Sick means no training

But, I guess mandatory resting. Sick (and very bored) this weekend with a sore throat, trying to get better by taking it easy, which is really hard for me. Did manage to do some more biking on the bike/trainer Saturday. My ass isn't getting used to the seat yet and I really need to get my bike fitted to me, think it'll help with the old lady hip!

Was checking out the BMO Full marathon route for 2013, same as 2012 and there looks to be a good size hill up and down between 5 and 10km, literally looks to be 2.5kms down and 2.5kms up! Guess I have to continue training on hills! Almost the entire route will have spectacular views, but especially from 20km marker! Next question is do I take the camera with me or not! Probably not if I want to finish it in 6 hours.

Once again the start is at Queen Elizabeth Park and the finish is, lucky for me, right in front of my work place! I'll have some champagne waiting for me in the work fridge!

I'm also very lucky, two, possibly three, friends are doing the full with me. I've got three friends doing the half as well! Very exciting! It looks like I really am taking everyone with me on my crazy train of running and fitness.

I changed my first flat!

I'm embarrassed to say how long it took me but I finally managed to change the tube in my road bike! Although, while changing it I didn't have a presta valve adapter so my bike was sitting in my living room like this for a day. It was sad and mocked me everytime I looked at it!

I did manage to find the presta valve adapter and then had issues getting the damn tire back on!! Oh, the tire just snaps back on I'm told, its easy I'm told. Easy my ass! Eventually I figured it out, eventually figured out how to put my CycleOps winter training kit together (instructions sucked) and now my living room looks like this!

Mexico, Santa and starting my Ironman (woman!) Training

Wow, November was fun! I went to Mexico for a fabulous wedding, started my Ironman training (tired already) and got a chance to spend the day with Santa while he was giving out presents at the top of Grouse Mountain.

Mexico was fantastic! This was pretty much my view everyday, except the one day we hung out at the pool bar. I will go back! The service where we were was great! The bar opened everyday at 10am, I had the servers tell me a number of times that the alcohol was free (because I would ask for bottled water instead of beer!). The rooms were nice, the food was great, service always fantastic and I became a HUGE fan of champagne! Probably wasn't a good idea to do it as shots that one night.

Today I got to spend the morning and afternoon with Santa at the Top of Grouse Mountain. We had a work function and over 100 kids at two sittings, and the kids were adorable! My friend Chifa and I helped Santa hand out presents (I was photographer). I got asked if I was a snow princess by an adorable 5 or 6 year old, then she asked if I was going to come outside and skate with my dress on, too cute! Santa had a couple of kids that maybe weren't entirely impressed (crying) but he did get homemade cookies, letters and a homemade Christmas tree!

The Ironman (woman!) training is in full swing. Swim, bike, run; swim, bike, run is my life for the next 9 months. I think the healthy eating and no alcohol is going to be harder then the swim, bike, run training. I just got a new winter trainer (for the bike at home) so I can sit on the bike for hours at a time at home. I'm lucky to have so many people in my life that have done Ironman before. They say it takes a village to raise a child, I think it's going to be the same with me and my training!

Off for a swim!

Dance Arabia is back!

At least in limited engagements! We performed at the Fillmore Foundation's Prairie Fairies Barn Dance and what fun we had! The foundation supports the McLaren Housing Society, A Loving Spoonful, and Out in Schools. The event was well organized, and ran on time (actually, ran about 3 minutes early! We never do events that run on time or early!) I'll add more photos once I download them rest of them.

Christie, Jennifer, Ghazaleh - Dance Arabia

Ghazaleh

Christie, Jennifer, Ghazaleh

Last 10km of the year and ITS ON!

Siobhan, Anna, me, Dani, Meghan and Casey

I did my last 10km race out at Boundary Bay on Sunday, November 4 with some of my running friends. Two of them placed in top 3 for 10km! Fantastic! I came in last out of the group of friends, but as I was telling a friend yesterday, coming in last means you have a cheering section at the finish line! What could be more awesome then that? I also PBed. My first race of the year, 1 hour 22 or 23, this one was 1 hour 12. I'm mostly happy with that. I guess I'll have to work on my pace so I can do my next one in 1 hour 4. I had a lot of fun though, first flat run for a long time and I surprisingly enjoyed it! I'm a hills girl now (I know, how weird?)

Training officially started today for my triathlons I'm doing next year. Pretty much my life for the next 10 months will be work, training, eating, sleeping. I'm already halfway there with my swimming, I have surprising endurance considering I'm using mostly arms (practicing saving legs for the bike and run portions). Sometimes I shock myself that my body will actually do what I ask of it! Is this why people like endurance sports? so they can see what their body will do for them?

Blog catch up!

My summer got a little busy and I got a little lazy catching up my blog. the mid-life crisis is in overdrive now and I've done a lot to fuel it, all of them fun!

12th Grind of the Year

I did the Grind for Kids and, along with everything else I was doing this summer, managed to do 18 grinds and raise approximately $1,100 for the BC Children's hospital. It would have been great to raise more but every little bit helps! Money went to the Cardiac Care ward the hospital is building. I even got my friend Claire up for her first Grind this summer! Half way up she vowed she'd never do it again, 3/4's of the way up she thought, well, maybe, at the top she thought, screw this, I'm doing it again and getting a better time!

Colour Me Rad

Probably one of the most interesting runs was the Colour Me Rad! Hard too because I had just injured my knee the Wednesday previous (apparently, I'm not very good at soccer, ended up with nerve damage that could take up to a year to heal). It was a 5km race (not really a race and it sure didn't feel like it was 5kms) and at every kms you had colour powder thrown at you! A blast! I went with a number of friends, two of which were doing their first race! if you're going to do your first road race, this would be a good one! I'll probably do this one again next year if it's not around any of the triathlons I'm doing next year.

The Liquid Awesome AND The Fast, The Slow and The Pretty

Another great run was the Whistler 50 Ultra and Relay. My friend Thom and I put together a couple teams, made sure all couples were split up between the two teams (more fun that way). The two teams were pretty comparable in pace. The Liquid Awesome (my team) was ahead at the start over The Fast, The Slow and The Pretty. Then, one of my runners got lost, we were behind by 10 minutes or so and Thom's husband (on my team) pulled out the fastest 7km run for both teams and caught us right back up! We ended up winning by 49 seconds only. Fun, although very long, day! Snowed most of the time, a little bit of rain at one part but right back to snow! Fireball and scotch was used all day to keep warm (did I mention it was a very long, snowy day?) I'll be back to Whistler for this race next year! Was a blast more so because I was running with a fantastic group of people, very low key, low maintenance, no drama! Who else can say that about their running friends?

Tough Mudder, mission accomplished! Part One

Well, this past Saturday I did the Tough Mudder in Whistler Olympic Park. My friends and I all went up on Friday night to relax, hot tub, have a good healthy dinner and get to bed early to prepare for the next day. What really happened was we got there early, had some dinner, hot tubbed, started playing cards, then started drinking, then got a noise complaint and went to be about midnight or 1am!

Friday night the rain came down in buckets, it poured from 10pm until 3 or 4am. I slept until maybe 5 or 530, probably had at least one hour of solid sleep! Every time I woke up I jumped out of bed to look outside. No idea why probably nerves.

The old people (myself and my friend Selina) were up early so went over to Starbucks. I was too nervous to sit still for long in one place! We ended up cooking breakfast in my room (6 of us rented a 3 bedroom condo at Creekside! Pretty sweet set up), everyone was nervous, excited, myself terrified.

Tough Mudder wanted all participants at the site 2 hours ahead of time. We jumped on the organized school bus at 10am for our ride up, everyone was excited and there was an electric/excited feeling in the air! We get dropped off and start a 1 or 1.5 km trek to the registration/start line. After you pick up your package (number, drink ticket, etc) you got your bib number written on your forehead and leg/arm, check in your bag and watch people start/come across the finish line until your heat starts.

We decided at noon to just go line up and started with the 1215pm heat instead of 1230pm heat. To get to the start line you had to climb over an 8 foot wall, where I got my first (of very many) bruise. You get seriously charged up at the start line! The have an MC at the start line (same guy at all of the Tough Mudders) that gets everyone chanting HOO-YAH, WHEN I SAY TOUGH, YOU SAY MUDDER, TOUGH MUDDER! etc. We were LOUD! Then, the anthem us sung and off we go! We did a 1 mile or so run up switch backs until our first three obstacles. I'm sure I'll be getting the order wrong, it all seemed to just happen and I'm still processing the event in my brain (and trying to clean all of the mud off me!)

The first obstacle was Kiss of Mud, you had to crawl under barb wires in mud, and this isn't some wimpy mud, its about5 or 6 inches deep (maybe more) and gets into everywhere! Anyone on our team that came out clean got hugs from those of us covered in mud. The next obstacle (I think) was the Arctic Enema. You go from getting super muddy to colder then you've possibly been in your life! As soon as I got in my throat closed, then you had to duck your head the water (my head hit a few giant blocks of ice). As soon as my head came up I started yelling I needed help out, the first aid guy there was over in a second, told me where to put my feet and had one of my teammates help pull me out. That one screwed me up for at least 15 minutes!

The next obstacle was the Devil's Beard, a cargo net on top of a huge pile of snow! you can either walk behind someone (which I did) or crawl along the snow. After that, you run again, to the first set of Berlin Walls (I might be missing an obstacle!). Our group was fantastic! There were two walls and everyone helped everyone over the walls. Teamwork was key for this obstacle (as well as most). I also received a number of odd shaped bruises at this one (I think it was this one). Lets just say that Berlin Walls aren't the most comfortable thing to sit on for any length of time!

After that, water! I was never so excited to see a water station in any of my other races!

After the water station we were running again. Here's where everything gets foggy for me! I know there was more elevation gains, more freezing water, snow, climbs but I need to process more to remember! We were on the course for many hours and the middle is a blur!

More to come.