Monday, December 15, 2014

Plan B

Who says triathletes can handle a little hiccup in the training schedule?

Sigh...
My last few weeks have sucked. Honestly, December is off to a bad start training wise. After the fantastic news of making the SOAS Racing team I thought for sure it was a good omen. Well I'll be honest I wasn't feeling very motivated for December. It was a bit rainy the first week in December, my coach reminded me I haven't really started my Ironman training yet. I'm still in the post/pre season mode where things don't matter too much. So I started feeling better about myself and went on this fabulous bike ride.


I even had some great company join me.


We got out for an easy 90min ride and it was just what the doctor ordered, I felt so much better and decided I was back on track. I mean who wouldn't be motivated with a view like this:


So last week I got to my 1st swim session, got on the bike rollers to then have to be told I have to give them back. Unfortunately they were lent to me to try and just as I mastered letting go of the wall I had to return the crazy hard but super addicting rollers. Insert another big sigh. That's okay though, I still have the wind trainer and since the weather turned into a torrential downpour I can get through this, yes I can...

Wednesday comes along and it's my group run day. These are usually a moderate workout and I always enjoy them. Well, my little munchkin comes home from school sick. So this means no group run. In fact there was no run for me that day. This is where there is another sigh.
That's okay there's always tomorrow. So what happens when your kid is still sick? You just start doing whatever you can. At this point I am doing some light core work and strength training in my living room whenever she lets go of me. My poor little munchkin. So this is when I decide the week is shot and as always my kids come first. So I accept the fact that very little training will get done this week but I will definitely get my weekend workouts in because the hubby will be home and he can help out!
Can we insert one more sigh? 
So Friday night ended up the hardest for my little monkey. I thought Wednesday was bad. The poor thing was up all night with cough and fever so of course I couldn't sleep. So when my alarm went off at 7 to get up for my Saturday group run and I had actually just falling asleep 2 hours before I decided that:
a) I shouldn't be driving on only 2 hours of sleep
b) I probably shouldn't be running on only 2 hours of sleep (although I'm pretty sure all my best races are done on said minimal sleep)
c) My kid is still sick and is crying for me
d) I just want to crawl bak into bed and sleep for a month.

So I had to tell my coach I will be missing yet another workout this week. The good news is she gave me a workout to try and do on my own if I did manage to peel myself away from the sick one.
I actually did get out for a run and I'm glad I did because it was so beautiful out and the fresh air helped me cope with my training failures of the week. 
By Sunday I was feeling rather defeated in the world of triathlon training but I told my husband I absolutely had to get out for my bike and run. The girls had swim club and my littlest was starting to perk up. I was optimistic that the stars were aligned and I was going to get out for my one and only day of training.
One more sigh? The poor kid was still sick. So I got creative. She stayed home with me while big sis went off to swim club with her dad. I set up the bike on the wind trainer and had my good buddy "D" come over and even though it killed me to be inside on such a gorgeous day we hammered a workout while the sick one layed on the couch watching a movie. At least I got a workout done. Except my fur baby didn't get the memo about good behaviour while mom does her bike workout.
Yup, she had some fun with the Christmas tree and decapitated and killed one of the angel decorations. Someones going to hell and it isn't me.

I still needed to get a run done but this I would have to wait on until the fam was back from swimming. 
So once they got back I took full advantage of the amazing weather.

I actually managed to get my 70min of running in. I had to go solo since all my running buddies were heading out at our usual time but I brought some good music with me and had one of the best runs of my life. I obviously needed to run some things out.

So moral of the story is shit happens and you can't beat yourself up over it. I was able to get in a few workouts but I also missed a few. My family is very important to me and sometimes I have to give up some training time for them and that's okay. In fact it felt great to spend hours on the couch getting cuddles with my girls. 
Being a mom, and triathlete while working isn't easy. It brings many challenges into our lives but I've become very good at problem solving and when I do manage to squeeze everything in I feel like wonder woman. We all have our battles but life would be so boring if we did. 
Be strong, because you can.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things

It's that time of year. Us crazy triathletes write down every possible need to get us to the start line. I'm sure Santa cringes when he receives my letter of more and more gear. I'll be honest, I don't really need anything this year but a girl must dream and there is always something that catches my eye.
I love doing my fav things because I love sharing my little finds with all of you lovely racers out there, and lets be honest... I'm a total gear head.

This year Christmas came early for me. I made the Soas Racing Team and that was enough for me. I am still relishing in the fabulous news and can't wait to get me race kit. That being said there is still some awesome Soas gear that I think everyone needs!!! 
So first up:
This gorgeous new design from Soas is perfect! I love the beautiful colour combination. Rumour has it that they are working on running tights. This makes me squeal with delight. I know they will be super cute!!! Also new to Soas is the sports bra (pictured with Tri Suit). Now regardless of my affiliation with Soas I absolutely LOVE their Tri Suits. They are so comfortable, they fit true to size and gosh we all look so cute in them. 

Next up is the TYR Women's Torque Lite Swim Skin.
Sorry I stole this image off of their website and it's not a great pic. Anyways, with me doing Penticton this year I need to look at swim skin options. Last years race was not wetsuit legal and of course this is the next best option. I don't mind swimming without a wetsuit but I don't love swimming in a trisuit, I've done it and I feel a little drag and I don't need drag when I'm going to be swimming for 4 km's. Triathlete sports seems to have a decent price on them.

My next item is probably the highest on my wish list. The Adamo Time Trial Saddle has come highly recommended by a few people. Apparently it will make my 180km ride feel much more comfortable. Apparently your bike seat is not supposed to give you grief. 
My bike builder thinks these saddles are the ugliest around but hey I'm all about comfort after the 80km mark.

Another item that is definitely not needed but would be fun to have is the Stages Power Meter.
It's still unknown whether this fun gadget is as good as the regular power meters that are twice as expensive but for someone like me who has never actually used one I'm guessing Stages is probably the best way to go. Plus, you can switch it between bikes.


Another fun item that isn't necessary is these alloy bike rollers.
I had the opportunity to try some rollers out and they are so bloody hard BUT I could definitely feel my riding improve. I was out for a road ride on Sunday and while climbing a hill I could feel how much smoother my pedal stroke was. 
Okay this just got switched to a must have.

Last on my list is the Grid Mini Foam Roller. I use a roller but it's ginormous. These mini's are awesome to throw into your bag and take it with you anywhere, a great stocking stuffer I might add.

So there you have it. My wish list for 2014. I hope Santa is good to all of you and if you have any fun items for your wish list I would love to hear about it in the comments.

*The links may not be specific to the brand but is more where I found the best price for Canadians. 

Friday, December 5, 2014

Good things to come

2015 hasn't even begun and I know it is going to be a fabulous year. Heck, anything will be better then 2014. 
After being so sick for over 3 months, then getting a stress fracture and then having the worst race of my life at Lake Stevens (blog post HERE) and to top it off home life got sucked into the pathetic year as well... really, 2015 is already looking better.
So what makes 2015 so awesome? Well, I just got word this week that I got selected to be a part of one of the greatest female triathlon teams ever!!!


That's right, I am officially on Team Soas!!! I am so honoured to be a part of such a great group of strong determined women. Not to mention they make the best triathlon suits for women. I can't wait to show you what will be on my Christmas wish list this year and it's not just because I'm a Soas girl now.
Second up is that I am signed up for my very first Iron Distance race. I guess this could go really bad but I've never actually done the full distance so I've already embraced that it will be double the pain as what Lake Stevens was and I'm okay with that.


So right now I sit back and enjoy my training. Luckily nothing too difficult and lots of fun activities. I've gotten to spend some great time with good friends that also serve as great training partners. I'm feeling so lucky to have everything settle into place right now. I'm feeling so content and happy. The true key to success!

Next week I will post my fav things Christmas wish list and hopefully some training pictures. I'm not big on taking selfies of me training so I rely heavily on my training buddies to snap the photos for me. 
I'm also thinking of starting to recruit my buddies to do the annual polar bear swim. So be prepared my friends.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

and you just keep plugging along

Well the winter season is upon us and although I do live in the warmest part of Canada it has been bloody cold here. It's official, I have become an Island wimp. Seriously, the other morning I met up with my lovely running buddy out at the Trans Canada Trestle and I swear to god it was 8 degrees colder over there. It didn't matter how hard I ran I could not warm up.
Last week was the annual Thetis 20km relay. Each team can have as little as 1 person or up to 4 to do the 4 loops around Theits lake. I thought I would be brave and wear shorts...

 
Holy moly it was cold out there. I thought I would be "cool" and wear shorts. I sure was cool. Took me 3 days to warm back up.


The sun was shinning but it really was cold. I'm not even convinced it got above 0 that day. Regardless of the weather it was a great time as usual. I was on a team with the group I train with- Island Striders youngsters.
Love my training group. In hindsight we should have got a photo or the rest of the team (there were 2 other teams that were part of our group.

Although the Thetis relay was all fun and games I am still hammering out light training. I'm doing 3 days a week strength training, a couple of easy bike rides and swims and of course really focusing on my running right now. I'm hoping that a full marathon will seem easy come August.

Last week I posted a video of me trying out some bike rollers that got loaned out to me. I was warned they are a little tricky at first but I had no idea that I might end up in the ER from them. If you get a chance have a look of the video on my Facebook page. You'll probably get a good laugh out of it. 
This morning I took my second attempt on them and I'm not going to say it was any easier but I managed to survive the event so I'm going to say it was successful! 

Now I have to admit the last few weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster for me training wise. I keep  getting anxiety thinking what have I done? I am signed up for  one of the hardest races around and I'm already tired from just riding my bike around the block. What have I got myself into. Honestly, I have had a few freak outs and I'm pretty sure there are going to be a lot more. I'm getting a lot of people telling me how I'm going to be able to do it all. Training, family, work. I really don't know but what I do know is life isn't always easy and it is all about how you deal. So I find myself searching for inspiration, reminding me that I am capable of whatever my heart desires.


I think that poster says a lot! Really, all it comes down to is you just do it. So for all of those people out there that question big dreams, remember us big dreamers have days of doubt (lots of them actually) and the last thing we need is questioning about doing it. What we actually need is inspiration and support that tells us we can do it and we will do it. 

On a lighter note, our dog and bunny are getting acquainted with each other. The crazy thing is that bunny has no idea just how dangerous this situation could be.






Monday, November 10, 2014

Although I am only in my prep phase of training I have already dove deep into my training but not just physically. Since my weekly training hours are pretty minimal right now I am taking advantage of my "spare" time and doing a lot of research. Because I only have a running coach I am still in charge of my cycling and swimming. So I am trying to ring the master plan as to what is going to work for me. A few weeks ago I came across a post on Facebook about a triathlon summit. What is a triathlon summit you ask? Well, someone brilliant has put together an only event where 23 leading experts come together and deliver fabulous talks and discussions about triathlon. All of this accessible by computer. 


I got my first taste this weekend by listening to Matt Dixion (I just read his book too), Chris McCormack, Andrea Reid (I'm going to listen to this one later), and Joanna Zeiger. 
I have to tell you, this idea is absolutely brilliant. Not only is this free but I can listen to the talks at my convenience. 
Matt Dixon's talk really resinated with me because I just finished reading his book last week. So it all tied everything together. Lots of great tips and ideas to put my Ironman training plan to work and pul it all together. 
I am most excited to listen to Mirinda Carfrae's coach Siri Lindley. 

So does filling your brain with all of this knowledge help or hinder your training plan? Although many coaches take different approaches you can still steer yourself on a route that you tend to follow.   However that doesn't mean that each of these talks don't send you away with something knew that might add to your training benefits. While listening to Chris McCormack's talk he brought up feelings while racing. There were definitely some ideas I took away from that. 
So what am I taking away from all of this knowledge thus far? 
Rest is best! 

Seriously, they key to great training and racing is ensuring adequate rest and recovery. That being said I am officially on a rest week this week!!!!! 
So with even less training hours this week I will indulge in even more of these talks. 
I highly recommend checking out the Triathlon World Summit here:






Sunday, November 2, 2014

And so it begins

So I just completed week 2 of my journey into the wonderful world of the Ironman distance. August 30th 2015 I will conquer this ungodly distance and hopefully prove it ain't so bad... GULP!
Already a few hiccups including getting a wicked cold/flu that had me sleeping 12+ a night, missing more then half of my first week of training and then part of this past week. I held my own though, and the minute I felt better I was out pounding the pavement.
I've learned very quickly that this is indeed a journey. I am learning a ton and trying to find balance between family, work, training and friends. Luckily my family is so super supportive (ask me if they still are in 6 months). Work has been fabulous and also supportive and training is still pretty low key... for now. Friends are routing for me. I have my swimming buddies, my strength training buddies, my cycling buddies and of course my running buddies. Everything seems to be working out. My biggest concern is will it last? As the miles increase will I still have buddies excited to join? I have a feeling I might need to start bribing them.
So today I got the dreaded question... how do you do it all? I get asked this question often. With having to work, raise kids, have a husband that goes away for work part of the week how do you fit it all in and keep everyone happy? I'll be honest, not everyone is happy all of the time. This is why I plan, coordinate, schedule and reschedule to my best abilities. It's not always easy, and I can't always make it work. I prioritize everything and my calendar is chock full of myself, my husband, and both kids activities, work and training schedules. I kid you not, I know exactly where I will need to be in 3 months from now. I also get asked when do we do family activities. Well, we are avid campers and we schedule our camping trips when I'm on rest weeks so that I can do a nice easy run wherever we are and the kids hop on their bikes and join me. Or we all go for a bike ride together. You just make it work.


So bottom line is nope it's not easy but if you love what you do, you just make it happen. No matter what life gets busy and it's all in how you handle it.
So now I jump into week 3 which by the way this is all just pre-season stuff. I don't even start my "real training" until February. Don't be surprised if my tone has a sudden change once I'm out doing 6 hour bike rides... by myself.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers!!! I hope everyone is filling their faces with good delicious food. Being a vegetarian family (with me being vegan) I am preparing a stuffed seitan roast. I decided to take a small break from that and do a post. I'll have to let you know how it turns out.

Big weekend in my sports world. Ironman Championships were Saturday and I could not tear myself away from the computer. What an awesome race. We had to go into Victoria to meet the family for dinner and I had to be super rude and keep checking my phone for results. Only the die hard triathletes would understand ; )
I have to tell you Mirinda Carfrae is an absolute idol for me. I have to be honest, I was cheering her on right from the start. Check out that photo of her on the left. She deserves the championship. Anyone that has that good of form during the run in an Ironman is pure champion in my mind. She is absolutely everything I strive to be. To be honest, everyone in that race inspires me. Hats off to all of those racers!!!
My big race this weekend was a half marathon.

 I was not training for this race. My coach decided after the year I had (it was so bad) that I just needed this to be a good training run.
My sister flew out for this race to come and join me. We ended up going to the expo right when she go into town Friday. Look what we found...

I love how the races are putting the competitors names on the banners and shirts. It's fun to show you really were there.
Saturday night I spent the night with my sister at her hotel. We had a nice evening catching up. Sunday I got to sleep in an extra hour since my sisters hotel was steps from the start line. Could not have been more convenient. Best of all, I didn't have to deal with kids!!!
I was supposed to meet up with one of my friends to run the race with. We really wanted to get a sub 2 hour for this race. It's been a long time coming for me. After my terrible race season and my coach not letting me race hard this fall I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do it but I did right some splits on my arm to check in just in case I was feeling up to the challenge.
When the gun went off I was cool as a cucumber. Got jogging and weaving through all of the racers. I got stuck right at the back so I had to make my way through a lot of people. 
About 4km in I finally found my good buddy. I had lost my sister in the mass at the start so I was feeling a little lonely. It was fantastic running with my friend. 
Around the 17km mark my husband along with my girls and my parents gave me a great cheer squad that kept me going till the end. 
To top it off 1km from the finish line was my brother in law snapping the photos of me.
My form is looking not too bad with 1 km to go. A little collapsed but I'm obviously not very tired.
I ended up finishing the race in 1:56:39 (unofficial). For not pushing myself I was absolutely thrilled. I have not been able to get under 2 hours in a very long time. Which leads me to the next statement...
REST MEANS EVERYTHING!
I have been taking it very easy. I've been doing everything it takes to get healthy. I'm getting plenty of sleep. I'm eating exceptionally well. All of this adds up and it is so important to maintain it. 
Anyways, hats off to everyone that raced yesterday. I had a lot of friends out on the course yesterday and they all did absolutely fantastic! 

Right after my race, we had the kids race to do. So my two lovely athletes wandered over to the kids start to run 1.25km. This was an awesome event for kids. My oldest wanted to run on her own (in hindsight that was a big mistake when we couldn't find her for 30 min after the race). She did great!

Then my little one took off. She's a little nervous in crowds so I got the honours of running with her.
She was doing great until she tripped and fell. Poor thing skinned her knee. So, I had to piggy back her part of the way. She finally ran the last bit.

A big high 5 at the end!

My little trouper.

A big finish at the end! The kids got t-shirts and medals. Oh in case you were wondering how we finally found my big girl... she was getting her face painted instead of waiting for us at the finish line.

So big day in our house yesterday. We all felt like champions. To celebrate hubby took me out for lunch and a new amazing coffee spot:
FYI- Hey Happy is absolutely AMAZING!!!

Okay, last week I promised you a big surprise. Well, here it is. Once I tell you it means I am fully committed. Next year August 30th, 2015 I am going to attempt my very first full distance triathlon. 
3.8km swim
180km bike
42.2km run
Call me crazy but I am so excited!!! Also a big shout out and thank you to my awesome family, friends and 2 superb coaches for supporting me on this big adventure. I will be documenting this crazy challenge and I hope you will follow along for the ride.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Where do I start?

Another crazy year filled with hard training, great racing and of course a ton of fun. I am gearing down and tapering for my last race of the year... Victoria Good Life Marathon (I'm only doing the half). 
It seems I have neglected the blog to no end. I'll be honest life has been hectic, plus my computer crashed and frankly I had a disappointing big race this year which left me sick for weeks. I'll tell you more about that in a minute.  Lets start from the beginning...
First race of the season left me feeling anxious since I had just started getting back into training after being off for 3 months from pneumonia. After discussing with my coach we thought it best to not race then decided a compromise could work. I ended up doing the race as a relay. I of course got stuck doing the swim (which seems to happen every time I do a relay).
We placed first in our division which was the ladies relay. Best of all, we had a blast.
This race gave me the boost I needed to jump back into training. All was going great until I got a stress fracture in my foot at the beginning of June. So there went another 4 weeks of much needed training. So I dipped into a bit of depression for a bit, feeling extremely sorry for myself. I had to drop out of another race and worst of all, I had to relax. 

Come July I was feeling a bit better so I eased myself into training again. With only 2 weeks until the Vancouver Subaru Triathlon I was feeling less then ready. So I decided to go in as a strictly training race. The race went way better then I thought. The swim was not my favourite since it was an ocean swim (I am absolutely terrified of ocean swimming) but the bike course was a fast 2 lap course and the run was a gorgeous route right along the water. 
I had my husband and kids cheer me on and it was awesome!

Next up on my race schedule was the Self Transcendence race in Victoria. This is my all-time favourite race. It's a smaller venue but you are well taken care of. I recommend this event to all short distance triathletes. They even have a duathlon.
This race is always fun and games for me. My BFF and I head down Saturday to pick up our race packs and go out for dinner and have a fun evening together. We always go to bed reminding each other this race is all about fun!!! 
This year the water was so warm it was a no wetsuit swim. That's all right by me. I seem to swim the same pace with or without my wetsuit. Coming out of the water I had no idea what my time was since my Garmin wouldn't turn on for me. The swim course felt a little long (which it was according to everyone else's times). Got on my bike and took off. I wasn't feeling very fast on my bike and it showed. I swear I got passed by every single person out on the course. Even one of my friends asked if I was ok (it was that obvious I was struggling). When I came into transition I was ready to throw in the towel. I was feeling so crushed, but I decided to head out on the run anyways. Slowly I built up into a really nice pace and bit by bit I started picking people off one by one. In the end I pulled off my fastest run in an Olympic Distance Triathlon. I even won my age group!

Moral of the story? Don't ever quite. You might have a terrible swim or bike but sometimes if you persevere the outcome may be amazing!!!

Turns out the whole Berg squad came out on the podium!!!
I absolutely love this race!!!!

Now that I got a little self esteem in the racing department I was ready to tackle the rest of my training to prep me for Ironman Lake Stevens 70.3
This meant spending much quality time with my running group
This group is awesome!!!! So much talent and inspiration. Each one of them have had PR's this year. Very determined group they are.
So 2 weeks out from Lake Stevens and I'm a little worried. It has finally hit me a how little training I have actually done this year. All the set backs I had to deal with. I had a few people tell me I should just write this race off and worry about next year. I'm not that kind of girl. I signed out for this race so I need to finish it.

So myself and my lovely traveling and racing companions headed down to Lake Stevens Washington. Rumour has it that this race is tough. One of the toughest 70.3 around. I foolishly ignored that remark. When we arrived we went straight to package pick up. The race shirts were terribly ugly so I had to spend some extra money to get a shirt I would actually wear that boasts that I indeed do the Lake Stevens 70.3
We had a lovely evening getting to know the area and relaxing at the hotel. The next day (aka. the day before the big race) well, I think we were all feeling a little nervous. We decided to test out the water and get in a quick swim. The water was "furry" and brown. Not the crystal clear waters I'm used to.
Then we drove part of the bike course. We were trying to find the toughest parts. To us according to the race info the first half of the bike course was more challenging with a short but steep hill in the second half. Course seemed no different then what we ride at home. All is good!!!
Go to race meeting, then back to hotel for much needed RnR and race prep.

We stayed in the rest of the day and night and watched movies. Very nice way to prep.
Race morning came way too fast.
The jitters set in and I was feeling ill. The girls were keeping me at bay for not freaking out and even the fabulous pro Melanie McQuaid gave me a little hug and pep talk before the race.
It was time to get this thing started!!!
My group was the first group to go after pro's. I was nervous. I had an excellent swim despite being ploughed over by some of the men who started after us. I was in the front group and came out of the water in 12th. Got out on the bike and stayed focus. I had marked down which area's I needed to pay special attention to. Lake Steven's bike course is very technical. Lots of left and right turns and blind spots. I saw a few good crashes. The worst part about this bike course is because a lot of the turns were at the bottom of hills I could never really get my speed up. My average speed was only 28km an hour. Not fast enough.
Felt pretty good on the bike despite it being crazy hard. That little hill I was warned about? Well it was tough but manageable. The toughest part was after that hill, there were 100 more smaller ones. Ugh!!!! My legs were tired. Coming in to transition I was feeling pretty good but my stomach was feeling a bit off. I was staring to question my nutrition even though I followed my plan to a T. 
Go out on the run and started off with a great pace. I  was feeling strong. About 3 km's in I started getting weird stomach cramps. Not the usual stitch kind, but full on I think I have an appendicitis one. I tried to pouch through the discomfort but had to stop. I kept thinking it was my nutrition so at every single aid station I tried to eat something, anything. I tried bananas, oranges, pretzels, coke, gels. You name it, if it was available I tried it. Unfortunately every time I tried something the pain got worse. So I continued on and managed to shuffle across the finish line surviving the 1/2 marathon on just ice water. This was the toughest race for me physically and mentally. I have never gotten so sick. I have never wanted to quit so badly, I was never so uncomfortable in a race as I was on this day. I cried 3 times during the run. Something I have never done before. I was quite worried I wasn't going to finish and to be honest I'm not sure if I was upset because I might not finish or because I was suffering so bad. Regardless, I did it. What got me to the finish line? Probably my stubbornness and my cheapness... I paid a lot of money to get to that race and I wanted that friggin' medal!
In the end my sickness was not due to my nutrition plan but to the fact I was actually sick. The flu had gone through my house a few days before I left for the race and it turns out it hit me on race day. It turns out this was in fact my worst race ever but I sure learned a lot that day.
I am tough
I need to train properly
Know when to pull the plug
My body is capable or crazy things.
Am I glad I did the race? Yes! Will I do it again? Probably one day but no time soon. Did I have fun? At the time I would have said no but I did in fact have fun. Crossing that finish line meant a lot to me that day.
So how crazy am I? After being so sick during this race just 5 days later I have another 1/2 marathon to run...
This is the best half in the whole wide world!!! My sister and I go to this race together. We also did it last year. Normaly I would never do back to back races like this but I just couldn't miss it.

This is just how fabulous it is!!!

This year we really took advantage of our girls weekend. We went and saw Jack Johnson while we were in Vancouver on the Thursday night. Friday is the Sea Wheeze expo. All of that fabulous Lululemon clothing waiting for us to snatch up and buy. This year I was up at 5am to get in line. But check out our try on pile:

Afterwards we checked out the rest of the expo, including air brushed tattoos and massages followed by yummy treats.
We enjoyed Vancouver to it's fullest!

The race itself is always fabulous too. The best cheering around plus you get a ton of goodies. I definitely did not PR. Right from the 1km in I was hurting. My muscles screamed at me the entire 21.1km. I had to do a walk/run just to get myself to the finish line.
This year we got cute hats, finisher medals and Saje essential oils. Plus an after race brunch.
Then of course is the after party. After relaxing the afternoon away we head to the famous Stanley Park for food, music and fun!!!

So there you have it. My crazy race season in a nut shell. I know it was a long post but I had lots to share. 
So my last race is 6 days away. I am resting nicely and getting ready to finish with a bang! After that I have a big crazy announcement!!!