Happy New Years

A few days late but Happy New Year friends! I am so excited to embrace 2015. As most of my followers know 2014 brought me a lot of hiccups. It was a very challenging year for me in all aspects of my life... family, friends, work, triathlon. You name it we probably went through it. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? So when I say bring on 2015 I truly mean it. 

So far it hasn't started out great triathlon wise. December 30th I came down with the flu but decided to still go ahead with our annual New Years Party. 

I probably should have cancelled and went to bed at 8pm but I didn't and now I am suffering. I'm completely off all workouts until it clears out of my chest. Needless to say I'm a bit grumpy. 

I have been sipping on natural remedies since the Benelyn made me feel like a recovering drug addict.

Honestly, my lemon, ginger beet juice made me feel way better then those pseudoephedrines. I am trying to be positive but it is hard when you have great expectations. So on that note...

So onward and upward I say! So many other positive things. I've been off during the Christmas break which means lots of fun times with my family.

We did the fantastic Christmas skate at our local skating rink.

A little bowling with our friends. Just a little side note... Bowling is not my sport. All of the kids beat me. Seriously I suck at bowling. My friend even told me how bad I suck. She reminded me I can't be good at all sports and of all the sports to suck at bowling is a good. She's so positive ; )

We also got a little climbing in. Climbing will always have a special place in my heart, that's how my husband and I met so to take the kids is the ultimate fun thing for us to do.

We had a wonderful Christmas as usual. It was just us this year. We had no company for Christmas and it was lovely. We took our time opening presents, had a wonderful vegan Christmas dinner and even played with some of our new toys...

Speaking of new toys I got a few of my favourite things!

Playing on my new rollers!!! I also got my Adamo saddle!

So with Santa being overly kind to me this year got me excited for the 2015 race season. I don't have a lot of triathlon races this year. Because I am focussed on my main goal of completing my first full distance (Ironman distance) race I decided to only commit to 2 other races. So first up will be the Ironman Victoria 70.3

Next up I think I will do a short little Olympic close to home as well.

The Langford Triathlon will be it's first year hosting this Olympic and Sprint race. I'm very excited for a new course to try.

Then last but not least, my biggest goal of my life August 30 2015:

I'm going to be honest, I am terrified of this. It's the unknown. I've never done these distances before. I've never ran a marathon, I've never biked over 120km so those two together scares me immensely, but this is a dream I've had for a while. 

So February 1st I embark on my training. I've been doing a bit of pre-season training. I've hit the pool a few times, I try to get on the bike twice a week, and I'm hammering out some good runs. I have no idea how this journey will end but I have a good feeling that it will be one of the greatest adventures of my life. I have a great running coach who will keep the reins very tight on me, I have a cycling coach who will definitely steer me on the right direction. I can do this and I will do it as best as I can. 

I don't really do New Years resolutions but during my Ironman training each month I have a new resolve. Some of the resolves I have for myself is to be positive no matter what gets thrown my way. Start meditating daily. Be thankful for all opportunities. 

So Happy New Year to you and yours. I hope 2015 brings you joy, happiness, excitement and adventure. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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:

http://triathlonworldsummit.com

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.