On my way

One thing is certain about having a baby, it hardens you up. Or at least, it hardened me. Not in the ways i expected mind you, but in ways that are useful not only for mothering, but for training, coaching, travel and life.

I sit at a busy coffee shop in Sao Paulo airport waiting for my flight to Florianopolis, drinking my second espresso of the morning and feeling, really, pretty darn good. My trip to Ironman Brazil started yesterday morning with the 9 o'clock ferry from Victoria to Vancouver, a bus to the airport and a flight to Chicago. I flew out of Chicago in the evening and arrived here in Sao Paulo at 10am local time. This is a trip i have done twice before and on both ocassions, i recall feeling dizzy from exhaustion at this point in the journey. But today is different. Last night on the plane I watched a movie and slept intermittently for 6 hours. I woke up at 8.30am local time (4.30am at home) and thought, that was pretty good. Now i feel ready to attack the day, get to my hotel, go for a little run and get settled. I am tougher.

Clint recommended that i write a blog before the race about my hopes and aspirations, as well as the challenges and worries that go with racing my first Ironman since Rosalee was born. I think this is a great idea, but struggle because i know it will make me accountable to my readers. I would rather wait, see how the race goes, and then blog about it. But I know from experience that how things look post-race and how they look now are two completely different things and that now is a perfect time to write something meaningful. It may take a couple posts to get everything out of my head and into cyberspace, but i will get started today.

So on the topic of feeling tougher. Many of the things i thought would be different after having a child are not different at all and many of the things that changed i never could have seen coming. For whatever reason (and i am not even sure of the reason), i feel better equipped to deal with day to day challenges without being thrown off course. So, for example, it used to be that if something went wrong during a race, i would have to talk myself back to reality. Like the time I punctured at Ironman Canada. I can still remember how my hands were shaking as i tried to change my tubular, how i couldnt help counting the pro women who went by me as i stood at the side of the road. This time, when i punctured in St. Croix, i stayed in the moment. I dealt with the issue at hand without worrying about the outcome of the race which was not in my control. This increased ability to problem solve comes very naturally to me now, even on a day to day basis, I seem to be able to roll with the punches so much that they are no longer punches, but just gentle pushes telling me which direction things are going. I no longer feel the need to control things all the time and feel much better equipped to deal with things head on as they come to me. Its like an increased ability to problem solve combined with a laissez faire attitude which allows me to be here, now and nowhere else.

I wonder if this is a common experience of new mothers? Interestingly, I never considered myself a control freak in the first place so i really had no idea it was something i needed to improve on. In fact, i think those who are closest to me will agree that i am really, quite relaxed. I had no aha moment and i certainly didnt try to change. How could i try to change something that I didnt think needed changing?

In terms of my hopes and aspirations? I want to race at the World Championships in Kona and improve on my 20th place from 2008. With the new qualifying rules for professional athletes this means that i have to gather points over a series of 5 races. My competitors have been gathering points since September 2010, when i was still 6months pregnant. So, qualifying this year is a big ask, but i am up for the challenge. At the race on Sunday i am primarily looking to collect some points towards this goal.

There, i said it. Anyone familiar with the ins and outs of the new qualifying system will know that my work is cut out for me. In some ways, many of the toughest decisions are already made in terms of which races i should do, what i can be prepared for and when. This leaves the thinking out of it, and allows me to get on with what has to be done. A task that, thanks to motherhood, i am well-equipped for.

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A Training Day Worth Blogging About

Its been awhile since i've had a training day that's worth blogging about. Back in the day, when i first started training for Ironman I would have noteworthy days all the time; the first 200km ride, the first double run day, you get the picture. But all these years later, it pretty hard to come up with something truly epic and different.

For the last... oh i dont know... couple years I guess... I have struggled with long rides. I never look forward to them. I find them boring and tedious. Worst of all, i often feel that i don't get the training effect that i am looking for because inevitably my mind wanders and my HR slips down or worse, i have energy problems and end up stopping twelve times for coke and cookies. Its rarely pretty.

After returning from St. Croix, Clint and i were looking at the next couple weeks as I prepare for IM Brazil. You'll have to do a 5h30 ride on Tuesday or Wednesday, Clint said. Ugh, I thought, can i split it up? Can we do 2 sessions so i have something to focus on? And then without thinking i said, I'll do a triple ride day, and run off all of them.

Ummm... what?

Clint's eyes lit up, Great idea! And so it was.


Here's what i did:

7.30am:
BIKE 2h45 with 4x 15mins above IM race pace w 5mins easy spin between
RUN 30mins build

2.00pm:
BIKE 1h40 trainer ride as follows:
6x
(3mins tempo/1min easy
2mins tempo/2mins easy
1min tempo/2min easy)
This is a fun little session if you want to try something different, by the time you hit the 1min intervals you feel like a lion ready to pounce!
RUN 25mins as 15x 30/30, 10mins easy

5.30pm:
BIKE 1h20 trainer as follows:
6x
(6mins overgear/4mins steady)
RUN 10mins easy jog

And that was my day. 5h45 of biking and 1h05 of running.

The best thing about it was that i felt strong and good all day long, making me feel like i might just be able to handle a 180km ride on race day.

Here is a picture of my office. Its more like a messy corner of the kitchen, but it does the job. Notice how i set up my computer to watch shows while on the trainer (I am currently watching The Sopranos, Season 2). Also notice how suweet my new Trek Speed Concept is!

When i am not biking, this area quickly converts back into a desk where i write programs or call athletes. If you look closely on the far right, you can see Rosalee's Jolly Jumper where she does her training!

Happy Days!

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Reflections on St. Croix 70.3

There is something freeing about being able to accept one's experiences for what they are. To live, as the monstrously overused phrase dictates, "in the moment". As athletes we are wisely told to control the things we have control over and to forget about everything else. We hear this a lot in Ironman circles because the race is so bloody long that the opportunities for things to go wrong are multitude. And many of those things are out of our control like weather, wind and water temperature.

At about mile 37 of the 56 mile bike course in St Croix, I punctured. Even though i wasnt exactly having the race of my life, I was definitely focused and in the moment, so when I realized my back tire was flat, it didnt even occur to me to get angry or upset, I just thought, "Well, better change that now." Three tubes, six cartridges and a broken valve later, I still wasn't back on my bike.

Once the mechanic found me, he fixed the problem and I was able to finish the bike course and rolled into transition about an hour later than expected. As i dismounted and walked towards my running shoes, I pondered whether i should run or not. I hummed and hawed and slowly put on my socks and shoes, though deep down i realized that the decision was already made. I simply had to accept it and stop resisting. So i ran.

I wanted the highlight of my trip to be the race itself but thats not what i got. I wanted to find out exactly where my fitness was at compared to girls like Catriona, Angela and Mirinda, but thats not what i got. I wanted to push hard and kick my own ass in a race, but that's not what i got.

Instead, I had the opportunity to go to a race and behave like a professional athlete in circumstances that were far from ideal. I got to stay with one of the most wonderful homestay famillies of my career and catch up with some old friends. I got to go out for nice meals and swim in the ocean and ride my bike in the heat.

My one hope is that next time i can accept what is happening more quickly and completely. If i could do it again, I wouldnt dawdle so much after getting back on the bike and I wouldnt take all that extra time in transition "deciding" whether to run. I would accept the inevitable more freely. And above all, if i could do it again, I would carry a spare valve extender in my saddle bag.

Special thanks to Ed, Linda, Beth, Ted, Will and Nia who accepted me with open arms. Thanks to all the people who stopped and donated CO2 cartridges on the bike course. Thanks to Bill and ProCityCycles who got my new Trek Speed Concept up and rolling in time for the race and thanks to Zoot who got me into some new race gear and shoes. Big thanks to Rob Hasegawa who kept me running with twice-weekly treatment. Special thanks to Grandma Pearl who helped take care of Rosalee while i was off having my adventures and to my dearest Clinton who is my heart and my life.

I look forward to more awesome experiences in St. Croix.

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