Friday, March 9, 2012
New Lactate Threshold! In March! Bring on race season 2012!
Can you guess why my new nickname is "Bullfrog?"
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Fighting my injury...1 week at a time
HAHA- JUST KIDDING!. Not with white wine.
Anyway...so I'm still unable to run since my epic 25km training run on Feb 20th...the problem started below my kneecap until 15km into my Family Day run I felt it in the side of my knee...I basically fought through the pain for the remaining 10km and since then have barely been able to get in any good training. At first it appeared my fibula was stuck, then my ankle was stuck and then my pelvic bone...but still...nothing has helped my knee. This past week I couldn't even bike or swim without pain. Of course the ultrasound results were supposed to only take 1-2 days to get to my doctor...but of course, they are taking longer so I am still waiting to find out the exact problem.
This week I did get to try a few new things.
#1 - Get a manicure for no reason. I had 2 hours to kill after being told that "NO, I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO BIKE TODAY" so I wandered into a Nail Salon in Leaside thinking about getting a pedicure. However, after being told by the lady at the spa that my toes were too rotten to be polished I opted for the manicure option. (spa lady: "you a runner?" me: "yes, sorry my toenails are black and blue, that's why they need polish" spa lady: "too rotten for polish" me: "*sigh*"). An hour later my nails were nicely painted a pale red/dark pink...fabulous. I was looking good and feeling good!! Until about 2 minutes later when I managed to take a nice little chunk of polish of my right thumbnail. oops. two days later...nails are decorated with bike grease and are becoming even more chipped by the hour as I move bikes up and down stairs and set them up on trainers....ahhh...there was a reason I hadn't had a manicure since my wedding!
#2 - Yoga (not a new thing, but it has been awhile). I was determined to get to this 9:30am yoga class at Fireflow Yoga. Shareen (www.manayoga.com) is the best Yoga teacher ever and I knew that nothing would ease my stresses like one of her classes (plus she has been telling me forever that it would be so good to compliment my training). So I raced over to Yonge/Eglinton in rush hour (all the way from the Beach)...it "only" took me an hour and I barely made it in time...only to realize that, duh, she was away in Ottawa coaching swimming (which of course I know, because we coach the same swim group!). Anyway, Jonathan led the class and it was still excellent. All the lunges and various stretches were a perfect compliment to all the forward movement I do on the swim, bike and run. It wasn't even too hard! (well, so I thought!!! until...but almost 72 hours later my shoulders are still sore). Next class is planned for Sunday, 4pm. Hopefully I will be recovered by then.
#3 - Making tacos. Yup, I had a craving for sour cream and minced meat...odd, yes, but the perfect excuse to make tacos for the first time! I even had the extra time needed to go grocery shopping for the necessary ingredients. Making tacos are surprisingly cheap...taco kit= $2.99, sour cream = $2.99, minced meat= $4.99, and cheddar cheese, salsa were already in the house. AND Rikki loves Mexican!!!
So 3 new things...what will I try next week?
Once last thing to write about...
The best thing to come home to on a Friday night is a yummy dinner with family and friends! After a hard week....injury fighting, dealing with lack-of-training anxiety, no sleep (due to lack-of-training anxiety) I came home after work to the smell of amazing food and the sound of laughing and banter from the sisters, the fellas, mamma, papa, cathy and norm. Of course, everyone was dressed in their Friday work casual-formal attire (Tom was even wearing a tie!) ... so of course I fit right in in my work clothes (spandex and lycra!). At least I was comfy :) Dinner consisted of a shrimp appetizer, steak, peas, potatoes... and of course Santa Margherita (no judgement...I'm not in heavy training at the moment...a plus to being injured?)
I made dessert...fruit salad...I would much prefer cake or ice cream, but unfortunately I don't need those yummy calories right now.
The night ended for me at 10pm...when I headed off to bed listening to the faint sounds of laughter and Norm and Papa playing guitar downstairs. For the first time the whole week I had a good nights sleep.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Injuries and Bowling
Since becoming a professional triathlete means I actually have to train really hard...that’s what I have been doing. But I really don’t get how these triathletes do it? 20+ hours of training per week and staying injury free?! If this is possible I want to know the trick. Following my OFF season...which was only 2 weeks, but really felt like forever...I have been plagued by injuries...first the hip flexor and groin, then a horrible stomach flu (OK-not really an injury but still mean a week off), then a bruised tailbone (yes-in this mild winter I had to find the ONE patch of ice on the ground and fall on it), then an adductor strain and a head cold...and now a “Stuck fibula”! Isn’t a bone supposed to be stuck? Patience is definitely not my strong point...so this has all been incredibly hard for me. And in the midst of all these injuries I have still been swimming, cycling and running better than I ever have! Imagine if I was actually injury-free?!
This winter I have been making a decent effort to keep up a relatively normal social life, while training..it has been hard, but oh so much fun. This has included two attempts at bowling...this first attempt started with my bowling granny style. You know...throw the ball from between your legs...although I had pretty good aim, the ball lacked any sort of speed to knock over any pins. So I graduated to the regular (?) bowling style...which still looks a bit awkward on me. My first game I think I got about 60 points and maybe more than 10 balls in the gutter. My second attempt was much much better. I think I got 4 spares in a row! And doubled my score from last time. However...attempt #1 involved much wine and ceasers while the second attempt I drank water and coke...so that left me to make a difficult decision...is it more fun to win at bowling OR is intoxicated bowling more fun. Hmmmm...
Well...I promise to blog more regularly..but I am off to the pool for a (hopefully) epic swim set!
This winter I have been making a decent effort to keep up a relatively normal social life, while training..it has been hard, but oh so much fun. This has included two attempts at bowling...this first attempt started with my bowling granny style. You know...throw the ball from between your legs...although I had pretty good aim, the ball lacked any sort of speed to knock over any pins. So I graduated to the regular (?) bowling style...which still looks a bit awkward on me. My first game I think I got about 60 points and maybe more than 10 balls in the gutter. My second attempt was much much better. I think I got 4 spares in a row! And doubled my score from last time. However...attempt #1 involved much wine and ceasers while the second attempt I drank water and coke...so that left me to make a difficult decision...is it more fun to win at bowling OR is intoxicated bowling more fun. Hmmmm...
Well...I promise to blog more regularly..but I am off to the pool for a (hopefully) epic swim set!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
My Energy Bar of Choice: Steve's Ebars
As a competitive triathlete, I rely on proper nutrition to adequately prepare me for a workout, keep my energy levels up during a workout and for muscle recovery. Nutrition could be called the fourth sport in triathlon. Whether or not you fuel yourself correctly can make or break your performance, even if you are properly trained. However, because adequate digestion relies on increased blood flow to your stomach and digestive organs and exercise relies on blood flow to your working muscles, eating and activity are in constant opposition. The sports nutrition industry has capitalized on this and now there are a ton of products available that are easily digestible and can be used just before and during exercise. Sports nutrition products contain energy-boosting ingredients and a lot of vitamins and minerals, so they can even be used by the non-athlete who leads a busy lifestyle and needs a quick meal on the go. The energy bar that I rely is Steve’s Ebar.
Steve’s Ebar is an an all natural energy bar that contains no added flavour or preservatives and includes ingredients that are nutrient dense (high vitamin & mineral content per calorie), high in antioxidants and are easy to digest. The high nutrient density is optimal for providing enough fuel for your muscles and the high antioxidant content is great for sustained energy. When you exercise you produce free-radicals which damage the muscle cells and cause you to tire during a workout. Antioxidants “soak-up” the free radicals and allow you to exercise longer and harder. The fact that all these great benefits come in a easy to digest form means that you can get all the benefits from a full meal, without depriving your muscles of blood flow that would otherwise be needed for digestion.
Compared to other bars I have tried, Steve’s Ebar is not only nutritious, but delicious too! The Chocolate Peanut Butter flavour has been described by many as tasting like a chocolate peanut butter cup. Other bars I have tried have horrible aftertastes, but Steve’s Ebar doesn’t just taste great, but there is no chemical aftertaste that you find with some of the other bars. I would say that overall it tastes like a cross between a granola bar and a whole-grain muffin and, if you are just eating one as an energy boosting snack on a busy day, tastes great with coffee.
Another great feature of Steve’s Ebar is that can be easily consumed during exercise. There is nothing worse than being on a long ride, trying to eat some of those other bars and finding that you are chewing for about 10 minutes before you can actually swallow. The Ebar is fresh and very easy to chew, making it ideal to eat anytime, even when you are on the bike or during a long run.
For these reasons, Steve’s Ebar is my energy bar of choice. Steve Forst makes these bars in small batches in Toronto. For more information or to order a batch for yourself, contact Steve at trainwithsteve@gmail.com.
~ Miranda Tomenson-Bhardwaj, MSc
Steve’s Ebar is an an all natural energy bar that contains no added flavour or preservatives and includes ingredients that are nutrient dense (high vitamin & mineral content per calorie), high in antioxidants and are easy to digest. The high nutrient density is optimal for providing enough fuel for your muscles and the high antioxidant content is great for sustained energy. When you exercise you produce free-radicals which damage the muscle cells and cause you to tire during a workout. Antioxidants “soak-up” the free radicals and allow you to exercise longer and harder. The fact that all these great benefits come in a easy to digest form means that you can get all the benefits from a full meal, without depriving your muscles of blood flow that would otherwise be needed for digestion.
Compared to other bars I have tried, Steve’s Ebar is not only nutritious, but delicious too! The Chocolate Peanut Butter flavour has been described by many as tasting like a chocolate peanut butter cup. Other bars I have tried have horrible aftertastes, but Steve’s Ebar doesn’t just taste great, but there is no chemical aftertaste that you find with some of the other bars. I would say that overall it tastes like a cross between a granola bar and a whole-grain muffin and, if you are just eating one as an energy boosting snack on a busy day, tastes great with coffee.
Another great feature of Steve’s Ebar is that can be easily consumed during exercise. There is nothing worse than being on a long ride, trying to eat some of those other bars and finding that you are chewing for about 10 minutes before you can actually swallow. The Ebar is fresh and very easy to chew, making it ideal to eat anytime, even when you are on the bike or during a long run.
For these reasons, Steve’s Ebar is my energy bar of choice. Steve Forst makes these bars in small batches in Toronto. For more information or to order a batch for yourself, contact Steve at trainwithsteve@gmail.com.
~ Miranda Tomenson-Bhardwaj, MSc
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Miami 70.3
Going to Miami I only really had one goal...which I really didn’t tell anyone but myself. I wanted to rank among the professional female triathletes. I had already made the decision to turn Pro next year, but I wanted to prove that I really deserved to call myself a Professional. I am happy to say that I did accomplish my goal. There were 13 professional female triathletes. I placed 11th female over all and had the 7th fastest swim time and the 5th fastest run time. Now I can say that I AM as good as the Pros! Read on if you want to hear the whole story of my Miami Adventure.
I flew down to Miami with my parents on Friday and we arrived at the hotel at around 4pm. I immediately unpacked my bike and set it up so that I could get in a 45 minute ride to loosen up my legs. Unfortunately, my ride happened to be right in the middle of rush hour and I spent the entire ride focusing all my attention on staying on the road and not getting hit by a car. I did notice that my balance was a bit off and I was even more shaky than usual on my bike. I have never been a confident rider, but this was worse than usual. It was quite possibly due to the fact that it had been 3 weeks since I actually rode outside. Half-way through the ride I did find a parking lot and practiced some figure 8s and my transitions to help me with my balance. This actually seemed to help a little bit and I was a bit more confident on the bike ride back to the hotel. Once back, I quickly unpacked the rest of my gear and I headed out with my parents to find a nice Italian restaurant so I could begin my carb loading. I was determined to eat A LOT of carbs before my race this time so as to prevent a repeat of Vegas where I completely just ran out of energy 70K into the bike. I chose Lasagna for dinner, took advantage of the never ending bread rolls that Ludo (the owner/waiter) brought to the table and polished off about 2 bottles (or 1.5 litres) of water. My parents enjoyed the equivalent amount of fluid, only their beverage of choice was red wine :) After dinner I headed to bed.
I was up at 7:30am the next morning to blue sky!!! Considering the predicted forecast was heavy rain from Saturday – Monday I was quite excited about this. I decided to take advantage of the time day and the weather and go for a 30 minute bike ride traffic-free, followed by a 15 minute run. The bike felt better than yesterday, but I was still a little shaky. My cadence was around 90rpm and holding 180W for 5 minutes felt pretty easy. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to hold that for 2-3hrs though. The run felt pretty good and during my 5 minutes at “race pace” I looked down at my Garmin and saw a 3:55/km pace and was in shock. It didn’t feel like I was working that hard. This made me happy. However, I did notice that the air was wet and breathing was a bit harder then I was used too. Not to mention the fact that by the time I got back to the hotel it looked more like I had gone for a swim than a bike-run. I knew I was not good in the heat and this worried me. After a big breakfast of cereal, yogurt, strawberries, coffee, 3 muffins, a piece of coffee cake and a few slices of turkey cold cuts and a few glasses of water, we headed to the race expo to pick up my race kit, attend the pre-race meeting and check in my bike. During the pre-race meeting I started to panic. Water temperature was hovering between 76-77 degrees...do I wear a wetsuit? Fears about dehydration set in. What was the plan for nutrition and fluids, again? There was no swim warm-up allowed, so what do I do for warm-up? Luckily, I have a great coach who had all the answers and the pre-race panic was gone. After I checked my bike I went back to the hotel, did a 20-minute swim in the pool (I am not sure that the other hotel guests in the pool appreciated my flip-turns) and had lunch. Lunch was a yummy Panini with grilled veggies, olive oil and mozzarella cheese and more water. After lunch my parents needed to walk off some of the wine they had drunk so we walked the 1.6 miles to Publix and back to stock up on plain bagels, peanut butter, bananas for my pre-race breakfast and a bottle of Santa Margherita for after the race! Then it was dinner time and I had a big bowl of spaghetti, more water and then went to bed nice and early.
I woke up on race morning at 4:30am after 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I made coffee and had my breakfast of a plain bagel with peanut butter and banana and a coffee. On the drive over to the race site it started to rain. This was not good. It was pretty light rain while I set up my transition area and did my warm-up (a 15-minute run, some running drills and 4x10” sprints) and then by the time I headed over to the swim start it was pouring rain and windy. People were sitting under truck-beds, lying under cars and standing under trees to try to stay dry. The start of the race was delayed by about 15 minutes while we waited for the sun to rise. Even with the sun up it was still pretty dark. The water temperature was 77 degrees and non-wetsuit so I didn’t even have a wet-suit to keep me warm. Despite my best efforts to keep warm (arm swings, leg swings, dryland simulated swimming) my teeth were chattering uncontrollably by the time my wave was on deck. For the first time ever I couldn’t wait for the race to just start! After the wave ahead of me started, our wave jumped off the dock into the water. It was warm and I felt the added buoyancy of being in salt water. I tried to position myself so that I would have a clean start, but once the horn blew I was out-sprinted by a few girls who then slowed down and formed a wall that I couldn’t get by! I was very frustrated as I watched the lead swimmer take off towards the first buoy and I was helplessly stuck behind a slow pack of swimmers. After I managed to get by them it was too late and the lead girl was out of sight. I pushed on, swam through the wave ahead of us, but I was on my own for the rest of the swim. The first half of the swim I was with the current and felt great. I kept my head down, sighting every three breaths and still keeping on course. However, after turning a buoy I felt the cross-current and I had to make sure that I was swimming 45 degrees to the current so that I would stay on course. When I turned at the next buoy I was heading straight into the current. This was tough as the waves crashed into me and it was impossible to find any rhythm to my stroke. I made a technical error going into the swim exit since I wasn’t sure whether to swim directly towards it or whether I had to first head towards the buoy on my right and then to the swim exit. Worried about a possible DQ I took the long route around the buoy and then into the swim exit, which I later learned was wrong, but oh well. I exited the water in 29’16. The run to transition was long, but I was happy to see my parents cheering and waving me on.
I took my time in T1 and made sure I had all my nutrition with me for the bike. The rain had let up a little, which I was thankful for. The first 10km of the bike course was very technical and there were a lot of turns and the road was not smooth. As I approached a set of train tracks the volunteers were screaming, “SLOW DOWN! SLOW DOWN! YOU WILL CRASH IF YOU DON’T SLOW DOWN” so I did just that...I watched my speed slow to about 5km/hr as I crossed the tracks. Just as I did this I noticed a man passing me on the left crash AND at the same time a man trying to pass on the right crashed. I came to the following conclusion, “men on bikes can be idiots” and “oh god, I am so happy I slowed down”. This still made me quite nervous for the rest of the ride and I was happy that I reached Highway 27 safely. I would stay on this road till the turnaround. Unfortunately, I still had to battle cross-winds and rough road that nearly had me falling off my bike at some points. Highway 27 turned toward the north during the last 10km before the turnaround and so I was met with a strong head-wind. I knew this would turn into a tail-wind at the turnaround so I fought through it knowing it would soon be easier. After the turnaround was my favourite part of the race. I watched my power meter show my watts around 180-190W, my speed above 40km/hr and my cadence between 90-95rpm. I felt comfortable and strong and this made me happy. Then I passed a couple Pros and was even happier! As I hit the 1hr 45min mark into the bike I started to feel the discomfort of riding in aero position. Even though I had made sure to get up out of the saddle every 5 miles and stand-up for a few peddle strokes my hip flexors were screaming, especially on my left side, and I could no longer stand the pressure that the saddle was placing on my crotch area. I started shifting my position so that I was to the left and then the right of the nose of my saddle and this seemed to help. My left hip flexor was getting tighter and tighter though and I was riding on the uprights more and more often to relieve it. I hit a bump about 10km out of T2 that caused my left aerobar to shift a bit to the left so that it was no longer tight and was slipping around when I was aero position. This was annoying as it meant I had to ride in the uprights for the last 10km. Also, at this point the wind had picked up so much so that if there wasn’t a head wind then there was a crosswind that was causing me to drift all over the road. I no longer cared about keeping my power up, I just wanted to make it to T2 in one piece and without suffering a strained hip flexor! The wind in the final stretch into T2 was like nothing I had ever experienced. You could hear it howling, you could see the palm trees swaying and when I stopped pedalling to slip my feet out of my shoes in preparation for my dismount, my bike almost came to a dead stop. I was so happy when I racked my bike! I didn’t care that my bike split was only a 2:38, because I had survived the most brutal ride I had ever experienced in a 70.3 event.
Heading out onto the run I was still in second in my age group. I had no idea how far back I was from the first place girl in my age group, but I felt pretty good. The hip flexor issue failed to bother me on the run and I was extremely thankful. The run course was two loops and involved running north, then east across the Causeway and then back. The wind was coming pretty strong out of the North and the headwind coming out of T2 was pretty brutal. I still posted my first few kms in 4’10 per km pace though so I was happy. Once I reached the Causeway though the combination of uphill + brutal crosswind + rain was very demoralizing. I knew that the faster I ran the faster it would be over with! That kept me going through that first loop. At the start of the second loop, when many of the athletes were starting their first loop, I used the additional number of people on the course to my advantage and tucked in behind some of the faster athletes so that they would block the wind a bit for me. Once I was at the top of the Causeway on my second loop I knew that the rest of the run would be easy in comparison. I picked up the pace and raced my way into the finish. I passed a bunch of female 25 – 29 age groupers on the way, but I had no idea if any of them were on their first or second loop. When I saw my parents faces as I entered the finishing shoot I knew I had done it and was the first female non-professional to cross the finish line (and I had beat some Pros)! I had made up 11-minutes on the first place 25 - 29 female during my run.
I was very excited to finish my last race of the season so successfully! In the process of achieving my race goal I also achieved my long term goal of running a sub-1:30 half-marathon in a half ironman distance event. I would not have been able to do this without the amazing support of my family (my parents, Rikki, my sisters and Rikki’s parents) who have always been there for me and put up with me, my RMT, Craig Dow (from Athlete’s Care King & Yonge), who was the main reason I got through the 2011 season un-injured, Bill Wells (my chiropractor from Urban Athlete), Dave Bialkowski for fixing my bike last minute for the race and for going out of his way to get me my race wheel, and especially my coach, who put up with my complaining and arguing all season, because there is no way I could have accomplished anything without his coaching. I also appreciate all the advice and support from Bill Durrant, the U of T Swim Team Coaches (Byron McDonald and Linda Keifer), Peter Oyler, Scott Judges (my bike fitter from Fitt 1st) and all my friends and fellow riders from WattsUp for their words of encouragement! Last, I want to thank my sponsors for this season: Turner-Tomenson & Associates, National Bank Financial,
Lululemon, Bialkowski Trysport and WattsUp Cycling.
I can’t wait for the adventures that next season brings!
I flew down to Miami with my parents on Friday and we arrived at the hotel at around 4pm. I immediately unpacked my bike and set it up so that I could get in a 45 minute ride to loosen up my legs. Unfortunately, my ride happened to be right in the middle of rush hour and I spent the entire ride focusing all my attention on staying on the road and not getting hit by a car. I did notice that my balance was a bit off and I was even more shaky than usual on my bike. I have never been a confident rider, but this was worse than usual. It was quite possibly due to the fact that it had been 3 weeks since I actually rode outside. Half-way through the ride I did find a parking lot and practiced some figure 8s and my transitions to help me with my balance. This actually seemed to help a little bit and I was a bit more confident on the bike ride back to the hotel. Once back, I quickly unpacked the rest of my gear and I headed out with my parents to find a nice Italian restaurant so I could begin my carb loading. I was determined to eat A LOT of carbs before my race this time so as to prevent a repeat of Vegas where I completely just ran out of energy 70K into the bike. I chose Lasagna for dinner, took advantage of the never ending bread rolls that Ludo (the owner/waiter) brought to the table and polished off about 2 bottles (or 1.5 litres) of water. My parents enjoyed the equivalent amount of fluid, only their beverage of choice was red wine :) After dinner I headed to bed.
I was up at 7:30am the next morning to blue sky!!! Considering the predicted forecast was heavy rain from Saturday – Monday I was quite excited about this. I decided to take advantage of the time day and the weather and go for a 30 minute bike ride traffic-free, followed by a 15 minute run. The bike felt better than yesterday, but I was still a little shaky. My cadence was around 90rpm and holding 180W for 5 minutes felt pretty easy. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to hold that for 2-3hrs though. The run felt pretty good and during my 5 minutes at “race pace” I looked down at my Garmin and saw a 3:55/km pace and was in shock. It didn’t feel like I was working that hard. This made me happy. However, I did notice that the air was wet and breathing was a bit harder then I was used too. Not to mention the fact that by the time I got back to the hotel it looked more like I had gone for a swim than a bike-run. I knew I was not good in the heat and this worried me. After a big breakfast of cereal, yogurt, strawberries, coffee, 3 muffins, a piece of coffee cake and a few slices of turkey cold cuts and a few glasses of water, we headed to the race expo to pick up my race kit, attend the pre-race meeting and check in my bike. During the pre-race meeting I started to panic. Water temperature was hovering between 76-77 degrees...do I wear a wetsuit? Fears about dehydration set in. What was the plan for nutrition and fluids, again? There was no swim warm-up allowed, so what do I do for warm-up? Luckily, I have a great coach who had all the answers and the pre-race panic was gone. After I checked my bike I went back to the hotel, did a 20-minute swim in the pool (I am not sure that the other hotel guests in the pool appreciated my flip-turns) and had lunch. Lunch was a yummy Panini with grilled veggies, olive oil and mozzarella cheese and more water. After lunch my parents needed to walk off some of the wine they had drunk so we walked the 1.6 miles to Publix and back to stock up on plain bagels, peanut butter, bananas for my pre-race breakfast and a bottle of Santa Margherita for after the race! Then it was dinner time and I had a big bowl of spaghetti, more water and then went to bed nice and early.
I woke up on race morning at 4:30am after 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I made coffee and had my breakfast of a plain bagel with peanut butter and banana and a coffee. On the drive over to the race site it started to rain. This was not good. It was pretty light rain while I set up my transition area and did my warm-up (a 15-minute run, some running drills and 4x10” sprints) and then by the time I headed over to the swim start it was pouring rain and windy. People were sitting under truck-beds, lying under cars and standing under trees to try to stay dry. The start of the race was delayed by about 15 minutes while we waited for the sun to rise. Even with the sun up it was still pretty dark. The water temperature was 77 degrees and non-wetsuit so I didn’t even have a wet-suit to keep me warm. Despite my best efforts to keep warm (arm swings, leg swings, dryland simulated swimming) my teeth were chattering uncontrollably by the time my wave was on deck. For the first time ever I couldn’t wait for the race to just start! After the wave ahead of me started, our wave jumped off the dock into the water. It was warm and I felt the added buoyancy of being in salt water. I tried to position myself so that I would have a clean start, but once the horn blew I was out-sprinted by a few girls who then slowed down and formed a wall that I couldn’t get by! I was very frustrated as I watched the lead swimmer take off towards the first buoy and I was helplessly stuck behind a slow pack of swimmers. After I managed to get by them it was too late and the lead girl was out of sight. I pushed on, swam through the wave ahead of us, but I was on my own for the rest of the swim. The first half of the swim I was with the current and felt great. I kept my head down, sighting every three breaths and still keeping on course. However, after turning a buoy I felt the cross-current and I had to make sure that I was swimming 45 degrees to the current so that I would stay on course. When I turned at the next buoy I was heading straight into the current. This was tough as the waves crashed into me and it was impossible to find any rhythm to my stroke. I made a technical error going into the swim exit since I wasn’t sure whether to swim directly towards it or whether I had to first head towards the buoy on my right and then to the swim exit. Worried about a possible DQ I took the long route around the buoy and then into the swim exit, which I later learned was wrong, but oh well. I exited the water in 29’16. The run to transition was long, but I was happy to see my parents cheering and waving me on.
I took my time in T1 and made sure I had all my nutrition with me for the bike. The rain had let up a little, which I was thankful for. The first 10km of the bike course was very technical and there were a lot of turns and the road was not smooth. As I approached a set of train tracks the volunteers were screaming, “SLOW DOWN! SLOW DOWN! YOU WILL CRASH IF YOU DON’T SLOW DOWN” so I did just that...I watched my speed slow to about 5km/hr as I crossed the tracks. Just as I did this I noticed a man passing me on the left crash AND at the same time a man trying to pass on the right crashed. I came to the following conclusion, “men on bikes can be idiots” and “oh god, I am so happy I slowed down”. This still made me quite nervous for the rest of the ride and I was happy that I reached Highway 27 safely. I would stay on this road till the turnaround. Unfortunately, I still had to battle cross-winds and rough road that nearly had me falling off my bike at some points. Highway 27 turned toward the north during the last 10km before the turnaround and so I was met with a strong head-wind. I knew this would turn into a tail-wind at the turnaround so I fought through it knowing it would soon be easier. After the turnaround was my favourite part of the race. I watched my power meter show my watts around 180-190W, my speed above 40km/hr and my cadence between 90-95rpm. I felt comfortable and strong and this made me happy. Then I passed a couple Pros and was even happier! As I hit the 1hr 45min mark into the bike I started to feel the discomfort of riding in aero position. Even though I had made sure to get up out of the saddle every 5 miles and stand-up for a few peddle strokes my hip flexors were screaming, especially on my left side, and I could no longer stand the pressure that the saddle was placing on my crotch area. I started shifting my position so that I was to the left and then the right of the nose of my saddle and this seemed to help. My left hip flexor was getting tighter and tighter though and I was riding on the uprights more and more often to relieve it. I hit a bump about 10km out of T2 that caused my left aerobar to shift a bit to the left so that it was no longer tight and was slipping around when I was aero position. This was annoying as it meant I had to ride in the uprights for the last 10km. Also, at this point the wind had picked up so much so that if there wasn’t a head wind then there was a crosswind that was causing me to drift all over the road. I no longer cared about keeping my power up, I just wanted to make it to T2 in one piece and without suffering a strained hip flexor! The wind in the final stretch into T2 was like nothing I had ever experienced. You could hear it howling, you could see the palm trees swaying and when I stopped pedalling to slip my feet out of my shoes in preparation for my dismount, my bike almost came to a dead stop. I was so happy when I racked my bike! I didn’t care that my bike split was only a 2:38, because I had survived the most brutal ride I had ever experienced in a 70.3 event.
Heading out onto the run I was still in second in my age group. I had no idea how far back I was from the first place girl in my age group, but I felt pretty good. The hip flexor issue failed to bother me on the run and I was extremely thankful. The run course was two loops and involved running north, then east across the Causeway and then back. The wind was coming pretty strong out of the North and the headwind coming out of T2 was pretty brutal. I still posted my first few kms in 4’10 per km pace though so I was happy. Once I reached the Causeway though the combination of uphill + brutal crosswind + rain was very demoralizing. I knew that the faster I ran the faster it would be over with! That kept me going through that first loop. At the start of the second loop, when many of the athletes were starting their first loop, I used the additional number of people on the course to my advantage and tucked in behind some of the faster athletes so that they would block the wind a bit for me. Once I was at the top of the Causeway on my second loop I knew that the rest of the run would be easy in comparison. I picked up the pace and raced my way into the finish. I passed a bunch of female 25 – 29 age groupers on the way, but I had no idea if any of them were on their first or second loop. When I saw my parents faces as I entered the finishing shoot I knew I had done it and was the first female non-professional to cross the finish line (and I had beat some Pros)! I had made up 11-minutes on the first place 25 - 29 female during my run.
I was very excited to finish my last race of the season so successfully! In the process of achieving my race goal I also achieved my long term goal of running a sub-1:30 half-marathon in a half ironman distance event. I would not have been able to do this without the amazing support of my family (my parents, Rikki, my sisters and Rikki’s parents) who have always been there for me and put up with me, my RMT, Craig Dow (from Athlete’s Care King & Yonge), who was the main reason I got through the 2011 season un-injured, Bill Wells (my chiropractor from Urban Athlete), Dave Bialkowski for fixing my bike last minute for the race and for going out of his way to get me my race wheel, and especially my coach, who put up with my complaining and arguing all season, because there is no way I could have accomplished anything without his coaching. I also appreciate all the advice and support from Bill Durrant, the U of T Swim Team Coaches (Byron McDonald and Linda Keifer), Peter Oyler, Scott Judges (my bike fitter from Fitt 1st) and all my friends and fellow riders from WattsUp for their words of encouragement! Last, I want to thank my sponsors for this season: Turner-Tomenson & Associates, National Bank Financial,
Lululemon, Bialkowski Trysport and WattsUp Cycling.
I can’t wait for the adventures that next season brings!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Coaching Certification & Training Adventures in Huntsville
It has been awhile since I have blogged. It hasn’t been due to the fact that nothing is going on, but more due to the fact that so much has been going on! Quick summary: I was second female 25-29 at the World Ironman 70.3 Championships, got a Shimano sponsorship and a National Bank sponsorship and have been training super hard for the upcoming Miami Ironman 70.3 on October 30th!!!
Anyway, I finally have a chance to sit down (while Rikki drives!) after a whirlwind weekend in Huntsville. The purpose of the trip was for me to become a certified triathlon coach by attending a weekend workshop in Huntsville (and get my bike tuned up in Parry Sound, and fit in a quality 20 minute 5km run workout!).
Highlights of the trip include:
Talking about Muscle biochemistry and weightlifting with Rikki
A 5km run (within a 13km run) in 20’35 in the pitch black morning
Finding Monte Antico Red Wine in an LCBO in Huntsville (can’t even find this wine in Toronto!)
Getting my bike tuned up by Dave Bialkowski (the only bike mechanic I trust)
Talking about getting a Cervelo P5 Road Bike and Rikki not arguing (yet!)
FREE breakfast buffet at the hotel
Finding a copy of the Bhagavagita in the hotel
Getting to drive on winding Muskoka Rd 3 way too fast
BULK BARN Caramel Popcorn
Shasta Cola
Finding a $1 cork screw, breaking corkscrew, watching Rikki open wine with this broken cork screw
Realizing I either order chicken or salmon whenever I go out for dinner...and deciding that next time Rikki should order my food for me so I don’t do this again
Top 3 things I learned about triathlon training that I didn’t know before:
Don’t underestimate the importance of transitions! These should be practiced and scheduled into training like bike, run and swim workouts are
Deliberate practice is important. Don’t do things in practice that you wouldn’t do in a race.
Training is most ieffective when there is a social component (riding/training with others), a self-direction component (technique of freestyle stroke), a success related component (a timed swim) and a sensory component (scenery while riding a bike).
Hope to blog again soon! Happy training :)
Anyway, I finally have a chance to sit down (while Rikki drives!) after a whirlwind weekend in Huntsville. The purpose of the trip was for me to become a certified triathlon coach by attending a weekend workshop in Huntsville (and get my bike tuned up in Parry Sound, and fit in a quality 20 minute 5km run workout!).
Highlights of the trip include:
Talking about Muscle biochemistry and weightlifting with Rikki
A 5km run (within a 13km run) in 20’35 in the pitch black morning
Finding Monte Antico Red Wine in an LCBO in Huntsville (can’t even find this wine in Toronto!)
Getting my bike tuned up by Dave Bialkowski (the only bike mechanic I trust)
Talking about getting a Cervelo P5 Road Bike and Rikki not arguing (yet!)
FREE breakfast buffet at the hotel
Finding a copy of the Bhagavagita in the hotel
Getting to drive on winding Muskoka Rd 3 way too fast
BULK BARN Caramel Popcorn
Shasta Cola
Finding a $1 cork screw, breaking corkscrew, watching Rikki open wine with this broken cork screw
Realizing I either order chicken or salmon whenever I go out for dinner...and deciding that next time Rikki should order my food for me so I don’t do this again
Top 3 things I learned about triathlon training that I didn’t know before:
Don’t underestimate the importance of transitions! These should be practiced and scheduled into training like bike, run and swim workouts are
Deliberate practice is important. Don’t do things in practice that you wouldn’t do in a race.
Training is most ieffective when there is a social component (riding/training with others), a self-direction component (technique of freestyle stroke), a success related component (a timed swim) and a sensory component (scenery while riding a bike).
Hope to blog again soon! Happy training :)
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Bracebridge Olympic
Saturday:
Slept over in Bracebridge the Friday night before Sara’s Race to avoid any last minute travel troubles. We woke up at 6am to about 3 different alarms going off at the same time...there was my annoying blackberry ringtone, Sara’s blackberry’s crickets and the radio blaring something from Moose FM. While Sara showered and got ready for her race I made a Tim’s run. Her choice of pre-race meal was a blueberry muffin and large coffee and I grabbed a whole grain blueberry muffin and large decaf (no caffeine the day before a race helps me sleep way better, which I discovered in Rhode Island). We had a non-rushed morning: she had breakfast and played Screw Your Neighbour on her iTouch and I had breakfast and played Sims 3 on the laptop. At around 7:00am we hoped on our bikes and biked the 3.7km to the race course. Wow, my quads felt sooo tight – I was a bit worried that if 3.7km hurt then what was I going to do tomorrow when I had to ride more than 10 times that. We got the race site and I chose the best spot for Sara’s bike, which was super close to the bike exit so she wouldn’t have to run too far with her bike. We went through the pre-race routine...check-in, transition set-up, a short dryland warm-up and then a short swim warm-up (swim would be non-wetsuit). Right before her race...*surprise*...Papa showed up. Sara and Papa hugged and cried...she was happy...and now even more psyched up to race. Sara exited the water 2nd, was 2nd after the bike and then 3rd after the run. Woohoo!! She had a massive cheering squad of me, Papa, Kevin, Ross and Tom there for support. It was awesome and very inspiring for me. After her race and all her fans left I just hung out in the hotel room, did some yoga, stretching on the roller, had a nice warm bath, and watched Helen Jenkins win the London ITU World Champs! For dinner I chose a very bland dinner of penne pasta with tomato sauce and chicken with a side of garlic bread from Boston Pizza (take-out). I actually went to Walmart to buy salt and pepper because I wouldn’t have been able to eat it otherwise. I ate at around 6pm and was in bed at 8pm.
Sunday:
The no-caffeine pre-race day plan worked and I slept all the way until 5am (9hrs!), when the radio and my blackberry woke me up-I actually was a bit sad not to hear Sara’s crickets. I started my day off with a round of yoga, got changed and packed up the car. I made a Tim’s stop on the way to the race course and had a plain bagel with peanut butter and jam and a medium black coffee. Ahhh...caffeine again! I got to the race site super early so I took my bike out for a 10 minute easy ride and I practiced getting on and off my bike with my shoes in the pedals. Then I went to check-in and pick a good spot in transition to set up my bike. Not as good as Sara’s, but I was limited by my bib#. Then I did a 5 minute easy run followed by some great warm-up exercises I learned from Paul Bregin. I finished setting up my transition area and then swam the course. I made sure I knew what to site for if the orange buoys were hard to see and got my feel for the water. Pre-race prep was done. Next, I went to the race directors of the Milk Tri Series to try to convince them I should be starting in the elite wave. First, I mentioned that I was a varsity swimmer and that didn’t work, then I said I would bike above 30km/hr, then I said I would probably finish the race in 2:15...ahhh, finally, that had them convinced. And now the expectations were set....
The swim was a time-trial start so I started 10 seconds back from the elite in front of me, in the third position. The swim felt great – I actually really liked the non-wetsuit. I had my trisuit on which basically feels like a bathing suit so I had no extra resistance in the water. There were no feet to draft off of, unfortunately, but I felt myself speeding up as I got into the groove of the race. I even passed two of the male Pros! It was a two-looped course and by the end of the second loop I saw, and passed, a fellow competitor, Ayesha, who started in the first position! OMG-I was now in first place (of the Pros!). I couldn’t help but be a little bit excited. My swim time (including the run to transition) was 22:08, not bad for a non-wetsuit swim! 5th fastest time of the race.
T1 was fast with no wetsuit to worry about. My bike mount was a little slow as my pedal had rotated to a different position than I wanted it in – but not bad considering it was all up hill!
The bike was on a great course and, other than a few sharp turns on some sandy patches and a couple speed bumps, the pavement was nice and smooth. The first 5km my legs were a bit stiff, but no more so than the start of the bike in any race. I guess it’s unavoidable since I tend to be a “kicker” type swimmer. After the big climb in the first 4km though they started to loosen up. I felt pretty good on the bike and was in a good rhythm up until the 17km mark, when we turned onto a side road and had a head wind and was all up and down hill. I lost my rythm a bit here but after the turnaround, with the wind at my back, I started to get in a groove again. I think it was the 30km mark when I was passed by Beth Primrose (a former top Canadian triathlete who is now 50 and still an outstanding triathlete!). For the next 8km I would be passing her and she would pass me. It was kind of fun – but having to slow my pace down when she passed to avoid drafting wasn’t. After the 38km mark I passed her for good and we came into T2 first and second. I couldn’t believe I was still in first after the bike! To quote my dad’s response to seeing me “She’s still in the lead after the bike, that’s a first!” Too bad Beth was still close behind. My bike split was 1:10.07 (34.2km/hr).
I exited T2 with Beth and we ran the first 3km together (4’06, 3’53, 3’58). My heart rate was staying around 170bpm and I didn’t feel too bad so I knew I wasn’t running too hard. Just after 3km Ayesha caught both of us and both her and Beth pulled ahead. I wanted to stay with them, but they picked up the pace too much and I didn’t think I could maintain their pace for the whole race. Stupid brain. At the 5km mark Beth had pulled ahead of Ayesha and I actually caught Ayesha (splits for 4, 5km were 4’03, 4’04). Ayesha didn’t like this and she picked up the pace again and once again my head got in the way and I let her go (6km split of 4’06). I started to feel a bit worse at around 6km (7km split of 4’15)...possibly because the two track sessions I have done led to about 5-6km of cumulative hard running...and my pace dropped a bit. I managed to hold mostly 4’08s though for the last 2km + 300m (my GPS clocked the course in at 10.3km). I finished the run in a time of 41:48 and the whole race in 2:15.36! Second place female overall and just 9 seconds ahead of Ayesha.
It was awesome to have a surprise fan, Papa, and mom and dad Bharadwaj and Rikki there to see me! They were great at cheering!
Next stop...Cornwall Olympic
Slept over in Bracebridge the Friday night before Sara’s Race to avoid any last minute travel troubles. We woke up at 6am to about 3 different alarms going off at the same time...there was my annoying blackberry ringtone, Sara’s blackberry’s crickets and the radio blaring something from Moose FM. While Sara showered and got ready for her race I made a Tim’s run. Her choice of pre-race meal was a blueberry muffin and large coffee and I grabbed a whole grain blueberry muffin and large decaf (no caffeine the day before a race helps me sleep way better, which I discovered in Rhode Island). We had a non-rushed morning: she had breakfast and played Screw Your Neighbour on her iTouch and I had breakfast and played Sims 3 on the laptop. At around 7:00am we hoped on our bikes and biked the 3.7km to the race course. Wow, my quads felt sooo tight – I was a bit worried that if 3.7km hurt then what was I going to do tomorrow when I had to ride more than 10 times that. We got the race site and I chose the best spot for Sara’s bike, which was super close to the bike exit so she wouldn’t have to run too far with her bike. We went through the pre-race routine...check-in, transition set-up, a short dryland warm-up and then a short swim warm-up (swim would be non-wetsuit). Right before her race...*surprise*...Papa showed up. Sara and Papa hugged and cried...she was happy...and now even more psyched up to race. Sara exited the water 2nd, was 2nd after the bike and then 3rd after the run. Woohoo!! She had a massive cheering squad of me, Papa, Kevin, Ross and Tom there for support. It was awesome and very inspiring for me. After her race and all her fans left I just hung out in the hotel room, did some yoga, stretching on the roller, had a nice warm bath, and watched Helen Jenkins win the London ITU World Champs! For dinner I chose a very bland dinner of penne pasta with tomato sauce and chicken with a side of garlic bread from Boston Pizza (take-out). I actually went to Walmart to buy salt and pepper because I wouldn’t have been able to eat it otherwise. I ate at around 6pm and was in bed at 8pm.
Sunday:
The no-caffeine pre-race day plan worked and I slept all the way until 5am (9hrs!), when the radio and my blackberry woke me up-I actually was a bit sad not to hear Sara’s crickets. I started my day off with a round of yoga, got changed and packed up the car. I made a Tim’s stop on the way to the race course and had a plain bagel with peanut butter and jam and a medium black coffee. Ahhh...caffeine again! I got to the race site super early so I took my bike out for a 10 minute easy ride and I practiced getting on and off my bike with my shoes in the pedals. Then I went to check-in and pick a good spot in transition to set up my bike. Not as good as Sara’s, but I was limited by my bib#. Then I did a 5 minute easy run followed by some great warm-up exercises I learned from Paul Bregin. I finished setting up my transition area and then swam the course. I made sure I knew what to site for if the orange buoys were hard to see and got my feel for the water. Pre-race prep was done. Next, I went to the race directors of the Milk Tri Series to try to convince them I should be starting in the elite wave. First, I mentioned that I was a varsity swimmer and that didn’t work, then I said I would bike above 30km/hr, then I said I would probably finish the race in 2:15...ahhh, finally, that had them convinced. And now the expectations were set....
The swim was a time-trial start so I started 10 seconds back from the elite in front of me, in the third position. The swim felt great – I actually really liked the non-wetsuit. I had my trisuit on which basically feels like a bathing suit so I had no extra resistance in the water. There were no feet to draft off of, unfortunately, but I felt myself speeding up as I got into the groove of the race. I even passed two of the male Pros! It was a two-looped course and by the end of the second loop I saw, and passed, a fellow competitor, Ayesha, who started in the first position! OMG-I was now in first place (of the Pros!). I couldn’t help but be a little bit excited. My swim time (including the run to transition) was 22:08, not bad for a non-wetsuit swim! 5th fastest time of the race.
T1 was fast with no wetsuit to worry about. My bike mount was a little slow as my pedal had rotated to a different position than I wanted it in – but not bad considering it was all up hill!
The bike was on a great course and, other than a few sharp turns on some sandy patches and a couple speed bumps, the pavement was nice and smooth. The first 5km my legs were a bit stiff, but no more so than the start of the bike in any race. I guess it’s unavoidable since I tend to be a “kicker” type swimmer. After the big climb in the first 4km though they started to loosen up. I felt pretty good on the bike and was in a good rhythm up until the 17km mark, when we turned onto a side road and had a head wind and was all up and down hill. I lost my rythm a bit here but after the turnaround, with the wind at my back, I started to get in a groove again. I think it was the 30km mark when I was passed by Beth Primrose (a former top Canadian triathlete who is now 50 and still an outstanding triathlete!). For the next 8km I would be passing her and she would pass me. It was kind of fun – but having to slow my pace down when she passed to avoid drafting wasn’t. After the 38km mark I passed her for good and we came into T2 first and second. I couldn’t believe I was still in first after the bike! To quote my dad’s response to seeing me “She’s still in the lead after the bike, that’s a first!” Too bad Beth was still close behind. My bike split was 1:10.07 (34.2km/hr).
I exited T2 with Beth and we ran the first 3km together (4’06, 3’53, 3’58). My heart rate was staying around 170bpm and I didn’t feel too bad so I knew I wasn’t running too hard. Just after 3km Ayesha caught both of us and both her and Beth pulled ahead. I wanted to stay with them, but they picked up the pace too much and I didn’t think I could maintain their pace for the whole race. Stupid brain. At the 5km mark Beth had pulled ahead of Ayesha and I actually caught Ayesha (splits for 4, 5km were 4’03, 4’04). Ayesha didn’t like this and she picked up the pace again and once again my head got in the way and I let her go (6km split of 4’06). I started to feel a bit worse at around 6km (7km split of 4’15)...possibly because the two track sessions I have done led to about 5-6km of cumulative hard running...and my pace dropped a bit. I managed to hold mostly 4’08s though for the last 2km + 300m (my GPS clocked the course in at 10.3km). I finished the run in a time of 41:48 and the whole race in 2:15.36! Second place female overall and just 9 seconds ahead of Ayesha.
It was awesome to have a surprise fan, Papa, and mom and dad Bharadwaj and Rikki there to see me! They were great at cheering!
Next stop...Cornwall Olympic
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