PT Diaries

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

PT Girl has asked me to post here before. I think she blames me in part for her somewhat fanatic approach to fitness and she wanted me to share my experiences as well.

I’ve known her for several years now and I remember talking to her when she was training for her first Sun Run (10k run).  I warned her at the time that it was a slippery slope – training becomes addictive and soon your friends all think you’re nuts and you go to bed every night by 9. But here she is, signed up to do IronMan Canada; and I might share part of the responsibility for that as well!

I’ve done IronMan Canada three times now and a big part of the fun that I get from it is being in better shape than my buddies. Not surprising given that I have trained A LOT and generally get pretty good at swim/bike/run. I’ve also done a lot of trail running and a fair amount of trail riding (no trail swimming but a fair amount in open water!). So when we head out somewhere and I’m leading the way, no one is really surprised.

However, last weekend I went out  with my buddy Dr. Jones for a quick ride to Horseshoe Bay and then up Cypress. It’s about a 70k ride with over 1,000 meters of elevation, most of which is in the 9 steep clicks on Cypress. No big deal I right?  I did this ride 4 times in 7 days along with lots of running and swimming last year while training, so I figured I’d be fine doing it just once. Dr. Jones had a new bike, which means he won’t be as far behind as he usually is; or so I thought.

Well, I was properly humbled. After we got started on the main part of the ride, Dr. Jones took off! He stopped at one point to let me catch up and then again was faster than me getting to Cypress and much faster going up!

Well, for me this was a big wake-up call. Not because I’ve never been beaten, because I’m not world class. Lots of people are faster than me. Not even because it was Dr. Jones that beat me; I actually like being evenly matched, I like a  good competition. What stung was that he beat me by so much and seemed to not be trying very hard, while I was busting a gut the whole time.

Granted, the good doctor has a very swish new “superbike” from Campione with super fast components and with a very styling custom paint job. A custom fiber frame from Cramerotti. Above that he’s been training pretty hard including lots of riding. Me on the other hand, I’ve barely been training; lately my schedule includes lots of drinking and not the kind that is hydrating.

But it was still very humbling.

So, time to get on the program! Eating good food, proper amounts of training, cutting waaaay down on the alcohol and plenty of sleep. Generally taking better care of myself.

I’m doing IronMan Canada with PT Girl and deWolf in August of 2011, so I have some pretty serious work to do.

Iron Mike

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