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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

Yesterday I competed in the Milton Triathlon, consisting of a 750m swim, 30k bike, and 7.5k run. My friend AC and I drove down Saturday afternoon. The night before the race was not fun, I had a gastro problem that kept me up half the night. I have celiac so I must have eaten something that day that had gluten in it. I woke up race morning tired and dehydrated. A dose of Immodium fixed my problem by the time we showed up in transition.

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.

Sunday I competed in my first 70.3 of the season; St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. I arrived Thursday from the KinO2 training camp in Clermont Florida after recovering from the race at St. Anthony’s the week before. My homestay came and got me from the airport and took me to their beautiful home a few kms east of Christiansted, where the transition area was to be set up. Thursday evening they took me out on their boat and we headed out to Buck Island, a small island off shore with great snorkeling. Friday was a short swim on the course followed by a short bike and run. Friday night we went to a street party in Christiansted with Caribbean food sold on the streets, metal drum players, and dancers. Saturday night my homestay hosted a reception for some of the pros and their homestays which was kind of neat and gave me a chance to get to know some of the pros better. And see how much Craig Alexander can eat before a race! Aside from all of this excitement I spent most of my time relaxing on the beach in the shade, working on my thesis and reading.

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.

My first race of the season started off with a bang yesterday at the 25th edition of St. Anthony’s triathlon, an Olympic distance non drafting race in St. Petersburg, FL. With a 50k+ prize purse the pro field was stacked, including Sam McGlone (2nd at Hawaii IM this year), Miranda Carfrae (1st at 1/2IM worlds), and Sarah Haskins (2008 US Olympic team). I’ve been here for the past 2 weeks getting in some warm weather training to set me up for this race and next weekend in St. Croix.

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!

70.3 World Half Ironman Championships, Clearwater Florida, November 10, 2007

Race day started bright and early at 5am. My parents and my good friend Anne were staying in the same condo and they all got up and had breakfast with me. Then Anne and I met Peggy, another competitor from Ottawa who was staying in the condo above us with Bruno and Marie Helene for the 10 minute walk over to transition. Our bikes were checked in the night before and it was weird to walk over there with no bike. We ended up walking with Sister Madonna Buder (the legendary 77 year young iron-nun, look her up on wikipedia). Gotta love triathlon.

I walked through to the end of the pro rack to my bike. This was going to be a very different race. There were TV cameras from NBC and other various stations and photographers everywhere, with spotlights on the big names as they got ready. After pumping up my tires and doing a final check on my bike, I put on my wetsuit, popped a couple of caffeine mints and headed down for a 15 min swim warm-up in the gulf of Mexico. I wasn't nervous at all. I was really excited to start the race.

The water was only 67 degrees, rather cold for this time of year so we were allowed wetsuits. As I was doing my warm-up, the beach was getting busier and busier as the media and many spectators were heading down for the swim start. There were many boats in the water and 2-3 helicopters flying overhead. We were called up on to the beach 15 minutes before the start for some presentations and the singing of the national anthem. Bruno was in the crowd, I couldn't see him but I sure could hear him yelling over everyone some last minute motivation. I was standing there waiting, licking my goggles and turned to see a TV camera right in my face. There's my moment of fame.

I looked out on to the beach and told myself that I was going to have the best race of my life.

At 7am on the dot, the cannon went off and we all dashed across a line drawn in the sand. The start was congested with 30 or so of us starting. I was determined not to be left behind. At one point my watch got stuck to someone else and I was swimming with one arm. Then I got kicked in the head as I tried to get past someone. Finally we started to spread out and I could see a group forming just ahead of me. They were slowly starting to move away. I wasn't going to miss the boat this time, no way, so I went into zone 8 to catch up to them. Once I caught up, we were a group of 10 or so moving at a good speed and I could hang on. I would drop back every now and then and had to work hard to get back on. On the return to the beach the sun was in my eyes so I just kept follwing the bubbles. Then before I knew it, the swim was over and I came out with the pack! I was so happy! I was in the 2nd pack to come out; there were 2 swimmers alone, then a small pack, then us. Swim time: 29:02.

Transition was different than I was used to, there were bags that you put your bike/run stuff in that you grabbed before getting on your bike and going out on to the run. I flew through transition and was out on my bike. Unfortunately, since I was in a pack coming out of the swim, we all started the bike together. We had to go up over a 12% causeway to the mainland. After passing a few girls, I left 10m between me and the girl in front. I wasn't about to show up at a world championship and get dinged for drafting (a 4 min penalty). Once we were out on a straightaway I kept my 10m, but the 6 or so in front of me were still close together and moving away. Very frustrating.

A few miles down the road the men (who started 10 minutes behind us) started to pass. They were just as bad, one passing me after the other with only 2-3 meters between them. I was starting to wonder if this was an ITU race. Sure enough, when I passed the first penalty tent there were 6 or so sheepish looking pros in there. A woman in a red swimsuit came out of the tent just ahead of me. Then I came up behind Natasha Filliol and was about to pass her when another group of 10 men or so came flying by I had to hang out behind her to wait for them to pass. Then I passed the red swimsuit. There was an out and back section about 30 miles in and I noticed that I very close to catching up to the 6 who were in front of me at the start. A few miles later I was behind them so I went for it and passed all of them at once. They were all about 8m apart. In front it was none other than Lisa Bentley. I was beside myself, passing Lisa Bentley. Wow. A mile or so later she passed me and after dropping 10m behind her I brought it up a notch and passed her again. Then red swimsuit passed me so I did the same and tried to distance myself from both. I imagined myself as a freight train and pushed my way along to see who else was ahead.

About 2/3 of the way through the course went up and over another causeway and I could see another line of 5 or so way up in the distance, I couldn't tell if they were male or female. Passing the other penalty tent, sure enough a few more pros standing around waiting. Around mile 45 there was a left hand turn and I found myself behind the group of 5 I had seen on the causeway. I cranked it up a notch and passed them, again they were about 8m apart, at the front was Kate Major. Woah, I thought I must be getting close to the front.

Before I knew it I was back in transition, handing my bike to a volunteer, and out on the run. Bike time: 2:19:32. I was in 10th place. 10th place!! Bruno was jumping up and down screaming, he couldn't believe how far ahead I was. Apparently he was so excited he ran out into the street and almost got hit by a car. There were some smokin fast girls behind me. I just had the bike of my life so I told myself that this was going to be the run of my life. I passed two girls right away. The run was going to be tough, it was a 2 loop course going over the causeway. I was holding a good pace, trying not to get too excited. I could hear everyone yelling my name, seeing my mom and dad, it was just amazing. I saw the guy with one leg that I met at Timberman starting his run and gave him a high 5.

Starting the second loop I could see Kate and others were gaining on me. I was really giving it all I had. I saw Bruno, he started running along, jumping up and down beside me shouting. Then I was passed by a girl that I passed at the beginning. Going up the causeway the last time I was absolutely dying determined to keep my pace. Kate Major and my hopes for top 10 went running past, but I was giving everything I had. Now the finish was in sight. I saw Bruno, who was now so excited that he lost his ability to speak english and was shouting at me in french to give it my all, go for top 10.

My legs were burning, lungs on fire, my feet and hands were tingling as I sprinted towards the finish line. I crossed in 11th place, and would have collapsed in a pile on the ground but I was caught by a volunteer. Run time: 1:26:43. Total time: 4:20:01. I had just done a PB swim, bike, and run. It was an incredible experience.

It's 2 days after the race, I can't walk, and I still have a huge smile on my face. Thanks to everyone for the encouragement, and everyone who helped me out along the way.

10km Run with the Champions and 10km National Championships, Ottawa Ontario, October 13, 2007

Yesterday was the 10k road race nationals. I had it in my schedule to do it as a training race. I did a big hill workout the day before so I wasn't really expecting anything great, my PB was 37:55 so I was hoping for something under 39 minutes.

It was a really crap day for a race; cold and raining. I stayed up too late the night before and didn't really feel like going out for a race in the cold. But nonetheless, out the door I went.

I signed up a few days before, saw that there was an elite race so I looked into it. The time standard was 36 minutes, so I signed up for the open category.

I watched the elite women go off 10 minutes ahead of us, all wearing tank tops and little shorts. It was about 1 degree C. No idea how you run like that. I would turn blue.

Then the race for the "other" people started. I was feeling pretty good other than being a bit sore from the day before. I had a good start and scoped out to see if there were any females out front. I saw a few and made my way up to try and stay with them. When I passed the leader she responded and stayed right with me. Right with me, right beside me. I thought she wanted to run on top of me. I thought this was a running race, not a swim start. I would move over, then she would move right beside me again. We kept clipping elbows. There was so much space on the road it was ridiculous. So I sped up. So did she. This went on for about 4k. Then two women from NS came by and smoked past both of us. My friend decided to run beside them and I went in behind. At the 5k mark one of the NS women surged and I couldn't keep up. I went through the first 5k in 18:06.

I thought for sure I was going to blow, but I managed to keep my pace. My friend was now ahead of me, but I was gaining on her. I passed her and she ran behind me, very close again. I had some energy left at around 8k and decided to lose her. The finish line was coming into sight and I picked it up as hard as I could. The clock came into view: 35:55. No frickin' way! I was going to finish in under 36:30! I thought this couldn't be happening. Final finishing time 36:21. 9th female overall.

Congrats also to Mike Abraham, who just showed up to do the race like me and ended up doing an awesome time of 38:36. Not bad for someone who doesn't run much and hasn't done a 10k in years.

It was a great race, put on by athletics canada. The swag was awesome, including a technical race shirt and nike tights. I won a new timex ironman watch and a nifty little plaque. The post race food was great for a 10k run. Definately recommend doing this race again next year.

Timberman 70.3 Half-Ironman, Gilford New Hampshire, August 18th, 2007

The Timberman 70.3 race was held last Sunday in Gilford, NH. This was my last “A” race of the season. After this race I have a 2 week break and then back at it to prep for worlds in November.

My parents were down for the race and that was a real treat for me since I don’t get to see my parents that often. There were also a few other people from the local tri community doing this race and that was also a nice change from going to a race by myself and not really knowing anyone.

The pro start time was 7am. I had a good swim warm-up and started to make my way over to the start area when the organizers announced that there would be a delay in the start time because some of the buoys had to be re-positioned. They wanted us to wait for instructions so there goes the warm-up. I didn’t mind because I was standing around talking to the other pros, like Karen Smyers and Kate Major. How often does that happen? They were both really nice and down to earth. Then I saw Nancy Coke in a kayak paddling over to me, which was nice to see a familiar face.

Finally everything was ready to go. The gun went off and I had a bit of a slow start. At least I felt it was slow. I looked up and expected to see the pack drifting away leaving me behind but that wasn’t happening. Then I passed two people. Then another. It wasn’t until about half way through the swim that I couldn’t see the lead pack’s bubbles anymore. There was an elite wave coming 2 minutes after us and I knew that they would pass me at some point. Sure enough, they came by. I hooked on for a ride and hung on for as long as I could. Before I knew it, the swim was over and I was running like crazy down the beach to transition. Maybe a bit too crazy, I ran back and forth a bit looking for my bike. Oops.

I hopped on my bike and away I went. The bike was mostly rolling with a few longer climbs. At one point my bike was making a funny squeaking noise and it started getting worse. Thinking that my rear wheel quick release had come loose and my rear tire was rubbing against the frame, I stopped at the top of a hill. After some searching for a few minutes, I discovered that my rear water bottle had come loose and was rubbing on my back tire. It always sucks when you have to get off and fix something. I quickly got back on and tried to get going again. Now I was starting to get passed by some of the men who were in the wave behind me. Later on, I started to catch up and pass some of them back. Two in particular didn’t really like me passing them and wouldn’t drop back when my wheel was in front of theirs. Then as soon as I did pass, they would catch up, pass me, only to slow down in front of me again. This went on for a bit until I finally managed to drop them.

I came into transition and I was in 6th place. I didn’t pass any females and none passed me but I was hoping that I had caught up. Just as I came into transtion, the race announcer said that Karen Smyers was just going out on her run. My legs felt surprisingly good starting the run, but I told myself to be cautious and not blow it. The crowds were amazing. There were people cheering lining almost the entire run course. There were so many motivating things going on that I never had a low point or felt tired at all. There was a cheerleading squad, some guys with drums, and the best thing of all, Bourbon street at the turnaround. One small street with about a dozen houses all decorated, bubbles blowing, Mardi Gras music playing, and everyone cheering. It was surreal. I saw Nancy again on the second loop, shouting some splits out to me. I had made up some serious time on Karen Smyers, she was only 40s in front of me. Then 25s, then finally I passed her. Never in my wildest dreams have I ever imagined passing Karen Smyers in a race. I was beside myself. I cheered her on as I passed by her, hoping that I could hold her off. On the way back from the second loop, I started to see Tara Norton out in front of me. I was actually catching up. Now the finish was nearing and I didn’t know if I was going to catch her or not. Finally I caught up, right at the corner turning into the finish chute. I ran behind her for a few seconds, mustered up all the energy I could, and took off. She responded and we were sprinting down the chute shoulder to shoulder. It was crazy. Then I dug deeper, found another gear somewhere and kicked it up a notch. Tara dropped back and the last 100m or so I sprinted wildly towards the finish line, thinking that she was on my shoulder and was going to blow past me at the last second. Not so, I crossed the line in 4th place.

It was an amazing race and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Congrats to Roger and Cathy B for having great races as well. Next up: World Champs in Clearwater!!

K-Town Triathlon, Kingston Ontario, August 4th, 2007

This was the 24th year of the K-Town tri, a favourite event for many ottawa area triathletes. The course is great, the race volunteers and support are fabulous. Top that all off with awesome post-race food it's no wonder that the event fills up every year.

K-Town was a B race for me, I did some pretty hard training leading up to it so I wasn't feeling all that fresh. On the other hand I usually feel like crap after tapering so it was kind of nice. I showed up in transition only to discover that I didn't have a spot (all the spots are marked) but I didn't get upset, I just waited for the co-ordinator to make me a spot and started the usual pre-race rituals. It was so nice to have so many of my friends around racing too. After being away for so long, going to races by myself and not knowing anyone it was really great.

I went down to the swim start and found Marie. I have been busting my butt all year keeping up with her in the pool (she's great motivation) that I decided to try and stay on her feet. She and Dave were discussing swimming all out since they are both injured and didn't know if they were going to run. On to plan B. Suzanne. I found Suzanne and started beside her. The gun went off and I fought like mad to get on those feet. I managed to stay on Suzanne's feet for about 1/2 of the swim. That was great for me. Last year I couldn't even stay on her feet for 25m.

As you exit the swim you come up to a floating dock. There are (rather large and manly) volunteers to help you get out of the water. This is my favourite part of the race. I finished the swim, flopped my arms up on the dock, and was pulled out of the water by my armpits and placed standing up on the dock.

A quick transition and I was off on the bike. I was pretty much alone for the first half, with a few people here and there. My legs felt really good. At the turnaround, Marie was not that far ahead of me and Suzanne was right in front of me. I passed Suzanne and was off in hot pursuit of Marie. I caught Marie about 2/3 in to the bike and I was feeling really good. Coming into transition I was first off the bike, awesome.

The first 4k of the run I was a bag of nerves. I'm not used to being out in front, I'm used to chasing so I had to deal with it the best I could. I just focused on telling myself that the only thing I can control is me. I told myself to relax, and just let my body do its thing. I was about 2-3 minutes ahead of both of them at the turnaround so all I had to do was just run back to the finish line the best I could. In the pro women's field the run turned out to be a race of attrition since all three of us are injured and haven't really been running. Marie was the worst, her ankle was the size of a tennis ball. I have no idea how she ran 15k like that. The last 3k for me were really awful. I think I didn't have enought gels or enought to drink on the bike and it was taking its toll. I didn't stop, I just kept going, and started to break it down into sections. At last I could see the finish line and I flopped across exhausted.

Next up: Timberman 70.3

Vineman 70.3 Half Ironman, Sonoma California, July 22nd, 2007

Yesterday's race was a good one. They say in long course that it's a long day and anything can happen. That definately proved to be true.

I showed up about an hour before the start, racking my bike next to the likes of Michellie Jones, Sam McGlone, Craig Alexander, Luke Bell, and many other top pros. It didn't really seem to phase me this time, of course I'm still in awe of all of them but I just did my own thing.

My stomach wasn't feeling so great the night before but had seemed to settle down somewhat that morning but I was really nervous and that didn't help. I tried not to think about it and hoped it would go away once I got racing.

The swim was in a small dammed up river. The water temperature was 77F, and the wetsuit cutoff was 78 so we were allowed wetsuits. It was going to be one hot swim. I got in the water and swam around the start area. The male and femal pros were supposed to start at 6:25, but at 6:20 the announcer said one minute to go. There were still some pros on the beach and some still out warming up. Sure enough, one minute later the horn goes and we are off. I had some good feet to follow and tried to hang on for dear life. Then I experienced something new: I barfed up half my breakfast. I thought it was just a burp...nope, it was oatmeal. Nasty. Lost the feet I was following, but then I got my rhythm back and I was fine. I ended up towing a group around to the end. At one point two guys came flying past, they must have missed the start.

I came out of the swim in a good time considering what happened and I was off. The start of the bike was up a steep hill so I opted to put my shoes on in transition and then clip in. I ended up passing a girl going up the hill, she had her shoes in the pedals and was having a hard time. I was having a fantastic bike, I really felt like I was flying. The bike was hilly, with two major climbs and the rest rolling hills. One at about half way and the other about 3/4 of the way through. It was tough but not comparable to long course nationals that I did two weeks ago. I was well ahead of my goal of 2:30 after the half way point. Then my digestive system was not happy again. I started getting bad cramps and it was difficult to be in an aero position so I kept having to sit up. The cramps were coming in waves. I kept eating gels and drinking water so I wouldn't bonk or become dehydrated to add to the problem. I was so looking forward to the end of the bike and getting into transition where there was a porta potty. Two girls passed me and my spirits started to sag. Finally we came into town (the bike was a point to point) and I started feeling better and managed to pick it up for the last few miles.

Now I was determined to have a good run. I flung my bike on the rack, ditched my helmet and I was off. I was on a mission. I could see two girls in front of me. I passed the first within the first mile. The second after about mile 4. Then I couldn't see anyone but I kept my pace. I saw Sam McGlone leading the race, she almost had a smile on her face. Then I passed another girl at the turnaround and I was feeling great. The miles kept passing and I was still holding on to my pace, eventhough it was getting really hot; I later found out it was 92F. I kept dumping water on my head at each of the aid stations to keep cool. Finally I was at mile 12 and I could see another female ahead of me. I picked it up as much as I could but basically ran out of real estate at the end. 7th overall, and I ended up taking the last pro spot for worlds.

I'm really happy with how I did and I can't belive that I'm going to the world 70.3 championships as a pro. Its been my major goal all year and I knew it would be a long shot but I did it.

Long Course Canadian National Championships, Osoyoos British Columbia, July 8th, 2007

Thanks for all the words of encouragement leading up to this, it really helped!

I arrived in Osoyoos on Wednesday afternoon, to get accustomed to the weather and the time change in preparation for the race on Sunday. The hub on Glen's front race wheel got broken on the way here and I was really upset about it for awhile. Then I accepted the fact that there was nothing I could do to fix it in time and I still had one race wheel which was better than nothing. I didn't do too much in the days leading up to the race, half hour bikes and swims, 15 min runs. I was feeling really rested and looking out of my hotel room up richter's pass, imagining myself hammering up on Sunday.

Race morning I was nervous, of course, but it was a good nervous. All the women were in the 2nd swim wave. I had a good start, but since we were in the 2nd wave I spent most of the swim going around all of the slower men from the first wave. That definately had an impact on my swim time, but I still came out of the water in 2nd. I had a horrible transition, fumbling with my socks and helmet. My excitement got the best of me as I nearly missed my seat and wiped out getting on the bike.

The bike was definatley the most challenging bike courses I have ever done. Windy and very very hilly. After a 500m flat section, immediately out of the saddle and up a big hill. Then another km or so of flat and then hello Richters pass. Richter's pass is about a 20-30min climb with grades averaging 5-8%. Then down the back side (wheeee!!!) and on to some huge rollers into Cawston. Once in Cawston there was a small loop that was mostly flat and then back through the rollers and up the back side of the pass. I was really trying to push as hard as I could and going back up the pass I wanted to pull my bike over to the side and barf up a lung.

I was happy to have the bike over with going into transition and I was still in 2nd place. The run was a 2 loop course, mostly flat with a few smal hills. Going out on the run I was having trouble standing upright as my lower back and hip flexors were not happy from the bike. About 2km into the run I could finally stand up and get a decent pace going. Now it's getting really hot. I tried to drink as much as I could at every aid station. This race had something at the aid stations that I've never seen before: ice! On the 2nd loop I stopped twice, once to put some ice in my hat and that felt soooo good that I stopped again and put some down my top. Lucy Smith passed me on the 1st loop like I was standing still. Determined to hold my position I managed to keep a good pace all the way through to the end. The last km I had enough to pick it up for a solid 3rd place finish. My goal was to finish top 3 and I couldn't be happier.

Milton Short Course Triathlon, Milton Ontario, June 3rd, 2007

This was the sixth year that I did the Milton Tri, second time racing elite, and without a doubt the most unforgettable. I drove up with Bruno and his girlfriend the night before and everything was going really well. The race starts rather late (9:45) so we got there what I thought was early, 2 hours before, however the transition area was already practically full!! I rode around for a bit to make sure my bike was good to go, gear check, brake check, etc. Greg Christie lent me his Zipp 909's and I could hardly wait for the bike. Then off for a little run with some accelerations to get my legs to remember how to run fast. Down to the beach I was preparing myself for the usual Milton icy cold plunge, but the water was surprisingly warm! I had a nice long swim warm-up; easy with some sprints and I was good to go. Nervous but excited. I knew today was going to be good. The gun went off and I worked hard to get on some good feet. I told myself that if it felt comfortable on those feet, pass them and find some faster feet. So I did that 2 or 3 times until I found some that I could barely hang on to. With about 300m to go I got a cramp in my foot. Nooooo!! not now!! Luckily it didn't last long but I had to work really hard to get back on those fast feet again. The last 200m I kicked hard to get my legs ready for the bike. Running through transition was so painful, as the parking lot the transition area was in had a fresh tar and chip covering on it. I ran on my toes as fast as I could but it still hurt. Running on my toes wasn't such a good idea as I almost face planted jumping on my bike - another cramp, this time my calf. Off on the bike (very cool noises the disk wheel makes) I told myself before the race that if I'm getting comfortable, I'll put it up a gear so it's not. Bruno passed by me like a shot and I tried for the rest of the race to keep him in sight. Up the big hill wasn't as bad as I remember and I passed another female just after the hill. Then about 3/4 of the way in I was surprised that I came up upon Tenille, who is a machine on the bike. Then I passed her and said "come on, let's go!" We passed each other a few times, finally we went into transition, her first with me on her heels. We were 1-2. I ran out of transition hot on her heels. There's a hill right out of transition and I told myself to go, now! make a gap. I went out at suicide pace up the hill passing Tenille, and held on to that pace for as long as I could. I couldn't breathe, my heart was in my throat. Finally I could breathe normally and didn't feel like I was going to have a heart attack after about 4k. Then I just ran as fast as I possibly could all the way to the finish. I had the lead cyclist in front of me, talking on his walkie talkie, nobody had any idea who I was. Who's #6? Running through the finish chute I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, I was jumping up and down all the way to the finish line. 1st female, 18th overall, faster than last year by almost 6 minutes. Congrats also to Bruno who finished 3rd overall on his awesome race and Patty who came second in her age group, after being sick and apparently not eating anything the day before!