A new year, some new goals and resolutions!

Well it has clearly been a while, make that a long time, since I have blogged about anything! When we rang in the new year (ie: sitting on the couch with eyes propped open attempting to stay up until midnight) I decided that taking some time to make some thoughtful reflections was a must for the new year. Furthermore, 2012 is going to be a racing packed year as I build up to Age Group World's in Auckland NZ in October, and I figured what better platform to try to raise some money and awareness for Crohn's and Colitis! The last two years have been a roller coaster ride for my stomach and the more I learn about this somewhat elusive disease, the more I become convinced that I can do something, however big or small, to help find a cause and cure!

Since my last blog post, 2.5 years ago, there have been a few major life events: August 15th, 2010 got married to Mr. Kennedy. I am still trying to convince him we should go by KenWood but so far so luck! September 2009 I left corporate Calgary and headed back to school to fulfill a life time dream to do my teaching degree. Although the outcome wasn't quite what I had planned, teaching taught me that one needs to roll with the punches so I am doing just that and am back in corporate Calgary working with a great team where we spend at least a half hour a day on the topic of biking, running or swimming! Add into that Mom and Dad conquering Everest (basecamp but still a huge accomplishment), Dad completing his first ever Ironman, and Brother Stevie completing his Real Estate license and getting engaged, and needless to say there hasn't been a dull moment!

On that note I am going to keep this short as it is late and tomorrow morning is an early one so that I can hit up a 8am APH bike session in the hills of Tuscany (just up the road from Tuscany Drive - no vineyards and olive trees).

Until next time, namaste :-)

Wasa

This past weekend was filled with anticipation, a few nerves, good experiences and great memories. Sunday morning, after having neurotically layed out my "stuf" in transition, after having had my wetsuit done up once only to have to take a quick pee... again, after getting well wishes from Mom and Dad, there I was, wading knee deep in Lake Wasa thinking to myself "I am actually doing this". I first got the tri bug 6 years ago when I started cycling and then again two years ago. When I committed to 70.3 back in December it seemed like a distant dream. sure, anyone can swim, bike and run but let's face it, putting them all together poses a whole other set of challenges. Standing there in Wasa Lake, looking around at the 258 other women then out to the four orange buoys that would soon become the "goal", I was overcome by a fair bit of emotion. I am actually here. I am actually here healthy, my stomach in check and oddly enough not experiencing those crazy nerves that seemed to characterize each bike race (hard to be nervous when you don't really know what to expect)! Finally the race director yells "GO" and off we are. I seeded myself towards the front of the group figuring it might be a little safer. The first 5 minutes or so were a little crazy but by buoy #1, things seemed to have sorted themselves out. I managed to settle into a good rythm and only veered off a few times. I did managed to get two huge face fulls of water and on both occasions I had to stop, tread some water and cough up my lungs!

Coming out of the water I felt really strong. I knew that the bike was my opportunity to make up any and all lost time on the swim. I hit transition. Now for those of you who think that triathletes are these overly organized, anal people, let me tell you, we have no choice. Not unless you want to spend valuable minutes in transition trying to find your stuff. My wetsuit came off super easy, I threw on my jersey, socks, shoes, helment and off I went. Between transition and the 20km turn around I passed about 30 women. I had one woman "attack" but I countered that and that was the last I saw of her. Coming back in on the bike I held my position and finished strong. I did have to pull back slightly about half way into the bike as I could feel my quads starting to tighten a little. So now back to transition..... rack the bike, helmet and shoes off, hat and running shoes on and off I went. The first km was fine and then I really started to feel my quads and my feet were really hot (have since learned talcum powder should help with this). But I pressed on. My goal was to not let any women I had passed on the bike pass me on the run.... the advantage of a course with two out and backs is that it makes it really easy to see where you are relative to any competition. I wasn't running quite as fast as I had wanted but given my quads were getting tighter my the moment, as long as I was running I was good. Finally the finish line and I rounded out the top 15 women!

It was a really great event. Yes there was the last minute decision to leave my fancy and aero P3 at home in favor of actually being able to run off the bike, so I put some clip ons on my trusty 6-13. Yes I am already playing it over in my mind as to where I should have pushed harder. But.... all that said, I am really proud of myself. It was a really positive first experience and I am really looking forward to this weekend's race here in Calgary..... now just have to do last weekend's race distances X 2!

I would like to say a huge THANKS to Mom and Dad for coming down to Wasa with me. It meant the world to have them there. Also, a huge thanks to Jack, Laurel, Jon, Megan and Kelly for all of their help over the last 6 months.

So stay tooned for my race report from this coming weekend. It should be an interesting one!

... And a few pics (I still haven't mastered uploading them to this blog!)


Mom and Me post race

Heading out on the run

Coming out of the water.....

Jack and I post-race

Calgary Half Marathon.... the pitter patter of thousands of feet!

May 31 saw my first race of the year, The Calgary Half Marathon. Having done a half last year with no training, I was really curious to see how things would go given the amount of running I have been doing. The day started with my alarm going off at 4:45.... a nice sane rising time for the weekend! I shoved down a couple pieces of toast and headed off to pick up Jack and then my Mom. The race had a new venue and course this year. It started over in Bridgeland where the old General Hospital once stood. The race course basically wound around the zoo, through downtown and then dumped us on to Memorial where we did an out and back section. But I jump ahead. It was really fun to be back at a running race, they are always really well organized and seem to run like clock work... not to mention you the race tshirts are always great!

After seeding myself at the front end of the race we were off! Nothing like that burst of adrenaline to run a 3:50 first km! I would say the first 10km went really well, came through in about 45 minutes which was where I wanted to be. After that, from about km12 to km16 it started to feel some cramping in my hamstrings and started to loose focus, I knew things were off kilter when I had to stop at two water stations. Once I saw that 16km sign, I finally got back into the game and finished my last 5km really strong. All in all my final time was 1:37:30..... not quite the time I was hoping for but a respectable time. Oh yes and apparently while racing I can't do math. I figured that if I came through 10km in 45mins then I would be able to run a 1:30 race. Yea.... forgot to factor in that 1km extra..... so all in I was only about 3 minutes over where I wanted to be. Something to aim for next time!

All in all it felt really good to tie up the laces and hit the pavement. I don't know if the course was the most interesting (probably because I run a good part of it on a regular basis) but still good to get out and challenge the body!

Next up.... Wasa Lake Triathlon!

Spring is in the air..... and chocolate is on the way out!

Well the last few weeks have been filled with much emotion. As I mentioned in earlier posts, I really noticed that my stomach was acting up towards the end of march. Things haven't become worse but at the same time they haven't improved. A sigmoidoscopy (the scope about the forst 40cm of so of your colon) revealed considerable inflammation. The good news is that the inflammation is in the same place it has always been which further proves the diagnosis of colitis. The bad news that came down the line was that it was time to seriously consider a course of treatment. Remicade was mentioned. After some reading I was starting to sway towards it thinking, let's give it a try and see what happens, definitely easier said than done. However, after some more searching I was back on that fence, questioning whether the possible outcome was worth the risk. This past week my wonderful doctor took some time to respond to an email of mine outlining my concerns in regards to my training and ultimately my successful completion of Calgary 70.3. He said I could try some 5-asa again but that a reaction would probably arise. He then brought up two "atlernative" medicines, which oddly enough I had just come across in a book I had been reading. The first is Aloe Vera juice - it is supposed to soothe inflammation, heal raw wounds as well as have anitviral properties. The second is Curcumin - it is the main ingredient in tumeric. It took has anti-inflammatory effects as well inteferes with NF-kB which is linked to inflammation and is the same factor that the immunosuppressant drugs look to put on hold. I am really optimistic going into this. I have also made some changes to my diet, including weening myself from chocolate and am working on sugar. Am trying to avoid milk and have switched to rice pasta. David, thanks for doing this with me. I totally agree that rice pasta resembles soggy cardboard!

I would like to take a moment an say a HUGE THANKS to my parents and David. Dealing with this can quickly become all consuming and one giant emotional roller coaster. David is always there, pokes the occasional joke when the time is right just to make me smile, hugs me when I am having a melt down, and in his very David way says it like it is which always seems to provide clarity. My mom and dad are my pillars, without them helping me along this journey I would have a tough time keeping my head above it all. I never thought that b.ms would be such a topic of conversation, ah well, what is family for if they can't be there through the good, the bad and the crappy (my attempt at humor).


On a training note: Last weekend Santa came and I got my long awaited Blue Seventy Helix wetsuit. I am super excited to get into some open water and become one with it! My swimming is coming along really well. Back in January I didn't think I would be anticipating my Mon/Wed/Fri swims quite so much. I am continually working on my stroke in hopes that one day I will keep pace with Jack on the pull! Last weekend saw a Talisman Tri Club training camp. I opted to do my own workout the Saturday but joined up for the group ride south of the city on the Sunday. It was so much fun to be out riding with others. We rode 773 to hiway 549 then out towards Millarville (I will admit that Dave is right when he says the riding down there is much better than up north). I don't think a person could train down south and not be good at hills…. they are everywhere! Running too is going well. May 31 is the Calgary Half marathon. I am really interested to see how this is going to go. As much as I say I am just going to run it and see how things turn out, to run a 1:30 would put me over the moon and be the perfect intro into June which will see Wasa and the Chinook 1/2. Now if only I could get my shoe situation sorted out (I am now sporting a hideous blister in my right arch…. am thinking some duct tape action will be in order for Sunday's run).

Well on that note, I will sign off. Time to pack up and head home for a night of csi… amazing how much time there is when one does their run at 5:30!

Spring Time.... Maybe

Well it seems as though spring has finally found its way to Calgary. After a very dismal start to the month when roller rides and indoor track workouts were the flavor of each day, this past Easter weekend leant itself to one phenomenal run and three great rides. Like any true Calgarian I donned my shorts as well and am starting to see my Tucson farmers tan come back to life!

So an update I suppose......
Training wise the last month has gone really well. I am sticking with the program (no surprise to those who know me) and am feeling the fittest I have felt in many years. Last Saturday I spent two hours chasing down cyclists out west of Cochrane. On the bike path, I feel the need to pick off all those runners in front of me. It is truly a wonderful feeling to see many months of hard work coming together. I might also add here that swimming continues on the up and up.... now if only I had enough arm power to keep pace with Jack during the "pull" portion of our workouts! Last weekend on TSN was coverage from the 2008 70.3 world championships from Florida. Now that was motivating. It was great to watch the pros in action, observe their strategy and form. It makes me want to work that much harder, to push that much further and race that much faster!

Health wise things have been up and down. I would say that I am in the midst of a flare up. It has been three weeks on these lesser used, less harsh drugs. Although I have yet to see my symptoms do a 180 and do back to normal, I have energy and am able to carry on my daily routines. I have a sneaking suspicion that the doctor will be recommending a different course of action in the near future as results have been scarce to date. If I have learned anything over the last month or so, it is to just take everything in stride. Yes, I went and researched possible treatment options, scared the crap out of me, cried a little and of course talked to my Mom. However, I finally told myself that for now I will just go with the flow. Talk to the doctor when I can, listen to his recommendations and go forward from there.

So all in all things have been really good. I am really looknig forward to the month of May with a possible trip to Kelowna for some early season riding, followed by the Calgary 1/2 Marathon at the end of the month. Geeze, the more I think of it, Wasa Lake will be here before I know it..... now if only Speed Theory would call and say their wetsuits have come in!

On that note, I will finish this post. Only three more hours till I haul on out of the office and hit the road for some MAP intervals (for those of you not in with the cycling ling, MAP hurts like heck). Gotta love it!

Health wise the

Typical Calgary Spring Time

Well as predicted the first few days of spring in Calgary were greeted with a nice snow storm that started Saturday night and continued through yesterday morning. All in all, Dave and I figure we shoveled about 35cm of snow off the drive way yesterday. It was definitely a two person job and today my arms are killing me! (I meant to take a pic but got a little side tracked yesterday). As much as I would like to say how much this stinks, how Calgary weather is the pits sometimes, it is March in Calgary which brings a mixed bag of weather and one just needs to go with the flow (though another trip back down to Tucson right about now would be quite nice!).

Training over the last two weeks has gone really well. I did another 500m TT on W. March 11th and was really happy with my time. In the 50m pool I managed to swim an 8:05. My best time to date was an 8:01 in the 25m pool but it wasn't a "clean" swim. In otherwords, by the end of it I was basically flailing my arms to get me through it. Both Jack and I agreed that yes it was fast but not quite as "pretty" as either of us would have liked. Now typically when one gets into the bigger pool one's time tends to increase as you have less "breaks" because you are only hitting the wall 3 times over 100m rather than 6 times. However, we have been training in the bigger pool Monday and Wednesdays and I make a point to swim Friday mornings when the pool is available. So back to the 500m TT.... The first 100m was a blazing 1:27 (much faster than my anticipated 1:40ish). The remaining lengths came in slightly more on par. All in all it felt great. I got to the end comfortably feeling like if I had to go further I could. A "clean" swim by my standards! Cycling and running have been going well, however, a stressful four days at work last week left me very tired and my stomach has taken a turn for the worse.

Two weeks ago I went to see the GI doctor. As much as he and I both want to optimisitic that things can stay on the up and up withouth any sort of help, we both know that when dealing with colitis that isn't a very realistic approach to take. Also, back in the scope from December Dr. Devlin took some biopsies of what appeared to be healthy looking tissue to see if it was in fact healthy (under the microscope). It turns out that some of what looks like healthy tissue is in fact inflamed. He guesstimated that I was at about 75/80% of "being good".

For some reason, like clock work, about three days after my appointment my stomach seemed to do a 180 and took a turn for the worse. Although it is not nearly as bad as it has been in the past I know that just ignoring does nothing but make things worse. So after a few melt downs, a few sessions of getting mad and a few training sessions that were just not up to snuff, I called his office to let them know what was going on. As far as treatment goes..... I am a death before steroids type of person. Yes they work and put a person into remission quickly, however, the side effects are nasty and can be long lasting. The typical drug that they recommend to try first is known as a 5-ASA line of drugs.... basically an anti-inflammatory. Unfortunately, after two test runs of two different brands ending in an increase in symptoms (imagine a really bad flu) it was deteremined that no 5-ASA is an option. That significantly decreases the options available. The next step appears to be looking at immunosuppressants. A scary thought and unfortunately it seems that the only way to approach treatment is by trial and error. This is something that I am still trying to wrap my head around (being a very black and white thinker) and needless to say I will probably continue to do so for some time to come. I know what sets off my stomach, however, unless I win the lottery or Dave strikes it rich some time soon, not working is not an option. The quest to find balance continues. It is not an easy journey but as I am realizing, this will not be going away any time soon so the sooner I can find coping mechanisms the sooner I can learn to live with it rather than live by it.

Well I am sure that this post has put some of you to sleep.... understandably. I just needed to get my thoughts out because let's face it, when you see something actually written down it can shine a whole new light on a situation!

A Wee Glimpse of Spring

Well even though we have been home for just over a week, things have been so busy that other than one great farmers tan, the warm temps and great memories of Tucson are starting to seem like a distant memory. Work was very busy and on Tuesday it finally came to a head, where I needed to stay home for the day and catch up on some much needed sleep. Wednesday brought with it a 3min and 20min TT workout. Not quite the numbers I was hoping to see but seeing as I was still "absorbing" all the riding from a week earlier, I have been told it is all on the up and up!

With a snowstorm predicted for Saturday night I opted to use Saturday to crank out a much needed run. As most runners can attest to, every so often you have a run that is just blissful. Where it feels as though you could run forever. I was really needing to have a good run and it was great! Heck, it was warm enough to wear short pants! As I write this I am looking out at 10cm of fresh snow and -29 degree temps... you just have to love March in Calgary. Monday will bring the start of my next three week block. MAP work out the bike and weekly track workouts to get back on top of my running. I can hardly wait! Add to that my tri-weekly swims and I am really starting to see my fitness come around, YAY.

This week I also had a really good meeting with Jack where we discussed the race season. I will do another post later this week with all of the details on each race. It works out to 5 tris, a few running races and maybe the odd bike race.... there is just more value in using weekends to clock some really strong training hours rather than the whole traveling and racing thing. I am really looking forward to it. My mom has volunteered to be my "groupie" for all away races, so another bonus!

On that note, I am going to sign off. I have the day off from training so will be helping Dave re-do the bonus room as we transform it into a theater room!

Tucson Wrap Up

After 9 days and 34 hours of glorious riding Dave and I found ourselves back at the Phoenix airport ready to head home on Tuesday afternoon. If I had to sum up our trip down south in one word, it would be PERFECT. The purpose was to ride lots which happened... and then some. However, it was also a chance to recharge "the battery", take a much needed break from work, spend some much needed quality time with David and most importantly, use some time for myself. While away, I had no issues with my stomach to speak of. My left hip was working like new (thanks to Jack's brother in law Kelly who seems to have performed a miracle, in the way of deep tissue massage, on my hip joints and back) and I seemed to find an inner peace within myself. For the first time, ever really, I was content to wake up, decide what ride the day would hold, ride it and then just come home and relax. There was no anxiety (well maybe that one time we ended up on the I-19 to Mexico), no worries. Even thinking about it now brings a sense of peace.

All in all Tucson included the following highlights:
- 25 miles up Mt. Lemmon
- 12 miles up Kitt Peak
- That roley 8 miles through East Saguaro National Park... Reid was right, imagine a crit in there
- Riding the I-19 towards Mexico, only to discover after we turned around that bicycles are prohibited on the hiway
- Getting lost in their imperial system (darned lbs at the deli counter)
- Five flat tires and two tires
- Learning what it feels like to be stress free and enjoy the moment!

Now for a few days of much needed rest and low key training!

Kitt Peak

Rode Kitt Peak today.... It was AWESOME!

Today we loaded up the car and headed out to Sassabee Road where we planned to leave the big white tird (aka our Dodge Caravan) and ride to Kitt Peak. Typically this ride is done from Tucson and clocks in around 200 plus km. With Dave still getting his cycling legs back and a five and a half hour ride scheduled for tomorrow, we opted to keep the ride to three hours. The Ajo hiway which is the road you take to Kitt Peak was a cultural experience. The shoulder disappears pretty quickly which left us sharing the road with numerous boarder patrol vehicles, the reservation's police vehicle and lots and lots of rubbish at the side of the road. I don't want to stereotype but given the number of road side memorials we passed and the number of beer bottles and cans we noted, I started to wonder if the latter lead to the former. An hour later we found ourselves at the base of Kitt Peak with 12 miles standing between us and the white dome at the top. The climb was phenomenal. My legs felt great given I haven't many outside/hilly rides in them this winter. We had a quick snack at the top then headed down. We ended up having to stop on five separate occasions to get the feeling back in our hands. It cooled off quite a bit towards the top so the ride down proved to be quite cold. The ride back the base to the car was a nice "false downhill". We passed through a boarder patrol but were just waved through... apparently they didn't think we were storing any illegal Mexicans in our spandex. We ended up back at the car 3.5 hours after we started. All in all a great day.

Today we were planning to head to Phoenix for some shopping, however, after determining that it would amount to 4 plus hours of driving, we opted to stay close to home and went to the local malls here in Tucson. We found a Nike Factory outlet which proved lethal to my visa. Such wicked deals compared to what we pay at home.

Tonight Dave and I are making dinner for Dave (of Dave and Pauline our gracious hosts), and then plan to hunker down and watch some CSI. Tomorrow is Mt. Lemmon and we are aiming to make it a 5 hour ride. I will be sure to bring my camera along for some good pics!

Farmers Burn and the Hiway to Mexico

Well the last two days have been filled with more adventure.

Yesterday we attempted to ride the infamous "Shoot Out". We headed south into a blasting head wind sure that we had our directions correct. After two hours of riding and no cross road in sight we opted to turn around and retrace our steps. It turns out that we were only 2 miles away from the turn off, doh! However, just so that we don't forget yesterday both Dave and I are sporting quite the farmer tans. All I can say is that I am going to look dang funny when I get back home and head to swim club!

Today saw us head out with the intention of riding part of the El Tour de Tucson loop. Not wanting to do the full 104 miles we pieced together an abbreviated version. Well we did make a wrong turn today which put us onto hiway I-19 which is the hiway to Mexico! With about 10 boarder patrol vehicles in about 10 miles, after we couldn't find the cross road we needed we opted to retrace our steps. It turns out that we turned south too soon and completely missed the Nigales Hiway. To get back to the car we needed to head straight through Tucson. That was an adventure. First we saw fighter jets, found ourselves in the ghetto and saw the Campus which is beautiful. 4 hours later we were back at the car ready for some down time!

The Tour of California is on at the moment and the American OLN, VS has decent coverage. Needless to say not only are our days filled with cycling but so are our evenings! GREAT!

Tomorrow we are heading to Kitt Peak, Phoenix for shopping on Thursday and Mt. Lemmon on Firday. Let the climbing begin!

Another A&D Advneture - Gates Pass Style

Well today was yet another adventure for the books.

At 10:30 we loaded up the van and headed down to Tucson. The drive takes about 45 minutes but it was worth it. We parked in the parking lot of Performance Bike hoping they wouldn't mind. We then headed west, through the University, then that forever dreaded "pop - ssss" sound came from Dave's wheel. No worries, we stop, change it and get back riding. About 15 mintues later just as we are starting the ascent into Gates Pass another "pop - sssss" from Dave's back wheel. So in the first 10km ride we have used both of our tubes and our only CO2. Rather than waiting for the third one to come, probably out in the desert with no tubes, we opt to turn around and find a bike store. We bascially double back and end up at Free Wheel Bicycles, when the nice counter people give us 15% because we have such "awesome kits". Oh yes, I should mention at this point. I had another "I AM CANADIAN" experience. I asked whether they had a "washroom". The girl gives me a funny look as says (insert sourthern accent here) " you mean a bathroom"? Yes, a bathroom. I am thinking next time I will ask for a washcloset or the loo and see what look I get. So almost 90 minutes since we started we finally hit the road with CO2s, patch kits and extra tubes. Gate Pass is beautiful. We climbed from the easier side but the roads through Suguaro and up through Morana were great. No issues with cars, not other flat tires and thankfully no head wind. The ride back into the city took a while as we actually ended up quite north of Tucson. But with the nice wide bike lanes that seem to be everywhere riding through town was a piece of cake.

So I am now sitting here, with a full tummy of chicken stir fry and home made orangic strawberry crumble, getting ready to hit the hay. Tomorrow we plan to do the Shoot Out loop (south of Tucson). We are looking to do Mt. Lemmon on Tuesday, take it easier on Wednesday, then hit up Kitt Peak on Thursday.

Thanks for checking in.

From Saddle Brook "Adult Living Community", I am signing off :-)

Living It Up Tucson Style

This post is coming to you via the lovely community of Saddle Brook about 18 miles north of Tucson. The dad's best man (and partner in crime from another life time) is kindly playing host to Dave and I for the next 10 days. We arrived yesterday after an uneventful flight, yes, uneventful. No panic attacks during take off, no tears of fear when we hit turbulence. I think I may have reached a turning point in my fear of flying! The people at Dollar Rent a Car were quite pleasant. Two hours after we arrived in Phoenix we hit the highway heading south. Having never been to Arizona before it is amazing to take in the landscape, people and crazy drivers! A huge THANKS to Dave who piloted our Dodge Caravan as I am too scared to drive such a large vehicle that isn't mine (let me just say the Woodward's don't have a good record with stationary objects in parking lots!).

Saddle Brook is a funny place. It is like a gated community, but without a gate. According to Dave it is a far cry from the "ghetto" style Best Western he stayed in the last time that he was here!

Today we headed out for a 3 hour ride. We went north to this Biosphere 2, http://www.b2science.org/. We couldn't get close to get a good pic so take a look at the link. Tomorrow I think our plan is to head to Morana Park... from where we are staying we will probably end up driving to the starts of most of our rides as Saddle Brook is a good 25 miles outside of the Tucson city limits. So far, and I know it has only been two days, this vacation has been blissful. With nothing to do but ride and relax, the days seem to last longer, the sleeps are better and my stomach is quite content!

I hope that everyone back home is staying warm (-20 I believe it was today... yeah, it was a balmy +16 down here).

Amy

... Lesson Learned: At the grocery store today I walk up to the counter and the woman asks "how much" I want. I say "250". This is reciprocated with a look of confusion and as I turn to Dave he is killing himself laughing. Yeah, note to self, they us LBS down here!

A humbling moment

So today after a sluggish swim session and a crummy day at work, I had to pull the plug on my evening ride. Needless to say it takes a lot for me to miss/skip a workout, so of course I "asked" Jack whether I could, and of course he said yes. It was at this point that it struck me. Having 6 years of solid cycling under my belt I figured I could jump in and handle the two a day work outs no problem. I mean heck, I used to be one of those snooty road bikers who shunned triathletes and figured what do they know about hard training. Well needless to say I had a very humbling moment today. For all you roadies out there, the next time you see a triathlete out there on the road, given them a friendly wave. If you pass one, don't poke fun but rather acknowledge that they, just like you, are out training for an event... an event very difffernt than your own, and it could just be their second work out of the day!

The humbled roadie turned triathlete signing off!

Driven 5 Press Conference

So the last two weeks seem to have been a whirl wind. With work being as hectic as ever, fitting in all scheduled training session and trying to spend some time with Davy, Christmas now seems like a distant memory that happened ages ago! All that being said, I wouldn't change a thing (well maybe the whole running into the corner of the pole in our basement with my head, that's a whole other story).... well maybe if I could get paid to train and race, and not "work" then that wouldn't be so bad!

This past week was the official Driven5 press conference. Each athlete got a chance to share their story, and each coach got the chance to give some words of inspiration. It was really great to meet each of the other athletes and learn what their goals are (Calgary 70.3 seems to be a common thread). After the press conference the sports guy from Shaw asked to interview me and on of the men of the Driven5. It was a really cool experience, definitely had to think on my feet, however, I think I spoke really well and said what I wanted to say! We then had to do "sporty" things like stretching, running etc so that they could get some clips for the piece. It was just so much fun. It was as I was changing back into my work clothes that it struck me.... this is really happening! I am so vrey excited to journey through the next 8 months. I know that it is going to be tough, but heck, didn't someone once say that "pain is weakness leaving the body"??? I seem to be eating, sleeping and training 70.3... I even wander off into tri land while at work! I have never felt such a level of committment and focus to one event. YAY, what else can I say!

I would like to take this opportunity to give a huge THANKS to my parents, brother, Davy and the Wally dog. The last two years has been a roller coaster, however, it is thanks each and everyone of them that I am where I am today, embarking into the unknown and looking forward to every adventure that it may hold.

Until next time, DREAM, BELIEVE, ACHIEVE

A Day in the Mountains with Mom and Dawn

Well after a very full week back at work, coupled with two 5:30am swims, I had been anticipating a weekend that would involve some good old cross country skiing! As luck would have it Mom and Dawn were also looking to head west, so we filled up the car and headed out! Between Calgary and Canmore we saw three cars that had done a good job of spinning and getting stuck. Mom made sure we arrived safely and didn't need to call for back up!

Let's face, mountain air is the cure all for everything. If you are already having a great day/week, mountain air is the icing on the cake! I had a really good ski. Picking wax proved to be a challenge as the temperature weas hovering around 0, so I made the best of it and practised my seemingly absent skate ski skills. Dawn did a fab job. Mom kind of went off to do her own thing, but it was nice to head out with her after we met back up. Cudos to her for trying out her new skiis in style! Go Mom! A great lunch followed and all in all a great day!

On the training front. This week saw three pool sessions. I can feel my arms coming around but am really looking forward to having some one on one time with the swim coach at the Talisman, as well as starting to swim with the tri club M/W/F at lunch time (thanks to my wonderful boss for letting me pop out for a slightly extended lunch hour). I also had my lactate test on the bike. I think it went well.... I am still comparing numbers to last year this time. I was aiming for at least 1 minute at 275W but my legs decided enough was enough at 22 seconds in. A good starting point and I know my legs will come around quickly once the intensity ramps up. I have a lactate running test this coming Tuesday as well as the dreaded body comp thing. At least my time with the nutritionist can be spent determining how best to use food as a method to keep flare ups at bay and keep me going through my workouts. Oh yes, I have also asked for creative weekly meal plans..... I am just getting so bored with making the same tasteless things week after week ( no wonder Dave has a stash of candy in his room!). Other than that, it is just getting back into the training regime. I have never felt the kind of focus that I have had over the last week (short I know, but a good starting point). I just keep saying to myself that this all for 70.3!

My goals for the coming weeks: get in touch with the C&C foundation to determine how to go about the "bringing awareness" and fund raising portion of my Driven 5; keep on swimming, swimming, swimming; get through another portion of that darned project management paper that is looming over my head like a dark cloud; and last but not least, figure out where to ride in Tucson... booked the tickets this week. From Feb 13 - 24 Dave and I will be living the "pro life" where eat, ride, sleep is the only agenda! It is going to be great!

On that note, thanks again for checking in! Stay positive, stay happy, stay healthy!

Venturing Into the Land of the Blog

With my selection to the Talisman Center's "Drive 5" confirmed, I figured there was no time like the present to start a blog. The purpose of these updates will serve as a "story" as I venture to the "dark side" (at least according to hard core cyclists) of triathlon, with my sights focused on Calgary 70.3.

For a starting point I have included a section of my original prposal for consideration for the Drive 5 contest. Enjoy :-)

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

Throughout my life I have always been known as a confident, capable and determined individual. Whether it was in the books at school, pedaling through the mountains on my bike, or running circles around the Oval track, I have always been driven. However, it was not until I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Collitis that I learned just how driven I could be and needed to be. At first it felt as though my world came to an abrupt halt and then started tumbling down. With a well planned and highly anticipated training and racing schedule for the approaching season, having doctors tell me to stop riding and focus on the disease made my goals seem like distant memories and my usual “spark” just disappeared. I went from being driven to sitting in the passenger seat just watching the scenery go by. It was not until many flare ups and tears later that I realized that what I had been given is an opportunity. I had been given the chance to re-think the way I not only approach my sports but how I approach life in general. I had been given the chance to take this disease and make it work for me, not against me. I am now back in the driver’s seat. I have accepted that this disease is a part of me but it will not hold me back from pursuing my goals and living my life to the fullest. I may not know what is around the next bend in the road, but with a tool box full courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I cannot, and wisdom to know the difference, I know that no matter what road block appears in my way my way, I will be able to overcome it.

In 2009 I will be training for the Ironman Calgary 70.3 being held in Calgary/Cochrane on August 2, 2009. I want to take my passion for cycling and running, and my determination to swim like a fish, and place top 3 in my age group, women 25-29. An intensive "off season" training plan will prepare me for a great season of racing and a selection of “rev up" races scheduled earlier in the season will help me prepare for this event. My journey to Calgary 70.3 will be used as a stage and opportunity to bring awareness to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC).

Irritable Bowel Disease, which is comprised of Crohn’s and Colitis, has no known cause or cure. There are currently 201,000 reported cases of IBD in Canada, which has the highest prevalence and incidence of IBD in the world. Did you know that IBD is three times more common that Multiple Sclerosis or HIV, and is as common as Type 1 Diabetes and epilepsy? Now let me ask you whether you had heard of IBD or Crohn’s or Colitis prior to this proposal?

It is through public awareness and education that society can learn about the disease and become actively engaged in recognizing the symptoms, educating others, supporting research but also witness the accomplishments of real people determined to lead a healthy, active and involved life. My athletic journey to Calgary 70.3 can provide a platform for building awareness of the CCFC. The tag line of CCFC ‘Get gutsy” speaks to education. I think it is equally appropriate to apply “Get Gutsy” to the commitment, determination, risk and ability required to balance personal, professional and athletic lives to compete in Calgary 70.3.