Training Update/Adventures with my Cervelos

I thought that I haven't posted anything in awhile and it was time for an update! I would say that the right side of my body is rocking every single swim, bike and run workout! However...my left side needs to step up its game a bit - I guess it would help if it didn't keep getting injured. You may be confused by this, but it appears that one side of my body seems to adapt better to training than the other...while the right side continues to get stronger and stronger the left side just gets injured and then injured again! I've had every muscle group on the left side injured...the toes (stress fracture), the hip, the adductor, the calf, the outer knee, the inner knee, below the knee, the hamstrings and now the glute! What the hell!?! Although I have a great Chiro and RMT I need to find the root cause of this problem if I am going to fix it. I shouldn't complain too much, because I have still been able to complete all my training sessions and I am improving. However, I want to approach my workouts with the attitude of "Go hard or go home" type of thing and not the current "OK...now I have to make sure I don't go to hard, because I might get more injured and not be able to do the next workout at all". Anyway, since my last post I have received my brand new bikes from my new sponsors, Cervelo Cycles and Enduro Sport (who built and set me up on my bikes). Now I am the proud owner of an S5 road bike - who I have named Tez and a P3 tri bike, who is named Veloce - both names mean "fast" in Hindi and Italian, respectively. The names are suitable as I have ridden both and they are truly the fastest bikes I have ever been on. Not only that - but you would think that they have invisible shock absorption on them as I barely feel any crack or hole in the pavement. The Shimano Di2 ultegra groupset that is on the S5 is extremely smooth and reliable (just make sure you remember to charge the battery!). I climbed over 2000m on it during my cycling trip in Collingwood and I have never enjoyed cycling more!

The P3 Tri bike was put to the test on my 10K TT with the Newmarket Eagles on May 8th. I had only ridden it outside once before and I was actually a bit scared that it was too fast for me! It was easy to get comfortable on though and after only 20K I was completely at ease and ready to race it. Since it was my first TT with this group I was 3rd in the line-up to start. They rank you slowest to fastest and each person leaves 30s apart. I was pretty nervous before the start, but I was there with my fellow WattsUp-ers (James and Coach Adam)and they helped encourage me. When it was time to go I pushed off, probably looked a bit like a rookie as I fumbled to get my shoe clipped in to its pedal. As soon as I was clipped in I was off...and wow was I ever!!! I can't believe I shot through the air as fast as I did. I knew that it was a hilly course and there was a bit of wind that day, but I barely felt any of that. Not only was I aero (thanks to Chris from Enduro Sport - www.endurosport.com - and Scott from Fitt1st - www.fitt1st.com), but the watts I was pushing felt easier than normal (maybe that was because my legs were fresh after a lying in the hammock in Mexico - but certainly all the Margharitas would have countered that!). I think it has something to do with the stiffness of the frame and the fact that it was such a great anchor from which my legs could push from. I finished the 10K in a time of 16:30, which placed me second female, only 11s behind a fellow Pro triathlete (and super-nice!) Paolina Allan. Special congrats to Adam and James who also rocked the TT and cheered me on as we passed each other on the out-and-back course. We did WattsUp proud with our matching kits!

My next adventure with my Cervelos was last weekend in Collingwood. It was mainly a cycling trip with some running adding in as well. The total distance was about 400km on the bikes (total elevation gain of over 2500m) and 23km of running in 2 and a half days. I drove up to Collingwood on Friday morning and checked-in to my motel room at the Relax Inn - it may not have looked like much, but the staff and service there were awesome and the room had everything I could need - microwave, fridge/freezer, a bathtub and an outlet for my magic bullet (aka smoothie maker). My first ride was a 100km base ride on the S5 - what an adventure! The route I chose was part of the C50 (50 mile centurion course) and it was beautiful... the roads were in pristine condition, the drivers were accommodating of cyclists and the hills were never ending, which was perfect! However, at one point during the ride I heard nails clicking on the pavement behind me...so I looked behind me and saw a dog running at me baring its teeth (at 30+ km/hr I should add)! If I had been on an other road bike I may not have got away. If you look at my garmin data the clearly obvious peak heart rate marks the moment where it was me versus dog. The highlight of my trip involved an epic 108km ride with Janet and Pete. Thanks to them I now have a way better understanding of proper group riding etiquette, what it means to climb in zone 2 and how to descend without gripping the brakes! I should also point out how strong a rider Janet is...she is part of a 4 person all female team set to compete in the Race Across the West in June. Her, along with her team including fellow WattsUp athletes: Paula, Heather and Karyn, will complete the grueling 860 mile road race from Oceanside, CA to Durango, CO. They have all been putting in crazy hours on the bike and I can't wait to see them smash the field at RAW! These ladies are a perfect example of how WattsUp has helped recreational riders find their competitive side and make them as fit as can be. Some other highlights included the visit from Rikki on Saturday, my new super comfy sugio bike shorts and zoot tri shorts from Enduro Sport, the butternut squash with goat cheese ravioli, Janet's apple cinnamon protein muffins, the Chocolate Explosion cake that I couldn't even finish, the waitress asking me if all the food I ordered was just for me, getting to the top of Scenic Caves road without dying, napping and the bubble baths! The end of the trip was marked by a 40km interval based ride followed by a 45' run. I was tired, but rocked the workout and completed the run injury free! All in all, what a success!

So now I am just 2 weeks away from my debut race as a Professional and I am scared to hell...mostly that I will get injured again and not be able to train properly or even do the race! Thank-you so much to my sponsors for their support and for getting me this far! I will be in touch.

Chocolate Race 10 miler Race Report

I am excited to say that my first official race of the season was successful. I was a beautiful, sunny day, just a light wind, and the perfect running temperature! What more could a runner ask for? The day started off just before 6am. I had gone to bed at 8pm the night before and was feeling great! I hopped out of bed to start getting ready. Unfortunately, Rikki had not been able to sleep. Add this to the fact that he is not a morning person at all and you get a very cranky Rikki. The best way to deal with this situation may not have been for me to poke and prod at his head and say in a high squeaky voice "Honey...honey...honey...time to get up!" For next time, and some advice if anyone has ever been in this situation: go downstairs, brew an amazing cup of coffee, come back upstairs and hold it under his nose. Had this have been the approach I used I probably would have been more successful at getting him out of bed in a good mood. Anyway, so by 6:15am we were on the road. I plugged in the address of the race site into the GPS...ETA 7:23am...at this point Rikki (who still had not had his coffee) said, "the race starts at 9:15! why do we have to be their so early?" to which I replied "I need time to get ready." Now, if you know me, you know that I only need about 15 minutes after a workout to get changed, hair blow-dried, makeup on (when I wear it) and go out. However, when it comes to pre-race its a completely different story and I do not like to rush. Luckily, Rikki got his coffee before he was able to argue with me for too long on this one.

After parking the car, getting to the race site, picking up our race kits it was around 8:15am. It was pretty warm in the sun and I decided on what clothing I would keep on for the race. My running room hat, gloves and friction free socks were a must, my wave precision 12 running shoes (best shoes ever: cushioned & lightweight for racing!), lululemon long sleeved top with my race shirt over top and lululemon running tights. The race was at a beautiful location - Port Dalhousie. So we had a nice (romantic?) walk along the pier and I did some running drills and Rikki took some photos. A nice relaxing pre-race routine. Maybe we could have slept in for another 30 minutes...I guess I am just used to triathlons and having to set up a transition area...

OK, getting to the actual race. It was a small, local race so there wasn't too many people. I think probably around 600-700 participants in total and just over 260 people in the 10 miler. All this just to say that the start wasn't too crowded and from the very beginning I started out in 3rd place over-all. It was a pretty technical course as it was mostly on a dirt/gravel trail with lots of turns. You were either going up or down a hill almost the whole time. This made it tough to get into a groove and as a result I don't think it was a particularly fast course. However, it was still a lot of fun. I stayed within about 100-200 meters of the 2 guys ahead of me until the 8km turnaround. I think I split just over 32 minutes for the first half of the race. I would have liked to have been under 32, but given the terrain of the course I was pretty happy with this. After the turnaround to the 11km mark was amazing. I couldn't see the two race leaders anymore, but so many people were cheering for me and this really was inspiring! I tried to cheer for all of them...they were so supportive and I wanted to be equally so. I was really having a lot of fun. The race got a little bit more challenging from the 11km to the finish line though. The trail was a bit more crowded from all the people doing the 5 & 10km race and I spent more time trying to dodge them than I did focussing on my time. I think I may have scared Rikki as I whacked him on the back as I passed. The look on his face was not a happy one and I knew that he was probably not liking the hills on the course too much. Add fatigue to trying not to run into people (and I am so so so sorry to the person I did run into) and my back half of the race was about 30s slower than my first half. Overall time of 1:04:36 (1st female, 3rd overall participant). I was definitely happy with my result...but I have a long way to go if I want to run a sub-1:25 half-marathon off the bike in order to finish with the other Pros!!

A little bit more info about the race: This happened to be called THE CHOCOLATE RACE (http://www.thechocolaterace.com/ ) and it was unlike any other race I have done...they had chocolate covered strawberries and marshmellows at the aid stations and chocolate croissants, truffles, chocolate milk, etc. at the finish line. I would highly recommend it to any chocolate lover! However, maybe pocket the chocolate at the aid stations...Rikki told me that eating chocolate while running was not a good idea.

Now a little mini-break from training! I am off to Mexico for my beautiful sister's wedding in MEXICO! ~ Miranda

Spring Races: St. Pats 5K & Masters Provincials!

It's been awhile since I have posted and these race reports are long overdue (at least the St. Pats 5K one). As you may or may not know my running was sidelined after a 25km run at the end of February...a Family Day run I will not forget...awesome and agonizing run at the same time! Due to running that distance with a "stuck fibula" caused inflammation in my knee. My chiro explained to me that the IT band rubs over a fat pad that sits on top of the head of the fibula. This inflammation was felt during swimming, biking and running. Thanks to constant care from my chiro and RMT I was able to keep cycling and swimming, but not able to run or do weights. Starting the week of March 9th I slowly started running again, 15mins, day off, 20 mines, day off, ...etc. March 16th I did a 30min run with no pain so my coach decided I should run the St. Pats 5K race...since I was already registered (I had planned to run it slow and with Rikki). He told me hold 4min/km...and in my mind I was thinking (WHAT!?! My PB is only a 19:27..so basically I need to race it). Come race day I was feeling OK, but highly doubted I could hold 4min/km since I had only run 4 times in the past month (2hrs total) and all those runs were at 5min/km pace! Anyway, the race started and all these women past me at the start. Oh well, I thought, this is expected...and I kept a pace that was just below what I thought was 5km effort (HR of abour 175bpm). At the 1km mark I looked down at my split...WOW-3:40! And it was an easy 3:40...I kept up that just below 5km effort (my GPS watch was going a bit crazy at this point...saying I was on 2:22/km pace. ya, right!) and started to pass a few women. At the 2.5km turnaround I passed some YorkU track runners. That was when I picked up my pace to actual 5K race effort. No way was I letting them re-pass me. GPS watch was still going crazy for the rest of the race, so I just tried to keep my pace up. I kept passing people throughout the rest of the race...ya, I'm definitely an endurance runner! Not going to lie, the last 500m of the race I was definitely feeling the lack of training and my heart rate was soaring (into the 190s!), but soon I was passed the finish line in a new PB of 18:49!!! woohoo...with NO INTENSITY TRAINING! this was a good start to the season for sure. The only problem was that I would have to tell Adam that I had not followed his training plan AGAIN. Shoot.



OK, fast forward to the end of March...Master's Swimming Provincials. A new challenge was ahead: PB in the 1500m, 800m and 200m free...first race: lead-off in the 4x200m Free relay...time: 2:25:29! Woohoo new PB and a silver medal in the relay.,,despite Chris feeling less than stellar. Awesome start. 1500m of 19:05.50 ... a PB by 22 seconds. Sweet!!! And I had an awesome cheering squad of Adam, Faye and her boyfriend, Mamma, Papa, Sara, Kevin (coach of Thor Multisport)! On Sunday I raced the 200m free (2:26), 50m free in the medley relay (32.75s-would you believe that's also a PB?!) and 800m free (10:01.03) beating my old time by 24 seconds. I credit my best times mostly to my coach, Adam Johnston. His advice (high elbow catch!) and training program were what enabled my to post these best times. Also helping me along the way: Linda and Byron from the U of T Varsity Team, Shareen and Mike from Granite Masters. Thanks for everything!!

I also wanted to mention some other highlights from the meet: Katie Osbourne won something like 9 medals (I think all were gold for her individual events), the 4x50 mixed medley relay (Sean, Henry, Sue, Katie) were 0.50 seconds of a record! Andrea St. Jules rocked the 100 and 200fly and beat her seed time significantly! Mike swam a 1:05 100m fly (gold medal) after literally arriving at the pool deck 3 heats before his race, still in his jeans and with no suit on. Sean swam a 30s 50m backstroke, beating his time from his last provincials by a second (this is HUGE in a 50m race!). Mel swam 20:50 in the 1500, which is almost as fast as her pre-2nd baby swim in London 2 years ago...she also had many other fast swims and medals! Karen swam to bronze in the 50fly, silver in the 50 and 100 back, 200 fly and and gold in the 100fly and 200 back. How many medals was that?! Awesome. Other medallists were Chris, Kelly, Jon, Mark, Henry, Sarah F, Nicola Tory, Shareen and sorry if I forgot anyone else!!!

New Lactate Threshold! In March! Bring on race season 2012!

Can you guess why my new nickname is "Bullfrog?"

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.

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!

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