The Driven 5 Finale

Well the 2009 racing season is finally winding down for everyone and most of the Driven 5 are now recovering or preparing for a few end of season running events. It is hard to believe that we are about to close this chapter and everyone will embark on a new one.

Overall, I am very pleased with how everyone fared and yes everyone did accomplish their original athletic goals. What was great to see was how everyone stayed positive and focused on their goals which is tough to do over such a long period of time and with so many of life's distractions pulling them in different directions.

I noticed a large increase in each athlete's confidence level after they completed each of their events and a genuine passion develop towards the sport of triathlon in general. At least no one has turned their back on the sport!

What I also noticed in each person was a new sense of awareness and respect in terms of the time commitment required to properly prepare for a triathlon both physically and mentally. No one after their event was content with just having "finished" but rather they were already analyzing their performances and looking at how they could improve next year or in a few years. Growth for certain.

Each person explored new personal boundaries this year which I feel is a true motivator and reason why so many of us do endurance events or sport in general. I hope that each member of the Driven 5 will take some time to reflect on their year, their progress, the process we as coaches put them through and be able to answer the question "why do I want to continue doing triathlons" for themselves.

Liz has her sights on completing the Sylvan Lake Half Ironman in 2010. Liz has also proudly reclaimed her athletic self.

Heather is going to focus on running and looks to qualify for the Boston Marathon, maintain her swimming and then get back into triathlons in a few years when her children are in school full time.

Amy has been plotting her path to earning a spot in the 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater for her age group. She and her "guy" Dave are also recently engaged! Congrats you two.

Ari has signed up for Ironman Canada in 2010. He is a lawyer and yes he is single ladies.

Marc is looking to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Marc has also joined the Ironman Club.

All that remains is our wrap-up party on September 24th and I look forward to hearing every one's stories that evening.

Well done gang and thanks for making us proud of our Driven 5 selections - each of you was truly amazing!

Sincerely,

Jack

Looking Back on 70.3

Well August 2 has come and gone. Last November when I was contemplating registering for the race it seemed like distant dream, by the time spring rolled around and I was wading through the water at Wasa for my first tri, it became real! I look back over the last 9 months I am amazed with what I have done personally, professionally, physically and emotionally. With that said, let me reflect on my 70.3 race!

Race day morning:
I woke up at the respectable hour of 4:30 and sat at the kitchen table choking down my tried, tested and true staple of a bagle with peanut butter. At 5am, Dave and I headed over the Jack's house and then out to Ghost Lake. Pulling into the parking lot was surreal. People everywhere with their clear, white and red bags in hand. After getting body marked, getting my bags where they needed to go and making sure my bike was good to ride, I went over to check out the start for the swim. By this point I had some nerves happening but only the good kind that indicate you are ready for the day. Following a quick visit to the bushes, I donned my wetsuit, googles and cap and ventured down to the launch. Our heat was fairly large as we had25-29 women as well as 30-34 women.

Swim
My goal for the swim was to get out of th water in a relatively competitive position. Having never swum 2000m continuously (Chinook was 2x1km loop) I was interested to see how the body would respond. After some initial issues with my goggles leaking I set into a decent rythm. All in all the swim was alright. I noticed some slightl stomach cramps about half way through but attributed that to taking in five face fulls of water at the start! T1 was decent, though similar to Ari, I am trying to figure out where my 4 minutes went!

Bike
Now this was what I was most looking forward to. I knew that to be competitive in my age group I would need a strong ride as I knew some of the other competition and knew they were stronger runners than I. Since April I have rode Grand Valley-Horse Creek at least once a week. My legs were feeling great as I started off the ride. I just kept passing people - I was pushing a decent pace, but nothing I couldn't sustain. I went through the first feed zone grabbed some water (note to race organizer, dont hand out water with screw tops, makes it hard for those athletes who don't have those front water bottle thingies!). Cruised down Horse Creek and through Cochrane hill. At this point I was sitting in 2nd place in my age group and had about 10 minutes on 3rd place. Suddenly I hear that dreaded hiss of a flat tire...... Dagnamit I think to myself. However, I calmly, pull over, pull out my tools and start changing it. Just as I am going to fill it with air I notice some gravel in the rim, after a failed attempt to pick it out, I decided to pull off tire and tube, clean out the gravel and then go forward. All in this cost me 10 minutes! So I got back on my bike and put my head down and kicked it down hiway 22. Turining onto airport road I am anticipating a feed station as my water water bottle was empty and my other bottle was packed with triple strength cytomax which was not appealing as those small stomach cramps from the swim were still kicking around. Cruise through aid station 2 and continue on. I finally catch 3rd place coming on to lower Springbank road. We come into T2 at exactly the same time! I rack my bike, don my shoes and head out for the run (making a much needed pit stop at the loo for a pee break).

Run
Heading out on the run just behind 3rd place was very concerning. I know she is a strong runner and was in my worst case scenariou. Regardless I put my head down and find my pace. The first 5km went really well. I was hitting my 5min/km target. Then at 5km my stomach cramps decide to get a little more intense, causing me to stop and walk with my arms above my head. The next 10km were probably the worst I have experienced to date. Between the heat getting to me and those darned stomach cramps, I had a heck of a time finding a rythm. At the bottom of the Weasle Head, coming back, I decided it was time to put my head down, dig deep and finish strong. Was it ever amazing to run through North Glenmore, through the crowds of volunteers and spectators cheering me on. It was great! I hit 2km to go and really start to feel the legs shut down but keep pushing through. Then I finally see it, the fencing for the finish shoot. As I am coming in with 200m to go I can hear a fellow behind me, trying to take me in those last 200m. So I dug as deep as I could and held him off. I crossed the finish line at 5:27 and 4th place in my age group.

Since the race I have had much time to reflect. If you ask me whether I happy with my race, I will say "relatively". I really wanted top 3 in my age group and a sub 5:05 finishing time (which would have given me a qualifying spot for 70.3 worlds in Florida in Novemebr). I have played it over and over in my mind. Maybe I didn't push hard enough on the run, what if I had run tubular rims and didn't flat. After a few days of wallowing it then occured me to that for my third triathlon ever, I should be proud of my accomplishment. Not only was I able to race on race day, but I had made it 9 whole months without any health issues. Over the last 9 months I have learned more about myself, my support system and the sport than I ever thought possible. I have learned that nothing is unattainable - all it takes is dedication, perseverance and right support from the right people!

I would like to say a HUGE thanks to Talisman for the opportunity to be a part of the Driven5. Thanks to Jon, Megan and Laurel for all of your help in the pool. Kelly, a huge thanks for teaching me that gels aren't as evil as I once thought! And Jack, I don't even know where to start. You have helped to realize a potential in myself that I didn't think possible. Needless to say you have open the can of worms called "triathlon" and I look forward to many more years of training and racing!

One other thanks to David, Mom and Dad. All I can say is the last 9 months would not have been possible if it weren't for your unwavering support :-)

As the 2009 season comes to a close, I am already anticipating 2010. I still need to iron out my focus but regardless, it will include many more adventures and learning experiences (not to mention I am heading back to school to get my long anticipated Masters of Teaching). 2009 will always be the year of the Driven5. The year when 5 very different people, with 5 very different motives, came together for one common goal - dream, believe, achieve!

Ironman Calgary 70.3 - Ari

The last ten seconds of the race—when the finish line came into view, the crowd started to cheer, and I began to sprint—made it all worth it. If I could somehow unpack the elation, the feeling of invincibility, the Las Vegas style lightshow of neuro-chemical activity contained in those last 10 seconds, I could easily spread it out over every training session during the last year. And I’m pretty sure it’s registered on some sub-conscious level, because thoughts of future training and future events keep bubbling to the surface. Your body craves more.

On a more conscious level, I came to the realization after doing the Wasa Lake Triathlon in June that you really can’t do triathlon for only one season. Well, you can, I guess, but you may be doing yourself an injustice. For me, I see next year as being when the real fun begins. I’ve only now begun to identify my limiters, only now begun to understand the equipment, a few economy-enhancing techniques, the basis for periodization. To set that all aside now would be tantamount to purchasing all the brushes, the paints, the palette, the canvass; taking a full complement of first-year theory and studio courses; creating a couple of pieces that, in your own view at the very least, are relatively acceptable, enjoying the entire process, and then shelving it all in the back of the closet before the second year has even begun. Why bother?

So I’ve signed up to volunteer at Ironman Canada this year, and while I’m there I’m going to register myself for that race in 2010. I’m going to do the Vancouver Triathlon this coming Labour Day, possibly one more tri after that, and then I’ll get down to the process of season recovery and early-stage training for next year.

As for the Calgary Ironman 70.3 this last Sunday, I’m not sure it could have gone more according to plan. A couple nights before the race I prepared an honest assessment of how I expected to perform in each of the three splits and the two transitions. I finished within three and a half minutes (on the fast side) of that goal.

It was a beautiful morning. The pre-dawn anticipation as I boarded the bus for Ghost Lake far outweighed any sense of nervousness I had about the race. When we arrived at T1 I quietly set about preparing my bike and mentally rehearsing the swim and transition logistics. I spotted one of my Driven 5 colleagues—the ever-smiling Marc Morin—just as an auspicious sun climbed out from behind the foothills. We exchanged a few words of encouragement on what was going to be a glorious day.

The water was positively refreshing. I don’t know if it was the abundance of ice baths I’ve been taking after hard training sessions, whether my core temperature was elevated from standing around in my wetsuit, the pre-race adrenalin, or a combination of these factors, but when I dove in for my warm up, I couldn’t have imagined a more agreeable temperature for the swim. My wave start was immediately after the pros’. I seeded myself in the middle of the pack, and a little to the outside. The start went very well. At Wasa I found I (to borrow a term from Gordo Byrn, co-author of Going Long) “engaged” a lot of other swimmers, alternately getting clamoured over and swimming into others’ feet. I attributed this primarily to poor sighting on my part. For Sunday’s race, I sighted every couple of strokes at the start and managed to negotiate the chaos relatively unscathed. As the pack began to spread out I settled into my pace and kept my eyes on the buoys. Unfortunately I was not able to (and probably not skilled enough to do so at any rate) draft off anyone, so I heeded Gordo Byrn’s advice—that is, a two-minute improvement on the swim can cost you 20 minutes on the run—and held back a bit.

In retrospect, I think the swim was where I felt the most vulnerable at any point during the race, but at the same time, and with the exception of the final stage of the run, it was also where I felt the most exhilarated. There you are: in the middle of a deep lake; the sun, barely edged over the horizon; the water, black; the only sounds, your breath, the water, both muted by your swim cap. On the way out to the turnaround buoys I recall turning my head to take a breath and seeing three figures standing motionless on the ridge. I know now they were likely volunteer spotters looking for signs of distressed swimmers, but at the time they eerily resonated as solemn reminders of how very much alone I was out there. As I say, I felt strangely exhilarated knowing that it would be up to me to finish that swim.

About 300 meters from shore I switched from a two-beat kick to a six-beat kick to start getting more blood in my legs in preparation for transition, and came out 72^nd out of the 174 competitors in my age group.

I question whether it would be too generous of me to say that my T1 transition sucked. I mean, I recognized from Wasa the epic crappiness of my T1 skills, and I attempted to account for this by pencilling in five-minutes on my pre-race estimate for this race, but 6:14? What on earth was I doing for six minutes and 14 seconds? Who knows, but it factors high on my list of limiters to address next season.

As for the bike portion, this was exceedingly enjoyable. I had done the first half of the course five times over the last couple of months, so I knew what to expect. For the first 15 kms I really held back, took in water only, and concentrated on getting my heart rate down. Shortly after the turn onto Grand Valley Road—and the ensuing downshift on the incline—I noticed my rear derailleur was behaving more erratically than the suspect vehicle in any COPS episode, so I lost about a minute making some much needed barrel adjustments. After that, I started the process of taking in nutrition and enjoying the course.

Although I maintained a relatively respectable pace (for me at any rate) on the first half of the bike route—aided most definitely by an aero helmet that Jon Bird graciously lent me—I have to admit that, just as Gordo Byrn indicates in Going Long and on endurancecorner.com, the bike leg is an exercise in restraint and humility. When you get passed on the downhill by someone on a bike thousands of dollars more expensive than yours, or by someone hammering on the flats, don’t sweat it. There are only two possibilities here: you’re either going to pass them later on in the bike or the run, or they’re faster than you to begin with. So yes, it happened to me a couple of times early on in the course, and I resisted the urge to grab another gear and attempt to keep up. My hedge paid off as I passed three of them on the hill coming out of Cochrane, and never saw them again.

As an aside, I found it particularly heartening to see some of the ranch families parked at the side of the road, old timers and babies and everyone in between, waving at the competitors. It’s become increasingly evident to me that cyclists and triathletes share an uneasy, often downright antagonistic, relationship with motor vehicles and the residents who (perhaps rightfully) consider the secondary highways abutting their homesteads part of their ‘hood. Ever since Wasa I’ve been unable to shake the feeling that, to the uninitiated, we cyclists and triathletes, what with our tight-fitting, multi-coloured lycra, look like little Hallowe’en candies whizzing along on multi-coloured bikes, as foreign to them as they may seem to us. A little preachy, perhaps, but to the extent we can manage a smile or wave back, and to the extent we can hang onto both parts of the empty gel packet, rather than spitting and throwing them out on the side of the highway (which I have seen a number of times), I think that will go a long way in ensuring continued support from those who came out early on a Sunday morning, and gaining support from those who, at present, consider us obstacles more than anything.

From Cochrane to Lower Springbank Road I continued to hydrate (plain water) and take in nutrition which, for the entire race (with the exception of an Enervitene “cheer pack” 5 kms before the finish), consisted of three Endurolyte capsules roughly every 50 minutes, and highly concentrated flasks of Perpetuem. I finished the bike 62^nd in my age group, and went through T2 in 2:01, a marginal improvement over T1.

My strategy for the run was similar to my strategy for the bike. In two words: slow the @#$% down. As I noticed at Wasa, you feel remarkable coming off the bike, and you have to slow down to not blow up on the run. I was running 45 seconds per kilometre too fast coming out of T2, and it literally took me two kilometres to slow down to the pace I knew I could sustain for the run. And though I can run relatively well in the heat, man was I thankful for that early wave start, as I can’t imagine the afternoon furnace some of the later runners had to endure.

Whereas the swim was the most exhilarating portion of the race for me, the run was the most inspiring. This was primarily a matter of logistics because, since the course was an out-and-back, I got to see all the pros on the home stretch. I remember looking over at Mirinda Carfrae, the women’s winner, as she was about 2.5 kms from the finish, and thinking to myself how exceptionally strong she looked. What separates me from elite distance “runners” is the fact they do just that: they run. And to see these athletes at or near the apotheosis of athletic ability, chasing each other down the final few kilometres—well, it was beautiful.

So, as I indicated at the start, I got my little 10 seconds of fanfare for a relatively admirable sprint to the finish. My family—who’ve indulged my relatively ephemeral existence over the last 10 months—and my friends—who’ve indulged my relatively (and no doubt irritatingly) sober existence over the last 10 months—were there for the race, and insofar as triathlon is an intensely introspective, venturing upon lonely, endeavour, their presence made the finish that much sweeter. I ended up 35^th on the run split and 44^th overall for my age group. I’m satisfied with these results, but more satisfied with the fact my race strategy played out nearly precisely on spec. Something is working.

I may never be able to share—let alone understand—all the reasons I’m doing this, but I think my friends and family who were there on Sunday (especially my dear Mom, whose apple cake I’ve refused dozens of times over the last year) understand that, whatever reasons they are, they are compelling ones.

I am indebted to Endurance Training Systems and Talisman Centre; to my colleagues in the Tri-Club and Driven 5; and especially to Jon Bird, Megan Bird, Jack VanDyk, Kelly Drager, Paul Robertson, and Greg Cooper—coaches and advisors who not only taught me the material, but, like all good professors, how to start to make it my own.

What a great race!

Well I did it! There were certainly many points throughout the past 8 months where I did not think that I would ever cross the finish line, but I discovered yesterday that with determination and the right sort of help and support anything is possible.
I managed to overcome my fear of deep water and finished the 2K swim within the required time and much to my surprise did not come in last for a change! The day was off to a great start. I took my time in transition getting ready for my bike and set off to face the challenge of a hilly but wonderful ride. Much to my surprise even the Cochrane hill went smoothly and was much less of a challenge than I expected. Once I arrived at north Glenmore park I was feeling great. I had finished two out of the three events and nothing was going to stop me from hitting the finish line now. I started out too fast on the run but forced myself to slow down. It was at this point I felt the heat. Thankfully there were many wonderful volunteers with lots of water and sponges and I was easily able to keep my pace throughout. I still had energy left at the end which probably means I should have pushed harder but I wanted to have enough energy left over that I could enjoy the moment of crossing the finish line as well. Overall it was a perfect day! It was great to see Amy and Marc along with some of the tri-club members out there, everyone was giving it there best shot which was great to see! I have to thank a number of people as there is no way I could have accomplished such a feat on my own, but they know who there are.
What is next is the question I keep getting asked. I will not be doing another 1/2 ironman at least until both kids are in school full time, but that just gives me a couple of years to work on becoming more comfortable in the water. In the short term I'll probably focus on my running a little more as I am hoping to do Boston in the spring. Thank you to everyone for all your encouragement and support, it truely has been an amazing experience, one I will not forget any time soon!

Have a Great Race

The big weekend has finally arrived for four of the Driven 5 and one coach! It looks to be a great weekend for weather, racing and celebrating what has been a long journey for members of the Driven 5.

Racing in our home city should be an incredible experience with so many friends and family coming out to cheer us on and celebrate with us. I have not ever done such a big event in my home town so this is something I am looking forward to immensely.

Remember to enjoy the day no matter what is thrown at you. Remain positive, avoid the negative vibes and people on course and control what lies within your control on race day.

Good luck to Heather, Marc, Ari and Amy this weekend!

JVD

Something positive =0)

Well once again it has been a while since my last post. Apparently between kids, work and travel I have not had much opportunity to sit at my computer for more than 5 mins. Since I last posted I personally had a complete melt down and was ready to quit except for the fact that I refuse to allow myself to do so. The thing about sport that I love most is that just when you least expect it, and often most need it, someone comes out of the crowd and says just the right thing. Thank you Lana and many others that picked me up at this time and encouraged me to keep on going. I was convinced at the end of may that after struggling to swim 500 meters (pool) for the Try This Tri that there was no way I would ever be able to complete the 1.9K (open water) that is required for the half Ironman in August.

June started with more training in the snow and a chilly swim in Lake Sundance. My first ever experience in swimming open water. I chose not to follow the crowd and stuck the to edge until I felt I had my confidence. After swimming roughly 1/4 of the way around I decided to give it all I had and swam out to the middle, as I could not stay in may safety net in the upcoming months. I swam until I could see fish and kept going until I could see nothing at all and managed to find my way back to shore. It was not a long swim but I had proven to myself that I could swim in deep, open, cold water and live to tell about it. It was certainly the confidence boost that I needed.

Following this experience I hooked up with Dan Fraser from High Altitude hypnosis ( http://www.highaltitudehypnosis.com/ ) in order to try and overcome my fear of deep water, something I would never have considered doing years ago. After being asked 3 times in one week if I had ever considered hypnosis I took it as a sign and looked into it. I had no idea what to expect but Dan made sure I was comfortable and has successfully brought me to a point where I am still aware of what I am doing but overall more relaxed in doing so, allowing me to finally focus on my swim stroke rather than dealing with the panic of not being able to touch the bottom. Thanks Dan!!

I have continued working with Amanda on my swim. She has offered unending support and was able to convince me that I could accomplish my goals before I was able to really believe it myself. I still need a ton of work but with Amanda's patience and skill I have been able to bring up my swim distance and can now swim 1500 to 2000 meters consistantly. Yeah, another confidence boost!!

On June 20th I had my biggest test to date. I competed in the Chinook Oympic Triathlon held at Lake Midnapore. My time was not great (Amy I have a lot to learn from you!!!) but most importantly I FINISHED. My swim was far from pretty as I discovered the importance of sighting while in open water, a skill I had neglected to learn prior to competing. In my first 150 meters of the swim I swam so far off course I crashed into the boat docks. As I was thinking about what I should do, and yes quitting was one of the options being tossed around, my next hero in life arrived...Thank You Jay the wonderful guy in the red kayak. He explained about sighting and stuck to my left side for the remainder of the swim. I still successfully swam way off course several more times but did manage to avoid any more collissions which I was thankful for. Thankfully the second lap went much smoother as I finally figured out how to actually swim and watch for the buoys on a regular basis. Instead I developed a major cramp in both calves something I had never experienced before. I was definately in pain but could not bring myself to stop (yes I did briefly consider it again) but with Jay's encouragement I made it the full 1500 meters. I came up on the beach and was greated with a large ovation - there are some perks to being dead last! - I had my own personal stripper who successfully stripped off my wet suit before I had recovered from the dizziness I felt upon standing up right after an hour in the water. The race crew were great as they escorted me from the lake to the transition zone and assured I was okay before leaving me to tackle the bike and run. The bike was disappointing but I was afraid to push too hard knowing I still had to run 10K. I learned I should have pushed harder and definatley should have drunk a whole lot more water. The bike was certainly the loneliest portion of the race as I was miles from anyone and did not really recieve much of a confidence boost by passing anyone as I had in the Try this event in may, as I simply did not see anyone to even try and pass. I pushed on knowing that regardless of how long it took I could finish this race. I took off on the run a little faster than I should have but managed to settle into a steady pace for the first 7K. By 8K my lack of water and the heat from the midday sun caught up with me and I gave in for the first time ever and walked for a minute. I knew I was close to the finish and definately could not even consider quitting at this point so I forced myself up the hill and pushed hard across the finish line. I had done it!!!

The Chinook event was a wonderful learning experience in what not to do in a race. Sighting, pacing and fluid intake were all important lessons. Although the last thing I was looking for in my schedule was another race I decided to sign up for the Coral Springs Olympic event so I can try it all again in July and hopefully improve upon my faults before I have to endure my ultimate test in August. I was thrilled that I was able to actually finish a 1500 meter open water swim and am now more confident than ever that with continued training over the next 5 weeks I can add the required 400 meters in order to finish the half Ironman event.

In amongst all of this my Dad unfortunately has taken a turn for the worse and is struggling to keep his confidence up. Fear of course is his biggest enemy, aside from the obvious that is. I wish there was a simple strategy available to help him face his fear as I have struggled to face my own. I'm determined to cross the finish line in my next two races in order to help encourage him and reinforce the idea if you believe you can do it anything truely is possible!

Update McLeod

It has been a while since I have written so here is an update on the last couple of months


April
My running was going to be put to the test in my first "running race" . I had entered the Canmore Women's Run last year and while I had enjoyed it apparently my brain forgot that this is one hilly run. I contacted Laurel and asked her how I should approach this race and she gave me some great tips. I was not anxious at the start of this race (usually I stress so much about the race that I pretty much psych myself out). The horn blows and off I go. Relax I remember that I need to stay focused. I tackle the hills and manage to take about 7 minutes off my time from last year. One race down and more to go.

May
I competed in the Try it Tri on May 24 and was really pumped for this one. Last year this was the first tri I had ever done. So to do it this time I was so ready. Laurel was there to give support to both Heather and I. I felt so confident. The swim was good and I headed for the transition area to get on the bike, Laurel was right there and I was so full of adrenaline. I grabbed my bike and off I went LITERALLY! I fell at the start of the bike transition. After what seemed like an eternity I got back on I knew that I was going to have to dig really deep inside myself to get past this hurdle. Even with blood dripping off my knee, I felt good on the bike. Things where going well until I realized that my front tire was slowly getting flatter. I figured that with only one lap to go I could just make it. I got back to transition and pretty much threw my shoes and helmet and took off for the run. I crossed the finish line and had accomplish what I had set out to do

Last year I finished in 1:29 and placed 45 in my age group. This year 1:11 and finished in the top 30 and 3 among women of my age (44).

June
The above picture was take June 6th just before I left for a ITT (individual time trial). Thank goodness they delayed the start by two hours. We had just about every weather pattern you can imagine which added to the experience. What surprised me was how quiet this race was. We where on a road that had no cars going in the opposite direction. No people standing on the sidelines cheering. Just the sound of the wheel and the road. WOW

The next day I put on the dreaded wet suit and braved the waters of Lake Sundance. Yes it was cold and no, no one had a gun to my head to do it. This experience really surprised me as I am a swimmer but apparently not in a lake. With the wet suit and booties I was at a loss as how to swim. I swear the trees didn't move as I swam what I thought was 150 meters but when I looked back to the shore I realized that I had made progress. As I was leaving the water to put my feet back on Terra Firma , I seriously thought I was going to pass out. I suspect with the cold water and restriction of the wet suit my body just was not used to that kind of workout.

The story continues......

Morin File (round two)

Over the last several months training hours have been added and intensities changed. All the while Marc has had nothing but a giant smile on his face. His reaction to training stress has been remarkable. The last couple of weeks have truly been a test of our relationship, not the 'typical test' that relationships go through. But a test of how effective our training plan has been. This past weekend Marc ran the Calgary Marathon in a new personal best; 3:20:00 (20 minute pb), when I chatted with him the very next day on the pool deck he was grinning like a Cheshire cat. I shouted out 'new pb' as he approached with the usual bounce in his step. 'yep' he replied 'and I will go faster next time.' He has promptly singed up for the Victoria Marathon in October to qualify for Boston.

I been around athletes for most of my life and it is truly rare to see this level of enthusiasm and passion for personal goals. The next relationship test will come this weekend as Marc and I hit the Water with 600 other athletes at the Wasa Lake triathlon. Tune in for round three!

The Brave Ones

As you can see Motley Crue hit the open water this weekend at Lake Sundance! Good on you gang for getting out into the lake this weekend. Great Spiderman stances too gang!

Also a congratulations goes out to Liz Macleod and Marc Morin for taking part in their first ever bicycle race this past weekend. Both took part in the SpeedTheory Race the Ring Road 30km Individual Time Trial on Saturday June 6th.

The weather across Calgary was really mixed - as I drove to the race venue I encountered beautiful sunshine, then a snowstorm, then rain, hail, wind and finally gray but clear skies on the North East side of the city.

Both Liz and Marc gave a full out effort on the day and finished with smiles on their faces. The cold temperatures during the bicycle race must have given them a sense of being "hard core" which made getting into the water on Sunday much easier.

Way to go you two.

JVD

Life lessons - highs and lows

Well it has been a while since I wrote anything here, I know I should try and be more committed =0). The past few weeks have seen many changes. I started working with a new swim coach in April and can now officially say I can swim without a nose clip. I have been working really hard in the pool and on the bike with the occasional run. I made it out for the morning of Jack's bike training camp a few weeks ago and learned a great deal about bike maintance and how to actually ride outside, apparently you cannot use training wheels when you go outside. I can now officially change a tire and have had some practice in the past week. I discovered that I need to build up a whole lot of confidence on turning corners and going down hill but I can make up a lot of lost time on my up hill climbs (of course science would say it is better to save the energy and just use the momentum from the downhill instead). Hopefully a few more outdoor rides (assuming the weather cooperates) will allow me to build my skills and stay in control as I gain speed.

My first race of the season was the Police half marathon at the end of April, thankfully I met the goals that I had set despite my lack of running and entered into my summer racing season on a high note after being awarded the prize for the fastest police service female. Thanks Kirsty for keeping me focused =0). After completing this I figured I should probably enter some triathlons in order to help prepare myself for the half Ironman in August. I chose to enter the Try this triathlon which was held at foothills pool this past weekend.

So how did the race go? Yesterday I was feeling great! I finished my first triathlon!! and I did not drown or even stop swimming for the full 500 meters (which is a whole lot more than I could say 4 weeks ago), and I even managed to stay on my bike for the whole ride (sorry Liz!), despite falling off twice on my training ride on Friday. Today I looked at the results and although I am happy with my bike and run I can't help but feel upset with my results in the swim. After several weeks of hard work I did successfully finish my swim, but did so coming in dead last (It is a good thing I was able to make up time in the other areas so my overall results do not look so bad). As they say life goes on and hopefully we can learn from our experiences. I can certainly say that after having gone from being first in one event to last in the next that just finishing requires a significant amount of recognition! It requires at least as much effort, if not more so, to finish last as it does to lead the pack.

My next challenge is to complete the Chinook triathlon at Lake Midnapore on June 20. I will need to improve my distance (as I am required to swim 1500 meters) and time (for obvious reasons) while at the same time face my fear of deep water head on as this will be an open water swim. I cannot say I am not nervous (or even terrified) but I am trying to stay focused on the bigger picture overall and hopefully this will help in pushing me to weather the road bumps ahead.

So as I look ahead I have to say a quick thanks to Laurel, Amanda, Liz and everyone else who has offered their support (especially my hubby), it does make a difference, especially on those days when it all seems impossible! I can now say that I have accomplished one of my life goals which was to finish a triathlon, which would have been impossible for me to consider just a few months ago. So here is to a few more bumps and bruises...nothing a wet suit won't cover!