Some Canadian Beauty

In light of recent world events and with not so good news happening in my life, I thought I share some of the beauty that I got to experience out west during my trip!  Enjoy!

On top of Whistler Mountain

Bridal Veil Falls

hiking Matthew's Traverse

canoeing on Moraine Lake

Moraine Lake beauty - I think this is my favourite lake!

And I took a dip in this glacier lake - 4C! It was cold!

Just a little bit frustrated!

2017 hasn't been panning out as I had hoped for so far.  I got a coach and my training has been progressing really well to the point I felt like I had some PBs in my pocket.  I felt like I had an awesome comeback brewing until injury struck me, AGAIN!

I went into Syracuse 70.3 feeling like I was in shape but I was already hurting.  I had stopped running 2 weeks before the race for a hip pain that felt awfully familiar and suspicious.  I couldn't see my chiro or sports doc before the race so I proceeded with caution.  I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get through the run but my mental strength prevailed and I finished!  Not a pretty time at all but I crossed the line.  The week after that I got my diagnosis of a torn left TFL.

IMC swim finish- 1:08

IMC bike- 7:01

Fast forward to Ironman Canada in Whistler and my coach and I made the tough decision to go into that race to DNF = Did not finish.  The tear was too fresh to have healed, and if I would have tried to finish it I may have been looking at a complete tear.  Not a good thing when I have Kona later this year.  Kona is the grand show and my main goal!  So we decided to pull out after the bike and enjoy Whistler instead.  I actually had an awesome trip out west visiting my good friend and exploring BC and Alberta!  So beautiful there!

However, the week before Whistler I managed to have the good fortune of getting the "door prize".  I was doored while on my commuter on my way home from swim practice.  The same day I was to leave and catch my flight to Edmonton.  I made my flight but not without being bloody with new bumps and bruises.  I hit the pavement hard and injured my whole left side, including landing on my already injured hip and splitting open my elbow and knee.  I was a whole beautiful array of purple, blue and green coloured brusies, lol!  Not quite what I needed but there must have been forces out there that made sure I wasn't going to run in Whistler.

I had a great swim at IMC, felt like my old self out there!  They have changed many of the ironman swim starts to rolling time trial format or by age group which allows for way more room.  I had my own water the whole time and just swam my stroke.  The bike was a tough one.  We treated this as a dress rehearsal for Kona, so I biked as though I was going to run after as opposed to just doing the bike.   I was actually feeling very strong and was doing well until the last 30k or so - uphill into the wind.  I felt like I was not moving at times.  I also lost a lot of time on the downhills because I am a bit of a chicken out there and ride the breaks.  I still did improve my bike time by 9min from 2014 so I was pleased with that, and we didn't have the wind back then like we did this year.  It was tough pulling out after the bike though.  Being surrounded by everything IM got me going and I wanted to run, but I planned for this and did not pack my running shoes.  I actually packed my flip flops in my run transition bag.

After a wonderful time out west, I am back to the grind and back to training.  I am also trying everything possible to heal as much as I can so I can be ready for Kona.  I am panicking a little as I have less than 10 weeks left and I somehow need to heal and be prepared to run a marathon by then.  I don't know what will happen but I know I will cross that finish line in October one way or another.

I am trying to remain optimistic and keeping my fingers crossed that I will heal in time and be able to run a strong IM marathon.  Stay tuned!

PRP!

In hopes of expediting the healing process, I went for a PRP injection last week.  PRP = platelet rich plasma injection.  Basically, about 30cc of my blood is withdrawn, the sample is then spun down for the platelets, and then the platelets are injected into the site of insult.  It was actually my swim coach who brought it up.  I did not think about it since I did not go the PRP route for my right TFL tear.  However, this time it's a bit different as time is of the essence right now.  I asked my chiro if it was even an option and he went to the doc to see what could be done!  Well, according to my chiro, the doc must like me because he was going to squeeze me in the very next day!  I actually asked for it to be pushed by one day so I could still teach my spin class and the run clinic that I lead.

So early Friday morning I went to the sports medicine clinic to hand over $600 and get the PRP injection.  The doc was quite impressed with the tear - another good one!  Still smaller than the right one though, lol!  Memories of my last PRP injection into my hamstring came back quick with the pain!  The actual process is not THAT bad.  I mean, you still get a huge a$$ needle being stuck into your hip to get into the muscle and then your blood is injected into a small area.  But once I stood up, that pain!  It was difficult to put full weight on my leg, yet I think this one was less painful than my hamstring injection.

I had to back off training completely over the weekend to not stress the area too much and get the PRP to do it's job.  I really do not know if this will work but I was and am willing to try anything to get me back to training.  At this point, I think I may have to let go of IM Canada.  I will at least swim/bike the ironman but the long term goal is Kona and I have to keep that into perspective.  I am not going to lie, this is going to be real difficult for me.  I have never DNF'd a race and I know I will have trouble pulling the plug.  I have to get my mind around this one though.  I need to be healthy for Kona.

Here's hoping for the best!

Ohhhh....TFL....

Well the injury bug got me again! :(  My tensor fascia latae...or aka: TFL!

I did not know about this muscle until I had my big tear during the NYC marathon in the fall of 2015! 

Here is a little info on the little muscle that is oh so important and can cause so much pain when unhappy.  The function of the TFL is to stabilize the hip and the pelvis. It also aids in flexing the hip by raising the leg out in front, abducts the hip, and medially rotates the hip.  It attaches at the top to the pelvis at the anterior iliac crest and inserts into the IT band. The IT band basically acts as a really long, thick tendon for the TFL.

In 2015, my hip was niggling and I thought it was something that was just going to bug me during the marathon.  Nope!  4km in and I tore it, and it tore big! 2.3cm partial tear off the pelvis.  That muscle took me a very long time to heal but I can finally say I am completely pain free!  That is in my right hip!  I guess my left one was feeling left out.  I felt some niggling for the past month or so but it would go away as my runs progressed.  That is until 2 weeks before I raced Ironman 70.3 Syracuse.  My left hip was really starting to bother me but I still managed to complete my training runs.  Well, it started to hurt when I walk too and I feared my TFL because the pain was so familiar.  I was really hoping it was bursitis or something.  Then I went out for a planned 2hr run the week before the race and cut it at 42min because the pain was getting worse and I was just getting slower.  So I stopped running until Syracuse and went into Syracuse not knowing if I could finish it.  The long term goal this year is Kona so I have to keep that into perspective.   I managed to finish Syracuse with not too much pain so the week after the race I started running again.  Well that lasted all but 2- 30min runs.  I had my sports doc appointment anyways so I thought I give it one last test.  Walking hurt again so I knew it wasn't going to be good.

My worst fear was confirmed: I tore my TFL in my left hip - right of the iliac crest!  I guess it's a bad sign when your sports doc knows you well and knows how I react to pain and when the ultrasound tech knows you as well! Ha!  I asked why this happened again since I was so diligent in keeping strength training as part of my training routine focusing on my glutes and hamstrings.  I did not over-train and have a coach to make sure I kept everything on track and not go crazy in training.  So I was quite disappointed!  Back to no running!  Argh!  I actually did some retail therapy after I got the news, haha!  Good news, the tear is about 1cm!  So not as big!  I have no idea if I can complete Whistler and deep down inside me thinks not!  But I am still going as I paid for everything and I am allowed to swim and ride like heck! Lol!

Back to the bench I go! (For running at least!)

Ottawa Half Marathon

I participated in my first real race of the year, (I'm not counting the NYE run), on May 27th - the Ottawa Half Marathon.  This race was actually a friend's of mine idea.  She lives in Newfoundland so it was a chance for us to reunite.  She is a real runner!  A pro at the ultra distance stuff!  She did what they called the Lumberjack challenge: 2k, 5k, 10k on the Saturday and the full marathon on the Sunday.  I was going to do the Voyageur challenge: 5k, 10k on the Saturday and the half on the Sunday.  However, with being in an air cast in January and having to slowly rebuild my run to prevent re-injury, my coach and I decided to just stick to the half marathon.  I only got to 15km two weeks before the half and did a 16km run the week before.  I only started getting my pace back below 6min/km so I knew my goal of sub 2hr was going to be tough.  I knew I was no where near ready to PB this run but I was deeply hoping for a sub 2hr.  This would be my longest run in a loooong time.  Since this was more of a training race, I brought my bike with me and on Saturday rode in Gatineau park and along the Rideau canal with another old friend of mine who now lives in Ottawa.

Race day was actually quite warm.  Not uncharacteristically warm but all of a sudden warm so our bodies were not acclimatized to the heat and it made the run a bit more of a challenge.  I tried to settle out in a steady pace but of course adrenaline got the best of me and I started out quite quickly.  I was hoping my legs and feet would feel light and fast like my 15km run a couple of weeks ago but it wasn't meant to be.  I felt like I had to work hard to maintain pace.  I was steadily holding about a 5:41min/km pace and I thought I was right on target for a 2hr half and I was actually quite excited about that.  With 4km to go I decided to go for it!  I was going to try for the sub 2hr and deep inside me knew it was a bit of a mistake as I knew I was going to destroy my legs going for it.  With 2km to go, the wheels fell off - haha!  I struggled to keep a 6min/km pace.  But I thought I did enough for a sub 2hr.  Turned out I was way off mark.  Not sure if my garmin went wonky at some point or the distance markers were inaccurate.  My watch clocked in at 2:01 for a 5:42min/km pace but for 21.33km, even though I started my garmin late.  My official time was 2:02 with a 5:48min/km pace.  So not sure what exactly happened but either way I was actually quite pleased.  I only started getting my pace back under 6min and here I managed it for 21km.  The next day, or days, I paid for it though.  My legs felt like I did a marathon, haha!  But I was happy!  Woo!

Up next: Syracuse 70.3!!!

Where Am I At?

I've been busy putting in the hours both at work and training.  I am logging anywhere from 14-17 hours a week of training and consistently working 48-60 hrs a week.  Life is trying to get in the way again on a personal level but I am keeping focused and working hard.  I do thank coach for that as I am accountable to him and I have to keep plugging away despite what is going on, and hey, it's a good distraction really.

My last 20min test was a success!  I had another improvement and I am super happy with that!  I clocked in at 217W!  Woo!  My 3min test was not all that well executed as I went out pretty hard and died off.  I believe that was just a 1-2W improvement (cannot remember exactly!).  I believe I clocked in at 278 or 279W.  That is ok though because it still was an improvement which means I keep getting stronger! Yay!

My runs are slowly getting longer and I am almost feeling like my old self when out there!  I did a 15km run a few weeks ago and I felt just awesome out there and I was smiling!  My pace is improving and I just hope I keep getting stronger.  Also been continuing with the outdoor rides now and I am at just over 100km.  So awesome to be outdoors!  So I am slowly and steadily increasing the distance and intensity.  Things are looking pretty good so far! :)

Plugging Away

I have been a bad blogger!  I will use the excuse that I have been so busy training and working that I haven't had a chance to sit down and update here for a while!  I have been diligent in making all my workouts and although I had some rough patches, overall, I am happy with how things are going.  

April was a particularly hard month to get through.  My work schedule was, for lack of a better word, insane.  I was working 5-6 12hr shifts a week for the whole month.  Add in 12-14 hours a week of training to the mix of things and I learned that there is only so much I can take.  I got sick at the beginning of the month, then I went through a couple of workouts where I missed the mark.  However, I am continuing to build on my run and I am steadily improving on my cycling.  Furthermore, I got my Kona accommodations all sorted out! Woo! So things are looking good!

20min test and goal! 

I did another test set at the beginning of the month - actually the week I got sick.  Even though I was sick, I still saw some improvements.  My 3min test saw a huge 10W improvement!  Sweet!  I went from 267W to 277W.  I may have paid the price for that one though as I had a terrible cough and chest pain from my cold that it may have taken more out of me than expected.  I did the 20min test at the end of the week and saw more improvement but not as dramatic as the 3min one.  I was aiming for 215W but at the end I managed to hold 211W.  An improvement from 208W from my previous test.  And I was dry heaving at the end of that test - a first for me!

Here is the data from my 20min test.

I am now doing my long rides outdoors as long as the weather cooperates.  I have done three of them so far ranging from 2-3hrs.  I am running just over an hour now as I am steadily building up to the Ottawa half marathon.  I need to be careful that I don't overdo it running as I do not want to go back into the aircast.  So things are steadily progressing and I am getting myself into decent shape! (Thanks to coach!)

My race schedule is pretty much finalized.  After the Ottawa half marathon, I will race the Syracuse 70.3, then IM Canada (Whistler), Rev3 Niagara Barrelman half, and then KONA!  This will be a heavy year - two IMs and two half IMs!  I am hoping my body just stays healthy and in one piece throughout the year.

So you see, I have been keeping myself busy and training hard!  Just keeping one foot going in front of the other.

Happy birthday to me!

Besides getting my Kona confirmation yesterday on my birthday, I also got to perform another 20min all out test.  This will benchmark where I am now after a solid month of hard interval training on the bike!  And I pleased to report, I passed!  I put out my best average ever and I am pretty pumped about that!  Here is my garmin summary for the 20min test - 208W!!!! Woo! That is a 6W improvement from my last one!

Today I did the 3min all out test!  I have to say today's test hurt a lot more.  After yesterday's 20min effort and then a hard swim set this morning, my legs were not happy with what I was asking them to do.  However, I did improve over my last one.  I actually held 268W until the last second when it dropped to 267W, lol!  Something to improve on next time.  Here is my garmin screen from the 3min test:

To top off these efforts, I did get a lovely ice cream birthday cake from my parents!!!  Here is the awesome cake they got me, complete with a musical candle!  :)  I am a pretty lucky and blessed gal to be able to do what I love and to enjoy all the little things in life with the people I love!

KONA!!!!!!!!

This was in my inbox this morning!!!

So it's official!!! I'm heading to the big island for the grand show!!! So exciting!!!

Power tests and more!

Training is coming along fairly smoothly over the last couple of weeks.  I am super happy with my new coach and I am seeing some gains.  I am also happy to report that I am out of the aircast for now!  My x-ray was negative so the doc gave me permission to stress the foot and try running again.  I do have an MRI coming up to make sure we did not miss anything.  I have tried running but only short runs for now and I only ran three times so far.  I cannot say I am completely pain free but it really isn't too bad.  If my foot does get bad again, I am to go back into the aircast until I get the MRI.  I am being very optimistic at the moment!

On my fourth week of my training program I did the ever dreaded but very important 20 min all out test to determine my power ranges.  I dread these tests because it hurts soooo much!  Breathing hurts, the lactic acid buildup is substantial, my muscles shaking - you know you are giving it your all.  I actually did two tests, a 3min all out, and a 20min all out.  I am pleased with my 20min all out as I may have met or close to met my previous all time best.  I am not 100% certain but I am pretty sure I matched my best!  Woo!!!!!!!  Super pleased with my effort and how my training is coming along.  My average power for the 3min test was 263W and for the 20min test it was 202W!  My coach created some charts based on my results with my different power zones which I was pretty impressed with - meaning him creating the charts! 

After my tests, I had a little getaway to visit my roots!  I had a fantastic and eye-opening time meanwhile, I got a bit sun-kissed too!  Once I got back, I started my next block of training and it has been a bit tough!  But this is what I signed up for and I think I am getting into pretty decent shape!  I am even swimming 5km at the 2hr masters swim practices.  I only broke 5km once ever at masters swim - years ago!  So far I already swam 5km twice this week.  2017 is looking like its shaping into quite the year!!!  I am very excited to see what happens! :)

Week 2 Down!

I am back into the swing of training again!  I am actually very excited to have a training program again that I have to follow and a coach to be accountable to!  It's been tough to get back into the swing of things and I have to be much more organized to be able to fit everything in but I am loving every minute.  Week one and two were a success.  I completed all planned workouts and met all current targets! Woo!  Last week I even logged almost 12 hours of training! I'm ba-ack!!! :)  

Now though, I am faced with a minor set back!  If you refer back to my previous post you will see that I mentioned turning my ankle at the fun NYE 5km run I did.  I hoped it was just a sprain, but alas, injury hits me again.  The top of my foot ended up getting bruised and caused some concern for me.  If I sprained my ankle, I would have expected my ankle itself and the area around it to be bruised like my other one did back in September.  But this bruise was on the top of my foot on the baby toe side.  I did initially get it checked out and got an x-ray and it was clear.  I was told to not run and give it a couple of weeks.  Yesterday I had a follow up and the news was not so good!  I ended up getting put in an air cast!  Noooo!!!!  The doc assessed my foot and there is still pain over top of the 5th metatarsal bone.  He said there are no ligaments or tendons in that area so it is a bone injury.   I have very loose ligaments so I either turned my ankle so far that I landed on the top of my foot to cause this pain or the ligament was so strong that it pulled on my bone or I plain and simple just broke it.  He said there was no point in getting another x-ray at the moment since nothing may still show up.  It may or may not be fractured.  Either way, he said the treatment will be the same.  If it isn't broken, it is a bone bruise and a stress reaction of the 5th metatarsal.  And I am not to weight bear because I can risk making it worse.  So I am in a walking boot for two weeks and then I will reassess at that point.  He actually also wanted to put me on crutches but I must have given him some look that he decided not to.  My plan right now is to replace my run workouts with water running.  I am very determined not to fall too far behind in running.  I can keep cycling and swim training as long as there is no pain.  Getting around will be a challenge with it being winter though.  I just ordered a waterproof cover so I can be more mobile without getting my poor foot wet or freezing it to death.

My new footwear!  Didn't plan on starting 2017 in this!

Happy New Year!!!

Yay!  2017 is here!!!!  I am quite happy to say farewell to 2016 and bring on 2017!!!!

I decided to start the new year with a fun 5km race which started at the stroke of midnight!  I went full out and dressed up in pink and purple tutus and even won best costume for the night!  So I guess this is my first race report of 2017!  I went into this knowing it was a fun race and had no expectations.  Well, my competitive side got the best of me and I went out quite fast.  Too fast for my lack of training.  Haha!  I quickly realized that I was going too fast and tried to reign myself in.  I ended up running a 5min/km for the first kilometer and I was quite happy with that!  I still have it in me! Haha!  I tried to settle into a steady pace but with icy roads all along the way I played it safe so I wouldn't hurt myself.  Unfortunately, I did turn my ankle in the last kilometer and now I am hoping it's nothing more than a sprain.  Fingers crossed!  I clocked in at 23:43!  Not bad at all!  But my hamstrings were also not too happy with that effort!  Oops!  Next time, maybe a bit more training! Nonetheless, I had a blast and enjoyed running in downtown Toronto in a tutu at midnight!  Check out my outfit below!

 
                   

Operation Kona 2017 is in full effect now!  I got my official first week training plan from my new coach.  I am officially signed up for my Ironman this year.  I was originally planning on Lake Placid, but my procrastination in signing up caught me in the butt and it was sold out!  So, onto plan B - Whistler!  I am actually quite excited to go back to Whistler so I can spend some time with a good friend.  I am also officially registered for the Legacy program.  Hopefully, all works out and I will be officially in the race of all races, the big kahuna, the big show on the big island of Kona.  I will find out on my birthday!!!

Soooo.....Happy New Year everyone!!!!  I wish you all a fabulous 2017 full of health, love, happiness, joy, food, warmth, and fast times!!!!  Cheers!!!

12 Days of Christmas special!

At spin class last night I decided to do something fun! I decided to lead a 12 Days of Christmas theme complete with some holiday tunes!  It was so much fun! And I'm not going to lie, it was tough! But what I love about spin classes is that no one ever gets dropped.  We ride as a group and you adjust your own tension so you get as much as you give!

To those that are curious to what kind of class I led, here is the skeleton of the workout:

12 min warm up - 6 min spin, 6 min single leg drills
11 X 11sec hard, 19sec easy
10 X 10sec sprint, 20sec easy
9 X 9sec hard, 21sec easy
8 X 8sec sprint, 22sec easy
7 X 7sec hard, 23sec easy
6 min climb
5 min standing climb
4 min rolling climb
3 min climb
2 min standing climb
1 min all out sprint!!!

The playlist included a mix of holiday songs and my regular workout songs.  It was actually quite the mix:

The Chanukah song - Adam Sandler
Christmas kiss - Meaghan Smith
Glad you came - The Wanted
On top of the World - Imagine Dragons
Barracuda - Moby
Wish Liszt - Trans Siberian Orchestra
So Happy Together remix - Poogie Bear
Paradise City - Guns N Roses
On the Run - Sam Roberts
Shake Senora remix - Pitbull
Wizards in Winter - Trans Siberian Orchestra
Mad Russian's Christmas - Trans Siberian Orchestra
Loose yourself - Eminem
Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24) - Trans Siberian Orchestra
Do they know it's Christmas? - Band Aid
Happy Xmas (War is over) - John Lennon

If you like what you see, come on out to my classes Thursday nights! I promise a good time, a good sweat, a good workout, and good tunes!

Torture Thursdays are back!

If you were following my blog before or if you look back, you will see that I coined my Thursdays as "Torture Thursdays" or TT.  Back then, I was running with the masters track team before going to masters swim practice!  Thursdays were tough!  Since my string of injuries, I can no longer do track workouts, but I found a new way to bring back TT!  Now I teach spin class at Striation 6 from 6:30-7:30pm and then ride my bike downtown to make it to masters swim practice for 9-11pm!  Yep!  Thursdays are back to being tough!  So tough that last week my left hamstring completely seized up on me in the pool!  Oops! Not exactly fun and I was almost brought to tears!  Haha!  I do need to figure out my nutrition so that doesn't happen again.  I did manage to recover and complete the swim set though.

On another note, I was able to escape on a mid-week 3-day girls trip to celebrate a couple of birthdays!  We had some delicious meals and spent half a day at the spa including getting a massage.  I even manged to go out for a 5km run one morning in the beautiful snow.   Today we went snowshoeing!  So fun!  I did some running and boy it's quite the workout!  I think I went out for about 5km.  Maybe a new cross-training winter sport?!  Too bad it's not as accessible in the city!

One foot in front of the other!

In order to keep this blog alive, I need to be putting in some mileage.  So....what better way than getting myself out there and finally going out for a run!  I am not a runner, I do not always enjoy running because it is hard work for me, and lately I have been avoiding it because I know I will be slow!  This is in addition to being afraid of realizing my injuries haven't completely healed yet.  But I have no choice but to start from ground zero and that means I have to get out there.  This was only my second run since my last IM in August and my last run was in October...not exactly a good track record.  However, for me to be ready to start serious training in January with my new coach, I need to get myself into some form of run shape.  I missed out on the beautiful fall weather we've had and I finally went out on a cold and windy December day.  But hey, I went out!  And I enjoyed it!  I wore my Garmin to track time and distance but I ignored it during my run because I knew I would just get frustrated.  So I just went out and ran.  And check out my colourful run attire!☺

I plan on getting out frequently for short runs to get my body back into running mode.  Baby steps will be my motto for this month!  Just one foot in front of the other!

Let's bring this back to life!

I have been away from the blogging world for a couple of years now.  I guess it was a combination of life, time, and injuries that distracted me from keeping this blog up to date!  Excuses! Excuses!  I am planning on making a full return to this blog and post about my triathlon and training adventures once again!  Hey, I have some things on the go and a new outlook on training and racing.  I've got a new coach, am hoping to make a full recovery from past injuries, and although not 100% confirmed yet, I plan on going to the grand race of all Ironmans through the legacy program - Kona!

So where have I been the last few years???  Here is a brief recap:

After my hamstring tear late 2012 and PRP treatments in 2013, I thought I would bounce right back in 2014.  I participated in the Women's only EPIC camp in Lanzarote which my last post was about.  I went on to race at Eagleman 70.3, Ironman Canada in Whistler, Niagara Falls Barrelman, and Ironman Arizona!!!  Yep, a double Ironman year. I also raced at a couple of open water swims: FINA World Masters Championships 3K swim in Montreal and Toronto Island Open Water 4K swim.   I wasn't fully prepared in June for an Ironman and that showed in my performance in Whistler.  I was trying to get my running back to where I left off pre-injury but I just did not have the time!  I had a good performance at Barrelman and was happy with how things were progressing.  Later that year I spent a couple of weeks in Arizona training for my second Ironman.  My cycling had really improved but I was still struggling with the running.  I ended up posting my fastest ever Ironman bike split in Tempe but my run suffered.  I was happy with the overall results though as it was my third fastest time.  At this point I felt like I needed a break from Ironman but what kept me going was how close I was to qualifying for Kona through the legacy program.  I did not want to regret not going for it in the future so I continued on.  2015 had me doing two triathlons: Muskoka 70.3 and Ironman Muskoka and the NYC marathon.  The 70.3 did not go well at all, however, I was ecstatic with my performance at the Ironman.  But injury plagued me again with needing to get a cortisone shot in my foot just days before the IM for a nerve injury.  Then disaster hit on the injury front at the NYC marathon.  I tore my tensor fascia latae right off my pelvis just 4km into the marathon.  I managed to finish it through some unknown will power but at a very disappointing pace!  My IM marathon was faster than my self standing marathon that year!  So I was back to no running and had to lay off the training.  Again, I wanted a break from IM but Kona was calling me so I committed to another IM for 2016. I was hoping I would get my ticket to Kona for 2016 but that was not in the cards, and looking back, probably for the best.  This past year I only raced in a local Olympic distance triathlon and the full IM in Mont-Tremblant.  My goal was to solely cross that finish line in MT to maintain my Kona eligibility and that I did.  Life got the best of me this past year - it was a tough one!  And trying to get my hip healed enough for me to get through an IM was a challenge.  I went into MT very unprepared but I felt like I ended up racing a smart race to come out of it uninjured and in one piece.  It was my slowest IM ever but I just had to finish!

Now heading into the last month of 2016 I am very much looking forward to 2017!  A fresh new start!  I am laying low until January when I will start to ramp up my training.  I got a new coach and I am super excited to work with him.  I was coachless the last couple of years mainly due to injury and being coachless does not work well for me.  I need accountability!  I am almost healed - I ended up badly spraining my ankle in September on a hike where the doc thinks I actually had an avulsion fracture.  But either way the treatment is the same so I am trying to get it strengthened so it will be good and strong by January.  My hip is almost fully healed and my hamstring just niggles every now and then.  Right now I am just doing stuff for fun and to keep me in some form of shape! Lol!  I am doing isometric strength training, swimming, and cycling.  I am now also teaching spin classes at a local gym - Striation 6 and I am having a blast with that!

So that is my quick summary of the last couple of years in a nutshell!  I plan on being more active on this blog and hopefully some of you will join me along on this ride!  2017 will be my swan song to Ironman if Kona is in the cards!  And I am pretty excited about that!

Epic Women Camp - Craziness!

I just got back from my second training camp this year!  This time I joined pro/coaches Tara Norton and Joanna Carritt for the Epic Women Training Camp in Lanzarote, Spain.  It definitely was an interesting week and definitely epic!  High volume training in some of the toughest conditions with crazy high winds and endless climbing.  I do not think I ever put in volume like I did during the eight day camp before in my life. My totals for the week: 24km swimming, 724km biking, and 47.5km running totaling about 50hrs of training!  I came into this camp nervous knowing I would be out of my league but I held my own and made new friends in the process.  The camp also had a points game going on and you got points for meeting the day's camp minimum and then bonus points for extra mileage or blogging.  My goal was to survive the week, become a better climber/descender on the bike, and to try to meet the camp's daily minimum.  I think I achieved all three!  I was not sure if I was going to be able to do all the runs but I did.  It wasn't too bad but by mid camp my hamstring was feeling it.  Since part of the camp was blogging, I blogged on the camp page every night.  So I have decided to cut and paste my blogs to here so you have a better idea of what we did with some pics!

Day 1 & 2 of Epic Women Camp

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Wendy L

Well, I made it!  My first ever Epic Women Camp and it is in Lanzarote, Canary Islands no less!   I was nervous coming in as I knew I would be out of my league but I figured I had nothing to lose but to get stronger.  Let me start off my saying I am in the company of some amazing and great women. Coach Tara and Jo have quite the resume and are two amazing and nice people.  I am surrounded by pro triathletes, a 30+ Ironman finisher, an Ultraman Canada champion, multiple IM finishers, and crazy strong and fast athletes!  No shortage of talent here!  I have my work cut out for me.  We also got some great swag from Zoot, and GU is providing our nutrition for the camp (bonus since I did not have to pack any nutrition which can add weight to luggage!).

So far I have survived Day 1 & 2!  Woohoo!  Day 1 we started with a 3km open water swim in the ocean, 105km bike ride including climbing Tobayesco which is apparently a famous climb here on the island, and a brutal 9km trail run.  Day 2 we did a 3km pool swim, 84km bike ride with a TT in the middle and a camel ride (not sure if we broke any Epic camp rules with that one but it definitely was fun!), and a 9km run that was not as brutal!   So far so good!  I am planning to survive the week, get stronger on the bike, and hopefully get my running legs back since I have been off of running due to injury.

Dinner time now! More tomorrow!

Day 3 – North Island Tour

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Wendy L

This is beginning to get hard!   Guess it is called “Epic” camp for a reason!

First off, I wanted to give props to our house host and hostess – Debs and Daz at Trisport Lanzarote!  They have been just incredible!  Debs has been creating some fabulous meals (including dessert!) feeding us hungry campers and Daz has been helping with our training sessions, bikes, etc.  Oh, and I cannot forget to mention the sag wagon lunches they have been providing so far! Meeting us for our KOMs or TTs and then a lunch stop with a real lunch and refueling our nutrition is priceless! I have been quite enjoying the sandwiches, chips, and coke for lunch!

I was beginning to feel it a bit more today.  We started with a 3km ocean water swim where I felt like I was struggling to move forward.  We followed that by 100+ bike ride of the north island which is part of the Ironman loop.  The bike ride was a bit of a challenge for me today, not only because of the wind and climbing, but more because of the descending.  I have a big fear of descending and I faced those fears head on today.  Full on steep descents with switchbacks and add some wind to the mix – this was not easy for me.  But I survived! Maybe with a little less rubber on my brake pads while white knuckling the handlebars, but I got down!  (Huge thanks to Daz for making sure I got down in one piece!) Apparently we will be doing the same descent again so hopefully next time I will feel a bit more comfortable.  Hopefully!   I ended off the day with a 9km run and I have to say even though it was hard with the hills and a good headwind for a portion of it, I felt like my running legs are slowly coming back.  I just have to ignore my run pace! Haha!

Tomorrow we will be doing an aquathon!  Sounds like fun and painful at the same time! Lol!  I’ll report back tomorrow!

Now to enjoy my brownie and ice cream dessert! Yum!!!!  I think this one is well deserved! 

Day 4 – The Wind!

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Wendy L

I am beginning to develop a love-hate relationship with this island. Today I got a good taste of what the wind is really like here, and it is pretty brutal.  Apparently, the winds can get even worse! Yikes!

The day started with an aquathon!  That was a lot of fun!  We did a 1200m swim, 2 loops of the swim loop we have been doing but with a beach run in between the loops.  I started laughing at one point early in the swim when we were full contact swimming out there, only to have Coach T lead us off course.  Haha!  I noticed we were off course when I saw arms swimming to my far right, and then I saw the first buoy way off to my right and I started making a bee-line to it.  The rest of the swim felt pretty good.  After the swim, I headed to transition and I made up a bit of time there and started the run.  I gave it my all on the run and even came close to puking at about 2km in.  I have not given a run effort like that in a while and I wasn’t sure if I could maintain that for the whole 5km.  I did fade at the end but tried to give a good finishing kick.

Then the bike. Today I got to wear the Player of the Day jersey!!!   I was quite honoured to be rewarded the jersey last night for facing my fear of descending yesterday.  So I felt like I had to ride as though I earned it.   But the winds were pretty brutal out there today making this task harder.  The wind also made descending that much more trickier but at least they were not as steep as yesterday.  I was happy to have fellow campers, Alicia and Robyn join me today as it made the ride more bearable.  Always nice having company out there and we conquered the wind although at times there were some close calls.  The wind gusts were pushing us all over the road and then I was almost made roadkill by a tourist bus.  Fun times!  But we survived and hopefully it made us stronger.  We rode the Ocean Lava Half IM course and boy was it tough.  I’ve done some tough IMs and half IMs and this is right up there with one of the toughest.  That bike course was brutal with some wicked climbs.

We ended the day with a nice dinner at a local restaurant where I enjoyed some local grilled seafood and wine.  The wind is supposed to get even stronger the next couple of days so our schedule may be switched around a bit.  We will have to wait and see what happens. We are half way through the camp now and I am making some new friends! Love it!  Bring on the next four days – even the wind! Let’s Smash It!

wearing the "Player of the Day" jersey

Day 5 – Rest Day!

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Wendy L

Today was an actual no mandatory workouts day but that did not stop many of us trying to gain some extra points and adding in a workout.  There is a points race going on in the camp which makes things a little more fun!  I won’t be winning the points race but tried to gain some extra points nonetheless.  So I opted for a 6km swim with a 12x (100 IM set, 150swim) set.  I joined Robyn for the IM set which made it a whole lot easier to get through!  Then I attempted the 20×100 set on 1:45 which dropped to 2:00 and then I had to abort.  The wind was making the pool a little extra wavy and after the IM set I may have been a little more tired.  I got to ten and then opted to just swim the rest of the 6000m.  Mission accomplished!

The afternoon we had some fun time with a visit to a winery and some wine tasting.  The initial plan was to ride our bikes to the winery but the winds are even stronger today so it was changed to a drive.  Afterwards we headed to the town of Puerto de Carmen for a little shopping where I got my oh-so-tasty European Nutella to bring home and some souvenirs for gifts.  A low-key day.  Not sure of the plan for tomorrow….will have to wait and see.

Day 6 – Becoming one with the wind.

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Wendy L

We were back to the grind today after our rest day.  Today was more of a love the island type of day.

We started the day with a 3km ocean water swim.  As I was donning my wetsuit, my wetsuit decided it had enough training and fell apart.  I had salvaged the wetsuit a couple of years ago and sewed it together before one of my IMs and was able to use it for another year and a half.  I think it is done for realz now!  No chance of salvaging it this time as the hole is incredibly huge.  I was able to still swim with it this morning but I do not think I will be able to use it for the rest of the camp.  Only if it hung in there for another two days.

We came back to the villa for another delicious breakfast before heading out for our bike ride.  The route was changed and shortened to account for the 35+ kph winds with gusts in the 40-50kph range.  The first part of the ride was straight into the wind.  I kind of swore at the wind, and decided to embrace it and just deal with it as I really had no choice.  So the ride really was not that bad, helps that there were no crazy ascents or descents and it was more of a human-type ride.  Since it was a shorter ride I was so tempted to add in an extra 20km for an extra point but decided against it at the last minute and keep to my plan of sticking to the schedule.  After the ride I then went out for a run with Alicia and it was my best run to date.  I think I am getting my running legs back which is exciting and it was great to have Alicia push me along.  I think I may have gained a couple of new training partners when I get back home! 

After the run, the pool at the villa looked so inviting so I decided to go for an extra point and do a swim set: 20x100m on 2:00.  I tried 1:45 but the pool is a little on the slow side so I reverted to the 2:00 min pace.  Initially I was going to do another 3km swim but aborted that idea as I was getting tired and feeling lazy. Oh…and I have to make a correction from my post for yesterday – I swam the IM set yesterday with Robyn! Oops!  A bit of brain lapse there!  I ended the day with a yoga session led by Thomas, a friend of Coach T, and it was a really good session.  It was so nice to spend a few minutes to just relax and stretch things out a bit.  Also was nice to do yoga outdoors under the sun.

Day 6 done! Two more to go!

Day 7 – Almost there!

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Wendy L

I cannot believe we are done day 7!  One more epic day left!

Today was a little special for me as it was my birthday, and baby Maya’s birthday, and I really did have a great day with my new friends!  We started with a 3km ocean swim as the sun was rising.  As we were getting our wetsuits on, the group sang happy birthday to me!   The water was not as inviting though as there were some swells and it was pretty chilly!  Ok, more like cold!  Robyn was kind enough to lend me her wetsuit so I can survive the ocean swim this morning.  After the swim, the plan was to run 9km along the ocean…a more flatter and kinder route.  To my surprise, my bday present was a 5km run instead of 9km! Wohoo!  Not gonna lie, I was pretty happy about this.  And the run felt great!   We got back to the villa for another great breakfast, another bday song, and then to get ready for our bike ride.  The plan was for a 111km ride to Orzola with a KOM to Mirador Del Rio.  We had another windy day with a good headwind for a good portion of it and lots of climbing but I decided to become friends with the wind instead of cursing at it.  The KOM was a lot of fun until the winds really had a field day.  I was barely able to stay on the right side of the road.  I was being pushed into the oncoming lane with the gusts and got nervous each time I saw an oncoming car hoping I would not get pushed over.  The fun part was when I was being passed during the KOM (I was the first to start), everyone either sang a short version of happy birthday or yelled it out!  Even more impressive as we were climbing during this!  Thanks Epic Women!  You guys ROCK and made me feel special today!  I am also becoming accustomed to lunch during these long rides thanks to Debs and Daz.  I am enjoying the nutella and banana sandwich, chips, and coke! Delish!  What am I going to do when I get home?! 

Once we got back, I did a yoga session (thanks to Thomas), and had a massage (thanks to Lorenzo).   So nice!  We had a bbq dinner and even a birthday cake for baby Maya and me! I really did have a great day!  Thanks all!

Tomorrow – 180km bike ride!  Let’s SMASH it! 

Day 8 – Mission Accomplished!

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Wendy L

Done!  And I survived!  Woohoo!

This morning we had a fun swim and did relays.  I was on Coach Jo’s team and we won both the IM relay and free relay.  We each had to do 50m of each IM stroke and then 100m for the free relay.  I did the swim sans wetsuit since mine died and everyone else did it in a wetsuit because of the cold.  But it really was not that bad.

Then for the longest ride of the camp – the Ironman course.  We had tastes of bits and pieces of the course throughout the week, but now for the whole thing.  The wind was not as bad as earlier in the week so the ride was a bit more manageable.  Still tough with the climbs and winds but with some good company and sag support we got through it.  165km total at the end.  DONE!

I’m a little too tired right now to write down more.  We are going out for dinner soon!  I am staying on the island for a couple of extra days to try out some surfing!  Hope I still have some legs left!

Epilogue

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Wendy L

A few days have passed since Epic Camp is over.  I am still on this island of Lanzarote with a continued love-hate relationship! Haha!

A look back: I am so happy I did all the camp required workouts.  I wasn’t too sure if I would have been able to do the runs since I have been injured for over a year with very little running, but I managed! And by the end of the week my running legs felt like they were coming back!   Woohoo!!!

I was surrounded by an amazing group of women and athletes!  I knew I would be one of the slower ones for the run and bike but I thought I would have been midpack with my swim! Nope!  Very humbling week!  I was pretty much the slowest in everything! Lol!  But I continued and it did not stop me.  I just tried to make the gap less…but don’t think I achieved that!  I was really in survival mode for the bike rides.  I got through them despite the wind and the hills!

A huge thanks to our coaches, Tara and Jo.  As well to our sponsors, Trisport Lanzarote, Coffee of Hawaii, GU, and Zoot.  The camp would not have functioned without all these key participants.  Debs and Daz – your house was awesome!  I was planning (hoping) to lose some weight during this camp but I do not think I achieved this with all the eating of your delicious food I was doing! 

A bonus to this camp was the new friends I made.  Found out a couple of fellow campers live close to me so we are planning on doing some rides or runs together.  Yay! New training partners. And Lisa: you bet! IMSA 2015!!! Deal!!!    Looking forward to seeing all of your success this racing season and beyond!

I will be leaving this island tomorrow.  Lanzarote made sure I had a good send off with colder temps and high winds again!  I spent the last two days surfing.  Yesterday was brutal!  With the high tide we were in the rocks and the waves were all over the place (it was also a full moon).  Robyn joined me on this surfing adventure yesterday and we were thrown all over the place.  It may have been the fatigue of the camp or the water was really rough, but the water won yesterday and I could not stand up on the board.  Today was another story! Yay!  I stood up on the board numerous times!  That was more like it!  It was low tide so we had a sandy beach and either I got used to the waves, had more strength, or the waves were tamer, but I had a great time today.  I was still thrown all over the place and am coming home with new bumps and bruises but I stood up! Lol!

I also did a little exploring today.  Since I do not have a car I am restricted to my bike or feet.  I was very reluctant to jump on the bike but I thought I would get to where I wanted to go quicker and I would just EASY pedal.  Easy I did go and I felt pretty good.  Also took a walk around the volcanoes today and my legs were feeling good then to!  Maybe I should have pushed harder during the camp!  Haha!  However, I think the effort of the camp finally got to me because now I am sick! Boo!  I will be flying home with a runny nose, sore chest, and nasty cough – good times!

Well, that is a wrap up from me!  2014 Epic Women Camp Lanzarote was a success!

Adios! y Gracias!