep this short, I fell to 4th place and was in danger of getting passed when my legs (and mentally I told myself to suck it up!) felt a bit better and I was able to hold a faster pace (I negative split the run!) and kept my 4th place position. I had wanted to be on the podium but in the end, with the limited training I was able to get in after my whirlwind travel and racing last month, it was a decent result against a strong women's field. Plus, I got my Clearwater 70.3 World Championships spot locked in now!!

Me on the bike course, coming into T2:The really-cool finishing metals...They are belt buckles, don't get much more Calgarian than that! Can you say Yaaa-Hooo!Now, a short trip to Winnipeg to visit family and friends and hit the beach (if the weather cooperates). Then back to business. I'll update later with the latest plan once I return from our trip.

Cheers,

Lisa

Ain't No Rest For The Wicked...

2009-07-25T21:16:00.002-06:00

Phew....what a week. After a month of rest, race, recover, repeat x4, it was a bit of a shock to the system to get back into training. No worries though, coach Paul just kept it coming and told me "don't worry, we'll have you ready for Calgary". So I put my head down and ignored the fact that every muscle fiber in my body was hurting--it felt so good to be back at it!

ONE MORE WEEK!! Again, who's that super fast girl on the banner??!!
I've been scoping out the course and training on every square centimeter of it. With the help of my support crew (Nicole and Dex, they also helped me with my bike/run on Thursday) I did a swim to bike transition at the Ghost (the Ironman swim site) today...

It's been great training on the course, there have been so many athletes out there--it was tiring waving to everyone. I also made a new friend, Miles. He's also racing next weekend.

One more week of training and then it's show time!

That's all for now, I need to stretch and get some sleep! So tired....

Lisa

Iceland or maybe Greenland & the Bee Killer...

2009-07-19T07:51:00.005-06:00

Well, what have I been up to since Kitzbuhel?

I finished 17th there by the way, not too bad for a World Championship, but not where I wanted to finish. It all came together on the bike (making it a runners day) and I had a rough first 5k running, lost contact with a group of runners, and then went from 23rd to 17th in the last 5k. Too bad, if I just held onto the group in front of me for the first 5k, it would have been possible for a top 12 finish.

Then, I made the journey over the atlantic back to North America this week. Maddy and my bag decided to stay an extra day in Frankfurt. I've been recovering in Calgary from my month long travel & the races.

Richard and I went to the Stampeders football game on Friday. That's Canadian football, not American (different rules and field size), European (soccer) or Australian (rugby)!

Ralph the dog--the Stamps mascot, roughing up a Toronto fan...macots scare me...it's those giant eyes...I don't trust them!

Richard and I enjoying the game...well the first half anyway. We road our bikes to the game and left during half time since my body is still adjusting to the Mountain time zone...I think I'm somewhere between Iceland and Greenland right now!

The weekend was a return to training which I have been looking forward to! Coach threw me right back into it with a 4.5hour ride!! Today, mile repeats & and a lake swim....Ouch! I asked for it!
I was riding soooo fast that I killed a bee and it stuck to my frame! I also got one to the cheek....the bees were suicidal yesterday!

That's all I got for today. Hope everyone is enjoying the summer sun!

Lisa

Home Stretch!

2009-07-10T06:41:00.008-06:00

Has it been that long already? A month of travel and races? I swear I haven't been counting the days until I get to go home see Richard, friends and family and sleep in my own, not too hard-not too soft bed with comfortable pillows....soon my back will be happy again!

For now, it is time to concentrate on Kitzbuhel, the site of the 4th race in the ITU World Championship Series. Since Korea and DC didn't exactly go as planned, I have some catching up to do in the ITU points division! So, I'm excited for a good day on Sunday. I raced this course in 2007 and just love it here! It is such a cute ski town, I may have to get Richard out here one day!

Here are some pics of my last week and a bit in Europe:

Our accommodations in Holten, a 'bungalow park', very kid friendly as you can see from the super cool play ground!

After Holten I had a quick family visit up in the north of the Netherlands in Groningen. It was windy there, flat and lots of farms, kind of reminded me of Saskatchewan (with out the sea of course!)--Aunt Toni on the sea wall:

Some of my family was on vacation camping, so we took a drive to visit them:

Some interesting Dutch 'treats'. They tried make me eat some smoked eel....No thanks, I'll leave that for my Dad to eat! What the heck is this thing and who would eat it?!

Toni's beautiful garden:

Now, after a cancelled flight and a detour through Paris (I think we could have driven here faster!), I'm in the beautiful ski village of Kitzbuhel!

Someone's lawn ornament, sorry Richard, no room in my bag to take one of these home...though I think it would look lovely in the front yard (over the patch of grass that won't grow!).

Race day is Sunday at 4pm (late!) European time, so those in NA won't have to wake up in the wee hours to watch! Tomorrow is the men's race, so I'll be watching that and testing out the waters, no ruling on wetsuits yet, the water temp is just at the limit now.

2 more days until race day!! Ready to rock it!

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend! Go Team Lifesport at the Vancouver Half--wish I could be there racing with you guys--Miss ya!!

Lisa

A Quickie....

2009-07-05T13:15:00.002-06:00

So, not great access to internet since arriving in the netherlands...I'll make this one quick, no pictures either (maybe later in the week!?).

European Champs: First I raced the team relay in Holten on Thursday. It was short and sweet, teams of 4, 2 men, 2 women each racing 300m swim, 10k cycle, 2k run. I went 3rd. There was a bit of gap to the lead group going onto my leg, so I worked the swim hard and closed it fast, then the bike it was 6 of us at a leisurly pace, onto the run I just ran hard, using the race as a tune up for sunday. In the end I had the fastest women's time of the day and we ended up 6th...only because the boys all came together on the run.

Then Sunday was the Championships. I had a great swim....FINALLY!! I was 1st to the turn bouy and then 4th out of the water! I've been working hard on my swim the last few weeks and was finally able to transfer my pool skills to my open water times! Onto the bike, it ended up being a pack of 23 women, I just watched for breaks, but compared to my last 2 races, the pace was not very hard. I had a speedy T2 and was onto the run in 3rd place. I ran hard, it was hot out, had some mentally tough sections, but held on for 10th with a respectible run split.

Up next? Kitzbuhel World Champs Series race. Should be fun!

More later! Now I am in the north of the Netherlands for a quick visit with some family. Then back to work!

Lisa

Race 2/4 Des Moines, Iowa

2009-06-29T06:15:00.002-06:00

Well, that's 2/2 with a 23rd placing. This one went a bit better, swim still has a lot to be desired, going back to the drawing board on that one! I was, again, a little farther back than I would have liked out of the water, putting me in a small chase group on the bike. Again, only a few were willing to do any work, we picked up stragglers and then dropped them and some others in our group, it finally shrank to about 6 girls. It was hot, I was hot, I tried to stay hydrated/fuelled but I could sense I was in a bit of trouble...when you start to get dizzy on your bike, it's not a good sign! Onto the run, I was in rough shape, I stuck with Kerry Lang (GBR), well really, I made myself stay with her because I was really woozy--at one point the course went right and my body kept going left! It was not by any means a blistering run (well, maybe just for my poor feet!)!

Unfortunately, I let the heat get the better of me on the day and I finished in 23rd spot. It was a good effort on the bike and a mentally strong run (just not very fast!) considering the state I was in! After the finish it was straight to the ice bath, a quick change, cycle to the hotel, a cold shower, packed the bike and gear, drive to the airport. Land in Calgary at 11:59pm, Richard there to pick me up. Sleep in own bed, wash clothes, repack, have dinner with Richard, head back to the airport, fly to Europe--2 more tries for a better race.

Now, I am sitting in the lounge in London, waiting for my flight to Amsterdam. Races 3a/b are this week. First is the Team relay in Holten on Thursday followed by European Championships on Sunday! Should be fun!!
Lisa

Hot Hot Heat & Water!

2009-06-25T21:00:00.003-06:00

The water and present fairy stopped by my room today!! They Hy-Vee gang does a great job with this race, the athletes are given the royal treatment! The only problem is, Maddy and I will never get through all this water before Saturday!

All the goodies inside the bag...everything from cookies to sunglasses to deodorant....
Race day is getting closer...good thing, cause Maddy has been antsy the last couple days! It's going to be a HOT one, they are calling for 33 degrees + humidity (92F) with the water being a swampy 29 degrees (84F)....maybe I will get through all that water after all!

A swim in the swamp tomorrow and a little spin and then one more sleep till race day!!!!

Till my next update....
Lisa

Lisa & Maddy's Excelllent Adventures: Iowa

2009-06-23T19:53:00.004-06:00

So Maddy (my bike) and I made it to Des Moines Iowa yesterday. Man is it HOT here! The last couple days have been scorchers! Here are a few pics of our adventures in Iowa.

Maddy was a little lazy today and still hadn't put herself together...well she got part way through and decided to quit....

After I landed, and got thoroughly sweaty just pushing my luggage to the rental car, I went in search of a pool for a swim. Here is what I found....hmmm...how was I going to swim through all these people....

Hopefully no one cannonballs me when I do my laps (see kid mid-air)...this pool was almost the same temperature as outside, and a little cloudy after all the kids got out of the pool!

Then today, I scoped out the course and went for a run. They were busy setting up the transition, pontoon and grandstand! It's going to look amazing come race day!

The swim pontoon:

The humidex today was 109 degrees....my sweaty arm post run at 9am...

I finished the day off with a swim with South African athlete Henrik DeVilliers (at the YMCA this time) and then a relaxing massage. Good news, not sure where my swim went on Sunday, but it was back in full force today!!

Fun times in Des Moines, Iowa! Tomorrow Maddy and I are going for a spin & run--hopefully before it gets too hot and then hitting the lake.

Lisa

Race 1/4 Washington DC

2009-06-21T16:13:00.003-06:00

The swim: we must never speak of this swim again. I've moved on.

The bike: because of what happened above, I was a little behind coming onto the bike. There was 8 of us to start, I was optimistic we could catch the chase pack 40sec up and worked hard but everyone kept dropping off, we were down to 5, 4, 3, and finally with 4 laps to go only 2 of us were left to chase. We held the gap to the chase group but lost time to the lead group. It was a lot of work on the bike.
The run: I ran with tired legs from the bike, I just kept chugging along, passed a few girls ahead. Finished 23rd. It was a solid run but by no means near what I am capable of.

The summary: First ITU race (not counting Korea) since Beijing. Not sure what went on in the water-I've had some great swims the last couple weeks. I will be hitting the pool all next week in Des Moines! The bike, solid, felt strong, would be have been great if I swam what I can swim and been in a better position. The run, a good training day, know I can run faster than that when I'm actually in the mix!

Up Next: My team of 1 is heading off to Des Moines tomorrow morning. Refocusing on what I learned today. Get another crack at 'er in 6 days. Check out this link for details: http://www.hy-veetriathlon.com/index.php

That's all for now, thanks for the cheers!

Lisa

Flagged...

2009-06-18T20:07:00.003-06:00

So I finally made it to DC! I was temporarily sidelined by US customs on the way here...for some reason the customs 'lady' was not in a good mood (to put it politely!), she interrogated me (I thought that I may have gotten on the Tel Aviv flight by mistake) and then decided that I needed to go to the 'special' room before they allowed me into the US! I was fingerprinted and my picture taken, then I sat in that room for an hour before being called up, the customs guy then took one look at me and my documents and asked "why'd they send you here?" and sent me on my way.....grrrrr....then I met up with the Canadian team for my next flight where they trapped us on the plane, on the ground, for an hour and 1/2 before we took off! At least I wasn't charged for my bike this trip!!

Once at the hotel, I changed and went for a run right away--I was excited to do a 'tour'!! I ran down to the 'mall' and straight to the White House then back to the Washington Monument and by the Lincoln Memorial and back by the Smithsonian--doing intervals while sightseeing! It was so cool!! I may have to sneak in a tour of the Smithsonian Natural History Museam...I can't pass up the 'Dynamic Earth' Exhibit...don't worry coach, I'll stay off the legs!

This race will be really fantastic--I'm excited! Although the river looks a little murky....

That's all for now. Live coverage will be on www.triathlon.org race day.

Lisa

Fast & Furious!

2009-06-14T12:45:00.004-06:00

It's been nice being back home for a bit. I had a couple days recovery and then it was back at 'er. I've been working more of the 'speed' these days, so the workouts are tough and action packed but much shorter!
Here are a few things I got done on my short stop home: I made a whole wheat pizza crust, it was yummy...yes, that's a whole lot of spinach on top--it shrinks down to nothing after cooking! I also attempted whole wheat buns too, those turned out to be (in Richard's words) 'dense'...they could be used as a weapon...need to work on that recipe!
It's been really nice in Calgary, so I took my core and strength workout outdoors.
I also had a few spare hours to catch up with family and a few friends (not nearly enough time though!). Noah just woke up, he was too tired to fight me snuggling with him!
Now, the ITU race season is back on for me. Coach and I have made the decision to do 4 races in a row. So, it will be a fast and furious month of travelling and racing for me--Washington DC, Des Moines, European Championships in Holten (Netherlands), and finishing it off with a stop in Kitzbuhel Austria.

Should be fun!! I'll try to keep you up to date on my whereabouts over the next few weeks!
Cheers,
Lisa

Dialin' it in.....almost there...

2009-06-09T16:31:00.012-06:00

After a LONG delay in the Hartford airport, I've made it home!! I think that I only beat Bree Wee home (she flew to Hawaii) by 45 minutes!! OUCH! When I think about all the travelling I did last year, I'm not sure how I did it!! The 3 hour flight from Chicago to Calgary nearly drove me mad!!

I arrived in Connecticut last Wednesday and was lucky enough to be staying with a fantastic homestay that was only a short ride to the race start. Thanks to the Mackenzie family of Middlebury for all the great hospitality!!

Now, the race. It went well. It was a strong field of women, multiple Ironman winners, 70.3 World Champions, strong girls!! It was a beautiful venue and a great day for a race. The Rev 3 crew, Charlie and Carol with Trakkers did a great job with the new race! I had a solid swim, on Leanda Cave's feet the whole way, enjoying the draft, although we swam off course after the first turn buoy--just to get a little extra mileage in! Did I mention that I love the Half Ironman swim starts, so civilized and pleasant...ahhh!

Onto the bike, Coach and I have been working on the cycling for the last few weeks, my power is finally coming back-all part of the plan! It was a tough hilly tree-lined course, the worst hill was 7 miles long and the hills just kept coming, you never really had time to get into a rhythm. It truly was a beautiful ride!! Natasha Badmann rode by me up the hill in her areobars and shouted something nice with a smile on her face...man that girl can ride! I managed to come off the bike in 5th place and only a few minutes down (with a 'pack' of girls behind me...that is all I will say about that...), I was psyched, ready to make my move on the run! A side note; I wasn't able to grab any water at the last aid station on the bike and ran out of fluids on the last 14 miles...I had been a little worried about this starting the run.

Onto the run, I tried to push is hard the first 2 miles. My legs were not liking me but they usually come around. I noticed my HR was lower than I usually race at, so I tried to pick it up. I just couldn't get going, even on the hills, my HR stayed fairly low....I tried everything Coach Paul always tells me to do; I focused on technique, I gave myself lots of love and positive self talk, I knocked back a few Power Gels, I drank at the aid stations, I pushed hard and was aggressive...mentally I was in the right spot but the legs (and my HR) wanted no part of it! I felt like I was stuck in a jog pace and couldn't do anything about it, very frustrating! I finished off in 6th place and still managed to slug out a sub-1:30 half marathon but was pretty disappointed knowing that I can run much better! Just need to tweak the race plan and training a bit before the next half.....but I think it's all coming together! Richard and I are going to have an aid-station-water-bottle-grabbing training session before the next half!!

My race poster below; how cool is that? The Rev 3 crew made them up for us and had them at our transition spot! Since the Timex HQ is only 1 mile from the lake, I did a tour of the building and picked up some more great Team Timex gear! My AquaSphere wetsuit, shiny silver Bontrager cycling shoes (so cool!) and a few Timex hats (including the pink be-dazzled one for Richard)!

Post race Bree, my Timex teammate AC, and I went into the lake to 'ice' our legs (it really wasn't cold enough, especially after being in the ocean around Victoria!). Here were are displaying all the 'treasures' we found in the lake! It really was a nice lake despite having all sorts of beach treasures!

For our 'cooldown' we hit the Quassy amusement park that the race site was on! This is the 'Mad Mouse'...we found it terrifying....old and rickety! Getting soft in my old age!

Now back at home, the focus has switched back to the ITU Olympic distance races (Maddy is excited, it's her turn--Frank needs a rest after the last few weeks!), so I need to recover well from the race. In Victoria after the Shawnigan race we had a great recovery session at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence (PISE), where they have 3 baths filled with hot or cold water, showers and stationary bikes which we alternated on to flush our legs after racing. I felt great after I did the hot/cold session there, so I decided to reproduce at home--I found this giant Rubbermaid 110L container at Walmart for $19--I tested it out in the store! Worked like a charm! Below is the Mountain Institute for Sport Excellence (MISE) facility. If you're curious, my protocol for today was 12x90sec alternating between the hot and cold. Unfortunately it's best to end on the cold--brrrr! Does wonders for the legs.

Now what? I'll be dailing-in my race plan for the Calgary 70.3 in August but for now it's time for some speed work! I'm off to Washington DC on the 17th to kick off a month of ITU Olympic distance racing. Pulling Maddy out tomorrow for a spin, putting the cleats onto my shiny new shoes....exciting! Watching hockey, hopefully the Pens can hang on for game 6...I'm actually home to watch now!

Thanks for all the pre/post race wishes from everyone! Hope all is well!

Lisa

Rev 3 Race

2009-06-04T18:31:00.002-06:00

Out in Connecticut for the Rev 3 race this weekend. Beautiful place, hilly bike and run courses, should be fun! Swam in the lake today, quite nice, H2O temp probably close to 20.

This weekend is a test event for one of my supporters, Trakkers. I'll be outfitted with a GPS devise, so you can track me in real-time on the course! Try going to www.trakkersgps.com and sign in to watch or go to www.rev3tri.com for race details.

Wish me luck!
Lisa

Super Days & Super Star

2009-05-30T11:26:00.004-06:00

Sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses....

Here is a photo journal of my last couple days in Victoria and Calgary....simply beautiful out here, spring has finally made an appearance!

The view from my fantastic homestays house in Victoria, thanks Bruce and Marsha for the hospitality! That is Mount Baker on the mainland US in the horizon, can't beat this view! A beautiful Calgary day, not a cloud in the sky, 27 degrees out, I had a kick-ass ride Friday!
The view along the Calgary Ironman 70.3 bike course; how great is this?!
The tree in our backyard in full bloom....pretty but my alergies are killing me!!! And finally, I've made it on you tube! Click this link to my Lavaman interview post-win (yes, I'm a dork!). The interviewer kept calling me Lisa Bentley and the final question he asked was if I was going to be racing Ironman's soon.

Have a great weekend, don't forget to stop and smell the roses!
Lisa

Victory Is Mine....

2009-05-25T12:12:00.004-06:00

After another solid week of training out in Victoria that involved a bike TT, a ton of swimming, running hill repeats, a long run getting lost in the woods at Thetis Lake, and finishing the week of by racing the Subaru Shawnigan Lake Triathlon put on by Lifesport Coaching. This was my second half-ironman of the season!

To start the weekend off, Katya and I were given a brand-spanking new 2010 Subaru Forester to cruise around in for the weekend, courtesy of Saunders Subaru in Victoria, a title sponsor of the race series (nice wheels, hey Clarice!)! Thanks Bob and Edie for hooking us up!
The car was literally off the boat...when we picked it up it had 20km on it, I snapped a picture at 47km...sooo nice to drive!!!

Back to the race...after having 'plenty of recovery time' according to Coach Paul (that equated to friday and saturday before the race), it was up to beautiful Shawnigan Lake (~40' outside of Victoria) to race a Half ironman distance triathlon. Since the Rev 3 race is in 2 weeks, this was a good chance to see where my fitness was at. My race plan was to have a solid swim-bike and then run a 'tempo' half marathon(or zone 3ish heart rate, so at a good effort but not race pace).

The water temperature was quite pleasant, ~16/17 degrees, nice for this time of the year. I managed to swim the whole thing solo and go a bit off course, so it wasn't my quickest 1.9k ever but it was enough for a new swim course record! Onto the bike, a rolling 4 lap course with one climb, I had a few 'soft spots' where I let me mind wander and my HR drop, but it was a great improvement from my Oceanside bike! Once I rest my legs, I think I'll be good to go for the next half! I was passed by Vancouverite and great cyclist Rachel Keirs (last years winner) on the final lap of the bike-I think she got about a minute on me going into the run. Onto the run, which was on a rolling gravel trail, I re-gained the lead within ~2k and never looked back. Just ran a solid half and finished off for the win!

All and all a good day out at the races. It was a beautiful day on a fantastic course, can't ask for more than that!! Here is an article that was in the local paper, the Times Colonist.

A pic of me on the bike, not from the race, I'm working on getting some of those, will post once I find some!

Up next? A few more hard days of training and then resting up for the Rev 3 Triathlon in Connecticut on June 7. More info on that race to follow, it's the launch race for one of my supporters, Trakkers--you'll be able race along with me on the course!!

Lisa

A photo journal of the last week....

2009-05-18T10:45:00.002-06:00

A few pics, felt I owed you since the last few posts have been rather boring...

Post ride last weekend in Calgary...we sent 3.5hours dodging rain storm after rain storm. Managed to avoid most, got the edge of one storm that pelted us with hail, but couldn't avoid the wet roads!
Maddy, after her first real ride, nice and dirty! Had to happen sooner or later!

Maddy, post bath! Note the sunshine post-ride!! Richard's bike got a good scrubbing too, I'm surprised it still shifted to be honest!

The flowers that I won after a local Victoria 5km race on the track....Here is the 'run-down' of how the 'race' went. Went out fast with Lucy Smith (I train with her, know I can run with her), fast but tried to keep positive.....uh oh, this really hurts....uh oh, there goes Lucy, that was one fast km...okay, just run your own race....my legs are really tired from this weeks training...how many laps left??!! Ok, just finish it....ok just keep running....good lord, how many more laps?? Just don't get lapped...hold on for 3rd...finally done...well, that time wasn't anything special...remember to tell Paul that I'm never doing a track race again....

The aftermath of this weeks training....I don't recommend, hill repeats & TT on the bike, mile repeats running, some swimming, a 4 hour ride with Brent M where you run out of calories, and a 5k track race in the span of 4 days!!Next post later this week if I muster up the energy to get to the coffee shop!
Take Care,

Lisa

2009-05-17T13:22:00.002-06:00

Who's that running across the top of the Viterra Ironman 70.3 Calgary site??
http://www.ironmancalgary.com/

Where Is My Mind?

2009-05-17T12:59:00.003-06:00

Another short one, no pics...I won't be offended if you don't read it!! Not having internet access sucks!

It's been an 'off' week for me. The last 2 weeks have thrown me off a bit--the trip to Korea, being ill, kind-of racing, then flying home and trying to recover. I've done some solid training sessions out here but it's been up and down. I've been late for workouts (not very professional, I know), unprepared for workouts (one ride Brent M basically had to hold my hand on the way home because I was bonking so bad!), mentally not there, and yes, just plain grumpy! Not sure what's been going on, I'm motivated, excited to train, but I just feel a little off. I'm going to chalk it up to 'just one of those weeks'. I've reflected on the positives from last week, great rides, couple good run sessions, and have cleared my head, this next week will be better! I'm going to be my usual punctual, overly prepared self, I promise!! I get a roommate this week, always good to have someone to suffer along with you...Katya is here Tuesday!! You may even get a more interesting post next week...I'll pull out the camera!

That's all for now.
Lisa

Quick update

2009-05-15T15:38:00.001-06:00

In Victoria training....limited Internet time....getting back into training, feeling better.
Will post more once I have a better connection.
Lisa

Quarantine and Frank has a new friend!

2009-05-05T16:20:00.004-06:00

Back in Calgary. Still sick and still hacking, it sucks. It was all I could do not to cough when I went through customs so they didn't put me in quarantine for Swine flu &/or SARS! I think Richard was tempted to quarantine me himself when he picked me up and heard my cough! Now, I'm fighting the jet lag, but yesterday was surprisingly productive, here is a photo journal of my day:

Vitamin C loading:
Domestic Diva: I cleaned, I did the recycling, I did my taxes, I cooked a delicious Greek feast, and I even baked banana-chocolate chip muffins (low-fat, healthy version of course!) with ripe bananas....yummy!
Oh yeah, then I did load after load of laundry!
And to top off my day, my new Team Timex Trek Madone arrived! I put it together yesterday and then went to Speed Theory today and had Cam, mechanic extraordinaire, assist me with a free-hub change (Campy to Sram for my Power Tap wheel) and taping the bars. Now Frank the Ferrari, my time trial bike (formally known as Frank the Tank), has a new friend, Maddy, my road bike!! Super excited to get out there and race her!

Frank & Maddy getting acquainted and enjoying the sun. So much Oranje!

Hopefully next post, I'll be back to normal and back at 'er training hard!

Lisa

Dunking, Phlegm & Cherry Tomatoes

2009-05-02T01:37:00.009-06:00

So, I probably shouldn't post right after that disastrous race but...here ya go, the emotional post (well, as emotional as I get anyway)...

Those who know me well, know that for me to DNF a race it takes more than a bike crash, blood & pain and unbearable blisters. In Hamburg, I ran 5k on a stress fracture before I pulled off the course, in South Africa it was a frantic/desperate dash to the bathroom due to a case of food poisoning, today I was coughing. Not just any cough, a deep-phlegmy-ab-busting one. I knew I picked something up coming over here, I haven't felt 100% since Wednesday, I just tried to deny it, took some vit-C, told myself it would go away, it's just a little head cold. It didn't. Doesn't sound like much but it sure is hard to run when you have to cough the whole way!

Here's how it went: the swim: brutal, and uncharacteristically slow for me, it was one big fight to the first buoy, I had successfully blocked out what an ITU swim was like, the memories all came flooding back after the start. I got punched in the face my first breath, lovely. I managed to work my way closer to the front on the second lap after losing time on the first. Mental note: need to work on start speed (Bart, get ready). My head felt like I was scuba diving and couldn't equalize my ears.

Onto the bike: again little slow to get going so I ended up in the chase pack. Started coughing but figured out that if breathed shallow, I was ok. Our group was scattered and we made up some time but held it to 45seconds, I'll admit I wasn't much help, so not like me, just tried not to bust a lung!

The run: went out of T2 fast, figured it was worth a try. At about 3k into it I took a deep breath and it was game over. I stopped just after 5k and coughed for 30min straight. The little Korean ladies in the recovery tent were torn between trying to keep their distance and trying to feed me water and cherry tomatoes (totally random, I know, but maybe they are onto something, I'll do some research and let you know).

Now, I'm just frustrated, I hate not finishing what I start and it was a long way to fly only to DNF. Ahh, the ups and downs of racing. I can almost here my coach telling me to focus on the positives, so here they are:

I got a really high-intensity workout for 1hour and 40 some-odd minutes
If I ran what I know I can run (and not had a brutal swim), I would have had a great finish
I felt really strong on the hills, thanks to hill repeats on the springbank hill
I stayed relatively calm while being thrashed, kicked, pulled, dunked in the water
I've been getting a killer ab workout out of this, so all is not lost.
That that don't kill ya, can only make you stronger. It also makes me hungry for more, I'll get this one back!

I'm going to take a nap, my head really hurts. Sorry to those who got up early/stayed up late to watch. You know I'll come back stronger at the next one.

That's all for now.

Lisa

Lucky # 18

2009-04-30T23:21:00.003-06:00

Race day is tomorrow!!! It's good because I have the taper boredom going on right now! I road the coarse today and they have a load of cameras out there, so the coverage is going to be good!

They changed our start time 10:55pm MST, so it's 15 min earlier now. My start number is lucky #18 for the race.

Feeling good, despite a cough I seemed to have picked up since arriving here. The water is a little chilly just like last year. They say it's 16 degrees but they must be delusional! I had an encounter with a plastic bag swimming, thought I was under jellyfish attack!! This is another reason to use re-usable bags people--it was gross!

There is also a larger-than-life poster of me and few girls on the bike (racing last year) on the side of a building downtown. I was in a taxi coming back from the pool when I saw it, no camera on hand! I'll try to get back there after the race to get a photo! How often are you pictured on a side of building?
Good luck to everyone racing this weekend: Wildflower, St. Croix, and local cycling races!! Let's make a good weekend for racing!
Cheers,
Lisa

I Heart Korea

2009-04-29T01:43:00.002-06:00

I made it! It was a full 24hours of travel on only about 30min worth of sleep I arrived at midnight in Tongyeong! For some reason, I love Korea. I have a soft spot in my heart for Korea, last year I was here for this very race and finally got my 1st top 10 finish, putting me on my way to qualifying for Beijing. Then the Dutch team had our pre-Olympic training camp out here. I love the randomness (or what I think is random…probably makes perfect sense to the locals) of this place—something always happens that makes me laugh and wonder why but the people are great.

Here is a picture of my room. No sheets here! Note the Nathan bag that I used to travel with, we got these as a part of our Team Timex loot, they hold a ton of stuff! I also used my new soft-case bike bag to travel with, it so much lighter than the hard case one!

Here are some things that sum up Korea in my mind: neon, polite, high-density high rises in the oddest places with giant cartoon murals on the side, golf courses, hills, fishy smells and food, NCIS (yes, the TV show—it’s on multiple channels all day long!), slippers, spicy pickles for breakfast, a TV channel dedicated to selling bras. Ahh Korea!

I’m super excited to race this course again, I just get a good vibe from this place. Today I road and ran on the course. Another interesting fact about Korea, they like to put a nice rubber track surface down on their walkways along the water, always a treat to run on—wish they would do that in Calgary along the Bow river, I’d be in heaven! Now I’m fighting the jet lag, the evening are the hardest part, I just want to close my eyes and sleep, but I know it’s best to push through it. I’ll just watch them build tankers in the shipyard next to the hotel, I have my very own “How it’s Made” outside my window, very cool.

The view from my room! For those of you interested in staying up late on Friday night, here is the link to the website for the live feed www.triathlon.org. They should have a link to the tricast from there. Warning though, the start time is 11:10pm mountain time on FRIDAY night.

Back to forcing myself to stay awake until dinner....maybe I'll watch a NCIS...

Lisa

Must not fall asleep....

2009-04-28T02:45:00.002-06:00

...and miss the next flight!!
I made it to Seoul today. It was a long flight over! 11 hours from Vancouver, luckily I was upgraded to a 'pod' so I was able to relax more than in cattle class...it's going to be tough going back there on the way home (let's cross our fingers for another upgrade!!). I had to be pretty disciplined though, passing on the cheese platter, Hagen Daaz ice cream, and some unnecessary mid-flight snack! Darn race getting in the way of my eating in Business class! Too bad it was a daytime flight, I barely got any sleep but watched 2 movies and read half my book. That Benjimin Button movie is a long one=good time killer!

Now I'm waiting for flight #3 to Busan which is then followed by a 2.5 hour bus ride to my final destination....Tongeyong! The joys of travelling to races in far off places....so glamorous!

I'll post more once I get there and actually get some sleep and can formulate full sentences.

Anyone know what time it is here?
Lisa

Riding that fine line...

2009-04-22T16:26:00.009-06:00

So I was leaving the pool after a really great set of 100's on pace, feeling confident for my Korea swim, when I looked to the west. They have called for snow all week starting on wednesday night, I have been in denial--if I will it to be sunny and warm, it has to be! As I looked west, I realized the snow was probably going to come. I still had a brick workout to do, so I drove home, shovelled some food in, checked the weather networks hour-by-hour predictions...the rain/snow was not to hit until 2pm and it was supposed to get up to 7 degrees before then. Not exactly warm, but fine if you dress for it.

I headed out, determined to ride outside since I'd probably be inside tomorrow. At first it wasn't too bad, little chilly but if I planned my ride right, I'd have minimal wind exposure. Then the drizzle started and the wind persisted. I cut the 'warm up' short since I was freezing and went right into my intervals. I had to push hard to keep warm and during the second of my 3 intervals, the drizzle turned to sleet and then to ice pellets that stung my skin--I was tempted to ditch the bike and hitch-hike home! By the last interval it was a full blown squall blowing through--I was covered in snow once I got to my car! Still determined to finish the workout, I switched my shoes and went for my run, on frozen toes! I got the workout done, and hit all my HR zones, at first I thought I was being tough, by the end of the ride, slightly hypothermic, I decided I nearly crossed that line of being tough and being just plain crazy!!

Here is the temperature graph of Calgary over the last 24hours (click on it to see a larger view). Only in Calgary can you go from sunny and 21 degrees (the 1st arrow) to snowing and -1 (the 2nd arrow) in less than 20hours! This is from http://www.wx.ca/ , a local Triathletes best friend, I check this site religiously before I head out!

So, it took a 30min steam shower to bring my toes back from the brink of frostbite!

Tough or just plain crazy? I'm going with tough this time, got the workout done. Log it! Who knows, a snow storm might blow through Korea on May 2nd...guess who will be ready for it?!

Here is a pick from a warmer day on the Calgary Ironman 70.3 course....ah, a sunny day with the mountains on the horizon!

Oh yeah, it's still snowing, looks like my 3 hour ride tomorrow will be in the basement with the fireplace on!!

Hope it's warm where ever you are!!

Lisa

Running with the Big Girls...

2009-04-20T09:03:00.006-06:00

I first started running in University, after I was finished with the swim team. I used to take the family dog out for trail runs in the fields behind our house. It was slow, it was painful, and it usually ended in me puking! I would run for a few km and the dog would do 4x times that, towards the end of our run was my 'Dooms Day' hill--short but steep. At first I could only manage it once, I'd get to the top, see stars, sometimes puke up whatever I ate for lunch and then walk/jog it back home. A few weeks later, I did it twice, then 3 times...you get the picture. That's how it all started--me lying in the grass next to my vomit at the top of the hill determined to run it again!

Last week, I got an invite to run the Vancouver Sun Run (all expenses paid!!)--it was last minute, someone had cancelled, but I was still flattered that my name was even mentioned. The Sun Run is a big 10K run in Canada, there's prize $, it's a great course and it's fast. I'd heard all about it. After some discussion with Coach Paul and Richard (I'd be ditching him on his b-day...), a purchase of a last minute plane ticket--I was off to Vancouver on Saturday to race on Sunday morning! It would be a great training race and good test before my ITU race in Korea in a couple weeks. It was so nice to get on a plane with only a backpack--no bike, no goggles, no wetsuit!!

Here's my race kit....I wanted to look the part, so I pulled out my Team Timex singlet, my shortest run shorts (runner girls always wear really short-shorts), my orange race flats, my visor and threw in my race belt--just so they knew a Triathlete was running with them!!
Sunday morning, I was nervous, I haven't run a stand-alone 10k in years, triathlons taking up most of my weekends. There were 50,000 people running the race. I was in the first wave, along with 600 other people! Wedged back behind the start line, shoulder to shoulder, all I could think was "don't trip and get trampled!". The gun went off, and I got past the start line without incident. The first few km were fast and furious, it was crazy to be running with so many fast people around, and I kept my eye all the fast runner-girls, we were all together until 5k. I ended up dropping back about 5-10sec on a hill up to a bridge and it turned out to be a gap I couldn't recover.

I fought hard over the next few km's and was out-strategized in the last 600-400m by a couple of the women--including my superstar Lifesport teammate Lucy Smith, my only 'strategy' in a 10k race is to run until I puke, but once I turned the last bend and saw the timing clock at 34 minutes and change...I ran as hard as I could!! I crossed the line in 34.45, a new 10k run PB by 3min and 1 second!! I saw stars in the finish shoot but managed to keep my breakfast down this time!

I finished 8th overall, only 40 seconds separated 1st from 8th. In previous years my time would have been a top 5, so it was a tight group of women this year. I'm just psyched that I managed to run with the 'big girls' while grabbing a new personal best on tired legs!! Coach Paul and I have put a lot of time and effort into my running this winter (finally having the time to do a run focus after the craziness of Beijing the last 2 years!) and it's nice to see it paying off! Next year, I may even rest my legs a little before and see what this swimmer-turned-triathlete-turned-runner can do.

Now, back in Calgary there was no recovery day after this race, in fact, Coach had me run another hour after the race! Then it was a TT bike effort (into a strong head wind!) and hill repeats this morning after my swim! I leave for Korea next Monday, so only a few more hard training days left to go!!

Thanks to Coach Paul & Coach Mike with the University of Calgary Athletics Club for making me run faster than I thought I could this winter!

Cheers,
Lisa

Power, Give em' Power

2009-04-16T07:39:00.004-06:00

Well, I've been home for little over a week and it's flown by! It all started off with some visit time with family (mine & Richard's) over the Easter weekend, some visits with friends that I haven't seen in awhile, and after a week of 'recovery' I was back into training. The weather has been nice since I got home, with the exception of one snow day, it's been pleasant--Although I froze on my ride today!! Richard and I had a great spin last weekend, although it involved a 20' search and rescue of my driver's licence that fell out of my pocket--I was about to give up when I looked down and nearly rode over it!

The post training camp explosion....it's been cleaned up but took some time!! This weeks training has involved some higher intensity work in the pool, on the run and on the bike. I leave for Korea on April 27th, so I need to get into the short course racing frame of mind. After some fast 'start-speed' 50's in the pool, some short hill repeats with the UCAC run group, and some power intervals on the bike, I had forgotten why I like the short course races! Now I remember--I'm addicted to the power! I'm excited to race the first ITU race of the season!

I made a few changes to the blog. Since I continuously get questions about my next race, I added a 'Upcoming race' list, click on the race and it will link you to the race site. I'll keep it up to date and add more when I finalize my schedule. If you scroll down a little further I also added 'triathlon terms defined' so everyone will know what I'm talking about when I say my HR was high on my TT during a 70.3! One day I may even have a website....Let me know if there is something else you'd like to see or defined.

That's all for now!
Lisa

She's Going the Distance, She's Going For Speed...

2009-04-08T12:38:00.015-06:00

Took me a bit to get the creative juices flowing again and write a post. Here is the summary of the last week. I love San Diego.
So, I left Kona and flew into San Diego last week for the Oceanside 70.3 race and the Team Timex 'Camp'. This was the last week of my month of travelling/training/racing.

My wonderfully fantastic homestay Chris & Cathy Zoc picked me up at the airport and drove me back to their house. I walked into my room and was greeted with a welcome card and goodies....I may never leave here, was my first thought! I was right! The Zoc's took care of me, Cathy drove me everywhere, the pool, the race site, we drove the entire bike course, even took me to a bike shop when all I needed was zip ties! Thanks Cathy & Chris!! They even extended an invite to "come back and stay whenever I wanted"...I warned them about telling a Triathlete that, cause I'm already planning to return!!

My goodies that were waiting for me...I tried not to eat it ALL pre-race.... Me, Cathy and the bronze Donkey. The real one, Miguel, was in the backyard!

Race Day. Now, those who know me well, know that getting up early to exercise is not my favourite activity--I think I used up all my early morning exercise passes swimming at 5am for 10 years! The half Ironman events all start early, so I have to get used to it again! 4am wake up, 5:15am in transition, 6:43am start. FYI, it's cold at 6 in the morning in California, the good thing though, with the air temp being 8-10 degrees, the 15 degree water felt down-right balmy!

The Swim: Pleasant. Compared to the ITU chaos, I had a great time out there. Although, I managed to lose the draft the last 20m before the exit, need to work on that! Oh yeah, if you wear a 2-piece tri suit under your wetsuit, make sure you tie the shorts tight...nearly pants myself in T1!

Seriously, it should be illegal to start anything in the dark!!

The civilized swim start:

The bike: Yeah, this was not my best. Let's just say I had a couple of flats, legs, not tires! I managed to loose a lot of time to the leaders...yikes! My ADD came out in full force and my focus was not great--something that I need to work on! We rode through a military base and I had lots to look at during the 56mile ride...I nearly killed a family of bunnies that ran out in front of me, I saw tanks, some sort of cannon, and a really cool obstacle course that I wanted to try! At one point I may have even stopped in at recruitment to sign up....So anyway, I came off the bike a little farther back then I wanted.

This is me coming into T2....I won't tell you what was going through my head....

Onto the run. Once I finally found my shoes in the cramped transition area, I headed out determined to salvage the day (guess that's the beauty of these long races). I came around the first corner and saw Paul, my coach, standing there yelling out words of encouragement, I knew I was pretty far back, I came off the bike in 10th or 11th, but I was on a mission. I just ran hard and kept going. Unlike on the bike, I found that I had no problems focusing on the run, with the exception of the occasional dog sightings, but I always do that running anyway! At one point I saw some really cute standard poodles on the run course and heard their owner shout "Go Lisa", then I realized it was Carol Montgomery (triathlon legend & friend)! I always notice dogs before people...there could be a model walking shirtless with a golden retriever and I guarantee I wouldn't even notice the guy! Anyway, my pace had slowed a little before I saw Carol and her dogs, so I took the poodle-power and picked it up a bit. I managed to run some sub-6 minute miles in the last 4miles of the run, catching 3 women in front of me in the process. In the end I clawed my way up from a significant time gap and finished 6th with the 2nd fastest run split (1:21.20, the girl who won ran 58 sec faster and got the course run record, next year, it'll be mine! Maybe the bike split too!).

Here I am running the sand section. I was on a mission. Check out the new Team Timex race kit, pretty sweet!

Overall I've got 14.3 miles down pat, just need to work on the 56 on the bike. I had the excellent Team Timex mechanics worked on my setup and I think that will help too. You know what my focus will be on over the next few weeks!!

Me, Coach P, and Chris Thomas (fellow Timex, Lifesport & TrakkersTeam member and superstar athlete!)

After the race, I had to depart the Zoc's house and head to the Timex Camp. Not a training camp but a team get-together camp. It was a fun experience, met the other athletes, chatted with team sponsors, and got a ton of new gear!! Sweet!

Anyone have the time? My new watches, including the new Timex heart rate monitor in the middle--the Race Trainer.

I'm finally back home after a month of travel. After last years travels, I think a month is probably the longest I can be away. Living out of a duffel bag gets old after awhile!

One of my favourite parts of coming home: flying home over the Rocky Mountains! (geologists & dad; notice the anticline/syncline pair?).

Now I have to wash clothes, put my bike together, contact all my training groups, open all my mail (forgot it's tax time...) and get my life organized again--it all gets put on hold when I go away.

Below is someone who got so excited when he saw me he ran in circles and then went to find a present to give me...it happened to be a dirty sock, but I was touched by the effort! We also finally got our new recycling bin. The city of Calgary is finally starting a pick up program...little do they know that we have been stock-piling all our plastics in anticipation!

Up next: Swinging back to the short-course stuff. Speed time baby!! The first of the ITU World Championships Series kicks off May 2 in Tongyeong Korea.

Well, I'm off to ride my bike...

Lisa

*Thanks to all my supporters that make trips and races like this possible for me! You know you're awesome!
**special thanks to Coach Dan Smith for providing all the great race pics!!

The Wheel in the Sky Keeps on Turnin'

2009-03-30T19:46:00.007-06:00

Me, Bree, and Katya in our spiffy race suits care of Travis and Splish! Thanks Travis!!

So I found out that when you swim the Ironman course (and then some) and follow that up with some TT & interval bike work, the next day bike a volcano and run 800 intervals after that, follow that up the next day with another hard open water swim session and then run MOST of the Ironman course (30km) that afternoon, then wake up the next day and jump into the early morning masters swim session and go ride 80% of the Ironman bike course (in crazy gusty winds...I have a new respect for the bike course here!), then take one day of 'rest' and do a race on Sunday....your legs won't really like you after!! I had to take a nap mid-way just typing what we have done this week!

After a few monster weeks of training out in Hawaii, the Lifesport crew capped it off with the Lavaman Olympic distance triathlon. I've done this race twice before and it's always a blast. This is by far the most exhausted I've been before a race though! I was a little apprehensive about how I might perform on race day, but decided to embrace it for what it was, a great race, in a great place, and a great opportunity to fine-tune my race skills. Turns out that since I haven't raced since that fateful day in August, I had some kinks to work out!

I'll spare you most of the details but here is a race summary;

The game plan: solid fast swim, swim with the boys. Bike moderate but strong, run fast and test the legs off the bike.

The actual outcome: Wasn't very alert at the swim start, missed the draft and swam without a draft the whole way, down 1min from where I should have been. Bike, just did what I could do to keep the wheels turning, tried not to be too disappointed when my teammates Magali & Bree (both amazing cyclists!) blew by me and my legs were screaming! The run, actually felt ok, was down about 2 min out of T2, so I had to push hard to pass Bree about 3 miles in. Ran 36.36 on a course that has lava rocks, sharp coral and deep sand for the last 2 miles! Finished off with the win.

Overall; considering how tired my entire body is, not a bad day, happy with how my running is progressing and just love this race. How often do you get to finish a race on the beach?

A Lifesport podium sweep!!

After the race was the epic Journey concert!! It turned out to be a fun night and ended at my bedtime...9:30pm!!

Now it's a couple more days in Waikaloa then over to California for the Oceanside 70.3 race on April 4th. Hopefully the legs will be ready to perform by then! As Coach Paul says, "it's overload and then recover".....come on legs, recover!!!

Cheers,

Lisa

Kona...Up, Up, & Busted!

2009-03-26T20:54:00.008-06:00

Well I made it to Kona on the worlds smallest plane. I didn't see them put my bike onto the plane and was a little concerned when the pilots walked us out onto the tarmac to our plane. Then when we finally landed and I looked at the luggage hatch, I thought for sure they left it on the runway! But to my surprise they managed to wedge it in there! There was some stunning views of Haleakala, I'll have to come back and actually bike it next year!

The pilot walking us to the single prop Cessna! Bridget, I should have gotten you to fly me there!

Goodbye Paia!

Haleakala from the plane.

Ancient lava flows...how cool is that!

Hello Big Island!

That's a tight fit!

Once on the Big Island we had a couple 'recovery' days which included a 5500m open water swim set with 3x1k efforts!! Then it was back to business. A climb up Koloko (Lance Armstrong biked it this year). It's one steep hill--some @17-20% grades...nasty!

The start of the climb:

Here's where I got busted....photo evidence of coach giving me a push! It was the sweetest 3 seconds of the ride! I did witness the pushing of another fellow rider but there is no evidence... Me 'postmaning' it (cutting the slope by going side to side) to make the last final few meters of the climb!
The gang at the top! Not sure, but I think I beat Lance's time up or was very close anyway!
A QUICK descent and then off to the track for a set of 800's...ouch!
The day wasn't complete until we finished with a swim in the dark...I was a bit dazed and confused for this swim!
Today involved another open water session, I love swimming out here, and then a 16-17mile run on the ironman course. Here is my favourite running buddy, Mags, and I hitting the water station on the highway:
Few....that was a long post. I'm exhausted! Or in Dutch..Ik ben doodop! Time for bed. 5 hour ride on the ironman bike course tomorrow but before that a 6am dip in the pool! That should have my legs feeling fresh for the local Lavaman race on the weekend...Love it.

Hope all is well! Miss you all!

Lisa

Offerings to the Biking Gods....

2009-03-20T23:59:00.005-06:00

Where did I leave off? I'm not even sure...let me read...oh yeah, recovery day....how long ago that seems! Here is a pic of our recovery swim that day...all smiles!Me and my bike (yet to be named) are still not getting along all that well. Tuesday was a big set; a hill repeat/TT bike followed by 8x1mile repeats off the bike. I rode the entire ride with a insanely high HR and couldn't seem to get it to settle down. My TT was less than stellar, so I was hoping for a decent run set. To my surprise my legs felt strong on the run set and I had a great set of miles, so the day was not lost. Wednesday was supposed to be a hilly 4 hour ride, I was actually looking forward to this ride. Right from the start my bike started making a noise that was not good and I was forced to detour to the bike shop for a quick fix, leaving me riding solo for 4 hours! It turned out to be good quality time with me and my TT bars...but I still had a noise coming from my bike while I rode. So, I took my bike into the shop AGAIN the next day and found out that my rear quick release was broken (maybe from my fall?) and my wheel was not being held in correctly, rubbing on my brake pads and making the noise! I'm not sure if the Hawaiians have a Goddess of bike (like Pele the Goddess of fire) but I have been giving her offerings and praying to her a lot lately...

There was also a few swims mixed with those above workouts, nothing earth shattering going on in the pool, loving the open water though. Today involved a triple workout. An early morning interval workout that I would like to forget...I nearly tossed my cookies and my legs felt like cement from the first interval--I just toughed this one out, we followed this up with a ride where my HR was way too high in warm up but a humpback whale waved it's fin at me when I rode by...and then a 10x400 pull set in the pool. Good times. Love it.

Nothing like a training camp to kick your butt into gear. I think I'm suffering a bit from the 10-day hitting of the "Wall" (made it to day 11, see my January post on "the wall").

Tomorrow is another day of long riding. Please join me in offering Cadence, the Goddess of the Bike, a little lube or a spare tire. Perhaps she will be in a good mood tomorrow and give me a crash free, mechanical free, strong legs and safe ride!!

Cheers,

Lisa

Some days are tough, some days make you tough..

2009-03-16T18:11:00.006-06:00

It's been a busy week. Getting back into the swing of training camps always takes me a bit of time to adjust. Different schedule, different training grounds, different (but great!) training partners, different weather (-25 to +25 degrees., wind & rain), new bike and actual pavement to ride on, different bed to sleep in, different birds to wake me up....the list goes on! While adjusting to the new surroundings and environments there have been some tough workouts to get through too. As I like to tell myself when the going gets tough in a workout...Love IT!!

Here is our ghetto-fabulous pad...it looks worse from the outside, quite cozy on the inside:

Many of our bike/run workouts have been in the rain and wind lately. The picture below pretty much summarizes the weather the last few days (note the bending of the palm trees). I can't complain though, at least I'm not wearing 3 layers of clothing while training!

Saturday had me and Heather G. doing a separate workout from the group (sniff, sniff, but I'm here to train and coach knows best...I think..). We battled the elements on the bike, altering our TT route so that we rode into the gale force wind for a portion of it so we didn't get home in 5mins with the crazy strong tail wind! I thought we might miss the rain but it got us on the last 15min...so close!! Then we ditched the bike and set off for an hour run at 70.3 pace, we ended up running pretty much the entire thing uphill, into the wind on a dusty gravel road, but miraculously the clouds went away and sun came out to make it just a little tougher! The wind gods were out to get us but I wouldn't give them the satisfaction, they even put in a little extra effort on my last minute of running up a steep hill--I leaned into it and ran a little extra over the top just to show them I won!

The rainbow at end of the day after our swim: Now, Sunday was a different story. It was supposed to be a 4.5hour hilly bike ride. We woke up to pouring rain and of course the wind. Being my usual thorough self, I found a weather radar site for Hawaii and saw that we were just on the edge of the storm and thought if we rode East, we'd be out of it pretty quick. We sucked it up and set out in the drizzle. It was a little slick on the roads, so I was riding pretty slow, then I rounded a corner and came upon a mud-slick and before I knew it, me and my new bike hit the pavement! Ouch! I made Heather turn back and I limped my way home. Here's the aftermath, could have been worse if I had time to put my hands out!Today, we're at Monday, recovery day. It involved a sleep in (7am), a chai tea in Paia, a splash in the ocean, a whole lot of driving around doing errands and a b-day party for Coach Lance's son. Now I am getting the gear ready for tomorrow--we have a couple big days ahead....wish me luck! I'll update if I survive them!! Hopefully I stay upright on my bike!
Cheers,
LM

Made it!

2009-03-13T20:10:00.004-06:00

Made it Maui! It's been a bit of a busy week. My Team Timex bike actually beat me here, so I had to put it together and make adjustments to it on Tuesday and then head out for a ride that day.
Here she is; note the beautiful Dutch orange paint job!!

We had a pretty big day yesterday which involved hill repeats and a TT section (race pace stuff) on the bike (3 hour ride total) and followed that by 6x1 mile repeats running off the bike. Ouch! After a sub-par bike performance (I'm blaming the jet-lag!!), I had a little heart-to-heart with myself after the first mile repeat (went something like "suck it up princess") and managed to pull off a good run session and finish with a smile. Oh yeah, then we froze in the pool during a recovery drill workout to finish off the day.
Here's the group before we headed out. I'm on the far right. It was a chilly-wet day to start the ride!!

Today was my first open water swim workout since August! It was pretty choppy out there and sometimes I didn't actually feel like I was swimming--more like windmilling and taking in a bunch of salt water, but I was happy to be out in the Ocean!!

The weekend has a long bike/run (at race efforts) one day and a hilly 4:30 ride the other plus a swim somewhere in there too. I'll let you know how it goes!!

Hope all is well across the Oceans!
LM

Loungin'

2009-03-09T17:04:00.002-06:00

After a 1.45 hour delay in Calgary, I've made it Vancouver and currently waiting for my flight to Maui, for a training camp, in the AC lounge. After circumnavigating the world last year, I managed to finally gain 'elite' status with AC, so I'm taking full advantage of it!!

It was -25 in Calgary this morning....I'll report back the temperature in Maui once I get there. should be a good 50 degree swing in temperature in 1 day. I'm looking forward to get back into training, this past week was a recovery week and I ended up getting sick, so my training was pretty minimal. Hopefully I can get back to where I left off before the bug, I hate being sick!!

I'll report back once I get into a routine in Maui!
Stay warm!
LM

Lisa Likes.....

2009-03-02T08:22:00.002-07:00

I stole this idea from another Triathletes blog. Apparently it's something that is going around Facebook (I wouldn't know since I don't 'do' Facebook). Since I seem to only know how to post about how much winter sucks, I thought this might be fun instead! You just google your name+likes, ex. Lisa likes... and see what comes up. I didn't click on any of the links though...

First here is an actual list of what 'Lisa likes about winter'...trying to be positive here!!

Lisa likes....(about winter)...

crisp, clear blue Alberta skies when I am out running, no lack of sunshine here in the winter!
the view of the snow capped mountains to the west during the clear days.
Right after a big snowfall when everything is covered in white.
kicking off the snowy-slushy-dirty buildup on my car mud flaps (if you live in a cold climate, you know what I mean!)
all the winter sports I've put on hold the last few years (so I don't injure myself!), backcountry skiing, downhill, tobogganing, ect.
wearing my wool socks and sweaters that were put away last spring
that moment when you notice that the days are getting longer....it happened to me a few weeks ago after leaving the oval after a run workout. It made me smile!

Now my googled 'Lisa likes....'

Lisa likes to woogie
Lisa likes Rock N' Roll lyrics
Lisa likes Bon Jovi
Lisa likes my shovel skills
Lisa likes London and lunch and lullabies
Lisa likes Blue Duck Tavern
Lisa likes to have fun outside (this is true!)
Lisa likes the banana pancakes

Not sure what a woogie is and not really a fan of Bon Jovi but I think I like the rest! I'll have to find this Blue Duck Tavern!

Training is going well. I'm onto a recovery week....finally a couple days were I don't have to run!! My legs need a break after 2 big weeks back to back! I officially finished off at NuVista last week, so I guess I'm officially an unemployed triathlete-bum! Excellent!

7 more days (onto single digits now!!)

The Countdown Is ON....

2009-02-24T15:00:00.003-07:00

I've officially started a countdown to my Hawaii training camp after waking up to more snow this morning!! I even looked into bumping my flight up a few days, but the price difference was too much :( I think we may have snow in our backyard until June!
13 days.
LM

Lovin' Winter & Coach L

2009-02-16T14:46:00.006-07:00

Not much to report this week, recovery week for training. How come I always feel worse during my 'easy' weeks? I felt like I'd been run over by a truck this week. Fortunately, the week turned around by the weekend. I felt much better by Saturday. As with the last few weeks, I had yet another long trainer ride with a 20' run off it. After cycling I did a quick change into my winter run gear, since I knew it was -10 outside, and headed out West. I forgot to check the wind direction before I left...as soon as I turned back to head home, I found out it was an East wind. It was so fricken' cold I had brain freeze, my eye lashes frosted up and I wanted to run backwards! I made it home by using some reverse psychology, telling myself that "I love winter"! Once home, I went straight to the weather network to check the 'real-feel' temp...-21. It's probably good that I didn't know that before I headed out, I probably wouldn't have gone!!

I also put my new coaching skills to the test this weekend (I took the NCCP Community coaching course a few weekends back). The Kronos Tri Club was hosting a Junior Elite skills camp over the long weekend and Bart (the head coach) asked me to help out with a Transition clinic and and some assistance in with a swim session. It was good, I still need some work on my coaching skills but I had fun and got some great feedback.

We had them set up T1 inside and do a T1/T2 simulation (stationary though!).
The kids...looking tired (it was the end of the day for them!).

After the swim portion of the camp, I jumped in the water for my swim and felt pretty good. I find talking and thinking about the technical aspects of swimming always makes me pay attention to my stroke more and usually I have a great swim after! Watch out Paul, Coach L is fine-tuning her skills!!

Love winter...remember to always start your run into the wind...it will be much more enjoyable!

A week in review

2009-02-09T11:57:00.006-07:00

The last 2 weeks have been pretty heavy training. I'm still on a run focus but coach has also decided to increase my time in the saddle too. Being in Calgary for the winter this means more trainer time!! Never my favourite, although, I have to admit I really enjoy the Wednesday night spin classes with the Speed Theory group...perhaps because there are 20+ other people suffering along with me!

Last week was a 3 hour ride that was broken down into hour segments, so I was able to suffer through it while watching 2 movies and focusing on my HR and power. This saturday was a 3.5hour ride for workout with the only descriptor being "include some simulated long climbs" (ie. big gear stuff)....hmmm...was Coach Paul in a bad mood when he wrote this workout? This bike was going to take some mental focus & creativity on my part, especially since my legs were smashed from 2 interval workouts during the week and a 2:15 long run the day before (thanks to Grant for keeping me company on the run!)...3.5hours on the trainer was the last thing I wanted to do! Oh and did I mention, there was 20' building run off the bike attached to this ride!

I set up in the basement and went to work. Surprisingly the ride went by fairly quickly! I broke into 1hr-1.5hr-1hr sets, so it was mentally challenging (different gearing, HR's, watts) and the time went by faster. It also helped that I had a Grey's Anatomy and No Country For Old Men on the PVR. Not sure if I loved or hated NCFOM...jury is still out on that one, but it was great way to kill 122 minutes! After that, I did a quick change (there was a strong west wind, so running in my sweat soaked cycling clothes was not an option), and ran my usual loop of the neighbourhood feeling surprisingly good!

The aftermath of the ride and a clothing change before my run:

The total time on my watch...yes, that is my pasty white skin reflecting back in the photo...I really need some sun....I still had an hour of strength and core work to do after this! I can't wait for dry, gravel/ice free pavement and warm temperatures...soon Lisa, soon!! These lonely trainer rides will make me love every second of every ride outside.
The next day my legs were feeling surprisingly snappy, I even had a really strong tempo run and great swim. I was also able to schedule in some 'normal life' stuff; a brunch with the family to celebrate my big sis' b-day (don't worry Jenni, I won't post your age!!) , watch my niece's soccer game, and practise some Dutch with Nicole.

Some other news of note: I made the decision to resign from my job at NuVista to focus solely on Triathlon again--I'd been working part time post-Beijing. It was a tough decision since the gang at NuVista has been nothing but supportive of my triathlon endeavours and very understanding of my career decisions. Thanks to Alex, Steve, Pat and everyone at NuVista for all the support and experience over the past few years, I couldn't have made it to the Olympics without your support!

Cheers,

Sport Spiel and White Hatted!

2009-01-30T10:00:00.005-07:00

On Thursday I was asked to attend a Tourism Calgary event downtown as the representative for the Calgary Ironman 70.3. The event involved the Mayor of Calgary and Team Alberta (and Olympic medallists) curling team, plus athletes from all the various sporting events going on in Calgary this year. There were even 2 of the Stampeders there with the Grey Cup--Mike Labinjo (my favourite Stamp!) and Burke Dale (now one of my favourite Stamps!).

They also gave all the athletes the famous Calgary White Hat--the white stetson is given out to visitors, like Oprah, and local athletes and is a fun tradition in the city. We then had a very serious curling bonspiel after....I was on Team 'Bronco'--the Mayors team!

Our intense game. We ended up losing when curling great Kevin Martin threw a great last rock!
Stampeder Mike Labinjo going down on the ice...guess he's better on turf than ice!

A fun time and great way to promote sport in the city of Calgary. This year, along with the 70.3, we have the Brier, World Champs for water skiing, a big golf tournament, the Grey Cup final, and many other events! Good year to be a sport fan in Calgary!

1:30 on the TM

2009-01-25T14:22:00.002-07:00

The weather in Calgary took another turn for the worst. It's been -20ish the last couple days, and this meant that I had to do my long run on the treadmill (TM) at the gym. Boring!
So, if you were wondering what goes through my head or occupies the time while running in one spot for an hour and half...here is goes:

-Australian Open on TV, watch a match and a half, pretend that I am in Australia running.
-count the number of Lululemon outfits at the College gym on friday afternoon...stopped counting at 30...
-focus on run form every second 5 minutes
-wonder why the heat is on in the gym (the vent is above me), solve all the weeks problems--exercise helps me focus.
-watch big-muscle-tattoo-guy get his skinner-than-a-tooth-pick girlfriend spot him while he incline pressed an obscene amount of weight. Wonder if anyone else is worried that she is fixing her hair while spotting him...
-count the number of muscle shirts being worn in the gym...
-focus on run form and play "technique police" and spot all in the gym with improper lifting technique--a pet peeve of mine.
-watch every second of the last 5 minutes tick by and hope that the weather is better next week for my 2 hour base run!!

It wasn't very exciting, but I got through it! It's supposed to warm up next week, so hopefully no TM again!!
LM

Back to reality

2009-01-20T14:07:00.002-07:00

Well, made it back to Cowtown. I was a hermit on the weekend and pretty sore. The good thing is that the weather in Calgary has been fantastic (for January!), sunny and in the mid-teens, nice! Trying to focus on recovery and getting back into my routine here. I had a massage the other night and my therapist (who I've been going to for years), stopped after about 45' and told me: "you should book another hour this week if you can, this the worst your back has been in a long time" Ouch! Guess +70km of swimming over 2 weeks will do that to you. I'm back in on Thursday and doing some serious stretching and recovery!

Found some pics from the 8k race in Victoria...that is me running behind the crowd, #17, think this is just before I really started hurting!!

Lucy Smith (Lifesport coach/teammate & race winner) showing us how it's supposed to be done!Cheers,
LM

The WALL

2009-01-15T11:21:00.004-07:00

Yesterday I hit the wall, and hit it hard, no bouncing off it, just hit and drop to the ground. It's usually about 10 days after arrival at training camp that athletes who have been going strong for 9 days straight suddenly max out and the body just simply quits. Well, in Victoria, I was starting to think I was invincible and would be able to clear the wall in one jump. I started to approach the wall half way through Day 12. I ran head on into it on Day 13.

Day 13 started off with a horrible nights sleep, and an accidental sleep-in for the 5:30am swim--it happens to the best of us. I was only 40' late and made up all the meters I missed, although I was really tired and sluggish. We were back at the pool for another swim at noon but I first a 30' "recovery" run. It took all I had to do this run, I even downloaded some new tunes to my ipod, solely for the extra motivation. After the swim I had a lunch meeting with Coach Paul and then back to the lab for some sweat/sodium testing. What was supposed to be a 2 hour ride turned into a 3 hour trainer ride. I struggled, came back from the brink of breaking, but managed to suck it up and finish it off strong. I actually slept that night!

Day 14...we did a tempo/fartlek run around 'the bog', I went out pretty hard on the first part of the run, hoping the legs would come around for the second half...nope! I saw the 'spirit of the bog' floating out there, ready to drag me in when my legs finally gave out (hallucinations, not a good sign!). Fortunately, I made it through the run without a dip in the bog water! After a short break, back to the pool--hoping for an easy float--nope again! Coach Lance put together one hard workout, I think they were officially trying to make me break...I was close but not going to give them the satisfaction! Thanks to the draft of Brent, I managed to get through the workout!!

Now, I going out for sushi...yummy! Only one more strength/core session and a swim to finish off...I can do it!! Now time to get back up, recover and make to the top of the wall. This will only make me stronger. Love it.

Back to Calgary friday...I may not leave my bed until monday...

Lisa

New for 2009...

2009-01-12T18:53:00.005-07:00

I have been asked by Paul, the owner of Speed Theory, to write a monthly article in their Ironman 70.3 Calgary Newsletter. I'm calling it Lisa's Top 5's. For January it was my top 5 ways to transition from the couch to training. February will be my top 5 travel adventures. Take a peak at: www.speedtheory.ca/blog. There are also technical articles by fellow Calgary Triathletes, Trev Williams, Kyle Marcotte and Scott Curry. If there is a 'top 5' you'd like to see, let me know!

A couple other exciting new things for 2009 are my new partnerships. Trakkers and Timex have added me to their teams! Click on the logos to the right to check out my partners and supporters.

That's all for now.

Lisa

Vic camp Days 5-10

2009-01-11T19:02:00.004-07:00

My last post left off with me going to the trainer ride+run off the bike. Since we started the ride at 5, it meant we were running at 7--in the dark! It turned out to be a Rocky Balboa moment...dark, wind and rain, surprisingly, I felt good and had fun during it! The next day was a 5:30am swim (never my favourite!), core/strength workout and VO2 max testing on the bike. With tired legs, I had a tough time mustering up the energy to crank out the extra wattage, but the numbers were okay for an early season test.

Thursday, coach didn't let up on us one bit--8k of swimming (in 2 sessions) and 8x1k of running, good times. Friday was a little easier, some recovery swimming and a well earned sleep-in. Saturday was a base run and ride--I rode outside solo, in the rain...I wasn't passing up a chance to get on the pavement..plus I secretly felt tough like Lance Armstrong...

Today was an 8k run, which Paul had told me was "just a small local run". Turns out that running in Victoria is a bigger event than running in Calgary. There are so many fast runners here! I managed an okay run for 6th women overall, 2nd in my age group, with some tired and heavy legs--I had tough time with second 4km. I was snaked at the line by an 80lbs, 50 year old lady...I had no idea she was there, and in my defence she apparently was (and still is) a really fast runner in her day!! Anyway, this run was followed up with a 6k swim.....phew!

Tomorrow is a lighter day, but still 2 swims! I Hope that I make it to my flight home on friday...

Lisa

Vic camp days 1-5

2009-01-06T16:00:00.002-07:00

Ouch!

After 5 days of heavy training (coming off a Christmas-New Years recovery week), I am thoroughly exhausted! We've done some long runs in the snow, wind and rain but it's nice to be outside. Paul had us run 3x2miles on the weekend and follow that up the next day with a 2hour hilly base (low heart rate) run. Needless to say, I could barely move my legs by Monday! He's taken care of the upper body with some long 5k swims. Good news is, my shoulder seems to be holding in okay and my times are coming down again! It's been a long recovery from that Beijing crash but it's slowly getting better!

Now I am vegging out on my bed, recovering before our trainer ride (with an added bonus of a 20' run at the end). Gotta love training camps...

Lisa

2009!

2009-01-01T08:46:00.002-07:00

Happy New Year!!
Well, 2008 is officially over and onto 2009! Overall it was a great year for me in Triathlon (except for the Beijing crash!), now to start 2009 on the right foot. I'm off to Victoria for my first Lifesport training camp of the year! There is a great group of athletes joining me out west, so it should be fun. It's a swim focus and my shoulder seems to be holding up ok as long as I stay on top of my exercises and stretching. That'll be my New Year's resolution--strengthen and stretching!

Since training is now back in full swing, the posts will probably more triathlon focused. Hopefully I have Internet access there, I'll do my best to update often!

Hope 2008 was great and make 2009 even better!
Cheers,
Lisa

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T08:27:00.002-07:00

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas Day!!
Interesting Christmas fact for you: This is the first Christmas day since 1971 that Canada has had a coast to coast white Christmas! There is snow everywhere!
Lisa

For those stuck in the deep freeze....

2008-12-19T16:18:00.006-07:00

'Main Beach' Noosa, Australia:
After waking up this morning to a -38 windchill and having to run a 1:45 run on the treadmill, not fun, I needed to post this to cheer myself up (and anyone else in Western Canada right now!)! My last post was making me cold just looking at it!!

I broke rule #1 for survival during a deep freeze...I looked at the forecast for a Southern Hemisphere location...Noosa, Australia. For those interested, it was +35 there today. Below is me in 2007, just off Main Beach at Noosa Heads. This is where we would swim all our long swims on sundays. The WATER temperature was 26*........

**sigh**Okay, the sun actually came out today, so I think I can push through!! I can make it to Dec 21...the days start getting longer after that! yippee!!!

Lisa