Ironman Brazil 2013

 

In the days leading up to Ironman Brazil I was super nervous. Its been 6 months since I’ve done an Ironman and it felt impossible to know if I was ready. I wanted to live up to my own expectations. I told Clint before I left that I thought I could do a time just a little over 9h, which is a bold statement considering I went 9h35 last year on this course. Have I really done the work required to improve by half an hour or was I expecting too much? I was using every trick in the book to keep calm; meditation, positive self-talk and of course “the Zone” that I have learned so much about from Bob.

There were a few pre-race snafoos to deal with. First, I missed my flight out of Toronto (see blog about that below!), then when I arrived in Florianopolis the hub of my front wheel was crushed. Destroyed. Then on race morning I left my salt tabs in the hotel room (dummy!!). While its not extremely hot in Florianopolis, it is humid and can get up into the high 20s, so I needed those tabs! And this is where my lasting memories of this trip will lie, in the generosity of my competitors.

When I started to ask around trying to get myself a new wheel, Amanda Stevens (who won the race, beating me by 2.45,  I finished 2^nd BTW) just happened to have a spare wheel with her which was comparable to mine, and she gladly leant it to me. Friday was a stressful day for me and her generosity was very much appreciated. On race morning, Ana Lidia Borba gave me a couple salt tabs, which honestly saved my ass because I ended up needing them both.

And last but not least, when it comes to generosity, I feel very indebted to Hillary Biscay who, no kidding, gave me a pep talk during the bike ride about how I needed to make sure I stayed close enough to the front of the race so I could run those girls down. Seriously. What an awesome girl.

All of these things are a great reminder for me about how this is not a solo journey and how indebted I am to my family, to Clint, his parents and Shelley who rally to take care of our daughter so I can go away on these race trips. My dad and Mary fed me and kept me calm and relaxed for a few days in Ontario as I prepared for the race. My swim group in Vic and all my training partners and the people who support me and encourage me all play a small part when things come together in a good race. And to all these people I am grateful.

 

The race itself went fairly well. I didn't have a great start to the swim, but the rest felt strong and steady. On the bike, I wanted to go around 5h, so I really pushed hard at some points. I made sure to use the other people around me to help pace and to keep me pushing. This is something I haven't done very well in the past. On the run I was too busy chasing to really notice the discomfort of running a marathon after a 180km bike ride. I forgot how hard those hills were on the first lap! You don't see stuff that steep in very many Ironman runs! It was also the first time in awhile that the finish line was very, very satisfying. It made everything feel worthwhile.

It was really important for me to have a good race. When I crossed the line, Amanda was there with a big hug and Shawn Skeen (who does the IM live coverage) came out of his tent to personally put the medal on me. I just started sobbing and said, “I needed that.” Since Rosie was born I have believed that I could go faster in an Ironman than I have in the past. My previous personal best was 9h15 in Western Australia in 2006. Finishing 7mins faster than that on Sunday really validates the fact that I am doing the right work and that I am not crazy in thinking I could do better.

Now that I know we are on the right track, I will dig in and keep working towards my goals. Of course, as Clint reminds me, I will try to take a minute or two to celebrate this accomplishment, but much of this celebration is simply the gratitude that I feel towards everyone who makes this journey possible. Not least of which are my awesome sponsors, ZOOT SPORTS, Trek ProCity, Rudy Project, Synergy Health Management, Sportexcel and Rumble. Thank you all.

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How i missed my flight to Brazil and it turned out ok

I will try to make this story short.

 

Thursday afternoon I was driving to the airport with my Dad and Mary (who just happened to be flying to Dubai on the same evening I was flying to Brazil). With rain pelting down on the windshield, we reached the Tim Hortons that is 7mins from the airport in good time and promptly hit Toronto gridlock. Much stress, mild panic and 45mins later, I flew into the terminal, running with my bike box in one hand and Zoot bag in the other.

The United check in area was quiet. I’m talking, not a single passenger, tumbleweed blowing across the luggage belt, quiet. My stomach sunk as the repercussions of missing my flight started to sink in. I had only 1h layover in Washington, so there was no way to get there in time for my flight to Sao Paulo. And there is only 1 flight per day to Sao Paulo with United. I tried to dismiss images of myself stuck in a Toronto hotel room while I was supposed to be in Florianopolis preparing for the Ironman.

Two United employees were laughing and joking with each other behind the counter as I sheepishly approached waiting to hear my fate. Without a word, the male employee took my passport and starting furiously typing on his computer. I was shaking and trying to remain composed. As he continued typing for what seemed like forever, he thanked me for my patience. Surely the fact that he was taking so long had to be a bad sign. Was he trying to find the best way to tell me that there was no way to get me to Brazil before Sunday?

When he finally looked up, he said “The flight to Washington is delayed and there is no way you can make your connection.” I nodded… “so I have rebooked you on the direct flight to Sao Paulo with Air Canada”. I was so relieved I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or jump over the counter and kiss him. (For the record, I went with a simple “thank you so much”)

Holy Crap. Direct flight! No clearing US customs, no running through Dulles airport to my next gate, just board and fly. Add to this the fact that I was given a seat in the rear of the plane in an EMPTY ROW of three. I was the only passenger with three seats to myself, and for a 10h overnight flight to Sao Paulo nothing could be more perfect. I hunkered down and slept 8 beautiful hours, waking up in time to be served coffee and catch an episode of Modern Family.

Two years ago Ironman Brazil was the first Ironman I attempted after Rosalee was born. My girl was only 6 months old and off I flew to Florianopolis. I was discussing my choice to race so soon after Rosie arrived with a friend the other day and was left wondering whether it had been a good decision. I ended up DNFing in that race. But when I reflected on the trip as a whole I realized just how many good things came out of it. I had never thought about this before. First of all, the trip itself was the most fun I have ever had on a race trip. I reconnected with some old friends who gave me a lead on a condo in Tucson. Two years later, I have spent many fun weeks and months in our condo in Tucson. I have grown closer to some friends and made many new ones as a result. I have trained my heart out on Tucson’s open roads. My mom bought a condo in the same complex. Without that trip to Brazil its hard to say if any of this would have happened. Just goes to show that when something "bad" happens, it might actually turn out to be good.

(PS. I am posting this from a hotel room in Sao Paulo because my flight was delayed by 29h on my way home!)

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From Nice to St. Croix, the adventures continue

In this photo, fire ants were biting our feet, hence the look on my face (though somehow Jeanne looks completely normal... hmmm...)

In September 2003 I did my first race as a pro in Nice, France, back when it used to be "la longue distance" (4k swim, 120k bike, 30k run). The week before I had DNFed from my first attempt at the Ironman distance after becoming seriously hyponeatremic on the bike. (ie, losing to much salt).

 

After spending a few days moping on my boyfriend's couch, my coach called and said, there are 2 races this weekend, pick one. It was Thursday and the race was Saturday, so I booked a flight to France. Long story short, I fought my way into 7th place in that race in Nice, the last "money spot." Making money confirmed that I was a bona fide pro athlete. I was so proud of myself that I cried at the finish line.

 

Since then, I have learned that races like these are rare. Races where you really accomplish more than expected. Races that can bring you to tears.

 

After the Olympic-distance race in St. Petersburg, I flew to St. Croix. I finished on the podium there last year and was hoping to repeat. I am also fitter than I was last year at this time and was truly excited to race.

 

The weather was stormy in St. Croix again this year. Like last year, there was a huge storm the day before the race. Unlike last year, there was not enough time to clean the roads. (Apologies to those who have heard me tell this tale already) Clint asked me why they couldn't get someone to sweep the roads... Sweep!! I just laughed. Volunteers were out there shovelling debris off the road as we rode through. A bulldozer would have been required in some places. Needless to say, there were many, many punctures, and multiple crashes. At least 3 pro girls double flatted and couldn't finish (and those are just the ones I spoke to, there may have been more!). It was carnage.

 

I had a strong swim and was riding well with a couple other women until mile 38-ish where I punctured. I changed it quickly and got back on the road. Starting up again my legs were pretty roasted. It took awhile to get going.

 

The run was hot and not a day for a fast run split. Overall, I wasn't feeling great and was happy when I finally got to the finish line in 7th place.

 

I was pretty disappointed by how the race went, with my bad luck, lack of pay cheque and blah feeling in general. One of the biggest challenges of being a professional athlete is dealing with the disappointment when things don't go your way. You can put your heart and soul into a race, leave your family, fly across the world and have it go wrong. Heck, there's this guy who swims with our group who put four years into preparing for the Olympic Games and crashed on the first speed bump coming out of transition. I mean, this kind of crap happens all the time. How we deal with it defines who we are as athletes and how successful we will be in the long run.

 

I've spent this last week feeling disappointed. Not sorry for myself, that's a different thing, but just a little disappointed that it had to go down that way. In the bigger picture I recognize that these disappointments make the successful races feel even better, and that all experiences help mould us and make us stronger. That's just how it is.

 

Ironman Brazil is less than 2 weeks away and I am gearing up for a good race there. I am also rethinking my plans for the rest of the season. There are a gazillion races I want to do and choosing the next step is always part of the fun for me. I will look forward to that process after the Ironman.

 

One thing that makes every race great is the people. Race week was great fun hanging out with some of these folk (among others!):

Homestay Ed and fellow pro athlete Jeanne Collogne relaxing pre-race. Jeanne double-punctured and couldn't finish the race, but I say, Watch out for this girl people! I predict great things for her.

My lovely homestay Linda hanging out on the beach.



Ed in his "swimming pool," a good reminder to all of us that life really isn't that bad ;)

 And the adventure continues....

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“Are you racing?” My Foray into Olympic Distance Triathlon

(My title for this report was inspired by Anne Haug -if you don’t know who she is, you should- who at the pro meeting, after we greeted each other, hugged etc… looked at me puzzled and said “Are you racing?”)

 

When the 2013 season was in the planning phase, both Clint and I felt that I should try to add a couple Olympic distance races to my plan, mostly as good strong sessions for my Ironman and 70.3 races. With this, we also decided to focus a little more on speed and intensity in general.

St Anthony’s Triathlon hit my radar because of its proximity to St. Croix (it is literally on the way) and because I could use the race as part of my race prep, to acclimatize etc. And so it was decided.

And then everybody else decided to go as well.

The race had the strongest field I have raced in outside of Kona. And it was short-course strong, not long-course strong, and definitely not in my comfort zone. Going in, I knew I would be completely out of my element, and there was every chance that I could have a good race and finish last.

Paradoxically and for some unknown reason, I was very excited to do the race. I really enjoy racing Olympic distance. If the race starts at 7, you can be done before breakfast! It’s a different kind of hurt, its fast and furious, and the possibility of making a fool of myself notwithstanding, I was pumped.

Race morning brought blustering winds and big waves. The swim was crazy. Huge swells. After our wave of pro women went through they shortened the course for safety reasons. It was a wise choice but I am also glad I got to do the whole course. I like waves.

Despite the choppy seas, I somehow came out of the water with the girls I expected to swim with and even a couple that are usually a little faster. It was a good start.

The bike and the run were… ummm… a bike and run. I was pleased to have girls around me the whole time. Even though I was minutes back from the lead, I had girls in front of me and behind me to race against. I had a race on my hands! I overtook a couple girls, a couple overtook me. I felt ok, but not on fire. I finished 24^th out of 30-something that started, 10mins back from the winner. My race was strong and steady but I definitely felt like I was missing my top gear. It may have been the travel or the heat/humidity or both that stole my edge. I’m not 100% sure and I don’t really need to know.

Last year at this time I couldn’t have conceived of pitting myself against 30+ ITU speedsters. I feel satisfied that I have made enough progress to get to this point. I had a “meh” day and still did ok. And so, I’m going to call it a success. St. Anthony’s triathlon- check.

St. Petersburg is a wonderful place and I would definitely like to return. The town is quaint with its little shops and restaurants and the beach is beautiful. It was definitely the nicest part of Florida I’ve ever seen! I had a wonderful homestay with Janna and Sean Black (thanks guys!) and the race treats the pros very well. It was fun to see my girl Megan and race alongside her (perhaps for the first time?) and a relaxed trip to the beach on Monday capped off a great weekend (thanks Martina!).

Now I sit in Miami airport awaiting a flight to one of my favourite places and races. St. Croix here I come!  

Post-race beach lunch!

Fish tacos! Yum!

 

 

 

 

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IM Texas 70.3 Race Report

Ironman.com posted this great shot!

I went into the 70.3 in Galveston feeling confident about my preparation and ready to find out exactly where I am at. The field was surprisingly deep for a 500-point race, but I find deep fields motivating and am encouraged by the number of fast girls in our sport these days!

 

I was glad to have friends Sonja and Jim from Vic there to keep me company a little bit. Jim did a great job of handing out splits on the race course, he was only off a little bit and only a couple times... ;)

 

I woke up race morning in a good mood and ready to go. I wanted to test myself. I went out hard at the beginning of the swim but just couldn't keep the pace of the front 3 or 4 girls, including Kelly Williamson and Cait Snow. I knew I was in my usual position of pulling the second group, but I felt good. About half way through the swim another girl came by swimming well, so I got on her feet, happy to not do all the work. The two of us then overtook a girl who had dropped back from the first group.

Before leaving Vic, I had a record-breaking swim during my taper week, so I think I am swimming a little faster than last year. Its difficult to find the right feet at the swim start. I told Clint afterwards that instead of finding feet, I think I should improve my 400m time and treat the first part of the race like a 400m tt. I'll let you know if this theory works....

 

On the bike, I put my head down and rode hard. The course is pancake flat and windy! We had cross winds the whole time, so there was no fast, tailwind section. I focused on staying aero and keeping an efficient pedal stroke. To my surprise, I actually started overtaking people on the bike! In the second half, I could see that I was catching up to most of the girls. I kinda got excited with the idea that I might be able to get close to the front of the race.... on the bike (!). This is new territory for me. With about 7-8 miles to go I started to cramp up a little. I know I was riding harder than my body was trained to ride. I slowed a little, then Jessica Jacobs and Heather Leiggi came by, but I was still making good progress. I came off the bike in 10th, but 8 of the girls in front were in view when I hit the transition area.

 

T2 was a bit of a struggle since I couldn't run at first (cramping thing again) and was left to walk/hobble to my shoes. Eventually I was (of course) ready to run again, but from the times it looks like I lost about 45 seconds maybe...not a big deal.

 

I started running and felt a little flat right from the start. This is normal so I just thought, ok, i'll warm up into it. I knew I wasn't running as fast as I had hoped, but I also wasn't running slowly either, so I settled in for the 13 miles. I overtook a few girls and was pleased to finish 6th. I had to up the tempo for the last 400m or so because there was a fleet-footed girl running fast behind me. I think her name was Jennie. We hugged at the finish line. Its not often you have to sprint to the line in a 70.3!

 

All in all, I felt satisfied with the improvements I saw in my cycling especially but also in my attitude towards my cycling. Turns out its kinda fun to race bikes. Who knew? ;)

 

Big thanks to my sponsors Zoot Sports, Rudy Project, Trek Pro City, Synergy Health Management, RUMBLE, and Sportexcel. And always thanks to hubby and coach Clint. The best guy ever.

 

Looking forward to the rest of the season.

S.

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My preparation for Texas 70.3

 

Its hard to believe that it has only been a month since I came home from Tucson/Palm Springs. Since then my training has been strong and consistent with a few noteworthy highlights.
 

Our Mercury Rising swim group, coached by my very own Clinty, is growing and gaining momentum. We now have a strong group of pro girls who help keep me moving forward, including Magali Tisseyre, Karen Thibodeau, Mel McQuaid, Katie Button, myself and newcomer Tenille Hoogland. By working together the Canadian gals are gathering forces!!! Additionally, we have some decent men to keep us on our toes (ie. Not being lapped by Simon Whitfield is a reasonable goal for some sessions)

Three weeks ago, I attended a 4-day cycling camp with Houshang Amiri from the Pacific Sport Cycling Centre here in Vic. The March camp is the final, and most intense camp in a series of 5 since the riders are preparing for their race seasons. I had been warned that a good group of strong guys had been attending all the camps, so I was ready to be put through my paces.

On the first day of every camp, Houshang does 2 time trials to assess our fitness. The first is a hill climb, and the second is rolling. I was pleased to improve my times from what I did at the last camp in January 2012. Also, I went into last year’s camp rested, and this time I was at the end of a long build, so my legs were pretty smashed before we even started. The second day of the camp was a highlight for me. We did a simulated road race in which the main group kept a certain base pace while we took turns doing 30s sprints. While this is not very race-specific for Ironman, it was really fun. On the third day we did an “easy” 5h ride… easy for those boys was a fairly strong ride for me. And on the final day we did a 170km hilly ride “up island” (which is what Victorians say when we leave our little peninsula and ride up the highway to the rest of the Island). I started the day feeling completely wrecked, but after a couple hours I started to feel good and put in some good climbs. At the end of the 6h, I felt stronger than at the beginning, so my Ironman fitness must be coming together.

All in all, I felt like a different rider to the girl who did a similar camp last winter. My skills, fitness and confidence are all at a higher level this year.

Last weekend I did the Westshore triathlon here in town. It’s a sprint race with a pool swim and a fun hilly course. The bike ride is basically down a big hill and back up x2 and the run is on hilly chip trails. Having trained quite hard last week, I was a bit bleary-eyed on Sunday morning, but luckily, my heat wasn’t until 9.40am, so I got up, had a casual breakfast and rode over to the race site. My heat consisted of a bunch of fast kids from the junior development squad. I felt like a wrinkled-old interloper amongst those kids! All in all, I was pleased with my efforts, I was not the last one out of the water in our heat, and I finished just a few paces behind the young gazelles. It was a successful outing and most of all, a chance for me to practice transition before my upcoming races. Which BTW are Texas 70.3 (April 7^th), St Croix 70.3 (May 5^th) and Ironman Brazil (May 25^th).

Additionally, in the last month I’ve done a couple sessions aimed at improving my leg speed on the run. As I am an old lady now, this has come with a slew of new aches and pains, tight hamstrings, sore calves, pelvis out-of-whack. I would not be able to continue without my growing injury-prevention team (yes, it takes a team now!). At Synergy Health management, I have been seeing Katie Button (who is also a hard-core Xterra chick, so she understands my aches and pains), Jamie Grimes (who will leave you bruised but injury-free) and I just started seeing Kernby Chu, the massage therapist. This is in addition to the chiro I have been seeing since Rosalee was born, Rob Hasagawa. My injury-prevention plan is a bit like training for a fourth sport.

Last week I had a meeting, the first in a while, with my mental coach Bob from Sportexcel. Bob. What can I say about Bob? He requested the meeting because he felt my last blog was depressing and I could use a mental tune-up! Haha! Not a guy to mince his words. During the course of our discussion, he did find some “holes” in my mental preparation and helped me clean up some of the areas that I was not feeling confident about.

Lastly, I just want to write a bit about Rosalee and the ongoing challenges of being a mom, an athlete and a coach. Rosalee is 2 & 1/3 now, and she is constantly changing, which means I can’t count on certain things, like her bedtime, her ability to sleep through the night, her interest in playing alone or with others etc… The only times I can actually “plan” are when she is at daycare or with Grandma Pearl. And even then, I often need an unanticipated nap. I used to do my coaching work whenever it fit in, if I found an hour here or there, but lately, “found” hours have been few and far between so I’ve had to plan certain days to write programs during daycare hours. This has actually reduced my stress a lot knowing that this time has been set aside for this reason. It also means that I have less flexibility in my training, so if I am too tired or sore on a Thursday to do my planned ride, I can’t move it to Friday since that’s my program writing day. My training has become a lot more like a normal working person’s. Many of my daily hours are spoken for, so I have to make the most of the hours I have. I think in the bigger picture this makes me mentally tougher. I can no longer wait for the rain to pass before heading out on my bike. I can’t take extra recovery time when I think I need it, and I have to be savvy with my time management. (I know any age-grouper reading this is thinking, yeah Sara, welcome to my world!)

Rosalee is also old enough now to understand when I am leaving for a race. The day before I left, she said to Clint “Mommy going airplane.” We still have no idea how she knew this since I hadn’t started packing yet. This of course, makes it harder for me to leave. Even though she (thankfully) doesn’t throw a fit or anything, she still recognizes that I will be gone for days rather than hours and no doubt will be asking after me from time to time. This motivates me to make my time away worthwhile, an extra pressure that I welcome and that makes my racing feel worthwhile.

Texas 70.3 race report coming soon!

 

 

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First Blog and First Race 2013

 

Sunrise in Palm Springs

Its March, the clocks have "sprung" forward here in Canada and I have not written a blog since November. The truth is that i love writing, but blogging hasnt hit the top of my priority list until today. Multiple blog ideas have come and gone, some of which i still hope to write. (If you are reading this and have any special requests, please tell me in the comments, at least then i know someone will read it. Thanks Julie.) Here are my top 5 that i wish i had written:

1. Season Review of 2012: Lots went right. Lots went wrong.
2. Plans for 2013 (could be combined with #1)
3. My New Sponsors: I dont chase sponsors anymore. I am too old for that. If i am using a product and i really like it, I will ask that company to sponsor me.
4. Getting The Plague in Tucson: I actually partially wrote this one. Its an epic and humourous adventure that i hope is never repeated.
5. MRT Phat Camp in Tucson: How the people and the snow made it awesome
6. Race report from the Desert Triathlon: See below.

I'll start with a quick race report and hopefully this will be the beginning of a good year of blogging.

 

After 3 strong weeks of training in Tucson (post-plague) my friend Shelley and I loaded up the van and drove to Palm Springs to do the Olympic distance race there. I had been coughing since the aformentioned plague, so i wanted to see how my lungs would respond to a "short" 2h effort.

"Uhhh... where's the startline?"

 

Long story short, i won. (ie. i beat the 1 other girl in the elite category... but to be fair, I beat her by 5mins and was the only girl to go under 2 hours so...) It was fun to do an Olympic distance race again. It was a great training day AND i barely coughed afterwards. Its a huge relief to know i will be healthy enough to race in the coming weeks.

 

Shelley also had a great race. At 48-years-old she was 7th overall with a time of 2.08. Yes, you read that right. Thats why i call her the dream-crusher.

 

Big thanks to everyone who continues to support me in every way big and small. I appreciate you all.

Now for some pictures:

 

 I noticed a distinct lack of women at the "elite" rack in transition...I think here i was saying "are there any other girls in this race?"

The dream-crusher ready to rock.

 

Wonderful race. Super-fast course. And winning is a bonus.

2013, here i come!
S.

 

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