Off to BOISE!

Since my last posting training has been going well. I've had some tired days, some good days and some not so good days. A few days ago I had an awesome MAF-type test on the track. I was hitting an average time of 7:04 per mile at a fairly low heart rate. Today though was a tired evening where I ran a lofty 11 minutes. Yes - 11minutes. Time for bed!

Another 15 hours of driving is on the agenda for the next couple of days. As for Boise, hopefully I will not freeze in the water as I've heard that it is mighty cold! I have a insulated cap but might need to add booties and gloves to my neoprene collection.

The weather has been good in Solvang and I cannot complain about the beautiful area. One thing I can complain of though is the amount of money I spend on FOOD and GAS. I guess food is just that much more expensive in California, or I just do not know how to bargain-find. I eat healthy and knowing this, I don't try to stress over the amount I spend, as health is more important than cost. However, I do stress and need to learn to de-stress. Gas is expensive everywhere but with travel you see the digit$ creeping up daily. Yikes!

After Boise, I'm off to Penticton for a few days to hang out with Erik and my old training partner, HOBBES (border collie). I then head back down south again to travel to the triathlon mecca of the world: Boulder, Colorado. It is going to be awesome to be able to train with (near?) all the pros that reside there and to be able to continue one-on-one training with Chuckie. The best part of all this travel is that I get to include more states to my 'Places I have Been' list. So far this year I have travelled to Oregon, Washington, and California. After this weekend, and when I head to Colorado, I will be able to include: Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, Utah and Colorado! So far my favorite places are: Solvang, Bend and believe it or not, Laguna Beach.

The last few days

The last couple of days have been of the go-through-the-motions type. After Wednesday's epic indoor ride I had to take some time to rejuvenate. I was surprised that I wasn't sick of the bike - I wanted to get out there. And that I did. Yesterday was a weird day in Solvang - RAIN. I was lead to believe it never rains here in May. I ventured out for an 1hr20min run and again in the evening for a 1.5hour easy ride. It was pouring for the run and drizzling for the ride. I think it's best not to complain - as rain falls once a summer if at all here in Solvang. I had a great swim yesterday as well - 4,700 yards with around 3,700y at a slightly faster pace than my current base pace (via a long set of intervals...4 x "broken" 1000's). Thursday included a mellow swim, bike and run (hence: go-through-the-motions).

Boise 70.3 is in one week and I am excited! It should be a fun race with two transition areas and a hilly bike course. We are driving up there on Thursday. Another adventure! :)

Yesterday - EPIC

Yesterday started with a mellow 3000-yard continuous swim and a 45-minute run to meet Chuckie at the library. It was crazy windy. After a good lunch and break, we headed over to our friend Jesse's house to use his garage for a planned epic indoor ride. I rode for 3 hours with my heart rate pegged a few beats below my LT. Yes – 3 hours! Chuckie was a HUGE help with motivation. He wrote some good quotes for me to read and said some good words when I needed them – tough ones at that! My wattage decreased a lot around the 2hour 20min mark, just about the time it takes to do a half-Ironman bike ride. I need to work on better stamina! This was the toughest ride yet. Chuckie was really great though. I swear I wouldn’t have finished without his yelling, motivation and presence.

I am ALIVE

I haven't posted for a while so here is a quick recap of the last couple of weeks! (I have been a driving machine - I think I have travelled more in the last couple of weeks than I have in last 5 years!).

We got back the Spokane Washington after the testing that I had done up there 2 weeks ago. The drive was long! Chuckie and I broke it up by staying in Bend, Oregon, where I swam in the BEST 50-metre pool ever and road up toward Mount Bachelor for an hour. I also was able to run along the Deschutes River while there. If I had to choose a place to live, Bend is on the top of the list! It is beautiful there and reminds me of my routes from Prince George, BC.

This past weekend I did a photo shoot with AVIA and jumped into a local race in Encinitas. We decided to do the spint race as we were already heading out that way. I placed 2nd to Kate Major. It was such a fun way to get in a workout. The waves in the ocean were tough to swim through and I definitely need practice trying to use them to my advantage.

The AVIA crew was awesome to hang out with and I had a blast with my first ever photo shoot. Chuckie has some pics on his blog. It was a full day with a nice easy run after. We had some great meals and stayed at a beautiful hotel right beside the ocean.

I also received some help from an anonymous family member this past weekend as well. THANKS!!!! I am very grateful for your support and will use it to help me get to my next race: BOISE 70.3.

I am back in Solvang for about one week and then we start our trek to Boise. I am a bit nervous because I am not used to all this travel and fitting in training. I feel confident but possibly know this is not going to be my best race in 2008. Once I get to Colorado and on a regular schedule, things are going to be great! Nonetheless, I am loving life and am enjoying every minute of it (minus the time spent in LA traffic!).

Oh - I updated my 2008 race schedule.

Busy times ahead. I am off to eat a YUMMY salad.

Check out the pics on Chuckie's site

I have been a bit late on the blogging but plan to update on the drive home from Washington. Check out Chuckie's blog for the pics of the testing that was done this past weekend. :)

Wildflower RECAP

This past weekend was my first time at Wildflower and my first time racing a full half ironman as a professional and my second ever. WOW! Wow to all the competitors, wow to all the sponsors, wow to one of my new sponsors AVIA, wow to the race course, wow to the dining, scenery, and WOW to the race experience! I had such a great time and am still in a bit of a shell shocker. The whole weekend was jam-packed with meeting new people, meeting Team AVIA and enjoying what living is all about (or at least to the people out there who enjoy suffering in the heat while pushing their bodies to the utmost limits and holding on for as long as they can!). Every race I do, I am more amazed at the human body. There must have been over 40,000 campers at Lake San Antonio this past weekend.

Pre-race:
I woke up at 5:45 to kick start the day with a very large cup of coffee and a few bars. I slept quite well and was ready to get down to the race sight. I walked a few minutes, jogged a few minutes and rode my bike down to the transition area. I did a few pick-ups at race speed.

Swim:
I believe there was around 15-20 pro-women on the start line. The swim was shaped as an L-shape. I got stuck in midst of flailing arms and kicking. It was a rough start and I unfortunately didn’t get on someone’s heels again. I was left with one other girl and managed to draft part-way. The last 200m or so I lead in. There were a few girls in the back and a few in front of us. The ‘swimmers’ were already out of the water before I had a chance to see them get away.

Bike:
I felt strong on the bike. Seeing the course prior to racing it makes a huge difference mentally and physically. I knew what was coming and sustained a solid average heart-rate. I had no ‘low’ times on the bike at all and felt strong coming into transition. The time flew by on the hills and I knew I was going to at least make time on the girls behind me. I caught a few ladies and that fueled the fire for me to keep going. I used Chuckie’s race wheels: sew-ups. It made my bike feel like a million bucks – minus the few extra pounds I carry compared to the triathlon specific bikes and I am sure, every pro woman out there! I love my Cannondale but I know it’s a bit on the heavy side as compared to the P2 or Transition or….

Run:

This course is by far the HARDEST course I have run. And to this year, it was my hardest run yet. (My previous hardest run was a LT run lasting a whopping 40minutes. It is all part of the slow progression…) The first five miles were literally up and down, slanted rough dirt trails that seemed to have been made by the wild boar that we saw a week past.. I managed to pace myself with a 25-29 year old age-group male who helped me up and down the hills stride for stride. At the 6 mile marker things started to feel better. I used coke and NUUN for fuel and this helped with the waning energy that emerged literally every 5 minutes in the first 5 miles. Chuckie was able to ride around on his mountain bike on the race course and cheered us all on. He coaxed me to push a little deeper at mile 10-12 and I caught Alexis Smith (formerly Waddell). The last mile was downhill and I relaxed until the finish line. Overall, I placed 7th with a time of 4:50 flat.

I feel great about the race and felt solid in the bike – something I was aiming for this time. I continue to try and find the large feet, oversized lats and upper body strength that is needed in the swim – but I think it may just take a bit more hard work and patience…

As for the rest of the weekend, I had a blast meeting so many amazing people. Specialized hooked me up with a new pair of triathlon shoes (Thanks Ian Dewar!). I was able to meet my new sponsor, AVIA. I am so excited to work with them and will be travelling to more of their events – including Vineman! Everyone on their team was awesome and I am looking forward to working with them this season.

Overall it was such a great experience and it made me realize how much hard work is ahead. Thanks to everyone who emailed me and congratulated me on my first pro half-Ironman. My next race on the schedule is Boise 70.3.