Centurion Canada

SV and I took part in the Centurion Canada event yesterday.  It was a beautiful day for a long ride and the route through the Collingwood area was nice and challenging as always.   This race was hard to get excited for,  I was dreading it actually.  I know in my athletic past I have been on my bike for a lot longer than 160km, but that was a few years ago and as it turned out this summer, we just didn't get out for many long rides.  Since coming back from the huge bike week in AZ in early May, we did a handful of 100+km rides...the last one being in late June.  I tried to think of this race as a long group ride with a bunch of strangers but I was prepared to suffer  because of the lack of training.  SV was going to try and get into the fast group and hang on for as long as he could.  I thought we would be able to stick together for the "neutral rollout" but once the horn went off... Mayhem...5 miles of people trying to get to the front and slamming on their brakes while screaming "SLOWING"...I am not a cyclist and I am not your typical type A personality but those 5 miles were the worst for me...it was kind of like being in traffic on the 401...crawling a long for no reason then speeding up and having to slam on the brakes...but if everyone could just be chill and drive at a reasonable pace things would be fine.  My HR was 150 or above for that whole 5 miles and all the while I was thinking of the first climb we would be hitting at the end of those 5 miles and it was a nasty one.
It turned out to be an interesting day for me.  I lost sight of SV during the first nasty climb but knew he would have a great day.  I started experiencing slight cramping in my calves at 10km, not a good sign, but I made some adjustments and was better.  Eventually I heard Andrew H and we spent the next 90km together in a pretty good group, it was awesome to watch Eon D'ornellas ripping up the road and keeping the group in good pace and etiquette.
My body on the other hand wasn't having the best time, my quads started protesting at 42km.  I tried to massage and stretch them the best that I could and for the most part did pretty well at staying ahead of the cramping.  The race has a  King of the Mountain portion, which you hit at 120km(ish)  it is at this point that the group I was in broke apart, people really start to suffer. I felt pretty good going up that climb and once I got to the top had to push hard to catch a group of men in front of me...my quads were angry and they recruited my hamstrings to try to make their point clear...my legs were hating me, lol.  At 140km I realized how quiet it had become, the social chit-chat was gone, people had their heads down and were slowing.  For me though this was the point I just needed to be done..I kept talking to my legs telling them that they weren't allowed to cramp. I encouraged those I was passing and I just tried to get each km done as quickly as possible....the best moment came when I saw the caution sign for the decent back down into the valley...best 4km ever..top speed was 88.2km/hr on the downhill, WOOHOO!!
In the end, although my legs were cramped and angry with me, I was proud that I pulled out a strong ride with the little training I had done for it.  I placed 3rd in my age category and I stayed the same amount of time behind SV as I was last year.  (SV suffered out there too with quad and hamstring cramps but managed to stay with a strong group and earned a 15min PB!)
This is us at the finish line where kidlets and friends were waiting, Happy to be done!

BB and SV's Excellent Adventure...Take 2

Bags are pack...I was able to pack lots into the panniers, learned that tip from my mom!!   

I'm excited to be headed east once again...I have been dreaming of those lobsters for a year now!!

We have no "plan" just taking it one day at a time...figuring it out as we go...seeing what we see and deciding what we want to do each day...I think we may try to hit Lake Placid again, SV is wanting to swim the Ironman course again, but this time I think we will rent some wetsuits....no way I could fit those bad boys in the panniers, lol.  I will update you from along the road and the camera is packed so I hope to share as much of the adventure as possible....Keep your fingers crossed that this year really is excellent...no fires this year!!

New Challenges!

I love how life can keep you on your toes and push you into new things, things that if given the chance you would talk yourself out of.  This past weekend I was able to witness several of my athletes throw a blanket over the voices...the ones that would tell them they were crazy or that they couldn't possibly finish an Olympic distance triathlon...they rose to the challenge and accomplished great things.  I get goosebumps thinking about how they faced the unknown distance and every single one of them crossed the finish line with a huge smile on their faces!  

So with all of them in mind,  I forced myself to click the "register" button for my first 70.3 race.  I had been "persuaded" by two lovely ladies to do my first Half Ironman distance race a couple of weeks back, however,  I wasn't sure if I really wanted to do it...I have done Ironman and Ultraman and I am quite comfortable at the Olympic distance these days....but after watching so many of my athletes face the unknown this weekend I knew that I had to follow their lead.  Time to step outside of comfortable and do something I haven't done before.  I have that nervous excitement, the  slight dread, the "what have I done" feeling, but at the same time I am pumped for a new challenge.   SV is going to be right there with me and it is great to know that we are going to go through this together.  Looking forward to long training days and of course beers at the end!  (SC and JC get your butts registered!!)

Mark D...completing his 1st Olympic (Type 1 Diabetic)

Ashley B. Rocking the run on her first Olympic Tri

Shane W. completing 1500m swim, 7.5 weeks after first swim ever

Janny V. completing her 1st Duathlon in 60-69 age cat.

UltraPossible Team that inspire me everyday!

Smiling

I can't believe it has been nearly two months since I posted on this site,  not because I haven't had anything to blog about, but because I haven't had a chance to sit down and collect my thoughts.  Life has been full speed ahead since May and in all honesty I am loving the whirl wind!  I took a huge leap at the beginning of May, making a goal a reality... UltraPossible is alive and growing (www.ultrapossible.ca). I have surrounded myself with some of the most amazing people and the energy that's been created is overwhelming.  I am excited to say along with Coach Brent and Coach Steve that we are putting together an amazing team and program.  We are helping our athletes reach their fitness goals and creating a fun environment for people to learn and excel.  I can't help but be pumped.  Nothing better than waking up each day loving what I do and looking forward to what is going to happen that day...yes I am busy and at times I forget what I walked into a room for, but I have to admit that I am loving it!
This past weekend I did my first tri of the 2012 season.  The Gravenhurst Tri is one of my favourites, from the steamship boat ride to the swim start, the beautiful bike course and the killer run. It is one that I love to do but always suffer on.  Once again, it was a steamy hot day and although there were a few things I could have done better, I am happy with how my race went.  I haven't been swimming nearly enough, but my swim time was around where it should be. I felt pretty good on the bike and although I could have been stronger, I am pleased with my ride. My run was a struggle for sure, as I think it was for everyone. That run course is a tough one---lots of hills on a road with many deer flies and lots of sun (very little shade out there).  It ended up being a 10km run where I bargained with my quads, trying to bribe them to not go into full blown cramp.  I never felt that I was running strong, just trying to get to the finish. (I was very surprised to see that I ran a 4:12/km pace).
I found myself smiling through the entire day...I was able to race with several of our athletes as they completed their first triathlons, longer distance or improved their times.  I was overwhelmed by how many of our athletes gave up a beautiful weekend to come down to the race site to volunteer and support their teammates and other athletes.  The energy the UP athletes gave out there was amazing and I am so proud to be part of it.
This pic is from race day...thanks Jo for making this for me and thanks to all my family, friends and athletes who are keeping a smile on my face!

Hi My Name is...

Barbi and I am an addict..not "that" kind of addict... I have a few things that I just can't seem to shake wanting (and not sure that I want to): these are all things that I love and can justify "needing" more of; shoes ("I don't have a pair with this heel, strap, colour"), Lululemon ("Perfect for teaching classes in") and pretty underwear (no justification...always needed and appreciated!)
My other addiction began at the age of 20...I remember phoning home and asking my mom if I could get my first tattoo, to which she replied "It's your body, do what you like"  What a great response.  To this day, I go back to that response whenever I am considering getting a new tattoo...it's my body, so why the heck not!
I know not everyone is a fan of tattoos and that is understandable...I love them and each one of my tattoos has a certain meaning to me. I don't regret any of them as they are all from different points in my life.  When asked what I will think of them when I am older, I am confident that I will still love them, besides  I doubt anyone is going to  look at me and say "she would be a hot 80+ year old if she didn't have all those tattoos, lol!)  If nothing else when I am older it will be a story for me to tell or good mental exercise as I try to remember when/where or why I got these tattoos!
In the past few years, SV and I have been adding to our "body" art...something else we love to do together!  There is something about hearing the tattoo gun that gets my pulse racing, making me feel giddy and thinking about where to put the next one.
 Recently we found ourselves a great tattooist, Alex Maddock (check out some of his work here: http://www.facebook.com/alex.maddock.9 or here http://www.facebook.com/thetattooshoppe).  Alex is a very talented artist and so attentive to detail.  I am a huge fan of his and am happy to have had 3 tattoos done by him in the past several months.  I love how I can mention what I am thinking to him and he will take it to a level above and beyond what I was thinking.   I had been considering a larger piece...most of my tattoos aren't really out there, you wouldn't know that I have 11 tattoos...I was nervous about whether or not I could "rock" the shoulder/arm look but Alex reassured me...brought my idea to life and after some nervous energy and 5 hours on his table...I now have a shoulder/arm tattoo that I am in love with!
Thanks SOOOO much Alex!! (Just hoping my mom isn't regretting her "It's your body" response!)

Ouch!

That is the best way to sum up my first race of the 2012 season!
SV and I headed to TO for the Sporting Life 10km Race...this has become one of my favourite races and we try to do it each year...although we did skip it last year to partake in some UFC fun.
I always love heading to the city and there is something so awesome about running down Younge St with only the sound of feet pounding on the pavement!
This year the race sold out, no race day entries allowed as they had reached their cap of 22,000...truly crazy to think that 22,000 people were all up bright and early to start a 10km race!
SV and I arrived early enough to check our bags and do a light warm up run...it was cool and rainy...perfect running conditions really.  We stood together at the start line, with friends Troy (who would end up 12th overall) and Doug (who finished 84th).  As we stood in the corral it was fun to try to see the entire crowd...so much nervous energy...but we weren't nervous...more dreading the amount of hurt we were about to inflict on ourselves!
SV and I are good running partners.. pretty evenly matched. We try to stick together for as long as we can, not holding each other back or waiting for the other... I think many couples enter races together and have the intention of running together but one partner is usually stronger than the other and at times feelings might get hurt if they are left behind...or so it always seems to go.  It's great to stand at the start line with my best friend and training partner...knowing that we are both trying to run our hardest, getting to the finish line strong, motivated to stay together but also knowing that one of us will be stronger, not being upset when one pulls ahead...instead of getting defeated or upset, we are able to use the others strength to keep pushing hard and find each other at the finish.  I love how we support each other!
We shared a quick kiss before the horn went off, wishing each other good luck and then we were running...the first 2km are chaotic...people everywhere, but we managed to stay side by side... then I realized SV wasn't beside me and that made me slightly nervous...the first 4 km is pretty much a downhill and SV runs quicker downhill than I do...maybe I was going a little too hard at the start...but I had stopped looking at my watch after I saw a 3:33 for the first km...I decided it was better not to look again lol!  I felt strong through the 5km point, pretty relaxed and comfortable...by 6km I was having some left quad pain...I didn't focus on it but by 7km I was thinking that if I backed off a little it wouldn't hurt as much and I would find SV and we could run through it together...I was pretty sure I was going to break 40 mins, which was the goal, so why not back off a little...again I didn't focus on that, split second to decide and then I picked someone ahead of me and focused on trying to close the gap between us.  I am happy to say that I felt I really "raced" this one..I normally start conservatively and don't try to out sprint anyone at the end...this year I was with 2 other girls and I did my best to sprint in those final meters to the finish line...I know it wasn't pretty but I was proud of myself for pushing hard from start to finish...and I was able to take a whopping 2 seconds off my time.  I had two men thank me for pushing them because they were just trying to hang with me....guess they didn't want to be beat by a girl in a pink skirt and arm warmers, lol!
SV came in less than 30 sec behind me...also having a really strong race (over 35 seconds faster than the previous time) despite the pain in his quad after an encounter with the neighbours wiener dog!  Both of us were happy with our efforts and how strong we felt!

I am pretty happy with the start to the season, I have never fancied myself a runner...just something I did while swimming...so I am pretty happy with my overall placing..I was 144th out of 21,723...14th women overall (of 12542) and 4th(of 1324)in my age category!  SV was 175 of 21,723...159th male (out of 9169) and he placed 15th out of 824 in his age category!

Training Camp...AZ Style!

I am in love with Tucson...this was our 3rd year heading down to train and it turned out to be a solid 9 days of fun/training.  Our friends Big Tom and Tracy came with us...Tom is going to Worlds this year too and was excited to get some training in...He and SV called us "Team RumRunners".
 I put together our training plan before we headed down...this way there couldn't be any changing the schedule when we were tired/sore (or had drank too much rum).  I am happy to say that we stuck to the plan...there was some grumbling, dragging of feet and "love/hate" relationship moments between the  3 athletes and the coach (including myself,  I found myself wondering what I had been thinking!,lol).
The weather was perfect...slightly warmer than other years and we took advantage of the sunny skies and hot temperatures.  Big Tom, SV and I all had one workout where we suffered but we supported each other through the low points and it ended up being a great team week...got all of us excited to travel together in October when we head to NZ!
This is the fourth time I have headed south in April to train and I love the fitness that I come home with...it  amazes me how strong I feel when I come home from a week of training outdoors...imagine how wonderful it would be to live in a place that training outdoors year round (in a comfortable climate) was a reality...hmmmm...maybe one day!
We racked up just over 22km in the pool, over 700km on the bike and 45km of running...Very happy with the way my body responded to the training camp, felt stronger each day despite the accumulating fatigue and soreness.  Had a couple of PB moments in workouts and other than my "girlie bits" not wanting to be on the bike another day I felt like I could have kept it going.  First race of the season is this Sunday, totally excited to be toeing the start line again and regardless of what the clock reads I am going to celebrate a great few weeks with some Eggs Benedict!!

 SV and I heading out for Ride #1

 Big Tom and Sv 

 SV and I...around mile 15 on Mt. Lemmon

 Big Tom and I after Gates Pass

SV and I getting ready to do speed work!