And now it’s October. Race season is over. And I did not race a triathlon.

I was waiting to update my blog, with some positive news about my feet or being able to run or return to running or having done some great triathlon, but that never happened. What did happen? I tried to run. 12 weeks after the last shockwave treatment I was able to start running, kind of a look see. I started off very slowly, 15min twice a week. Managed to work my way up to 40min but then it all went downhill from there. I had to stop again as the pain in both feet was returning. All along I was getting manual treatment on my feet to help the healing process from the shockwave treatments. Then I went back to see Dr. Galea at the beginning of September. No running for a month, get some tests and come back in a month. Back to see him a few weeks ago. Nothing has changed. My feet look the same as they did in May. I was waiting for something miraculous and that was it. I wanted to cry. Dr. Galea wants to do another round of shockwave, this time increasing the power. Whoa, I though that it was really high already. I wanted to cry. Instead I slowly walked out into the parking lot. Got in my car, closed the door, and had a screaming yelling swearing hissy fit. Then I felt much better.

In the meantime, while all of this non-running was going on, I trained. All of those ironman simulation rides, I counted all of my files. There were 15. 5-6 hours. IM race pace. Not bad. I trained like I was going to race, swam and biked my heart out, waiting for my feet to heal but that never happened. Put in the 30hr weeks. Did some bike races, did some aquabikes. But not a triathlon. Went to watch LP from the sidelines. Followed all my friends progress in their races. Watched Kona unfold online.

Then comes the off season. After my last bike tour (250k in the hilly hundred) it was time to let my body rest and do some thinking. Also time to go back to school and get into my thesis. My supervisor called me in, and we had a serious chat. If I ever want to finish I need to be there. I need to go into school, he’s there, all the other students are there, and it’s a much better environment to get work done. Since I’ve gone back I’ve made so much progress and have come to the realization that if I go back to my 30hrs/week, and back to Florida again, I’m never going to finish. I seriously need to HTFU, otherwise I will be a career graduate student. Um, no thanks.

So, here we are. Now what? Well, the fascia on my feet won’t budge. I will try another round of shockwave, and after that, what’s left….surgery. Haven’t decided yet if I want to take this option. Still need to talk more about it with the many sports doctors that I have come across. What I do know is that I loooove to ride my bike and I can always do that. And I need to finish my thesis.

Now I’m off for a few weeks on a different adventure. To the canary islands for a 3 week cycling trip with my favourite person……stay tuned!

My feet…I’ve had three appointments with Dr. Galea, who is without a doubt the best sports doctor in Canada. This guy is like a rockstar. I’m so lucky to have gotten in to see him. Dr. Martin Zollinger, a chiropractor from Ottawa got me in touch with Dr. Scott Howitt, another sports specific chiropractor in Toronto, who got me in to see Dr. Galea. His office is covered with posters and letters and jerseys from NHL, NFL players, famous Canadian track athletes, and he was even going to treat Tiger Woods the next day. So the first appointment he looks at my feet with ultrasound in his office. Originally he was going to do prolotherapy injections, but after looking at the fasica he decided to do high power shockwave therapy instead. The fascia on my right foot is 2x as thick as its supposed to be and there is a hole torn in it since my body, trying to heal itself, has laid down some nice inflexible scar tissue. The fasica on my left foot is also thick, but only 1.5x as thick as normal and a small hole is forming. He draws an x on my foot where it hurts the most and then I get a couple of needles in my ankles to freeze my feet completely from the ankles down. That wasn’t so terrible. Until I had to go to the bathroom when my feet were frozen, it was kind of hard to hop off the table I was on, plod over to the bathroom on a tile floor in barefeet that I couldn’t feel. Then it was time for the superblasting to begin. Dr. Galea wheels this weird looking machine over towards the end of the table that I’m sitting on. Then he fiddles around with a sparkplug looking thing and one end of the machine blows out. Then he pressed the end of the machine lining it up with the x on my foot and starts blasting away. His assistant had to hold my foot up to the machine with both hands to keep it from moving. My foot was involuntarily twitching so she had to hold it there. It was really painful as I could feel the shocks traveling up my feet to my ankles and my legs. I had to hold on to the edges of the table. After about 20min I was finished, but had to wait another hour or so until the freezing wore off so I could drive home. The second treatment wasn’t so bad, but the third one didn’t go so well. For some reason my right foot wouldn’t freeze even after two needles. I could really feel the shocks and I had to bite a roll of tape to keep myself from yelling. I was sitting there the whole time, wondering what the &$*#($^# am I doing?

So what are shockwaves, anyway? I pulled this pic from the NASA website, it’s of a supersonic bullet traveling through the air at 1.5 times the speed of sound. Here the bullet is a moving object that has broken the sound barrier (moving faster than the speed of sound). This creates a shock wave that actually travels out in front of the object. The shock wave is traveling through the air, in front of the bullet. In the case of the shockwaves used to treat my feet, they are produced electrohydrolically with a type of spark plug, basically transforming the electrical energy of a high-voltage arc into a mechanical pressure wave. And the medium the shockwaves travel through – my feet.

Ok, enough physics…The next day I went to the NRG Lake Placid training camp for 3 days. I was sad when I was driving into town, it reminded me that I wouldn’t be racing here this year. I had been dreaming about doing this race since last year and here I am driving into town with gauze on my ankles. Things can always be worse. Nigel had asked me to come down and help coach for the weekend as he was short on staff. So I was there to help and answer questions. Saturday was the long ride day, we were going to do the IM course. We were split up into several groups and I was to lead the 7+ hour group. I was a bit nervous since here I was supposed to lead the group and I’ve never been to LP before let alone done the bike course. But turns out everyone in my group had already done it before so they didn’t even need me! I had such a good time with them though. They were the kind of people who just were there to have fun, so happy to just ride their bikes and be able to do an IM at all. It was so refreshing to be around them, they didn’t care about watts or time or how aero their setup was. So I spent the day riding up to the front of my group to see how they were doing, then stopping to make sure everyone made all the turns and that they were eating and drinking enough, then riding back up to the front again. Occasionally loading myself up with food and cokes incase anyone got into trouble. I ended up having a really good ride. The scenery there is beautiful and I’m going to go back again to watch the race, to get an idea of what it’s like for when I go back and actually race it next year.

So what’s next!? Hurry up and wait. See how my feet respond to this treatment. Honestly, I’m starting to get really tired and frustrated with everything. Last week, after coming back from nationals I was seriously ready to throw in the towel on my triathlon career and go be a cyclist. Then I thought about it, and how much I would miss swimming and especially running, and how far I’ve come only to give it all up. Then I was able to run a few times, just for15 minutes but it was OK. My feet were a bit tender but this is normal and apparently part of the healing process with this type of treatment so I’m trying not to freak out. If all goes well, I’m planning on going to Timberman, then Muskoka. Then my first IM will probably be Arizona. Which is at the end of November. This seems like so far away right now but I know that it will be here before I know it. If the treatment doesn’t work, and my feet don’t heal completely then I will just have to wait until next year. And that’s OK.

Since I’ve been injured with plantar fasciitis to both my feet I haven’t really been racing much and was getting bummed out. The race season is in full swing and I haven’t even started yet. A few months ago I was talking to Glen Rendall (of Ride with Rendall greatness) about what he thought about me racing at the elite road nationals this year. He thought it was a great idea and that I would have no problem staying in. As long as I kept using my road bike for training every now and then. Sold. So I got my Sr. 2 license which allowed me to do the elite road race.

The few weeks leading up to the race I used my road bike more and trained in the hills with Nigel (my coach) just outside of Toronto. He’d go at his pace and I’d just try to hang on. Then I did a few group rides in Ottawa to get used to riding around other people again and I was good to go.

A big group of us, 12 in all, were there for the TT and the RR. It was so much fun to have that many other people to stay with at a race who were racing too. Usually I go to a race by myself and meet other people who are racing when I’m there, but never in a big house together, all on the same team. It was really great to have everyone around and very motivating as well.

The TT was Friday morning, and I was kind of nervous. We rode the course the day before, pretty much 10k uphill, then 10k back really fast downhill with some good corners. It was a new experience for me, as I’ve only really done the local OBC TTs in town, nothing this official. I didn’t really think too much about it before hand but I probably should have. Checking in the bike to make sure it’s legal, sitting in a tent waiting before the start, rolling off a ramp. All very cool stuff but it definitely added to my nervousness. Natasha Elliot, Sarah Coney and I warmed up under the RWR tent on trainers, and I pretty much kept to myself and listened to some AC/DC. Then it was time to check in and go. Natasha was 3 minutes ahead of me so I watched what she was doing.

My turn! Beep beep beep GO! I knew that I was going to have to completely smoke myself on the way out. And that’s what I did. Felt like I was going to hurl! On the way back however, it started to rain and I was taking the corners conservatively. It was in the back of my head that if I crash then I can’t swim, and I already can’t run so that would not be good. At the end there was a small climb that didn’t really seem like much the day before but when I got there it nearly killed me! I could see the girl in front of me so I drove it to the line as hard as I could and finished completely spent. I ended up in 13th place and was happy with how I did. There were 4 Ottawa girls who finished in a row, Trish Spooner, Natasha, me, then Sophie Matte.

The next day was the road race. We drove the course a few days before, and it was hilly! There was a big hill right off the start! This was going to be tough. 3x45k loops; 135k of tough. For some reason I wasn’t as nervous as the day before, this was a good thing. Off the start it was flat for all of about 500m then a left turn and up a big hill. I was feeling good and managed not to get dropped right away. Yay! The first lap was rather uneventful, save for Erinne Willock taking off, gaining a minute on the pack, but then caught near the end of the first lap. I did notice that I don’t really have much high end, probably because I don’t really train that so whenever they took off to attack after a hill I found myself behind and sometimes had to TT my way back in. Sometimes there were other girls around so I could use them to get back in, sometimes not especially in the latter part of the race so I was out on my own, smoking myself to get back on. I knew that it was really important to get calories in me so I kept looking at my watch to remember to take some gels and keep drinking. Whenever there was a lull I would use that to take a gel and drink. Then the feed zone….well I ended up at the back every time we went through it, not much experience going through the feed zone in a peleton and I knew that I would be hosed if I missed a feed. TT back on again. I noted beforehand who Erinne Willock and Anne Samplonius were so I knew they would be good to follow. I also looked every now and then where Natasha was and what she was doing. We were using the whole road, and it was interesting how the field would snake back and forth across the road. I really focused on staying in the front 10-15 riders and stay out of the wind. For the most part I was successful however once in awhile my concentration would fade and I would find myself in the back again. It was so hard. At some points during the race I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it, I though for sure I was going to get dumped out the back for the last time and that would be it. It started raining on the second lap and I couldn’t really see anything, that was not fun. Anne Samplonius and Erin Willock got away the third lap but we pulled them back in. I did some pulls at the front. The time was going by so fast. All of a sudden there was 10k to go and I was still in. I looked around me and there were only about 25 girls left. Where did everybody go? I was really starting to hurt. My calves were starting to twinge. Uh oh. Not cool. Then on the last climb, about 2k to go my legs had it. Massive cramps! Everyone was gone and there I was pretty much standing still in the middle of the hill. It hurt so bad, like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Then on the top of the hill I see Marc (RWR guy) and he’s yelling at me to get back on. I yell back: Cramping!!! He says I don’t care! Get back ON!!! If it weren’t for him I would have rolled off the road and fallen down into the bushes. I somehow made my way up to the top of the hill, my legs felt like they were being electrocuted every time I tried to contract any muscle. Then there were a bunch of cars…where did they come from? The caravan. Then I hear Marc yelling to use the caravan. So I pop in between two cars for a few seconds, then back out again and luckily the peleton had let up a bit. I was back in! It was going to be a sprint finish. I had no sprint. Somehow I managed to finish the last one in the main pack without a time gap. No idea how I did that. I crossed the line a totally spent cramping hyperventallating crying mess and pretty much fell off my bike and collapsed in a pile on the ground.

Amazing. I want to go back and do it all over again.

I’ve been here for about three weeks now, spending lots of time with my two nephews and niece, and my sister and her husband. It’s been lots of fun and also I’ve gotten to know them better. There’s Nathan, the oldest at 6. I remember visiting when he was just a few months old, we were driving somewhere in the minivan and he was in the back screaming. He sounded like a pterodactyl. He has a vivid imagination, always inquisitive, asking questions. My sister reads to them a lot and he has a huge vocabulary. His favourite subjects: math and science, of course. I’m sure he will be an engineer when he grows up. James is next in line, 4 years old. He’s a funny little guy, full of laughs and smiles. He also likes math. Playing with legos, making stuff out of connex and playdoh. Another engineer. Then there’s Emily. In the terrible two’s. She’s not all that terrible, if you have exactly what she wants at exactly the moment in time that she decides she wants it. Also fond of reading, playdoh, painting, cutting things up with scissors….definitely engineer material. We’ve been to the park, riding bikes, to the pool, museums, the zoo, they are endless entertainment. And a handful. More than a handful. I don’t know how my sister does it. While I’m busy training and napping she’s making meals, doing laundry, dishes, vacuuming, cleaning, and solving the kids daily dilemmas. No time for naps, that’s for sure. Now I’m laughing at Emily who has found the vacuum cleaner hose and is talking through it, her voice echoing through the house.

Training has been going very well here, and the biking around Toronto is much better than I thought. I do have to toss my bike in my car since I’m not a big fan of riding in traffic. I always thought riding in Toronto totally sucked and there was no place to go. But then Nigel (my coach) made me a bunch of maps and has been riding with me 2-3 times a week showed me otherwise. There are really great roads here to train on and an endless amount of routes that you can make up without running into traffic. We did a few really great 5-6 hour loops, up to lake simcoe, down to the zoo, through Hockley valley. It’s hilly here too! Riding with Nigel has been good for me, trying to keep up with him on the hills and killing myself in the process I’m sure has made me a better rider. Not to mention hanging off his wheel when it gets really windy, only to get dropped and clawing my way back on. I’ve been swimming with a group of triathletes here and it’s been nice meeting other trigeeks outside of the Ottawa circle.

My feet….I’ve been going to get treatment from a chiropractor here, Dr. Scott Howitt. He specializes in sports injuries and he’s helped me out lots. First he did an overall assessment and looked at my running form, and from this hypothesizes that my problems with the side of my foot stem from the plantar fasciitis, I was compensating for the pain and rolling more on the outside of my foot. I also sprained that ankle twice and probably didn’t do enough rehab to strengthen it so that didn’t help either. Every time I go see someone for my feet I’m half expecting them to come up with something new, some exact reason why I have it so bad, and how I got it in the first place. Now I’m beginning to realize that there probably is no exact answer, and it’s a combination of a number of things. Dr. Howitt got me an appointment with Dr. Galea, who I’m going to see to get prolotherapy injections to my feet. Platelet rich plasma, my own, is going to be injected into the fascia to speed healing and lay down new tissue. I’m not quite sure how this is going to work, since I had an MRI and an ultrasound which showed 50% tearing on the right foot and about 25% on the left. Now I’m imagining platelets swimming around in my feet making new fascia. I hope it works!

Then back to Ottawa. I haven’t been home in 5 months. Very strange. I keep thinking that I’m going to go back to my house, like I normally do after I’ve been away except that it’s not there anymore. Well it’s there but someone else is living there. Instead I go back to Anne’s, my housemate. I’m looking forward to being back, having a spot to call my own and a nice quiet place to work on my thesis. It’s not really happening here with three kids running around, but I try nonetheless. Sometimes people ask me if I think I’m crazy for selling my house, getting rid of all my stuff, and packing up my car to go away to train. The truth is that I’ve been thinking about it for so long that it never really seemed crazy once I went and actually did it, it was something that I wanted to do. Nothing’s holding me back, and there’s no time like the present. And I’m not exactly a spring chicken so it’s now or never. No looking back, just go!

Up next for racing is cycling nationals at the end of the month. I’ve always wanted to do cycling nationals, but there was always another tri going on at the same time that took priority. Since I’m not running there are no tris in my near future so I’m going to give it a shot. My lake placid plans are pretty much down the drain, so now I have my eye on IM Canada. If my feet are good and I can ramp up my running before then. If not, there are lots more on the map. I just have to be patient. All in time. Good things come to those who wait.

The big news is the worst news: my feet. I’ve had problems related to what I think is plantar fasciitis since last summer and I’ve been on and off running for a long time. After worlds my feet were so bad I could hardly walk on them for a week. Then I had treatment, pretty much every kind of treatment, and took more than two months off. Slowly I started back again, and everything was looking good until a few weeks ago when it started coming back. I had to do so much just to keep it under control that in hindsight it’s no wonder that it came back. Massage and ART twice a week, stretching every moment, rolling on golf balls, tennis balls, foam rollers, foot wheels, ice cubes, sleeping with night splints, talking to my feet. Trying anything that may help.

I tried to do two races, Miami and St. Anthony’s, both of which resulted in a DNF. St. Anthony’s was particularly hard because my running was going so well up until that point. There I was, hiding under a tree at mile 2, crying my eyes out. I had to pull out from pain on the side of my foot. The next day I had an xray to confirm that I didn’t have a stress fracture. Then the following day I had an appointment with an orthopedic foot and ankle specialist who gave me a cortisone shot in each foot. Hopefully this will work because I’m at the end of my rope. It’s hard when you make the decision to go full time pro, put all you have into your training and racing and then you can’t even race. However, I am the eternal optimist and the body always heals itself if you treat it right. When I’m back in Ottawa I will have some more diagnostics done to get to the root of the problem and hopefully get back on my feet again.

About three weeks ago I was out for an easy ride on my road bike, toodling along, and the next thing I know I’m about to be T boned by an SUV. The driver claimed not to see me; typical case of the invisible cyclist appearing out of nowhere. I almost made it across the street but she clipped my back wheel and sent me sprawling across the other lane into oncoming traffic. It could have been way worse and I consider myself really lucky. I could have ended up under the car that hit me or gotten hit by the traffic coming the other way. I ended up with a huge contusion/bruise on my thigh and I couldn’t train for a few days. Still working out the insurance claim…what a pain!

Other stuff…when I first arrived, my car was making a clunking noise, coming from under the gear box. Not cool. So I went to the Subaru dealer in Orlando, had the drive shaft replaced. $1000 US. Better than having to buy a new car. Then I finally broke down and had the air conditioning fixed, not so bad, $225. I haven’t had AC for 3 years since I thought it was going to be really expensive to fix. It’s a nice treat and safer than driving around with the windows down all the time, especially on the highway. The drive to/from a race that I went to in Miami before I had it fixed was really really uncomfortable, we were all sweating profusely. And it was getting embarrassing stopping somewhere, getting out of my car, and having to walk around looking like I just wet my pants. No more sweaty pants. The drive home will be much more enjoyable and tolerable.

My thesis is still progressing, although slowly. Since I’ve been working on it here I have come to the conclusion that I have no conclusion. My results are not good enough to warrant any kind of theory so I will need to make more. I just don’t have enough data to come up with anything really good. I’ve come up with something, but it’s not solid enough and there’s not enough evidence to support what I’m trying to do. So when I’m back home, it’s back to the lab to measure some more pig lenses. My stuff is all still there the way I left it and I’ve done it so many times before it won’t be too big a deal. Now handing in my thesis before the end of the year is making more sense to me and I’ve come to terms with that. It’s taken off some pressure that I’ve put on myself too.

I’ve also had to make the very hard decision of changing coaches. I decided this because it just wasn’t working out for Bruno and I any more, and it was time for me to move on. I was starting to doubt my workouts and what I was doing in order to achieve my goals for this year, which is stepping up the distance and doing Ironman, specifically Lake Placid. Bruno was a fantastic coach and we worked very well together for the past few years. After much deliberation, I now have Nigel Gray from NRG performance training as my new coach. It’s only been a few weeks but so far it is working out really well.

Wow that was a lot! So much has happened since I’ve been here and I’m sad to be going home so soon. I will definitely be back here next year to escape the winter and get some training done. And to visit the friends I’ve made and the place I’ve called my home away from home. Now it’s time to start packing up and heading for home….

After a few days of watching my parents organizing and packing up their 5th wheel, we were ready to roll. Almost. Dad got stuck in the ice on the driveway. Then mom though she dropped her house keys in the grass and I had to go back and look for them. Finally we were off. I followed behind them in my car. Day 1 was rather uneventful. This is a good thing. Night 1 we stayed in the Kentucky Horse Park. It was really nice. Well it was dark when we got there and dark when we left and I didn’t see any horses but it was still pretty good to bring your own accommodations.

To start off Day 2 I drank an entire pot of coffee. Then I had to go. My eyes were watering. Dad told me beforehand that if I had to pull off, I was to go in front of them, put my signal on, then go back and he would pull off at the next exit that was good for them. I did this twice and we must have gone by 32 exits. I was doing the super pee pee dance and ready to blow up so I had to get off at the next exit. They kept going. Uh oh….we ended up finding each other at the next exit so all was well. Mom almost lost it on dad though for not pulling off. Kind of funny.

Night 2 we stayed in some kind of trailer park by the side of the I-95. It had a giant plastic cow at the entrance. I helped a woman with no teeth jump start her car. We were up again at the crack of dawn and on our way. Finally, after endless hours of following a big white box on wheels, I made it to Florida!

Now that I’m here I’m wondering why I didn’t do this sooner. I’m staying with Nic and Wolf Guembel, Wolf’s parents, and the little dog Paris. Paris is a 5 month old Jack russel and she lives up to her name. Harley would be jealous. But it is very hot here and he has way too much fur.

Training is going really well here. It’s hard for it not to. I joined the masters swim group, coached by Sara McLarty. She does a really good job and kicks our butts. I’ve been mostly riding on my own, meeting up occasionally here and there with other people for easy rides. It’s so nice to run outside without having to put on all the clothing you own. And I don’t need to say riding outside beats riding in your basement on a trainer any day! After swim I’ve been water running since I’m already there and the pool is open for members. Lisa Bentley is in there water running too and she’s great company. Sure makes the time go by faster.

Thesis…I’m supposed to be working on my thesis when I’m here. I have been. Yes mom, I’ve been working on my thesis. My room is huge with a nice window so I have a desk and a decent place conducive to doing some work. Then again, the tour of Cali has been on…..

So what’s next!?! Races. While I’m here, I’ll be doing the Miami international tri, St. Anthony’s, and St. Croix. I’m really looking forward to these and it will be fun to be racing again. I also have Anne (my good friend who I’m living in her place in Otown) and Treena coming to visit me. They’re good distractions.

Ok, back to the thesis.

Me:  “Ouch! Dude!”
Dad:  “That’s a wood duck, they nest in trees and the babies jump out.”
Me:  “Does the mom push them? Don’t they die on the ground?”
Dad:  “Nope.”
Me:  “Huh.  How do they know to jump?”
Dad:  “They just do.”

Cool. So these ducks make nests in holes in trees left over by other birds, animals, etc. around 15m off the ground. Females make nests using downy feathers from her own breast. Once the eggs are hatched and the ducklings dry out, they climb their way to the edge of the nesting hole and just…jump out. Sometimes the nest is over water but more often it isn’t so they land on the ground, hopefully in a pile of leaves or bushes. Then shake their heads and start waddling towards water.

2008 was a pretty darn good year for me. Many races, many top 10 finishes, and a long distance national title. Not bad. Not bad considering I was injured for most of it. When Bruno and I sat down to discuss, we realized that I had only actually managed to run for about 4 months of the whole year. The rest of the time I was injured. So how did I still manage to squeak out a few PBs? Water running. Whenever I couldn’t run, I went water running instead. Long runs, intensity, intervals, all done in the pool. All that time spent nearly going insane paid off.

2009. What will 2009 bring? Priority #1 is to finish my thesis. That sounds familiar…Seriously, I have about 6 months to go. I had my committee meeting before the holidays and they have given me the green light. All I have to do is finish up some measurements, do some analysis, and then finish writing the whole thing up. It’s actually a lot so if I’m ignoring you, well, that’s why.

What else is new? Lots. I moved out of my house and in with my good friend Anne. As of tomorrow (hopefully) my house will be sold and I will officially be a homeless pro. The first week of February I’ll be heading down to Florida to train and, of course, work on my thesis. Then I’ll be returning back to Otown the beginning of May. I’ll be staying with Nic and Wolf Guembel and training at the national training centre. Can’t wait. Especially on a day like today. -39 with the windchill. Nice.

Back to jumping ducks. I was reading a note on a friends fridge the other day: What would you do if you knew you would not fail? Maybe these ducks know they will not fail on landing so they just go ahead and jump.

Or maybe not…

Cynthia has been named Gatineau Triathlete of the Year
Cynthia Wilson a conquis le Mérite hullois

November 15, 2008:
Cynthia was a guest on the Running Show today.

November 15, 2008: The Running Show

Audio Controls: L: Play, M: Pause, R: Stop

We were in the same condo as last year. Also like last year, my good friend Anne and my parents were coming to watch the race. Different from last year, however, were my feelings about this race. Last year I was just happy to be at the race; to have qualified and get a chance to race with the worlds best. This year I was there to kick some serious butt. I had dreams of being in the top 5.

The race plan that Bruno and I had talked about in the weeks leading up to the race was to hang on for dear life in the swim, hold back a bit on the bike and then build up during the run. I was to hold back a bit on the bike in order to have a stellar run. Last year I got too excited during the first half of the run and blew up in the last 4-5k and ended up losing 3 places. The plan for this year was to move up during the run. The pro field was much deeper this year than in the past, with almost 50 women on the start list. It seemed like everybody who's anybody in LD triathlon would be there.

Race morning I was feeling good and ready to go. We've figured out over the past year that it takes me a really long time to warm up for the swim and it's crucial for me to get in the water early. I was in early alright, it was completely dark and the swim start area was only lit with a few lights. In I went, totally by myself. No other pros were even on the beach yet. Off I went, swimming into complete darkness. Maybe I will be eaten by a shark and nobody will even notice. Eventually I was joined by a few others and the sun started to come up. I finished my warm up just as we were being called out of the water and into a holding pen. There was going to be about 10 minutes until we started so I tried my best to not lose the effects of my warm up by jumping up and down and moving my shoulders a lot. The men went off at 6:45 and we were to start 2 minutes after. I noticed Desiree had her swim cap on inside out and I was about to tell her but we only had a few minutes before we started and I didn't want to freak her out. We were called to the start. I pushed my way through to the front of the line and butted in beside Miranda and Magali. I swam with them last year and this year I was determined to do the same.

The cannon went and I did an all out sprint into the water. I was dolphin diving right on Miranda's toes where I wanted to be. Magali was beside me and it was perfect. Then the water got shallower and we were running again. Someone stepped on my heel and I tripped and fell over sideways. Then I got up and fell over to the other side, on top of someone else. I ended up inadvertently pushing her down into the sand as I got up...oops. After all of this was over I couldn't tell who was who and everyone was scattered everywhere. There were some feet up ahead and I got on. Three other girls had the same idea and we were all fighting for the same feet. This went on for awhile and I was getting frustrated. There were more up further so I tried to get past them but couldn't since now I was blocked in. I pushed my way over, swam hard past the feet I was following and kept the pace up until I got on to another group. I felt that I was going at a good pace but I knew I missed the boat that I should have been on while I was flopping around back and forth at the start. I looked up to see if there was anyone ahead of the group I was in but there was nothing so I decided to stay rather than gun it and swim alone with way more effort to shave off 15-30 seconds. At the end I swam around the group and came out ahead. I sprinted into the change tent and ripped off my wetsuit. The volunteers were awesome and you could just toss your stuff on the floor and they took care of everything. Desiree was in the tent with me so I couldn't have had that bad a swim.

At the start of the bike I was a group of about 6 or 7. Exacly the same situation that I was in last year. And I did exactly the same thing that I did last year. You can either a) get in and ride about 10m behind each other in a line and hope that the drafting marshalls agree with your choice of distance, b) go crazy all out and try and pass everyone all at once and keep up the crazy all out as long as it takes to drop them, or b) sit up and let them go. As I watched them go off into the distance I wondered if the same thing as last year would happen and how long it would be before I saw them again. Kind of funny that a huge bus pulled out on to the course in front of them. Obviously it wasn't supposed to be there but that would be a nice draft! Then I was all alone. It was strange to hold back on the bike. I've never raced this way before. I still had a good burn going but it wasn't the same. Normally I race like I want to catch everyone ahead of me and just keep trying to pick them off one by one. One or two girls came up and passed me and I eventually passed both of them riding together about 20 miles later. At one point there is an out and back and I could see the whole race in front of me. A few of the men together, a few men riding alone, a group of about 10 with some girls mixed in, then a few women alone, then another group of women, then the group that I had let go. Of the few I recognized I could see that Nina, Miranda, and Magali were alone. Around 50k I almost got hit by a car pulling out of a parking lot. A few miles later I had to slow way down since there was a car in the designated lane for the race driving really slowly and trying to get out. Nice. 70k into the ride and who do I see....the group I was swimming with. This time I could safely choose option b. Then I passed a few more girls and before I knew it I was back in transition again. I had no idea what position I was in but it was no where near to top 10. I had a lot of work to do and a lot of ground to make up.

The plan was to be conservative at the beginning of the run and then leave it all out there at the end. There was a group of 4 girls ahead of me who were running slower so I caught them right away. Desiree was coming up behind me fast, which I expected since she is one of the best runners. She passed me and then a few minutes later slowed right down. When I saw her again she was farther back and didn't look so good. I kept going at the same pace and reached the turnaround right on target. I was hurting so bad but it was awesome! At 5k to go I cranked it up again, I still had no idea what place I was in, but I was still passing girls left and right so that was enough to keep me going. I hurt so much. Now I'm in robot mode. I'm telling my body more more more. This is it! One mile to go and I see Bruno jumping up and down screaming at me in french. All you got! That's what I did, cranked it up again, using everything I had. I crossed the finish line in 15th place. I even had a PB run; I have no idea how I pulled that off considering how many injuries I went through this year.

Overall, I'm happy with how things went. I raced it according to plan and everything went right. It was a very long season and now I'm ready for a rest!

The plan was to go hard for the swim, bike, and first 5k of the run. In Bruno’s words for the run: “first 5k, you will arrive in the red zone and you will stay there, last 15k, you will grab your ass.”

I really wasn’t feeling much like doing a race when I got up that morning, maybe it was because I was at the end of a big training week and we did a hard hill workout the day before. But once I got in and started warming up for the swim I was there, I was ready to race. Tired, body hurts..whatever, here we go!

The swim started an hour after the iron distance race started so there were lots of people in the water still. They did two loops and we did one. All the women went together in the first wave, and the men were split in waves starting 10 minutes after. Once we got started I made my way to the front of the pack and found myself swimming alone, dodging the occasional iron distance swimmer. The water was choppy and the waves were sweeping me away from the buoys so I was constantly having to adjust my aim. I came out of the water 2nd female, no idea where the first female was. My time wasn’t so great, but I worked as hard as I could.

After a quick transition I was making my way out on the bike up the hills from the lake and out of town. Hills. Ouch. I was passing some of the men who were starting out the iron distance race and they didn’t really like that very much. A few were up and out of the saddle, smoking themselves up the hills. Dude… you still have 111 miles to go. The bike was a good course, with some decent climbs. One of these was sugarloaf hill, about 10 to 15%, 5-6 min climb (see the pic). We did repeats on it the day before so I was happy to be only climbing it once. Not long after that is a series of three hills, called the three bears or something like that. Then the bike course split, with the iron people going one way and the half another. Now I’m all alone, all by myself out in front. It was like I was going for a training ride by myself. From that point on the police at the intersections who were supposed to be directing traffic for the race were all in their cars doing nothing so I had to manage it myself. Not cool. By the time I made my way back into town only one had gotten out of his car when he saw me coming. The organizers didn’t paint all the arrows on the road either so I ended up getting lost coming back into transition. The bike in and out took different streets. I thought if I followed the arrows in the opposite direction I was sure to see some cones or something directing me back in. Not so. I made it back to the bike exit, thought that’s not right, then backtracked my way back over and ended up in the parking lot. I had to slow down at every 4 way stop to avoid getting shmucked. Past transition. I rode over, stopped, and asked the official what I should do. He looked annoyed. I told him where I had been and that there were no arrows on the road, no volunteers pointing where to turn, and all the cops are sitting in their cars. He waived me through. There I was, in transition. Not a bike in site. Very strange.

I started out on the run, in the red zone as planned. Blasting out of transition, all out 5k race pace. Woo HOO! Only to come to a stop since it wasn’t clear whether I should go straight or turn. I knew I had to turn somewhere but there weren’t any cones. So I stand there, asking, where do I go? People are looking at me, nobody is quite sure. Then a volunteer comes running over, apologizing and pointing me in the right direction. Now I’m off again. Yay! This really hurts….follow the arrows, follow the arrows, there are no more arrows….where do I go! There was only a cop, again sitting in his car. Um…I think you go that way. Thanks. I’m off again, all out blistering pace. The first water station wasn’t ready so I helped myself. Finally my 5k all out part was over and I had to stop for a minute, hunched over because I felt like I was going to barf up a lung. Then I started trotting along at an easy pace. The run had an out and back section and I couldn’t see the turnaround. I started to wonder if maybe they haven’t put the turnaround there yet and I’m just going to keep running to oblivion. Luckily I saw it and felt relieved that I wasn’t going to get lost again since the rest of the run was along the lake. How could I screw that up? Well I came up to an intersection with another police car, cop sitting in it. I was sure that I was supposed to go straight so off I go up this huge hill. I make it up to the top, and then I hear a guy shouting at me: Hey! You in the race?! You’re supposed to go this way. This is hilarious. Am I ever going to make it back to the finish line? More water stations with nobody at them. The run then went along the same road as the bike course and I could see people coming in from their last few miles. Every once in awhile I heard a Go Wilson! Finally I’m in the last mile, made my way up the same turn I had to stop at the beginning to ask directions and I’m headed for the finish line. First female, fourth place overall.

Next stop: Worlds!

Last weekend I walked with my good friend Ellen in CIBC’s annual Run for the Cure, an event held to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. Ellen does this event every year; both her mother and grandmother had breast cancer and passed away. Ellen had breast cancer herself two years ago. A small group of us walked with her since she wasn’t up to running the 5km as she usually does.

I wrote about Ellen in my blog early in the spring. This was when she was cancer free and was starting to get back to her old self again. She was cross-country skiing with us, and starting to swim and run. Then she started to develop pain in her neck and sternum. After several tests it was determined that the breast cancer she had beaten had come back and settled in her bones. We were all devastated to hear this news. Ellen has been through several rounds of radiation treatment and is now going through chemotherapy treatment for the second time. Since my lab is in the same hospital as the cancer center I go and sit with her while she’s having her treatment. She’s way too young to be in that room. Ellen is one of the most amazing people I know. Her attitude towards everything is so positive. She’s thankful for everything she has in her life; a wonderful husband, two great kids, a great mind (she has a PhD in physics) and surrounded by a lot of great friends. She could go the other way, and think why me, why is this happening, but she refuses. Sometimes when I’m in a race or a really tough workout and I’m thinking of how hard it is, the thought of Ellen comes into my mind. I don’t ask myself why I do this anymore. The answer is simple.

Being in research myself, I know that in order to move forward and progress, it takes determination, effort, and above all, funding. Money. Things don’t happen if there isn’t any. Money is needed for breast cancer research to move towards a cure. So I’m encouraging everyone to click on the link for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and give what you can. One in nine Canadian women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

Normally I show up at the pro meeting and go relatively unnoticed, which is fine by me. After the pro meeting for this race, however, I was asked into the TSN interview room. Uhhhh….you want to talk to me? I reluctantly went in and started answering questions. I was nervous and really didn’t know what to say. So, what do you think about the bike? Um, it’s going to be hard. And the run? Uh, yeah, that’s going to be hard too. Brilliant!

The weather forecast was basically rain all day and 20 degrees. Well it was 20 degrees when Marcel B and I showed up in the transition area so we weren’t too worried about being cold on the bike. I headed down to the swim start to warm up and quickly noticed that I was wearing a different coloured swim cap than most of the rest of the girls and I knew what that meant – I was marked. Great. Bruno and I had a little pep talk – the main goal of the race was the swim and to do whatever it takes to stay in the pack. The men went promply at 8am, and we were to go 3 minutes later. We waited on the beach until the men were gone, then we waded into the water. I barely got close to Lisa Bentley – who I planned on following for the swim when the horn blew! I was not ready at all. I tried as hard as I could to get on some feet and I felt like I was going to barf up a lung but it was too late. Nicely done. I just blew my swim. Now it was about refocusing and going as hard as I could. The media boat came up beside me and the camera was on me for a bit. I really didn’t like that too much since I was already behind and the fumes were making me gag. The rest of the swim was rather uneventful, trying in vain to keep the pack from getting too far ahead, focusing on my stroke and keeping in a positive frame of mind. Finally after swimming for what felt like about 3k I came out in 10th place, about 6 minutes down from the leader – Joanna Zeiger and about a minute behind Lisa Bentley.

There was about a 3-400m run up a steep hill into transition. I got my wetsuit off and ran as fast as I could. My heart was in my throat. I decided to put on some socks and armwarmers – better to be too hot than too cold. I got passed in the first km or so of the bike, she was really smoking and I knew that if I tried to go with her I would probably blow my bike too so I kept my own pace. It took me a bit to get into a good rhythm. Then I started to see girls up the road so I just kept focusing on the next one and the next one for the rest of the ride. The wind picked up the middle highway section and I got tossed around a bit. The road was wet making the downhills a bit of a challenge and I took them conservatively since I’d rather finish than end up in the ditch. The 94km seemed shorter than I remember and I came in off the bike in 3rd place, passing Rebecca Wassner right before the bike dismount.

Now the run. Here we go. As soon as I started I was passed by Rebecca. She was gone. Bruno was yelling at me to stay with her, close the gap. I tried. I wanted to barf. There was no way I could hold her pace. This was going to be a looooong 21.1k. Every time I went uphill or tried to pick up my pace I felt like I was going to be sick. So I backed off to a pace I could hold. There weren’t really any girls behind me other than Lisa who was looking good. I was sure she would come motoring past me at some point. Then my stomach started cramping, which never happens. I tried switching from the usual gels to Gatorade. Bad idea. Then I tried water and eventually I was feeling better. The run was very hilly, each hill felt like a mountain and I felt nauseous trying to get up them. I was hot and cold and everything hurt. Several times I felt like quitting but I pushed myself through and kept running, counting off the kms. Now it’s about finishing. I told myself that I’m still in the money. I can do this. Finally I arrived back at Deerhurst and there was only 5k to go, through the cart path of the golf course. Bruno was there, yelling at me to pick it up, give it everything, there’s someone 20s behind you. Then I was passed again. I didn’t care. I just wanted to get to the finish line. My whole body was ready to give out on me. About 2k to go I see Bruno again and I just wanted him to go away. He was yelling at me that Lisa was 20s behind me and to pick up the pace. At this point everything’s blurry, I can’t hear out of one ear and I’m dry heaving every 200m or so. If I could yell back at him I would have told him to go shove it where the sun don’t shine. In the last km Lisa passes me. I didn’t care. The finish line was coming. I did it. Ran the whole way. It was finally over. The volunteers caught me and I went straight into the medical tent.

That was definitely the hardest 70.3 that I’ve ever done. Even harder than nationals which includes Richter’s pass – twice! Janet and Mitch of Trisport did a stellar job of putting on the race, very professional from start to finish. I will most definitely be back next year. Next up – the 70.3 world championships in Clearwater.

My thesis is moving along. I’m not quite sure if it’s moving in the right direction but at least it’s going somewhere. Rejean (my supervisor) seems to be happy so that’s a good sign. Lately I’ve been frustrated with myself for not getting enough done, taking to long to do things, etc. I was hoping to be done by December, however when I think about how much I have to do before I can even begin to write anything my head starts to spin! So now my date will most likely be February or March. Just don’t tell my parents.

Racing has been going really well for me this year, considering how many injuries I’ve had over the season. It seems that I have a knee or a foot go on me and I can’t run for a week, then I have just enough time to ramp up again and get some training in and then I have another race. The last one has been the worst by far. For some reason I developed tendonitis in my foot before Timberman. Then I did the race and it numbed out during the run so I finished it anyway. Wow did I ever pay for it after. It swelled up and I couldn’t really walk on it for 3 days. Then it was quite sore for about a week. I had x-rays done to confirm that it wasn’t broken and went on some serious anti-inflammatories to control the swelling and assist in healing. That wasn’t fun. They made me feel nauseous and to start out feeling that way when you have hard training to do is really hard. Now that’s all over and I actually ran for 15 minutes a few days ago with no pain. I’ll try running again in the next few days before Muskoka (this weekend!) and then just see how it goes. In the mean time I had been pool running so I really don’t think I’ve lost too much fitness. Just parts of my mind running laps in the pool…or maybe those parts were gone already…PhDuuuhhhhh.

Race morning we got up at 4:15. Ryan C wasn’t too happy about this since his wave started 40 minutes after us and really did not want to get up. The night before we could barely turn off the TV since we were glued to it watching the Olympics. Stuffed all of our bags in the car and we headed to the transition area.

The pro men and women started at 7am. I had a good swim warm-up but unfortunately we had to stand on the beach for about 10 minutes to wait for the parachuters and the national anthem. So by the time we started my warm up was gone. I had a relatively slow start. It was about 300m before I had a good rhythm and started passing people. I must have passed about 2-3 people in the first 500m, then another 2-3 in the next 500. Then I was leading a group, which may have been the second pack, but I couldn’t really tell. On the way back to the beach it was quite choppy and I was starting to lose my form so I must have slowed a bit and one of the other swimmers took over. At one point I was swimming next to a guy who didn’t have any goggles on. Weird.

Finally I was back on the beach, yanked off my wetsuit and out on the bike. The bike had a nice big hill right off the start and my legs were feeling a bit shaky from the swim so I wasn’t going very fast. Ryan G passed me (didn’t even give me a push, thanks for nothing!) and then Karen Smyers. Well that’s no good, so I tried to stay with her so I could pass her back. I kept her at the same distance for about the first 10 miles or so through a hilly technical section until we got out on the highway. Then I tucked in and noticed that she was getting closer. Eventually I passed her around mile 20. The next while I just kept focusing on whoever was in front of me and passing them. Went by Tereza Macel, then Pip Taylor. Now I was off the highway and gaining on one of the pro men. I got past him about 5 miles to go. It was getting really tough and I was happy to get back into the transition area to start the run.

I started the run in 4th place, about 2 minutes down from DeDe Grisebauer. The past few days my foot had been bothering me so the plan was to start out the run and see how it feels, then drop out if it really started to hurt. I went past Ryan G in the first few miles who was walking now (he’s had a bad season for achilies tendonitis). The next few miles I took it conservatively and paid attention to my foot. Then it started to numb out so I decided to go for it. I sped up to something that I could hold comfortably and started chipping away at those two minutes. After the first lap I was down to about 1:15. I was going to hold the same pace on the way out and see how I was doing, then pick it up again on the way back. On the second out and back I could see DeDe wasn’t too far in front of me and I was probably down to about 30s. Now I was starting to worry that I was going to run out of time. Three miles to go and I picked it up again, probably because I was motivated that I could see her in front of me. Finally in the last mile I caught her. Didn’t look back and gunned it all the way to the finish line. I crossed in 3rd place, about 12 minutes faster than last year.

Chrissie Wellington was in a league all her own. Her time was 4:11, almost 20 minutes faster than 2nd place. She was 6th overall, beating 6 of the male pros. Ryan G walked the entire half marathon, since he’s never DNFd in a race and wasn’t about to start. He even had a few beers on the way at the street party taking place at the turnaround. Ryan C had a solid race, finishing 2nd in his age group after a great race in LP a few weeks before. After the awards ceremony we stuffed ourselves once again into my car (now full of wet race stuff and referred to as the stinkmobile) for the ride home.

Next up: Muskoka 70.3!

After I came back from Newfoundland I was pretty much shot. I haven’t been that tired in awhile. That week I think I got about 12 hours a night. Bruno had me doing 2 bike intensities that week plus a track workout. One of the bike intensities was hill reps, something that I just usually go out and do no problem. I got on my bike, did one hill, turned around, went home and had to lie down in the grass in the backyard. Then I went and did the track workout the same day, no problem. A few days later I went to do the second bike intensity workout, but there was a thunderstorm outside so I decided to do it inside on the trainer. I did one interval, got off my bike and went upstairs to lay down on the couch. I just did not want to ride my bike. We were not friends. I wanted to run and swim, but not bike. Then Saturday we became friends once again. I hammered out a 3hr hard ride in the park with an hour run after. It was awesome.

The next day was the K-Town triathlon in Kingston. I love this race. There are always lots of people from Ottawa doing this race and it’s really well organized. They also have the best post race food. I was still really tired, especially now after the ride/run the day before. Tereza Macel was there and I was excited to be racing against her since I’ve never been up against her in a race before. The swim felt good, I was top 10 out of the water. Then I got on my bike. I tried to go as hard as I could but my legs wouldn’t listen to what my brain was telling them. Brain: “go legs! Go!” Legs: (extending middle finger to brain…). Did my best, but I was tired. But that was the plan. This was a C race and sometimes you just show up blown up and then blow yourself up some more. Then the run came, and I felt good! I ended up having a really good run considering how tired I was. Second place, I’ll take that, after Tereza’s crazy fast bike.

I’ve recovered and now my bike and I are getting along. Next up is Timberman this weekend. Really looking forward to it for so many reasons.

The race took place in Pasadena, part way between Deer Lake and Corner Brook. The swim was in Deer Lake, the 2 loop hilly bike was along the TC highway, and the 2 loop run was partly along the highway and partly along a gravel road. This race was run much the same way as a full Ironman, with bike and run gear bags and a handoff at the end of the bike. I much prefer it this way than having to mess around with your stuff in the transition area. And it’s fun to just fling your bike when you’re done with it and not have to re-rack it.

The race started at 8am so I was in transition around 6:15 to do all the pre-race stuff. We weren’t allowed to take our bikes out, kind of annoying so I went for a quick run and then started to get on my wetsuit for the swim warm-up. We were all called out 10 minutes before the start to line up along the beach for the national anthem. There were only about 350 people doing the race so everyone started together. I wasn’t too keen on being part of a mass start but they let the pros start at the front so it really wasn’t all that bad.

The swim was a far run/dolphin in and I was pretty much redlining it the whole way until I could finally start swimming. I did get passed by some age-groupers on the way in but then I passed some by the time I got to the first buoy. Then I passed one of the pros who stayed on my feet for the rest of the swim. There were a few fast age-group men in the mix to so I went from feet to feet. I came out of the swim in 3rd place, and I could hear the announcer talking about Mirinda so I wasn’t that far behind. I was slow in the first transition since I decided to put on socks and then I was having a hard time getting my wetsuit in the bag provided to give to the volunteers as we were instructed to do. The other female pro who was behind me ended up out of transition ahead of me.

Out on the bike I quickly passed her and now I was in 3rd. I saw a few riders in front of me and saw what looked to be Mirinda way off in the distance. She was wearing a white race suit and white helmet so she was easy to spot. It was really windy on the way out with some big rollers so I just tucked in and rode strong. Then I passed Magalie who came out of the water right behind Mirinda. I noticed that I was getting a bit closer, but I didn’t expect to really catch her. There was a decent climb at the turnaround and now I’ve gained even more, but she’s got a disc wheel, we’re with the wind and now there’s a huge downhill so I was ready to see her disappear. Not so. At the end of the downhill and back to the rolling section I was still gaining time. And then….I…actually…passed her. The plan for the day was to see how close I could get. Now I’m in front. Of the world champion. I didn’t know what to do with myself. So I just kept riding strong. After the second turnaround I could see the look of determination on her face, and she wasn’t that far behind me. Nonetheless, I kept pushing as hard as I could. After the third turnaround she was still the same distance and was working really hard on the uphill. I kept my pace all the way to the end, where she finally snuck up on me and we came into transition together.

We went out of transition right together and she quickly opened up a gap of about 10m. I wasn’t about to let her get away that easily so I started matching stride for stride. I kept her the same distance in front of me for about the first 8km or so. Now it’s starting to get really hot and it’s starting to affect me. I was feeling really good and now I’m not doing so well. On the way back in we’re running with the wind so there’s no breeze to cool down. I grab as much water and sponges as I can at each aid station and douse myself. This seems to be working so I just keep telling myself to get to the next station. Now she’s gone from 10m to about 3 minutes ahead of me and my priorities have changed. It’s about finishing and keeping 2nd place. Magalie’s behind me and she’s looking pretty good. I figured she was about 4-5 minutes behind so as long as I kept my pace going I would be fine. The last 5k was torture. I was so hot I and dizzy, now I’m seeing spots and not really running in a straight line anymore. Stopping is defiantly not an option anymore, and I’m trying to keep my cadence going and think positive. Then only 1k to go, and I try to pick it up to the finish. I stumbled across the line in 2nd place, almost 6 minutes behind Mirinda.

I am really happy with my result even though I didn’t have a stellar run. This race showed me that I can race up there with the best in the world and was another drop in the confidence bucket for the next race. Timberman. Chrissie Wellington and Desiree Ficker will be there. And so will Cynthia Wilson!

The week before I ran into a car, in the process I cracked my road frame and split open my chin (seem to be having lots of these mishaps lately) so I was sporting some nice stitches. A friend of mine graciously lent me her road bike so I was good to go.

The race started in the heat of the day at 1:15, something that I wasn’t used to. But since it was only a sprint I was sure the heat wouldn’t affect me too much. 41 elite women were on the start line, including the juniors. We were sardined in between two bouys starting in waist deep water. The gun goes and there’s a crazy mess with everyone trying to get out in front. I’m surrounded on all sides and then I get kicked. In the chin. Ow! Then everyone slows down just as I’m getting up to speed. I had to swim around many girls and then in the last 300m I’m swimming beside someone fighting for feet. Then I get elbowed. In the chin. Ow!

The transition area is mayhem. I’m fighting with the girl beside me to try and get my bike out. Once I’m out of transition and on my bike, I hear people yelling that I’m a minute and a half down on the leader. I knew I would be behind on the swim so it was my plan to TT the whole bike, get to the front, and blow myself to pieces on the run. So off I go, passing girls as fast as I can so they can’t get on my wheel. I thought I was alone with maybe 1 or 2 behind me. After looking at the pictures there were actually 8 on me after the first lap. Aerodynamically, the longer the train the faster you go so hop on! We’re going to the front! On the second lap I caught up to and passed the second chase pack. Then there were 8 with me after the second lap, some were different from the first lap. Just into the third lap I catch the chase pack and I can see the leader out of the swim up ahead by herself. The time was now down to about 40s. I worked hard off the front of the chase pack and tried to get by them all at once but eventually they caught me. So I decided to try and work with them. Not many really wanted to work except for two or three so I still tried to break away every now and then. I was starting to feel spent from getting there in the first place. Coming into transition the gap closed and we all started the run one right after the other.

Starting the first lap of the run I was in fifth place (everyone decided to sprint around me at the end of the bike) but I quickly caught up and then I was in second. There was one junior in front of me who I passed on the first lap. Out on the second lap I was in first with second following me close behind. I was feeling better on the second lap and there was only 2.5k to go so I really started kicking it and got a gap. I kept the pace all the way home and crossed the line in first. I even PBd the 5k, who knows if it was 5k or not but I’ll take it anyway. It’s neat to see what being chased can do to your times.

That was a great race and I was really happy that my TT strategy worked. This wouldn’t have been the case with stronger runners in the mix. In hindsight, if I had known there were 8 others behind me after 2 laps the smarter thing to do would be to break away had there been fast runners there. It was fun to go back and try the draft legal race, but I still prefer the non-drafting longer events.

Next up: Newfoundland 70.3.

The weekend before the race I whacked the side of my knee pretty good with the screen door when I was bringing my bike into the house after a ride. I had a nice bruise, right on the IT band. I didn’t think it was going to affect my running, but I was wrong. The next day I went for an hour and I ended up having to walk home. Just my luck. 7 days before nationals and here I am injured again. It wasn’t even the knee that was injured before. I didn’t run again until three days before the race and it was fine then so I decided that I was good to go.

Race morning I got there nice and early as usual. There I was, minding my own business getting my transition area ready, when suddenly there’s a camera and a microphone in my face. Wha….I was thinking I don’t really want to do this right now. But I answered his questions anyway. One thing he asked me was how I thought I was going to do. I said I hoped to win. Truth was I was there to win, no hoping, waiting to see, etc. I had a job to do and I showed up to do it.

I got in the water at 7:40, 25 minutes before the start to get a good warm up in. There were 2 waves, men under 50, then 5 minutes later all women, relays, and men over 50. This was the same format as last year so I knew what to expect. The start was as per usual, and I got myself out in front with the first few swimmers. I had no idea if they were women or relays so I just tried to keep them all in my sight and not get too far back. Sure enough, at about 750m in, we catch up to the wave ahead and the rest of the swim is swimming around the wave ahead. Out of the first lap I see a few red caps ahead of me so I worked really hard to stay on. I kept focusing on my stroke, keeping my arms under my body and getting a good roll. Out of the water as I was running into transition I had to dodge a few more from the wave ahead. Then I heard that I was the first female out of the water so I was pretty happy with that as I headed out onto the bike.

The 90k bike includes part of the IMC bike course, heading up Richter’s pass, over the rollers to Cawston. The turn around is in Cawston then back over the rollers, up the back side of Richter’s and back down into Osoyoos. I felt really good going up Richter’s and tried to focus on passing people in front of me and staying out ahead. I wasn’t used to being first out of the water and didn’t know what was going on behind me so I raced like I was being chased. There was quite a bit of headwind on the way out making the rollers that much harder. After the turnaround it was a different story and I was flying! I think I must have been doing about 50k/hr! That was so much fun getting pushed uphill! Then the fun stopped about ½ way back when the wind was no longer at my back and the backside of Richter’s was looming in the distance. I was feeling a bit wonky and had finished all my gel so I grabbed a Gatorade at the last aid station and basically downed it before the climb back up (I was fine, but not recommended). My hip flexors and lower back were getting tired from all the climbing so I got out of the saddle more to stretch so I wouldn’t be too wrecked for the run. The way down was fun, I was going way too fast and had to stand up a bit to catch some wind to slow myself down. Back into transition and I’m still in first.

I get into the transition area and there’s a camera by my spot. He’s in my way, between me and the run exit. He did move, luckily by the time I racked my bike and put my shoes on, otherwise that could have gotten ugly! I had no idea how far I was ahead so I went out again like I was being chased, because you never know what’s going on behind you. I was running for awhile with some guy and we were keeping a good pace and then eventually he dropped back. Then there was another guy that I caught up to who sped up and then I was alone. I tried keeping him in my sight for someone to chase and keep my pace up. After about 5k I was a bit worried since I didn’t know if my knee would hold up. But I just kept going and tried not to think about it. Then after about ½ way someone yelled that I had a 15 minute lead. And that I should save it for later. Save what?! This is a race! The next thing I know I look at my watch and it’s 4 hours and 36 minutes in and I have less than 1k to go! The course record is 4:42! I sailed across the finish line in 4:40, National long course champion, and course record holder. Check. Done.

Last week I helped Paul Smeulders of Ergvideo.com (www.ergvideo.com, www.intellicoach.ca) make an erg video of the Muskoka 70.3 bike course. Basically I wear a helmet cam and a power meter and he follows me with his car and another camera and records me on the course. So some time this fall you can purchase this software to be used with your computrainer and ride the course with me! Here’s a little video that Paul put together as a preview: YouTube.com.

Now I’m getting ready to make the trip out to BC again for this year’s long course (1/2 IM) Nationals. I did this race last year and it was a killer so I know what to expect. The bike course is amazing, including Richter’s pass. Hopefully all those hill repeats I’ve been doing will help!

The pro field was not as big as prior years, probably since there were other 70.3 races going on the same weekend, and the prize money for this race was half of what it used to be. Nonetheless it still was a decent field.

7:42am was the start of our swim. I lined up in between Lisa Bentley and Jen Coombs. Lisa is a bit stronger than me on the swim so the plan was to try and hang on to her feet. Jen is in a league of her own and would come out minutes ahead of the rest of the field. I managed to stay on Lisa’s feet until the first turn. Then I didn’t turn sharply enough and lost her feet. By the time I realized where she was and where the next bouy was she was gone. I tried to catch up but it was too late. Regaining my composure, I put my head down and swam as hard as I could. Turning the last bouy that we had to follow before entering the river, I made a b-line towards the left shore. Since there is a head on current in the river there is less resistance at the edges. Unfortunately there were still age-groupers in the water close to the left shore and I ended up running into two of them in spite of my efforts to dodge them. Finally I rounded the last bouy and I was out of the swim. Down a minute from Lisa, and about 4:30 from Jen.

I got on my bike as fast as I could to chase the others down. On the top of the first hill I could see Lisa already. I had made up about 15 seconds. In my excitement I made a really bad shift and dropped my chain. After cursing at my failed attempts to get it back on without getting off my bike, I eventually had to get off. So much for the time I made up. I quickly regained focus and continued my chase. I could see at the out and back that I was back to 45 seconds. Then 30, 20….eventually I caught her around 20km. This was really starting to hurt! I kept the pace going. Now the pavement is getting really bumpy and the bumps are hard to see from the shadows of the trees. I almost got tossed off over my handlebars a few times. And I forgot how hilly this course was! Where is Jen? I see her waaaaay off in the distance on some of the straight stretches. Each time I see her she’s getting closer. About 50km into the bike, still no Jen. Then I come back into transition and I’m 1:30 down. People are calling me Lisa coming into transition, and I’m thinking they’re cheering her on because she’s right behind me!

No time for socks before the run, I have to catch Jen. I get myself into a good pace right away and I’m feeling really good. I see Jen pretty much right away and pass her going up the hill in town past the lights. Now I’m in the lead, but it’s only 2km in and the male pros are going to be coming up fast behind me. Sean Bechtel passed me around 7km in. I surged a bit to stay with him, and I found that I could stay the same distance behind him. We saw Lisa after the turnaround and she was looking really strong. Sean speeds up and makes a bigger gap. Then I speed up to try and hang on. Around 11km he starts to slow and I end up passing him. Whoa, what’s going on! I just passed a guy! Trying to contain myself, with only 3k to go so I turned it up a notch again because I was still feeling good. From here on in I have to go as hard as I can. Only 1km left! And I’m still in the lead! I start to sprint towards the finish line, only over the next hill. Then, with about 800m to go, Kyle Guembel comes flying past me like I was standing still. I still gave it my all to the finish line since I had no idea what was going on behind me. Across the line first female, 2nd in the chase, and totally spent.

That was an awesome race I’m sure I’ll never forget. Janet and Mitch Fraser always put on great races and this one did not disappoint. Congrats to all the Ottawa area athletes on their amazing performances!

The swim was going to be very cold so I made sure I was in the water a good 15 minutes before to get over the initial shock and get my body used to the 64 degree water. My new Aquaman wetsuit was awesome and kept me very warm. We started in a fairly large wave including the pro men and women and several age groupers. I started on the inside, behind the pro men and I saw AC way over on the other side and was wondering what she was doing way over there. The gun goes, and I was OK for the first 200m or so, then I was caught in this huge pack that decided to slow down all of a sudden. I made my way out and swam way out wide to get around everyone. This went on until the first turn and I was still passing people. Finally I got some space and was able to get a good pace going but I still lost a lot of time.

The run from the swim to the bike is across a parking lot with lots of gravel so it’s hard to run very fast. AC blows past me, she put a pair of running shoes at the swim exit. So smart, I will do that next year. I had a good transition, without any mishaps and after blowing my nose a few times (cold water swim) I found my groove on the bike. About a third of the way through the bike I wasn’t really feeling that great, I couldn’t push like I usually do but after I had a gel I was feeling better. Near the end of the bike I started to feel a bit light headed and was wondering how the run was going to be. Another gel gave me another boost of energy and I was good coming into transition. That and I was happy to see no bikes on the rack.

I brought another gel with me on the run. I kept telling myself it was only 7.5k and I could make it. About 3k in the gel was wearing off so I took another one and started drinking Gatorade. The run is mostly uphill on the way out and downhill on the way back, really working in my favour. The last km was really hard but I was winning at this point and that carried me through to the finish line. First place again! I was super happy with myself! Trisport once again put on a great race, it is a bit far to drive and the swim is chilly but definitely worth it if anyone is thinking of doing this one as a season opener.

Cynthia won the women's race at the Milton Triathlon this morning in a time of 1:32:34 for the 750M swim, 30K cycle and 7.5K run.

I’ve had a hummingbird feeder stuck on my kitchen window for the past few weeks or so and last week I finally got one. Then he went and told his girlfriend about the fabulous red and yellow flower he found and now there’s two! Hummingbirds are fascinating little creatures! They beat their wings up to 80 times per second. Their metabolism is the highest of any animal to sustain the beating wings, and their heart rate can reach 1260bpm! I have no idea how someone measured that, maybe with a very very tiny HRM. In order to maintain this metabolism, they must eat constantly, consuming up to half their weight in nectar daily. That would be like me eating 63lbs of food in one day. They can fly in any direction, including backwards and even upside down. They can reach speeds up to 60km/hr! Scientist in just the past few years have begun to understand their flight using digital particle imaging velocimetry which uses teeny drops of olive oil suspended in mid air illuminated by a pulsating laser, the reflected light is then captured on camera. They found that some of their lift is provided on the upstroke, allowing them to hover.

Other things in my little world…now it’s 3 days after the MDS 10k and my legs are still sore. I gave it all I had and ended up with a 37:23. Really I was hoping for something under 37 minutes but I thought about it afterwards and I can’t complain. I would have been over the moon last year with this time. Otherwise training is going well and I’m really looking forward to all the races to come! Next up is Milton and I’m very excited about this race. I’ve done this one every year for the past 5 years and last year I finally won it. AC and I will be going up together, should be a fun trip. (always is when AC’s around!)

I’ve been home now for two weeks and it’s good to be back. Florida was awesome, I had a really good time and hung out with some great people. The training was really good with some long rides on nice roads, swimming in the 50m outdoor pool at the NTC, and running on the dirt roads in the orange groves.

Training around here is pretty nice too. Since I’ve been back all my rides have been in the park. There must be a really big bike magnet or homing device in there somewhere, because whenever I go out my front door to do a ride, my bike seems to automatically ride itself there….Running is going really well. I haven’t had any knee issues in awhile. Paul from Westboro massage has been taking good care of me and I’ve been stretching religiously.

There are lots of races coming up for me so I’ll be fairly busy with that for awhile. The MDS 10k, Milton, then Muskoka LC chase, then before I know it will be LC Nationals again. Last weekend was the Early Bird Tri put on by Somersault. As always it was a really fun race with many of my friends around racing too. This Saturday is the MDS 10k, where I will be running in the elite race. I have no idea what my time will be, I’m just going to go hard, pace myself, and try not to blow up. Should be fun, now that I’m finally starting in front of the rope! And I won’t get kicked out of the elite warm up area!

My thesis is progressing well. I’ve really been trying to get more work done than normal (sorry to all of my friends who I’ve been ignoring!) since my supervisor and I sat down before I left for FL and looked at all the things I need to do in order to finish. So from now until December most of my time will be working on it or training. Speaking of, I’d better get back to it! (and in case you were wondering, this is a picture of my optical measurement setup for my theses, used to measure the optical aberrations of crystalline lenses)

The swim was in Christiansted harbour, a beach start about 200m off shore on a small island with a beautiful sandy beach and a hotel. The bike was epic. 90km pretty much covering the entire hilly island. Bruno, MH and I drove the bike on Saturday. The first section was a short loop just outside of town with decent pavement, then the course headed west through town on the way out to “The Beast”. The pavement wasn’t that great with many potholes and patches, put that together with tight blind corners and sand on the road and it was going to be tough to get any speed going. After some winding roads out of town, at mile 26, you arrive at “The Beast”. A 0.75 mile climb averaging 14% with some sections as high as 23%. After “The Beast” the bike winds its way down to a smaller village with a section going through a series of 9 speed bumps with very bumpy pavement, followed by a section down a stretch of highway. Finally you head back towards town looping through the east end of the island which was again very hilly and windy. If that hasn’t done you in yet, the 2 loop run went out along the road to a golf course with more hills and wind. And since it’s in the Caribbean, of course there’s the heat and humidity to contend with.

Race morning I got there nice and early when transition opened at 5am. I had plenty of time to do my thing and wander around transition familiarizing myself with the mount/dismount line, bike and run exits, etc. I saw Dev in transition and he gave me a few last minute tips about the bike which was nice since I hadn’t really biked any of it. We started at 6:32, 2 minutes after the pro men so I was in the water for a good warm up at 6. I was really hoping to have a good swim since I wasn’t happy with my swim at St. Anthony’s. Since it was windy that morning the conditions were similar. I got myself in a good starting position and was in the mix for the first bit. I was on some feet and felt good so I passed her (I thought it looked like Tara Norton) and I was out in front of a smaller second pack. Usually Tara kicks my butt in the swim so I knew I was having a better day than last week. Then I got a massive cramp in my foot. So I ended up slowing down since I was swimming with one foot flexed. Luckily Tara passed me and I got on her feet for the rest of the swim. She picked it up a notch and I tried to pass her after the turnaround but I wasn’t able to so I stayed on her feet for the remainder. We ended up passing one of the pro men and he tried to get on her feet. I don’t think so. I elbowed him out of my way and he dropped back. Finally we were out and I was happy to see that there were still quite a few bikes in transition.

I decided to take it conservatively for the first section of the bike until the beast because the pavement was so bad and there were so many blind corners. I would much rather do the whole thing rubber side down with no flats than go nuts and burn it up like I usually try to do. I was constantly scanning the road for the best line looking where I wanted to go and not at the potholes. Tara was ahead of me about 20s so I was trying to get a gauge of what was ahead by looking at what she was doing at the same time, when I could get a glimpse of her since the road was so winding. Then we arrived at the beast. I started off in the easiest gear and kept it that way for the whole climb. I stayed seated for most of it, standing on only the really steep sections, I think it was a 17, 23, and 19%. I passed Tara in about the last 300m and finally I was at the top. I felt like I was going to barf up a lung. Then I quickly got back down and continued pedaling to get all of that acid out of my legs. The road wasn’t so bad for this section so I picked up my pace. The speed bump section was crazy, I thought for sure I was going to flat or break something. Then on the highway it started to rain, but I didn’t care. I hammered the rest of the way, through the hills on the east end in the wind and back to town. The sun came out and wow was it getting hot! A few points during the ride the TV camera was on me, that hasn’t happened before. At one point they were driving in the same lane, only a few feet away!

I was happy to get back into transition and out on the run. At this point I think I was in 5th but I kept hearing either 5th or 7th so I really had no idea. Now it’s really hot but it was cloudy at times so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. This was my longest run probably since worlds last November since I’ve been injured so I had no idea what to expect. Again I took it conservatively since I wanted to finish well, rather than blowing up or overheating and laying down in the bushes talking to myself. I was way behind 4th place and I saw Tara quite a bit behind me so I told myself all I had to do was keep a decent pace and I would keep 5th. There were a few good hills and some sections that were really hot. I kept drinking at every station, dumping water on my head and putting ice in my hat. Now I was on the home stretch. All I had to do was make it to the finish line. I was feeling pretty good so I picked it up a notch, something that I could keep for the last 2 miles or so. Then in the last mile, Tyler Stewart flew past me. AAAHHHH!!! I had no idea she was behind me. I tried to stay with her but I was spent; I really had nothing to respond. 5th place disappeared off into the distance. I crossed the line in 6th place, 4hrs, 47 minutes. In the results it says 5th was Felicity Hart, only 5s in front of me but I didn’t see her there, only Tyler.

Overall I’m happy with how my race went. I swam better than last week, I finished the bike and run without incident. My goal for this race was to finish in the top 5, however looking back I set that goal back in January before my running injury. Now that I’m more familiar with the course and know what to expect I have more experience when I return next year. Congrats to my friend and fellow Canadian Tara Norton, who competed at IM AZ only a few weeks before. At the finish line I was sitting with her in the medical tent as she was getting and IV and her feet looked like hamburger. She’s going to do IM Lanzarote in just a few weeks! Now there’s one tough cookie! Congrats also to Bruno who had a good finish in spite of loosing all of his nutrition in the first few miles of the bike and not getting any until the run. Also thumbs up to the rest of the Ottawa contingent who were there, I’m interested in hearing all their race reports too!

Next up: Milton.

We arrived from Clermont the morning before to attend the pro race meeting and drive the bike and run course. The bike was a single very flat loop through town with many 90 degree turns and 2 turnarounds. I knew to have a fast bike split smooth cornering would be very important. The run was also an out and back through some nice neighborhoods, also very flat. Add to that an ocean swim and you have one very fast race.

Race morning started at 4:30am since I wanted to be in transition early for the 6:50 start. The bay was very choppy and I really wasn’t looking forward to the swim since I haven’t been in chop like that in a long time. I had a decent start and was on some good feet for the first 2-300m or so, and then I started to get thrown off from the waves. I had a lot of trouble following anyone’s feet any more and I had to look 2-3 times to find the buoys. There were also orange canoes in the water inside the buoy line that I kept mistaking for the orange buoys. Now I’m alone, 500m in, and I just want the swim to be over with. This sucks. Then I noticed (between mouthfuls of salt water) girls ahead of me not too far ahead so I put my head down and plowed through. There was an elite amateur wave of men starting 2 minutes behind, wetsuits allowed and I started getting passed about 750m in. I got a ride from a few of them from that point to the finish. Up some stairs and I sprinted to my bike and out of the transition area, passing 2 females in the process.

I got out on the bike and into a rhythm as quickly as possible. There were a few elite amateur men with me who really did not want to let me pass them, refusing to drop back after my front wheel had passed theirs. I kicked it up a notch to lose them, wow did that hurt. Then I kept my pace going, trying to make up some time and get to the front of the race. I was making my way through the field pretty good, then I made it to the last turnaround and saw the head of the race not to far in front of me. Wow, this is going really well! I came off the bike in 10th place. Passed another female in transition. Now I'm in top 10!

Now I really wasn’t sure what was in store for me at this point in the race since I’ve had an IT band injury and haven’t run very much for the past 9 weeks. I hadn’t done any intensity other than 5 minutes at race pace a few days before the race. I figured I would just do the best I could and see what happened. Starting out I felt really good and concentrated on keeping my head up, a quick turnover and a positive outlook. This was only 10k and it was going to hurt and I could do it. About 1k in I saw another female up the road and she wasn’t looking so good and I passed her. Now I’m in 8th. I really wanted to stay here so I stayed focused on being strong. At the turnaround I saw that I was doing pretty good at keeping my position and now all I had to do was bring it home. Then with about 400m to go people started yelling at me that there was someone behind me so I picked it up as much as I could. No way was I about to lose a spot with 400m to go. Sure enough, 8th place. And I’m very happy to have done 38 min and change on the run with not much training.

After I finished and we went to see the results I realized that I had won the prime for the fastest bike split. I couldn’t believe it! Top ten and that to boot! Not bad for the first race of the season. Congrats to Bruno, AC, and Tenille on their respective races, and a huge thanks to Dan, Francois, MH and Jonnyo for an awesome cheering section. Next up: St. Croix!

I’ve been here for 2 weeks now and the time has really flown by. My days have been busy training, eating, sleeping, and working on my thesis. IT band update: I think I’m no longer injured! YAY!!! I did a 55min run yesterday with 5 minutes of zone 2 and I was pain free. I’ve had 3 massages since I’ve been here and have been stretching a lot and rolling on the foam roller and it seems to have made all the difference. I went to get massages at the National Training Center (where we swim and do our track workouts). I was a bit scared at first when I showed up for my first appointment and met Maria from Colombia, a rather large woman who spoke with a thick Spanish accent. But it turned out great and she really knew her stuff. She did some deep tissue work, myofacial release and I really felt loosened up after each session.

The training is awesome here. I’m here with AC, Bruno, Marie Helene, Francois, Dan, Marcel, and Jonnyo. Jonathan has been great helping all of us with our swim stroke, bike positioning, etc. We have a 50m outdoor pool to swim in with basically 3 to a lane, the biking is great on some really nice rolling country roads with little to no traffic, and running on some nice soft roads through orange groves. Can’t do much better than that! The weather has been nice too, sunny every day and not too hot.

My biking is going really well, I’m feeling really good on the bike and am looking forward to testing out the new wheels etc. at the race this week-end. Thanks to my friend Vicki T for lending me her power tap for the season, it’s really helping lots since now I can see my wattage when I’m outside. And thanks also to Olivier (euro boy) for getting my Kiwami suits to the printer for me in time for my races. I received them yesterday and they are really awesome. Can’t wait to race in them as well!

That’s all for now, next update after St. Anthony’s!

For more info on the races:
SATriathlon.org
StCroixTriathlon.com

Training has been great, well the swim and the bike. On Sunday I did the last RWR TT and posted a PB. 8W more than last time, and my highest average ever. I was super happy (well, after I stumbled around the peak center in a daze). All of this hard work is showing. Sometimes it’s really hard to do these hard workouts day in and day out, but I just think to myself how good I feel after I did it, that I’m proud of myself, and it makes it easier. Sometimes you just have to put your head down and pound it out. What makes it all worth it is when it’s all over and you lift up your head and say “sh*t!! Did you see that!!”

My running is not going that great. I was up to an hour on the treadmill for four solid runs so I was ready to put in 5 min of race pace to test the legs. Not so much. I did the 5 min, but then about 5 min after when I returned to an easy pace I started to feel my IT band acting up again. Not a happy camper. So I stopped right away. Back to water running. I was bummed out for a day or so then I thought that this is totally out of my control and the only thing I can do is to do everything I can to get better (stretch, massage, etc) and be positive. Back to seeing Jay at OHPC, getting more massage with Paul at Westboro Massage, and Ryan from Solefit did another gait analysis to see if I’m doing anything differently at race pace. Nothing. Textbook. I’ve been trying to keep my fitness by doing something equivalent for all the time that I should be running. Including elliptical, stair master, water running, and classic skiing. Anything to keep my fitness up. I tried to do one of my intensity sessions on the stairmaster at the gym the other day. There are no fans and I sweat so much I shorted out my MP3 player. Now I’m known in the gym as “that sweaty girl”. Leaving puddles under all the equipment. Nice. On the bright side, I did return to running yesterday and did 15min with no pain. Yay!

If you haven’t noticed, I put a link to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation up. I realized that there are so many women in my life and continue to be more that are either fighting this terrible disease right now or recovering from it. My good friend Ellen, who I wrote about before, my neighbour down the street, a few of my friend’s moms, to name a few. Then there are those who have already died because of it, including a few in my own family. So I encourage you to donate in any way you can, even volunteering helps.

Well, back to packing. Why is Harley putting his cat toys in my suitcase…hmm….

This doesn’t really look like spring to me, which is supposed to actually begin this Saturday. I’m hoping the shoveling is over, since I really don’t think I can shovel anymore. In fact, I refuse to shovel any more. So there. Wow am I looking forward to going to Florida in a few weeks!

IT band update: it’s getting better! Yay! I ran for 40min on a treadmill yesterday and planning on doing 50min in a few days. Once I’m up over an hour I’ll throw intensity back in the plan and then I’m good to go. In an attempt to keep my running fitness up I have been trying to do the intensity sessions water running. So there I am, gasping for air, beat red, and going nowhere….hmmm…kind of like biking in my basement. The things we do. Why do I live here again?

Since I have this annoying injury I missed out on round 3 of the WQW roller races. I did, however send superwoman and a few other ladies in my place. Not only did she steal the show she took first place! I also missed the St. Patty’s day road races, where the KinO2 crowd went and made me proud anyway.

The pool is closed for a week for some unknown reason; I think it’s probably that there’s too much snow on the roof and needs to be cleared off. So I went for a swim in the Plant bathtub with all my old buddies from Peak. I miss those guys! Speaking of swimming, on Monday I dragged my sorry arse out of bed, then somehow ripped off a 400m pb. By 9 seconds. No idea where that came from but I’ll take it anyway!

My biking is going very well too, Z3 is somewhere I’ve never seen before. In fact, I used to max out there not that long ago. Pile it on. St. Croix, here I come!!

The past few weeks have been a time for breaking things, it seems. My knee is still broken (well it hurts) and I can’t run on it due to a tight IT band. The cold water tap under my sink broke and was leaking into the floor. And the rad in my car was cracked and spewing coolant everywhere. Not cool. Lucky for me, I have a friend who is a mechanic and another who is a plumber so everything was fixed very quickly. Not so much for the knee however and I’ll have to stay off of it for another 4 or 5 days. Poor knee. It doesn’t like me very much right now no matter how much ice it gets or how much I say ‘I’m sorry for beating on you like that.’

But things could always be worse. Last year I was sick for 7 weeks and I couldn’t do anything so at least its not that bad. My biking has been steadily improving; I’ve been moving up and up with the zone 3 workouts, now I’m at a level that I’ve never reached before. I don’t think I can hang on for even 10 minutes. We’ll see what happens when I try it out next week. As for swimming the crazy fast times are coming back every now and then, and they’re getting faster. Monday I was doing some 1:12s. Woah. Then Wednesday I could barely get a 1:18 out. Reality checks are always good.

A few weeks ago I went to Greg Christie’s to pimp my ride. With the help of the all-knowing Glen Rendall. We picked out some race wheels, a new cassette, and a new compact crank. Sweet!! Now all the parts are in and Charles will work his magic. Look out! Supafast!

And something cool from the world of material science. Physicists in Paris have made a new type of rubber that will heal itself. It’s made of long strings of fat shaped like spaghetti, held by loose bonds between the strings. When its stretched the strings straighten out and when released they go back to their original shape. If its ripped, you can just press the ripped bits back together and the bonds between the strands stick back together. No more flat tires? ?

Other than that my training has been going fairly well, with the exception of my run this past week-end. I went for a short run after a hard bike and all of a sudden my left knee really started to hurt. Crap. This sucks! I had to stop and walk on the way back. Luckily it was a short run or it could have been a long walk! So now I’m in the pool water running. Yay. I hope that this will go away as fast as it came on. On the other hand, my biking and swimming have been going really well. I did a PB at the RWR TT and averaged my highest ever. That felt good. Swimming is going well, and I’m managing to hang on to a good pace for longer than I have in the past.

And in the lab….last week I worked at home one day and then came in the next day to see that someone had put stuff on my optical table, and even had the gall to put something on top of my laser!!!! I completely lost it! Flew off the handle, and had to go outside. I had spent hours setting things up, staring at a little red dot and aligning everything just so. Now everyone is quite aware that nothing in that area is to be touched, breathed on, walked past, or even so much as looked at. This is what happens when you have to share space with Cynthia. Touch her stuff, and she will lose it on you. Maybe I should get some of that energy when I race…

While listening to CBC radio 2 the other day in my car on the way to school (yes, I listen to Radio 2) there was a neat story about an experiment that researchers in Japan had carried out looking for signs of intelligence in slime mould. Well slime doesn’t really seem all that smart to me, for sure they didn’t find anything, why bother? They had a batch of this slime in petri dishes and then blew puffs of cold air over the surface of the dish at regular intervals. Turns out that after awhile, the slime (its whole one-celled body) actually prepared itself for the blast of cold air by changing its structure. It hunkered down to weather the storm that was coming. A smart cell! Now I was curious about this slime mould stuff and wanted to know more (who wouldn’t). In fact, there are many different types of slime moulds, it is both a fungus and a plant and they are indeed very smart. Well, for a fungus anyway. They can move around, eating things in their path, cross roads, and even climb trees. Researchers have put blobs of the stuff in mazes and the mould would find food. Sometimes even stretching itself out to get food in opposite ends of the maze. I wonder if I could teach my muscle cells to be so smart…now go fix yourselves, and hurry up!

Things in the lab have been progressing at a decent pace and it’s time to get my experiment going again. Time to get the party started. Now that I’m back at the general campus I can go back to using the giant Ar-ion laser again and ditch the weenie laser that I was using before. The big one is way easier to use because it has much more power and I can switch wavelengths. If I get bored of red, change to blue! Or green! (I need to study chromatic effects anyway). I have much more space to make an even bigger mess so all is going well.

Training…I have completed one cycle of training, and after three weeks the rest week came none too soon. JZ’s weight training routine is going well, and after a few times through I am getting used to it and can get out of bed in the morning without wincing. Swimming is going well, I’m not ripping off 100s in 1:14 as much any more when I have a hard workout the day before, but they still do happen when I’m feeling alright. This week I had a bike and run zone check and they both were really good so that helps with the motivation too. I’m also happy to announce that I have a new sponsor for the upcoming season. Kiwami (www.kiwamitriathlon.com) will be providing me with race suits to wear this season, they look awesome and I’m looking forward to racing in them. I have also signed on again with aquaman for wetsuits this year.

OK, back to the giant laser. I wonder what would happen if I lit up some slime mould with blue and then green light…..

A few week-ends ago I skied to a yurt in the park and stayed there overnight with some friends. One of them was my friend Ellen who I used to work with at Nortel. Another PhD in Physics. Ellen just came out of her last chemotherapy treatment about 6 months ago for breast cancer, and that night she told us about her ordeal.

Both Ellen’s grandmother and mother have passed away from breast cancer. Every year she has taken part in the run for the cure, I have run it with her a few times. We all cry when we get to the finish line. Sure enough, two years ago, Ellen was diagnosed with breast cancer. Even though she was having mammograms every year, the lump that was found had grown in a very short time to the size of a grape. She told us about the surgery, how painful it was, and the complications of having your lymph nodes removed. About how to tell her two young kids what was happening. The metallic taste in her mouth the first few minutes after the chemicals were pumped through her bloodstream every two weeks. The nausea and vomiting. How her skin hurt, her bones hurt, and she was so tired that she spent months on the couch. Her kids’ stick figure drawings of the family included mommy, not standing with them, but off to the side, lying on the red couch. Her skin hurt when her hair started to fall out. Her son would feel her head every now and then to see if it was going to come back or not.

That night she gave me a pink bracelet. I look at it from time to time, and it reminds me that no matter what kind of bad day I’m having (not that I have bad days all the time), it would be nothing compared to what Ellen went through. It also reminds me of how lucky I am to have a sound mind and body, good parents and good friends. Good friends like Ellen.

These past few weeks I have been spending some time doing the things that will help to get me faster next year. These people are here in Ottawa, they are professionals and know what they are doing so I will use them. Every little bit counts.

I went to see Ryan Grant from SoleFit Orthotics (see my sponsor section) to get some new met pads and for a gait analysis. Turns out my lack of hips gives me a good solid running form and I seem to be very efficient – always nice to hear. And I’m in the right running shoes, also a good thing because I have been wearing the same style for as long as I can remember.

I also went to see John Zahab for a strength assessment and strength training plan. Yesterday I got a new strength training plan from John, it focuses on core strength and working on some muscular imbalances that I have (mid back and, some glutes). There are also some good old squats and chin ups in there too. Most of the exercises I have never seen before. There lots of stability ball exercises and some strange ones – split squats with a pulley attached to one leg!?! It will take me awhile to remember how to do them all but in the end it will be worth it.

While at my friend Treena’s place the other day, I came across the gift she had bought for herself when she completed her PhD. Her PhD is in Physics, more specifically in photonic band gap (PBG) materials. The gift she bought herself was a very nicely mounted specimen of a Morpho butterfly. I thought this was one of the neatest things I have ever seen.

This isn’t just any butterfly. Its front is a brownish grey colour with a few eye spots to keep predators away. Seems ordinary enough until you turn it over. The other side is a beautifully bright metallic blue colour, visible at a wide range of viewing angles. The blue colour is a result of a naturally formed photonic crystal. In a nutshell, the light reflected from the butterfly’s wings is manipulated by a complexity of the scales. The ridges, flutes, layers and perforations form a natural photonic band gap structure, only allowing the colour blue to reflect. All other colours (they are in the band gap) are not allowed to reflect. Wow how cool is that!

…Back to training. This weekend I did another RWR indoor ride, this time it was the time trial. I was pleasantly surprised with my result, a PB and the highest wattage that I have ever done in any of the indoor races. Woo HOO! Not bad for the 2nd ride. Then the Richmond 5k the next day. I was hoping for 18:30, I did 18:39. It was -26 with the windchill, making it difficult to breathe, and I did have some stomach cramping in the last k, not to sure what that was about. 10s better than last year though, and my first intensity of the year, so I can’t complain about that.

I’ve made a deal with my supervisor that if I get enough done he will let me take enough time off to go to the KinO2 training camp in April and then St. Croix. Back to work!

BIG plans!

This week Bruno and I sat down and looked at my race schedule for next year. Just making up the schedule and seeing what races are when is getting me excited to race. So far the major races on the list are 5 in the 70.3 series: St. Croix, Newfoundland, Timberman, Muskoka, and Clearwater. I would also like to do Nationals but Tri Canada is taking their time letting us know when/where that will be. Other races will probably be Milton, Muskoka chase, some races in Quebec, and some local Somersault races. Wow that’s alot!

We also went over some goals for next year. I would like to make it into the top 5 at Worlds and St. Croix, and podium at the rest. Now I need to get the work done. And it’s going to be hard work. Lots of hard work. I’m ready to do it!

This week was my first real week of organized training. I started weights again (ouch!), did my first of the RWR indoor series, and will be showing up at the track. The RWR went better than I thought; I averaged the same as I did this time last year. Not bad considering this was my first bike intensity since Clearwater. I was expecting it to be much worse so I held back at the beginning but then found something at the end and I was able to crank it up a notch.

Nothing new going on in the lab. I’m still puttering around in calculation land and it’s taking me longer than I thought. But that’s how it goes. Hopefully once that’s done I can get my measurement system back up and running and get some experiments going again. Then more calculations, more experiments, more calculations, more experiments, more calculations…..ugh. I think I need to go have a nap.

Here I sit on a Via Rail train on my way to spend Christmas at my sister’s place in Scarborough. No bike (so no bike training to worry about!), just some easy running and swimming. I’m quite happy to report that I’m no longer injured so I have been slowly returning to running and biking. Very slowly. Only ½ hour at a time, and no intensity yet. No big deal, the speed will return when I need it.

I’m very much looking forward to spending time with my family: Mom, Dad, sister Andrea, brother in law Rodney. And especially the three munchkins: Nathan, James, and Emily. Or as I like to refer to them: Bum Bums, Bo Bos, and Boo Boos. It’s always fun to hear about their antics, and they come up with the most hilarious things. The latest is Samantha claus, roodles the red nosed rain deer, and my favourite; crusty the snowman!

The lab move has progressed very slowly, the last few days meant going into the lab, moving around a few boxes, realizing that I’ve only made a very small dent, becoming confused and then going home. I have been doing some calculations at home however with so much going on with the holidays that hasn’t been going anywhere either. Hoping that I will get some work done on this little vacation.

I’m happy to announce that I am the recipient of this year’s Triathlete of the year for the Ottawa sports awards to be held in January. Ken Parker left me a message this morning and I am so happy and honoured to receive such an award! I was also in awe to see myself appear in an article in the Citizen last Sunday. Wow!

Well, I hope that Harley will be ok with my friend Treena taking care of him while I’m away. He’s probably going to be spoiled rotten!

Check the Media page for Cynthia's interview with Mark Sutcliffe of the Ottawa Citizen.

My mom introduced me to the poetry of Robert Frost as a kid, while on a camping trip to Alaska (yes, we drove there). One poem I liked in particular and it keeps coming back at certain points in my life. It’s come back again…

The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Today is day 2 of packing up the lab. I’m not a big fan of packing, and I really didn’t like taking apart my setup that will take me a week or more to put back together. Oh well, such is life. I did finish my abstract for the ophthalmology conference that I would like to go to in Florida in April. However, once I finished it I came across another one in Vancouver in August that I would rather go to, it’s an IEEE one and they’re usually really good. I’ll have much more data then so I would have a better presentation. Since we’re only allowed to go to one per year I want to make sure it’s a good one!

Back to the marmalade saga….the first batch was a disaster. I used this weird recipe off the internet (mistake #1) that had about 100 steps and took me all week-end. I ended up with some pink soupy stuff with bits of peel in it. (Don’t complain if you get one of these ones). Then I got another recipe from a friend of mine and it was way easier. Boil grapefruits, cut into pieces, boil with 3kgs of sugar, put in jars. My rendition: Boil grapefruits, start doing something else and forget about them. Return to explosion in kitchen. Remove grapefruit bits from kitchen cabinets, table, floor, windows, ceiling, cat. Boil with 372kg of sugar, start doing something else and forget about pot on stove. Return to smell of burning sugar and kitchen floor covered in pink goo. Put whatever’s not on the floor into jars. Yum!

I haven’t been doing any running or biking lately (stupid injury) so I’m limited to swimming with a pull and skate skiing, also with a pull. Swimming hasn’t been so great lately. Last Monday’s practice went something like this:
Us: “Robert, we’re cold. The water is really cold.”
Robert: “Shut up. You are all a bunch of wooses. 12x800 all out! Red top!! GO!”
Us: “wwewe’re sttttill cccccold. cccan wwwwe getttt outtttt. Ppppplease!”
Robert: “NO! Pansies, all of you! 100 x 100 sculling. All out. GO!!”
Us: silence *no longer able to speak because we have lost all motor control*
Practice is over after 2h, we get out of the pool.
Robert, looking in the box with the pool heater in it: “Oh look at that, the heater’s broken…..”

The heater’s been broken for 2 weeks now and it keeps getting colder and colder. And I’m swimming with a pull. Not very motivated to get out of bed. On the other hand, I’ve been skate skiing in the park almost every day and absolutely loving it. Biathlon would be kind of fun. If only I had a rifle…..

December 6th: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

Tomorrow, December 6th, is the 18th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. On that day, in 1989, a twenty five year old man armed with a semi-automatic rifle and a hunting knife entered a classroom at Ecole Polytechnique, the engineering school associated with the Universite de Montreal. The classroom was full of approximately 50 men and 9 women. He ordered the women to stand on one side of the class and ordered the men to leave. He told the female students he was there fighting feminism, and he hated them because they were women who were going to be engineers. Then he opened fire on them, killing six and injuring three. He continued on through the hallways and the cafeteria, opening fire on and stabbing any women in the building he could before turning the gun on and killing himself. When everything was over, fourteen women were dead. Twelve engineering students, one nursing student, and one university employee.

I remember that day very well. I was in grade 10. I sat on the edge of my parent’s bed, watching with my mother and father. I remember how awful I felt. Then it really hit home when I was an engineering student, living in Montreal.

If you are reading this, please stop and take a moment to remember those women who died because of what they were, and women and girls who continue to live in violence.

While at the grocery store this week I saw pink grapefruit on sale. I stood there for a minute in front of the display and decided that I was going to make marmalade. I’ve never made marmalade before (or ever canned anything for that matter) and thought it would be fun. I could give it away to my friends at Christmas. So I thought I would probably need lots and lots of grapefruit so I got 4 bags. That’s 24 grapefruit. Then I went online to find a recipe and discovered that 2 grapefruit would make 8x250ml jars. So I have enough to make 96 jars of marmalade. I don’t know if I have that many friends. I didn’t even have any jars. Or any of the canning stuff. So now I’ve done 6 grapefruit. It took me all week-end, and my kitchen looks like an exploded grapefruit. Only 72 jars left to go. I think I’ll be eating it for breakfast instead.

I also went to the Rudy awards last night to see some of my friends get theirs. It’s quite an accomplishment to do all of the events within a limit of one year. Very inspiring! It was a really good time and I met many people who I’ve been hearing their names for years but have never actually met. And Rick said a few nice words about my race in Clearwater. I’m kind of shy and don’t really like the attention (standing up in front of a room with a lot of people) but it was appreciated nonetheless.

OK, back to the marmalade!

Well, I don’t know what it is, maybe from a lack of training or an overload on caffeine, but lately my brain has been running on overtime. There’s lots going on in the lab lately, my lab mate Dave and I are going to be moving back over to the big lab at the eye institute before the holidays since more space has opened up. Also, I would like to attend a conference (ARVO) next April and the deadline for abstracts is Dec 8th! Aaaahhhh!! That’s so soon! I have a few ideas up my sleeve but they seem to be stuck up there at the moment. Today I didn’t get very far, Dave gave me a *very* special and also *very* small test lens to calibrate my system with. I put it in a *very* special place so I wouldn’t lose it. Then I was laughing at something, slammed my hand down on the table and sent the little glass thing flying across the room and spent the rest of the evening looking for it.

I also went to visit my good friend J at OHPC. Ever since my race the squishy bit between my calf and hamstring has been giving me problems. I was hoping that it would just go away, but it hasn’t. According to J (who has magic hands and can fix anyone who is injured) I pulled my popala-something muscle and some fluid from somewhere is making something else bulge and push on a nerve causing pain. That’s my translation anyway, and why I stick to physics. No biking and no running for a week. No swimming unless with a pull buoy. Well if I was actually training right now I would be really upset. I guess I’ll just hang out with Harley….who has been sniffing around the coffee maker lately. What’s up with that?

Ahhh, the off season!

Now that I've been back for about 2 weeks from worlds, I'm finally starting to enjoy my off season. I was getting a bit worried because I haven't really done much since I've been back and I'm starting to feel fat and out of shape. The most important thing however, I keep telling myself, is to take it easy. Once the season starts back up again, I have to really be ready to start training hard again. The other day I went for a swim. Everyone else was swimming hard. I tried to do the workout, but I would have been perfectly happy to do my best sea urchin impression instead.

I've decided to take time for things that I have taken a back seat to training for the past year or so. Like my thesis. I've actually managed to get in to school every day for the past two weeks. I even went in on a Saturday! Imagine that! I am in the process of setting up my experiment once again, after having taken it apart for the 19th time or so. It goes something like this: I have a brilliant new idea, get all excited, take everything apart, and make a big mess. Then I realize that my idea wasn't so amazing after all and won't work (unless I can somehow defy the rules of quantum physics) and end up back where I started. Sometimes it gets better, usually it doesn't. That's research.

I also need to spend some quality time hanging out and goofing off with my friends. Saturday I went for a great hike up to the falls in Luskville with my good friend Treena. We had a great time tromping through the snow and flinging icicles at each other. Next time we will bring something to toboggan on the way down.

Now… back to relaxing!

Welcome to my website! Thanks to Ken Parker for setting this up for me. He’s a really great person and I’m looking forward to doing some training with him and the speedy gals with the OAC racing team in the near future.

About myself:
My athletic career began with figure skating at age 4, and later on running at the age of 8. My parents put my sister and I in as many activities as we could handle, including gymnastics, brownies, piano, ballet, and art lessons. We both liked running, piano, and figure skating, these activities we carried into our teens. I was on the high school track and cross country teams. I really enjoyed running, and pushing myself to the limit in races. My best event was the 400m; I even made it to OFSAA. The big track scholarships never came my way as I never really got much under 60s. I never really went very far in figure skating either, probably due to my lack of artistic abilities. I preferred skating around really fast and seeing how high I could jump. My athletic endeavors weren’t looking very promising at that point in my life, and I decided to forgo them for a university education.

I really liked physics in high school (yes, I was a geek) so I decided to enroll in engineering physics at McMaster University. My dad was a math teacher so of course I hated math, but nonetheless I learned the math to do the physics. Training now consisted of studying, studying, and more studying, peppered here and there with some championship drinking. I still really enjoyed running so I would go out for a run once or twice a week to keep my head screwed on straight. McMaster had an internship program, a 16 month work term in industry. I took advantage of this program and worked for JDS Uniphase in Ottawa, Ontario. My athletic endeavors consisted of running now and then, and playing soccer and volleyball once a week. I returned to McMaster to finish my final year and then decided that I wanted to continue my education, so I enrolled in the master of engineering program at McGill University. JDS Uniphase was nice enough to let me undertake my master’s project with them. . I started running again, and completed my first 10km in 50 minutes. It hurt so bad. 10km was way too far. After finishing my masters, I took up a job with Nortel Networks. This is where the triathlon part comes in….

A good friend of mine who I worked with at Nortel competed in triathlons and I thought she was super cool. Then she convinced me that if I could play soccer for 90 minutes, I could do a triathlon. I thought about it for about 30 seconds, and then thought it sounded like fun. I went out and bought a cheap road bike and went to the pool to see if I could swim. My first swim consisted of me going to the pool, standing on the deck, watching other people, getting in the pool, swimming 50m, swallowing a bunch of water and choking, then getting out and asking the lifeguard if she could teach me to swim. My first bike ride I fell over once in the garage, 3 times in the driveway (pedals), rode 2km down the road at 15km/hr, turned around, wiped out, rode home, fell down in the garage. My first triathlon was 6 weeks later. I was in the Thousand Islands sprint triathlon, August 19th, 2001. My last name was Clark back then, (I’ve divorced since then), and I finished 9th out of 14 in my age group. I couldn’t wait until the next one. It’s been that way ever since.

I kept training, and really liked the Olympic distance triathlons, the ITU draft legal races, and of course the dream of one day going to the Olympics. I started racing as a pro in 2005 and raced some of the ITU continental cups that were in Canada and the US. Since my swimming was not my strength, I would come out of the swim close to last, work my butt off on the bike to move ahead, never catch the pack, and then pass out on the run. I met Bruno Lafontaine as a swim coach and he convinced me last year to race long distance since my strength was the bike (probably thanks to all the figure skating I had done in my youth). This year was my best season by far.

In 2003, after getting laid off from Nortel, I started a PhD in physics at the University of Ottawa. I always wanted to do a PhD and it was the right time. I am in the visual optics lab at the Ottawa Eye Institute (www.eyeinstitute.net), studying optics of the eye. My thesis is a model of the human crystalline lens. I hope to be finished by December of 2008. How do I train as a pro and go to school at the same time? I’m up at 5am and try to get all of my workouts and naps in before noon, then I’m in my lab or working at home from noon to 6pm. Some days I do one workout in the morning, go to school, and get another one in before 7pm. I’m in bed by 9, and get up the next day and do it all over again. My supervisor is very understanding and I’m really grateful that I have the opportunity to do both.

What’s going on now:
I’ve just come back from the 70.3 half ironman world championships, where I placed 11th. Now I’m in an off season for the next 3-4 weeks, after that I’ll start some base training. Stay tuned for training updates, racing updates, riveting physics updates, and what’s going on in my little world!