Road to 70.3: Week 12

July 25, 2016July 25, 2016Leave a comment

Last week marked my three months of training for my goal race of 70.3 in September. Part of me finds it hard to believe as the three months have flown by. But the other part of me that is tired and challenging to balance work-life- training balance isn’t surprised at all.The workouts are getting long and will continue to do so over the next few weeks until my taper starts. Last week I made an effort to get back in the habit of training with my training partner Kat and getting my long rides in with Nanc is helping to pass the time there too. While the physically challenge should be the biggest obstacle at this point, for me, it’s really becoming my mind. Staying committed and really getting it done. There is no question that obviously I will, but as my book deadlines get closer, and the search for a home for Tribe continues, and I’m trying to enjoy my summer with family, the challenge is strong.

So, here’s how last week went.

MONDAY: Today again I combined my TSX run crew with out Tribe run crew and rocked out my 90 minute run. As always the company was great, but my leg were tired (theme for the next 2 months). We went to Remembrance park and did our sprints alongside the crew from Black Toe. It was nice to change up the scenery and run in the shade.

TUESDAY: After last weeks Tuesday training break, and the fact that I do three intense workouts in a row (Saturday-Monday) I’ve decided to continue to Tuesday as my rest/yoga day. I ended up having to go into the office today which pretty much gave me the entire day off training apart from teaching YFit at YYoga and leading an evening community yoga class. It’s nice to get my stretch on during the class which still keeping my personal workouts light.

WEDNESDAY: Today I woke up and did a 1.5km swim before some work I needed to do from home. Needing to be in the office yesterday really mixed up my schedule. Late afternoon I got in a strength session at Lagree before our Tribe 5km run that evening. I would much rather do the strength workout in the morning, but it seems this is the only time that is actually fitting in my schedule these days. And in order to stay injury free – these workouts are key.

THURSDAY: Today the deadlines really kicked in for my book. I spent most of the day writing until it became to late to head out for a ride, so instead I hit up yyoga early and got it done indoors. Not ideal, but with the warm temperatures we’ve been having the break from the heat was nice.

FRIDAY: Bright and early Kat came over and we did a 2km swim. Our pace was a little slower than usual, but we got it done and caught up too (which would be why it took us longer). I headed to Hamilton for errands and got caught in traffic on the way back. The book deadline is still haunting me, so no ride today – just more work on the laptop.

I hate skipping workouts, but sometimes it has to happen. It doesn’t happen often, so I don’t get worked up over it. Trying to find balance has been key over these past few weeks, and sometimes things have to get dropped.

SATURDAY: Bright and early for a 1.5km swim before a Tribe 20km run. With Seawheeze weeks again we are getting to the peak of our training cycle. A little early for my 70.3 to be hitting these distances, but it’s pretty close and i’m glad to have the crew to run with on the weekends. Post run brunch at What A Bagel was the prefect way to wrap up the toasty run.

SUNDAY: Today started with a 60 minute yoga class at part of Tribe Yoga Jam with New Balance Canada. This weekly yoga class is back, and I definitely enjoy it. Yoga, out in the sun, 80+ people, such a great experience.

After yoga I drove to Waterdown to get my ride on with Nanc, Kim, and Ang – team #Rumblestino (our nickname for our group of 4 who raced my last 70.3 together in Muskoka) is reuniting for an Olympic Triathlon in Wasaga beach in a few weeks. I’ve always said I would never race an Olympic – it’s middle distance, which just sounds ick and I like the reaction I get when I say that I’ve only ever raced a sprint and half Ironman – but I think it will be good practice for my goal race and fun to do as a group.

The weather today was supposed to be hot and I was worried about our late start, we all were, but with a cloud cover and low 20s temperature the 83km ride and 3km run was quite nice. The hottest part of the brick was the run. Luckily it was short – but definitely not sweet.

With a long weekend ahead I look forward to the change of scenery and getting my long ride on over the rolling hills of Kincardine – I never thought of them as rollers until my last ride up there where my GPS gave me the truth of what I was riding.

7 weeks until race day! I got this!

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Road to 70.3: Week 9

July 4, 2016July 4, 2016Leave a comment

This week was absolutely divine. Most of it was spent at our family cottage which meant the car was packed to the roof with training gear, cottage gear, and my new stand up paddle board – and yes, training gear included my wet suit and my bike – it was packed!

We we’re at the cottage from Wednesday to Saturday and after a bike issue early on (both Mark’s motorcycle and my bicycle) I kept trying to remind myself we were on cottage time – which I was trying to convince myself meant no timeline at all – and for most of the week it worked.

Here was last weeks plan:

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So I had this really great idea that I would be able to get all my swims done while up in the open water of Lake Huron. What didn’t occur to me was the temperature of the water, length of my swims, or even the water conditions. So as you can see -swims were out – but they also weren’t the only thing to get missed. So here we go…

MONDAY: Today’s two crew runs we’re a shorter workout which only included a combined time of 8km. It was very hot out and both groups were feeling the heat. I was also inspired by my sisters crew run the week before and we added some ABC’s to both groups as well as combined a variety of intervals with strength training for our Tribe run.

TUESDAY: Tuesday is typically my big brick day, but as we were headed for the cottage I had to work during the day. I had thought I had a media preview event this evening (turns out it was in July) so even after my evening became clear, I choose instead to pack for our weekend away.

WEDNESDAY: After training my morning client, Mark and I made our way to the cottage. We had a few stops on the way for business and lunch, and after 6 hours arrived. My brother-in-laws girlfriend who recently got into Triathlon was at the cottage and while I thought we might get in a workout together she had to take off, so I hoped on my bike and did a little out and back along the main cottage road into town.

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THURSDAY: After yesterdays ride I couldn’t believe how quiet the roads were. I saw maybe 6 cars the entire hour. This inspired me to move my long ride up from the weekend and get it done now. I rode out to a city we pass through called Hollyrood. There is a popular ice cream place there (no I didn’t stop) and I wanted to see if I could get there in the 65 minutes I had planned – I could. The ride turned out to be much more hilly then I thought. The local farm lands provided much entertainment, as did being chased frequently by red wing black bids. This ride was bricked with a short run, and although my legs felt tired I challenged myself to hold what was my Ekiden race pace. It was a hot one!

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FRIDAY: Today was rainy and ick, and the only marathon that happened was on Netflix – this was only my second time ever watching Netflix and boy did time fly – 6 hours of watching disappeared. I enjoyed the break, but could see how people could get into a chilled out lifestyle on the regular. So I decided to take today as a rest and did lots of stretching instead.

SATURDAY: Today’s long run was all about checking out our scenic cottage views. 17km of an out and back which included dirt roads, regular roads, a boardwalk, and a wooded trail. It was awesome. My legs felt heavy and the entire run was slower then I would’ve liked – but something the workout is just about getting it done with. Later in the afternoon I got out on my stand-up paddle board – in my wet suit because it was so cold – I had decided I would swim when I got home, but that didn’t happen either. Tomorrow is the start of our outdoor YogaJam and I just wanted to everything to be perfect.

SUNDAY: Today was the day many people have been waiting for for months – the return of our Tribe Fitness YogaJam, this year with sponsorship from New Balance. I taught the 60 minute class in the morning, and after brunch hit the hay. Up’d mileage, almost 10 hours of driving, plus our first YogaJam had me spent. The break was nice, especially while away with Mark and while I might not have gotten in all my physical training – my mental health definitely needed it.

Next Sunday is the Toronto Triathlon Festival, so I look forward to a week of extra stretching and rest. Check out their page for fun community events happening on Saturday at the expo.

Missed a week of my training?

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What A Rush: Polar Rush Race Recap

March 1, 2016February 29, 20161 Comment

This past weekend I participated in my first Obstacle Course Race (OCR), Polar Rush. An exciting experience after my first OCR event was only a couple months ago when I went with Tribe to check out The Pursuit, an indoor obstacle course facility here in Toronto.

Since I’ve never done anything like this before I was getting nervous over what to expect. I was wondering how “serious” this race would actually be, what obstacles would be there, and could I handle it.

Prior to the race I messaged a few folks from Tribe who were literally the face of this race, appearing in all of their promotional material, for some tips and tricks. I was given the following advice:

wear winter run gear
wear “grippy” glove or snowboarding gloves – anything with stick.
wear trail shoes or shoes with lots of traction
have fun!

We arrived to Horseshoe Resort very early on Saturday, as per the race directions. The package pick up was simple, we signed our waivers and waited in short lines to receive our timing chip, Polar Rush branded toque, and a sample of Kellogg’s Vector Granola. The elite’s were on their way back towards the finish as we went outside to scope the start/finish line, and they we’re flying (almost literally) over the final obstacle, an A frame.

We met up with some crew from Tribe, took photos, and had a snack as friends from an earlier wave took off. It occurred to us that there didn’t appear to be any monitoring of the waves and we decided to move our group up by 30 minutes. I was glad we did as the course was already getting very icy in some patches, and slushy in others, so I’d imagine it would only get worse with more bodies hustling through.

To the first obstacle was one of the longest stretches of straight out running in the snow. It was certainly challenging and my heart rate was sky rocketing from the intensity. We started very back in the coral, so spent a significant amount of time here “ratting” around people who were walking the course.

The course consisted of 15 obstacles which ranged from crawling through tubes, under/between string strung between trees, crazy carpet riding, climbing over a wall, and slipping down a slide. Two of my favourite obstacles were the tubes and the rings.

The tubes did require us to wait in line as the course brings you to the top of the hill and their staff would need to bring the tubes up to the top. You also needed to wait for the other racers to get out of the way before your turn, so there was a build up.

The rings provided an “easy” and “hard” option. After my experiences at Pursuit I was pretty confident in my skills although uncertain in how the would hold in this environment. With advice from Cliff from Tribe, an OCR regular, I ditched my gloves and got in the “hard” line. What made these rings “hard” was that there were only 2 foot rings vs the easy which had three, a foot ring also meant a lack of hand ring. You can see the foot ring strung across my chest. I chose to leverage my swing with some momentum and didn’t use them. It is almost at this exact moment of the obstacle I realized that I was going to rock it. I had great momentum, my swing was steady, and my grip was solid. I felt incredibly proud to make it through this obstacle and this was certainly one of my favourite moments.

Polar Rush was a lot of fun. It is a great race for all levels of participants. There is no pressure to complete obstacles and every obstacle, including the tubes, had an opt out. Participants could take as much or race for as little time through the course. I would definitely suggest pulling together a team and rocking this race together.