Better

I had an injury.  It's healing...but not as fast as I would like.  This past week I hit the ground running,  and it hurt.  I tried to cut myself some slack... these were the first outdoor runs I have done since October and the most mileage I have done in 14 weeks.  However, that irrational part of my brain, quickly went to the what if's, you know, the: what if I can't run pain free again, what if I am not as fast as I used to be, what if I can't run long... what if, what if, what if.

We all go through "stuff" (an injury, a loss, a break up, a bad spell...whatever it is) and the focus tends to be on getting back to where we used to be, being as good/happy as we once were but that isn't the right way to look at it.  I realized this week, that I have to be kinder to myself.  My body is doing the best it can and that is all I ever ask from myself.  I shouldn't be pushing myself to go harder or farther right now, because I am not ready and that is ok.  I am the only one who expects more, yes SV may have helped point this out to me :)  So my focus right now isn't on trying to be as strong or as fast as I "used" to be, instead I am going to focus on doing the right things and getting stronger and that is a process which has no finish line and no matter what I will be better than I once was!

Let's go for a ride!

I know many people have many opinions with regards to LA and what is front and center in the news...and that is the beauty of opinion,  we are all entitled to our own!  

I am not going to go on and on about what he should or shouldn't have done...not my place...all I know is that if  he ever wants to go for a ride, I would jump at that chance....especially if he wears his "kit" below ;)  What a perfect day, riding with SV and LA.   I would be a VERY happy lady!

Missing you

Lungs burning...Quads screaming...Ponytail dripping with sweat...Side stitches... Throbbing toe nails... Blisters...Racking up the mileage... Wanting it to be over...Wishing it would never end...Hills..Headwind...Speed sessions and Long runs...I miss it ALL!!

It has been 6 long weeks of no running and I'm itching to get my run on!  I have done the time and I want to be cleared to hit the pavement (well, Treadmill honestly, but you know what I mean!).   I am hoping this will be the week that sees me tying up laces again...I have my fingers crossed!
In hopes that I will be struggling to get my running legs back soon... here are some of my favourite running pics!

SV and I at UMC'09  (notice the iPod and Speakers taped to his hand...awesome!

Dr. Peggy and I running stride for stride @ UMC'09

Loving the crowds enthusiasm in Budapest 2010

Laguna, CA

Getting ready for some speed work with SV in Tucson, AZ

Worlds in Auckland, NZ...last run.

Go Big Or Go Home!!

Wow, what a whirlwind!!  We've been home 4 weeks and just finding a few minutes to sit down and catch up!  Hope everyone is healthy and happy and ready for the craziness that is the holiday season!

NZ and OZ were amazing!  We packed as much as we could in the 3 weeks that we were there.   There is tonnes that we could have done but I am totally happy with everything that we managed to do and see.  We were slowed down by my sore foot... going for long hikes was out of the question, but I'm not much of a hiker so maybe that was a good thing.  

The highlight of the trip was Bungy Jumping...something I wasn't sure I would ever be able to make myself do...seriously, jump off a platform 134m above the ground with only an elastic "band" around my ankles...crazy!  This was the most nervous I have ever been in my life.   Started in the morning as we talked about the craziness we were about to experience...was amplified on the bus as they played video of people jumping... reached full swing by the time I stepped onto the gondola high above the little river.   The butterflies in my stomach were going mach 9...so intense. 

I stood near the edge to watch our friend Big Tom and SV jump...so great to watch them go, hear them scream and see the pure pleasure on their faces as they were pulled back up into the gondola. 

The guys at Nevis Bungy were awesome, kept me laughing and chatting up until it was time to jump.  It happened so quick..one second I was taking baby steps to the edge of the platform (absolutely NO foot pain!) and the next I was free falling towards the ground!  I screamed louder than I have ever screamed in my life!  No other way to describe it other than the BEST experience I've ever had....so incredibly overwhelming, amazing and unbelievable!!  It took a couple of hours before the adrenaline of the event wore off.  We finally stopped saying "Wow" and "Awesome" and crashed for an afternoon nap!  

It was very hard to leave a beautiful country that was just getting ready for summer and come back to the cold and dark (seriously, pitch black by 4:30pm) of Ontario, but it was great to be back home, surrounded by our kidlets, friends and kitties...it's always great to go on vacation but nothing beats your own warm bed and the smell of coffee in your own kitchen!

I finally went to get my foot checked out, it still hurt and I needed to find out exactly what was wrong.   I needed to figure out how long it would be until I was back to normal.  Turns out, I fractured the base of the 5th metatarsal.  The good news... it had already started to heal, much to Dr. Jenn's amazement (I guess walking around for 2 weeks on a broken foot isn't usually recommended).  

The bad news, I became the "proud" owner of an air cast for 6 weeks (no cute fall/winter boots for me!) and I missed out on some glorious fall days of running.  3rd X-Ray scheduled for the 20th so keep those fingers crossed!

Nevis Bungy--Holy F'n'F!!

Love this race pic (yep that's the broken one about to hit)

My "boo boo"

Ugh

"Sweet As"

Life is amazing...so many beautiful places and people in this world, I am so glad to be able to see/know so many!

Our NZ trip is in full swing.  Enjoying all the sights and events.  We have 11 days left and I am looking forward to some of the adventures we have planned, especially the bungee jump (check out http://www.bungy.co.nz/the-nevis/the-nevis-bungy this is how SV, Tom, Ashley and I are spending our morning tmo...what a way to start the day...YAY!!!!)

Our week in Auckland went quickly.  We did the run course our first day and I was happy that it was a flat one, lots of turns but mainly around the waterfront; very pretty.  We did the bike course twice before the race.  The first ride, was windy (50km/hour) which made for some incredibly tough sections and scary descents but the next ride the winds were calmer (only 30km/hr) and I was able to get a better sense of what it was going to be like on race day.  The course was great, a few good climbs and descents in the 20km loop (2 laps) only the 7km section back to town in a headwind was challenging.  

We didn't get in the ocean to swim before race day, we opted to swim in the pool instead, the cold air and low water temperatures didn't excite any of us!  

Watching the elite men's race was exciting;  pouring rain, gusting wind and the thrill of watching them  put it all on the line.  Definitely gave me inspiration as I watched them all push themselves to the limit; man can those guys run/fly!!

Race day the weather was cool but sunny.   After several days of rain I was pretty happy that we were going to have the sun!  Competing at World Championships you start in a wave with only your age group.  Very nice to start with only 98 women!  Jumping into the water was shocking...the temp was 14 degrees Celsius.  We were off in less than a minute and I was out front...SV said he could see me out front from the start which is pretty cool.   I wasn't prepared for how choppy the swim was...a few large mouthfuls of salt water... poor sighting and the cold temp didn't make for a very fast swim time, but wasn't much I could change.  I came out of the water fourth in my age category and I felt pretty good.  

The run to transitions was long, running to the end of the wharf then back into the transition zone to the bikes.  This made it fair for everyone as there was a huge transition area (3000+ athletes competing).  The wharf has several rail tracks (similar to what you find in the city for street cars) which the race organizers covered with blue carpet.  The carpet I believe was intended to make the area safer/more even...unfortunately it disguised the tracks and I rolled my foot as I was running to transition from the swim-bike.  The first time I hit one, I swore, the second time I hit one, I swore louder!   I seemed ok so I kept going.  

 I had a pretty good ride. The wind was not a factor until 13km... it was a LONG 7km back to town with the headwind, but the cheering from Ashley and Cat at the turn around was a nice boost.  I saw SV on my second loop...he was on the 7km headwind section and for the first time in a race he didn't look like he was flying (that's what a 33km/hr headwind will do to you I guess).

 During the ride I realized that something was up with my foot.  When I stood for climbs I had pain on the lateral side of my right foot.
Heading into T2 was the worst part of the race...the long run up and down the wharf and trying to avoid any of the rail tracks in my bare feet was very painful.  I tried to run on the inside of my foot/big toe and tried to not focus on the pain, but I knew then that something was wrong. 

 I want to say I considered stopping.  Honestly though, there was no way I was stopping.  I had come too far and it was only 10km...I could do it.   

The first two kilometres of the run were a mental battle...the sane part of my brain was telling me to 'Stop, something is wrong and it is ok to just pack it in'.  The other part (you all know that part) was telling me ' I have come all the way to NZ, that I am not a quitter'.  I wanted to place top 10 in my age category and I kept thinking that the foot was already messed up so I may as well keep going.  Obviously, this competitive side of my brain won the battle.
I convinced myself to not focus on the pain...to get through the first loop and to use the cheers from all the spectators to keep me moving forward.  It truly is an amazing feeling to have so many people yell "Go Canada", "Looking Good Canada", etc.
As I started the second loop of the run I saw Ashley and I was pretty sure she yelled "Bring it home!".
This gave me a huge push... I decided I had already done 5km, I was finishing the next 5km, and I had better get it done faster (the longer I was out there the longer it was going to hurt).  I focused on the people in front of me and catching them.
I am happy to say that I did not get passed by any women on that run...but I did a lot of passing!  Coming into the finishing area was a great feeling.  I had no clue how I had placed...I was pretty sure I hadn't made it on to the podium, but was hopeful that I had placed in the top 10 in my age category.   In the end, I placed 9th in Women's 35-39! 

I was able to watch John and Dave from Gravenhurst race each other to the finish line and unlike Budapest, I was there to cheer SV as he ran to the finishing line looking super strong.  (He had a stellar 38th placing in the Men's 45-49!).

I am still not sure how I got myself to keep going...is it determination or stupidity (I oscillate when I think about it).  It's been a challenging few days post race...the 4th/5th metatarsals are sore and possibly broken but I have been resting/icing/elevating as much as possible, and the swelling and bruising has gone down significantly.  I have been swimming a few times to keep active but man do I want to run, lol!

Thanks to everyone for the support and encouragement leading up, during, and after the race...You are all the best people a person could know!!

Biking in NZ!

Cheering in the rain!

Elite Men's Top 3

Heading out to lap 2

Pretty Colours

Our view in Queenstown, NZ

It's Time!

That's right... bags and bikes are packed...the "To Do" list is all checked off... the proverbial "hay is in the barn".  After a whirlwind of a week, all that is left is to get to NZ. 

 I am excited and overwhelmed all at once. Not sure what to expect but I have heard so many fabulous things about the country that I know I am going to love it.   Excited to do one last race of 2012...both SV and I were feeling strong this week as we went through our last few intense workouts, no matter what happens on race day we are going to give it 100%!  (in our Team Canada gear!!)

Thanks to everyone for the support and encouragement.  Send those positive vibes our way as much as you can.  I am sure we will have some fun adventures and I will keep you updated as much as possible!

I'm going to leave you with the song that I have been singing over and over in my head...thought it was kind of fitting!!  http://youtu.be/sENM2wA_FTg

Time Flies

October 2nd...crazy to think that summer is officially behind us...the trees in Muskoka have taken on the breath-taking beauty of fall and there's a chill in the air, even with the glorious sun shining! I love autumn in Muskoka, so beautiful, but I was hoping it would stay away for a little while.  After such an amazing summer it is hard to move on, all I can hope is that winter is going to be just as great!

 I took a couple of days to recover from Centurion and found my way back to the pool and although I am not feeling strong in the water at least I am feeling "less sloppy".  SV and I have been keeping the training consistent with the arrival of fall.  It can be hard to stay motivated this time of year, as it's "off season" for most people, but I keep focusing on how hard those 2+ hours are going to be on race day (ITU Olympic Age Group World Championships- Auckland, NZ)  if I don't get my workouts done now,  and that has helped keep my butt moving.

 On Sunday SV and I did our "Killer Brick Workout",  a workout that I didn't think could get any more challenging.  Man was I wrong.  This workout toasted me...I was shattered at the end of it, but wow did it feel good to put in an all out effort.  Only a few more hard workouts over the next 2 weeks and then it's taper time...that's right 2 WEEKS until we are off to NZ!  Hard to believe a year ago we were just thinking about how much fun it was going to be, and now it's almost time!

Today I received some great news...extra motivation to keep working hard all the way to NZ .   I am honoured and humbled to have been selected by Triathlon Ontario as the 2012  Age Group Female Triathlete of the Year.  I am extremely appreciative of everyone who has pushed me to do my best throughout the triathlon season here in Ontario. Here's to hoping I can take all this positive energy with me all the way to the finish line in Auckland.....what a ride.

 Muskoka Colours

 SV ready to ride