Wolfe Island is a hard course. I don't enjoy the hills. I just go to see the golden retriever kennel at the finish line. My furbaby liked visiting with them too!
Monday, July 06, 2009
Wolfe Island Classic 5k - quick report
I ran the 5k of the Wolfe Island Classic yesterday. Briefly, I forgot to wear my Garmin and had to run by feel. And so I did...felt like crap the whole way, just like one is supposed to during a 5k race ;). End result: 25:52, 6/40 in AG, 16/137 women. A new PB!
Wolfe Island is a hard course. I don't enjoy the hills. I just go to see the golden retriever kennel at the finish line. My furbaby liked visiting with them too!
Wolfe Island is a hard course. I don't enjoy the hills. I just go to see the golden retriever kennel at the finish line. My furbaby liked visiting with them too!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
A day at the beach
I've been bugging Cliff to go for an open water swim with me, and since he is now tapering for the Peterborough half iron, he graciously obliged.
I picked up a rental wetsuit from Running Free on Thursday. Because this way my first time wearing a wetsuit, they suggested that I try a sleeveless model, "purely from a comfort perspective." Okay. Since I have heard horror stories from friends trying on wetsuits, I asked DH to come with me to help me squeeze into it. I tried on a large Zoot Women's Fuzion Sleeveless. To my surprise, it went on easily and I hardly needed help at all. Was it too big? I modeled it for the store staff and they said it looked fine. Okay, I guess I'm ready to go! When they asked which event I was doing this weekend, I felt a little strange telling them that I was just going for a practice swim. But really, I didn't mind paying for the rental to have the wetsuit/open water swimming experience. Also, their website says that if you decide to purchase a suit within a year of the rental, they will apply the rental fee to your purchase. Sounds good to me.
I met Cliff at Cherry beach this morning. The water felt really cold when we first waded out! We took our time getting in, then did a short out-and-back around a couple of markers. It was probably about 100m. The first round didn't go very well...I ran out of breath quickly and my face felt numb from cold. I ended up flipping onto my back a few times. This was what happened to me at Lakeside during the race. Cliff was great...he kept an eye on me and kept making sure I was okay. Once we got to the shallow water, I told him what happened and he suggested that I come up for air more frequently if I wasn't feeling comfortable. In the pool, I usually take a breath every 5 strokes, alternating sides. We went for another lap, and this time I took a breath every 2nd stroke. It helped me in terms of not running out of breath, but since I was always breathing to the right, I veered off course...haha!
At the end of the second lap, we made our way back to the beach. It was rocky near the shore and very hard on my feet. When I stood up, my legs felt like jello and I couldn't find my footing on the rocks. I fell over several times. It probably took me 10 minutes just to get out onto the beach...talk about longest transition time ever!
We went for two more laps after that, with the second one being slightly longer. I guess we did about 500m in total. My confidence improved each time, and my swimming became smoother. Slow, but at least I kept myself going.
It would have been very helpful if I had tried that before my give-it-a-tri! Had I known that the cold water would affect me so much, I would have done a better warm-up. The wetsuit also helped a lot. I might have to think about buying my own!
DH came down with me with his bike, so after the swim we biked for about 14k into Tommy Thompson park. Beautiful day for a ride. He kept up with me on the way out, but couldn't keep up on the way back. This gave my evil ego a bit of satisfaction. If DH could have kept up with me on a mountain bike when he is out of shape, I would have been quite discouraged. Apparently, my cycling training has not been all for nothing!
All in all, a great way to spend the morning!
I picked up a rental wetsuit from Running Free on Thursday. Because this way my first time wearing a wetsuit, they suggested that I try a sleeveless model, "purely from a comfort perspective." Okay. Since I have heard horror stories from friends trying on wetsuits, I asked DH to come with me to help me squeeze into it. I tried on a large Zoot Women's Fuzion Sleeveless. To my surprise, it went on easily and I hardly needed help at all. Was it too big? I modeled it for the store staff and they said it looked fine. Okay, I guess I'm ready to go! When they asked which event I was doing this weekend, I felt a little strange telling them that I was just going for a practice swim. But really, I didn't mind paying for the rental to have the wetsuit/open water swimming experience. Also, their website says that if you decide to purchase a suit within a year of the rental, they will apply the rental fee to your purchase. Sounds good to me.
I met Cliff at Cherry beach this morning. The water felt really cold when we first waded out! We took our time getting in, then did a short out-and-back around a couple of markers. It was probably about 100m. The first round didn't go very well...I ran out of breath quickly and my face felt numb from cold. I ended up flipping onto my back a few times. This was what happened to me at Lakeside during the race. Cliff was great...he kept an eye on me and kept making sure I was okay. Once we got to the shallow water, I told him what happened and he suggested that I come up for air more frequently if I wasn't feeling comfortable. In the pool, I usually take a breath every 5 strokes, alternating sides. We went for another lap, and this time I took a breath every 2nd stroke. It helped me in terms of not running out of breath, but since I was always breathing to the right, I veered off course...haha!
At the end of the second lap, we made our way back to the beach. It was rocky near the shore and very hard on my feet. When I stood up, my legs felt like jello and I couldn't find my footing on the rocks. I fell over several times. It probably took me 10 minutes just to get out onto the beach...talk about longest transition time ever!
We went for two more laps after that, with the second one being slightly longer. I guess we did about 500m in total. My confidence improved each time, and my swimming became smoother. Slow, but at least I kept myself going.
It would have been very helpful if I had tried that before my give-it-a-tri! Had I known that the cold water would affect me so much, I would have done a better warm-up. The wetsuit also helped a lot. I might have to think about buying my own!
DH came down with me with his bike, so after the swim we biked for about 14k into Tommy Thompson park. Beautiful day for a ride. He kept up with me on the way out, but couldn't keep up on the way back. This gave my evil ego a bit of satisfaction. If DH could have kept up with me on a mountain bike when he is out of shape, I would have been quite discouraged. Apparently, my cycling training has not been all for nothing!
All in all, a great way to spend the morning!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Riding and traffic
I woke up at 6am on Sunday to head out for my long ride. I covered 30.5km in 1:26, which I was pleased with. My previous longest ride was 25km, and the conditions were windy (by my standards). There wasn't much traffic early on a Sunday, but I still felt some fear riding on the roads. I winced every time a car went by me, even though they didn't come all that close. It seems like most cyclists I know have had a traffic incident at one time or another. I am way too scared to try doing a bike commute (35km for me). I guess avoiding traffic is a good incentive for me to get up early on the weekend to get my long ride done.
Tonight, I headed out for a short 30min ride in my neighbourhood...with hardly any wind, I averaged 23.3kph. I think I'm improving a little.
I'm renting a wetsuit this weekend in anticipation of an open water swim...woohoo.
Tonight, I headed out for a short 30min ride in my neighbourhood...with hardly any wind, I averaged 23.3kph. I think I'm improving a little.
I'm renting a wetsuit this weekend in anticipation of an open water swim...woohoo.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
How can I get faster on the bike?
First attempt at pushing harder on the bike yesterday...10 min easy, 10 min "hard" effort, 10 min easy. Ended up doing 12.66k in just under 36min (21.3kph). Speed during "tempo" portion was 24kph. Okay, it's a starting point...and it was quite windy out there. Would be nice if I could average around 25kph over 20k during a tri. Then I wouldn't be quite so far behind starting the run :)
Saturday, June 13, 2009
New goals
I thought about my goals as I did my long-ish run this morning (while realizing that I haven't run longer than 5k since Sporting Life...eeek!)
I would like to do a sprint tri at the end of the summer (750m/20k/5k) and go for a sub 2-hr half in the fall. My race times at shorter distances seem to indicate that I can do this...I just need to build my endurance back up.
So, the plan for the summer is:
Swim - work up to 2000m and practice open water swimming (longest swim to date 1250m)
Bike - work up to 2hr and do some "faster" riding during short rides (longest to date is 25k/70min)
Run - work up to 90min until the tri, then 2-2.5 hours until the half (been there, done that, but current comfortable distance is 8-10k)
I'll have to think about scheduling my workouts. I seem to end up trying to do my long swim, bike and run all on the weekend, which is probably not the best idea!
I'm hoping to do some open water swims with Cliff
I'm thinking of either the Milton women's tri on Sept 6 or Wasaga beach on Sept 12. For the half marathon, I'm looking at the Goodlife Toronto half on Oct 18.
I'm looking forward to looking like a hottie this summer with all the training! Haha!
I would like to do a sprint tri at the end of the summer (750m/20k/5k) and go for a sub 2-hr half in the fall. My race times at shorter distances seem to indicate that I can do this...I just need to build my endurance back up.
So, the plan for the summer is:
Swim - work up to 2000m and practice open water swimming (longest swim to date 1250m)
Bike - work up to 2hr and do some "faster" riding during short rides (longest to date is 25k/70min)
Run - work up to 90min until the tri, then 2-2.5 hours until the half (been there, done that, but current comfortable distance is 8-10k)
I'll have to think about scheduling my workouts. I seem to end up trying to do my long swim, bike and run all on the weekend, which is probably not the best idea!
I'm hoping to do some open water swims with Cliff
I'm thinking of either the Milton women's tri on Sept 6 or Wasaga beach on Sept 12. For the half marathon, I'm looking at the Goodlife Toronto half on Oct 18.
I'm looking forward to looking like a hottie this summer with all the training! Haha!
Monday, June 08, 2009
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Lakeside I Give-it-a-tri Race Report
Lakeside I Give-it-a-tri
300m/10k/2k
Awkward doggy paddle (swim)
This was my first time swimming in open water. I did a short warm-up before the race. Initially, I was shocked by the cool water, but I sucked it up and swam a few meters. Brr. Okay, try again. That was better. I can do this.
Race START! I stayed at the back. I felt unsure and kept lifting my head to check if I was veering off course. I was doing okay until I hit a traffic jam going around the first buoy. Bump. Stop. Doggy paddle. Bump. I commented, “well, this is awkward” which got a few giggles from the ladies around me. Eventually, we got around the buoy, but by that time I had lost my groove and was starting to gasp for air. I kind of fell apart after that, and kept flipping onto my back, splashing around, doing whatever I could to keep moving forward. It was NOT pretty, but I eventually found my way back to shore. Swim time: 9:26, 98th place (3:09/100m).
T1
I felt a little shaky and tired after my bad swim. T1 time: 2:09.
Laboured putt-putt (bike)
The bike course had rolling hills, and I really struggled on the uphills. My legs flailed around helplessly on the downhills (I haven’t tried clipless yet). People on MTBs passed me…GRRR! Bike time: 27:58, 95th place (21.5kph).
T2
I am TIRED! Why the heck did I sign up for this?? T2 time: 1:11.
Familiar territory (run)
Time to drop the hammer! Hmm, why aren’t my legs moving? Why am I out of breath? Oh right, because I laboured so much on the swim and bike! I see a familiar face…it’s my friend, T!! High five! Okay legs, MOVE IT!!! Run time: 12:21, 42nd place (6:11/km)
Final time: 53:04
6/11 age group
I was hoping to finish in closer to 50 minutes, so I’m not very happy with my time. Being sick for the past 2 weeks probably didn’t help my case. But don’t let my negative report fool you; I am happy that I did it! I’m a triathlete!! But since I’m not happy with my time, I might have to do another one!
300m/10k/2k
Awkward doggy paddle (swim)
This was my first time swimming in open water. I did a short warm-up before the race. Initially, I was shocked by the cool water, but I sucked it up and swam a few meters. Brr. Okay, try again. That was better. I can do this.
Race START! I stayed at the back. I felt unsure and kept lifting my head to check if I was veering off course. I was doing okay until I hit a traffic jam going around the first buoy. Bump. Stop. Doggy paddle. Bump. I commented, “well, this is awkward” which got a few giggles from the ladies around me. Eventually, we got around the buoy, but by that time I had lost my groove and was starting to gasp for air. I kind of fell apart after that, and kept flipping onto my back, splashing around, doing whatever I could to keep moving forward. It was NOT pretty, but I eventually found my way back to shore. Swim time: 9:26, 98th place (3:09/100m).
T1
I felt a little shaky and tired after my bad swim. T1 time: 2:09.
Laboured putt-putt (bike)
The bike course had rolling hills, and I really struggled on the uphills. My legs flailed around helplessly on the downhills (I haven’t tried clipless yet). People on MTBs passed me…GRRR! Bike time: 27:58, 95th place (21.5kph).
T2
I am TIRED! Why the heck did I sign up for this?? T2 time: 1:11.
Familiar territory (run)
Time to drop the hammer! Hmm, why aren’t my legs moving? Why am I out of breath? Oh right, because I laboured so much on the swim and bike! I see a familiar face…it’s my friend, T!! High five! Okay legs, MOVE IT!!! Run time: 12:21, 42nd place (6:11/km)
Final time: 53:04
6/11 age group
I was hoping to finish in closer to 50 minutes, so I’m not very happy with my time. Being sick for the past 2 weeks probably didn’t help my case. But don’t let my negative report fool you; I am happy that I did it! I’m a triathlete!! But since I’m not happy with my time, I might have to do another one!
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