PT Diaries

2011 began as most new years’ do… hung over! The only difference is this year I was nursing my headache on the slopes at Whistler; with a little less than four hours of sleep I impressed myself by skiing all day, which was then followed by “après ski” at the Longhorn, which turned into another early morning.

My birthday was yesterday but the festivities started on Friday and didn’t stop for four days. Sharing all the highlights here would take a while but one of the best parts was sitting at Qwest Field in Seattle with my friend Alicia proudly wearing black & gold while surrounded by 67,000 Seahawk fans in blue and bad neon green. With a point spread of 10.5 in favour of the New Orleans Saints I can assure you that their loss was unexpected. I didn’t hold back my disappointment nor am I shy in expressing my dislike of the Seahawks in general but I must admit the fans were cordial and the energy in the stadium was infectious; especially when the 12^th man roared!!

Amongst all the Holiday festivities I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on my fitness accomplishments as well as other aspect of my life. 2010 was filled with failures, changes and difficult decisions but 2010 also encompassed personal bests, new adventures and eye awakening moments.

So after much thought, much debate and much self inflicted guilt I’ve decided not to do Iron Man Canada this year. There, I said it!!! *gulp* I know that some of you (you know who you are) are shaking your heads at me but after making a list of pros and cons, discussing for countless hours with my friends and losing many nights of sleep I decided I had to be true to myself; my heart is not in it. Having Iron Man on my bucket list isn’t motivation enough to train over 20 hours a week right now. I’m just not in a place where I am willing to dedicate the next eight months of my life to only training.  What I do know is that over the last few months I fund a new zest for life.  My goal for 2011 is to have a balanced year that will allow for spontaneity. Focus on my work is high on my list of priorities and so is travel. But don’t get me wrong, I have no intention on losing my passion for fitness. I will spend more time skiing, snowshoeing and taking advantage of British Columbia’s great outdoors. I want to ride my bike lots this spring and I also want to get back into hiking. I’m still seeing a personal trainer, attending infrared yoga and getting lots of use out of my indoor bike trainer. I’m excited to start my new running program that will prepare me for a sub 4 hour marathon in Chicago and I will most likely throw in a few half marathons along the way.

Stay tuned, as I promise 2011 will be filled with exciting, fun fitness adventures.

PT Girl xo

There was a clearing in the weather system and the sun came out on Saturday morning.  Mike and I jumped at the chance at getting my first ride done in dry weather. “Let go to the parking lot for quick clip in & clip out lesson” he suggested. My god, what a gong show!  Round and round the parking lot I went trying to clip out. “I got…I got…ohhhhh shit” I laughed as I tumbled over, my feet still clipped in, my bike over top on me as I lay on the pavement. “It happens to everyone; especially when it’s your first day out.  Now that you’ve gone down it probably won’t happen again.” Mike tried to re-assure me. I got back up and rode around some more… and I fell again and again and yup… AGAIN. It was actually quite comical. “Ok I think I got it, let go for a real ride now.” I said.

We headed towards the seawall, which was crowded with people strolling with their morning coffees, walking their dogs and jogging.  We were going slowly, which gave me the opportunity to get comfortable on the bike and  practice clipping in and out some more.

As we approached Stanley Park Mike said “You can ride as fast as you want now, we’re staying on the road!” I spent the first lap of the park trying to get used to being on the bike, figuring out which position was most comfortable.  As we approached the park’s hill (my BMO half marathon nemesis) Mike suggested I change gears. “Nah… maybe later” I answered pushing through as is.  As we reached the top my legs were burning and I had visions of the Richter Pass; the never ending climb on the IronMan Canada course; I shook the thoughts away “Months and months away …” I reminded myself.

When we got at the bottom of the hill Mike looked at me.  “That was 10 km, are you good to go around again?” I looked at him “Yup, we’re doing 50 km today.”

By the fourth lap of the park I’d figured out my gears and the bike was feeling like an extension of my body.  I went flying down the hill taking the turn at 52 km/hr. “I love it! I love it! I love it!!”

The last time up the hill my legs were tired, it was definitely my slowest climb. As we finished the fifth lap we decided to head back to the seawall towards Yaletown; everything was going perfectly. I had managed to clip out in two emergency situations in the park, I’d mastered my gears and rode well over 50 km my first time out. I must have been day dreaming or maybe I just got cocky as I flew down the path and took the turn way too wide. All of a sudden I found myself staring right into the eyes of another cyclist. I froze “Oh shit!!! I can’t clip out!” I yelled and threw my bike into the bushes to avoid a head on collision.

The guy was nice and helped me up. “New rider?” he smiled. “Yes…” I blushed.

Mike came back for me. “I saw you take that turn,  looked back and all of a sudden you were gone!” he said laughing.  What  an awesome finish to a great first ride

The next day I woke up with a few scrapes and bruises but besides that absolutely no pain! I can’t wait to for my next ride.

PT Girl xo

A lot has happened in the last few weeks but honestly I haven’t felt like writing. I’ve been keeping to myself these days; focusing on my training and work.

My personal training sessions have been hard.  I’m not sure if it’s my frame of mind or if deWolf is pushing me harder? The track and the hill sprints combined with yoga once a week are definitely proving to be worthwhile.

A) Yoga:  Everyone has been telling me since day one to stretch more. I’ve been going to Infrared Yoga once a week for about two months now and I can definitely see a difference in my flexibility.

B) Hills: I’ve been squeezing them in once a week.

C) Speed work: I’ve hit the track with deWolf and its been brutal each time. He makes me run six 800 meter sprints. (my speed ranges from 3:23 – 3:58) If whine or complain I don’t want to go again deWolf reminds me “The only way get faster is to run fast!”

My last few long runs have been amazing; not only am I getting faster, it seems almost effortless.   I remember reading about this phenomenon in Born to Run by Christopher McDougall “Think, Easy, Light, Smooth, and Fast.” On yesterday run I managed three new personal records:

• Fastest 10 km 51:50
• Fastest 21.1 km 1:54:50
• Longest run 29 km 2:42:10

Swimming on the other hand has been a huge obstacle, holding me back from contemplating triathlons in the past. I thought best to face this fear head on; so I signed up for an adult swimming class a few weeks ago. With much apprehension I attempted a few laps in the pool sans water wings before my first lesson.

After only two classes and one visit to the pool on my own and I’m wondering where my apprehension ever came from?  I know I have a long way to go before I build up the endurance I’ll need to complete the 3.8 km swim at IronMan Canada but I feel confident in the water and more importantly I’m enjoying it; that’s half the battle right?

I’ve been warned against putting off riding, so last weekend I went shopping with my friend Mike. As we entered the first bike shop Mike said to the sales guy “She’s looking for a bike for IronMan.” In a condescending tone he replied “You don’t have a bike? How are you training? You know the ride is 180km?” Instantly irritated I snapped back “The only bike I own has a basket! As for training I’m here and I have a year don’t I?!” The sale guy seems taken aback “Fair enough.” he said as he started his pitch on the neon green Quintana Roo tri bike, which was on sale for $3600. I’m a sucker or he was a good sales person because I was actually contemplating purchasing it on the spot. Luckily Mike talked some sense into me “If it was me, I’d looked a bit more; it will be here later if you still want it.” We went to three other bike shops and I searched relentlessly for a my bike to jump out at me. I was sure that shopping for a bike was like shopping for anything else, I would just know it’s the one when I see it,  won’t  I? Unfortunately, I returned home emptied handed and feeling disappointed. There was a pink tri bike online I really liked but the quality of the component package wasn’t as good as other options that were available to me in the same price range.  I could buy so many things for the price of a bike. I could revamp my wardrobe or better yet, I could finally get that gorgeous Gucci purse I’ve been wanting to buy for years… sigh…

I know I would love and cherish the Gucci purse for years to come. Black, leather and classic looking it would fabulously compliment many of my outfits. Yet, justifying the purchase of tri bike I have no way of knowing if I’ll even enjoy seemed to come easier.

PT Girl xo

It’s been a week since I lined up for over five hours at the on-site registration for IRONMAN Canada; yesterday I went online and finalized my registration. The reality, severity and insanity of what I’ve committed to has started to sink in.

I‘d planned on keeping it a hush-hush for a while but wasn’t able to contain my excitement and blabbed my own secret.  As the news spread so did my fear! I must have heard hundred times last week. “You’re nuts!!” My response was both defensive and honest “You have no idea!”

My work schedule was hectic, so training encompassed a PT session on Thursday and after a ten days hiatus I ran twenty four kilometers on Saturday morning.

With less than five hours of sleep and I awoke Sunday morning with a pounding headache. I laced up to sweat the vodka out of my pores by running seven kilometers and eight, two hundred meter hill repeats. I finished the weekend with an evening infrared yoga class; practice always helps me clear my mind and focus on the positive in my life.

My ongoing sleep deprivation is affecting many aspects of my life; averaging about 1.5 nights of decent sleep a week. I know all too well that the lack of proper rest will ruin my training goals. When I fall asleep at three a.m. it’s difficult to find the enthusiasm to wake up a few hours later for a early morning run before work.

This is causing me concern since I haven’t been able to find a remedy.  Melatonin definitely puts me out, problem being I can’t pry myself out of bed in the morning. So before I grow permanent bags under my eyes I’m planning a fall schedule that ought to force me to collapse from exhaustion at the end of each day.  As per normal I will be going to my training sessions, yoga practice and running 30-40 km a week. In addition I will be hitting the bike shops this weekend and will get out and ride as  much as possible; once the rain hits I’ll be grateful for the spinning classes at the Steve Nash Sports Facility. My swimming classes starts next week and thanks to my biggest fan Loa,  I start a freelance writing course at UBC in October.

At the party on Saturday night I asked Mike “Did you think I was actually going to sign up?” “Nope I really didn’t!” he replied.   I know some friends would describe me as obsessive and compulsive. I like to think of myself as a logical and rational individual but the truth is I can sometimes be pretty impulsive and reactionary. Signing up for Ironman was one of those spontaneous moments. Nevertheless I’ve always lived by the motto “What’s meant to be will be.” I trust this more than ever and know that focusing my energy on something as insane as Ironman will ultimately keep me sane.

PT Girl xo

My personal trainer deWolf has been preparing for the Subaru Ironman for the last twelve months. This test of endurance has to be one of the most challenging events known to men. For the second year now, Alicia and I packed up my truck and drove out to Penticton. The hotels sell out for this epic athletic event so I was forced to make unconventional arrangements. I’d found an accommodation online. When we arrived at the address my contact Shannon had gave me; Alicia and I both sensed something eerie. We stood at the front door with much apprehension; I rang the doorbell. The door swung open and an unusual blond man stood in front of us barefoot.  “Come on in. I’m Charles.” He motioned to us to follow him down a hallway and opened the second door to the left. “Here’s your room girls.” he leered. “Make yourself at home” he mumbled and walked away.

Alicia and I sat on the bed both staring at the dreadful painting on the wall. “Where’s the TV?” Alicia asked. I shrugged, opening a bottled of wine attempting to stay positive. “Where’s the heck Shannon?” I said throwing down the local tourist magazine. As fate may have it, the magazine fell open on page 7 and there looking back at me was an ad for the Summerland Lakeside Resort and Spa. “I’m calling, I’ll pay anything!  Alicia looked at me with a glimmer of hope. “Oh, ok… no lake view…yup, ok, great. We’ll take it! See you tomorrow!” I hung up. We just have to make it through one night. “This bedroom is probably rigged with spy cams.” Alicia laughed. “Let go drink!  she said grabbing her purse and walking out.

 We over indulging in great food and wine at Theo’s Greek restaurant. Afterwards we ventured down towards the IM festivities.  We saw Charles eating poutine and dancing by himself a good ten feet away from the rest of the crowd. Alicia went up to him “Hey Charles, can we get a key?” “Nah! You don’t need a key, I leave the place open all the time!” he laughed sinisterly. Stunned, we forced a smile and walked away. “We’re going to end up on Dateline!” Alicia said in all seriousness as we walked into the first pub we saw. We cozied up at the bar and ordered two more glasses of wine. All the bartenders were wearing IronMan 2010 t-shirts “I’m want one of those shirts and before the night is over one of these guys will give me a shirt! I said.  “Hahaha! You’re funny!!!! … and we aren’t going to have pay for any drinks either!!” Alicia laughed.  The place was hopping and the bartenders’ decided to mix us some flame shooters. As the liquid courage started to run through my veins I began spouting off to whoever would listen “I’m going to sign up for IronMan!!!” No one seemed to take me seriously as I sipped from the trough. (The Bartenders specialty; a bucket of all mixed alcohols)

We sat at the bar for hours chatting and laughing with many great, interesting people and as predicted we stumbled out at three a.m. with no bar tab and an IronMan t-shirt on my back! “Oh what a night!!!”

The next morning, sleep deprived we showered, packed up and got the hell out of Charles’s house.

We were ecstatic with our room at the Summerland Resort & Spa

We took a quick ride back into Penticton to wish deWolf good luck.  He was oddly relaxed; not showing any signs of anxiety what’s so ever. “It’s just another day of exercise” he smiled.

The morning of the IronMan race came fast and we rushed back into town to see the 3.8 km swim.

As returning IronMan supporters we were pretty familiar with the bike route and well equipped with road pops, air conditioning, tunes and snacks. We managed to meet up with my trainer about 6 or 7 times along the 180 kilometers ride.

We veered off at Keremos to grab a bite to eat. Once we returned to the highway we weren’t able to find him again so decided to catch him at the start of the run.  Standing at the seven kilometers marker the wind picked up and it started to rain. Alicia spotted him up the road and I waved my big homemade sign YOU ROCK!! He ran by us “Shoot me!” he said smiling.

We had a few hours to kill so we went back to the hotel to shower and rest. By the time we retuned it was dusk which makes it hard to see the runners clearly but I know deWolf’s stride and saw him from afar “Here he comes!” I pointed and dashed to the side of the street. “Run with me.” he said.   He mentioned his foot hurt but he didn’t even look tired. “You’re doing great! You’re almost done! I said as I handed back his water bottle. “See you at the finish line” I yelled as he took off.

As we waited for him across the finish line I watched the many other Ironman finishers rejoice with friends and family. Congratulation, after all IronMan was the very FIRST triathlon he’d even signed up for and completed!

 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike and 42.2 km run!  Crazy, impressive and extremely inspiring!

PT Girl xo

If by any chance you’ve been reading my blog from its inception you’ve seen Mike’s name before. He’s the fitness freak who got me into running and encouraged me to stick with my Personal Training journey at times when I wanted to quite. He’s also the one that warned me that once I started down this road there was no turning back. “Slippery Slope!! I’m warning you.” he always says. With a positive attitude and passion for life, Mike  has a way of encouraging people of all fitness levels to get moving.

Mike ran his first marathon in 2005 and completed his first Iron Man in 2006 in 12:37:55. He is a three time Penticton Iron Man finisher who loves to subtly hint that I should do one (or at least a half) as well.  We usually have this conversation after we’ve drank too many GG martinis and my confidence is soaring. “Yeah for sure! Next summer!” I always say.  My pounding head ache in the morning is a reminder that the vodka was doing all the talking. Although my inner voice whispers telling me it’s just a matter of time until I venture down that path…Yikes?!

Mikes second Iron Man was in 2007 and he finished in 12:00:29
In 2009 he cut another 32 minutes off his time and completed in 11:28:30

2009 Time Breakdown

Swim 3.8 km – 1:08:33
Transition 1 – 5:13
Bike 180 km – 5:49:47
Transition 2 – 3:02
Run 42.2 km – 4:21:57

My friend Alicia and I were there to support Mike at his lastest race. Watching the athletes compete ALL DAY LONG put the grueling race in perspective for me. The swim started at 7 a.m. I get claustrophobic in the water; I can’t even wrap my mind around swimming 3.8 kilometers in a sea of people.

We drove ahead of Mike on the bike course, stopping four to five times to take pictures and cheer him on. It was over thirty degrees in the blazing sun and the 180 kilometer route was painful to us even though we had air condition, music and road pops. I couldn’t image having my butt on those tiny bike seat’s for countless hours battling endless punishing hills.

By the second transition, Mike’s been going nonstop for about seven hours and is now preparing to run a freaking marathon. I’ve heard this switch is the most challenging, since your legs need to adjust to the different motions.  By this point Alicia and I were wiped from watching all the madness. We knew we had a few hours to kill before meeting up with Mike at the half way mark of his run, so we parked the truck and headed to the nearest pub for a bite to eat and a few cocktails.

After finishing his swim, ride and run in 11:28 he still had enough energy to join us at the pub for a few rounds. We sat there replaying the events of the day. I was amazed at how many people participated and astonished at their dedication! I was also shocked at the different caliber of fitness levels that competed and completed. “So are you going to sign up for next year?” Mike asked me. “No way! Not after seeing the painful ride” I replied, secretly wishing I had the nerves (aka balls) to line up the next morning.  As we ordered another round of drinks we saw the very last contestant make the cut off time; Sister Madonna, 75 years old crossed the finished line at 16:54:30. “Huh…..? You got to be kidding me!! That’s absolutely amazing!!…I’m such a chump!” I thought to myself.

This year Mike’s putting all his hard training towards a great cause and is signed up for the Ride to Conquer Cancer®

This two day, 200 km ride through the Pacific Northwest takes place on June 19 & 20, 2010. Every one of us has been touched by cancer. Some of our experiences may have ended in tragedy where others, thanks to research and new treatments are stories of survival. Visit Mike’s Ride to Conquer Cancer® page and support finding a cure for cancer. No amount is too little, every dollar helps, so please donate today!

PT Girl xo

After a three day hiatus I was determined to get back at it today. I was itching to get a long run in but the rain just wouldn’t let up. I checked the Steve Nash Sports Facility website to confirm the spinning class schedule. I could make the 4:30 p.m. session but would have to put aside my extreme dislike of the instructor.  His name is Daniel and although I have to admit he works our butts off during the short 45 minute class, he’s also extremely arrogant and condescending. Twenty minutes into class Daniel walks over to me “Engage your core” he yelled pointing at me. “Are you freaking kidding me?? Calling me out?! ARGH!!” I thought, infuriated.  The class went on and I climbed every mountain he told us to climb and sprinted every time he shouted, getting more and more drenched as the minutes went by. Then out of nowhere “Come on people!! STOP slacking! There’s no point of being here if you don’t do this right! You’re wasting my time and your energy by not efficiently pushing & pulling on the pedals. Besides, you burn more calories by doing it right! I don’t need to burn more calories but I’m guessing some of you here want to…right?” I couldn’t believe my ears!

As soon as the classes ended I grabbed a disinfected towel, wiped down my bike and bolted.  I jumped on the nearest treadmill and started running. I’m told if I’m ever going to attempt a half iron man the most challenging transition is going from riding the bike then switching to running. The first few minutes my legs were a little wobbly but there were no aches or pains.  I felt strong and ran the last ten minutes quicker then usually; pushing until I had nothing left in me. Feeling fantastic I jumped off the treadmill.  “I’m back baby!”

PT Girl xo