140.6 miles in one day

The Magical Mystery Tour - IMLP Race Report

2006-09-08T13:45:00.000-05:00

THE MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

IRONMAN LAKE PLACID, JULY 23RD 2006

My Aunt asked me “Why do an Ironman?” and my answer was “Because I can”. It seemed to be the right answer at the time but the more I thought about it, I came to the realization that it was about much more than the ability to do it. My friend and fellow competitor Mike Copeland (also known as CFL BIGWIG) were discussing our feelings of apprehension about the mass swim start when he hit the nail on the head. He said “How often in your everyday life do you get to feel this way?” That combination of anxiousness and excitement, that small bit of fear of the unknown. It’s not every day that we experience these emotions and I think that is why we do this—to remember what it feels like to be alive. My coach told me that I will have high points and low points throughout my Ironman day and I did. I experienced every range of emotion from apprehension, to joy to frustration and back to joy, all in the span of 13 hours. All while pushing my body forward in search of the finish line. It was my own little magical mystery tour and an experience I will never forget.

THE ARRIVAL

We arrived in Lake Placid on Thursday morning at around 11:30 am and the first thing we did was check in to our hotel. Gary had found us this AWESOME place at the Town & Country Motor Inn—they called it “The Apartment”. It was a huge one bedroom apartment with a full kitchen, king size bed, living room & bathroom. It was perfect. We had a barbeque outside and a little deck overlooking the pool. After we unloaded the car we headed down to the Ironman Village to do some shopping. I spent stupid amounts of money on Ironman gear but I figured how often will I get to do one of these? We wandered around for a bit, got some lunch and headed back to our apartment to unpack and get ready for our short afternoon ride.

We spent the next 3 days taking it easy, watching the Tour (yay Floyd?) watching the Weather Network packing our race bags and psyching ourselves up for Sunday morning. Friday night we went to the athlete’s banquet for some free food & inspiration. It was great to socialize with our fellow competitors. Saturday morning we woke to cloudy skies. The forecast called for rain and sure enough at about 11:00 am it started to pour. It rained ALL day. At some points it was coming down in sheets and the temperature dropped a lot. I started to get freaked out. I didn’t bring any really warm race clothes with me and the last thing I wanted was to freeze on the bike. I made some panicked phone calls to Sue (one of my training partners) looking for a vest to wear on the bike. Sue offered up her finishers vest from her recent Ironman in Idaho but I wasn’t about to wear that. Especially since I wasn’t yet a finisher of ANY Ironman. But, it was the thought that counted (thank Sue!). I resigned myself to the fact that I would just have to wear my rain jacket. Deanne and the girls came over around 7:00 pm to help me with my “race hair” and by 8:30 pm I was in bed. I actually managed to sleep well for about 5 ½ hours. I think I woke up at about 2:30 am and tossed and turned for the next hour and 15 minutes until Gary’s alarm went off at 3:45 am. Ugh. I knew all the 4:15 am alarms in training would come in handy at some point!

RACE DAY

We woke to overcast skies and a sprinkling of rain. Apparently it was only supposed to rain in the morning and then it was supposed to partially clear up in the afternoon. I was ok with that. We ate breakfast and scurried down to transition with all of our bags and wetsuits in tow. I had butterflies dancing around in my stomach. I tried to remember to drink. There was so much to do and not much time to do it. I didn’t want to lose Gary at all. I wanted him to be by my side until we got into the water. We had trained for this together and he was such a huge part of my journey that I didn’t want to cross the start line without him. We saw Mike, Pat and Fred, all of them looked psyched and ready to go. We scrambled to get into our wetsuits and took the walk, hand in hand along the astro turf covered pavement to the start line on the beach. We were crammed like sardines on the narrow path to the beach. You could feel the tension in the air, it was almost palpable. It was hard to pick anyone out in the crowd as we were all encased in black rubber but luckily we bumped into our friend Pat just as we were getting to the water. He was very emotional and up to this point, I had been fine. This year had been a tough one for Pat. He had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in December of last year and went through several rounds of treatments to beat his “little bug” (to quote him directly!). All the while, he continued to train. He was given a clean bill of health a couple of weeks before the race and decided to go for it. So for him to be standing there at the start line of this race was a HUGE deal. When Gary and I saw him, we both got very emotional and gave him a big hug. We wished him well and made our way into the water. This day would be special no matter what.

THE SWIM (also known as the Human Mix Master)

Gary and I said our goodbyes and I love you’s 5 minutes before the cannon went off. He is a much faster swimmer than I, so I swam across the shore to the other side of the bay. My plan was to start near the back so I didn’t get pummeled by faster swimmers. It would have been a great idea had I seeded myself with people that actually swam my pace rather than the group I got stuck in. But anyway, I was near the shore, trying to remain calm, when I realized that my goggles were starting to fog up. So, I take them off, put them in the water, wipe them out and put them back on. Within minutes they were fogged up again. 3 minutes left till the start. Crap. No time for me to go and get my other goggles. I put them in the water again and give them another rub and put them back on. Fogged up again. ACK! I can’t see anything. To top it off, it’s already foggy out. Great. This should be fun. 1 minute left. The music is blaring and Mike Reiley is counting down to 7:00 am. BOOOOM! Off goes the cannon and I start jumping up and down yelling “WOOOHOO!” to the sound of U2’s “Beautiful Day” blasting out over the beach. Into the melee I go. Wow. I had to swim with my head up for the first few hundred meters so I could find somewhat of a clear path amidst the 2100 + other swimmers that were in the water with me. The rest of the first loop is pretty blurry. I know I swam way off course (since I couldn’t really sight). I made it to the first buoy without getting too beat up. When I got around the buoy, I got whacked in the head by a passing swimmer. All I could think was “I have to get out into open water”. I desperately wanted to be away from everyone. I couldn’t get a rhythm going. I was getting tossed around by the churning of the water. Had I been able to train in a washing machine, I think I would have been a little better prepared for the jostling I experienced. I eventually got stuck behind a pack of people that I could not get around. I was barely swimming, the sheer force of the water was moving me forward. It was a very strange sensation. I finally made it to shore to start my second loop and who do I see but Rick and Rooster standing in the water cheering me on. Rick snapping away with his camera (no wonder he took 800 pictures!). I waved hello and ran across the beach hoping to get away from the slow pack I was in. I checked my watch just before I got back in the water and it said 39:40 which is slow for me. I had been hoping for about 36 minutes for the first loop. Oh well. I had one loop left and then the worst part of the day was over. I managed to find clear water on the way out to the turnaround buoy so I got a good rhythm going. Again, at the turnaround, I got pummeled. This time I got kicked in the arm. Ouch. I soldiered on and managed to find a spot close to the wire that the buoys are attached to that sits 5 ft under water. It is a straight line right back to the shore. So, I didn’t have to worry about trying to sight. I followed that wire (swam into a buoy while I was at it) all the way back to shore. I got out of the water in 1:19:56. SAD! Oh well. The worst part of my day was over. Now it was time to have some fun. I ran to the first “peeler” I saw and he got me out of my wetsuit in seconds. I thanked him and ran off down the path to transition. I was looking for my parents in the crowd—I hadn’t seen them at all yet. I heard my name and looked up to see Gary’s Mom cheering me on. I waved and headed in to transition.

T1 (Mayhem under the Big Top)

I’ve done triathlons before but not on this level. Since an Ironman is such a long event, most people prefer to be comfortable so you have the opportunity to change into “fresh clothes” for each leg of the race. I run into the change tent with my bike gear only to find complete pandemonium. There isn’t a seat available and the ground is all wet. Normally I’d just dump my bag on the ground and grab what I need. No go here. I finally find a chair (right by the door, how lovely) and I get myself sorted. Took a lot longer than the 7 minutes my coach said it would (I was 15:27 in transition—oops). I finally got out and got my bike. Now to the longest part of my day.

THE BIKE

What can I say about this part of the race other than it’s a long time to be pedaling. The bike course in Lake Placid is beautiful. It’s also quite hilly as it is in the Adirondack Mountains. You have a couple of downhills and then you start climbing. A couple of small descents and then you hit a HUGE downhill (10 km almost straight down). It was just before this downhill that I lost the little netting that goes into my drink bottle to keep the Gatorade from flying out all over the place. Oh ya. How annoyed was I? By the bottom of that 10 km downhill, I was covered in Gatorade. So this was going to be my day. Peachy. But, I was still smiling despite that little mishap. I didn’t really care, I was doing an Ironman! As I was whipping down the hill into the town of Keene, I happened to glance at my heart rate monitor. I was going 70 km/hr down that hill! On two skinny wheels! WOOHOOO! I motored along through the towns of Jay and Upper Jay and finally hit the climb into Wilmington. There was a dude dressed like one of the Harlem Globetrotters running up the hill cheering people on. He was AWESOME! I made it up the climb to Wilmington to the start of the little out and back. Just as I head in to the out and back I see Gary. He was looking good and he cheered me on. A few minutes later I heard someone else scream my name—I had no clue who it was but I figured it had to be Mike. I found out after the race that it was. FINALLY—I had seen some people I knew! I rode to the turnaround at the out and back and when I got there, there was a huge tent set up with MASSIVE speakers blaring AC / DC’s “Thunderstruck”. Gave me a little push to pass a few people. I was feeling great. I was still trying to be a bit conservative as I knew that I had to come back and do all this a second time. I motored along the false flats by the waterfall—they didn’t seem half as bad as the last time I rode along them. Climbed up the 2 Cherries (they have named the hills on this part of the course). Next was the 3 bears. Baby Bear was no problem. Mama Bear wasn’t too hard either. Papa Bear can be a bit of a pain. This time though, it was amazing. Easily the highlight of my bike. It was PACKED with people on either side of the road ringing cowbells, cheering people on. They parted as the riders came up the hill—it was like riding The Alp D’Huez in the Tour de France! There was guy with a megaphone yelling “Allez Allez Allez!” It was crazy. This is where I saw all my friends. I saw Silvia with her mom. Silvia had a walkie talkie with her so I can only assume she was radioing ahead to Rick to let him know I was coming so he could get my picture. I get to the top of Papa Bear and I see some of the girls. Further along the road there is another nasty little climb and this is where I see Rooster and Rick—they are going nuts along with everyone else. I’m grinning from ear to ear at this point. You can’t help but smile. I round the corner onto Mirror Lake Drive and stop to get my special needs bag. It was sandwich time. I stuffed a piece of my peanut butter & nutella sandwich into my mouth and got back on the bike. YUM! I rounded the corner in to town and saw Sue & Mon cheering me on. Finally I was heading out on to my second loop. I had no clue how long that first loop had taken but it was longer than I had thought it would be. Just as I head out on to my second loop I pass Gary’s family. They were all dressed in lime green t-shirts that had our names on it along with something else. I couldn’t read it though. They were all jumping up and down. I yelled WOOOHOO as I passed by them. Again, I was smiling. That smile stayed on my face for quite sometime—all the way in to the town of Keene. It was at this point that I started to feel really crappy. I had a hard time eating or drinking. My stomach was not a happy camper. I didn’t want to have another sip of Gatorade. I managed to eat saltines and drink water. That was all I could handle. I started wishing I was off the bike. I was starting to hit a low point. I thought about what Richard (my coach) had said to me. I had to figure out how I was going to cope with this. A line from a Rush song came in to my head and I repeated it all the way to the climb to Wilmington: “It takes a little more persistence to get up and go the distance”. I forced myself to eat more Powergel and I finally managed to get some Gatorade down by the time I got to the start of the out and back. Just as I rounded the corner to the out and back I saw some more lime green t-shirts and I heard my name being hollered. I look up to see my parents and my sister. FINALLY! I yelled as I passed them waving and smiling. Just what I needed. The smile was back on my face and it never left. I headed out to the turnaround in a fantastic mood. I was chatting with a few other riders, totally in a good mood. I hit the turnaround and they were playing “That’s the Way I Like It” so I gave the crowd a few disco moves (arms only mind you). I got some whistles & cheers for that! Only another 20 miles left. I saw my parents again as I left the out and back. My sister was yelling “You Look HOTTTTT!” which made me laugh out loud. Yeah, I’m sure I did—covered in Gatorade, Powergel and sweat. SMOKIN’! I continued along past the Waterfall and the Gorge, up the Cherries (which hurt a lot more on the second loop) back up to the Bears, which just about killed me. Most of the crowd from the first loop had moved on but there were still some people there cheering us slower folks on. My friends Kim & Deanne were still there and offered me some support. Less than 5 km left till I got off my bike. THANK GOD! I rode along Mirror Lake Drive around the “hot corner” and down the hill into transition. Got off my bike and happily passed it off to the smiling volunteer that greeted me. Off to get ready for the run. (Final bike time was 6 hours 58 minutes)

T2 – A Welcome Break

I ran into T2 with my bag of running stuff. It wasn’t remotely as crowded as before (which means I was ridiculously slow on the bike). I got the same seat as last time and peeled off my cycling gear. Nasty. I quickly donned my running gear and looked around for my gel flask. It was nowhere to be found. Oops. Luckily I had opted to keep one in my bike jersey pocket from the bike so I had some gel left. I found a volunteer to spray me down with sunscreen and off I went.

THE RUN – 26.2 mile Shufflefest.

It was now quite nice out—not too warm but sunny at least. I ran out of transition on relatively fresh legs, which was great. I took off down Main Street, past the screaming crowd, saw my friends and family—high fived them as I went by cheering and grinning from ear to ear. This was the last leg of my journey and the one I was most comfortable with. I had run marathons before so I new what to expect—sort of. It’s one thing to run a marathon, it’s another thing altogether to run a marathon after riding your bike for 180 km. I have to say, I felt pretty good. I ran downhill out of town, past the horse stables, down another large hill. By the time I got to the bottom of that hill, I had a really bad stitch. Time to start walking. I walked through the first aid station, drank some water, took a couple of electrolyte pills and continued walking. I saw the race photographer so I smiled and gave him a little pose. After that I started to feel better so I started running. I saw my hubby—he waved and asked how I was doing—I was still smiling so I wasn’t doing too badly! I saw Mike & Pat, they both looked strong. I saw Fred, he was looking good too. I ran all the way out to the turnaround. Only 20 miles left. I ran almost all the way back to the big hill but I stopped and walked for a bit. I would go through periods where I felt great and could run no problem and then all of a sudden I would feel completely spent. It was at those points that I ate something. That usually made me feel a bit better. I ran along back into down to the cheers of people I didn’t know, up the “Degree of Difficultly Hill” (it’s a nasty steep little hill that heads into town). I saw all my insane friends cheering me on. I smiled all the way up that hill even though it HURT. My heart rate was through the roof but I didn’t care. I was having fun. I ran past the crowds, past the Olympic Speedskating oval (I could hear the crowds as the finish line—oh so cruel!!) and out to the next turnaround. As I got to the turnaround there was a house with tent set up and a kid playing “Ironman” on his guitar. He couldn’t have been more than 12 years old but he was pretty good!! That made me smile even more. I walked around the turnaround as I was at another low point—I had just popped an advil in the hopes it would take away the massive full body ache that I was experiencing. I knew the marathon would hurt but this was an entirely new sensation. My legs actually felt ok (I think they were just numb) but the rest of my body HURT. My feet hurt, my shoulders hurt and I was just tired. I had been moving forward since 7:00 am that morning. I had no idea what time it was or how long I’d been out there for (for some stupid reason I re-set my watch for the run) all I knew was that I wanted to stop. But I couldn’t. I still had 20 km to go. 20 km. My coach told me to think of the marathon as 26 mile repeats. One mile at a time. I got to the aid station just out of town and grabbed a Gatorade. I stopped my brave shuffle here and started walking. I walked for a while. I chatted with a fellow competitor for a while. He was hurting too. I think I walked for about 2.5 miles. I started to run when I got back to the horse stables. I ran down the big hill and along the road to the turnaround. I saw Gary going in to town. He looked great. I saw Pat as well and he looked awesome. I kept eating gel and drinking at the aid stations. I saw Mike—he was hurting. I had to yell loud for him to hear me. I was on a good wave at this point so I was cruising along at a decent pace. I passed a bunch of people having beer—“Where’s mine?!?” I yelled. They all laughed. God, did that ever look good. I’m sure I would have passed right out had I even had a sip. But the thought was enough to keep me going. I was getting close to the turnaround. I saw my friend Fred up ahead. He was now having a tough day. I ran past him and asked if he was ok. He said he was fine but he stopped sweating (that didn’t sound fine to me!!) so he was trying to take in as much liquid as possible. Then, there it was, the Turnaround. I ran around it, grinning. 10 km left!!! WOOHOO! I was starting to get excited. I had no doubt that I would finish, it was just a matter of when. I passed a few more people. I felt great. Then, about 15 minutes later, I felt like crap. I got to an aid station and they were giving out chicken broth. I remember Rooster saying that was the best thing he had on race day so I took a cup and gulped it down. AHHHHH….who needs beer when you have chicken broth!!! It was liquid gold. I chased it with a bit of water and kept going. I had some more at the next aid station followed by some water. A few minutes later that feeling of fatigue hit me again. I started walking. I walked to the next aid station. I had some watermelon and a piece of banana and some more Gatorade. That seemed to help as I started running again. I was on a good wave again and there was only about 6 km left to go!!! I ran up the hill to the horse stables and who do I see but Deanne with her camera in hand. She takes a shot of me as I run by and offers to take a shot of my butt—I yell out “Sure, you might as well cause it ain’t gonna look like this forever—I can guarantee you it’ll be a lot bigger by the end of the year!” That put a smile on a few people’s faces. I was chuckling about that for a while. I hit another aid station and decided I needed some sugar. Time for some flat coke. I drank almost the whole cup as I walked through the aid station. SO GOOD. I started running again, I was getting closer to town. The sun was starting to set. I figured it was getting close to 8:00 pm. I was almost home.

I ran up the Degree of Difficulty Hill again to HUGE crowds of people. This time it REALLY hurt. I was smiling despite the pain. I was almost finished my Ironman journey. Only a couple more miles left. I heard my name and I looked up to see Gary and my friend Kim cheering me on. Gary had his finishers medal around his neck. I was surprised to see him out here—I figured he’d be at the finish line—I was so happy to see him. Kim was yelling “you’re looking GREAT—you’re going to be an Ironman!” Yup, just a couple more miles and I could sit down! I was on a high at this point. I ran along up the hill and on to Mirror Lake Drive. The course is a bit cruel in that you have to run out a mile past the turn off to the finish, turn around and run back before you can enter the Olympic Oval. I didn’t care. Mirror Lake Drive was PACKED with people. Their energy propelled me forward. That and the overwhelming desire to sit down. I got to the turnaround and thought about crossing that finish line. I had to remember to remove my sunglasses! I ran down Mirror Lake Drive to the entrance of the Olympic Oval—took off my sunglasses just as I heard my name—I couldn’t see who it was but I waved—turned out it was my Dad. I heard my name again and looked up to see Sue who yelled “You’re going to be an Ironman!” just as I turned on to the Olympic Oval. I then heard my name again and saw Mike in transition cheering me on. I saw my Mom jumping up and down and waving so I waved back. As I ran along I heard them playing “Bittersweet Symphony” and the tears started to well up in my eyes. After 10 long months, I was finally at the end of my journey—The Magical Myster Tour that is Ironman. I figured I would bawl all the way to the finish line but then a little boy, about 4 years old, stuck his hand out for a high five just as I rounded the top of the Oval and at that moment, the tears stopped and a HUGE smile spread across my face. I gave him his high five and turned the corner to the last 100 meters of my Ironman road. I heard Mike Reilley yelling my name—“here comes Phaedra Kennedy a 35 year old Producer from Toronto, Ontario in her FIRST IRONMAN!” People were cheering, I high fived another kid, grinning the entire way. As I headed towards the tape I heard “Phaedra YOU ARE AN IRONMAN”. I had waited 10 long months to hear those words. I crossed the finish line to see my smiling husband holding my Finishers medal. He placed it around my neck with tears in his eyes and said “I’m SO proud of you” and gave me a hug. Of all the things I felt, saw & experienced--THAT was the best part of my day. What a journey. It took me 13 hours, 15 minutes and 37 seconds but I was officially an Ironman.

THANK YOU’S & POST SCRIPT.

There are SO many people that were part of my journey and so many people that supported me in my quest as well. Thanks to my family for being so supportive and understanding and for coming down to Lake Placid to witness the insanity. It meant A LOT to me. Thanks to Gary’s family & mine for making those FANTASTIC “TEAM KENNEDY” t-shirts. They were great. Nice and visible! Thanks to my coach, Richard Pady, for putting together a “sane” and totally doable Ironman training program and for talking me through all the stupid things I worried about! Thanks to “Les Tri Filles”—you AWESOME bunch of ladies who have graced me with your friendship and who ALL made the trip down to watch. Thanks to my training partners: Pat for providing perspective (you AMAZE me) Mike for making me laugh and keeping things fun, Fred for providing all of us with the most entertaining Ironman training memory (I don’t want my bagel TOASTED) Rick and Sue for inspiring me to join in the “Tri for a Cure” and for being such awesome thoughtful people and Gary, well, what can I say except that this is all your fault and I love you for it. You were my voice of reason when I was doubting myself, my sounding board when I was losing my mind and my pillar of strength when I felt like I couldn’t go on. Words cannot express how much that means to me.

Also, a big shout out to the coolest bosses in the world, George & Sandi. You guys supported me 110% and I really appreciate it. And to all the awesome people I work with at Westside as well for their words of encouragement—it meant a lot.

Thanks to everyone who supported me in my quest to raise $7500 for the Canadian Breast Cancer foundation. To date I have raised just over $5,000! You have until August 31st to make a donation if you haven’t had a chance to do so yet.

One final note—if anyone out there knows the guys from Rush, thank them for making some of the most inspirational music to train to. Their tunes got me through many a tough workout.

Many people have asked me, “Would you do it again?” and my response has been “Hell yeah!.” Maybe not next year but I think I have a few more Ironman’s left in me yet.

Until next time….

Phaedra “Ironman” Kennedy

13:15:37

2006-07-26T16:19:00.000-05:00

I am an IRONMAN. What a day it was. Didn't meet my goal time but I didn't care. It was a truly magical and insipring event. To think that I pushed my body forward for 13 + hours over 140.6 miles in one day is something. To know that I smiled almost the ENTIRE time is amazing. I had a GREAT time. My family and friends were there cheering me on--what more could I possibly ask for. It truly was a Beautiful Day. I will write a race report soon, I am just in the process of collecting my thoughts / memories from the day.

To all of you that followed along with me--thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings.....and to those of you that supported my cause--I thank you from the bottom of my heart. No idea as to totals yet but I will keep you posted.

Swim Bike & Run on.....

Phaedra "Ironwoman" Kennedy

xo

Away I go

2006-07-18T17:04:00.000-05:00

It's my last day at work before the race. I can't even begin to describe the excitement I'm feeling. It doesn't seem real! I think it will all hit me like a ton of bricks the minute I see the big transition area in the Olympic oval. I'm so ready for this. I've done all I can, worked my butt off (literally, it's shrunk A LOT) so all I can do race day is give it my best. My family and friends are going to be there and my hubby will be on the course as well so what more can I ask for?

Swim Bike and Run on.......

9 days

2006-07-14T07:48:00.000-05:00

9 Days left until I am an Ironman. After 10 long months of training I will get to see that finish line. Gary sent me something yesterday that really hit home. It was a race report he read on xtri.com and this paragraph was in it:

There is a feeling. Ironman takes so much preparation. Months of building distance. Months of following that cursed little black line. Months of injury and recovery. Months of alternately dreading and yearning for race day. Weeks of taper. Days of rising anticipation. Days of organizing. Hours of waiting. Hours of swimming. Hours of biking. Hours of running. The finish line comes and goes in a blink, but there is a feeling. All that pressure. All that effort. All that uncertainty. Then there is an instant. The release of it all in that instant is almost unbearable. The afterglow goes on and on and on.

Right now I can only imagine what that feeling is like. I want to know, I want to experience that feeling. That is why we do this. To feel alive.

Speaking of which, our friend Patrick, the fellow that was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in December of last year will be doing Lake Placid with us. His doctor / oncologist have given him the green light. His treatments were successful, he is almost back to normal. For him, I think this race will be the icing on the cake. It is a testimony to his emotional strength and positive attitude. I marvel at what he has been through and what he has accomplished. All through his treatment, he kept training. I was amazed. I am still in awe. I think had it been me, I probably would have had a complete meltdown and worried myself to an early grave. I'm happy he & his girlfriend Monique will be there. I'm sure there will be much to celebrate after the race! It will be nice to see one more familiar face out on the course (even if it's his back, which it will be cause he's so bloody fast).

I can finally say I'm looking forward to the race. The anxiety has gone--I'm just tired of waiting. I want to git out there and git 'er done.

Hopefully I'll have time for one last post before I go.......

Cheerio all!

8)

The Enemy Within / Reality Check

2006-07-04T07:55:00.000-05:00

"Things crawl in the darkness
That imagination spins
Needles at your nerve ends
Crawl like spiders on your skin
Pounding in your temples
And a surge of adrenaline
Every muscle tense to fence the enemy within
I'm not giving in to security under pressure
I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure
I'm not giving up on implausible dreams
Experience to extremes
Experience to extremes...

And you...revolution or just resistance?
Is it living, or just existence?
Yeah, you! It takes a little more persistence
To get up and go the distance..."

Rush, The Enemy Within

I discovered this song on my final day in Lake Placid on my last long run of my training. How appropriate. I have been filled with fear & self doubt over the course of my training and this past weekend I think I can honestly say I've put those doubts and fears to rest.

We arrived in LP at noon on Friday to sunny skies. By about 3:00 pm it had started raining. I rained for a bit, got sunny, rained again, got sunny, rained again--welcome to LP. so we decided not to swim. All of us hung out in the room watched the World Cup and got ourselves ready for the Epic Ride that was scheduled for Saturday. Saturday morning we woke up to clear sunny skies. An hour and a half later, it was cloudy and raining. ARG. Not another crappy day for riding! At least this time it was warm out. We drove down to Mirror Lake, parked our cars and headed out. Half an hour into the ride, the rain stopped. WOOHOO!. It was stll cloudy though which was ok. Cloudy and muggy. By the time I got to Keene the wind had picked up and was blowing me around all over the place on the down hill. It didn't help that I still had my jacket on (d'uh). By this time the boys were long gone and I was by myself. I stopped at the bottom of Keene & took off my jacket. There were tons of people on the course--a bunch of the Tri Rudy gang from Ottawa--they were really friendly. So I was never totally alone--at least not on the first loop. I was motoring along to Jay / Upper Jay (avg speed was about 34 km/hr) and then hit I the Wilmington climb. ugh. The wind had really picked up and was blowing hard from on my left, which meant it was going to be in my face on the way back in to LP. Lovely. I rode the out and back--saw the boys--shockingly I wasn't too far behind them. As soon as I turned on the the highway back to LP, I was hit in the face with a huge gust of wind. I was going downhill but I wasn't accelerating!! That's how bad it was. I got in my aerobars and tried to grind my way past the waterfall doing 12 km/hr. Great. The second loop was going to be really hard. I got thrown around by the rock wall by the wind--it was scary. Just before I got to the Cherries, the wind calmed down a bit due to the trees. That part of the ride was relatively sheltered until I hit the Bears and the wind came again, full force in my face. Climbed up the Bears, legs like jello and seriously contemplated putting a 27 on my bike for the race (I'm going to try to get to Wheels this week!). Rode around Mirror Lake drive and back to the car to re-fuel. I noticed that I hadn't drank half as much as I should have (tsk tsk) and it was hot out. My nutrition however, was spot on. I switched to gel and the occassional bit of solid food (clif cars, saltines & a peanut butter & nutella sandwich). Much better. No stomach issues what so ever. Went out for the second lap. It was windier and hotter. But, suprisingly, I was only about 5 minutes slower on the second loop! I was shocked! I thought for sure I would have been a lot slower. So, at least I am consistent. 7 hours and 1 minute after I started, I got off the bike. Threw it in the car, donned my running shoes and visor and went out for the best 45 minute run I"ve had over this training period! I turned over 5:15 km's and my legs felt GREAT. How is that possible after 7 hours of hell. I don't care, I just hope it happens again on race day!!!!!

Sunday for whatever reason, Richard decide to try to kill us and gave us a 2.5 hour ride and a 2 loop swim. It was another really windy day. Worse than the day before! So, I wussed out and rode the run course (flatter and more sheltered). It was nice. I did 3 loops and rode back to the hotel--which meant I had to climb the massive hill that leads you in to town. ARG. That was a sufferfest. I think I was going about 7 km/hr. with the wind in my face the entire time. Later that afternoon, we all wandered down to the lake to do our swim. I was a little apprehensive--not as bad as I thought I was going to be. I kept telling myself I know how to swim so I will be fine. I was the first person it the water. Deanne & Silvia had rented kayaks and were in the water with us so that was nice. The water was really choppy. I didn't notice it at first, but the farther out you got, the choppier it got. I had a few freak outs as I was getting tossed around and disoriented. I got to the turn around and had to hold on to Silvia's kayak to catch my breath. Gary caught up to me (I started way before him) and swam with me for a bit. The way back was faster as the wind was at our backs (yay!) I passed Mike & Fred (Fred ended up drafting off me) and got back in to the dock in 37:25. That was with 2 panic stops on the way out! the second loop was even choppier and the wind changed direction so the final 1km I kept getting pummelled by waves. My shoulders were exhausted but I kept going. I got back to the dock in 1:18. I was 4 minutes slower on the second lap! But, considering the conditions, I can't complain. I did it and that's all that matters. If it's like that on race day, I'll be ready.

Monday, I had my last long run. My legs were EXHAUSTED. But, I went out and plodded away--it took me a little while to get warmed up but once I did, I held my pace. I had a great run. I felt strong even though my legs were tired. I ran the ski jump hill twice because I'd have to do that on race day. Ran the hill in town twice. Didn't drink as much as I should have, had to stop for water but I still felt great. Had some good tunes on the ipod and kept visualizing what it would be like race day. When I finished, I couldn't help but smile. I was ready. I had conquered my fears, done the distance.....3 weeks to go and I was ready.

BRING IT ON!

Meltdown #2

2006-06-26T08:40:00.000-05:00

We went up to a friends cottage in Haliburton this weekend for another training weekend away. Friday night I went to La Bicicletta to have Heath look at my bike fit. He said my bike fits me well but there were a few minor things he wanted to fix. First, my seat had to be lowered (which is what I thought). Second, my aerobars had to be raised and the arm pads moved towards me a bit more and my seat had to be moved forward on the rails a bit more (which I also thought). Those few adjustments made a world of difference. I got on the bike on Saturday and was having the best ride ever until about 3 hours in when I started to feel not so great. My stomach was a little unsettled. I started drinking water. I met up with Gary and he said he had had to water down the Gatorade I mixed. I thought it tasted a little strong but didn't think twice about it. So I started to water it down as well. I was doing well nutrition wise--at least I thought I was. By 4.5 hours in to the ride I was a complete mess. My stomach was totally crampy and upset. I was really gassy, so much so that I thought if I didn't find a bathroom things could get really messy. My speed slowed immensely. I had trouble climbing hills, I had no gas what-so-ever. It was like a parachute went right out the back as soon as I hit any sort of incline. So, I need to figure out my nutrition and hopefully that will solve any problems I have on the bike.

30 Days....

2006-06-23T11:15:00.000-05:00

from now, I had better be done 1 loop of the Ironman bike course! Yup, 30 days till race day. I can't believe it's almost here. In some ways I feel like I'm ready and in others I don't. I think the big thing is putting all the pieces together. I haven't done any swim to bike workouts and I'd like to give that a whirl so I know what it's like to race in wet shorts (silly I know but over 180 km you can run into some serious issues if something is rubbing the wrong way!). I've done lots of bike to run workouts with the last few I've done being pretty bad because of the heat. I'll give it another go this weekend and hopefully I'll be ok. I don't really want to have to walk the marathon because I've overheated. But if I have to so be it--as long as I finish. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I get butterflies just thinking about the race.

On another note, the fundraising is going well--not as well as I had anticipated but not too badly. I've reached just over $3500 so far. Another $4000 and I'm at my goal. Yikes. I think I'm going to have to harass a lot more people to reach that! Oh well, I'll just keep plugging away and see where I end up......

10 Things I Learned While Training this Weekend

2006-06-19T08:02:00.000-05:00

10. I need to eat more on the bike, especially when it's hot.

9. Gu & Powergel don't mix

8. My ipod needs a new battery

7. Mississauga & Etobicoke don't seem to believe that water fountains are necessary in public parks

6. Woodpeckers can peck bugs out of the ground too!

5. There are deer living in Marie Curtis Park.

4. Sun can turn your skin a lovely shade of purpely red

3. Hot Gatorade does not sit well in my stomach.

2. Running for an hour at 3:00 pm on the hottest day of the year so far will lead to a meltdown.

1. Sunblock needs to be re-applied on a regular basis over a 5 hour ride.

Lake Placid Training Camp

2006-06-07T07:53:00.000-05:00

So the hubby and I went to Lake Placid last weekend to participate in a training camp with our coach. We left Thursday morning at 6:30 and got in to LP at around 12:30 pm to overcast skies. It rained all the way there. That didn't bode well for our weekend to say the least. We bummed around on Thursday--did a bit of shopping and hung out. Friday morning we met up with the group for a stretching session, followed by a 1 hour ride on the Ironman run course. It was sunny and warm--we couldn't have asked for a nicer day. After our ride we went out for a half hour run near the hotel. We had a 4 hour break and then had to meet down at the Ironman swim start for a group swim session. By the time we got down there clouds had rolled in. Oh joy. It didn't rain though. Thank GOD. It was bad enough I had to face my fear--rain would have made it worse I think. I got in the water and it was actually quite nice--we didn't need our little neoprene bonnets. One of the coaches was a swim coach so he made us do a 300 m warm up and then we had to do a bunch of drills. We practiced starting in a group so people could get used to having others around them. Of course, I hung out at the back, which is exactly what I'll do on race day as well. We then had to swim one loop of the course. I started out with a few people, and promptly passed them. I was swimming on my own for a while, thinking positive thoughts and counting strokes between buoys to pass the time. I came up on another pair of feet and passed them. I felt like I was swimming really well--I was moving through the water easily; "like a knife through buttah" is what I kept repeating to myself as I went along. There was one instance where I could feel the panic start to well up inside me and I fought it back. I made it around the first loop in 37:46. I thought I'd be a little bit faster but still not bad for the first open water swim. We scurried back to the hotel to change and go for dinner. I had a glass of wine with dinner and then we went to Ben & Jerry's for ice cream afterwards--I had a waffle cone with chocolate and sprinkles on it. BIG MISTAKE. I had a HORRIBLE sleep that night. I woke up Saturday morning feeling very tired. I looked out the window and saw overcast skies and rain. Lots of it. And wind. Oh great. I was supposed to ride 180 km (both loops of the Ironman course). Oh well, guess it's going to be a wet ride. 8:10 am and I was off with group 2. Wet was an understatment. It was HORRIBLE. The WORST conditions I've ridden in so far. The rain was beating on my face and at some points it was streaming behind my glasses so I couldn't see (that would mostly happen on the descents of course). I did one full loop of the course and had a complete emotional meltdown. My legs were sore and tired and I was cold and wet. I got to the aid station and I told this girl Tracy that was there that I couldn't go on. I turned around and rode back to the hotel, crying all the way. It had taken me 4 hours to ride 98km. I couldn't face another 4 hours on the course. There was no way. I mentally couldn't fathom that. I got back to the hotel, got in the shower and cried some more. I was upset with myself for not having the mental fortitude to soldier on. What if it's like this on race day? I can't quit then. I found out later on that a lot of other people bailed that afternoon. Gary was a trooper though--he went out and did both loops--it took him 7 hours. And then he went for a run afterwards! Put me to shame. Apparently the weather got even worse on the second loop. A couple of the guys said the winds were so bad on the descents that they were scared! And the temperature dropped. So, in retrospect, I"m really glad I went back when I did. I did what I could on that day. I'm going back on the July long weekend so I'll do the 2 loops then. No excuses. I didn't take any pics unfortunately but I think Richard took a group photo the morning of our long run so if I can get my hands on it, I'll post it here.

Crunch Time!

2006-05-26T11:41:00.000-05:00

I'm now officially just weeks away from the BIG DAY. 57 to be exact. And I'm sick. Yup, I have a NASTY cold. Actually probably more like the flu. And I'm sure it's from the RIDICULOUS weather we had this past weekend. A bunch of us went up North to Cabana Cadman and took part in a 6 hour sufferfest on the bike (good thing I had some of my winter gear!!) on the Saturday and then a 2 hour run in the snow--yes, I said SNOW--on Sunday. The weekend was fun even though it was freezing. I actually had a decent ride and a decent run. Probably a good thing since I haven't done anything since Monday and I know these next few workouts are going to suck as I'm coming off a cold. Gary is sick as well. Cooties galore in the Kennedy household! I have a 6 hour ride scheduled for tomorrow and a 2:15 run on Sunday. It's supposed to be sunny and HOT tomorrow and Sunday (FINALLY!!) so I"m looking forward to the ride. I don't know if I'll go the full 6 hours--I'll have to see how I feel. I don't want to push myself if I'm not feeling 100%. We're going to be in Lake Placid next weekend for a training camp and I want to be 100% for that.

The Bike Dilemna

2006-05-16T08:11:00.000-05:00

So I took my trusty Cannondale out this weekend for it's first long ride of the season and well, it sucked. Actually, the bike didn't suck, I sucked on the bike. The position is way more aggressive than I'm used to and it seems that all the power I had in my legs has vanished. It doesn't climb half as well as the Cervelo either. So, I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the race. I'm going to ride my Cannondale again this weekend adn then I think I"m going to stick aero bars on my Cervelo and see what that feels like. Obviously I will get myself fit on it properly before I take it out on a long ride. God, the amount of money I have spent in the last 2 months on bike fit, clif bars, ART, massage. yikes! At least there is only another 2.5 months left. *whew*.

So Many Things To Do...

2006-05-11T07:37:00.000-05:00

and so little time to do them. Despite the fact that this is an easy week, I still seem to be pressed for time! Doesn't help that work is busy either. I have been meaning to call and make a massage appointment for next Wednesday. Haven't done that yet. I desperately need a hair cut, the fro is getting a little out of control--not sure when I'll be able to do that. I thought we'd have time this weekend, but Saturday night we're going to a 40th birthday party and Sunday, Gary is racing and then we're going to my folks place for Mother's Day. We only have a 3 hour ride this weekend but by the time we get out to Milton, ride, pack up and get back home it will probably be about 1:00 pm. I have been wanting to try making this pulled pork recipe that I have in this awesome BBQ book (Taming the Flame by Elizabeth Karmel--HIGHLY recommend it!) but it takes 5 hours to cook! I think I might give it a go on Saturday afternoon when we get back from the ride. I just have to make sure I have everything ready and hope to GOD that the propane doesn't run out on the BBQ! I hope it will be done before we leave for the birthday party!!
I had also wanted to do a little work in the garden this weekend as well--but it may be raining so that nixes that. The rhubarb has grown like crazy. It's sprouting leaves EVERYWHERE! And the stalks are REALLY thick. I'll have to pick some before the long weekend so I can give it to Teresa. I think I'm going to make that rhubarb compote I made last year---SOOOOO Good! not sure when I'll do that but I will do it!!

Ride From Hell

2006-05-08T07:31:00.000-05:00

Once again, Mother Nature decided to test me this weekend. On Saturday I had a 5.5 hr ride followed by a 30 minute run. 6 hours of exercise. Good lord. Anyway, the forecast said it was supposed to be 12 and sunny. Ok, perfect. Saturday morning we get up and it's 6, overcast and rainy. Oh joy. We get out to where we're riding from (north of the city) and it's even colder. And the wind, ah, the wind. It was apparently 28km/hr out of the NW. Yeah, more like 35 + km/hr. And we rode into it for the first half of the ride. To give you an idea as to how bad it was, it took Sue & I 2 hours and 45 minutes to cover 61 km. Whereas on a "normal" day we'd probably do that in just over 2 hours. There were points where I was almost stopped the wind was so bad. But, I am trying to keep a positive frame of mind here--that ride, even though it killed me--totally made me stronger. The sun eventually came out towards the end of the ride so that helped my spirits. But Saturday was a tough day. The chicken parmigiana sandwich that I had at the little Italian cafe was a little (ok HUGE) slice of heaven.

Sunday wasn't too much better since my legs were punched from the ride the day before. I had a 2 hour and 15 minute run which was a bit of a suffer fest. But I did it. I was VERY glad to see home that's for sure. Now, we're on an easy week (WOOOOOHOO!) which means I get to sleep in a couple of extra days this week. (YAY!) Now if only my allergies would let up, I'd be laughing....

Waking up and smelling the coffee

2006-05-02T07:38:00.000-05:00

When I started training for this, I had set myself a time goal--a somewhat challenging one, but one that I thought I was capable of. Now, 3 months out from the race, I am re-thinking that goal. I think it might have been a bit ambitious for a first Ironman. I don't doubt my athletic abilities but I don't want to have that goal hanging over my head and potentially ruining my first Ironman experience. My entire family is going to be there watching, so is Gary's family and so are our friends. I want to enjoy my day and enjoy the experience. That doesn't mean that I'm not going to push myself out on the course. Au contraire mes amis, I will, you can be sure of that. If I make my goal, then great, that will be the icing on the cake. But first and foremost, I want to get to the finish line, regardless of time and satisfied that I gave it my best.

The Exhaustion Continues

2006-05-01T08:05:00.000-05:00

Once again, I feel like I haven't had enough sleep. Yet I went to bed at 8:45 pm last night (SAD!!!) and got up at 6:00 am. Perhaps I got too much sleep (personally I don't think there is such a thing but apparently one can over sleep). My allergies have been particularly bad this year as well so I wake up during the night sneezing which doesn't help.
We have one more week of hard workouts (I think this week is close to 16 hours) and then we have an easy week. THANK GOD! This past weekend was insane. We had a 5 hour 15 min bike scheduled but had to cut it short so I could get out to Leslie and York Mills to get re-fit on my tri bike. I rode 4 hours and 35 minutes. It was really really windy and I was totally punched by the time I got back to the car. We missed our swim on Tuesday morning so we did it yesterday. I got to the gym for 8:00 am, was in the pool 5 minutes later, swam my 3000 meters, got out, showered, threw on my running stuff and did a 2 hour run home. My legs felt like they were encased in cement they were so heavy. Tonight I have a physio appointment and we have to grocery shop. arg. Tuesday morning we're back at it again at 4:30 am. And, I have to get my tri bike in somewhere this week to get the headset tightened because they forgot to do that on Saturday. I am counting down the days till the insanity stops!!!!

Teetering on the Edge

2006-04-28T08:48:00.000-05:00

I am so tired today. I have been for the last 3 days. It's like everything I've done over the last month is finally catching up with me. I have a feeling that this is going to become a regular thing in the coming months. My workout load this week is 14:45 (almost 15 hours). I bailed on a bike ride last night as I was so tired. I couldn't face getting on my bike and physically exerting myself--I had intervals to do to top it off so it would have been a really hard workout. I was so tired I was tripping over my own feet. I feel like that this morning too. I can't wait to get home to go to sleep. I know I could easily put my head down on my desk and fall asleep no problem. Probably not a good idea. Very tempting, but probably not wise. At least I only have less than 3 months of this left. That's a good thing and a bad thing I suppose. The good thing is that after July 23rd, I can finally sleep in. The bad (or scary) thing is that in between me and those sleep - ins is an Ironman. But, I think I am starting to get my head around it. We're going down to LP in 4 weeks for a training camp with our coach so by that point, I hope to have a good handle on the race--especially the swim. That is my biggest fear. But I think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. As usual.

April Showers Bring on A Meltdown

2006-04-24T07:48:00.001-05:00

I thought we were going to get lucky this April and maybe have rain during the week and relatively nice weekends. But noooooooooooooo, we had a great week but as soon as Saturday hit--RAIN. Not a downpour (which probably would have been worse) but a steady shower. Made for a VERY unpleasant 5 hour ride on Saturday. Well, I *should* have ridden 5 hours but by the time I was on my 4th loop and I got close to the car, I was done. I couldn't feel my fingers or my toes. My extremities were soaked & cold. I was uncomfortable & dehydrated--riding in the rain makes it very hard for me to stay hydrated for some reason--I think it might have had something to do with the rain pouring down my face, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I managed to ride 4 hours and 7 minutes before I completely lost it. I was shaking like crazy when I got back to the car. I had to get in the car and turn the heat on full blast and put my hands on the vents for about 10 minutes before I got any feeling back into my fingers. I realized afterwards that I had another pair of gloves in the car that I could have changed into. But at that point, I had enough. Sunday was no better but at least my run was short (1 hour and 20 minutes) so I wasn't too soaked by the time I got home. It didn't really start to rain hard until after I got back (yay!). It looks like this weekend will be much of the same. I have a 5 hour and 15 minute ride followed by a 30 minute run. I think I have to work on some kind of plastic bag bootie cover so my feet don't feel like I've gone for a walk in the lake with my shoes on. I also have to work on my hydration. What a disaster that was. I had more than enough to drink with me, I just didn't drink it. Too busy focusing on how crappy the ride was I guess. Oh well, at least I know I"ll be able to practice that again this weekend if the weather holds up!!

Tri For A Cure Donation Form

2006-04-21T08:06:00.000-05:00

I think I have finally figured out how to post this form here. If you would like to make a donation, you should be able to drag a copy of this form on to your desk top. Print it out and either mail or fax it in to the attention of Mark Brogno. If you can't drag it on to your desktop, please email me at phaedra03@mac.com.

Thanks!

Just breathe.....

2006-04-20T09:12:00.000-05:00

Ok, for "kicks" I decided to take a gander at the Ironman USA website to look at the "Race Countdown" clock. Why I do this to myself I don't know. It said 93 days! 93 DAYS?!?!?! That's just over 3 months. It only seems like yesterday where there was 199 days left!!! ACK! I have that sinking / scary feeling in the pit of my stomach right now. I think the thing I am most concerned about is the swim. Actually I KNOW it is. I'm sure I'll start to feel better about that once I actually get out in to open water (which I will be doing at the beginning of June...bbrrrrrrrr!!!). At least that's what I keep telling myself.

Redefining the Wedgie: A South Carolina Summary

2006-04-18T08:03:00.000-05:00

HI Y'all...
The grind has officially begun again. No more sleeping in. I was up at 4:30 am this morning after having a week "off" (well at least a week of not having to get up so bloody early). South Carolina was a BLAST. What a GREAT bunch of people to hang out with for a week. And the scenery! WOW! We were in the north west corner of the state, bordering on North Carolina. Nothing but mountains surrounding us. It was awesome. As for the riding it was nothing short of spectacular. It was challenging but well worth it. I rode for 5 days and covered almost 400 km (gives new meaning to the word "wedgie" let me tell you). I had expected to cover a bit more but when you're riding up mountains, you can't exactly move quickly (that and I took a day off). For example, we were out for almost 5 hours on our first day of riding and we covered 120 km. That's going just under 24 km/hr. That's not *that* fast in the grand scheme of things. But, considering we were climbing a lot of the time, that's pretty good. We climbed up the Blue Ridge Parkway--that was the epic climb of the week. At some points I was going 9km/hr. At those points my HR was also at about 190. It was about 18 miles (29km) from the start of the climb to the top of the Blue Ridge. And to say that we started climbing right away is misleading. It was a lot of rolling hills and gradual inclines for the first 2/3 of the climb. The last 1/3 was the tough part. I think I averaged 13 km/hr over the last 7 km uphill. It was tough. What made it even harder was the fact that you couldn't see the end of the road as you were riding up switch backs all the way up the mountain. That was a little disconcerting. It really made me mentally have to tough things out and stay positive and focused. The worst parts for me were the desecents! I was PETRIFIED! I am ok on a straight downhill but throw in some slingshot like switch backs and I ride the brakes till my knuckles turn white and my hands cramp. My back wheel is COVERED in brake dust. But, I know I've become a stronger rider because of it. Lake Placid is going to seem *that* much easier now. And at least I don't have to deal with any switch backs on that course. Only a 10 km straight down hill. I shouldn't have a problem with that after last week!

I have posted some pics from the trip. I will probably post some more as I get them from the rest of the gang. That's Fred chillin' out in the Pimp Wagon. There's Gary and I with some serious helmet head at the top of Ceasar's Head. There is a shot of Gary and I after our first day of riding. There is a shot of half of the Gang (the other half had gone back to the cabins"). There is a shot of the view from Ceasar's Head and a shot of the cabin that was "home sweet home" for the week.

one more day

2006-04-06T12:47:00.000-05:00

until we leave for SC! WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO! I am only at work for a half day tomorrow (technically--we'll see what happens. Something ALWAYS seems to come up when I try to leave early) and then I have to do a 2 hour run so I'll run around the park for a bit and then run home. We're going to leave tomorrow afternoon after my run. We''ll probably drive for 3-4 hours and then find a hotel and stay the night then get up early on Saturday and drive the rest of the way.

Did I mention that I CAN'T WAIT?!?!? I don't know what I'm more excited about--the actual trip or being able to sleep in for a week! Sad, especially since all I'm going to be doing next week is riding my bike for hours on end. And I'm excited about that. Riiiighhht. I think I need help.

Either way it should be a good time.

Blowin' in the Wind...

2006-04-04T07:38:00.000-05:00

I rode outside for the 3rd time this year on Saturday. It was supposed to be a nice day (15 and sunny) but apparently the town of Bolton didn't get that weather update. It was probably about 6-7 out with a NASTY wind out of the west at 25 + /kmh. Oh ya, it was ugly. Our route was going to take us north a bit up some gradual hills and then west into the wind AND up a whole bunch more hills that weren't so gradual. To top it off, we were riding with Tara Norton (a professional triathlete) well, I shouldn't really say we were riding *with* her. Maybe for the first 2 minutes in the parking lot after that she became a speck on the horizon. The ride out was challenging to say the least. But not as difficult as the first time I rode that route. Now THAT was messy. The really fun part came when we got out on to Old Baseline road where there was absolutely NO shelter. There were several points where I thought I was going to get blown right off my bike. I had to ride my bike at an angle to keep from being blown over and to maintain control of my bike! Once we got back into the hills, we were a bit more sheltered to the wind wasn't so bad. At least we were going to have the wind at our backs on the way back. At least that's what I thought. Unfortunately by the time we got back on to Old Baseline Road on the way back, the wind had slightly changed direction and was blowing almost straight out of the north. So once again, I had to hold on to my bike for dear life. I don't think I have ever been so scared before! The wind was THAT strong. I almost went down when a gust caught my front fork. My hands were cramped by the time we stopped at Airport road. It was a bit of an adventure to say the least. But, despite the wind and the hills, I still managed to cover 82.7 km in 3 hours and 27 minutes. So, I was pretty pleased with myself. Sure my heart rate was in zone 3 or over for about 90% of the ride but, I perservered with little whining. It was good preparation for South Carolina. Speaking of which, this time next week, I will be riding my bike in the mountains! I'm sure by the time I get back I will have a new definition for the word "wedgie"

Around the Bay

2006-03-27T10:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday myself and a few of the other Gu Eaters travelled out to Hamilton to take part in the Around the Bay 30km. I had run this race 3 years ago and it was an ok sized crowd at that point (probably about 3000 people). Yesterday there were about 7000 runners! Apparently that was a record turnout. It was a GORGEOUS day and I was TOTALLY overdressed. I think by about 10 km in I was also VERY dehydrated. But I chugged along. I felt pretty strong especially since I had done a 3 hour bike, 30 minute run the day before. I couldn't seem to get my heart rate down now matter how hard I tried. So, I just kept running at my goal pace (5:15 km's) and hoped that I wouldn't blow up (I didn't). My legs felt good until about 20 km and then they started to hurt. I ran strong up the hills so I was really happy about that (passing a lot of people). I chugged my way up the last nasy hill and almost barfed up a lung as I got to the top. So I slowed down a bit to get my legs back (they felt a little jello-y) and then settled back in to my pace. I could feel something was not right with my left foot but I motored on. At the 28km aid station I had to stop. My toenail felt like it had caught on my sock and was pulling up. GROSS!!!!! So I had to stop and tape up my toenail so it didn't come off. That was a 3-4 minute ordeal. After that, I had this insane burst of energy that had me running 4:35 km's for the last 2km. I felt strong, my legs felt tired but still pretty strong so I decided to give 'er. Plus I really wanted to make it under 2h 40 min. I didn't--I came in at 2:40:51. But, I know I would have had I not stopped to fix my toe. So, I am still pretty pleased with the effort. And, I'm feeling it today. My quads are tight and my toenail, well, let's just say, it's seen better days. I really wish it was warmer so I didn't have to wear socks--putting socks and shoes on this morning was a tad bit uncomfortable. The things we put ourselves through to reach our goals!

There and back...

2006-03-16T08:27:00.000-05:00

I just looked at my year to date summary of the distance I have covered since October 1st. I have swam 115200 m, biked 2085 km, and ran 684 km. That is insane. I could have ridden to Ottawa and back twice! I could have run to Montreal! And I could have swam to work and back 9.6 times! Wow. And to think once the weather gets nicer, it's only going to climb higher! It will be nothing for me to ride 500 km in a month in May / June! I think by the time I come back from South Carolina in mid April, I will have ridden about 3500 km--maybe even more! HOLY!!!!

Tired

2006-03-14T08:30:00.000-05:00

I was having such a nice sleep when my alarm so rudely awoke me at 4:15 am. arg. I had absolutely no desire to get out of bed this morning. I am finding it increasingly difficult to find the motivation to get up and get to the gym. Thank God Gary is doing this with me or I'd be sleeping in a little more often! He's a bit of a drill sargeant sometimes but at least he makes sure I get going when I'm having a hard time. 4.5 months more of this and then I can sleep in! Wow, 4.5 months! That's IT?!?!?!? Actually it's a bit less than 4.5 months. Yikes.

I think I'm going to go and hyperventilate now....

Good Day Sunshine!

2006-03-13T09:44:00.000-05:00

At least that's what I was singing when I woke up Saturday morning to see the sun and the thermometer above zero! Nice enough to ride outside! So that's what we did. Myself, Gary, Rick, Sue, Jamie, Theresa & Mike, all drove up to our regular meeting place at Keele & MacNaughton and did our first outside ride of the season. It was AWESOME! I took the new wheels for a spin along with my new shoes. What a difference! My new bike is a nice climber. I had no problem getting up Strawberry Hill (ok, my heart rate was stupidly high but it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be). It was a beautiful day! I actually got a little sunburnt as well--although it was probably a combination of windburn as well since it was pretty windy on the way back. We rode for just over 3 hours. My legs were done by the time we got back. The last few hills were a bit of a struggle, but I didn't care, I was happy to be outside!!

Sunday I had a 2.5 hour Ironman pace run. Now THAT was hard. MY legs were fried from the day before so this run was a sufferfest. I was doing ok until about 1h 40 min and then the meltdown began. I literally shuffled the rest of the way. My legs were done. Gary ran with me for the last half of the run. That never happens (he's too fast) but he paced me and kept me company which helped immensely. I was SOOOOOO happy to have that run over and done with. Now hopefully it won't take me 2 days to recover like it did last time!!

blah blah blah

2006-03-07T08:31:00.000-05:00

"Please don't wake me, no don't shake me, leave me where I am, I'm only sleeping....."
"I'm Only Sleeping" - The Beatles, Revolver

That's what was going through my head when I woke up this morning. I was SOOOOOOOOOO incredibly unmotivated to get out of bed this morning. I was dreading going to the pool, especially since I had a 2000m continuous swim. I'm so sick and tired of waking up when it's dark. It's depressing. I was seriously thinking about how to switch my workouts around so I wouldn't have to get up so early. Sleeping in for another hour would make all the difference in the world! At least there are only 32 days until South Carolina! Woo Hoo! A whole week of not having to get up at 4:30 am! YAY! That is the only thing that is keeping me sane right now.

You Say It's Your Birthday?!

2006-03-03T15:36:00.000-05:00

Well, it's my birthday too, yeah!!

yes it is. Happy 35th to me. I have had a super crappy week, and a super crappy start to my birthday by having to come in to work when I was supposed to be off. Oh well. At least I get to go home early so that counts for something! And my hubby gave me the BEST card ever this morning. It made me cry. He's so awesome. 8)

I did my 2 hour and 20 minute ride this morning so I won't have to get up to do it tomorrow because something tells me I'm not going to be in the best shape.....hehehehe. Oh well, that's what birthday's are for!

I might have pictures to post here as well--we'll see. The last time we brought the digital camera out and there were drinks involved, the camera got left in a cab......very sad.

Lookin' forward to letting my hair down--oh wait, it is down....how about just looking foward to hanging out with some good friends!

Giddy up!

Food for thought

2006-02-21T08:39:00.000-05:00

Well, we're back to the "normal" grind of 12-13 hours a week of training. I like the cycle of 3 weeks build, one week easy because by the time that easy week rolls around I am SO ready for it! I have been reading up on nutrition the last couple of days. I really have to start paying attention to my diet--I was sick a couple of weeks ago and I was sick twice in December so I am obviously missing something in my diet that helps build my immune system. I have started taking supplements like elderberry and astralagus (which I have in liquid form and it is GROSS) It also looks like I am going to have to start eating meat on a fairly regular basis. I just can't bring myself to buy meat at the grocery store and Gary won't eat organic chicken the odd time I buy it at butchers. arg. Looks like I'll be buying double so both of us can be happy. It's amazing how our grocery bills have started to creep up in the last 2 months or so! I wonder what they're going to be like by the time summer rolls around!!! Not to mention all the Gatorade, gels & Clif bars that we eat / drink. But, I knew going in to this that doing an Ironman wasn't cheap.
I'm also trying to find better ways of baking---by that I mean baking with all natural ingredients like honey, molasses, whole wheat flour etc. Because let's face it, I LOOOOOOVE the goodies and if I can make something that is "better" for me that still allows me to fufill my sweet tooth, then I am ALL over it! I saw a couple of books online that look like they may be good so I think I'll order them. Perhaps this will be a diet change that I will stick with even after all this training is done. Although, nothing beats a really good cheesecake.

Musings

2006-02-17T08:59:00.000-05:00

2 weeks until my birthday. I'm going to be 35. Good LORD I am "officially" in my mid-thirties. ugh. I guess I'm "all grown up" now. Or at least I should be. But I don't feel like it. Sure I have more responsibilities and sure I think I"m becoming more and more like my parents with every passing day (say it isn't so!!!!) but I still don't FEEL like I'm 35. Just reinforces the fact that age really is just a number. When I was a teenager I used to imagine myself as being very "grown up" at 35. I thought I'd be a famous artist or a fashion designer or have some other "FABULOUS" career. How that has changed! I now manage people & money, look after schedules & budgets, and play a small role in the dog and pony show that is the world of Advertising. It's not where I thought I'd be, but it's not a bad place to be either. I work in a fantastic studio, with great people AND I don't have to dress up for work (woohoo!) Sure it gets INSANE sometimes and there are the odd few days where I hate my job (usually when I'm so busy I can't even stop to go to the bathroom) but I think everyone has those days. Tis the nature of "working for the man".

To mark the arrival of my mid-30's, I decided to take on the Ironman. I marked the entrance into my 30's by running a marathon so for 35, the Ironman was the next logical step. I suppose I could have waited for 40 but the hubby and I would really like to have kids and well, I'm not getting any younger so, I'm making the journey now. I'm not sure what I'll do for 40 but I've got another 5 years to think about it. 8)

WOW

2006-02-15T16:47:00.000-05:00

I sent out my little fundraising email yesterday and I am overwhelmed by the response that I am getting. I am SO lucky to know so many generous & supportive people. To all you folks reading along...THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. Your support means so much to me!

YOU ROCK!

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Laugh of the Day

2006-02-14T11:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Day!

My dad sent this to me today and I laughed so hard. Totally what I needed as yesterday was an "off" day (birthday blahs, Ironman panic setting in.....apparently we're almost half way through our training. I thought I was going to hurl when I heard that)

20 Ways to Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity

1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hairdryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.

2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.

3. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.

4. Put your garbage bin on your desk and label it "In."

5. Put Decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.

6. In the memo field of all your cheques, write "For Smuggling Diamonds"

7. Finish all your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy."

8. Don't use any punctuation.

9. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.

10. Order diet water whenever you go out to eat with a serious face.

11. Specify that your drive-through order is "To Go."

12. Sing along at the opera.

13. Go to a Poetry Recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme.

14. Put mosquito netting around your work area and play tropical sounds all day.

15. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you're not in the mood.

16. Have your co-workers address you by your wrestling name, Rock Bottom.

17. When the money comes out the ATM, scream "I Won!, I Won!"

18. When leaving the Zoo, start running towards the parking lot, yelling "Run for your lives, they're loose!"

19. Tell your children over dinner. "Due to The economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."

20. And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity.......

Send This E-mail To Someone To Make Them Smile.

Spinning on the Westside

2006-02-13T09:46:00.000-05:00

On Saturday I hosted an indoor group ride at the studio. There were 8 of us set up on our bikes & trainers--I don't know why I didn't think of doing this earlier! It was excellent, but then again, these guys are great people to hang out with as well. One of the girls had access to a DVD projector so she brought that and I brought my ipod and we watched the 2004 Tour and listened to some tunes. It made my 2 hour and 45 minute ride go by much fastser that usual! It was also my first ride on my new bike. WOOHOO! I'm going to have to get used to the positioning--it's a more relaxed position than my current bike, which is a tri-specific bike and therefore has a much more aggressive positioning. So far I like it....the true test will come when I take it outside. I think I'm going to have to wait a while for that....only 54 more days till South Carolina!

Pretzels anyone?

2006-02-07T08:20:00.000-05:00

On Friday night, myself and 5 of "Les Tri-Filles" went to an Ashtanga Yoga class at this great little studio on the Danforth. I had never been to a class like this so I was a little apprehensive. It was AMAZING. It was a fantastic workout. Some of it was easy, some if it was very challenging. I found out that I absolutely cannot balance on my right leg, my left leg, however, seems to be much stronger. Probably from all those years of playing soccer. The instructor had us twisting and turning every which way--I felt like a human pretzel. I knew I was flexible but some of the stuff I was able to do really surprised me (like fold my hands into a prayer pose behind me!) All of the girls had a great time and we'll probably do it again. It was such a good workout that I was sore the next morning (at least my ribs were). I felt a little rough when I got up (probably from the half pint of beer I had--PATHETIC!) and it took me a little while to get warmed up on the bike, but once I got going I felt fantastic. I had a 3 hour workout--2 hour bike, followed by a 1 hour run all at Ironman pace. This was probably the best workout I have had in a long time. I felt amazing. My HR was relatively low on the run and my nutrition seemed to be bang on. Finally a breakthrough!! I think my head is finally getting in to the right place.

Pondering

2006-01-31T09:13:00.000-05:00

I read my horoscope yesterday and laughed out loud when I read it. After struggling with trying to stay positive in regards to my training (mainly my running) I found this to be very appropo: "The important thing today, and for the rest of the week, is that you focus on what is going right in your life rather than what is going wrong. The sun in Aquarius at this time of year means that you tend to have an overly negative attitude to events but that can be countered by conciously and regularly counting your blessings--there are plenty of them." Oh so true. It's amazing the things we take for granted sometimes. Like being able to train for something like this. Just being able to actually get out of bed and do something physical. So many people out there can't. One of our training partners just found out he has Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He's 38 years old and in great shape. He had signed up to Ironman this year with the rest of us. Now he can't. He has to now focus on taking care of himself. I'm sure it's turned his life upside down but he has chosen to be postive and deal with this in a positive frame of mind. All I have to think about when I am having a bad day is that--things could be worse. Having a bad workout is not the end of the world. I should be grateful that I can do this at all.

Ride On

2006-01-26T16:04:00.000-05:00

For all the whinging I've been doing about my running, I seem to have managed to ignore all the positive gains in my cycling. I had to do a lactate balance point ride on Tuesday night (well, it was technically 2.5 beats above my lactate balance point) for an hour on the trainer to see what pace I could hold. The last time I did that ride was 2 weeks ago at my actual lactate balance point (137.5) and my average speed for the hour was 23.7 km/hr. This week, my average speed was 25.4 km /hr. I was supposed to keep my average HR at 140 but it ended up being 137. So, it looks like I am at least getting faster at a lower heart rate on my bike. YAY! I'm looking forward to getting outside! There is a group of us that is planning on heading to South Carolina at the beginning of April to ride for the week. I can't WAIT! I have never been there and the riding is supposed to be stellar. I hope to have a new bike by then as well. WOOHOO!

Work has been busy so I had a couple of days this week where what I was putting in to my body was less than ideal. At least the stuff I was snacking on anyway. Yesterday in particular. We were shooting and when we're shooting there is always so much CRAP around--I have the WORST sweet tooth so I'm constantly munching on cookies or candies. I had far too many licorice allsorts yesterday afternoon. I paid the price dearly--I had a HORRIBLE sleep and no energy when I got up this morning. And my swim was a struggle to say the least. I really need to learn a little self control when it comes to the "goodie table"!

The Sky is Falling!

2006-01-23T17:02:00.000-05:00

My first official easy week has come to an end. I now have a 12h:45min workout week. Yay. I had a little meltdown on Sunday--once again to do with my running. I got back to the house and checked my average pace and I was pretty pleased with myself (5:20 kms--yay!). Even though my heart rate was in zone 3-4 for most of my run (Not always a good thing but HR wasn't something I was supposed to focus on for this run) and then I chatted with the hubby to see how his run was. He ran WAY faster than me (which is usual) but at a much lower heart rate. Which, for some reason, totally set me off. I started getting all anxious / frustrated and went from thinking I had a good workout to thinking that I was even slower than I imagined and that I wasn't going to get any faster, blah blah blah. Oh it was messy. I never cease to amaze myself at how I can turn on a dime. I eventually stopped snivelling like Chicken Little and saw the positive side of my workout (it was a beautiful day out and I'm faster than I was in September). So all is well in Phaedra's head right now.

I just have to make sure I remember that the next time I start to have a meltdown. Who knew that training for an Ironman would turn me in to even more of a headcase?

zzzzzzzzz.........

2006-01-17T09:03:00.000-05:00

Ok, so this week is *supposed* to be an easy week (only 8.5 hours of working out vs. the usual 12-13--yay!) The swim workout that Richard had us do this morning was EVIL. No other way to describe it really. It was 2800 m continous and it varied from 400 m straight swimming, to 200 m kick, 400m pull, 200 swim, 400 m pull with paddles and so on for 2800 m. I am NOT very strong when it comes to pulling so this was torture for me. To top it off, I had to use paddles, which I haven't used is well over a year so my shoulders were screaming at me by the end of that first 400. I was so tired when I got out of the pool I could have fallen asleep in the shower. I am going to hurt big time tomorrow morining. Thank god I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow night. Now, I just have to try to keep my eyes open for the rest of the day.

Super Size Me

2006-01-16T14:51:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the hubby and I went up to Orangeville to spend the day with our coach and a bunch of other like-minded masochists for a "Supersize Training Day". This consisted of a 2 hour swim session in by far, THE nicest pool I have ever swam in, lunch, followed by a 3 hour spin session on our bikes / trainers. During the swim session, Richard (our coach) filmed us swimming. It was quite entertaining to see myself swim--it looks much more different than the way I think it does when I'm in the water. I feel like I have a long, fairly fluid stroke, but I don't really. He then made us do single arm drills and filmed us doing those. Now THAT was REALLY entertaining. Those drills are really difficult to do well / properly. All the weaknesses in your form become painfully obvious. There was a whole lot of thrashing about in the pool, some did much less thrashing than others. It just made me realize how much I have to work on in my swim stroke. But it also made me realize how far I've come from when I started swimming 2.5 years ago. All in all, it was a fun day. Long, but fun and needless to say, I slept like a baby last night.

Be Positive

2006-01-12T10:40:00.000-05:00

That was my new year's resolution. How quickly that flew out the window after my run yesterday. It was such a beautiful day out and for the first 10 minutes of my run, I was truly enjoying it--it was uncommonly warm for January (8 degrees!) and the sun was trying to come out. The birds were singing--it was almost like spring!! And then the wheels fell off the wagon. For whatever reason, I couldn't get my heart rate to settle down. I had to do a lactate balance point run--which means I run for 40 minutes with my heart rate at 137.5 (my lactate balance point). I could barely keep my HR at 139 without slowing down to an almost walk. It was SO frustrating because I know I'm not a slow runner. Out of the 3 disciplines, I consider running to be my strongest. I got so down on myself I almost wanted to stop. My coach responded to my training log with "this means we have to work on your endurance fitness". What the HELL have I been doing for the last 3 months then?!?!? I started training at the beginning of October and I honestly expected to see better results by now. My husband, always the voice of reason, reassured me that it's not about going fast now, which I know, but it still didn't put me in a better frame of mind. He also reminded me that I'm going to have good and bad training days. I guess I'll just chalk this one up to a bad training day.

On a postive note, I managed to swim 2500m in 49:41, which made me happy. And I had no panic issues in the pool which was nice, since I was a little apprehensive about this swim. I always get squirrley when I have to swim a longer distance non-stop, I don't know why really. I kinda have to get over it if I'm going to swim 3.8 km straight in July. So, this morning's swim was a step in the right direction. We'll see what happens when I get in to open water again.

Meaning in the Madness

2006-01-11T08:50:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a couple of charity minded training partners, I decided to utilize my "Journey" as a means to raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. I have put the wheels in motion and submitted my fundraising proposal to them. The fellow I spoke with seemed quite enthusiastic about my ideas about how to get the word out. One of the girls I work with had a GREAT idea--she thought we could issue a challenge to creative teams in the industry to come up with an idea for an ad to promote what I"m doing. The winning creative (the one that I like and that gets approved by the CBCF) will be photographed by one of the guys I produce for. The ad will then get posted on this website called ihaveanidea.org that ad industry people in Canada go on to discuss / rate various ads, talk about the industry etc. We might even be able to do a little countdown / timer thing that shows how many days are left till the race and how far I've gotten with my fundraising. Now THAT would be AWESOME!! I'm really excited about doing this! I think it will add a little more meaning to the madness that I am subjecting myself to on a daily basis. Doing something like this could be seen as selfish by some since it is VERY time consuming--you're almost always training and when you're not, you're so tired you're lucky if you can stay up past 9:00 pm. You become rather "unsociable" (I won't say anti-social because the good intentions are there, you just can't seem to help nodding off like a 90-year old after 9:00 pm) and your quality time with friends and family slowly disappears. Thus the idea of supporting / giving back to a cause that is important to me. Several members of my family have been affected by breast cancer and unfortunately 2 of them died as a result of it (both of my grandmothers). My mom's mother died when I was 13 years old and my dad's mom died when he was only 3. I never had the opportunity to know her, and I'm sure my father has only vague memories of her. Both women left us well before their time (My dad's mom was only 39 and my mom's mom was 67). Even though she died over 20 years ago, I still really miss the one grandma I knew. I'll carry my memories of her throughout my 140.6 mile adventure on July 23rd.

And so it begins....

2006-01-10T19:06:00.000-05:00

Last week one of my training pals sent me a little "Countdown to Ironman" clock and it had 199 days left. Seems like a long way away, yet I know it will be here before I know it. For those of you that don't know what an Ironman is, it is a long distance triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and and 26.2 mile (marathon) run, all done consecutively. I have signed up to do one of these in Lake Placid, NY on July 23rd of this year. Am I insane you ask? Somewhat, I think. Why you ask? Because I can, I say. Am I scared? You bet. As my lovely husband always reminds me: "Fear is a great motivator". I am also quiet excited too. Yes, I said excited. I must be insane to get excited about putting my body through 140.6 miles of pain & suffering. There is something about Ironman.....I don't know what it is.....I have been down to Lake Placid almost every year since 2002 (when my husband did it) to watch the race. The excitement and energy is palpable. I think that is what I am looking forward to being a part of--as a participant instead of a spectator.

Giddy up.