That's what I need to do this race....I need to FOCUS! I need to race the whole race hard and not think so much! I love racing, I love Ironman , I respect the distance, and I really want to have a solid race! So I shall NOT let up tomorrow if my mind and body start to say NO. I shall race with passion and intent and I shall race my OWN race.There may be girls out there that have had better results but I shall put it all out there tomorrow. If it does not happen it will not be for lack of trying!
Thanks for the good wishes guys!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
2 Days to go!
I have not been getting very good internet connections thus the lack of posting. I am back from a great dinner with friends and I happen to see the hotel lobby computer. So I shall sneak a quick blog in. I can't believe race day is around the corner. Two more sleeps!!!! I always start to get a little nervous starting around pro meeting time as this is a good time to check out the competition. There are always a few late signups that aren't on the list like Bree Wee and Hillary Biscay. As there are only 2 spots allocated for this race and 16 women racing this shall be another tough race to try qualify for Hawaii! Well every Ironman is tough, and every pro girl is talented and so I shall race my race and give it my best effort as usual! It seems like it is going to be a HOT day. After a cold rainy Lake Placid I will not allow myself to complain about this!
I have managed to drive most of the bike course...it is quite hilly, more so than I was expecting and the run couse seems very flat and should be fun. The swim today was very calm and the water very warm. I am actually glad wetsuits are not allowed! I have had one great massage and a little ART since being here and my legs seem to be feeling alot better.
I shall go now and get a good nights sleep as tomorrow shall be a little hectic.
I have managed to drive most of the bike course...it is quite hilly, more so than I was expecting and the run couse seems very flat and should be fun. The swim today was very calm and the water very warm. I am actually glad wetsuits are not allowed! I have had one great massage and a little ART since being here and my legs seem to be feeling alot better.
I shall go now and get a good nights sleep as tomorrow shall be a little hectic.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Ironman Louisville Day 1
I am happy to report that my bike and I both made it too Kentucky in one piece, at the same time! The kind lady at US Airways chose to ignore that my bike case that was loaded with my Cervelo, wheels, nutrition, and everything else I need was 75 pounds and thus way over weight. I was also slightly concerned that my ear drum was going to pop but I survived thanks to a few Advil and antibiotics.
Once in Kentucky it was quite a sight me trying to squeeze this huge bike case into this tiny PT Cruiser....but I made it work and headed to down town Louisville to my hotel. I just realized that my new phone has a GPS navigation system...big bonus as I had not printed the directions to my new home for the week.
By three o clock I had put my bike together and headed out to find a bike store to pick up some water bottles. I drove down to the waterfront to see where transition will be and then headed out along the bike course to find a good spot to ride. First thing I noticed was that there was no shoulder and it was heading into rush hour traffic. I parked and headed out along side the Ohio River. The water where we shall be swimming was very choppy and the wind was blowing. The route I biked was the bike course from River road and then 42. This scenic route while on the water was not a very scenic ride for me as all I could do was focus on staying on the white line as an inch to the left and I was going to get run over and an inch to the right and I was riding off road....so an intersting ride! My power meter was not working and in my attempt to fix it I hope I did not break it. Another thing on the list of things to do. After a few drops of rain I decided it was time to turn around and called it a day after 1.20 minutes. By the time I got back it was 7pm and time to head out for a 45 minute run. This was alot more enjoyable and besides some achy achilles from racing the hills of Timberman last week. I ran along the river and enjoyed the evening sunset. I drove back along part of the run course which seems to be a route that takes you through town along the streets of downtown Louisville and through the campus of the University.
I am yet to see a grocery store therefore dinner was a choice of a few different fast food stores. McDonalds snack wraps was the way I went!
Tomorrow I shall drive the course and try find a pool to swim in as the swim course is not open until Friday.
Once in Kentucky it was quite a sight me trying to squeeze this huge bike case into this tiny PT Cruiser....but I made it work and headed to down town Louisville to my hotel. I just realized that my new phone has a GPS navigation system...big bonus as I had not printed the directions to my new home for the week.
By three o clock I had put my bike together and headed out to find a bike store to pick up some water bottles. I drove down to the waterfront to see where transition will be and then headed out along the bike course to find a good spot to ride. First thing I noticed was that there was no shoulder and it was heading into rush hour traffic. I parked and headed out along side the Ohio River. The water where we shall be swimming was very choppy and the wind was blowing. The route I biked was the bike course from River road and then 42. This scenic route while on the water was not a very scenic ride for me as all I could do was focus on staying on the white line as an inch to the left and I was going to get run over and an inch to the right and I was riding off road....so an intersting ride! My power meter was not working and in my attempt to fix it I hope I did not break it. Another thing on the list of things to do. After a few drops of rain I decided it was time to turn around and called it a day after 1.20 minutes. By the time I got back it was 7pm and time to head out for a 45 minute run. This was alot more enjoyable and besides some achy achilles from racing the hills of Timberman last week. I ran along the river and enjoyed the evening sunset. I drove back along part of the run course which seems to be a route that takes you through town along the streets of downtown Louisville and through the campus of the University.
I am yet to see a grocery store therefore dinner was a choice of a few different fast food stores. McDonalds snack wraps was the way I went!
Tomorrow I shall drive the course and try find a pool to swim in as the swim course is not open until Friday.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Ironman Canada 08
Today was my last longer workout 4 hour bike 30 min run...thank goodness as I am racing Ironman Louisville in a week. The ride/run was solid and it was a good way to finish the week off.
I raced home to watch Ironman Canada. Great job to all the posse that competed. Marky V made things exciting on the swim and bike and Tracy really had a great race finishing 7th overall in a tough womens field. Belinda Granger is awesome!
I took it all in knowing that in a week I will have my turn. I leave on Tuesday and have alot to do before then. I look forward to getting on the plane and getting the race week started.
I've had an awful case of swimmers ear with middle ear infection, probably from the gallon of soapy water that poured into my car a few days ago while trying to close my sun roof going through the car wash....lol I've had a few sleepless nights due to the pain so I hope it goes soon. If anyone has a natural remedy for ear pain do let me know....otherwise antibiotics it is!
I raced home to watch Ironman Canada. Great job to all the posse that competed. Marky V made things exciting on the swim and bike and Tracy really had a great race finishing 7th overall in a tough womens field. Belinda Granger is awesome!
I took it all in knowing that in a week I will have my turn. I leave on Tuesday and have alot to do before then. I look forward to getting on the plane and getting the race week started.
I've had an awful case of swimmers ear with middle ear infection, probably from the gallon of soapy water that poured into my car a few days ago while trying to close my sun roof going through the car wash....lol I've had a few sleepless nights due to the pain so I hope it goes soon. If anyone has a natural remedy for ear pain do let me know....otherwise antibiotics it is!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Timberman 70.3
My blogs have been very few lately as I have been trying to spend as much time with my kids enjoying the summer and also on trying to recover from Lake Placid. It's been hard to get to bed early as the Olympics have been so inspiring and awesome to watch. There was nothing better than watching Phelps swim and the womens marathon going into race day. I was a little concerned about racing Timberman as my legs have been quite fatigued still from Lake Placid. I was totally looking at this race as a good hard workout and a good time to practice nutrition. It also was exciting as the pro field was awesome.
I was a little tired race morning and found myself dozing in the car instead of warming up. Never a good sign. I wished I had not stayed up watching the marathon but it was so exciting! I then headed down to the swim start. I did a nice long warm up as the water is so clear and they had decided it was going to be a wetsuit swim which I was very happy about. I then waited for the start. With 30 pro's starting it was surprisingly a calm start. I swam hard to stay on someones feet and pretty much stayed in a small group until the last turn. I never had to look into the glare of the sun and just could keep my head down and focus on swimming. There was quite a bit of chop and I decided to make the move to go to the front of the pack and swim hard into the finish. It was a good move and I felt great. I ran into T2 with a 29min swim which was a minute and a half faster than 2 years ago when I did this race. I started the bike with Karen Smyers and a few other guys that sped off. I stuck with the plan of a controlled bike not putting too much out on the hills and pushing the downhills hard. My legs felt good on the bike and hills and I love my new bike position. There was a slight wind that I really did not pay too much attention too. I biked within myself and focused on good nutrition. I have been trying to perfect a race nutrition plan as I always seem to have a few problems in that department. I stuck with the plan and enjoyed the bike despite losing my bottle after the last water stop. I hit a pothole on a hill and watched my nutrition and race plan roll down the hill. I decided that I would just have to be thirsty for ten miles although I was tempted to ask someone on the side of the road for a drink. After a big chug of water I left T2 with Karen Smyers and Anne Gervais. It was exciting as we were all together for the first half mile. I settled into a comfortably hard pace running with Anne. This happened to be 6.38's. I then felt like I was working a little too hard and pulled it back a notch. I was happy to have my legs feel pretty good and I ran the first 6 well. I admired Andy potts, Simon Lessing, Michael Lovato and Chrissie of course. I could not believe how well she was racing and how strong she was. It was a fun two loop run and a great crowd. Despite a bathroom stop and a crampy tummy with a few slower miles I ran hard and finished strong. I was happy to go 4 minutes faster than 2 years ago with quite fatigued legs. I ended up finishing 6th in the pro's just out of the money and podium :-(
It was a fun weekend. Great job Joe, Dave, Don, Chris, Sunny, Tim and Brendan.
I was a little tired race morning and found myself dozing in the car instead of warming up. Never a good sign. I wished I had not stayed up watching the marathon but it was so exciting! I then headed down to the swim start. I did a nice long warm up as the water is so clear and they had decided it was going to be a wetsuit swim which I was very happy about. I then waited for the start. With 30 pro's starting it was surprisingly a calm start. I swam hard to stay on someones feet and pretty much stayed in a small group until the last turn. I never had to look into the glare of the sun and just could keep my head down and focus on swimming. There was quite a bit of chop and I decided to make the move to go to the front of the pack and swim hard into the finish. It was a good move and I felt great. I ran into T2 with a 29min swim which was a minute and a half faster than 2 years ago when I did this race. I started the bike with Karen Smyers and a few other guys that sped off. I stuck with the plan of a controlled bike not putting too much out on the hills and pushing the downhills hard. My legs felt good on the bike and hills and I love my new bike position. There was a slight wind that I really did not pay too much attention too. I biked within myself and focused on good nutrition. I have been trying to perfect a race nutrition plan as I always seem to have a few problems in that department. I stuck with the plan and enjoyed the bike despite losing my bottle after the last water stop. I hit a pothole on a hill and watched my nutrition and race plan roll down the hill. I decided that I would just have to be thirsty for ten miles although I was tempted to ask someone on the side of the road for a drink. After a big chug of water I left T2 with Karen Smyers and Anne Gervais. It was exciting as we were all together for the first half mile. I settled into a comfortably hard pace running with Anne. This happened to be 6.38's. I then felt like I was working a little too hard and pulled it back a notch. I was happy to have my legs feel pretty good and I ran the first 6 well. I admired Andy potts, Simon Lessing, Michael Lovato and Chrissie of course. I could not believe how well she was racing and how strong she was. It was a fun two loop run and a great crowd. Despite a bathroom stop and a crampy tummy with a few slower miles I ran hard and finished strong. I was happy to go 4 minutes faster than 2 years ago with quite fatigued legs. I ended up finishing 6th in the pro's just out of the money and podium :-(
It was a fun weekend. Great job Joe, Dave, Don, Chris, Sunny, Tim and Brendan.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
New Race Schedule
I have been getting back to my training and feeling pretty good. Every workout I am itching to go faster and I have been enjoying riding with good friends. We really have a great group of triathletes here and its nice to know that most mornings or evenings you can catch a group ride. Its been fun seeing all my friends achieve great results this season.
I, with Paulo's support have decided that I shall race Ironman Louisville in three weeks. This is something that I was already thinking about the day after IMLP and after seeing how my recovery is going I am sure of my decision. I shall race Timberman 70.3 next week as part of a bigger training week. This shall be a really tough race as not only is it a challenging course but the womens pro field is unbelievable. It will be great to race against Chrissie Wellington, Kate Major, Pip Taylor,Dede Griesbauer, Karyn Smyers to mention a few names. These girls are all gearing up for Hawaii and they should be at the top of their game. I shall race my little heart out and it shall be interesting to see what I have in the tank come
race day. I look forward to the next three weeks as I do love to race and I love the Ironman experience.
I shall go up to Timberman with a great group of friends and it shall be a fun weekend. Keith puts on such a great event up there and they really go out of their way to make it one of the best 70.3 races out there.
I, with Paulo's support have decided that I shall race Ironman Louisville in three weeks. This is something that I was already thinking about the day after IMLP and after seeing how my recovery is going I am sure of my decision. I shall race Timberman 70.3 next week as part of a bigger training week. This shall be a really tough race as not only is it a challenging course but the womens pro field is unbelievable. It will be great to race against Chrissie Wellington, Kate Major, Pip Taylor,Dede Griesbauer, Karyn Smyers to mention a few names. These girls are all gearing up for Hawaii and they should be at the top of their game. I shall race my little heart out and it shall be interesting to see what I have in the tank come
race day. I look forward to the next three weeks as I do love to race and I love the Ironman experience.
I shall go up to Timberman with a great group of friends and it shall be a fun weekend. Keith puts on such a great event up there and they really go out of their way to make it one of the best 70.3 races out there.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Quotes that I have been thinking about as I get back to a structured training schedule!
What this power is, I cannot say. All I know is that it exists...and it becomes available only when you are in that state of mind in which you know exactly what you want...and are fully determined not to quit until you get it.
- Alexander Graham Bell
You don't have to control your thoughts; you just have to stop letting them control you.
- Dan Millman
Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget about everything except what you're going to do now - and do it.
- William Durant
Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.
- Og Mandino
To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.
- Anatole France
- Alexander Graham Bell
You don't have to control your thoughts; you just have to stop letting them control you.
- Dan Millman
Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget about everything except what you're going to do now - and do it.
- William Durant
Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.
- Og Mandino
To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.
- Anatole France
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