Riding

Wow, it has been a great few weeks weather wise...best time of year, everything smells fresh and new and it is getting greener everyday. We had a great Easter weekend, the girls and I hung out down on the dock at the house, Kayla even asked to go swimming...but when we dipped our toes in she changed her mind, lol (the snow on the neighbours rocks should have told us how cold the water was) but we are looking forward to the temperatures rising so that we can play down at the water daily.

SV and I were also able to get out for our first outdoor rides of the season, it was great. We did 3 rides over the long weekend and the temperatures were perfect. We did a good mix of some hard efforts and some social riding...it is great to be meeting up with new people and heading out for rides. I felt pretty good on the bike, it is great to be off the trainer and onto the roads. My positioning feels great and I can feel some of the indoor rides have made me stronger. On our third ride one of the riders decided we should sprint and off we went....well I am not used to this type of effort.. I'm used to getting on my bike and just riding and riding..lol, sprinting hurts, it hurts a lot...felt Quad muscles I didn't realize I had but it was great. I love pushing hard and having fun. We also did our first brick workout and man have I forgotten what that felt like. Last year training for Ultraman, I didn't have to worry about running off the bike, but this first workout opened up my eyes, especially since we did a hilly run, I was so glad when it was all over but I can also tell that I have a different level of fitness than I did at this time last year and it feels pretty good. This past weekend we headed out for another ride with MD and she took me on some roads I hadn't been on before, they were great, hilly but great. We ended up doing a challenging 70km ride with plenty of hills, it is a bonus to be out on the hills this early in the year and I can tell I am a stronger hill rider than I once was, it was a little colder than the week before but the sun was bright and we had a great ride. Hoping to get out a few times this week before the rain comes.

I have had some issues with my tummy over the last few runs, but I think it is a combination of stress and antibiotics, I had a pretty brutal case of strep throat...but I am feeling better now so things should be all good soon! Otherwise the body is feeling great.

I had my first final exam yesterday and it went well, only 4 more exams to get through...So far the RMT course has been great. I am not stressed about the finals because I have a really good average so far so I am reviewing everything but not getting carried away with being stressed. I have enough stress in my life as it is so I am not going to let something that I am enjoying and motivated for cause me even more stress....just getting my studying done and am well prepared. I will be done soon and then have a glorious 2 weeks off before second semester begins...

Spring.

March is almost over, hard to believe but it was a busy crazy month and I am just finding some time to write about the things I have been up to. It has been a great month and we have been pretty busy... classes are intense but fun and I am just a few weeks out from final exams..andthen a nice 2 week break!

I headed to Florida with SV and his kidlets and we were lucky to have some great weather, blue skies every day. We went with the MUSAC swim team who were doing a swimming training camp (along with a group from LAC, Guelph, and Cambridge)...it was great to see the LAC kids again, they all looked fit and were training hard! SV and I had decided to swim once per day and we were going to run a few times while we were there and then spend the rest of the time doing touristy things.

Our first swim workout was long course and sunny, I couldn't have been happier. I was feeling a little sluggish and it was a long swim of 5500m but it was a good start. Through the week I started to feel stronger in the water and I loved getting in the pool with the kids and pushing hard again. I have swam for so long but in recent years I have just swam and put in the distance never really doing challenging sets...mostly because I haven't had anyone to train with...Swimming with SV has been great and we challenge each other, and being in the pool with these competitive teenagers was great. I loved being a swimmer again and I actually did some IM sets...man it has been years, lol. While we were there I did some yoga with the swimmers and we even had the Guelph varsity swimmers join us on deck. The kids all liked it and attempted new things.

On Wednesday SV and I headed out for a killer run. We had found a great running path around the pool area and we decided to do loops...the first loop was strong but controlled and then the next 2 were at a pretty intense pace...and then SV decided we would do one final km at all out effort...By this point I was not thinking clearly, the sub I had for lunch was not liking being in my stomach and I just wanted to be done..so I did as I was told and ran as hard as I could. SVpulled ahead of me and I kept my eyes on his back, wishing he would stop running hard...when he finally did, I ran up beside him and slowed down..and then about a minute later threw up my lunch...lol, that is a first!! SV was proud of me but I was mortified, lol...we ran back slightly easier to the hotel and I was ready to melt...what a run. It was hard and horrible but I loved it at the same time!

By the Saturday, our last swim workout...my shoulders and lats and triceps were sore and fatigued but it was so great. We finished with a great 2 hour long course workout and I even managed to pull off a 50m free with no breath. Feeling strong but tired in the water and loving feeling like a swimmer again...realize that swimming is such a part of who I am that I like to do the training, even though in recent years I have brushed it aside because it was my strength in the triathlon and having someone to swim with regularly is so motivating. SV and I ended up swimming 30km in 5 workouts and we ran 43km while we were down there...

The rest of the time we toured around Ft. Lauderdale, shopping, enjoyed days at the beach with the kids, attempted surfing...SV did awesome and G was a natural... all in all a great trip and many laughs...

Being away is nice but coming home is always so great. I missed my girlies so much while they were gone and seeing their smiles and getting lots of hugs was so great. We enjoyed putting away the winter boots and wearing shoes to school! The weather continues to be nice and we have the promise of a wonderful weekend. I am hoping to head out for my first outdoor ride this weekend and have a feeling the trainer rides are going to pay off.

Finally, I had a killer swim workout this past Saturday morning. I was tired and it was tempting to stay in bed but we all got up and I was expecting to do a hard 50 set and Mark surprised us with a hard 800's set...I didn't think it was going to go so well but I managed to pull a 10:19 out on my last one. It didn't feel great but man was I happy with that effort made me feel like me again!! Best feeling in the world!

Sore

This camp of mine is getting painful, lol... I can't complain because it is self inflicted but wow is my body getting a wake up call this week!

I have been "working out" these past few months, but really since Ultraman, and even before Ultraman, my workouts were just that, doing something and dealing with stress. However, I have gotten my butt in gear and rather than just working out, I am "training" again and it feels great.

I headed out for a run on Wednesday, the sun was bright and the temperature was pretty mild, a perfect day for a run...this is the part of winter I like to run in and I felt great. I headed down a road I haven't been on yet and it turned out to be a new favourite, quiet, smooth and no dogs! I felt pretty relaxed and really enjoyed the 12.5 km. I finished up the day with a good yoga session...I am trying to keep yoga at the top of my to do list as I want to stay injury free and my new mat is awesome and has me wanting to do more!

Thursday was an early day and SV and I put in a tough time trial effort ride on the trainers. What a ride. I am not used to pushing myself at this way or doing efforts like this one but I have to admit that I really liked the challenge, it hurt and there was some burning going on but I pushed hard. This workout and the other one I have done a couple of times are definitely going to make me a better cyclist. After our bike ride we headed to the gym to lift weights. I have fallen off the weight lifting wagon and I can't even remember when I did it last, I keep up with my core workouts but I always enjoy lifting. It was fun to be in the weight room with SV and we had a good time but I was already feeling it in the muscles as we were leaving the gym. I did more yoga that evening and sat down to watch Survivor totally spent. I woke up this morning feeling muscles that I haven't felt in awhile and I am pretty tired today, but I'm getting back on the trainer to see if I can loosen up these legs and hope to head out for another run in the sun!

Week off....

It is reading week and I am finding myself with an unusual amount of time on my hands. I have already done my pre-reading for next week and am happy with how my mid-terms went. I am enjoying the break from school but I miss class at the same time. With all of this extra time I have decided to work on "the becoming a triathlete again" goal and since SV and I have been discussing our race plans for the summer, I figured that I should get going and am doing a reading week "camp".

I started with a good ride on Sunday, it was an aerobic effort but with the excitement of the gold medal game I ended up working a little harder than I had planned. It felt great and I loved the ride. Legs are remembering what it is like to be a cyclist again, slowly, but I'm on my way. Monday, SV and I headed out for a run, we did 10km and I can promise you it wasn't pretty, there was wheezing and spitting and I thought my lungs might burst. Several times I wondered why in the world I was running so hard when it was only March 1st..but I couldn't bring myself to back off..SV kicked my butt on this run and I loved it even though on several hills I wanted to kick him, lol...We followed the hard run with a swim. Not sure if you have ever tried to go swimming after a run, especially a hard run...well there is a reason they put the swim first in a triathlon. I was spent and struggled with some calf cramps during this swim, but we were able to get in some distance in a short time and I was happy that we were able to do both these workouts. We had a yummy lunch after and in the end it was a great day. I was beat by the time I got home and enjoyed a quiet night with the girls.

Tuesday I got on the trainer and did a solid aerobic bike workout. The sun was streaming in through the windows and it made me wish I was biking outside. I know it won't be long until we can be riding outside and I can't wait, biking on the trainer can't even come close to being outdoors, but it was a solid ride. I am feeling stronger on the bike, so hopefully when it comes time to hit the roads I will be where I was last summer. I finished up the day with a yoga session and was feeling nice and relaxed afterwards.

Today the sun is shining once again and I am heading out to do a run and follow that up with a nice long yoga session. So enjoy your day, I know I will!

Truly Canadian!

I Can't believe the Olympics are over. What an amazing 2 weeks. I was brought to tears by many Olympic moments and so inspired by all the courage these athletes showed.

Like many I am proud to be Canadian and very proud of all of our athletes for putting on such a great display of athletic ability, incredible moments and sportsmanship.

Today is a little bit of a let down, not being able to turn on the tv and get swept away by the highs and lows, determination and motivation that have filled the last 2 weeks. I have become hooked on some new winter events (ski cross...awesome!!) and I do not think that I have ever watched this much Winter Olympics coverage ever and I can't wait for 2014!

Until this week I haven't truly been Canadian...I have a confession to make... I have never sat and watched a hockey game before.. I can't even skate.... I know, I know...I grew up in a hockey town but I was the "swimmer." I have never understood people's obsession with hockey and have never even wanted to watch the "play offs" and I had never tuned into any Olympic hockey coverage. When the worlds juniors were on I innocently asked SV what a "power play was...does that mean that they get more points?" which was met with a silent stare (even my sister knew what it was) I realized I really should know more about hockey but just didn't find it all that exciting....Well this past week changed that for me. I watched one of the semi-final games and was happy that Canada made it to the gold medal round. Then last night I watched the Canada/USA game and thought it was awesome. I had planned to ride the trainer and watch the game but had no expectations of enjoying it, but wow what a game. It was awesome and our trainer ride turned out to be tough because we were so pumped by all the action on the screen and rode hard...I loved it and was so excited when Canada won gold. I was glad that I gave hockey a chance and that I was able to witness such an exciting moment in Canada's Olympic history.....can't say that I will be tuning in to watch hockey on a regular basis but I will at least once every 4 years!

30 Runs....Done!

I am finally getting around to updating how the 30 runs went. This is the second year that I have done this challenge, last year I got to run number 20 and cursed myself for committing to something so silly...well no different this year....once I hit my 21st run I was wondering why I thought this would be a good idea... I had some pain starting in the bottom of both feet (the dreaded P.F. wanting to become full blown) but I was able to stay on top of doing yoga and SV even got me to roll out my calves and I am happy to say that it never became more than a pesky buzzing. I may not have done all 30 runs the way that was planned but I did the best that I could with my and the girls schedules.So here is how it all worked out in the end:

Week 3 (runs 15 to 21) 57.96 km. Week 4 plus (runs 22 to 30) 109.50 km. 30 Day Run mileage total=291.67 km {total calories for the 30 runs=21, 193 kcal}.

I have to admit that I am glad the 30 runs are over. I did enjoy doing them for the most part but doing that many runs has made me want to take a break. Maybe doing the challenge should be something we do in April/May because it would probably be more enjoyable to head out 30 days in a row when you don't have to face -20 degree temperatures and icy roads. Just a thought.

So now I have moved onto the next challenge....becoming a triathlete again.

Getting back on the trainer for a workout was an eye opener the other day. I have been on "riding" but more to loosen up my legs which were getting sore and stiff from all the running. However, the other day I got on the trainer with SV and we did a ride...if we had been outside SV would have gone back to get the car and pick me up. It was ugly. However, at the same time it felt great to work hard on the bike again. I have never done such a hard ride on the trainer(it helps that SV found it killer too) but my heart was ready to explode, I couldn't catch my breath, my legs were burning, and I was cursing out the tv... I loved it!! I can't wait to do it again this week and hopefully it will be slightly less ugly.

I also found my way back to the pool this weekend, unfortunately it had been awhile since I was last in the pool but I got back in the water (I will admit I did try to talk SV out of going because it was early and I had a convincing argument for the benefits of extra sleep, but SV ignored my great arguments) It ended up being a good swim and I was surprised by how smooth I felt. It turned out to be a long set of 4x800 which I was dreading when I saw it written on the board but I put in a good effort and my last one was pretty solid. Planning on doing more swimming in the next few weeks so hopefully I can get myself into a routine and get used to new pools.

SV and I also did a tough run later that day and I was struggling, felt like I was going to cough up a lung and that my legs had cement blocks attached to them but I hung in for the 12 km and was so happy when it was all over. The body felt alright the next day, tired and the good sore but man am I feeling out of shape.... I got back on the trainer for a 2 hour ride and the legs were fatigued, it was a struggle the entire first hour, but in the end I was glad I stuck with it and put in a good aerobic effort.

So the getting back in shape and becoming a triathlete again has begun. I am back in training and doing only a few runs a week and I have to admit it makes me look forward to going for a run rather than having to go for another run. I have committed to giving some shorter races a try this season. I spent last summer on one race and it was my first triathlon in over 4 years but this year I think I am going to shorten things up. SV has encouraged me to try some new things and we are going to be doing these races together so I know it will be great. Plus we will be able to chase each other down at certain races so that will add some extra fun to the race experience. This year is about doing new things, pushing myself and having a great time while doing so. I have done only a handful of races as a triathlete and I am looking forward to seeing what shorter distances racing can be like. I know it will hurt and I know there will be many things that I have to learn but I am looking forward to the new challenges and pushing myself outside of my comfortable long distance box.

Love and the Olympics

Happy Valentine's Day...hopefully today finds you with someone that you love with all your heart. There is no better way to spend your time than with your loved ones and I am happy that I am able to be with my loved ones, not only today but everyday!

Another great thing that I love has come around again, the Olympics! I love turning on the TV to watch people push themselves to reach their goals. I have always loved to watch the Olympics and although I prefer the summer Olympics to the winter Olympics, I am fascinated by many of the winter sports. The elegance and speed and precision of all of these events is breathtaking. Many of the sports I find terrifying because there is such an element of danger (something that isn't really present in the summer events, or less so) and my heart broke when I heard the news about Nodar Kumaritashvili and watching the accident brought me to tears. What a horrible and tragic accident, the loss of such a young man. But the Olympic spirit and love has surrounded his country and his family and the games have gone on.

It is truly inspiring to watch such talented individuals compete and support one another. I find myself cheering on our athletes and enjoying the emotions of those as they accomplish great things! I do find it sad when the reporters look at anything other than first place as a disappointment, these are the best athletes in the world and getting to the Olympics is a huge accomplishment and the extra pressure that is put on these athletes is so intense. I think that they should be celebrated for being the best in the world. However, I do realize not everyone looks at sport this way...(this summer a person said to me that I was the first loser when I placed 2nd at Ultraman...said by a small minded unimportant person)..these athletes dedicate most of their time and energy to their goals and even if they "only" place second, or fifth or twenty-fifth...they are the best there is in the world and they are better than all those who never push themselves to be the best they can be.

So for the next 2 weeks I will be tuned in watching the best there is in the world compete in some scary and beautiful events and I will be inspired and I know I will get some awesome trainer rides in while I watch these athletes push themselves to do their best.