Irongoddess - Follow your bliss!!

T minus 1 ... okay, now I'm REALLY nervous!

2010-08-28T22:53:00.001-04:00

My day started with a swim in the beautiful Lake Okanagan.

Here is the beach where the Ironman mass swim start occurs:

I slipped on my wetsuit for the first time since early June 2008 when I did a sprint tri and then got into the water. Silly me, I hadn't trained at all with with my wetsuit this year and hoped that my injured shoulder would be able to manage the tightness of the neoprene. 45 minutes of swimming told me that I should be okay and then I got out of the water. So many other things to do today ...

But wait, where was my rental car? What?!?! I couldn't find it anywhere in the long row of parked cars by the beach ... GREAT, could this be happening to me?!? I started panicking. Could someone have stolen my car? How would I be able to get to check-in today with my bike and race bags and then the race the next morning? Oh no! How would I even be able to get back to Montreal?! My purse with my passport and all my ID, cards and money was inside the car, along with my cell phone!

I tried to calm myself down as I carefully combed the area, though inside, I felt horribly frantic ... Well, at least, I had my bike and everything else I needed for the race the next day back at the motel ... but really ... was this what I needed?

DOH!!

Okay folks, after wandering up and down the beach for 45 minutes in my half-stripped-off wetsuit, I was elated to discover my car parked MUCH farther down the beach than I remembered.

WHEW!!

I went back to the hotel and cleaned up. I double-checked my bike and race bags, threw in last-minute clothing decisions, and then headed back into town for check-in. But first, lunch with MF and crew ... what a sweet but poignant meet-up. I was thrilled to finally meet Lyn's family but so saddened to know that she was no longer with us ... To Lyn's mom, CD, thank you for such a wonderful long hug! I looked into your eyes and saw my friend again ... Lyn, sweet and funny Lyn ... the reason behind my having signed up for this particular race.

ATHLETE CHECK-IN

This was it. The race suddenly felt imminently closer. I racked my bike and dropped off my transition bags, and then got the guided tour of the "transition route" from a kind volunteer.

I had a great spot for my bike, Row 50, 2nd bike in, easy to find ... as if that would make any difference, as I was sure the bike lot would be almost empty by the time I came out of the water, ha ha! Nevertheless ... :-)

Rows and rows of transition bags by the change tents ... kinda intimidating, don't cha think?

A calm and smiling me, but really nervous as all heck inside. I can't believe I'm doing this again ... why, why, WHY!?!

Later on that afternoon, I tried to drive the bike course. I completely failed (course map was not very detailed) and finally gave up after realising I'd driven the same huge circle three times, ending up in the same tranquil neighbourhood.

I think the Universe was trying to tell me something ... to go visit my fellow online tri-mate CB from Kickrunners, otherwise known as Slow'n'Steady. We'd managed to meet up at the bike store previously and she had invited me to drop in later for a visit ... so lo and behold, I was in her neighbourhood.

There's something magical about Ironman that bonds people, something about how difficult the training and racing is, and being able to make it to the Finish Line, that gives us an understanding into each others' psyches. Our "friendship" had existed only online previously and now CB and I were standing in the flesh in front of each other, chatting away as if we'd always known each other. Internet can be truly extraordinary ...

I love that CB and I are made up of the same goofy material. I felt like we were two peas in a pod, and colour-coordinated ones at that! :-)

I felt an instant connection with CB and her wonderful family ... I was so lucky to have met them! Her amazing girls did some chalk drawings outside where the marathon turn-around was. Now I finally felt ready to RACE!

Pre-race jitters!

2010-08-27T22:55:00.000-04:00

Lots done today!

1) Got my bike assembled. Thanks MF!

2) Brought my bike for a tune-up to Bike Barn, official bike people for Ironman Canada. Though I'd just gotten it tuned up before shipping, my gears got out of whack with the transport :-(

3) Registered and picked up my race bags and ID bracelet. I played the good consumer and purchased a few Ironman souvenirs. I especially like IM mugs! It think it's becoming my Ironman tradition, collecting mugs from each race. Hope I can eventually collect 20 of them, heheheh :-)

4) Picked up my bike then did a brick workout! 25km ride followed by a 5km easy run. I don't remember this part of the race course being this hilly, hmmm. I passed two men running while on my way out on the bike and then again on my way in from my run. One gentleman was doing three, yes THREE, back-to-back Ironman triathlons, finishing with Ironman Canada two days later. He was raising money to help fund Haiti's microeconomy ... good for him!

5) After supper, I got my gear and special bags ready for drop-off the next day. It was hard to figure out what to wear since the forecast kept changing ... and it wasn't looking optimistic ... sigh. It would be too cold to wear the sexy new tri singlet that I'd bought. Guess I'll have to race next year!

Though I didn't make it to the Athlete's Welcome Banquet opting instead to train, I was happy to have a well-assembled, well-tuned bike that I was familiar with riding. I was also happy to have gotten in a final bike and run, especially since yesterday's travelling didn't allow time for this.

The race was getting nearer and I my nerves were starting to feel it!

Getting there ...

2010-08-26T22:40:00.000-04:00

During my 4-hour stopover in Vancouver, I met an interesting family of five, a couple from Toronto travelling to Penticton as well with their three young children ranging in age from 3 months to five years old. It was the father's first Ironman, how exciting!

I was totally boggled by this man's ability to fit in training with full-time work and kids so young! Supposedly, he didn't need much sleep, only 4 hours/night, and trained mostly between 10pm - 7am when the kids were sleeping. Lots of hours on the bike trainer! I was totally impressed and felt humbled with regards to my own training ordeal ... or rather lack of one when compared to this gentleman's circumstances.

Mind you ... my work schedule was all over the place (as the film industry tends to be) and I was still dealing with a healing painful shoulder ;-)

A small plane took us to Penticton. Before take-off, I overheard the passenger behind me talking on his cell phone. His bike would not make the flight. I looked out the window and in fact, noticed that another 8 or so other bikes on the luggage rack would not make the flight either. At least his bike had good company.

I had already had my fair share of being scared about late bike delivery though ... the courier company missed the scheduled pick-up last Thursday and told me that they'd pick up Friday instead, to which I replied, "NO F*CKING WAY!" (well, at least that's what I was *thinking* in my head). Insistence made the courier company send out another truck that evening and off my bike went across Canada by ground ... only to be delayed out West. An email notice received last Tuesday stating "late train/possible postponement" sent me into a hairy conniption fit!

Without a bike, it is impossible to do Ironman!

I went through this "no bike" issue in 2008 before Ironman Louisville and did NOT want to repeat it!

But luckily, while waiting at the Vancouver airport, I received a "confirmation of delivery" email ... WHEW! My precious bike, Ingrid, was waiting for me at the hotel. Thank you Universe!!

By the way, Vancouver Airport is beautiful. Check out this beautiful tiled wall in the ladies' bathroom:

Arriving in Penticton, I checked into the 5000 Motel and finally got to meet the very helpful voice that I had dealt with when making my reservation months back. Jasmine was a delight! Very friendly and helpful, which turned out to be a godsend as I had come to the race without support. Amazingly, she knew every athlete by name, which made me feel like I was part of a special family and that she was mom to us all, well at least to me :-)

[Photo of Jasmine to come!]

I had been smart enough to book a suite. It was straight-forward, simply decorated, but very clean and comfortable. Quite spacious, it had a living room and full kitchen, meaning I could cook my own food. It was great having the extra space just to relax and be able to spread out. There's a lot of gear involved with Ironman!

Note to those planning to race Ironman Canada:

I highly recommend this place! Price is extremely reasonable, location is fantastic, service is wonderful and best of all, Jasmine will take good care of you! For sure, I'll be back ... Bookmark 5000 Motel's website now!

Ready or not, here I come!

2010-08-26T01:52:00.004-04:00

Well, I can't believe the time has come ... Ironman Canada is but a few days away and I feel far from ready.

To put it bluntly, training has been difficult. Two and a half months including taper is NOT LONG ENOUGH. Add into this equation super long work days and kids and it becomes impossible to get in enough quality training and rest.
To top it off, even my taper was dismal. All that sticks in my head training-wise is that I only managed to slip in a total of 20k of running during this official two-week taper period, and probably not much more biking or swimming comparatively. Hey, I couldn't even manage to update my training calendar!

And because of my super busy summer, I've unfortunately had to condense all my fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society through Operation Triumph into the short week before my departure ... the whole reason behind doing this Ironman!

So evening comes and I squeeze in a swim and a last physio appointment before my race to help me deal with my neck injury. Afterwards, I scramble to finish sending out my fundraising emails and then, late at night, I finally start packing. It's now early morning, I'm exhausted but I'm finally ready. Time to catch some short zzz's. I pray that I haven't forgotten anything important. The logistics of Ironman make packing precarious and stressful ... so much GEAR and SUPPLIES ... I've heard horror stories about people forgetting to pack bike shoes, goggles, etc.

Night night, my dear readers ... Later this morning, I'll be leaving on a jet plane!

Ironman countdown!

2010-08-25T14:02:00.013-04:00

Alright, I don't know how the others do it ...

How the other triathletes work, have families and train for Ironman all at the same time. Since my last post about training, I have been precariously juggling an intense IM training schedule with 12hr+ shoot days, auditions, kids, and also trying to get enough rest so I don't burn out.

And geez, I've even put my social life completely on the side! Very hard for a social butterfly to do, you know ;-)

I've never been good with schedules or anything that dictates that I have to do a particular something every day. I think the older I get, the more my artist spirit wants to rebel against anything that wants to pin me down or cage me in. It's not like I don't like training intensely, but I prefer to train in whatever way my mood suits me. And for sure, I do miss my other sports and activities, like swing dancing!

I haven't been particulary good about bedtimes or getting enough sleep all the time, though I've tried. Ironman training actually involves a fourth sport ... REST! It's really difficult though finishing a 16hr day at 1:15am, prepping for the next day, sleeping 2.5hrs, then getting to another film set at 7am to start another production. Alright, that was the extreme this summer, nonetheless, it was my reality, and hours like that mess up anyone's schedule!

Week #5

Swim: 2h 50min, 6550m
Bike: 8h 20min, 196k
Run: 2h 15min, 20k

TOTAL TRAINING = 13h 25min

I didn't quite fit in all my training but I did okay.

Week #6

Swim: 2h 30min, 6200m
Bike: 2h 45min, 56k
Run: 3h 57min, 23k + intervals

TOTAL TRAINING = 9h 12min

Three rest days ... I also started a 7-day straight shooting schedule after also having shot earlier in the week.

Week #7

3h 20min, 7450m
5h 34min, 128k
1h 53min, 18.5k

TOTAL TRAINING = 10h 47min

I finished the other four days of my 7-day shoot schedule. Monday, I slipped in a short 3.5k jaunt in the morning before a 13 hour day on set. Tuesday, I managed a half hour swim before a 16hr day. Wednesday was a day off from training thank God, but not shooting, and Thursday was thankfully a shorter day of work, so I got in 1h 45min of training that evening. I let myself sleep in Friday as long as my body wanted.

Whew! And this was a scheduled recuperation week!

Week #8

125 min = 2h 5min, 4150m
780 min = 13h, 319k
185 min = 3h 5min, 26k

TOTAL TRAINING = 18h 10min

It's surprising how I was able to fit in a week of home vacation with the kids, two auditions and a shoot date with my most intense week of training. Determination! Sunday's ride was not fun though ... it was very dark and cloudy outside and not wanting to be rained upon for hours, I opted to ride indoors on my trainer for 5.5 hours and watch The Lord of the Rings Trilogy with the kids.

I don't ever plan to ride that long on my trainer again ... this was a true test of mental fortitude! My butt hurt so much! But at least there were Rice Krispie squares as snacks. And I got to take a lunch break with the kids ... freshly-baked warm country bread with tomato bocconcino salad! Yum!

Week #9

2h 23min, 5450m
5h 50min, 146k
3h 10min, 28.5k

TOTAL TRAINING = 11h 23min

I took an unscheduled rest day on Tuesday to nurse my sore knee, sigh. I also had a pimple in an undesirable spot for cycling. And I felt really TIRED this week ... My body was telling me it was on the verge of overtraining and I should take it easy. I felt demotivated and cut my Wednesday training by more than half. Thursday, I skipped my 1.5hr spin and just did my 2h 40min long run. I managed 23.5k. This will have to be my longest run distance ... I don't think my knee can handle more.

Sunday ended up being a big calamity! I had planned a 6 hour, 150k ride ... 125k on the road, and 25k on the trainer since it would be too dark outside. I got as far as 67k before I got a flat tire. I had no trouble changing the tire, but unfortunately the CO2 cartridge adapter was missing from my bike bag! So I could not pump up my tire and waited patiently for a friend to pick me up 50k from my house. Good thing I had brought my cell phone!

This was scheduled to be another peak training week, but I guess the Universe decided differently and turned it into a first week of tapering, and perhaps justly so due to the risk of overtraining and more injury.

Week #10

Official taper week.

I didn't keep track of what I did, but it wasn't much. I had a sore throat all week and when it finally subsided, I realised it wasn't my allergies but a small throat infection. I was also plagued by G.I. issues and a massive headache this week. Throw in auditions and shoot dates and even with the greatly reduced training, I was STILL very busy. I remember short runs, short swims, and also managing a 2h 10min ride on my trainer Sunday ... though it took all my willpower to do it!

I concentrated on getting rest but honestly, I'm really tired of training and can't wait until I can return to my other activites!

Week #11

More tapering. Trainer for an hour last night. Now I'm going to head for a hill ride. Tonight's a short swim and packing, lots of packing ... and more fundraising ...

I'm racing in memory of my mom and fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society through Operation Triumph. Please listen to or read my letter here. I would love to have your support with a donation!

Alright, gotta dash now, too much to do in too little time. Good thing I slept 10 hours last night since I don't know if I'll have time to sleep tonight or even if I'll be able to ...

This Ironman training is killing me!

2010-07-12T02:38:00.009-04:00

Let's just say ... it's been REAL TOUGH.

It's well-known that training for and finishing an Ironman takes mental fortitude.

That, I got.

I look at my training schedule and don't feel at all intimidated. In fact, my mind is now so warped and "used" to long-distance training that cycling 100k is really not that far and when I see only two hours marked in my schedule, I say, "Pfft, that's nothing."

It's ironic. Somehow in the "doing" part, meaning the actual training, there is a disconnect between my mind and my body ... Somehow my body doesn't react the same way my mind does to this training.

It screams out, "I'm so FRIKKIN' TIRED!!"

Lacking base fitness due to my broken shoulder (which is, by the way, STILL healing), it was probably not the smartest idea to jump right into the midst of the training program I used for Ironman Canada 2006.

First of all, I was sorely lacking any decent training in all three sports and really only started back up slowly, very slowly end of March/beginning of April.

Secondly, my weak attempt at rebuilding base became a truly dismal attempt for three weeks mid-May to early June because of too many 13hr days on a film set. Great for the wallet, it's always nice to know I will have food and rent, but real hard for getting back into shape!

Thirdly, the training program I used in 2006 was pretty intense. I had had a horrible car accident in February and could not train at all for two months. I then restarted training to regain my fitness base and by June, I started my three-month (13-week) program that my trainer, Dirk, had designed for me.

This time round, I've jumped right into Week #3 of that same intense program but with less base than in 2006!

WEEK #1

Swim: 1h 50min
Bike: 10h 30min, Total = 247km
Run: 3h 18min

TOTAL TRAINING = 15h 38 min

I can't believe how exhausted yet exhilarated I feel that I'm doing it, I'm actually OFFICIALLY in Ironman training mode! My legs are heavy and sluggish ... sigh.

WEEK #2

Swim: 1hr 50 min
Bike: 6h 45min, Total = 155km
Run: 1h 24min

TOTAL TRAINING = 9h 59min

A bum knee took me out by Thursday. I had injured myself slightly last week while running when I had stopped suddenly to avoid being run over by an inattentive cyclist on the sidewalk. So my 1h 40min scheduled run unexpectedly became 20 min. I figured it was wiser to play safe rather than sorry since there was a LOT MORE training to go. I also skipped the 45 min. spin planned for that day.

I lay low for the rest of the week, no more running and I decreased my swimming and cycling. I secretly revelled in this extra rest as I enjoyed down-time with my kids.

WEEK #3 (Recuperation week)

Swim: 1h 35min
Bike: 4h 15min, Total = 102k
Run: 1h

TOTAL TRAINING = 6h 50min

I am officially on vacation with my kids. Even doing a "light" training week has been difficult and I find I've been missing workouts. Oh well. The kids and I had fun :-)

I can't seem to get enough sleep.

WEEK #4

Swim: 2h 48min
Bike: 8h 55min, Total = 212k
Run: 2h 45min

TOTAL TRAINING = 14h 28min

Alright, this week has gone a lot better, albeit the incredible heat wave. Sleeping was horrible and training felt even harder than the first week but I made it through with only one run of 1h 45min entirely deleted from my program. I'd gone out for supper and was still too full by the time midnight rolled around, when it would be cool enough to run. Yes, I am a night owl. And I don't relish running in the HOT sun when the humidex reads 41C/106F.

I finally started training on Ingrid, my Cervelo P2C tri-bike. She's still quite new and embarrasingly, only has slightly more than 500km on her (including today's ride, and IMKY in 2008). Can you tell I did not ride her much last year?

Today's evening ride, in cooler weather (only 29C/84F !) was incredible. Ingrid and I were on FIRE!

My legs felt tired for the first 30k but then they really warmed up and the rest of the ride was fantastic. Most powerful I've felt all year cycling, and by the time I got back after 100k, my legs didn't feel tired and in fact felt springy. MILESTONE! This means I am starting to adjust to harder training.

I also came back home with at least two dozen dead flies stuck to my bosom. They'd flown down my braless top. I made sure to take off my top in the bathtub to shake it out and a huge dead fly fell out along with remnants from the smaller ones. Ick ... real ICK.

Alright, this night owl has a 7am work day start tomorrow, I should try to get some sleep. But I really wanted to share my first month of IM training with you.

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied :-) Today was the training I needed to feel that I could actually finish this race again. YAY!

Sometimes a shout is ...

2010-06-17T11:06:00.004-04:00

... better than a whistle or a bell!

Since my friend, Lyn, passed away, I've been even more careful about cycling for fear of being hit or something else happening to me. I usually try to take the cycling paths or quiet residential neighbourhoods, but even on the paths, there are enough stupidities that occur that make me shake my head in frustration ... like ...

a man cycling with his dog on a leash on one side of him, his son riding on the other side of him. Of course they're taking up the ENTIRE path.
couples/friends that insist on rollerblading together side-by-side
couples/friends that insist on cycling together side-by-side
adults that let their kids run freely onto or across the bike path
couples and groups of people that think bike paths are walkways
young teenagers who "park" (dump) their bikes in the middle of the path to take a look at something on the side
pedestrians who walk across bike paths and don't even bother looking at oncoming traffic. Would they do this onto a road full of cars?

Alright, enough venting, but I've had enough of sudden stops or slow-downs.

Good thing is ... I'm out there cycling more regularly now, and as of this week ...

I am OFFICIALLY in Ironman training mode!

Even made myself out a schedule, based on what I did for my Ironman Canada 2006 race. Mind you, I'm now jumping weeks ahead into the program and am praying to God that what I lack in aerobic base and strength, I will have in muscle memory and mental fortitude.

Yesterday, I rode 70k and swam 1700m (not as far as my schedule dictated, but it's the farthest I've been able to swim with my injured shoulder, and I'm feeling good!). The day before, I ran my first intervals, didn't push too hard, but nonetheles ...

Already, after just a few days of this more intensive training, I am feeling very tired and my legs are heavy and achy. Ooooh, I think this is going to be a long 11 weeks ...

A difficult good-bye: May you rest in peace, Lyn

2010-05-30T11:25:00.009-04:00

On May 14, an Ironwoman friend of mine, Lyn Duhamel, cycling with her triathlon team, was killed by an inattentive driver. This careless and tragic accident left three cyclists dead and another three injured, physically and emotionally.

No words can describe the shock and grief that rippled through the cyclist and non-cyclist communities ... and also through my heart. This was an accident that should have never happened and that left only devastation and immense sadness in its wake ...

I miss you, Lyn, and I still think of you several times a day. It's strange to know that I will never see or hear from you again, nor will I be able to train with you, nor will I be racing with you at Ironman Canada in August this year, a race that you convinced me to sign up for.

She'd popped up on my Facebook chat with the link to online registration for Ironman Canada:

Lyn: I know you want to do it.

(then after a few minutes)

Lyn: What are you doing?

Sally: What do you think I'm doing? I'm signing up!

Geez, you'd even convinced me to buy the exercise program P90-X, which I still have to complete (once my shoulder heals completely).

In the years that I have known you, Lyn, since my first Ironman in 2006, I have admired your dedication, generosity, kindness, discipline, fiery spirit, and sense of humour. You were my idol and I wanted to become more like you, and welcomed your unwavering encouragement, support and steadfast belief in me as a fellow triathlete. I thank you for your friendship and for being such an incredible individual.

Lyn, you have touched the lives of many, including mine, and will be forever remembered. May you rest in peace ... xoxo

From her obituary:

Lyn was a passionate triathlon and Ironman athlete. Her many achievements were completing five Ironman triathlons, Boston Marathon (2x) and many other races. She was training for the next Penticton Ironman Canada, B.C. She loved her dog Kona and two cats, Shiraz and Charlotte. She was an avid traveler but especially cherished the island of Hawaii. Lyn was a fiery, energetic, spirited soul who inspired many with her encouraging, uplifting, positive words. She loved and lived life to its fullest. She was a generous, giving and caring nurse who helped many deal with grief; an angel to all of her patients. Her work ethics were to be admired. Lyn was a fit competitor who loved to help and train others in attaining their goals.

***************************************************************

Today, after months of not being able to because of my broken shoulder, I am finally taking out my road bike.

I will ride for you, Lyn, because I know you'd want me to.

You'd want me to get back onto my bike and train properly, and make you proud when I will race Ironman Canada later this year ...

Go Habs Go!!

2010-05-13T00:53:00.005-04:00

So, the NHL playoffs for the Stanley Cup has been occupying a lot of people's thoughts and time for the past month or so. Not mine of course, but tonight the Habs (Montreal Canadians) won Game #7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins! Woohoo!!

I've never been a hockey fan, 'cept when I was a little kid and used to collect hockey cards of Darryl Sittler and Guy Lafleur, but tonight, I was actually excited! I even honked my horn on the way home from the pool after their win, along with the other merry Montreal folk celebrating.

I was so excited for the Habs' 2-0 score after the first period, I almost nixed going to the pool at all to sit down and watch the rest of the game. After the end of the second period though, I MADE myself go ... heck, I have an Ironman to train for!

So on the way to the pool, I noticed there was no traffic. Of course, everyone's watching the game. And close to the pool, there was no parking, since everyone is either at home or in one of the many local bars watching the game.

At the YMCA counter, the radio was playing and the game was playing!

"They're playing it downstairs too in the pool."

BONUS!

Funny, I've lived in Montreal for over half my life and I've never ever had any interest in the Habs ... until tonight. I may even have to watch some of the finals ... (did I just write that?)

Okay, now to catch you up on today's training ...

Swimming:

Just a short 1000m. I've done more distance than this in other training sessions, up to 1300m, but I got to the pool late and it closed before I could do more.

We cheered in the pool when the Habs won!
5-2, advancing them to the Finals of the Eastern Conference!

My left shoulder still hurts when I swim even though I am working hard at physio to increase stability and strength. Though the bone is now "healed", the ligaments (rotator cuff) that attach to where the fracture was aren't. Such a long road to full recovery ... sigh. The good news is that I've almost regained full range of motion ... one more month maybe of stretches and I'll be good, I hope.

Running:

I actually ran my first 10k of the year, interrupted by three breaks due to an upset tummy ... Waah! But once I'd finished emptying myself out, I felt better and finished strong, though tired. My legs and hips are definitely not used to the pounding and I'm sure I'm going to feel tight and sore tomorrow.

Cycling:

I'll catch you up with this in the next post but it's going well! I'm still not 100% with my shoulder so I've only been riding my heavy mountain bike since the position is higher than my road and tri bikes. On top of that, I had a recent car accident involving a car driving the wrong way down a one-way street (and into me!) So now my neck and back hurt ... again ... WAAAH!

All in all, training is going as well as expected though with all my injuries and lack of base. It's so hard to rebuild again and feel like an athlete. Oh, the pressure! I'm going to have to start some sort of disciplined training schedule for Ironman real soon ... but let's think about that starting in June ;-)

Baby steps ...

2010-04-01T16:58:00.009-04:00

It's been almost 10 weeks since I broke my shoulder and about four weeks since I was allowed to remove my sling. My shoulder STILL hurts! I'm doing heavy duty physio these days, going twice a week and doing 1.5-2 hours/day of exercises at home. I still need to take painkillers from time to time and am anxious to finish healing.

My physiotherapist has purposely given me double the number of exercises as he would the average person because he knows I have an Ironman coming up. He also realizes that I am healing/progressing at double the speed :-) This is probably due to a combination of being in good shape previous to the accident as well as my stubborness/mental resolve. What got me through all my long distance races will also get me through this long and painful healing process!.

I've got another few weeks for the bone to get harder but was sure happy to get rid of that sling! Besides the obvious possibility of regaining mobility, I was THRILLED to say good-bye to the horrible rash caused by wearing the sling. It was constantly itchy and irritated, making it difficult to fall asleep and waking me often during the night, even bleeding and weeping from time to time because of all the scratching. It took a full two weeks to heal even after the sling came off.

Having one arm is no fun.

I couldn't do simple things easily, like preparing food, washing myself, getting dressed and undressed, putting my hair up in a ponytail, tying a garbage bag ... I relied on my friends to help me and even once on a stranger ,"Oh, please, could you put my hair up in a ponytail?" My hair was full of static electricity because of my winter hat, annoying as all heck, and I was waiting to get an x-ray done at the hospital. I knew she'd understand, as she herself had her hair in a ponytail :-)

I learned to do things creatively, like roll my hair up and put it into a clip with the help of the edge of the table and also to hang clothes with one hand. Not the smartest thing to do though, as this required balancing myself precariously on the edge of the bathtub. Try doing that when your centre of gravity is displaced because you've got an arm pinned up against your chest.

I quickly realised the first time I washed my hair after the accident that pouring shampoo directly on my head was not a good idea, as I poured out half the bottle. I learned that I had to put some shampoo on my leg, put down the bottle then scoop the shampoo quickly into my right hand. I also gave up on washing certain parts of my right arm and upper torso but I did learn to apply body lotion on certain parts of my body with my right thigh.

I even learned to wash my right armpit with my right hand. And then I learned to SHAVE my armpit too ... mind you, the first time was a little scary.

Good thing I have helpful friends. Good thing I have friends who cook. Good thing I have a freezer.

So, now that I'm finally doing strength exercises with light weights (2 & 3 lb. weights, and two different resistance bands), I've started training again, but ever so gently.

Running

I started running again about 2 1/2 weeks ago with my arm pinned against the front of my chest as any shoulder movement was painful, and since the jarring motion also hurt the fracture, I had to run very slowly and smoothly. I started out carefully and built up ... 15 min, then 20, then 25, then 30! Then 5k!!

And now, because the physio exercises have increased the range of motion of my shoulder, I am able to run with my arm slightly away from my body. My present goal is to get back to my regular arm swing and increase my weekly mileage slowly. My shoulder's still quite sore so I haven't attempted more than 5k at a time.

Swimming

Yay! I was thrilled when my physiotherapist gave me the go-ahead to swim two weeks ago. So this is what I've done since ... mind you, I have to be very careful since I can't yet extend to the end of my stroke because of the pain. But check out the progression of these workouts ... slow and steady!

1) 200yds = 8 x 25yds breaststroke

2) 400yds = 8 x 50yds breaststroke

3) 400m = 2 x 50m breaststroke + 1 x 100m breaststroke + 8 x 25m front crawl

4) 600m = 2 x 100m breaststroke + 4 x 50m front/back kick + 4 x 50m front crawl

5) 800m = 200m breaststroke + 6 x 100m front crawl

6) 700yds = 200yds breaststroke + 2 x 250yds front crawl

* I swam in two different pools, one measures 25yds, the other 25m.

Cycling

Well, I've been cycling little bits since about two weeks after the accident, but I found it quite difficult at first sitting up completely straight on my racing bike and propping myself up with the aid of a chair beside me. I've been cycling anywhere from 20-40 min. each time, about twice a week, a real pain when I was in the sling 'cause my arm got hot and made me itch worse. And once out of the sling, the first few times were painful since I had nothing supporting my arm and shoulder.

Riding has recently gotten much better. My butt has now developed callouses and my left shoulder isn't as sore as it used to be. I've adapted to holding the chair and often ride holding nothing. I'm now slowly progressing to cycling in a bent-over position and holding my handlebars on the tops, but only a minute or two at a time. I can't yet put my full weight on my shoulder and don't want to risk it until the bone is 100% hard. Sure eels good to get stronger on my bike!

Today's weather was absolutely gorgeous with lots of sun and warm Spring-like temperatures ... a perfect time to ride outdoors. I was tempted to give my mountain bike a mini-tuneup to take her for a spin, but what would I do if I got a flat tire? Montreal is just starting to clean its streets and there's lots of glass and mean bits lying around that will slash bike tires. I know this from experience when I got a flat my first outdoor ride in 2008. With the lack of strength in my left arm and shoulder, I wouldn't stand a chance of being able to change a tire!

In fact, when my racing bike was set up on my trainer after my accident, the front tire valve tip snapped off when I removed the pump. I haven't pumped that tire up since because I know it'll go flat once I depress the valve, and I'll be unable to change my tire!

I still have a long road ahead of me to get my full strength and mobility back but it's nice to know I'm on my way.

It's almost ironic that a friend last year told me, "Oh, you should be able to do a really good Ironman next year. You've had enough bad things happen to impede your training, nothing can happen now!"

Yeah right ...

Car accident before Ironman Canada 2006.

Bike accident before Ironman Louisville 2008.

And now, broken shoulder before Ironman Canada 2010. Good thing that at least in my mind, I'll be able to finish it ;-)

SPLAT!

2010-02-02T18:21:00.010-05:00

Today, I should have been on Day #10 of the training system P90X, but unfortunately, I am only on strong pain meds and anti-inflammatories ...

WHY?

Fracture of the greater tuberosity of the left humerus. Can you see it?

If not, let me help you out a bit ...

HOW?

Innocuous fall forward while on my snowboard onto my outstretched left arm that *tried* to catch me.

SPLAT!

Pretty embarrassing that I was only coming down off the chair lift. I didn't want to hit the "loiterers" straight ahead of me so had to stop quickly but I must have hit a rut. Wish I had a better story to tell you all, like ... "I wiped out on a Double Black run and did a triple somersault before striking the ground!"

The pain was so intense, I couldn't breathe, so the Ski Patrol had to give me oxygen during the transport. Pretty incredible how they manouvered me on that stretcher from the top of the mountain all the way down, considering all the moguls they had to go around!

I only WISH I'd passed out from the pain, it was horrible. Thank God I was not alone!

RB and my son TMH rushed me to the closest hospital 20 min. away, Granby Hospital, where it took less than five minutes to get treated ... I guess the loud crying helped. The triage nurse sent me into the examination room right away. My loud scream in pain when she tried to take the glove off my injured limb prompted her quick decision.

Nurse: "Go straight through to the back and they will undress you there."

(RB told me later she rated my pain 10/10 when he went to give her my medical info.)

Two injections of phentanyl, lots of shivering from shock, x-rays, another injection of a longer-acting pain-killer, extreme nausea and dizziness ...

Doctor: "Well, I've got good news ... It's NOT dislocated!"

My mind raced ... if it wasn't dislocated, then what the hell was causing all this f*cking pain?!?! Why couldn't my shoulder just be popped back into place and then the pain go away? I felt desperate.

Doctor: "It's broken but non-displaced. If the bone doesn't move, the healing will be straight-forward and you'll have no future problems. With dislocations, one will always have problems."

SS: "How long will it take to heal?"

Doctor: "Your snowboarding season is over."

I broke my shoulder ... I can't believe I broke my shoulder!!

RB brought my son and I home and I promptly vomited but at least I finally got rid of the nausea.

***********************************************

So now, post-accident 10 days, I am still immobilized and still in great pain. As explained to me, the rotator cuff muscles attach onto that piece of broken bone. My pharmacist told me that the pain-killers that I was taking were between morphine and heroin ... crap, I can still feel the pain.

Had another set of x-rays done in Montreal and saw the orthopedic surgeon yesterday. I'm healing well and the bone fragment remains non-displaced. YAY!

SS: "When will the intense pain go away?"

Doctor: (looking me right in the eyes) "YOU BROKE A BONE!"

(Dang, the ER doctor at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital said the exact same thing in the exact same way two days after my accident ... yes, I unfortunately had to pass though Emergency again to get a consult appointment with the specialist.)

I then explained my predicament (Ironman and my need to return to training) and the doc said he'd release me early from my sling if all went well ...

March 1 will hopefully be my "release date"! Cross your fingers for me!

It's simple.

2010-01-21T18:36:00.008-05:00

I haven't blogged 'cause I'm barely training. Call it Sloth Mode but it happens every year during the holiday season. In general, I'm not one for keeping schedules and routines since I lack dedication and discipline, but recently, I've had some good reasons to be running, cycling and swimming less.

REASON #1

I've never gone far away for Christmas but finally did recently to the French Alps. A little intimidating for this snowboarder who hasn't visited many ski hills but quite the experience ...

REASON #2

Friggin' 2nd degree burn.

My forearm touched the oven door as I was turning roast potatoes. What you see here in the pic is Day Four, and it's looking "good" having just been freshly washed. Damned tape gave me contact dermatitis though!

My burn wept and bled for almost two weeks and hurt like the dickens even when covered. Boo hoo. I couldn't sleep properly at night, not knowing where to put my arm and having to take pain-killers. Needless to say, this burn didn't bolster my training mood. Obviously no swimming as water made it sting horribly but I did manage a few short runs, even though it did hurt to move my arm.

This week, I'm now back to almost daily short runs of 25-35 min. and tomorrow, I'm going to the pool! My skin is much better and I no longer need a gauze covering. Yay!

REASON #3

Do I really want to put my bike on my trainer? I haven't cycled since autumn ... Let's approach this daunting task after I manage to incorporate the swim ...

NEXT ... the P90X!!!

It's my birthday today ...

2009-12-26T17:58:00.000-05:00

And I got to go snowboarding in the French Alps (pictures to come soon!) I must say, this was not a bad way to celebrate :-) Not much training during this vacation though ... Too many hills, snow and ice to run safely here on the narrow streets.

The food where I'm staying in Morzine, France, has been utterly delicious (= weight gain) and I will have my work cut out for me come 2010 when full training starts!

Before this vacation started, I unsuccessfully started the intense P90X home training program. It's an intense 90-day training program for fit people who want to get even fitter.

I managed to get through two days before I got sidetracked by work, kids, Christmas shopping, and holiday preparations. It didn't bother me that much actually that my attempt failed ... the P90X Fitness System was painful ... Actually, it was INCREDIBLY PAINFUL!! And I never felt so nul as an athlete. Both days, I cringed and then whimpered inside as I realised I still had more than 40 min. to go during each workout which lasts just under an hour.

I discovered muscles that I never knew I had, muscles that became so sore that I could barely climb out of bed or walk around. The day after finishing Ironman is a piece of cake compared to this!

Alright, back home tomorrow and back to building base ... and prepping myself mentally to restart P90X. DAY ONE, here I come ... um, eventually!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T21:53:00.003-05:00

To all my American readers ... Hope you had a fantastic day celebrating with friends and family ...

I *wish* I could have joined some of you for a delicious turkey supper with all the fixings! No training yet today, just a dance class, but I'm hoping to end the evening off with a short run in the rain ...

A deep deep pool ... a deep deep fear ...

2009-10-27T17:46:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I forget that I was ever afraid of water until I get *tested* ...

Recently, while out of town for work, I visited the local university pool for some training. Typical of university pools, the length was divided into two making it a pretty standard 25m. Difference though was the depth of the bottom and the "height" of the sides. This pool was all "deep end" and the edge was a good two feet above the surface of the water. This meant:

1) I had to jump into the pool to get in, something I've always hated doing and which still unnerves me. I remember having to jump in for the start of my Ironman Louisville swim and while waiting in line for the "time trial start", I dreaded this moment.

2) I'm not big on flip turns and will force myself to do some from time to time, but the thought of doing flip turns for my entire workout didn't make me comfortable. Pushing off the wall or the pool bottom was also very difficult. Stretching my shoulder up and my hand out to catch the high edge of the pool only strained and hurt my shoulder. So I dreaded finishing each lap as I floundered, trying to figure some way to push off or turn around without feeling like I was going to drown. And treading water while I took a break only made me more conscious of the fact that the pool was very very deep and that the sides were very very high and not easily reachable.

Not a very fun swim session and I was glad to finally get out of the pool and into the showers.

Let's just say that my life-long fear of water still resides/lurks within me ... sigh.

Ottawa Fall Colours 5k, Oct. 11: My only race this year!

2009-10-07T16:50:00.000-04:00

The past year certainly has been fraught with injury.

Hip pain = no running = no marathons = no triathlons

Sigh ... I'd even taken a good three months completely off running which helped a bit, then started running again lightly in late July hoping to be able to enjoy some part of the racing season before it was over.

Thought I'd race a Half Ironman in Ottawa in August, then thought I'd settle for the Sprint Tri because of my lack of training and the fact that my bum hip was still fragile. Nope, didn't end up racing at all ... As the Gods would have it, I had a film shoot the day before race day AND my friend's baby came early, meaning that staying at his house would have been pandemonium!

Then I thought about running the Ottawa Fall Colours 5k and encouraged my friend RB to do his very first race ever at the same time. I hate 5k's but for a friend, I was willing to tough it out.

We drove up bright and early to Ottawa from Montreal. My kids weren't too happy when I woke them at 5am, well, when I *tried* to wake them up that is. (I wasn't happy getting up at 4:50am either.) I told them they could sleep in the car. And sleep they did. We let them continue sleeping in the car in the parking lot as we went to pick up our race kits and I registered my youngest son for his race.

It was a beautiful day, a little cloudy but sunny nonetheless. But boy was it frigid! BRRRR! The morning temperature was down close to freezing and the sharp wind pierced our many layers of clothing. We were happy to get back into the car and await the start of the race.

This cosy little race was well-organised and very friendly. The 10k racers completed a loop around the field before heading out of the park and then it was our turn to line up. Where was the start line? RB and I just went with it and stood anywhere. I bid farewell to my son GMH whose race start would come up after we finished running our loop in the park.

The thing I hate about 5k races is the fast start, and then unfortunately, it usually only gets faster.

RB was pumped with adrenalin, this being his first race and all, and sped ahead of me, though I think he thought he was running beside me. I, on the other hand, had absolutely no surge of adrenalin coursing through my body but only wished I did, since I think it would have helped me to overcome the sudden tightness in my lungs due to the cold air rushing in quickly. Damn asthma!

I've never been good at fast starts and tend to get faster only after a few kilometers of warming up, then I'm usually good to go for another 15 or more km! Ha ha!

Nope, 5k races are not my favourite ... Don't let the smile on my face fool you. I'm only posting the good pic, the pic where I'm aware of the photographer, not the candid pics caught of me grimacing from not being able to breathe.

I told RB to go ahead, since clearly his legs and lungs were ready to take him much faster than I. Great, more pressure on me to keep up. Course was quite pretty as it wound through the quiet neighbourhood and semi-countryside. Two good little hills which I creeped up slowly ... Are we almost done? Geez, I don't remember marathon runs being this arduous. Then back into the park we went for the last loop, and lo and behold, finally, the Finish Line! Yay!

My results:

Gun time 29:42
Pace 5:57
Category place 5/23
Gender place 44/188
Overall place 127/315

RB's results:

Gun time 29:42
Pace 5:57
Category place 9/13
Gender place 83/127
Overall place 126/315

Hmmm ... There must have been some walkers since we weren't running that quickly.

My younger son decided to run the 3k, though when he was 7, he ran the 5k with me in 37:16 totally untrained. I was able to convince him to run this time since there was a medal at the end :-D Like mother, like son! GMH didn't want to wear run-specific clothes though so he ran it with his clunky sneakers, big jacket and jeans. Oh, and of course, my race gloves since he got cold waiting for the race to start. What can a Mom do?

GMH's results:

Gun time 17:03
Gender placement 28/37
Overall placement 28/63

Of course, we had to celebrate with food afterwards ... yummy Italian in the Byward Market. Ottawa is truly a beautiful little city!

I'm sick of being sick

2009-09-17T11:42:00.008-04:00

Alright, Cold #2 officially still under way, and it's now been a week and a half. One week prior to this cold, I had just gotten over Cold #1. But who knows, this could all be combined with wicked allergies, though it seems that antihistamines aren't really helping. Whatever ... All I know is that I've suffered long enough and am tired of congested sinuses, sneezing, headache, and fatigue. At least the sore throat has finally abaited.

So, not much training going on these days ... a few short easy runs (nothing hard, don't want to induce my asthma), some short bike rides, and finally today, a short swim, more to say I got into the pool than to actually swim.

What I have been doing though is some socializing!

The past weekend saw a whole bunch of my friends participate in the Montreal Marathon weekend. Most of my runner friends opted to do the Half, but I did have one crazy fellow Ironman, Thor, come in from Boston to run his 50th marathon with a time of 3:07. According to him, he "crashed and burned", compared to his usual marathon experience. I can only dream of crashing and burning the way he did ;-)

Okay, now for some pics ... Here are some of my running friends from Montreal enjoying some brew and grub at an Irish pub Friday night. I made sure to organise this two days pre-race to not interfere with the Saturday "routine" or carb supper for those racing.

And here's a pic of the race ... the time you see is for the Half Marathoners at the 16 km split.

And here I am, meeting up with some virtual friends from my Kickrunners Multi-sport forum, Thor and his lovely wife, H.

I realised one thing about spectating ... I suck at it and seemed to miss all my running friends pass me by as I waited at the finish. Heck, I'm the one usually racing! By chance though, I did run into two friends at the end, and I was lucky to see Thor come through the finish.

How do spectators pick out ONE RUNNER out of a crowd of thousands, especially if they don't know what he/she is wearing? I have a new-found admiration for all my friends who have waited for me and cheered me on during my races.

The Universe sent me a sign today ...

2009-08-31T23:08:00.002-04:00

In my head, I'd decided to do the Ottawa Half Ironman this Saturday, and my tri friends had agreed that I should go for the longer distance over the sprint, but then I got sick last week and couldn't train.

I'm feeling better now after this short but intense virus and actually had a good training today (50k cycle). So, missing one intense training weekend out of an available five seriously nicks "cramming" for a Half Iron, so I decided to do the Sprint Tri instead to play it safe, 'cause you and I both know I haven't done the miles for a Half, and I still have a hip injury.

So, I go online and lo and behold, online registration closed before the announced midnight cut-off today. And I'm not willing to pay more money to sign up on-site, especially at 6am on race day (since I'm working Friday and can't do early pick-up, Ottawa is two hours away!)

Guess it's an omen, a sign from the Universe ...

Another online registration opened weeks earlier than was supposed to (it was announced for mid-Sept) and a tri friend tipped me off. My heart jumped when she popped up suddenly in my Facebook chat window with the online registration link and I knew right away what I really wanted.

I signed up, no ifs or buts.

My credit card ain't too happy and I don't have the money to go yet (flight, hotel and shipping my bike, OUCH!) but I believe the money will come ... because my heart is already in this race ... and I'm going to be racing for my mom to raise money for cancer.

Ironman Canada 2010, here I come!

Interesting how I couldn't commit to signing up for the Ottawa triathlon ... I waffled and agonized and couldn't decide ... seemed that training, work, injury and sickness intended to get in the way ... somehow the Universe knew I'd need this race entry money for another bigger, more important race.

I've got a year to train ... a year to become disciplined ... a year to get ready ... and a year to find the money. But I have full trust in the Universe and it will provide :-)

On another positive note, the premiere of the short film "The Cat in the Pan" at the Montreal World Film Festival went well ... Very cool film, very cool cast and crew ;-)

From left to right:

Me (role: Goth Girl)
Bruno Philip, C.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Cindy Landerman (actor, wife to David Schapp and a beautiful mother-to-be!)
David Schapp (role: Monitor)
Anne Kmetyko (Director)

So life is wonderful and I can't wait for more amazing things to happen! Thank you, Universe!

[Edited to add: My friends with whom I was supposed to stay had their baby arrive 5 1/2 weeks early ... it would have been pandemonium at their house!]

Montreal World Film Festival: International premiere of "The Cat in the Pan"

2009-08-28T16:12:00.025-04:00

Yesterday, I was still sitting on the fence about which race to do in Ottawa on Sept. 5. Today, I feel like I have fallen off, but not in a good way.

I'm fighting some kind of weird virus that makes it difficult to concentrate and keep my head up because I feel achey and woozy. My head and ears feel warm, my chest is a bit congested and my throat is swollen and I should really be lying in bed right now. But I am obstinate and am trying to be productive, well, at least semi-productive.

And I would love to go out and train but yesterday's short ride and run was difficult. I thought all the sneezing was due to severe allergies but I now realise that this nasty virus that I've caught was also contributing. Anyway, I would probably fall off from being too dizzy ... Sigh, forced rest day for me today.

So, being sick and not being able to train hard this last precious weekend before the race pretty well nullifies any chance of doing the Half Ironman. In addition, I've been called to shoot on a television series one day before the race, meaning that I'll miss the race packet pick-up Friday and would have to do it first thing Saturday morning, as well as familarise myself with the race course ... I could always fall back on racing the Sprint Tri ... hmmm ... but that starts at 8am and Ottawa is a two hour drive from Montreal.

Alright ... let's think about something else, something positive ...

My short film in which I play the Goth Girl, "The Cat in the Pan" directed by Anne Kmetyko, is making its international debut Sunday, August 30 at the Montreal World Film Festival. It'll be opening for another Canadian film called "The Poet".

Here are some pics from the shoot, taken by the set photographer, Aurelien Pallier-Colinot ...

Go big or go home!

2009-08-24T00:39:00.004-04:00

August 22 has come and gone and I am not yet registered. In fact, today is the last day I can register online at the regular fee for the triathlon races in Ottawa Sept. 5.

I'm still sitting on the fence and can't figure out for which race to register ... the Sprint or the Half Iron. Frankly, I'm not ready for either.

Today I ran 15k, hip and bunions hurt, but I pushed through and finished strong. I actually visualised running the entire half marathon distance (even though I ran 6k short) and instead of running it at a regular LSD (long slow distance) pace, I picked up the pace and let it hurt more than I wanted, but not enough to cause injury. I needed to test my physical and mental toughness of what it might feel like after swimming 2k, biking 90k then running 21k.

Let's check out the pros and cons of each distance:

SPRINT TRIATHLON

Pros
- Costs less than the Half Ironman.
- Takes less time than the Half Ironman.
- Found out today that the bike is actually 30k and not 20k, which is more common ... so I'm liking the longer distance :-)
- Though my training has been inconsistent, I've for sure done enough mileage.
- This will make me step out of my comfort zone of endurance racing and maybe I'll discover that I'm not as slow as I think.
- The pressure to be speedy freaks me out!
- The pace required is never described by the word "comfy".

Cons
- I have to push myself at my maximum throughout the entire race.
- I haven't done any speedwork. I suck at transitioning and this part is super important in a short race.
- I have to push so hard that I will actually be on the verge of being out of breath all the time and my muscles will BURN BURN BURN. I will HURT HURT HURT!

HALF IRONMAN

Pros
- I'm very comfortable with endurance races, I know I can finish. A lot of the endurance race is in the head.
- I was just as badly prepared for Ironman Louisville last year and I managed to finish without crawling over the finish line.
- The HIM is a less popular distance than a Sprint, so knowing that, I can feed my Endurance Triathlete Ego ;-) Yes, I like owning a HIM finisher's medal more than a Sprint (but best is the IM medal!)
- I like when I can get into a groove and relax into a consistent pace, which is almost zen-like, 'cept when it hurts ... but then it all becomes surreal when it REALLY HURTS, though still painful.
- There is less pressure to be Speedy-Gonzales during transitions. I'll be racing for seven hours so what difference will a few minutes make? I ain't gonna be winning ...

Cons
- More expensive than the Sprint tri.
- I haven't done enough mileage or consistent training to do this distance!
- I'm sure I am underestimating how much I am going to SUFFER! I might be limp-running-walking during the last half of the run leg.
- I haven't done any open water swimming yet this year ... will I remember how?

Oh, oh, oh! Decisions, decisions, decisions ...

But as my friend TP said, "Go big or go home!" I feel like I've been challenged. It's true, I've never been one to do things in a "small way" ... Hmmm ... I'm gonna sit on the fence just a bit longer ... Maybe I'll just have to see how training goes this week and pay the late online fee.

This is a hard choice, I'm an endurance athlete, but maybe just once, I should play it safe?

Training discipline ... what dat?

2009-08-17T20:15:00.004-04:00

I've been trying to be better disciplined at training recently but last week threw me for a loop. I've never been one for keeping a routine or a schedule and this was made worse when my work schedule included inconsistent hours, being outside for long periods in the muggy Montreal heat wave, and/or standing around all day being "on" and always ready.

So, frankly, I didn't get in the training I wanted to last week. My feet hurt or I was simply too pooped from the extreme heat. Besides, waking up with swollen feet and legs every morning didn't help!

So my dilemma ... Aug. 22 is fast approaching and I still don't know for which race to register ... Either one will hurt A LOT, just differently. There is so much more pressure with a Sprint Tri than a Half Ironman because of the speed factor but on the other hand, I haven't come close to doing enough miles to cover the HIM distance! Mind you, I hadn't covered enough miles to complete IMKY (Ironman Kentucky) either ... but I did.

OH!

Choices, choices ... I think I could push myself to finish a HIM, but at what cost to my body? Or I could take this almost three weeks left of training to fine tune myself to go just a wee bit faster/harder. Logic says do the Sprint ... my heart says do the Half.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Thanks :-)

I remember when ...

2009-08-06T13:52:00.004-04:00

The other day, I ran 7.7 km, the most I've run since resuming my running only a few weeks ago. I'd been off running since late April, almost three months, because of a sore hip. I felt slow and heavy ...

Where did my fitness go?

I've been swimming and cycling and trying to keep some sort of fitness base but I realise that I'm in my best shape, emotionally and physically, when I can RUN! This is likely due to the fact that I don't push myself the same way with swimming or cycling as I do with endurance running, where I don't have a choice. I can't take a little break by gliding or letting the wheels spin ...

I miss my marathoning training days of 5-6 days of running, when I used to be thinner, and when I used to fit all my sexy tailored clothes ... Waah!

Hip was a little sore, more so after the run than during, but what worries me is the *twinge* in my left knee, which hurt during my 30k ride the day afterwards too ... I think I'm compensating for my hip. Sigh.

Half Ironman Triathlon ... we'll see if this race even happens. I'll give myself until August 22 to register ... Otherwise, it'll just be a Sprint.

Ingrid, I love you ...

2009-08-02T19:01:00.004-04:00

After 11 months of hanging in my room, I finally took down Ingrid, my Cervelo P2C tri-bike, from my ceiling and prepped her for a ride, in fact, the first one since Ironman Louisville.

So good to be AERO again!

Rode 76 km to Charlemagne in the heat and humidity. I'd hesitated all season to ride her. Since I have a hip injury and can't run much, I haven't committed to any races ... no marathons, no triathlons. And when I'm not committed to a race, I tend to ... um ... be even more undisciplined an athlete than my usual undisciplined athlete self. Why push myself if there is no goal?

But recently, Dirk, my trainer friend from Miami called me up ...

Dirk: You mentioned a race in Ottawa in September, an Ironman?

Bonnie: Yeah, there's one on September 5. It's not a sanctioned IM, but an Irondistance so should cost less.

Dirk: I want to come visit you and do this race.

Bonnie: Well, that's fantastic, but if you're gonna race, I'll have to race too!

So there you have it, hip injury or not, I will sign up for one of the events. I've been off running for almost three months and have recently started running again, just short distances, so if I build carefully, I'll be able to manage something (I hope!)

I've got five weeks to train and two races to choose from ... Sprint or Half Iron ... and I think you know which one I'd like to do! No way I could train for an Irondistance in this short time, but since I know I'm one stubborn lady, I think I'll go for the ... Half Iron! Gotta bump up my training enough to just complete now ...

So, that's why Ingrid came down from my ceiling yesterday ... I've been riding my Guru road bike, Kate, in town since it takes a good 20km of cycling before one can get past the cars and the slower cyclists and I haven't really been doing much distance, usually only short rides of 25-50km. Actually, even beyond 20k, the road just sucks! Montreal is notorious for potholes, cracks and bumps.

But when I finally got onto smoother roads and out far enough to not have to worry so much about traffic lights, too many cars, other cyclists ... down into aero I stayed.

Ingrid, you are such a sweet ride ... There is no sexier feeling than being geared up in spandex, goggles and helmet and riding 30km/hr+ in aero position on an amazingly engineered bike!

Wear your bike helmet!

2009-07-11T14:23:00.005-04:00

Recently, a friend's daughter had a bad spill on her bike. She wasn't wearing a helmet. She suffered facial and cranial fractures as well as bleeding in her brain and was placed in ICU. She is now awake and recovering and will be released in a few days.

All I can say is:

1) Wearing a bike helmet can save your life or from severe injury!

2) Thank God she is alright!

Too often, when I am out cycling on Montreal's glorious bike path network, I remark on all the cyclists either wearing their helmet incorrectly or not at all.

Too many loose straps or helmets not covering the forehead. I especially HATE seeing children with incorrectly worn or loose-fitting helmets or missing them altogether. And how many parents do NOT lead by example ... I see their children wearing helmets, but not themselves!

Pray tell me, dear parents who refuse to wear bike helmets, who will take care of your precious children as you lie with brain damage in the hospital emergency room or ICU?

Yes, this is my major pet peeve about cycling ... incorrect or lack of bike helmet usage. Wearing a bike helmet properly can save your life ... and remember you only have ONE life.

Here's a helpful video on how to fit your helmet ...

On a more personal note, my leg is healing, and after a day off training, my short 36 km bike ride (with helmet!) yesterday helped to loosen my tight calf muscle. It's still sore to the touch but I managed a short 25 min. jog around my neighbourhood today and my leg was alright. Woohoo!

OUCH !!!

2009-07-08T18:54:00.005-04:00

I got kicked in the pool today ... UBER-HARD!

You'd think that if you're doing a furious breast-stroke, you'd be careful about your wide kick. Nope. Some man sharing my lane swimming in the opposite direction to me was totally oblivious to my passing him. I am sure he could see me as I approached and it would have been considerate to take care not to kick me. I, on the other hand, was watching the bottom of the pool when suddenly ...

OOF! P-A-I-N!!!

Geez, even getting hoofed in the face during Ironman was less painful. His kick had me stopped in the middle of the lane, standing in the pool, clutching my calf. I swam precariously to the lane end and waited for a reaction from the guilty party while I massaged my leg and grimaced in pain. The oblivious breast-stroker swam back to the end of the lane where I was standing, touched the wall, turned around and continued on.

You'd think I'd get at least a "Sorry, are you alright?" Nope. What ever happened to good old courtesy? If I had been in less pain, I could have put some effort into chasing him down to tell him to be more careful about other swimmers in the pool ...

Now I've got a huge muscle cramp in my calf that won't go away, making it difficult to walk ... boo hoo hoo!

On a more positive note ... though my hip's not yet healed, I've managed three short 4.5-5k runs in the past 10 days. A wee bit sore afterwards but manageable and no longer the lingering sometimes sharp pain I used to get after a run. I think I'm finally on the mend ...

This actually makes me think I might still be able to get in a race or two this season. Ideally, I'd do a Half Ironman come early September (idea of an IM is completely out) and a marathon in October but I might be getting ahead of myself. It's hard to think that the only race I might end up doing is a Sprint Triathlon ... not that I have anything against that distance, but with my bum hip, I'm sure I won't be able to do any effective speed training without reinjuring myself. Besides, I totally suck at transitions ... Sigh.

Let's see how training goes in the next little while ... cross your fingers for me!

The Voice Within

2009-06-30T15:59:00.007-04:00

I got a chance to do some cycling in "lands unknown", the pretty countryside and waterfront of Barrie and Oro, Ontario. I would have enjoyed the ride more if I had known what to expect (distance and elevation) and wasn't pressed for time.

SS: I have three hours to ride. Is this going to be an easy ride? How hilly is it?

CK: Yeah, it'll be an easy ride ... not hilly, pretty flat.

Yeah, right.

[Start of Rant]

It's rare when I get pissed off, but without giving you details, let me say that after a very hilly 85k ride that of course went way past three hours in length and got us back WAY later than intended, it was not fun to deal with the consequences. I'd have turned back sooner but I was dependent on my cycling buddy for my bearings as we were out in "no man's land". As well, he was already pissed off at my cycling inabilities/limitations and kept dropping me.

So what were the consequences?

1) I had trouble finding flowers for my mom since the florist shops were closed when we got back and I got cleaned up.
2) I arrived much later at my mom's gravesite than planned, after the administration office was closed, meaning there was no one to help me find her grave.
3) I had to cancel a cup of tea with a friend, and couldn't check out the reno job he was doing on his new house.
4) My dinner plans with other friends got totally screwed up. We were supposed to go out together for supper but they were too hungry and tired to wait anymore.

Yeah, I was pretty pissed. I have nothing against hard rides, but that particular day, I didn't need to do that distance and I didn't need to do all those hills (I'm not even trained enough for this kind of ride), but most importantly, I didn't have the TIME!

Of course though, this ride was all about HIM.

[End of Rant]

Whew, I feel better now ... thanks for listening.

It took an hour to drive to my mom's cemetary and as I drove through the gates onto the paths that separated the different "gardens", I started crying. This was my first visit back to my mother's final resting place after her funeral and I wasn't sure I would find her grave as the headstone had not been erected right away.

Interestingly, the following song started playing in my car as tears fell onto my face and I felt my mother speaking to me through it ...

"The Voice Within"
by Christina Aguilera

Young girl don’t cry
I’ll be right here when your world starts to fall
Young girl it’s alright
Your tears will dry, you’ll soon be free to fly

When you’re safe inside your room you tend to dream
Of a place where nothing’s harder than it seems
No one ever wants or bothers to explain
Of the heartache life can bring and what it means

When there’s no one else, look inside yourself
Like your oldest friend just trust the voice within
Then you’ll find the strength that will guide your way
You’ll learn to begin to trust the voice within

Young girl don’t hide
You’ll never change if you just run away
Young girl just hold tight
Soon you’re gonna see your brighter day

Now in a world where innocence is quickly claimed
It’s so hard to stand your ground when you’re so afraid
No one reaches out a hand for you to hold
When you're lost outside look inside to your soul

Life is a journey
It can take you anywhere you choose to go
As long as you’re learning
You’ll find all you’ll ever need to know
(be strong)
You’ll break it
(hold on)
You’ll make it
Just don’t forsake it because
No one can tell you what you can’t do
No one can stop you, you know that I’m talking to you

Young girl don’t cry I’ll be right here when your world starts
to fall

So not knowing exactly where my mother lay, and after walking around for a while, I placed the pot of pink petunias where my heart told me to, a still open grave with an unnamed headstone, and then told my mom I loved her.

I called the cemetary adminstration office on Monday once back in Montreal and they were able to confirm that I had placed the flowers correctly.

My mom led me to her and sent me her love through a beautiful song ... Oh God, I miss her so much ...

Beseiged by injury!

2009-06-22T11:56:00.001-04:00

Alright, this past week has been a little trying in terms of training.

A week ago, I went on a 50k ride with a triathlete friend who hadn't been out this season yet on his bike and boy, was he enthusiastic! So enthusiastic that for one 20 min. period, we pushed the pace at 33-34k/hr and kept it there, without my drafting him (since he's not used to it). So happy when we could drop down in speed a tad to 28-32k/h when I took the lead and my friend started hurting. Whew!

Knee was a bit sore afterwards, and I didn't help matters much when I went swing dancing on it for a couple of hours later on that day. And then the blues dancing at night locked in the injury ... and I could barely walk, never mind make it down the stairs from my friend's apartment when it was time to go.

So, after a two days' rest, I went out for another ride. 10k, good, 15k, good, no pain ... let's turn back now ... 20k, pain starts, 25k, ugh, I am still injured :-( Whew, 30k and I finally made it back home. Dreaded knee! Even hurt when I went for a short swim afterwards ... sigh.

So basically no riding for many days and just some short swims after another day's rest.

But I did get brave one day and ran 4.07k! And then paid with it with a sore hip. Good news though is that I have an MRI booked finally for September. I have a friend still waiting for one since last year, so this is a Godsend, and maybe I can find out what's happening with my hip and why I can't run (and why I may not be able to race this year!)

Sunday came and I decided to go for it ... I'm gonna ride! I adjusted my seat position as I'm still looking for the right fit and went off. Wanted to turn back after 15k as the headwind was incredible and then contemplated whether or not I could get back in time before the pool closed. But no, dammit, I was gonna RIDE!!

I did my regular route that I take when I ride 50k and just kept on going, and very happily so as I discovered a new bike path that took me to Charlemagne, a suburb north-east of Montreal and off the island. Headwind on the bridge over was wicked but the view was awesome.

80k today with no knee pain ... VICTORY!

Mind you, I discovered butt muscles I didn't know I had ... ;-)

Celebrating little victories!

2009-06-11T16:25:00.003-04:00

So, the other day, I went to the pool and it was closed. I had already cycled that day and really wanted to do a second workout, even it was going to be short. In fact, it had to be short as I had bread baking and had to be back in time to take it out of the bread machine.

So ...

I decided to go for it.

Yes, after seven weeks off running due to a hip injury, I decided to go for the GOLD. I slipped on my running shorts and a sassy singlet, then put my socks and shoes on.

I ran and ran and ran ... and I was so happy to have been able to run ...

One and a half kilometres!!!

Alright, it wasn't very far, and in fact it was only 1.42 km (I rounded up, I can do what I want), but I wasn't in agony ... I wasn't IN PAIN!! Mind you, my hip was a little sore afterwards, like it is these days even when I get up from a sitting position or after a long cycle ...

But you know, I'm happy just to have been able to run that little bit ... gives me hope that my hip injury will go away/heal itself. Heck, it's got lots of time to do that before my MRI gives me any conclusive results ... I've got a 9-10 month wait for the appointment alone. Yup, medical care in Canada. Sigh.

I'm gonna go for a two kilometre run next time!!

Bag Balm, I love you!!

2009-06-04T16:32:00.005-04:00

I've been off running since mid-April due to a hip injury, I think caused when I had my last bike accident. Probably something to do with not being able to unclip manually before being thrown off my bike. I'm thinking that the same force that threw me into the back of the mini-van might have also torn a tendon slightly as my leg extended backwards before my pedals unclipped ... thus the hip injury. Sigh ... stupid mini-van driver. I've had pain every time I've ran since then, and it would be gone in a day, but only when I upped my mileage recently in anticipation for the Ottawa Marathon did the pain not go away.

So ...

That leaves me with cycling and swimming.

Meet my "new" pal, Kate. She's gonna allow me to train in the city ... Tri-bikes are way too dangerous to ride in Montreal traffic ... I'd hate to injure my neck a third time!

And since I've put new pedals on her and also a new seat that doesn't shred my private soft bits, we've been able to start a beautiful love affair.

Admittedly, we had a few squabbles at first, even with the change of seat, but with the introduction of the new mediator, things have since been hunky dory.

Hello BAG BALM! Good-bye BodyGlide!

For bunches, caked bags, cuts, sore teats, chapping and inflammation.
Active ingredients: 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate 0.3% in a petrolatum, lanolin base.

BAG BALM stikes into the milk glands allaying irritation, relieving congestion and softening the tissues. It heals the skin troubles and makes the teats soft and pliable.

A few applications relieve the worst cases. BAG BALM is soothing, healing and penetrating. Veterinary use only.

Wow, I never thought cycling could be so "pain-free" :-D

I would have if I could have!

2009-05-30T22:43:00.003-04:00

VICTORY!!!

Alright, I admit, the medal's not mine. It's my friend GB's medal who ran his first marathon in Ottawa last Sunday.

Finish time: 3:42:06

I warned him not to go out too fast, but did this rabbit listen to his tortoise friend? Nope. Half split was 1:38:34. Incredibly, this was almost the same time as his half marathon finish in 2007 of 2:37:00. I'm pretty sure if he'd been a little more conservative with his first half, he would have easily knocked off 7-9 min. from his finishing time.

Nevertheless, an impressive first marathon and I'm very proud of my good friend :-)

Mind you, if he had actually trained properly for it, i.e. his longest run was only 24km, then I'm sure he could have easily run sub 3:30. I'm not the greatest influence for him though as he admitted using my guerrilla training tactics ...

Geoff: "Hey, if it works for you ..."

I rolled my eyes. He'll hopefully know better when I drag him out to a fall marathon ... and also to another particular race with me one day.

Sally: You're gonna do Ironman with me one day, right?

Geoff: Yeah, sure.

This guy has more guts than me!

I miss you so much, Mom ...

2009-05-23T09:30:00.009-04:00

Today, I'm driving my friend GB to the Ottawa Marathon. He's co-captain of my charity team, Operation Triumph, which raises funds and awareness for cancer. It's his first marathon and I'm so proud of him! I was supposed to run it with him but I've had a strange hip injury that's kept me off running. It'll be strange to be there as a spectator ...

In 2007, GB did the same favour and drove me to Ottawa so I could run the marathon. It was an especially emotional race for me because I was running to symbolize Hope that my mom would be strong enough to fight her cancer again ... she had just been diagnosed with metastisis to her lung and we were looking at viable treatment options.

But unfortunately, there weren't any ...

On April 24, 2009, at the young age of 66, my mom slipped away quietly from this world. She courageously fought a three-year battle with a horrible disease and inspired me to be a better person ... to be more patient, more loving, and more giving and I thank the Universe for this precious time that I have had with her.

Mom, I will be thinking of you tomorrow as I watch the runners go by ... and I will laugh remembering your comments and worries about my racing such long distances ... but you never told me to stop. And I will remember how you awoke early to see me off for my most recent marathon in Toronto last fall ... and how you had the most delicious bowl of soup waiting for me when I got home after finishing ...

Who would have expected that the grief from missing you, Mom, would far surpass the sadness I felt for you when you were ill? I cannot cry hard or loud or long enough to empty this horribly deep pain from my heart ...

Native American Prayer

I give you this one thought to keep
I am with you still – I do not sleep
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight
I am the soft stars that shine at night
Do not think of me as gone
I am with you still – in each new dawn.

I will always love you, Mom!

Three years, it's really been three years ...

2009-04-21T01:10:00.003-04:00

I accidentally left my silicone bathing cap and swim goggles in the shower at the public pool the other day. Good thing or bad thing?

Bad thing when I wanted to swim and had to resort to using my "emergency" crappy goggles and latex pull-my-hair-out bathing cap.

Good thing when I went to my local sports store and purchased new swim goggles (my all-time fave is Speedo Hydrospex, clear), a new silicone bathing cap and ...

A new bathing suit!

I figured it was about time. I've had the bathing cap and suit for three years now. The bathing suit lining was torn in many areas and shredding in others. She's been through countless swim trainings and several triathlons ... she's had a good life! Goggles were only a year old but they were starting to leak and we all hate that, don't we?

Now on the running front ... I'm injured! My right hip has hurt every time I've run since my last accident (I've been totally ignoring the pain) but what with the recent increase in mileage and running four times a week, even walking has become painful! Argh! Week One completely off running and it's driving me nuts.

But at least I can still ride ... but of course, the city has not yet cleaned the streets properly and there is broken glass and crap everywhere waiting to puncture a tire or two or more (but not mine, I hope) so I've been riding my hefty mountain bike. Been okay so far on it ... sit bones are still getting used to riding (ouch!), legs feel a little sluggish and weak sometimes, but all in all, it's been nice getting out in the fresh air.

Just one word of advice though ... don't ride while wearing a thong.

Training to be a glutton

2009-04-07T15:40:00.006-04:00

So, I've *tried* to be a good girl with regards to my training ...

1) I made up a rough training schedule recently (good) and printed it out so that I could revise it with more realistic goals. Unfortunately, it's still sitting on my dresser table waiting to be adjusted and I think I'm already past the dates that I already edited (not good).

2) I have though managed to increase my training (good) though haven't done nearly as much mileage and time as I've hoped (not good). I'm proud though that I did get in a 15k run last week as well as a 38k cycle (good). Today, what with these intense April showers finally letting up, I'm due to run an 18k. (good)

3) I'm still not getting enough sleep (not good). The combination of being a night owl, flaky artist and avid swing dancer who's recently had a lot of dancing opportunities doesn't help to contribute to consistent rest.

4) Though I've been eating healthily, it doesn't help that I like to bake and that I've been invited out to dinners like this (not good, but oh so good!):

Photo would have been taken earlier on in the meal but we got distracted by the Peking Duck appetizer then continued right on eating until I remembered. Note to self: Do not go to dinners like this with stretchy draw-string pants ... Ugh, I'm never gonna lose these extra pounds that have been slowing me down.

Alright, 4 x *good*, and 4 x *not good*. Am I just training to be a glutton? Mind you, I did dream of doing Ironman twice in the last week, if that counts for anything ...

Excuse me?

2009-03-19T00:30:00.005-04:00

I had an interesting conversation with my osteopath at the physio clinic the other day:

CT: So, I think you should do a decatriathlon.

(Pause)

CT: You know what that is, don't you?

Me: Are you serious?! That's 10 times the distance of an Ironman!!

CT: C'mon, you can do it, you're crazy enough.

Me: No way! ... Alright, maybe I'll do it as a birthday present to myself when I'm 50.

F (my physiotherapist): No, when you're 45!

That means I'll have to swim 38 km, ride my bike for 1,800 km and run 422 km to complete the competition. Mental note to self: Gotta make sure my shoes don't have too much mileage before I start the race ...

Recently, I've been asthmatic because of sickness and busy travelling and therefore, not training, so yesterday's 23 min. jaunt around the neighbourhood left me wheezing by the end. Not good.

Today, I went a little farther, just another kilometer, but made sure to take my inhaler before running. Success! No wheezing!

Decatriathlon, here I come!

Sick of being sick

2009-03-10T00:36:00.006-04:00

I'm sick. Again.

This is the fourth time this winter. At least I didn't lose my voice again, like the other times, but I did have a fever, albeit only for a day (thank goodness). And now my inflamed lungs are annoying the heck out of me. Damned cough! I feel like I'm on the verge of wheezing. Sigh. Great ... cold-induced asthma.

Last week was March Break for the kiddies so with the cold and no break from the kids, training possibilities were diminished. Uber short runs and short swims. And a great snowboarding day. Went through a little trail through the trees called "Sentier des toutous" (Teddy Bear Trail) where whole bunches of stuffed animals were strung up along cords spanning the entire way. Adorable and super cool. My youngest son, who gave up his teddy bear a while ago insisted on going through it three times. Ha ha!

Training highlight of the week was running with my oldest son who now towers over me. His long lanky body would make him a great runner if he built up some endurance.

I'm a proud mommy!

Check-in #1

2009-02-26T11:09:00.002-05:00

Alright, last I wrote, I told you all I was going to change my ways ... Here's the update:

1) I still haven't printed out my calendars as I have to dig up the program somewhere (stored on a disc) - NOT GOOD

2) I've tried to get out every day and do at least 20-35 min. of either running or swimming, with a few "off" days (i.e. shooting a commercial, total rest day due to a migraine) - GOOD

3) I can't believe a half hour of running can be so hard (OOF!) What happened to my cardio? How was I ever able to run a marathon, never mind an Ironman? For sure, I've lost my ability to run a marathon "any given day" ... maybe even my ablility to run a 10k! - NOT GOOD

4) I finally put the training tire on my bike so I can use it on my windtrainer - GOOD

5) My bike hangs like a piece of art from my bedroom ceiling while I lie lazily on the couch at night and watch CSI and Law & Order - NOT GOOD

6) I finally did a longer swim, 2050m, which obviously took more than 35 min. - GOOD

7) I'm finally getting lots of sleep (lots = recommended amount) and trying to establish a more consistent sleep/rest pattern, which I'll need when I get into full training - GOOD

8) I'm trying to settle into a routine every morning ... meditation, breakfast, computer or paperwork, then some training ... it's kinda working - GOOD

So far, the GOODS have it ... YAY!!

Looking for some discipline

2009-02-13T00:05:00.004-05:00

Alright, now that I'm finally in the end stages of being sick for the third time since November, I figure that it's time to get crackin' again ... Though I've swam a few times in the past two weeks, I don't remember when the last time I ran and my achey legs are paying for it.

So tonight, I promise to print myself a little calendar/agenda and hopefully this will encourage me to be more disciplined with training. I've been so lazy and tired ... sigh.

Alright, no training program yet. That would be too masochistic and I would rebel. I'm just gonna use some common sense and listen to my body, not push too hard or build too fast. Good news is that I finally took my tri bike down from the ceiling to put on a training tire so that I can mount her on the windtrainer.

Let's see if I can't get these three sports going again. The experiment starts tonight with some stretching to get rid of this horrible achey feeling in my legs, very similar to how they feel during taper week before a marathon.

I'm ready to rock'n'roll!

Truant athlete

2009-01-28T17:38:00.004-05:00

I admit I haven't been very disciplined this month with my training. A few short runs and swims, but hey, I lay in bed for days with fever at the beginning of this month so was out of the training loop for almost two weeks before I felt well enough to train, and now I'm sick again with another stupid virus, but at least this time, I'm not needing to lie down all the time from the wooziness.

So in these times of "non-training", what can I possibly write about on a blog about tri training? How about legitimate excuses for not training ... like a day of shooting?

This is a commercial shoot I did last summer. Here are some pics of the set and the production team:

More importantly, here is CRAFT ... the food:

On a long day of shooting, food, especially tasty healthy food, becomes essential to passing the time when one is waiting, waiting, waiting ... and then waiting some more.

He stole my birthday!

2008-12-26T23:59:00.002-05:00

My entire childhood, I had to deal with what I thought was the crappiest birthday possible. December 26. Somehow inbetween all the Christmas and New Year's brouhaha, my special day would always be overlooked. And when it wasn't, I'd of course only receive one gift, evidently for both Christmas and my birthday, or none at all :-( Even as a teenager, I remember baking my own Betty Crocker cake if I wanted a chance for a celebration.

Now as an adult, I ALWAYS make sure I get a party, and the best way to guarantee that is to hold one myself! Be it an intimate supper or a funky loft party, it's important for me to share this day with my good friends.

This year though, my birthday celebration developed a major kink in it ... Earlier this year, I made an incredible new friend, CG. Great, one more important person to invite to my birthday party ... but wait! CG has the same birthday as I do! How do I invite him to "MY official birthday party"? Geez ...

He stole my CRAPPY birthday!

And now I'd have to share it ... Oh well. What I don't do for a friend ... :-)

Torture Boots from Hell

2008-12-17T14:08:00.010-05:00

Had a blast recently on the set of "The Cat in the Pan", a hilarious short film by producer/actor Catherine Butikofer and directed by Anne Kmetyko. I got to play the Goth Girl and have never had my hair so straight in all my life. Wow, those flat irons really work!

Great script, fantastic crew, and wonderful actors! Oh yes, and nice location ... check out the marble walls and architecture. Sorry there are no set or crew shots as when I was around them, I was usually involved in the scene and not able to take photos! Thanks to my actor friend AD for snapping these ones for my blog.

Oh yeah, why the title of this blog? I had the WORST-FITTING boots in the world!! Inbetween scenes, I got to wear comfy slippers then when we were ready to shoot, I'd call out for my "Torture Boots from Hell" and slip them on. How I suffered! Besides being a 4" wedge, they balanced all my body weight onto my bunions. Let me tell you ... the pain could not have been more intense unless someone was actually carving the ball of my foot out with no anaesthesia. Nothing like chasing the main actress down several flights of stairs or down the hallway ... OUCH!!

But at least the boots looked good! And so did I!! It's amazing what wonders make-up, hair and wardrobe people can do ... ;-)

*Click for larger images

Ironman Louisville - August 31, 2008

2008-12-16T00:00:00.001-05:00

It had been over two weeks since my collision and I thought I was alright ... But this particular day while driving to a friend's, a dark mini-van cut suddenly into my lane and I felt overwhelmed with emotion.

And then the tears finally flowed.

My recent accident with a similar van flashed through my mind and I finally understood what I had just gone through.

I hadn't had the time to digest all that had happened since my bike collision in Toronto, four days before my big race. I had just arrived in Toronto after a six-hour drive from Montreal and had met up with my roadie friend, Zute, for a training ride before supper.

Only a kilometer from our start point, an irresponsible driver passed us both, then without looking, turned suddenly into a parking lot, hitting Zute on his left side while I collided abruptly into the back of her vehicle, denting it. And as my bike ricocheted backwards, my body flew like a projectile over my handlebars and I whacked my face and shoulder hard into the van's back door.

In that split second as I felt my neck snap back brusquely, I saw my Ironman race fizzle. Hurting my neck again was definitely a bad thing as it had not yet healed from my 2006 car accident (pics here) for which I was still in physio. Sitting there after the accident by the side of the road, gripping my neck, all I could think was, "Would I be able to race?" and then, "Is my bike okay?"

Zute wiped the blood off my face and leg, and spoke calmly with the woman, instinctively not letting me do the talking as he sensed how much I would have screamed at her at the top of my lungs for her stupidity and negligence. She could have killed us both!! How could she have not seen TWO cyclists!?!?

The rest of the evening was spent trying to normalize, as my mother was expecting us to take her out for supper and there was no way I wanted her to know what happened. Besides, I didn't want an overnight wait in a crowded emergency room with the hassle of out-of-province medical coverage when I had an early start and a 12-hour drive planned the next day.

I told myself, rest and sleep, that's all I needed. The long drive followed by a bike collision did not make for a peaceful day.

"I HAD to be alright."

I had no time or energy to digest the accident. I was racing. The days before and after my race were a complete blur ... 36 hours of driving alone to and from the race, the crash into the mini-van, dealing with the injuries, obtaining a bike, the complicated race prep, trying to squeeze in a bit of training, Race Day, taking care of my mother, then finally, dealing with the enormous amount of red tape (police, insurance companies, health care professionals, etc.)

And through my delayed tears, I realised that I was lucky not to have done more damage to my neck and back, or to not have landed on my head and suffered another concussion.

So now I am finally writing this race report, still healing from injuries, still sorting out red tape, still not ever planning to tell my mother about the accident (cause she would freak!) ... but one Ironman race richer in my life experience, feeling even more awake to the power of the mind.

I've reached an "enlightenment", a sublime understanding of the workings of the mind and of the body and how everything in life is intertwined. Through this all, I've somehow made a quantum leap in wisdom gained and a peaceful understanding of "letting go" and "life goes on".

It's hard to explain this epiphany to you without giving you more details, but let's just say, it's been a tough year. This Ironman race, dedicated to my mother who is dying of cancer and the reason I pushed on to finish albeit the injuries, was symbolic of the end of a journey and the fresh exciting beginning of another ...

******************************************************************

I am admittedly an undisciplined, imperfect athlete, with an artsy soul that is easily distracted. Training schedule, what dat? I trained horribly and entirely inconsistently, not doing the necessary miles, no, not even half of them, convinced that my one long run of 30k and my one long lake swim of 6k would get me by (had to wrap my mind around some distance, you know!) Long ride? Nope, but I'd done some tough hills ... I cheated my training with short swims, rides and runs, perhaps enough to scrape by for an Olympic distance, but who was I kidding?

Not an accident or insufficient training could make me DNS (did not start). I had too much riding on this race:

- I had already paid for the race entry and hotel
- Through the charity group I created, Operation Triumph, many people had sponsored me with donations to the Canadian Cancer Society
- I was racing in honour of my mother who's been so strong throughout her cancer. Now it was my turn to be strong ...

I told myself, "What will be, will be. I will finish."

Race Day Morning, August 31

When Mike, a fellow triathlete, called at 4:30 am, I was already wide awake. I lay in bed another 10 minutes and visualised the race and my transitions.

Breakfast consisted of a small bowl of Oatmeal Crisp Almond cereal, a few pieces of honeydew melon, a banana, and a cup of tea. I wasn't very hungry though as my stomach felt off. I was relieved when #2 finally happened ... so important on race day ... yay!

I rushed to the transition area to finish settling in my stuff, check in my special needs bags, and check over my bike. My nerves felt raw and the multitude of details to take care of felt overwhelming.

Yesterday, fifteen minutes into a short test ride, my bike flatted. After changing the tube, the tire rubbed against the frame, and not knowing how to fix this and needing to check my bike in before the cut-off time, I realised I had no choice but to have it looked at race morning. The bike tech guys made some adjustments and pumped up my tires. All clear! I scurried to rack my bike as transition was closing.

I'd forgotten that the swim start was a mile away and nervously set out on the walk, trying to calm myself down by chit chatting with the other athletes. My inability to locate the body markers only added to my pre-race anxiety and even the volunteer I asked didn't know where they were. But then I found them, grouped together haphazardly on a non-designated spot with no signs pointing them out.

[Warning: TMI] All endurance athletes are happy to do #2 before the race start, as it is quite unpleasant to get sick during the race, but c'mon, four times?!?! My stomach was definitely off and I was not a happy camper!!

Mike and I unfortunately ended up at the back of the "second" line and in fact, for a while, I was the last person. We cracked jokes and shared stories and this helped to lighten my nervousness. I was real happy though when the line started moving quicker and eventually others who had made last minute potty trips had to rejoin the line after us ... Now Mike and I were only almost last! There were now about ten people behind us!

If I ever do this race again, remind me to write to the race director to ask that they clear the path of all those sharp little pebbles.

The Swim

The race start is a time trial start and after passing the timing mat, each athlete jumps or dives into the water. It took about 52 minutes for Mike and I to get to the swim start. I learned to swim less than three years ago and because deep down, I am still afraid of water, jumping into water is very difficult. But here, I had no choice. That's me, second in line from the right, jumping hesitantly into the water. Mike was already away and swimming.

Down I went into the water ... and before I could surface, someone jumped in on top of me and kicked my head.

Fantastic start. Yeah.

I was happy to make it back up the surface without drowning and after taking a pause to refocus, started the swim upstream. Slow and easy ... long strokes ... be as efficient as possible. It was not long though before I noticed the uneveness of my stroke. Even with frequent sighting, I had trouble keeping a straight course.

Old left arm injury from my 2006 car accident + new shoulder/lat injury from recent collision = annoying veer to the right

To top it off, my too tight swim cap kept slipping off, forcing me to stop repeatedly to readjust it along with my goggles. Also annoying was the huge air bubble trapped inside my cap, a result of not being able to squeeze it out after the jump start.

I quickly realised that starting extreme BOP (back of pack) while swimming against the current was quite disheartening, but I tried to not let this get to me.
Long, efficient strokes ... long, efficient strokes.

I made it past the little island and into the open water where the current got stronger. Though it seemed to take forever to reach the red buoy that signaled the turn-around point, it was uplifting to know that it took some of the other swimmers even longer ... and I happily started passing people.

The opaqueness of the water was strange ... no sunlight penetrated the super polluted Ohio River. And surprisingly, though the swimmers were spaced out much more so than in a mass start, I ended up whacking a few people that I came upon suddenly due to zero visibility in the water. Oops, sorry!

I doubt that the down-current after the turn-around point improved my swim time as I zig-zagged all over the place. I was happy to finally reach the metal stairs that marked the end of the swim leg as I had accomplished what I had set out to do ... a relaxed, centered, peaceful and energy-efficient swim.

I knew I had a lot more race to go!

Transition, though not super fast, felt pretty smooth ... until I took my bike off the rack and wheeled it over to the bike start. My tire was once again rubbing the frame, and crossing the timing mat out of transition, I shouted to a volunteer, "Where's bike tech?"

I was sent back into the transition area where I had to find a mechanic to take care of my problem. He checked over my bike, took the wheel off, then ran off to grab some tools. While waiting, I cracked jokes to spectators and ate half a granola bar. What the heck, I had time to relax ... Turned out that it was the set pins and once recalibrated, the wheel went back on, and off I went, again over the transition out timing mat.

Finally, I got to ride!

Swim 1:36:56 (2:33/100m)

Rank after swim: overall 1624/1975, Division 62/82

T1: Swim-to-bike 7:20

The Bike

The first part of the bike course was flat, so no problems there. The aero position seemed alright and I was able to get up to speed pretty quickly until I found a pace that was comfortable. The thought hit me ... "Wow, I'm on a new bike, I wonder how it's going to go!" and I felt all excited.

Then I arrived at the hilly section, La Grange. I'd never climbed even one hill with Ingrid, my new tri bike. The shifters were in a whole new position, on my aerobars, as opposed to my old racing bike, which were on the downtube. In fact, there was lots different about this new bike, besides the much lighter weight. Ingrid had a different geometry which meant that I'd be using my muscles differently. The 650 wheels made for tighter handling and a much different feel to the steering. Even managing the water bottles had changed as I now had two behind me. This was a mighty sharp learning curve to manage.

So, as I headed into La Grange, I realised that this part of the race would not be easy, especially with the head and cross-winds. With the climbs and descents, I had to concentrate on shifting correctly and often, ended up in the wrong gear at the wrong time since I was not yet used to the new shifters or their nuances. My chain dropped twice while climbing, probably from shifting too quickly, as I was still unfamiliar with the timing. Getting back on a bike mid-hill is not easy to do, and I was forced to walk up a particularly steep hill after putting my chain back on.

Somehow, the hills seemed so much smaller the day before while checking out the bike course with Mike and his wonderful parents, Johnie and Brenda, in their air-conditioned mini-van. But today, in the 95F/35C heat (104F/40C factoring in the 80% humidity), with cloudless skies giving us no reprieve from the blazing sun, combined with the winds ... these "gentle rolling hills" felt HUMUNGOUS to me.

I passed a stretch of La Grange where a local festival was taking place. Cheering spectators lined the road and I felt a surge of disbelief, emotion and pride.

"Oh my God, I'm doing an Ironman!"

I thought about my mother and how much I loved her. The tears started rolling down my face but I wiped them away quickly as I wouldn't be able to finish if I kept crying. I was on a mission.
I took advantage of every aid station and stopped to fill up with water since I didn't want to crash while doing the "bottle grab". Several times, I downed complete bottles before moving on because of my extreme thirst.

I immensely regretted eating the other half of my granola bar before I hit the hills as it made me extremely nauseous. Regurgitating repeatedly only intensified my queasiness. I would have rather vomited! I'd never had GI (gastro-intestinal) issues this bad ever in a race before. I could no longer stomach the E-Load sport drink that I'd been consuming ... my stomach had shut down and I resorted to water, gels and salt capsules for the remainder of the race. I was ecstatic to finally feel some wind on my back and pick up speed ... whoohoo!

My new thrill didn't last too long though, only until the start of the second La Grange loop, where that horrible head-wind made me drop down again to 17 km/h. Something about repeating this loop and confusing signage combined with fatigue and disorientation tricked me for a few moments into thinking that I was closer to finishing the bike leg than I really was. My brain hurt from trying to calculate the distance travelled, as my odometer was incorrect, having not yet been recalibrated to the new wheel size. I asked a cyclist while passing him what his odometer read. AGH!!! The desperation of my reality set in.

I'd not gone 90 miles. I'd only gone 60 miles. Damned double signage. I still had almost halfway to go. I'm almost ashamed to admit that 57 miles/92 km was the farthest I'd gone during a training ride this summer, and that was in early July. I had now surpassed that. Could I trust my body to go another 52 miles? I had no choice.

I finally reached the special needs station and was happy to pick up my other gels as I had run out. I pulled the granola bars out of my back pockets and handed them with the bars still in my special needs bag back to the volunteer. "Can you throw these away? I can't eat them."

Then off I went again, up and down the hills. The cycling became increasingly difficult as it became clearer that I was on an untested new bike and didn't have the mileage in my legs. What a way to inaugurate Ingrid, my new bike ... with a 112 mile/180 km Ironman ride ... LOL!!

A late swim start coupled with a late bike start served only to add to the isolation I felt on the bike course. The second loop was almost void of spectators. A mere scattering were left and often, the only people I saw were cyclists I passed or exhausted bodies lying on the side of the road waiting for medical aid.

My female nether regions were on *fire* albeit the BodyGlide and I didn't want to stop to fiddle with my seat. The damage had been done and an aero position was no longer possible except for the downhills where I could lift myself off my seat a bit. The new bike geometry worked my muscles differently and my IT bands now pulled painfully on my kneecaps like sharp stabbing knives.

What hurt more though than my knees and my private parts were my neck and upper back. The extent of my injury from my recent collision into the back of the mini-van became painfully obvious. Because of possible danger to the kidneys and risk of dehydration/hyponaetremia, I had stopped taking NSAIDs that morning to relieve the inflammation and was now in searing pain. I could not hold my body forward for very long and resorted to holding the arm rests with my hands to stay as upright as possible.

"Free speed, free speed" became my new mantra as I rode down the hills as aero as possible, hoping to pick up enough speed to to take me up the following hills. Coasting was essential for me at this point and allowed me to recuperate, relieving some of the pain in my knees. The miles passed and I concentrated on "lessening the pain", wondering how I'd ever make it to the bike finish. And though the last segment of the bike course is a net downhill, my painful knees, forced still to pedal, did not feel this advantage.

I only made one toilet stop, after 7 hours of riding. Like most on the bike leg, I was dehydrated but happy that I hadn't passed out like so many others. Thoroughly exhausted, the scorching heat was even more evident.

With great relief, I arrived at the bike finish and the kind volunteer took my bike away. I started running down the transition chute but my legs felt horrible. Thinking it was due to my shoes, I stopped to take them off. NO, Running in bare feet did NOT make my legs feel any better. I called out my number to the volunteers and a very pretty, cheerful girl passed me my transition bag.

"You're Bonnie, right? I'm Katie, Tithers' friend, and she told me to watch out for you. I'm so happy that I'm the one to give you your bag."

I was happy too! Tithers and Katie, you rock!

Then into the tent I went to change into my run clothes at a snail's pace. I saw a lady sprawled across the chairs and a volunteer went to ask if she was alright. I didn't want to be like her so took care to stay relaxed and focused. The change tent floor was extremely muddy since the ground had not dried out after the swim-bike transition. I had not packed a towel, so I wiped my muddy feet with my bike clothes. Hmm ... did I really want to put on those running shoes?

In the still blazing sun and heavy heat, I walked out of transition and drank some water.

How was I going to get through this marathon?

Bike 7:42:47 (14.52 mph)

Rank after bike: overall 1714/1975, division 64/82

First Bike Segment 22.5 mi (1:30:25) 14.93 mph
Second Bike Segment 21.4 mi (1:36:47) 13.27 mph
Third Bike Segment 30.5 mi (2:10:47) 13.99 mph
Final Bike Segment 37 mi (2:24:48) 15.33 mph

T2: Bike-to-run 13:17

The Run

I heard a voice, "Hello" ... and then an elderly gentleman and I teamed up. We decided to walk for a bit but as we passed the first camera, we started running and laughing, saying we couldn't be caught NOT running by the camera.

Then back to walking, and by the time we got to the bridge a little distance away, my new tri friend was ready to run. But I wasn't since it was uphill. I told him that I'd only start on the downhill coming back. By the time we got to the turn-around point on the bridge, my new-found running mate wanted to run off so I wished him well. I had reached the downhill part but my legs didn't seem to want to start running. Feeling horribly exhausted, I seriously pondered if I'd make the cut-off time of 17 hours if I walked the entire marathon.

Another camera opportunity forced me to run again ... great shot! And then out of fear of not finishing in time, I tried to keep running after that ... Note the IT band support on my left knee.

I gave myself two rules:

1) No running on downhills or steep uphills.
2) No running in expansive sunny areas. Wait for the sun to go down a bit.

I thought it was better to play it wise and be able to finish rather than be picked up by an ambulance, which I was starting to see more frequently.

I was on my first loop when the sun's intensity started to lessen and my running became more consistent, now with few walking breaks. The temperature as the sun started going down was still 90F/32C, only a few degrees cooler than when I'd started.

I walked through every aid station and grabbed water, rationing the few gels that I had with me throughout the course. I would have drank more chicken stock had they not run out so soon ... that's THE BEST during a race! Because of my GI issues, I drank only a few sips of the sport drink offered and totally refrained from drinking any cola. Bizarre, whereas on the bike leg, I did not need to pee, after the first part of the marathon, I needed to pee almost every aid station! What was going on?!

The heat was intense. I continued my death shuffle and concentrated on moving forward, distracting myself from my pain and fatigue by watching the other runners. Having only one IT band support, I now switched it over to my more painful right knee. The few attempts I made at my usual run form dismally failed as sharp pains shot into my knees with each strike of my foot on the asphalt.

The neighbourhood was quaint and its prettiness was a nice contrast to our suffering, as was the out-and-back set-up of this race course. Someone shouted out my name ... it was Mike, and I turned my head quickly to see him heading in the opposite direction, catching only a glimpse of his face. He looked in fine running form ... or so I thought (found out later that he had had a bad bike crash and needed stiches!)

I finally reached the turn-around point and knew I'd soon be hitting 13.1 miles. What? No timing mat? No balloons or archway? ... Hmm, no special marker indicating the half-marathon point, what a let-down. So I estimated my time and this sadly told me I had at least another three hours to go if I continued at this pace.

ANOTHER THREE HOURS!!!

I concentrated on moving one foot ahead of the other and somehow, the miles wore on. There were more and more spectators and I realised that I was almost finished the first loop! How excited I felt as I approached the Finish Line the "first time" ... yes, so close and yet so far! The spectators screamed, "You're almost done, just down the road!" and I screamed back, "I still have one more loop to go."

Good thing about seeing the actual finish line was feeling and hearing the excitement of the crowd, music and runners. Bad thing about seeing the actual finish line was feeling and hearing the excitement of the crowd, music and runners and not actually finishing.

I turned the corner right before heading down the brightly-lit finisher's chute ... Another loop to go! Yay! (Not)

So I ran and ran and ran and ran and somehow, at some point, it all started blending together and became surreal. I had found a peaceful place in my head that somehow knew what to do with the pain and exhaustion, that somehow knew how to keep my body moving forward past the aid stations and past the mile markers.

I passed the turn-around a second time. I passed countless other runners. I heard the ambulances and saw bodies lying on the sides of the street and pressed forward, knowing that I did not want to join them.

Then somehow, I'd arrived again at the "Start to the Finish" and I felt the excitement of the last few miles ... I was almost HOME and my commitment would be fulfilled. The crowd became denser, the music and the cheers grew louder, the runners picked up their pace ... I knew what was coming and I excitedly ran a bit faster.

And then there it was, the finisher's chute. A spectator shouted to the man running slowly just ahead of me. "C'mon, you can run faster than that! You're at the finish!" Dang, the man picked up his pace to match mine just as I was about to pass him.

There was NO WAY I wanted to share my finishing photo with this other racer, so I kicked in everything that I had left, lifted my painful knees and sprinted past him down the finisher's chute high-fiving as many people as possible.

There was the Finish Line ... but where was the finish line tape? Where was the announcement, "Bonnie Mak, you are an Ironman!"

I'd only visualised finishing with the broken finish line tape held high in glory above my head. What to do, what to do ... I had no Plan B, doh! So I said, "Give me air beneath my feet," and I charged hard over the Finish Line, completely exhausted, but emotionally elated.

Run 6:09:12 (14:05/mile)

First run segment 4 mi. (1:01:23) 15:20/mile
Second run segment 4.3 mi. (56:58) 13:14/mile
Third run segment 4.15 mi. (1:02:25) 15:02/mile
Fourth run segment 3.5 mi. (49:05) 14:01/mile
Fifth run segment 4.3 mi. (57:12) 13:18/mile
Sixth run segment 4.15 mi. (59:18) 14:17/mile
Final run segment 1.8 mi. (22:51) 12:41/mile

Extrapolating, I get a negative split of 10 minutes, woohoo!:

1-13.1 miles 3:09:57
13.1-26.2 miles 2:59:55

Finish (chip time) 15:49:30

Overall 1567/1975 * I moved up from my rank of 1714 after the bike!

Division 64/82

Only 1768 athletes finished under 17:00. 207 did not make the cut-off. That's 10.5%!

I was happy to see Johnie waiting for me at the finish ... nothing like being greeted with a loving smiling face! He told me about Mike's unfortunate crash but made sure to get me to the post-race area where I could grab my clothes bag and get some grub. Then he headed off to meet Mike at the hospital. Thanks, Johnie! You're a sweetheart!

After a quick massage to my IT bands and shins, I caught a lift back to the transition area with a woman I met in the swim line. No way with my sore feet and aching muscles would I have been able to walk that mile or so.

Dear IMKY Race Director,

For future races, I recommend that bike and race gear pick-up from the transition area NOT be mandatory immediately post-race. It would have been easier to just hop into my car and go back to the hotel.

Sincerely yours,

Bonnie
Exhausted athlete all by her lonesome

So ... I dragged all my bags and rolled my bike to the far end of the parking lot. Managing somehow to load it all into my car, I then drove over the bridge back to my hotel. After showering and eating something more substantial (I can't eat much right after racing), popping some pills, and of course calling a few worried friends, I finally crawled into bed at 3:00 am, 22 1/2 hours after I'd awoken.

Another day, another Ironman. Cool. So utterly cool.

I didn't know running was such an expensive sport!

2008-12-04T19:59:00.009-05:00

So, lacking time, I decided to go for a quick jaunt around my neighbourhood instead of head to our wonderful little mountain in the heart of our city. And since I was expecting someone to come pick something up, I was limited with time and thus rushed to get out of the house.

Running clothes - check

Running shoes - check
Hat, ear band, gloves - check
Keys - check

And off I went! I pulled the door behind me and it locked shut. I then went to lock the deadbolt but for some reason, none of the three keys on the keyring worked because none of these keys were for this lock ... DRAT! I'd taken my mother's house keys accidentally!

Plan B

I ran to JC's house and prayed he'd be in when I got there. I'd given him an extra set of keys over a year ago to water my lawn while I was gone but had never asked for them back. Wish I could have enjoyed the 3.5 km run to his house but I felt too anxious to run slowly and pushed the pace more than I wanted. An angst-ridden me arrived at his house and I rang the doorbell ... Woohoo! He was home and I was relieved.

Seems that everyone makes JC's their extra key depository. He passed me three sets of keys that "could be" mine and off I went back home in a cab with borrowed money.

But alas ... none of the keys fit. Waaah! So I was stuck dropping in on a neighbour to call the locksmith. Good thing help came 15 minutes later or I would have frozen outside in my damp running clothes so entirely inappropriate for the cold this time of year. Brrrr!

Ahhhh ... There's nothing more welcoming than walking into your own warm home after being stuck outside in the dark and cold, shut out with no easy way in.

So, today's run was an expensive one what with the cab and the locksmith ... a whopping $26.29/km. Sucks royally.

But at least I'm home. And the two locksmiths were funny. And I will never EVER take the wrong set of keys again.

My friend will unfortunately have to pass by again. Oh well.

People never really die ...

2008-12-02T00:05:00.001-05:00

Haven't trained in I think over a week. Every day I keep telling myself I'll get out there again but somehow the sadness and exhaustion hold me back and I end up seeing friends instead to seek comfort and to distract myself from what has been happening.

My good friend, Michael Rudder, was severely injured in the horrible terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Super amazing person, incredibly spiritual and generous, charismatic and totally hilarious, open-minded, and open-hearted ... always willing to help people and would never hurt a fly. He was in India on a spiritual journey to learn more about meditation which he has practising for 35 years. He didn't deserve what happened to him ... and neither did any of those innocent victims in Mumbai.

To those who survived, I am sending positive healing vibes and love, lots of love. And to those that didn't ... I am somehow reassured by a friend's words ... people never really die, they just change forms ...

Excuses, excuses ...

2008-11-13T01:13:00.001-05:00

Well, last week, I thought I was off to a good restart at training again. Finally off the atrocious meds for my neck and back and feeling better (yes, ESPECIALLY since I'm off those nasty meds! Sometimes the side effects outweigh the benefits ... sigh.)

Then last weekend, I went off to Cape Cod for a swing dance convention. Drove 16 hours. Danced 18. Slept ... too little.

Came back feeling a little run down, which is quite normal after an intense dance weekend. But after a good night's sleep, I didn't feel any better, actually worse, and my usual velvet voice wasn't so velvet anymore.

I've got LARYNGITIS! Arrgh!

Thought about going to the pool but my blocked ears nixed that idea. Thought about running but the cold air going down my throat nixed that idea too.

Today, I felt a bit better and even entertained the idea of running, but being invited to the premiere of "Quantum of Solace" nixed that idea quickly :-) It's cool to have connections in the industry ... Thanks CG!

Tomorrow, I receive my official Mime Clowns Unite! membership card.

2008-11-02T15:40:00.005-05:00

Now that I've started training again (yes, running, swimming AND cycling, but not for long periods), I've been hungry all the time. What better way to please a hungry tummy than to make a birthday supper for my good friend DC?

On the evening's menu ...

Appetizers:

Cream of cauliflower (garnish is green onion and red pepper slivers)

Tomato & Bocconcini Salad with fresh basil
Home-made freshly-baked bread, hot from the oven (sorry no pic of that!)

Main course:

Braised beef with fine herbs, potatoes and carrots
Sautéed zucchini with garlic

Here's a very happy Birthday Boy!

Dessert:

Cashews and Nigerian dates (fresh off the stick!)
Lady Grey tea

Wonderful evening to celebrate a wonderful friend! Besides, DC is always cooking up scrumptious gourmet meals for me ... time to spoil him back :-)

They multiply like rabbits

2008-10-24T00:15:00.002-04:00

I've been super busy these past weeks, obviously not finishing writing my IM race report that I'd promised everyone over a month ago, but painting and rearranging my home.

The difficult thing about painting two rooms in a very small apartment is the lack of rooms in which to empty these rooms. And with the arrival of a new mattress, the challenge got even more interesting with the hallway suddenly becoming a narrow corridor with a 7" wide footpath. Didn't help that all the boxes and furniture blocked all the baseboard heaters. Montreal in the autumn is not renown for its warm temperatures ... brrrr ....

But now I'm done! Well, almost ... still sorting and arranging, but I've got myself what feels like a "new" apartment with two rooms completely redone.

Wow, lookee here ... all mine!

Alright, it's time to make a trip to Sun Youth. Got tons of stuff to drop off what with my mega clean-up :-)

Of course, I kept a few pairs for training (can you see my bright blue orthopedic inserts?) and for hacking around in. I slipped on the spanking brand new pair (can you guess which ones?) and did a short 30 min. through the park. A-ok, even after not running for weeks. A bit tight though in the knee because I'm still having IT band issues. I didn't run super fast but my cardio's still got it! Yay!

Believe it or NOT!

2008-10-09T19:58:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the tardiness of my Ironman Louisville race report ... it's a little more than half done. Just had lots of interruptions in my daily life, like too many medical appointments. Physio, osteo, doctors ... sigh.

And my neck still hurts.

Been also in the midst of reorganizing my house and the rooms inside ... it ain't easy when there's no room for manouvre. I've been shifting furniture and other things back and forth from room to room to give me enough space to paint and clean.

Training, what's that? Tonight, I solemnly swear that I will go to the pool and take a break from all this chaos in my house.

Ironman Louisville - August 31, 2008

2008-09-09T17:27:00.005-04:00

Race report to be posted by Sept 10! Official finish time of 15:49:30, not what you see in the photo, silly billy! I'll explain it in my RR.

Check back soon ... Thanks for your support!

I'm racing Ironman tomorrow!

2008-08-30T22:07:00.004-04:00

Things have been hectic and crazy this week:

1) My friend and I got cut off by a driver during a training ride when she turned suddenly into a plaza driveway. She hit the left arm of my friend. I smashed into the back of her van, bracing my fall with my face and right upper body as I shot over my handlebars. I'm better now ... soreness has almost dissipated, bruises fading, swelling down.

2) My bike, Freida, is finished :-( Bent frame makes it too dangerous to ride.

3) 17 hour drive total to Louisville.

4) New bike bought in Louisville ... no choice.

5) Chain fell off and flat tire during first 15 min. of my ride today. Total 45 min. riding on my new bike in two days.

5) Got a parking ticket in Louisville.

So, now I KNOW I'm gonna rock this race!!

Que sera, sera ...

2008-08-27T01:39:00.004-04:00

What will be, will be.

I remember watching "The Doris Day Show" when I was growing up, and never more than now does that theme song play in my mind. I'm heading out to Ironman Louisville tomorrow.

Am I ready?

You bet your bottom dollar, NOT!

I've been working on too many other things, like Operation Triumph, and not getting in any training this week. In fact, this entire summer has been a huge struggle even getting in half of the recommended training. And of course, I've also been busy trying to get ready for this trip ... maps, directions, itineraries, informing friends, fixing my bike, buying new shoes, packing, supplies ... and the list goes on.

Am I tired? Should I be sleeping already ... YES!

Alright, here I come, ready or not ... onto the last leg of my Ironwoman Journey: Part II, Louisville. I'll check in when I arrive ... Thanks for following me in my craziness ;-)

I've reached a new pinnacle in swimming :-)

2008-08-18T16:25:00.000-04:00

I've been noticing something recently during my swim training that has started to occur more often ... a wonderful, effortless gliding feeling where I feel one with the water and everything is as it should be.

I interpret this feeling as a sign of my improving technique and more and more often, I experience this sweet feeling when I swim.

There is a wonderful little lake close to where I cycle up north and it is so wonderful that I decided, like my recent long run, that I again needed to wrap my mind around some distance, this time in this wonderfully clean and peaceful lake.

My friend LR and I set off into the lake. We swam close to the shore, out of the way of the speeding boats, and after an hour, we took a short break where LR hesitantly then happily discovered the joy of jumping into the water by swinging off a rope attached to a tree. I, on the other hand, sat like the shivering chicken that I am on the rocks until I convinced my friend to head back.

After arriving at the beach, we dried off, but never one for sitting for long in the sun, I started wondering, "How far is it to swim around the little island?" LR suggested I go try it and see as she took her cell phone in hand to time me. I went out and came back. It took about 19 minutes, so I figured at least 800m. Then I did it again.

So, great day for a long swim. 6k+ in my pocket and I finally feel ready for my Ironman swim. Thanks LR for making this possible! You rock!

Wrapping my mind around it ...

2008-08-14T18:55:00.002-04:00

Admittedly, I have been absolutely horrible at training this summer. So much so that the wonderful schedule I had printed up sits ignored somewhere on a shelf in my office. In fact, I don't even remember where I stashed it, but probably somewhere that "out of sight, out of mind" could easily come into play.

My dear blog followers, you may have already realised too that I been skimpy with my daily training session updates. I figure it's better to write as little as possible and allow your mind to imagine that I have been training as I should, 15-20 hours a week, rather than for you to know the truth.

I am an undisciplined, imperfect, lazy athlete that barely scrapes through races.

Sorry to burst your imaginary bubble that I may actually be a dedicated athlete, but somehow this summer, the rest of my life got in the way and distracted me.

So recently, I decided I needed to wrap my mind around some distance.

I haven't been running too much, perhaps twice a week, most often only a very short 5k and then some version of a "longer" run, anywhere from 10 - 15k, and once proudly so, an 18k.

Maybe those distances might be fine and dandy for someone training for a sprint or Olympic distance, but I know I ain't cutting it for that gruesome 42.2k waiting for me at the end of the Ironman.

So, just like that, out of the blue, I decided that it was time to run a 30k.

All was light and springy and actually pleasant and relaxing until I hit 19k. Then the fatigue and pain set in quickly and I cringed inside knowing I still had 11k to go.

10k uphill also meant 10k downhill but I welcomed the descent regardless, as it allowed a bit of active recuperation. Besides, with all the lactic acid building up in my quads, I couldn't have run faster if I wanted.

When I turned down my street, I knew right away what I had to do.

In my mind, my street suddenly became the finishing stretch of the Ironman. I envisioned the metal barriers that aligned the final chute and saw and heard the crowd cheering at the top of their lungs. Last time I did Ironman, I was so tired and in so much pain that I needed all my energy and attention focused on finishing, but this time, I lifted my hand to the enthusiastic spectators ... HIGH-5's all 'round! Woohoo!!

I looked into the distance in front of my house and then I saw it, the FINISH LINE. I felt overwelmed with emotion and started to cry. I was finally at the End and had made it through another tumultuous physical and mental journey. I ran through the Finish Line, grabbed the finishing tape held by the kind volunteers, and lifted it high up in the air in victory!

Bonnie Mak, you are an Ironman!!

I imagined someone putting a medal around my neck and my starting to "walk it off" ... but then the barrage of questions started ...

Where would my car be parked?
Would I even have my car close-by?
How would I be able to get my bike and stuff back to the hotel?
How would I even get back to the hotel?
Would I pass out before I could even get myself and my belongings back to the hotel?
What would I eat?
Would I be able to stomach the pizza in the post-race tent?
Would I even have the strength to go out and get some real food after I cleaned myself up or would I end up crashing, my body totally depleted and still feasting on the protein from my muscles?

Hmmm ... the reality of finishing an Ironman.

Sandpaper shorts from HELL

2008-08-07T23:14:00.003-04:00

One thing I'm usually quite good at is keeping up with laundry and I'm not talking about my regular day clothes, I'm talking about my training clothes. 'Cause face it folks, that's all that really matters, right?

So, though I am usually quite organized, my typical full-plate of life has had some extra servings heaped onto it due to travelling out of the city on weekends. Good for training. Not good for keeping track of clean training clothes, as I found out one day recently when I wanted to do a short 40k ride.

Looking through my partially filled overnight bag that I hadn't yet had time to unpack, I quickly realised that I'd used both of my bike shorts. Yes, I know I should have more than two pairs of shorts but my Louis Garneau shorts, which date back 15 years, are super comfy and still hold their shape. Besides, the super thin padding is perfect for doing tris and is really all I need. I've tried out other bike shorts with the big diaper padding, but nah, there's nothing like "tried and true" shorts. Eventually, I suppose my favourite shorts will fall apart, and on that day, I will shed some tears and go to the local bike store to wearily buy another pair or two.

Why wearily?

Because I DO have another pair of tri shorts. In fact, as a member of Team Diabetes in 2006, I was given a team uniform made by Sugoi ... and those were the most uncomfortable pair of shorts I've ever worn in my entire life. They've basically been relegated to serving as swim trunks for my male friends when I can convince them to go off for an impromptu dip in the pool with me.

So on this particular day, after strewing the remainder of the contents of my overnight bag all over the floor, I walked with trepidation over to my dresser and hesitantly pulled out my Sugoi Team Diabetes tri shorts from my training clothes drawer.

I weighed the options:

1) Don't bike.
2) Bike and hurt.

Hmmm ... My mind whirred quickly as I pondered ... My desire to cycle was too intense. Heck, I wasn't going far ... what damage could this pair of shorts do to me over a measly 40km?

A few kilometres into my ride, I regretted my decision. I can't believe I had consciously chosen to wear the Sandpaper Shorts from HELL!!!"

So, evidently, my ride was not enjoyable in the least and I fidgeted like a madwoman the entire distance, shouting expletives in my mind ... On the brighter side, finishing an Ironman is about training one's mental ability to endure, and for that, perhaps I sould be thankful (yeah, right).

So am I ready to handle the 180km cycling distance required during the Ironman?

NO WAY!!

I still haven't done a metric century ride, and in fact, haven't even ridden to the 100km mark. I have though set a new record for cycling speed ... a whopping 79.5 km/h!! I had recently done some riding up north on some 12-18% grades. Hell to climb but what goes up, must come down! Woohoo!!

The Aerobic Corridor

2008-07-30T10:28:00.009-04:00

I went up north one weekend recently to a friend's cottage. LR had emailed me and suggested I join her for her regular weekend cycle through a nice groomed gravel path in the Laurentians called the Aerobic Corridor.

I thought, "Can I fit this into my training?" Hmm, this ride would definitely have to be on my mountain bike, not my road bike, Freida, who doesn't like gravel. I called her and said, "Yes" ... and then started looking forward to the change of scenery or in this case, greenery, as I'd only been road biking this summer.

Saturday morning came, and I excitedly finished packing. Bottles and drink powder. Check. Gels and bars. Check. Helmet and glasses. Check. Clothes and shoes. Check. And of course, everything else non-sport that I'd need for the weekend too.

I threw my bags into the trunk and tried to heave my heavy 18-year old steel-frame no-suspension mountain bike onto the rack on top of the car. No can do. My car is too high. My bike is too heavy. I am a wimp. Sigh.

"Hey, Mr. Handy Passerby, can you please help me for a second?"

Thank you. Then off I drove, happily up north to through the winding hilly roads that'd lead me to a great day of cycling with my friend.

I arrived at the little white cottage and excitedly said, "Oh, just let me get my cycling stuff on and we can head off right away."

No bag.

I went and checked the trunk of the car.

NO F*CKING BAG!!!

Yup, my black overnight bag which contained almost everything that I needed for that weekend was still in the doorway at home in Montreal, where I had pushed it off to the side to get my bike out.

Sigh ... what to do, what to do. Well, I had my swim bag and my bottles which were in my saddle bag. And I could cycle in the clothes I was wearing, though it'd be a little rough without cycling shorts, unlike my road bike, which I wouldn't dare attempt without cycling shorts if I ever wanted to walk again.

But I had NO SHOES!!!

My flip flops would not bode well with my tiny SPD pedals. But wait, my friend had cycling shoes with SPD clips, and her pedals actually have a side for regular shoes ... I'd wear her shoes and she'd wear her running shoes!

Off we went, two happy cyclists, down the steep hill leading away from her cottage and into the woods. It felt strange to not have my helmet and cycling glasses but I'd grabbed my sunglasses from the car which'd protect me from things going into my contact lenses. And though her shoes were two sizes too large, better big shoes than no shoes!

I quickly realised that what my friend meant by "groomed gravel" was not the urban definition that I was familiar with. And as we went up and down all the false flats on the path composed of very loose gravel, small and big rocks, grass, sand and huge ruts, I realised that this was not the scenic friendly trail in the woods that I thought it'd be.

Every so often we'd come across barriers that block motorcycles and ATV's from using the trail and of course, I wiped out while squeezing past one. My front tire hit the edge of the damp grass and DOWN I went, twisting my elbow and pulling my shoulder out farther than it should have went. LR helped me up and after a few minutes of dizziness, we were ready to go. My arm and shoulder throbbed and I concentrated hard to not wipe out on the coarse path.

And then the rains came.

Now we also had mud and very slippery grass and rocks to contend with. Great.

My sunglasses fogged up and I felt the raw effects of not cycling with padded shorts. My too big shoes for which I was once grateful now cut painfully into my ankles. More bugs came out and bit me, even through my clothes. My bike tires, which were city slicks and not knobbies (I hadn't changed them) slipped everywhere. And my friend, LR, sped even farther ahead on her better, lighter bike. Good thing she wasn't clipped in.

I thought this again as we cycled a short section on the road to take a break from the difficult path. LR led and I drafted, a smart manouvre even with the water from her back wheel assaulting my face. It was this or be left several kilometers behind very quickly ... LR was rolling at 28-29 km/hr! No way I could sustain that kind of speed on my heavy clunker of a mountain bike ... We passed a roadie heading in the opposite direction and I waved. He ignored us. We didn't have the gear. We didn't have the bikes.

Then back onto the wooded trail we went. LR forewarned me, "Only the worst part to go now."

While climbing the last ascent, a 5% grade that went on and on forever for 3km, all I could think was:

"This is not the Aerobic Corridor. This is the PASSAGE THROUGH HELL."

I was ecstatic to be finally off the path. Now we just had the 11% grade long curved hill to climb to get back to her cottage. Sigh.

LR: You totally ROCK!! I feel like a paltry little cyclist up against you ... I bow down in respect and awe. You are hawt, hawt, HAWT!

Later on, after a tasty BBQ chicken pita snack, we went for an amazing little swim in the lake right by her cottage and then went back to a scrumptious freshly-caught BBQ trout supper with her family.

Great friends, great food, great wine, and a great ride and swim. What more could a triathlete-in-training ask for? Oh yeah, clean borrowed dry clothes (thanks!) and a quick healing arm and shoulder ...

Sometimes you just have to dance!

2008-07-28T00:22:00.010-04:00

A close friend of mine, Allison, recently married a fantastic guy and I was very happy to celebrate their happiness with them at their wedding ...

Alcohol was a little too free-flowing this particular weekend, what with supper with a friend from out-of-town Friday evening followed by Allie & Chris' wedding on Saturday.

I squeezed in a short swim Saturday and a paltry 15k run Sunday in my pitiful post-party state. Cycling? What dat? Half a bottle of wine, 3 cocktails, some more wine and some champagne combined with a serious lack of sleep and too much celebrating was enough to put me out of contention for "Most Dedicated Athlete" for that weekend.

Enjoy some of the pics!

Funny thing ... I caught the bouquet, which reminds me ... I caught the bouquet at the last wedding I attended too ... Mind you, my date, Jonathan Clark, caught the garter ... Hmmm ... Ha ha ha ha ha!!

SLACKER!!

2008-07-25T09:50:00.002-04:00

One really fun thing about triathlon training is the variety of different disciplines. It's actually quite fun since one always has to mix it up so it never really gets monotonous.

One really not so fun thing about triathlon training is the variety of different disciplines. What? Why go running when I can go cycling? Running's gotten so much more difficult since I've cut down mileage. And why go cycling on that pissy rainy day when I can go swimming? And why do swim drills when I can do leisurely concentrate-on-the-glide laps in the pool? Yes, I suppose I'm getting wet in the pool too, but at least I'm not miserably cold and being pelted by torrential rain.

Alright, I admit I haven't been paying any attention to my training program. It's not like I slack off everyday but I think I've become the Queen of Inconsistency. I have been good though when escaping to cottage country (thank you friends!) to ride killer hills at 9-12% grades and to swim across lakes. In fact, the return to urban training has been quite harsh and boring :-( And somehow too, reading, relaxing, and seeing old friends has been quite the distraction.

Sigh ... There is something in my artist soul that has rebelled against the "have-t0-do" emphasis of Ironman training. Maybe I've put too much pressure on myself throughout the years on racing ... even last year, when I was training haphazardly, I still pumped out two marathons.

Wait, I think I'm starting to see a pattern now ... Hmmm ... Guerilla training tactics.

Turtleboy is always amazed that I'm able to complete my races. He calls my training tactics, "The most for the least." Like, why train? How little can be done to finish and get the same medal as those who have logged the miles and put in the dedicated hours?

I had a dream once where I met up with some friends in a diner. They were talking about doing their first marathon and were considering running in Finland, which would set them back at least $2500 each.

Silly Sally: Wow, why run so far away? There are lots of races close by that won't cost nearly as much.

Friend: Yeah, you're right ... there's actually a race here tomorrow.

Silly Sally: Oh, really? Cool!

Friend: It's an Ironman and I've already signed you up. I thought you might be interested.

Silly Sally: Umm ... Alright.

Then I, in this dream, with absolutely no training and totally unprepared mentally and physically, completed an Ironman. I remember running down the narrow finishing chute lined with metal rails, and just like that, with absolutely no big hoo ha, I crossed the finish line. I looked at the time.

15:03

Cripes! Not bad for no training! I thought, "My last Ironman was 14:46:19. I'm only 17 minutes off that time ... was all that training two years ago worth it?" I continued watching the other athletes come in and thought, "Hey, I'm feeling pretty good. That wasn't so hard."

But somehow, I don't think Ironman Louisville will be as forgiving. I've already accepted that I will be doing this one on blood and guts.

Hey, I don't remember having received a finisher's medal ... dang, gypped by a dream ;-)

What happened?

2008-07-11T15:48:00.002-04:00

POOF! The weeks sure did go by quickly ... and I don't remember much ... except for two things:

1) I had an easy training week in my schedule and was quite happy that I had the right to slack off a bit ... and "slack off" I certainly did!

2) I had a hard week of training scheduled but somehow my body got caught in a time warp and thought it was the previous week, so I had an unplanned "easy than should have been" training week ... which I am not happy about.

I think I am the most undisciplined athlete I know ... sigh ... which means I will somehow have to make up mentally for toughness what my body will lack in training when it comes round to Ironman time ...

Big question now is, am I training moreso:

1) for enjoyment?
2) out of obligation since I'm already registered and committed to this IM?
3) out of complete angst and fear that I will crash and burn at my race?

Will my rubber tires save me if I'm hit by lightning?

2008-06-23T23:15:00.000-04:00

One nice thing about visiting Toronto is that not too far away, about 20-25k from my mom's house, I can cycle and find myself some rolling hills.

Unfortunately though, this particular visit, like the last, was threatened by rain, rain, and more rain according to the weather report.

I didn't care. The sun was shining and though there were some clouds, I said to myself, convinced it wouldn''t rain until much later.

Because it had been bright, sunny and hot when I started my cycle, I decided to wear a tank top instead of a racing jersey and carried food and other essentials in a money pouch. La-di-da ... and away I went for what I planned to be a metric century.

Once I hit farm country, the torrential rains started. The sky was black and the wind kicked me from all angles. I saw lightning and heard thunder in the near distance, which is never a good sign when one is out in the open. Will my rubber tires save me if I'm hit by lightning? But OH, how I had my heart set on a long ride! Tomorrow, I wouldn't have enough time, so it was now or never.

Do I turn back?

I looked at the hills beyond beckoning me to zip down them at super fast speeds and noticed that the skies above them seemed a lighter shade of gray. Would I be able to ride out of the storm? I decided to go for it and several kilometres later, though I was still being rained on, it wasn't that bad since it was only drizzling at this point. I could live with that.

One thing about riding in farmland is trying to figure out a place to pee. Not a ton of trees, except those indicating entrances to people's driveways. I've only pee'ed while riding my bike when torrential rain allowed the washing away of evidence from my socks and shoes ... meaning I wouldn't have to deal with any lingering smells ... but I just couldn't do it in this medium light sort of rain. Besides, Freida, my bike, would not appreciate it.

Then I saw it, a huge concrete slab blocking the entranceway to what appeared to be a condemned farmhouse. Excellent!

Aaaah ... and off I went again.

What's nice about hills, though they do require a bit of work to climb, is the incredible thrill to speed down them ... I totally LOVE THAT RUSH!! Of course, what adds to that thrill is the reward of seeing your bike odometer spit out and confirm your exhilarating speed.

But not today. Not in the pouring rain. Nope ... my bike computer had konked out and no reading was available, no distance, no time, no speed. Bummer. :-(

I felt like a computer freak user without internet or e-mail access.

So on I went, up and down and up and down, none of my climbing achievements being confirmed and my trying not to be phased by it ... Distraction: Oh that road looks good! Lots more hills! Then off I veered ... into the storm clouds once more.

The unfortunate thing about my choice of clothing that day is that rain has a tendency to cool things down. 15-17 C is not warm. 15-17 C is even less warm in a tank top in the rain. The big black clouds opened up and spewed out its angry storm and my bare arms and shoulders felt the wrath of sharp raindrops.

It was time to turn back lest I become hypothermic. Anyway, I didn't know how much more I would be able to stand of what felt like hail hitting my fragile, tired, discouraged body. Besides, I had not fully recuperated from the 85k I had cycled the day before on the same hills.

I got as far as that cement block on my way back when I realised that my peddle felt "off", strangely uneven, and my chain seemed to hit the derailleur no matter what gear I shifted into. I stopped in the rain and looked at my peddles and cleats. Check. Everything seemed tight, no loose screws. Then I looked at my crank. Not so good ... I could see too much space between my left crank and its insertion point into my bike. What to do, what to do. I thought, I'll have to get that adjusted when I get back to Montreal, but at least that would explain the chain rubbing problem.

I continued cycling and the riding only got worse, getting even more uneven. I looked down at my left foot while cycling and it looked and felt like I was peddling with a limp! Again, I stopped in the pouring rain and examined my crank. Good thing I had my handy little multi-tool gadget. Though I am totally inept bike mechanic-wise, I managed to tighten my crank. No choice. Figure it out or be stranded in no-man's land in the pouring rain holding my bike in one hand and pieces of my new compact crank in the other.

La-di-da (yeah right) ... and off I went. I finally got back home. 90k, I figured. Not quite the 100 I wanted but I was back home at my mom's where I could take a hot shower and get some food into me. The three hours in the storm was not exactly *fun*. And though I am a grown woman who can make my own choices, of course, this particular choice did not sit well with my worried mom at home who couldn't understand why anyone would want to cycle in that weather.

I told her I was fine and she needn't have worried so much, then went upstairs to shower.

What I REALLY wanted to tell her was, "I'm doing it for the thrill of the downhills, Mom!"

Good eats!

2008-06-22T21:48:00.000-04:00

Most of us take our mobility and the subsequent freedom to do what we want and go where we want for granted. But some of us can't walk outside alone lest we fall. This means no unaccompanied outings, including dining out or grocery shopping.

So I took my mother out for supper and I took her grocery shopping and she savoured every minute, as did I, since this meant more precious moments with her.

There is nothing like sharing a tasty meal with someone you love, especially if it's with someone you love dearly and don't get to see often.

To take the pics, I had to slide past my mother on her bench so I could extend my hand properly to take the self-portrait. Since my mother has trouble standing up, I decided to get back to my side of the table via "under the table".

How embarrassing! Of course, this had to be THE MOMENT when the waitress came over to serve us while I was still in the midst of trying to manouvre my body out from underneath the table. I should have predicted my difficulty, being much bigger than my children and all, doh! I finally managed to wriggle out and up onto the bench and then, ahem ... apologized to the waitress, "I was just playing! Ha ha!"

Here's what we ordered:

1) Tofu and vegetable hot pot

2) Beef and green bean spicy satay

3) Salt and pepper shrimp

My compact crank rocks!

2008-06-18T14:25:00.004-04:00

I finally got a chance to climb Montreal's mountain via the steep road that the car takes Camilien Houde. Yesterday's ride was supposed to be 2.5 - 2.75 hrs long but my trip to readjust my gears (again) cut my time short and I was left with two hours and lots of traffic to fight through to get to the store and out to Mont Royal. It was worth it.

Though I wasn't very fast, and it was difficult, I made it up and over twice and if I had had more time, I would have done it another couple of times ... well, at least until I puked. Anyway, I ended up with only 40k (city riding and traffic, you know) but was happy to know that my new compact crank rocks and makes climbing just a tad easier. How did I ever do Richter's Pass during Ironman Canada with a small chain ring with 42 teeth? My new crank is 53-34 and what a sweet difference!

The last week's been a little crazy coming off of my theatre performances and finally having the time to catch up with everything. I swam, cycled and ran ... not exactly as my training schedule dictated as I couldn't remember where I left it, but enough to feel like I'm starting to get up to speed, including my social life.

Here's a joint Kickrunners/Meetin' gathering ... what fun to combine two of my worlds!

Let's see what the rest of the week holds for training ... well today, what does my schedule say?

Swim
200 warm up
8 times 250 with 20 sec recovery.

Bike
1 ½ to 2 hour ride

Hmm ... I'd better get off the computer.

Oka Sprint Tri - June 8, 2008

2008-06-10T11:59:00.005-04:00

Let's make things clear ... This race totally SUCKED. But I'm glad I did it since I got to open water swim and practice my transitions.

Basically, I was totally unprepared, both physically and mentally. I'd been through a hectic rehearsal schedule during a month and a half for my play Import/Export that had been all over the place, morning, afternoon, and evenings, with especially long hours the week before our performances of 11-12 hours/day.

In that last week of rehearsal, I barely managed over 100k of cycling, all on my mountain bike, since Freida, my road bike was in the shop getting fitted with a compact crank. On my one day off from rehearsal in that last week, I had to catch up on everything and could only fit in a short swim of 1000 m. I was happy the day before our opening when we only had an evening rehearsal of 5 hours, leaving me with enough time to get in a long swim of 3050 m. No time to run though that week and certainly no bricks!

The show went fantastically well. There was lots of celebrating and spending time with friends too, nevermind the constant going over lines. And I even got to do an interview for CKUT, McGill's cool alternative radio station. Hectic, challenging week ... but it was well worth it. The play was well-received and overall, I was happy with my performances. I've been very lucky to be part of such a wonderful production and cast.

Monday - Wednesday
A big NADA for training. Play opening and performances were just too intense and draining ...

Thursday
I finally got my bike back and lacking time since I had my last performance that evening, I checked out my new crank with a short 14k cycle. Oh, shifting was difficult! I'd need the gears realigned, that's for sure!

Friday
I visited my LBS then got in a 46k ride ... woohoo! Followed right away by a short 20 min. run, just to see how it felt in the legs. Ugh.

Saturday
After swing dancing for a few hours by the river in the hot and humid weather, I slipped in a short half hour swim. I made sure to hydrate myself well that day with E-load.

200 m warm-up
750 continuous swim with practising sighting
4 x 50m (25m fast, 25m slow)
100 m slow cool

Total swim = 1250m.

Sunday - Race day

Needless to say, I did not get much rest that week, and not even the two night prior to the race. I was shamelessly still up past midnight looking for my wetsuit, which I have not seen since Ironman 2006. I finally found it packed away in an empty suitcase in my living room closet.

Got four hours of restless sleep. Woke up at 5:15 am. Had some tea and tried to stomach a banana and some oatmeal. My friend AJ arrived to accompany me. I answered the door and the first thing I told him was how sick to my stomach I was felt and how difficult it was to eat.

We loaded up my car and drove out to Oka, a beautiful provincial park, and arrived at 7:15 am. We started walking to the registration area but I had to double back as we realised that there were no port-o-lets beside the race site, that one had to walk over to the beach chalet. That was a bummer since my nervous stomach had me visiting that chalet every 15 min.

Nutrition
Two electrolyte tablets
E-load, lots of it ... big bottle on bike and even bigger bottle to drink at transition
Two gels, one eaten before the swim, another before the run

Clothing
A one-piece tri-suit that looks like a bathing suit but is actually quite comfortable and perfect for the day's hot and humid 29C, 38C humidex weather (yes, that's 100F!). Hey, it was free ... a friend had given it to me!

Here I am setting up at transition. I had used that red blanket to keep me warm for the first 15 min. after arrival as I had forgotten my jacket ... but I didn't need it for long since the day started to heat quickly, in fact, too quickly.

I realised I'd forgotten how to put on a wetsuit ... I've only used it twice! Once for my IM two years back and the first time, the week before that race to check it out and practice some OW swimming.

Alright, I finally figured out how to put it on but I'd forgotten how tight it felt, or was it just the extra ten pounds I'd put on since IM? Ugh.

The swim was way more difficult than I could have ever imagined. MUCH harder than my IM swim, which was kinda relaxing actually.

The swim started badly ... we weren't a big group so only had two waves. But the race was so badly coordinated that the first wave didn't even know the gun had gone off. The officials had to restart. My wave started two minutes afterwards and though I was already at the back, the one person behind me swam over me almost immediately.

I told myself, I can handle that! During my IM, I'd been hit and kicked, so this didn't phase me. Not even the cold water on my face and hands and feet phased me. What did phase me was the incessant current bringing me back to the shore or some other direction in which I was not wanting to go. My sighting became useless.

During the entire swim, not for one second could I feel that familiar and soothing water-rushing-past-my-body-feeling and this made me panic. I did not feel any forward motion at all, but just a bobbing of my body as I struggled to sight and breathe. My heart would not calm down and beat too quickly during the entire swim and I never managed to catch my breath properly. I swallowed lots of water, and even had to tread water a few times to fix my goggles (never EVER wear a new type of goggles at a race!) or just take a long slow breath. I couldn't figure out which side to breathe as I seemed to be hit by a wave no matter which side I turned my face.

I don't have much open water swimming experience, but folks, this was one time that I felt I was just barely hanging on ... My mind swirled with thoughts of DNF'ing and even of drowning. I had choked and coughed so hard at one point that another swimmer stopped to ask me if I was alright. Certainly the girl on the surf board ahead of me wasn't going to help and due to the lack of organization of this race, I doubt there was anyone behind me.

I concentrated hard and tried to be as calm and efficient as possible just to be able to finish the swim leg, and though I know I swam all over the place and that my sighting was ineffective to keep me on course, I finally managed to crawl up on the beach. Then I had the trek up past the beach and through the woods to the transition area. I'd made it through the first part. Thank God.

27:27 including the run to transition. My 750m usually takes me 15-16 min. This swim was pure hell. And I was not the last out of the water.

This was the first time during a race I had to get that wetsuit off by myself. Fine and dandy slipping it off the shoulders and down off the body. How does one get it off the ankles? I had ankel zippers and I still struggled.

Getting onto my bike was alright, though I felt dizzy and almost toppled over a few times, as you see in this pic of me losing my balance. Funny ... while I was getting body marked, I asked the volunteer which one was the better choice - bug spray or sunscreen. He promptly killed two flies that zoomed around in between our faces. Alright, I chose the bug spray. But now at T1, I'd realised that the bug spray had "erased" my numbers. At least I had my bib number and timing chip!

The bike course was tooted as a flat course, closed to traffic. Two loops. Flat and closed to traffic, my ass! I don't call rolling hills flat at all. I hit 59 km/h (37 miles/h) on one downhill and would have gone faster had I had the incentive to power down harder.

In general, yes, this course was closed to traffic ... outside the park. Inside the park was a whole other matter. I totally loved how the volunteer let the mini-van turn ahead of me. I went from 32 km/h to 5 km/h in a split second and was forced onto the gravel shoulder to avoid hitting that mini-van and the racer who was walking his bike back to the transition zone.

54:27 including T1 and T2. My bike computer said just over 21 km (???) Not very fast, but heck, I hadn't been riding much recently and I hadn't even practiced transitioning in training. When I had set up my plastic container of water for feet rinsing before the race, I somehow knew I'd knock it over. And of course, arriving at T2, I promptly did so and soaked my foot thoroughly. I'm happy with my compact crank though ... sure made those climbs faster. It felt good to pass some cyclists though I think they were the duathletes. Whatever!

The run was a little difficult since it changed directions several times, but pretty since it took us through some trails in the woods. I was glad that we were in the shade for most of it, but not very happy when they'd ran out of water. I finally got some at the turn-around at 2.5 km. On the way back, I almost got lost since there were no arrows indicating where to go ... all I could see were blank backs of signs and too many path choices.

One major thing that I learned in a bad way ... I will never ever run without socks again. Major blisters developed by the 2k point and I suffered in agony until the end. All to save a few seconds at T2 ... sigh.

Here I am coming down final stretch, sooo happy that my ordeal was OVER!

Final time: 1:53:35. Ugh. This was sooo much slower than my first tri when I even did an extra bike loop. Oh well. I finished. My back was beet red from being sunburnt but I didn't have one bug bite.

Monday after the race
Yesterday, I did as much of nothing as possible. No rehearsal, no laundry, no training, no performances, no socializing, no charity work. It felt good to relax. Actually, I did try to get out for a short swim that evening but the pool had changed its schedule and was closed. So I did some grocery shopping ... finally.

AGH!

2008-06-08T05:42:00.003-04:00

I'm happy to finally have my bike back after being in the shop for the past 11 days ... and ... after almost two weeks of not much training due to 10-12 hour play rehearsals, followed by a week of performances ...

I'm racing today!

AAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!!!!

Let me just be "lazy"

2008-05-24T21:41:00.000-04:00

Yup, there's something to be said about being uber busy ... running on adrenalin, always trying to fit one more thing, feeling too hyper to sleep, needing to relax, not getting enough sleep, and definitely, oh too definitely not being able to fit in all the training necessary for an Ironman ...

SIGH.

I figure if I don't have time to train properly, I don't have time to blog properly either ... but here goes with my past week in training. No breakdown, sorry ... who's got the time?

Swimming 2200 m (over two days)

Cycling 155 km (over four days)

Running 17 km (one day)

Looking at this, I realise only now that I did not have a day off ... but I must admit that two of those days included 25 km cycling only 'cause I rode my bike to rehearsal. I'm not sure if that really counts but I figured my confidence needed the boost. My legs certainly felt it ... there's a good headwind for the last half going there and it's almost all uphill coming home.

I'm also surprised I was able to pull off that run as I hadn't ran for two weeks ... guess this old body of mine ain't as unfit as I thought ...

Increasing cycling mileage = tired legs

2008-05-17T21:10:00.000-04:00

I cycled a hefty 193 km this week, from Sunday to Saturday and have not yet recuperated. Serves me right to increase my mileage that much. What helped was that my play rehearsals have moved into a warehouse west of downtown where a stage has been built to simulate the stage we will be performing on.

So with that said, here's my week in review.

Monday
- cycled 45 km, swam 1500 m

Tuesday
- cycled 55 km, including a long break at GB's for a fantastic steak supper and work on Operation Triumph stuff

Wednesday
- only 25 km cycling to my rehearsal ... it was a busy day what with the encore presentation of Jonathan Clark's fantastic slide show presentation Soul Travel, India!

Thursday
- day off, yay!

Friday
- more cycling, 45 km, including up and over our mountain via Camilien Houde again

Saturday
- short 6km run ... my knee hurt a bit, maybe because of all the cycling!

There's something about being uber-busy that makes it just way too easy to distract myself away from proper training. Sigh.

Did I just lose a week?

2008-05-12T11:00:00.001-04:00

Got back from Toronto and was up to my wahoosie catching up with Operation Triumph, play rehearsals, and life in general. Only thing I seemed to manage was a lack of sleep and cycling to rehearsal. But of course, rehearsal being only a measly 3km away this week meant a grand total of barely nothing in terms of cycling mileage ... so I don't think I'm going to count that 6 km/day I've been doing.

Friday, I managed to finally slip in a short 1600 yard swim. Let me convert this for you ... a grand total of 1.46304 m according to the handy conversion calculator on WorldWideMetric.

Saturday, I slipped in a 13k run. Ouch! I hadn't run for 2 weeks and my legs were sore the day afterwards!

Sunday, I cycled 23k, but this was up and over our mountain via Camilien Houde, the steep road that the cars snake through. I think the grade is 7-10% depending on which part of the road. I was surprised to make it in one go without having to stop to recuperate or whine or curse. I'm in better shape though than the first time I attempted this climb two years ago when I trained for Ironman Canada in 2006. Yay!

Feels good to get back to training after my post-Toronto catch-up session :-)

Visiting Mom

2008-05-05T21:36:00.008-04:00

When it FINALLY hit me that I would lose my mother to an incurable cancer, my heart and soul cried out in anguish and that "little girl" inside of me, with insecure, selfish, little girl needs of love and affection, awakened and wailed.

I realised how much I still needed my mother. And though it will be difficult, I know that the inevitability is that I will have to let go, ready or not.

So, for every day that I still have my mother, I will love her as deeply and tenderly as I can. Some people have bitterness and resentment towards their parents during their adult life. I feel none of this towards my mother and realise that life is too short for blame. Could haves, would haves, should haves. None of this means anything in the face of death. No point in ruminating over what wasn't perfect, for the Universe knows I was far from it.

And so, I was very happy to visit my mother in Toronto. Thank you Jonathan Clark for taking this beautiful series of shots.

Thursday, May 1

No training for this little girl today. It was a travelling day. Besides, after Jonathan's Soul Travel, India show, I had too many loose ends to take care of which resulted in another night of almost no sleep. I opted for some zzz's in the car. It's nice having a second driver!

My mom was really excited about my visit, and upon my arrival, I promptly took her out for supper at a Chinese buffet she hadn't visited for a long while. Lots of choice, maybe too much ... we happily ate like PIGS! For dessert, I had a green tea rice ball, mango jello, almond jello, and some red bean soup.

Friday, May 2

Pissy rain day. Popped by my cousin's house to visit her newborn fraternal twins ... a little boy and a little girl ... how adorable! Good thing Grandma, her mother, is there to help!

Then I took my mom out for our ritual dim sum and afterwards ran around with her grocery shopping, a luxury for her since she can't get out on her own.

I slipped out after supper for a quick swim. Toronto is renown for the distances between places, and the available pool was no exception. It took me almost half an hour to get there! Was it worth it for the measly 1000 m that I swam before the pool closed? You betcha! Felt good to train again ...

Saturday, May 3

Another pissy rain day, but today, I had committed to cycling.

It was miserable, cold and very wet, at times even torrential, but I really wanted to cycle some of the rollers just outside Toronto. I gave up looking for a place to relieve myself in the thick of the rain and while adjusting my aerobars at some intersection, I promptly went there, where I was standing, happily knowing that the rain would hide my, ahem, urgency.

I arrived home after cycling 55 km to a wonderful plate of my mom's fried rice. This has got to be one of my #1 comfort foods and I could have eaten unlimited plates of it!

The afternoon brought more shopping, including this really cool Chinese herb place.

Sunday, May 4

What I had in rain yesterday, I had in wind today. I headed out again to the rollers to do some more cycling. At one point, while going downhill, I could only hit 22km/h. Pretty dismal headwind. Needless to say I was pretty spent and very happy to finally make it back home after a 45 km cycle.

I came home to my mom's pork bone and tofu leaf soup. Another favourite comfort food.

That evening, we gathered up the relatives and had a BBQ feast at my cousin's ... My mom and I were happy to see everyone all together, it had been so long for both of us.

Monday, May 5

Travel day back to Montreal, no time to train.

Jonathan met up with us in the morning and we visited ZS (pics above), a friend of my mother's who had shared a hospital room with her for a few months during her recovery from the fall she had had before Christmas.

ZS, you are a beautiful woman, inside and out. Thank you for being so kind to my mother. My mother was thrilled to be reunited with you.

Oh Mom ... It's always so hard to say good-bye ...

The food, don't forget the food ...

2008-05-01T11:06:00.003-04:00

The ridiculously busy periods of my life seem to get longer and more intense, giving me very little time to stop and breathe and just do nothing.

Recently, it's been one of those times ... and since I don't follow a training schedule yet or keep a formal log, it's quite tough trying to remember what I did when. I try my best to remember, but who knows, maybe I did diddly-squat and just want to believe that I'd been a good little triathlete girl and actually trained for the day.

Today, the day that I am writing this, which you don't really know since I can change the publish date of a post on Blogger, I am sure of only two things and neither have to do with training.

1) The spicy minced pork eggplant dish with broccoli and jasmine-scented rice that I made the other day was incredibly tasty and I could for sure eat it again now. I have fallen in love with melt-in-your mouth eggplant, especially the eggplant and basil at my favourite Thai restaurant, Phaya Thai. (Shh, their secret is to deep fry it first!)

2) Jonathan Clark presented yet another fantastic photo expostion - Soul Travel, India - the third in a spectacular slide show series hosted by Operation Triumph. Check it out to see more pics.

And the winner is ...

2008-04-27T19:22:00.001-04:00

Before Ironman Canada, I tried four different bike saddles and they all hurt, so I went back to the original one my friend Dirk put on my bike when he put the bike together for me.

Now, two years later, I am still having the same sensitive female soft tissue "issues" so I bought some new saddles to try a little while back. A Fizik Italian one at $75 and a cheapo one at $25.

And the winner is ...

The Fizik!

Well, it didn't solve all my "sensitive bits" issues but at least I didn't come out completely ... ahem .. shredded. My sit bones hurt of course since I'm still getting used to the saddle, but I'm sure that I'll callous up real good where I'm still being bothered in front. Still better though than that torturous ordeal I used to have to endure.

Total cycle = 40k

One thing for sure, I can always count on some sort of headwind during my out-and-back on the north shore ... false sense of power and speed one way, then BAM, wall of wind the other ... always a good workout!

No supper for this little girl!

2008-04-27T11:06:00.005-04:00

It's been an intense week ... what with a cold, play rehearsals, and planning upcoming events for Operation Triumph. Come check out Jonathan Clark's amazing show on India on Wednesday, April 30 at 7:00 pm to benefit the Canadian Cancer Society. Details on the website. Tickets still available on-line. Show WILL sell-out!

Last night, after my swim, I lay down for a nap and had even arranged a wake-up call by LifeAny. Brrring, brring! Fate would not have it ... my intended long run of 15 km would have to be put off.

I finally got up around 9am this morning after an uncomfortable but deep 14-hour sleep on the couch. I probably would have been more comfortable had I had a real blanket, instead of just the small polar throw. I woke up several times going brrrrr ... Actually, I would have been most comfie in flannel PJ's lying in bed all sprawled out with my thick blanket covering me. Doh!

Good thing I'd eaten a snack before putting my head down as I'd missed supper entirely. Oh well. I needed the sleep.

Here's my recent training (with my cold ... cough, cough):

Thursday

30 k ride

800 yd swim = 730 m, before the pool closed

I would have swam more had my grumbly tummy not insisted I cook dinner when I got home from cycling. So, go to pool right away hungry or eat some spicy eggplant with minced pork, broccoli, and jasmine-scented rice. Not a difficult decision to make, huh?

Friday

25 k ride

Saturday

1800 m swim

My first ladder = 200 m + 400 m + 600 m + 400 m + 200 m

Well, I'm off for a cycle later this afternoon! It's sooo gorgeous outside!

Good-bye Mr. SB!!

2008-04-23T17:09:00.006-04:00

Recently, I've felt the urge to purge, simplify my life. Possessions are just that, possessions, and what should they really mean to us? Nothing really ... they just make our lives easier or more interesting.

I decided to put some listings on Craigslist and within an hour, I had responses! The next day, an elderly gentleman came to pick up Mr. SB. He climbed on top of the seat and pedaled a bit ... "This is hard."

I tried not to let him take too much notice about Mr. SB's fallback. I responded, "Well, for sure, he's certainly not a spinner, he's not meant to go that fast ... a spinner bike costs at least $1000." The gentleman buyer lowered his offer, "40". I sighed inside ... "Alright, sold."

Then off he went, Mr. SB, with his new owner. I don't even know if he noticed. He can be obtuse sometimes. I wonder if he'll flirt with his new owner the same way he flirted with me?

Tonight, after a long day of rehearsals, I am pondering whether or not I should go for a swim ... or whether it would be wiser if I just went to sleep. The measly 5.8 km I cycled on my mountain bike to and from rehearsal was grisly and I felt exhausted during every centimeter of it. Why? 'Cause I have a miserable cold.

My week in review ...

Friday
Quick 1000m swim. Wanted to swim a bit longer but got booted out since the Juniors Club was starting.

Saturday
10.8 km run. Felt like way more. Coughed a bit afterwards ...

Sunday
I'd gone cycling with RN around Ile Bizard, a very lovely part of the West Island, just outside Montreal. He told me it was such a pleasant ride for him, so easy-going. I was dying. Mind you, my bike is heavier than his by a good 6-7 lbs. and the route we took was not totally flat. Then we followed the ride right after with a 6k run while the sun beat down on us and I suffered even more. Coughed a bit ... must be my asthma acting up ...

Later that afternoon, I had no choice but to take a catnap before going to a friend's birthday party where I ended up swing and blues dancing for more than three hours. Don't know how I did it since I could have happily spent the entire evening in bed snoozing ... good music does amazing things, doesn't it?

Monday
Day off!

Tuesday
What I'd thought was a bit of asthma bothering me since Saturday night had turned into a full-blown chest and sinus cold by that morning. Cough! Cough! Sniff, sniff ... I managed to make myself go to the pool but had to nix the cycling. Though I felt fine while swimming, the fatigue was evident after I got out of the pool.

5 x 200m
200m kick drills front
100m kick drills back
100m zipper
2 x 200m

Total = 1800 m

So what should I do? To swim or not to swim ...

Oooh ... I've got to kick my butt a lot harder!

2008-04-18T03:13:00.005-04:00

I've been doing a fair bit of cooking recently, probably to provide me with great leftovers so I can be lazy for the rest of the week.

This was fairly easy to make:

- chicken and portabella mushrooms alfredo
- endive and cucumber salad

And actually, so was this ... which is actually my first attempt at making salmon ... DELICIOUS! And I used to hate fish when I was growing up.

- sauteed potatoes with onions and spices
- salmon (olive oil, chives, special mix of seasonings with orange, topped with Italian breadcrumbs)
- sauteed veggies (I added some chicken stock for the seasoning, just perfect for this meal!)

I'm getting a wee more disciplined in training, but just a tad. I think when I finally make up my training schedule and post it somewhere, it'll be easier, 'cause frankly, having too many choices makes me end up doing none of them. I am too easily distracted.

In reverse order (as I try to remember my week ...):

Thursday
Cycle = 23km
Swim = 750m
- ride on my mountain bike up the mountain path and around through Outremont, a picturesque and wealthy part of town. Some good climbing for JC and I!
- super quick swim before joining a friend for supper. Worked in flip turns at every lap 'cept for two, once since I didn't want to kick a girl resting at the end, the other to adjust my cap

Wednesday
Cycle = 14km
- had too much to do and also had to change my tire so only got in a short symbolic ride. Still good to get out on my mountain bike though I feared puncturing my tire again.

Monday
Run = 14.5km
Swim = 1000m, with flip turns

Sunday
Swim = 1500m
Cycle = 30 min. on Mr. SB 'cause I was too lazy to set up my trainer

Saturday
Cycle = 1h 10min on my trainer
- I watched "Ray" while riding and have to admit, was distracted enough to stop a few times 'cause I didn't want to miss out on what was happening. Jamie Foxx's performance is amazing! Ray Charles was such a dog.
- the best films to cycle to though are action ones, like the Matrix series. The action and music just keep me pumping!

Week in review ...

2008-04-12T21:03:00.008-04:00

Let's go backwards ...

First of all, after a good half hour of creative blogging, what I thought was saved wasn't and my orginal post is lost in cyberspace. Oh well, such is life ...

I have a headache and nausea right now. Is this the start of a cold or am I just feeling the effects of a super busy week and ugly damp cold weather? I think I'm going to go lie down and relax in front of the television.

Friday
Slipped in a 1200 m swim but felt really tired so decided to call it early.

Thursday
Sandwiched a short swim inbetween my run. Felt strong slicing through the water ... YAY!

Run = 6 km
Swim = 1200 m

Wednesday
Had lots to do to get ready for Soul Travel, Burning Man, which was a huge success, by the way. Check it out here.

I managed to slip in a short but strong swim followed by my first bike ride outside. I've been hesitant to get out onto real road because of the potholes and other crap leftover from winter. No way I was going to do this with Freida, my road bike, but figured I'd be safe with my trusty Rocky Raleigh mountain bike.

Or so I thought.

WHOOOOOSH!

At first, I thought it was the brake pad rubbing. I braked and released. Nope. Then I got off my bike and thought, "Oh no, the tire valve must be broken!" since the sound was loud and fast. Nope. And then I saw it. A huge honking piece of glass jutted out from my tire.

DAMN!

"I'll just change the tube! I might not be fast, but I'll be riding in no time."

Doh!

Reality check when I remembered what I'd remarked just a few minutes earlier. I suppose it was an omen when I looked at my water bottle thirstily and noticed I'd forgotten to transfer my pump from my road bike. I started walking but after 15 minutes, I realised that I wasn't getting anywhere fast. I was 8 km from home.

I've never hitch-hiked before and deliberated for many minutes before I courageously stuck out my thumb as a minivan approached. The vehicle stopped ... YAY! I was saved!

Donald, an elderly gentleman with white hair and a friendly smile, told me that he cycles too and that the same thing might happen to him one day. He kindly drove me to my door. This was his second good deed of the day since he had actually been on his way home from giving blood when he stopped for me. We were both very happy that he could help.

Tuesday
I went and picked up JC during my run. He doesn't have my endurance nor speed (yes, there are worse runners than I) but it's always cool to run with a friend. Longest run of the year so far and I was surprised I could tough it because of my tight hamstrings from all the recent stair-climbing. JC elbowed me hard in the upper arm accidentally at one point ... OUCH! Not a good thing 'cause I was so soooore from my previous days' cross-training.

Run = 13k for me, 7k for JC

Sunday and Monday
Five hours of cross-training. Had to empty the flooded cellar so I could get the bikes out from storage. Not fun repeatedly climbing steep stairs, trudging through the backyard, then hoisting heavy buckets of water over the fence to empty into the sewer drain. The right side of my upper body had to do all the heavy work since I'm still too weak on my left side to even lift 5 lbs. because of my car accident.

RN told me that it was good upper body training and it'd help my swim. Maybe he's got a point but I wish he didn't. The melting snow has flooded my cellar again. Back to square one.

**************************************

Tonight, I think I'll take it a little easier and just cycle a bit ... try out my new saddles. A cheap one and an expensive one ... guess which one cost triple the price? I don't care about the cost difference. I just hope and pray that one of them is more comfortable than what I've got now. I've already tried three other ones to no avail.

What a small world ...

2008-04-06T11:44:00.002-04:00

Once-a-week blogging is not enough, neither for you nor for me! Just too much happens in one week and I am starting to lose track of what I do and how I'm training.

I have vague memories of being on my bike trainer (55 min or so, that thing is soooo boring) and also a half hour on Mr. SB (my stationary bike where the easiest setting is equivalent to climbing a 6-7% grade). Did I run? Hmm ... can't remember, but I did get in a couple of swims. Just a short 1000 m, then a 1500 m session another day. 1000 m straight-out followed by 5 x 200 (100 m fast + 100 m slow).

Still, not enough training hours in the week. They say a rich social life is good for the soul ... but it's bad for the training!

I went to my first press conference a week ago for the Festival TransAmérique. Here I am flanked by JKR, my publicist, and in the middle, Annabelle Soutar, director and playwright for Import/Export.

It's funny how small the world is ...

JC buddies, told me that he was going to see a performance by pianist-composer Stephan Moccio. I said, "Oh, I know him, JKR sent me a song from him as a holiday's greeting!" JC said, "Well, I just did his website." How cool!

Then later that afternoon, I speak with JKR and ask her what's she up to later that evening. Similar thing, she brings up Stephan Moccio then invites me to attend his performance. Sure! I tell her about JC's involvement with him ... "No way!" she exclaims.

We all meet up before the show, and lo and behold, one of JC's invitees is also one of JKR's good friends, and we laugh about it ... yes, what a small world.

Great concert. Talented musician. Here's a cell phone pic of Stephan and I.

I've got a new look to my website!

2008-04-01T00:22:00.009-04:00

This week has flown by ... I don't even remember exactly what I did as training this past week ... some running and some swimming but I never got around to the cycling even though I had set up my bike on my trainer.

GB, my good friend and webdesigner, called me back at 10pm Thursday evening. I needed to redesign my website and had a deadline. Shortly before, he had given me bad news. He had too much work to do to be able to help me out on such short notice. But being the amazing person he is, he set me up with a basic template and gave me a quick tutorial on how to use Joomla!, the hot CMS (Content Management System) these days.

I worked all night and learnt what I needed to do to create my website. Good thing I'm a quick study!

Geoff checked out my website the following morning ... "Holy sh*t, it's bursting at the seams!" Some adjustments to the colours and bits of editing to text and lo and behold, we were basically ready to go live the next day!

www.bonniemak.com

Then I finally got some sleep ...

Saturday

- swam 40 min., lost count of laps because the pool was so busy and the swimmers were so fast. Besides, I had trouble keeping my goggles snug on my face which was really annoying and made me take extra breaks. I swam about 1500 m, I think.

Later that evening, I met up with some friends and we went to a Meetin' Montreal meet'n'greet at Brutopia. Terrifically fun evening! We played this hilarious icebreaker game. We had been asked to submit three non-evident "secrets" about ourselves a few days previous. Our responses were compiled into a list and it was up to us that evening to figure out which statement belonged to who by mingling.

I wasn't particularly interested in meeting the person who matched this statement: "I am Supremely Intelligent." Seems like I wasn't the only one who felt that way ...

Sunday

- ran 11k, part of it with a hungover JC who had gone out with me the night before. Needless to say, he didn't fare too well. I felt surprisingly good, probably since I had had an inspiring week full of change. As I ran by two men out chatting on the porch, they cheered me on. How cool was that!

That evening, Operation Triumph celebrated some new members and the official launch of the website with a potluck supper. We got treated to some superb singing. Find out more here.

Monday

- Excellent swim today! I experienced a technique epiphany that really made me feel and go faster ... or perhaps it's just the exercises I've been doing with my arms - my pull might have gotten stronger. All I know is that I had a good feel of the water and felt like I was slicing through quicker than usual. Woohoo! I hope to develop more and more of that feeling. I've gotta better my swim time at Ironman, you know!

2 x 500, 5 x 250

Total = 2250m

Can't train if I've got two feet on ice!

2008-03-25T23:01:00.002-04:00

I had a super fun time last night curling with my Meetin' group. I couldn't resist the offer of a free curling lesson given by a professional teacher, followed by a trial game. It's funny ... curling has been the butt of many a joke as long as I have known, and like bowling, it seems to occupy a lot of sports broadcasting time on Sunday afternoons.

I had to find out why.

I can easily say, after having a hilarious time and bruising my knee, that I have a new-found respect for this sport that requires flexibility, speed, strength, strategy and pinpoint precision. Who would have ever thought? Nope, it ain't so easy folks.

Me as skip, strategizing

JC had a super fun time as well!

Would I ever curl again? You bet ya! I'd just make sure to wear thermal socks next time ... brrr. Oh yes ... my team, The Terminators, won easy!

So no swimming last night, just a quick 28 min. jaunt around the neighbourhood before heading out, enough to get the blood flowing in the legs.

Earlier this evening, I did manage to slip in an 11k run. My legs felt heavy though from yesterday's many lunges as we learnt how to deliver the rock.

What did I do since my last post? Oh, my memory is failing me in my old age ... Thursday, a fast 750 m swim since JC's vegetarian lasagne and friends in from England beckoned me and Friday? Hmm, a short 30 min. run before the kids came home, then 55 minutes of cycling as we watched "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air".

I gotta get more organized with this training. A little over five months of training time left ...

Good thing is that the snow is finally melting outside and I am planning to take my mountain bike outside this week until the city has a chance to clean the debris off the street. Ain't no way I'm gonna subject Freida, my road bike to that kind of torture. Anyway, the knobby tires on my mountain bike are much better suited to handle the cracks and potholes in our Montreal streets created by an all too wicked winter.

Playing catch up ...

2008-03-20T16:39:00.007-04:00

Been a crazy busy week this week what with the first fund-raiser of Operation Triumph last night, Soul Travel, From Auckland to Montreal. Here's a pic from the fantastic photo exposition narrated by Jonathan Clark, the photographer:

To read the blog about last night, click here.

Needless to say, what with friends in from out of town, all the prep necessary for the show, and some long rehearsals for the play I'm in, Import/Export, I did not manage to fit in any training ... where did the time go?

So today, I am finally playing catch up and tidying up my home and taking care of paperwork and other little things. Gonna swim and bike tonight ... well, that's what I have planned ... but I also have friends in from overseas ... hmm ... and my friend is making his infamous veggie lasagne.

Big black boxes

2008-03-16T00:33:00.000-04:00

This has been my week so far ... Let's start with outside my door ...

Wait ... there's a much better way to sum this up. Here's a clip by a friend of mine:

A week after the "big" snowfall, the city is still engulfed in snow and only part of my street has been cleared ... sigh ... But at least someone loves me!

Last Sunday, I courageously ran through the snow so I could get to the pool. That was quite the feat! Short swim of 1000 m followed by the run back home. The 7 km run total through that slippery snow was enough.

The rest of the week passed in a blur. I've either been in a big black box or in front of a big black box every day this week. Rehearsal for the play Import/Export at the Hexagram space at Concordia University and the final crunch period before the launch of my charity team website.

Yes, we are now L-I-V-E !!

Now we are gearing up for our first event, Soul Travel, a photo journey through the eyes of Jonathan Clark.

Check it out here for more details! ('cause there is no way you can read the small print above).

Finally squeezed in some more training Friday. Just 1250 m but that's better than today (which was nada). I met a kinesiology student who is doing a work term at the YMCA where I swim. She's a champion long distance swimmer (i.e. 5 km). She told me that she can swim 25 m in 12-13 strokes. I swim it in about 17-18 strokes. She's only 5' tall. I'm 5'4".

It's all about technique, she told me.

8-day headache ... ARGH!!!

2008-03-08T22:49:00.001-05:00

It's been a difficult week. Traveled to Toronto to see my mom and help her out. Ran a short 6.25 km in the neighbourhood on Sunday. I seem to remember running in the neighbourhood as more exciting when I was a teenager.

Back to Montreal mid-week, and I STILL couldn't shake this headache that I've had since Saturday, even after physio and massage. Sigh. Totally not up to training. The headache has zapped all my energy.

Slipped in a 1300 m swim Friday afternoon followed by a short 5 km jaunt later that evening on the snowy slushy slippery sidewalks of my neighbourhood. Felt good to run. Felt less good when I almost wiped out on the corner of the street.

Today, the snow has been falling since this afternoon. It snowed last night too and it'll continue snowing throughout the night. I opened my door just a little while ago and the snow has already accumulated 2 feet deep and filled my big recycling box that had recently been emptied. Being snowed in today has made me me feel ... L-A-Z-Y ... alternately talking on the phone and catching up with friends, watching episodes of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and even a short nap.

But perhaps this extra rest has been good for something ... good news is that my headache is finally gone, after 8 days and loads of medication! Time to celebrate with some cycling and a movie!

Chicken & Pasta Salad

2008-02-29T14:16:00.006-05:00

It's been a while since I've put up a food pic ... here we go! Last night's supper and tonight's leftovers. Ask me if I mind :-)

Recipe and training update to come later ... Sure feels good to move every day again!

(added March 5)

Sorry for the delay, folks, I've been away! Here's the coveted and easy recipe.

Ingredients:
(makes 3-4 portions, depending on how hungry you are!)

1 onion, slivered
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 chicken breast, halved horizontally, then slivered
2-3 tbsp. pine nuts
about a dozen black sun-dried black olives (or other sort)
1 red pepper, diced
1 cup chopped portabello mushrooms
olive oil, lots of it!

454 g uncooked pasta (I like fusili or rotini, penne works well too but it's not my favourite)
baby spinach leaves

Seasoning:

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3/4 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. chili flakes (depends on how spicy you like it!)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute garlic and onion in olive oil until the onion starts to brown.

2. Add chicken and stir quickly. When chicken is just about done, add all balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and chili flakes and stir some more. The sauce will caramelize and stick onto the chicken.

3. Add pine nuts and olives then stir. Finally, add the red peppers and mushrooms and keep stirring until everything is cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste and also more olive oil as desired - this helps blend the flavours together. Don't be afraid to be generous with the oil ...

4. While sauteeing the chicken, cook the pasta as required. Time it so that the pasta is ready at the same time as the chicken. Drain the pasta immediately and dish a portion onto a heaping bed of spinach leaves. Top with chicken stir fry.

The heat of the pasta cooks the spinach slightly and the wonderfully tasty olive oil from the stir fry ends up coating the pasta and the spinach. Enjoy!

14 hours sleep

2008-02-28T23:28:00.003-05:00

Yup. That's how much sleep I got last night. I lay my little head down on the couch to nap after supper, even set my alarm to wake me a little while later so I could cycle and ... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Guess I needed it. Though I've finished my day contract, I've been busy catching up on paperwork loose ends and also on helping to finish the Operation Triumph website.

Here's a summary of my training for the past week, starting with tonight:

Thurs. Feb. 28
Cycle - one hour
Swim - total of 1700 m
I tried a "ladder" for the first time. I was supposed to swim 1750 total but got kicked out of the pool after 37 min. when it closed.
1 x 250 m
2 x 200 m
3 x 150 m
4 x 100 m
4 x 50 m (yup, missed that last 50 m)
I'm still happy with my time, considering I took about 15-20 sec. rest between each set and each rep.

Wed. Feb. 27
Swim - 15 x 200 m, including the following drill sets:
- swam the first 5 sets with flip turns at the ends = 1000 m
- 50 m fist, followed by 50 m "feel the water" (x 2) = 200 m
- 50 m fast (x 4), did this twice = 400 m
- 25 m kick on right side, 25 m kick on left side, hated that then switched to 25 m front kick, 25 m back kick (x 3) to finish 200 m set = 200 m
- the rest were just swim sets, sometimes concentrating on glide and long strokes, other times on completing the arm stroke down to hip, other times on rotation and breathing, you get the picture ... technique is everything!

Tues. Feb. 26
Run - 8 km very snowy mountain run with JC, like running on sand!

Mon. Feb. 25
Upset belly meant "stay-close-to-home-pyjama-day"

Sun. Feb. 24
Recupe from Saturday

Sat. Feb. 23
Run - 5 km
Snowboard - 4.5 hours of solid fun!

Fri. Feb. 22
Swim - 10 x 200 m = 2000 m
- 1 kick set, 1 fist set (50 fist, 50 regular) x 2, and also 2 sets of (25 fast, 25 slow and smooth) x 4 = 800 m
- 1200 m regular swimming, of which 2 sets included flip turns
Bike - one hour while watching "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" - Yes, I bought all four seasons! Woohoo!!

Alright, now I'm almost half-way to how many hours I should be training now ...

The Thrasher

2008-02-21T15:13:00.005-05:00

I'm been trying to be good about asserting some discipline into my training but with the blues dancing festival in town, From Montreal with Love, I tell you, it was tough. I slipped in a very short 800 m swim before heading out for the Sat. afternoon dance. Got complimented by the lifeguard who is also teaching the Master's swim class on my technique ... Woohoo!

Then after a short and sweet supper at JC's, I headed out again with a backless red dress to the Valentine's dance.

An incredible band, The Fried Bananas, played that night ... oh my God. They played perfectly, and many times I had to ask myself, "Is this a CD playing?" The vocals from trumpeter/vocalist Annie Callahan were absolutely sublime, one of the best voices I've ever heard live.

Got in a total of 6 hours of dancing ... does that count for something?

Sunday, after a meditation workshop given by a super talented actor friend, MR, JC and I met up at the pool and ... it was CLOSED! Probably being shocked after "family afternoon" produced an accidental floater.

So off to JC's we went and after a delicious pasta supper, we ended up watching "Little Miss Sunshine". Was I supposed to stay that long? No ... I was supposed to be a good disciplined athlete at home spinning away. I totally suck at this discipline stuff.

Monday ... short swim 750 m before heading out to go Jive dancing to celebrate the end of my work contract.

Tuesday ... Having had a few beers the evening before, I had left my car where I had parked it and of course, to avoid getting a parking ticket, I elected to run to it. 5k done. Then JC and I met up for a swim in the afternoon and I managed 10 x 200 m = 2000 m. Yay!

What was really funny was how a certain individual, The Thrasher (so named by both JC and I), had real difficulty with his ego when I would pass him, even sprinting after me once so that he could slap my toes a bunch of times before I dropped him. Of course I'm gonna pass you, silly thrasher man. Your body position is totally wrong and you're dragging your legs behind you. Your arm strokes are everywhere and aren't even entering the water cleanly.

Sometimes I'd like to offer advice to swimmers like The Thrasher, but alas, I'm pretty sure pool etiquette dictates a "no" to unsolicited advice. Actually, it's probably more like "bad swimmer" ego dictates "no".

Wednesday ... 45 min. spin on the bike.

And today? ... I guess I'll have to check in later ... Wish me luck.

My true motivation

2008-02-15T23:26:00.000-05:00

I haven't trained since last Monday's swim. Catching up on 7 months of accounting and working on the upcoming "Operation Triumph" website trumped my training program.

Tonight, I decided for some stupid reason that it was time to run. Perhaps I would have been wiser to have decided this on an evening when it wasn't so bitterly cold ... -20C with the windchill factor, but I figured I had some good reasons to get out:

1) I had a new pair of cross country ski gloves to try out (brrr, not so warm for the first 8 minutes but fine after I warmed up my hands during 2)

2) I had to pass by a friend's house and pick up my new contact lenses that she had so kindly brought back from the store for me

3) I had to pick up groceries.

I figured these were good enough reasons to get my butt outside and into gear for a short run. 35 minutes, short but sweet. Oh that slippery snow ... but I got to watch the snow removal team do their thing while running down a particular street. I just LOVE those machines and the entire process. The kids and I used to watch them out the window in front of our house ... it was so entertaining and fascinating.

In fact ... it still is, even without the kids present!

The Trainer, how do I use that again?

2008-02-12T00:49:00.000-05:00

I started using my trainer again. It had been so long, I had to really think hard to remember how to set it up with my bike and adjust it. It was almost embarrassing, except that it was just my son watching me try to figure it all out.

Cycling on my trainer is tons more interesting than running on a treadmill since I usually watch television or a film at the same time.

Sunday = 1 hour, 20 min. watching "Men in Black II." I love all stuff with Will Smith in it. In fact, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is one of my all-time favourite shows. I think I've got to go out and buy the DVD collection soon ...

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Best Bloopers

Monday = 45 min. watching "CSI Miami", a rerun, yawn. Even more difficult to find a comfortable position on my seat since my sit bones and other private areas were still sore from Sunday's session. Not sure if I should appreciate Horatio Caine or just laugh at him ...

How to throw a left hook ...

2008-02-05T03:44:00.000-05:00

After a two year hiatus, I decided to ignore the fact that my left arm is still weak from the car accident two years ago, and I "went for it" ...

I went back to my martial arts gym and jumped right into an advanced kick-boxing class. It was nice to know that my body has muscle memory and I still had good technique. I should ... I kickboxed for 6 1/2 years before my accident!

Left jab was weak and the left arm tired much quicker than the right of course ... but my hook! It was still pretty well there. This is a fun punch when done correctly, and I just love the rewarding sound of the boxing glove hitting the mitt in that oh-so-precious-way when a solid connection is made followed by a quick snap back ...

This is how to throw a left hook ...

Great class ... It felt like I had come home ... and "home" it was to me for years before my car accident.

Needless to say, after the class, my arms and hands were quivering (much more so the left) as they were no longer used to that kind of exertion. But instead of allowing my muscles to recuperate from this "new" workout ...

I went for a swim right after. 1500 m. It hurt. A lot. And I was really tired ...

I got home and said, "screw typing, screw writing" and figured I'd feel better the next day. Nope. Worse. Almost poked my eye out with the mascara brush since I was still missing fine motor coordination ... And two days later, the soreness was even worse!

Tonight, finally, almost all the lactic acid had disappeared so I went for a swim ... 2000 m. Yay!

14 Hours

2008-01-31T09:42:00.000-05:00

That's how much sleep I got last night. I didn't mean to sleep more than an hour or two when I lay down after work at 5:30pm. My alarm even woke me up so that I could eat supper, go train, work on the Operation Triumph website ... but I suppose I needed the rest. I'm at the end of a 3-week cold and it's been a pretty exhausting month.

So no training last night, nor this morning (I could have slept more!) but I did manage to get in a half hour run Tuesday evening. The cold and slippery surface outside wasn't that bad ...

Have a great day all! I'm finally starting to feel revitalised!

Slow creeping start, but hey!

2008-01-29T00:11:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to work training back into my life, now that I've gotten through two weeks of working at a totally insane frenetic pace. Took two nights to recuperate and started with a reacquaintance with Mr. SB. For those who don't know who he is (i.e. those who haven't been following the blog since the beginning), here he is ... Mr. Stationary Bike.

He's really hard to ride, not the most comfortable position, and I'm sure the adjustment mechanism is entirely off ... Even at it's lowest setting, this magnetic resistance bike is HARD to pedal. I figure it's a good introduction to cycling again. Big padded seat and I figure the resistance would be good to build some strength. I've done a bunch of 25 min. sets in the past week. Woohoo! Will have to get onto my road bike and trainer soon so I can do some spinning ... but that's still daunting to me since it's closer to the real thing and the skinny seat will take some ... um, adjustment ...

I've also fit in two 1000m swims before work, including this morning, so that's a good kick start to the day ... I don't think my shoulders could handle more distance at this point, but I'll be able to work up to more soon when I start to swim at least 4x/week. Right now, I'm just happy that I'm not drowning. I'm super proud of myself this morning ... got up only a few minutes after my two alarms sounded, didn't take advantage of the snooze function and then said, "I think I'll go for a swim" and was out the door 15 min. later.

Last sport to restart, after early January's training hiatus, is running. But it's so cold and dark outside still ... brrrr ... I know though that once I get out there, I'll be fine. I can't believe I've run so marathons when I can't even motivate myself to get out there and run for half an hour. I used to love winter running. But then, I probably wasn't as distracted by cycling and swimming and ...

... dancing. Yes, instead of running tonight, I went dancing ... Jive, Lindy Hop, West Coast Swing, and Blues ... What a great evening! And I met a cyclist who will hopefully help to motivate me when it'll be time to take to the road again once this snow clears up ... Yay!

Inspiration is exhilarating!

2008-01-22T02:54:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I went to see the film "The Bucket List" with an actor friend of mine. It's the story of two cancer patients that meet in a hospital room, become best friends, and then decide to go on a road trip around the world to do all the things they've always wanted to do before kicking the bucket.

Fantastic acting, interesting story line, surprise ending. Made my friend and I think.

So ... what was supposed to be a late training evening turned into an exhilarating inspiring one as MR and I talked about life, death, love and spirituality. The subject got onto Operation Triumph and what it meant to my friends and I, and how I'd like to get the acting community to participate in this positive project. Well, interesting how inspiration leads to creativity leads to exhilaration leads to being in awe with all the possibilities!

Life is what you make it. You can choose to go wallow in a hole or float in a protective bubble or ... decide that life is beautiful and wonderful and choose to be positive.

Just another dull boring week

2008-01-14T16:55:00.000-05:00

Last week was more than a little *C*R*A*Z*Y*. I suppose my friends who know me would say it's "just a normal week" for me. And the thing is, I think they're right. I might just have to resign myself to the fact that my life always moves at a million miles per hour ... sigh ...

This is my past week:

- 4-day migraine
- caught my youngest son's cold with appropriately annoying cough, much to my chagrin
- snowboarding with the kids
- I am presently in workshop with a new play Import/Export as we were offered a residency at Usine C, a cool performing arts complex in Montreal (I'm a lead!)
- I also have a day job that I barely squeezed in ... argh

- getting ready for my big blast of a b-day party this weekend

- and oh yes, most importantly, getting ready for the launch of the website of "Operation Triumph", a new charity my friends and I created to help fight against cancer. Check out the preview at www.operationtriumph.com ... official launch is coming up soon!

Needless to say, yet once again, um ... no official Ironman training.

I did get in a short albeit almost usless swim on Saturday. Between playing with the kids and trying to swim around the woman who insisted on using the only free lane to do some pool walking, all I can really say is that I still have a good sense of water and am still feeling confident that I won't drown.

Today it snowed, so obviously, it took me an hour and a half to travel the 15km back home. Yup, that's Montreal snow removal services.

So when I got home tonight, I made sure to laze around in front of the television for an hour tonight and do nothing, absolutely nothing ...

And it felt goooood.

Wow, I can't believe I'm already back to work ...

2008-01-07T01:27:00.001-05:00

I hope you all had a fabulous time bringing in the New Year. I surely did ... bubbly, great company, games, a fun flick, great food and lots of hugs. Here's our supper, one of mine and my children's favourites: braised beef with potatoes and carrots, caesar salad. Dessert was CHOCOLATE. Yes, more festively plump fixings.

Then a short visit to my mother who is regaining her strength and looking much better than the last time I saw her before Christmas. It was so nice to see her laughing again. We played Jenga, a hilarious game suited for all ages. We got as high as 32 levels before my son knocked it down accidentally with a bad move. Pretty cool ... it was a new record!

Spent time snowboarding this week too ... it wise fun to enjoy the powder that fell the other day, not so fun to drive in it ... now we're headed into a warm spell ... goodbye snow. It'll make running a little easier though!