It's been a while...
As you can see, I've been terribly neglectful of this blog. What happened? Well - first my computer broke. Blogs are terribly difficult to maintain without a computer. Eventually, I got a new computer, but then something else happened. I learned that the problem with trying to maintain a blog about Ironman training, is that Ironman training destroys all your extra time. I had to make a choice - train or write about training. I decided it was in my best interest to actually train.
So what have I done for the last 9 months? Not a whole lot other than run, swim and bike. Mind you - I ran, swam and biked in a lot of places, with a lot of people, with varying degrees of success. I rode my bicycle all over Kona, including the Ironman course to Hilo and back. I swam in the ocean with dolphins. I did a half-ironman in Alberta. I swam across lakes all over British Columbia. I escaped from dogs, stampeding cows, and black bears on my bicycle; and finally I sat on my couch battling boredom through a 2 week taper.
Now, it's exactly 1 week until the Ironman, and I find myself, for the first weekend in almost a year, with no big athletic endeavor on the agenda. On Wednesday I leave to Penticton, and until then I will spend my time praying for cool weather (additional prayers are welcomed and encouraged), fending off any colds or illness, and trying to mentally prepare for what is sure to be a very difficult day.
I will update my blog next week, post-ironman...unless I don't finish and become horribly depressed and unable to face the world.
Sierra posted this on Aug 23, 2009 from the gym | | permanent link
New Mom!
Week 39: November 24 - November 30
Run: 10 km
Bike: 46 km
Swim: 6500 m
Ski: 20 km
My poor, neglected blog! It’s been shamelessly ignored for the last few weeks, but with good reason. I am a new Mom, and as all new Moms know, things are a bit hectic when your little one arrives.
Plans to bring home a new little one were made way back in August, when I first saw the newest addition to our family, but she only arrived this weekend from the Lower Mainland. I spent Friday afternoon glued to my office window watching for the Air North flight that was carrying my baby; and as soon as it arrived, I sped to the airport to get her.
She arrived packed tightly in bubble wrap and cardboard.
She was happy to break free and get her first big gulp of Yukon air.
Her name had been picked out long before her arrival and as soon as she emerged, I knew Snowbitch would suit her perfectly.
We brought her downstairs to meet her brothers and sisters.
Then she was whisked away for all-day surgery with the Bike Doctor, in the Whitehorse General Man Cave. Poor Starbuck was so worried about her, that he couldn’t stand to leave her side.
After six long hours, she was in tip-top shape and ready for her first journey onto the trails.
I thought the first week with Snowbitch would be relatively easy, with us getting to know one another and just revelling in the joy of a new relationship. Unfortunately disaster struck on the very first day I returned to work. In what seems to be a normal occurrence in Whitehorse these days, the power went out on Wednesday afternoon and the parking garage below my office began to fill with the dangerous smell of gas. Terrified that a gas explosion or something equally sinister might happen to my darling Snowbitch, I ran down the stairs, with only the emergency lights to guide me. Unlocked Snowbitch from her bike rack, hoisted her on my shoulder and carried her up four flights of stairs to the safety of my office. Snowbitch may be a new bike, but she isn’t a light one…I think pure adrenaline fuelled my final steps to the fourth floor.
Be assured there will be lots of photos of Snowbitch in the coming entries. Like a tiger cub, Snowbitch hasn’t quite developed her adult coloring, but it shouldn’t be long until she morphs into her final form and I look forward to sharing her journey into maturity!
Sierra posted this on Dec 02, 2008 from the gym | | permanent link
Brrr....
Week 37 and 38: November 10 - November 23
Run: 15 km
Bike: 55 km
Swim: 13000 m
Ski: 35 km
What do you do when the weather is cold and the sun sets early?
Run with friends.
Ski with friends.
Bike with (furry) friends.
Sierra posted this on Dec 02, 2008 from the gym | | permanent link
Bonne Fete a Moi
Week 36: November 3 - November 9
Run: 0 km
Bike: 16 km
Swim: 7000 m
Ski: 16 km
Every fall, right after the sun virtually disappears from the Yukon sky, my birthday emerges from the frost and snow. There are a few things that I really love about my birthday: I get to eat black forest cake, I get to buy 2 months worth of unnecessary luxuries entirely guilt free and I get an excuse to spend time with all my friends. I knew this birthday was going to have favorite items one, thanks to my new role as Lusia's temporary guardian. In fact, secretly I agreed to take on the Ward thanks to her incredible black forest cake making abilities.
After spending my real birthday with a lamb leg, a Ward and a husband; I planned to spend Saturday skiing and eating with some friends. The morning started as most Saturdays do, with a trip to a restaurant for breakfast. Imagine my surprise when into the restaurant walked my friend Paul and a monkey! Thankfully this monkey was not a lice carrying marsupial, but a mountain biking babe who had been very much missed since her departure from Whitehorse at the end of Summer. In a wonderfully unexpected birthday surprise, my friend Julie came up to help me celebrate my 27th year on this planet.
After a quick catch up over breakfast, we headed to Mt. McIntyre to try out my not quite as surprising birthday present - a new pair of skis. The reason these skis weren't a surprise is because in manipulative Scorpio fashion, I harassed and wrangled various members of my family to purchase them as a gift. In the end I had boots from my Father, skis from my Husband and bindings from Starbuck - all together they made up the first new pair of brand new skis I've ever owned. There couldn't be a better year to have gotten skis, as the early snow and cold has meant the early opening of the ski trails.
This photo shows how poorly Paul and I pose for "action photos".
Paul, Julie, Tony and I spent the afternoon skiing with the doggies and eating yummy chocolate. Not much more you could ask for on a birthday weekend!
After the exercise portion of the evening, we headed to Lusia's house to take advantage of the fact her parents' are out of town and enjoy a prime rib dinner and bonfire. I was lucky enough to get some custom cupcakes care of Barb, complete with rubber chickens and crayola crayon candles (look closely).
In the end I had a fabulous birthday, and I look forward to a 27th year full of good wine and good friends (oh yeah, and lots of training).
Sierra posted this on Nov 12, 2008 from the gym | | permanent link
I am the Egg Man, I am the Otter
Week 35: October 27 - November 2
Run: 0 km
Bike: 16 km
Swim: 3500 m
Ski: 25 km
While attempting to recover from the Fall of pain and illness, I have spent more time in the pool than anywhere else. Most of this time has been spent with the newly formed Whitehorse Master's Swim Club, which has been an experiment in humiliation. To put it bluntly, swimming is not my strong suit. In fact, swim club is pretty much a full hour of horrible pain while I desperately try to keep up with a lane full of fish.
I don't quite understand why swimming is such an exercise in futility. In fact, I feel like it's downright unfair that I move so slowly through the water. In the game of "Which Animal are You?", I have long considered myself a Sea Otter. While the connection might not be obvious, just think your last zoo or aquarium visit where otters were concerned - "Mommy - look at that otter, isn't it adorable? It looks like it is purposely playing right in front of the glass so that everyone will look at it and ignore the much cuter baby beluga next door. Mommy - is it true that otters have a subcutaneous level of fat that helps them maintain a constant level of activity over extended periods of time?". Given my obvious resemblance to the otter, you would think that I could glide through the water with speed and ease. Adding insult to injury is the fact that I love the water - there is nowhere I'd rather be than sitting in the lake at Lac La Biche. Apparently I just don't love moving through water.
Swim Club happens three times a week at the ungodly hour of 7:00 am. This is not quite as ungodly as the freaks who take the 6:00 am Swim Club, but it is still painfully early. We are supposed to start class with a "Warm-Up", which feels less like a warm-up and more like the first foray into pain. I usually only make it halfway through before the rest of class is finished and ready to move onto part II. I'm not sure what the technical term for the second phase of class is, but I like to think of it as the "Exploding Head and Lungs Journey into Hell". This is where we swim certain lengths in certain periods of time. Most people get a rest after each couple lengths, I can barely make the time-lines given and seem to swim most of the lengths in succession. After this portion, we practice other strokes. I don't know how to do any of these other strokes, so I just flop around in the water like a drowning rat and hope nobody notices. The best part about all this is that I get to do the entire thing in a bathing suit.
Sierra posted this on Nov 09, 2008 from the gym | | permanent link
Working out in Absentia
Week 34: October 20-27
Run: 0 km
Bike: 0 km
Swim: 1500 m
For the second time in a month, I caught a flight out of Winter and headed down South to much milder weather of British Columbia. This time my trip was work related - which didn't stop me from visiting with friends and abandoning all semblance of a work-out plan. There were two things that I realized when in Vancouver this month: working out and working holiday do not mix; and Vancouver has become a refuge of lost/misplaced friends.
Despite my best efforts and greatest intentions, I seem incapable of sustaining any kind of work-out plan while on work trips. Every time I go to Vancouver, the number of excuses for not working out seems to grow. This year alone, 3 Whitehorse friends abandoned the Yukon for the great lower Mainland dream. That combined with my glorious SFU friends and recently transposed Edmonton friends and I need a blackberry to plan out a social schedule for the week.
This trip I managed a few new Vancouver highlights:
1. Wine/Cheese Bar
I actually managed to hit two wine/cheese places in Vancouver this time. The first, called Salt, is located in the aptly named Blood Alley. Walking to this restaurant down Water Street brought up some fond memories of University and the beginnings of my love affair with Anthony. In fact, Salt was located only a few blocks from the seedy hotel room that Anthony occupied (and I never saw due to the no Visitors rule) during our last year of University. It was surprising Gastown's transformation from seedy to chic; and walking to an expensive eatery via an alley way spotted with junkies shooting heroin was a bit odd. The juxtaposition of Vancouver's rich and poor has always been shocking, but this was the first time I wondered if the new condos and restaurants were actually using the poverty and drug addiction as part of their 'decor'. That being said, strictly tastebuds speaking, Salt was delicious, but not recommended for the very hungry. The menu is strictly meat, cheese and wine; and the staff are happy to pair it up in some delicious combinations. I enjoyed the wine and cheese so much that I spent Saturday night at Soma, which I find equally delicious, although slightly less exciting in its surroundings.
2. Shopping
Despite spending almost 4 years living in the lower Mainland, I never realized where all the great shopping was until I came back to Vancouver as a tourist. This is probably because for the entire time I lived in Vancouver, I had no money to shop and used the local Value Village as the source of all goods. Now, I wander up and down Main Street and West 4th to find all sorts of fabulous goodies. The best store I've seen yet is the Regional Assembly of Text, a little shop that sells stationary, card and an assortment of printed materials. As a focused shopper, I honed in on all things bicycle and came out of the shop with a button, stationary, shirt and lovely pair of bicycle briefs.
3. Bike Shops
The great thing about Vancouver is the multitude of bike shops that line every street. I've often extolled the virtues of the bike paths of Vancouver, but equally impressive are the shops. The biking population of Vancouver is able to support fixie shops, triathlon shops, cruiser shops, bmx shops and everything in between. This can be challenging for me, as I often return to Whitehorse with a bunch of accessories I don't actually need. Occasionally, I make it back to the Yukon with something that is a necessity. This time I found a special lighting system that will we revealed when Snowbitch the Pugsley when she makes her debut.
Sierra posted this on Nov 09, 2008 from the gym | | permanent link
Letting Go
Week 28/29: September 8-21
Bike: 80 km (more downhill than uphill...physically impossible if not for a shuttle)
Run: 200 m in the pool (which equals 3 hours of pool running)
Swim: 3000 m
Growing up, my Mom had a sign above the kitchen that said "Relax - God's in Control". Whether you believe in a higher power or not, sometimes it's nice to think somebody out there has got it all figured out, because I apparently don't. The past two weeks have involved putting my life into the hands of others (not God - but Kate, who as far as I'm concerned is pretty darned close)and ice packs/antibiotics/Ibuprofen. I prefer when I am completely in charge, but considering the circumstances, it hasn't been too horrible.
Following the glory that was the Klondike Road Relay, I decided to try my luck at the local 5 km Tuesday race. Thanks to a very low turn out, I managed to not only set a personal best and crack the 25 minute mark, but also win the women's side of the race. This was recorded in posterity by the Yukon News which graciously identified me as "marathon runner Sierra van der Meer". I found this an interesting description, as it is almost as accurate as saying "Red Sea diver Sierra van der Meer", which I've also done once. You have to love Yukon newspapers for helping bolster the self-esteem of all their lowly readers. While basking in my new achievement (and subsequent fame and glory), I failed to notice that my knee was not feeling nearly as happy as I was.
It appeared that a mere four weeks before the marathon, I was going to be temporarily unable to run. This meant that instead of running, I would have to spend some time enjoying the last weeks of fall and final days of mountain biking. With the colors changing, the bike riding became more like bike and click, than anything else. Tony and I enjoyed a trip down what is soon becoming my favorite Whitehorse ride - El Camino/Blues Brothers.
As you can see, Sheera is practically camouflaged in amongst the autumn leaves.
Even Starbuck looks classy against the multi-colored foliage.
After the El Camino ride with Tony I was feeling surprisingly confident in my new mountain biking abilities and decided to step it up a notch and try one of the more difficult trails. This is not something I would be capable of doing on my own, and recruited some friends to take me down the hill o' death (I needed back up that could call the ambulance if I went down in a horrible accident). The four girls decided to head up to Easy Money on the top of Grey Mountain. As you can see - 3 of the girls are excited about the trip and one (yes, it's me) is terrified at what could be her last fully mobile sports activity.
As promised, Monika, Kate and Jocelyn kept me safe and managed to get me all the way down the hill - on my bike! Logic (and physics) says that going down the hill should be faster than going up, but my hesitancy meant lots of additional waiting while I cried in fear. Despite my pleas to walk, Kate convinced me that I could (and should) go down on the bike, despite the insane grade. Eventually, we made it all the way down the hill, and while I'm not sure that I'll do Easy Money again, I certainly find everything else a little bit easier.
My newly acquired over-confidence convinced me that a trip to Carcross would be a great way to practice more adrenaline pumping downhill biking. I was slightly worried about being the slowest one in the group, but thought I should take advantage of the expertise of mountain biking experts like Monika:
And Paul Gowdie:
The day of Carcross fun ended with one broken wrist, one separated shoulder and four flight tires. Is it wrong that I'm happy it wasn't me? The rides down Montana included some hike and bike, but less hike and more bike than before. While I'm not hucking off any sweet jumps, I am slowly conquering my fear of the steep. I'm also learning all about the glories of shuttling - in theory shuttling ruins the purity of the ride - in practice in means no up and just down. Shuttling rocks!
While all the biking has been fun, I am still left with the slight problem of three weeks until a marathon that I've never run more than 3 hours, or 26 km in preparation for. Between unhappy knees and newly diagnosed tonsilitis, I'm feeling less than confident and more than worried. I had hoped for a sub 4:15 marathon, but now I'm hoping to finish. I'm still trying to figure out what to do: Option 1 is try to finish the Victoria Marathon, Option 2 is forget about Victoria and try for the Seattle Marathon at the end of November. I'll see if these antibiotics do me any good, and I hope to be running by Saturday.
Sierra posted this on Sep 24, 2008 from the gym | | permanent link
Ironman-arama-ding-dong
Week 25: August 18-August 24
Bike: 42 km (12 km on mountain)...I've been a bike slacker lately!
Run: 23 km
Swim: Zip, zero, zilch...although I did frolic in the Okanagan Lake
Winery stops: 7 - which resulted in 12 bottles of vino
It's only fair to warn you before you start reading, that this is a very long post. But, lets face it, this is a post on Ironman, so having anything shorter than an endurance read would be contrary to the very spirit of the event.
As most people know, I have been training for the 2009 Ironman. If you don't know this, you've been probably pretty stumped by the blog structure and wondering why I keep talking about exercise. At the end of August, I headed down to Penticton to move the 2009 Ironman dream a little closer to reality, by actually registering for the event. I also used the opportunity to watch my first Ironman and plan a race strategy for next year (race strategy = survive).
I was lucky to have a friend, Nadele from Whitehorse who was participating in Ironman and willing to share a room with me. Thanks to some over-eager planning on my part, I'd managed to secure a bed and breakfast (Spiller's Estates) last November at a nice little winery uphill from downtown Penticton. The Ironman weekend started early Saturday morning when Nadele and I headed downtown to the Athlete's village to drop off bikes, pick up bags and look at all that Ironman had to sell. The only downside to Ironman (besides the long swim, bike and run) is that it can sometimes seem more like a store than an athletic event. You can get any piece of clothing imaginable, water bottles, cups, shot glasses and even mouse pads nicely decorated with the Ironman logo. In addition to the Ironman logo-ed paraphernalia, there are plenty of sponsors showing off their wares - all of whom are guaranteed to improve your Ironman time and experience. The one sponsor of interest to me was Cervelo, who was demo-ing various road bikes. I knew it was a bad idea to try out a new bike, but couldn't resist the sweet appeal of a Cervelo RS. I just may need a road bike for next year (54 inches if anyone is looking to buy me a gift).
After Nadele got most of her gear ready and I realized I couldn't afford anything they were selling, I headed to Skaha beach for some surf and sand. Ben and Jill, my friends from Edmonton, were in Penticton watching a friend compete and were my beach buddies for the day. My over-eagerness to enjoy the sunny beach resulted in a very burnt back, a necessary, but painful consequence of my vitamin D doping pre-winter darkness. After ice creams and iced lattes, I headed back to the hotel, knowing that Sunday would be a very long day.
Ironman started in the early hours of Sunday morning as Nadele woke up to eat her pre-race meal, and I prepped for a heavy day of spectating. We headed into Penticton at stupid o'clock in the morning, and I dropped Nadele off and combed the packed streets for a parking spot. Despite the fact it was only 6 o'clock in the morning, thousands of spectators were already cramming the shores of Lake Penticton, craning their necks to spot family and friends in amongst the pink and blue headed swimmers.
As the clock ticked down, the swimmers migrated towards the start line. When the gun went off, the pink and blue swim caps disappeared into a swarm of splashing water.
While the swimmers started off on their 4 km trek, the crowd's attention span quickly expired. I snuck away and ducked behind a big bush, squeezing myself between the branches and a chain link fence. Like a prepubescent Peeping Tom, I stared lecherously at the abundant bike porn laid out in front of me.
Rows upon rows of Zipp wheels, carbon fibre frames and aerodynamic water bottles stood in front of me. It only took 55 minutes for the bike show to begin, as the first pro came out of the water and grabbed his bright orange Trek bike and started on his 180 km bike ride. I stuck around to watch all the pros pick up their bikes (mostly Cervelos, with the occasional Scott and Guru joining the ranks). After almost an hour, I decided to move to a better place to watch riders head down the street and onto the highway. I managed to cheer Nadele through on her bike, then hopped into her car to see if I could catch the cyclists partway through their race.
It didn't take me long to realize a major flaw in the spectating plan. Not only did I have NO clue where the bike race ran, I also had no idea what the road system around Penticton looked like. Thankfully, I'm a very resourceful girl and realized that all I needed to do is follow one of the many other support vans. I tucked in behind a maroon minivan adorned with Go Paul Go! and other messages of supports from some guy from Alberta. About 15 minutes down the highway we turned into a charming hotel parking lot - oops...I guess I followed the wrong car. I turned around, headed back down the highway, this time following a car until I reached a pylon - a sure-fire indication of a race course. I got to Okanagan Falls just in time to watch Nadele's spandex shorts go tearing by. Fed up with my poor spectating strategy, I decided to alter my observation schedule for the rest of the day.
My new plan took me to the Main Street of Penticton, on the corner of Starbucks and Weenie Wagon. A mere 5 hours after hitting the water, the first cyclist came tearing down the street, with me perched on a garden box at the corner. I had managed to find myself in the perfect place to watch cyclists finish, runners start, and exhausted competitors reach the final 2 km. It only took a couple minutes until I realized that the number of spectators was creating some real chaos, that wasn't adequately being controlled. The chief volunteer was looking for some help, so I jumped off my garden box, grabbed a volunteer shirt and started one of my favourite activities - bossing people around. Truthfully, telling people to keep off the street is not my idea of fun, but it did give me the greatest viewpoint possible. The highlight was watching Belinda Granger leading the women back from the marathon. The only person looking happier than Belinda were the hundreds of women along the street - thrilled to see a girl "chicking" most of the competition.
After volunteering for a couple more hours, I started my personal Ironman event. The folks at Ironman are serious about endurance and have decided to take it to the next level by making waiting in line a serious endurance activity. Everywhere you went at Ironman there was a line - and these weren’t little piddly 10 km lines, or even marathon lines, these were serious Ironman lines where you could expect to wait for hours, so you better bring your Gatorade and power gel. Thankfully, unlike biking, swimming and running, line standing is an event that I have the capacity to win.
My main line standing event started at around 4:00 pm on Saturday, when I joined a fellow Yukoner, in the registration line. At this point we were third in line, and ready to spend a rainy night, camped in a small tent outside of the Ironman tents in downtown Penticton. In keeping with the endurance theme, I worked at staying awake and warm throughout the entire night. I was lucky to get a break from my line waiting duties to watch Nadele cross the finish line in all her Ironman glory, and got a real sense of the overwhelming crowd support at the end of an excruciating 42 kilometres. Ultimately, it was the cheering, music and announcer that convinced me that Ironman would be worth all 1019 minutes it might take.
The race director woke us up bright and early on Sunday morning to start shuttling the line up into the main area and get us ready for registration. Because I volunteered I was shuttled into a separate line and found myself set to be the very first General Entry of Ironman 2009. That’s right - I already won something at Ironman! Sure it wasn’t the swim, bike, or run portion (or even the transition part), but first is first and I was the first one to put my name down and commit to $658 worth of pure pain! The picture shows all those people who didn't win first in line to register (or as I like to call them, the losers). When I watch them all pass me next year, I'll hold on to my small victory on August 25, 2008
Post-registration, Nadele and I enjoyed the other big tourist draw of Penticton - wineries. We cruised up and down the road to Naramata sampling fruit wines, grape wines and anything else people were willing to give us for free. I ended up with a box load of treats that Nadele was nice enough to bring back to Whitehorse for me.
The registration is done, the money paid, the wine tasting over, now I have 52 weeks to get my body ready for what might be the most physically demanding experience of my life!
Sierra posted this on Sep 10, 2008 from the gym | | permanent link
Rest and Run
Week 22: July 28-August 3
Bike: 39 km
Run: 24 km
Swim: 0 m
When the days are long it's hard not to be out and about enjoying the light. The choice of whether to rest or work is not always yours to decide. This week, my body decided to force me into relaxation by inflicting a horrible cold onto my respiratory system. For five days I slept more hours than I spent awake. This was a nice opportunity to catch up on long forgotten soap operas, whose plot lines stayed eerily the same, and to loiter in my garden. In honor of not moving, I finally put up the hammock that I bought in Belize and read in amongst the fireweed.
After five brutal days, it was the weekend and time for the Yukon Trail Marathon. Right up to Sunday morning, I wasn't sure what exactly I was going to run. The only thing I knew for sure is that we had some left over faerie wings from our 24 Hours of Light extravaganza that were begging to be re-used. Our team included Tracy, Lisa, Jenn and our special mascot Miss Annie.
The Yukon Trail Marathon is a horrendously hilly 42 km course that weaves along the Yukon River and through many of the trails that I frequent near Hidden Lakes. The first leg was run by Tracy, who was brave enough to start running straight out of her car and onto the course due to a slight timing error. Next up was Jenn, who took the run from the Miles Canyon Bridge along the river trail all the way to Chadburn Lake. Note the fairy wings that are helping her navigate the ridge:
Next, Lisa was nice enough to share leg 3 with me. To describe leg 3 as hilly is an understatement, and I was glad to have someone to endure the horror with. Back at the Miles Canyon bridge, Lisa rejoined the team and I continued down the final 14 km back to Rotary Park. I had managed to pre-run leg 4 last Friday, but soon realized that running that marathon course was a bit like childbirth...after you're done, you forget just how horrible it was. This selective memory issue caught up to me as soon as I got off the Schwatka Lake Trail and started into the hills of death. The run culminated with a brutal climb up "Heartbreak Hill", which should be called "Heart Attack Hill". This hill is located 3 scant kilometers from the finish line and involves scrambling up a cliff-like structure. I'd love to watch the front runners tackle this hill, because I can barely walk up the thing, let alone run it. Poor Jen was forced to walk up the entire hill just to capture photos of my triumphant conquest.
After 24 brutal kilometers, I made it over the finish line with a total team time of just over 5 hours and went straight into the river to ice my aching legs. Next up - the Long Lake Triathlon...
Sierra posted this on Aug 06, 2008 from the gym | | permanent link
Carb Loading
Warning - nothing that I write in this post was responsible, encouraged, or intelligent. Unfortunately, a significant amount of what I do falls under the categories of stupid, immature and potentially dangerous.Week 21: July 21-July 27
Bike: 48 km
Run: 25 km
Swim: 750 m
An important part of training is nutrition and for the last couple months, I've been trying to figure out what the perfect nutritional supplement is for long runs and rides. So far I've tried Enduromax (good results - disgusting taste), First Endurance (good results - disgusting taste) and Gatorate (yummilicious, but not good in the long term). This week a group of us decided to investigate the qualities of a variety of carb loaded drinks.
As with any event - Jenn and I could not resist the temptation of dressing up, and dragged our friend Julie into our costume obsessed world. We decided to go as tarnished Beauty Queens and dressed accordingly.
The race course was set up on a flat path up near Grey Mountain. Teams were randomly chosen, although through some odd twist of fate the Beauty Queens ended up together. The goal of the event was to race laps of the course and in between consume carbohydrate loaded beverages. The beverages seemed to assist with the timing of the race, but had some odd side effects. It appeared as thought the beverages led to an skin irritation that caused the sudden removal of clothing. Even Starbuck suffered from this odd side effect when he lost his shirt to Tony.
In the case of the Beauty Queens, somehow we went in the forest wearing one outfit and came out wearing another...odd...clearly this is something that should be considered before using these beverages in a race setting.
The event finished with Ben, Jonah and Stephen destroying everyone while managing to retain all their clothing.
This week was a pretty pathetic training week due to work commitments that meant 12 hour days on Tuesday and Wednesday. Unfortunately it's not nearly as pathetic as next week will be. I've been battling illness since Monday (I write this on Friday) and have been out of commission.
Sierra posted this on Aug 01, 2008 from the gym | | permanent link
Ice Bath
Week 20: July 14-July 20
Bike: 129 km (100 on the road, 29 on trail)
Run: 36 km
Swim: 1 hour and 20 minutes in the lake
For many years, I spent my Alberta summers in Lac La Biche at the Maccagno cabin. While there, I was famous for lounging in the warm water for the entire days and spending the entire weekend in my swimsuit. Since moving to the Yukon my lake hours have been tragically limited. For some strange reason, swimming in glacial waters does not appeal to me...it must be something about liking to keep my body at 37 degrees celsius.
The sad fact about a triathlon, is that there is a swimming portion that is usually held in an outdoor lake/ocean/body of water. It is only in places like the Yukon where outdoor swimming could mean mass-hypothermia where a swimming pool is used in the first leg of the race. As I am planning to do some triathlons South of 60, I decided it was time to get in the water. (You'll have to watch the first 45 seconds of the clip to get my fabulous little joke).
Since I don't have Ryan Gosling, or a cute 50's style bathing suit, I needed to get a wetsuit. Thankfully the Polar Swim Shop in Whitehorse carries suits that are made for Yukon summers (or B.C winters). Because Mary-Anne, who owns the shop, regularly swims in the frigidly cold Marsh Lake, I fully trusted her opinion of appropriate outdoor swim gear. The only problem with this, is that Mary-Anne's expertise is widely known, so every other girl in the Yukon is sporting the same outfit - how embarrassing...
Cassandra and I bought identical suits and began meeting for open water swims. Our mutual fear of drowning made us perfect partners for swimming beside the shore in 3 foot deep water. In addition to some regular Thursday night meetings, we decided to take advantage of Mary-Anne's generosity and join her in Marsh Lake.
There is not much I can say about Marsh Lake - partially because I suffered permanent brain damage from immersion in ice water. The amazing thing about it is that between my ankles and neck, I remained relatively comfortable. It is really only those unfortunate areas left uncovered by neoprene that made me empathize with Sam McGee and wish for a furnace to crawl into. Despite the crazy cold, there is no swimming pool in the world with a better view to enjoy and no lifeguard that is as nice as Mary-Anne. PLUS, there were hot smokies and coffee cake when we got out - which was much better than the Cheetohs available in the vending machines at the Canada Games Center.
After the swim, I rode my bike 60 km back to Whitehorse with a super-triathlete. We had a raging tailwind that made the ride fast and fun. it was also an eye-opener to the advantages of training with someone faster, stronger, etc... I had my butt kicked up every hill leading into Whitehorse, and I certainly did my best to keep up - forcing myself to pedal faster than I would if by myself.
The only real tragedy of the day was using my waterproof camera to take some pictures. Turns out that my new Olympus Stylus 770 was waterproof until used in the water. I was excited when buying my Stylus because of its underwater picture abilities, so when I watched it slowly fill with water, it was a bit disappointing. On Monday morning I quickly phoned the Olympus warranty center (because in a great miracle, it had actually broken on day 89 of a 90 day warranty), only to be told that I had to magically transport my camera to Markham Ontario to be evaluated BEFORE the 90 days, or it would not be covered. Shockingly, I think that sounds slightly unfair, since the actual breakage clearly occurred within the covered period. I've sent it to Olympus and am hoping that they will get it fixed. If not, I will unleash great blog rage on Olympus.
Sierra posted this on Jul 28, 2008 from the gym | | permanent link
I'm It
Jill from Juneau tagged me with this little meme that was originated by Elden from Fat Cyclist (a much enjoyed blog and excellent source of fashionable jerseys).
If you could have any one — and only one — bike in the world, what would it be?
Princess - the most favored of all the bikes. Princess is my Giant Cruiser and primary mode of transportation to and from work. While all my other bicycles (current and/or future) serve some sort of specific and much appreciated service, Princess meets my most basic needs by getting me to and from downtown. More importantly, you can easily blow bubbles, facebook your friends, or sip a hot latte while cruising down the street.
Do you already have that coveted dream bike? If so, is it everything you hoped it would be? If not, are you working toward getting it? If you’re not working toward getting it, why not? I do not have my coveted Cervelo R3 road bike, but no worries, I'm working towards it. I've officially done a deal with the devil...I mean Mom (who I should clarify is not evil, just really generous and would never ever back out on a promise to her lovely daughter). In exchange for the Cervelo R3, I will produce a grandchild of curly blond locks and piercing blue eyes. It's a great deal, because my womb is vacant and my garage has space available. Once said bike is in the garage, I have 2 years to either attach a Chariot to the back or the bike will be repossessed by the Grandma Brigade. If I knew I could so easily pawn my children, I'd have a house full of bikes and possibly a problem with a small man named Rumpelstiltskin.
If you had to choose one — and only one — bike route to do every day for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why? I'm not sure if it is a blessing, or pathetic that I choose the very path that I do ride everyday - the Whitehorse Millennium trail. There are lots of logical reasons I would choose this path - first of all it is paved with concrete and only 5 km around. This makes it ideal for a geriatric 85 year old woman trying to motor around her bright pink cruiser. See - I'm a forward thinker that knows that the favored 200 km stretch of road today won't be much fun when I'm on a diet of prune juice and mushed carrots. On a more positive note - the millennium trail is a beautiful route along the Yukon River that boasts flowers, wild strawberries and the occasional beaver or eagle.
What kind of sick person would force another person to ride one and only one bike ride to to do for the rest of her / his life? Either some demonic presence - or the same crazy person that pedals their exercise bike through the entire DVD collection of Melrose Place. Wait...was this a rhetorical question? Was I even suppose to answer that?
Do you ride both road and mountain bikes? If both, which do you prefer and why? If only one or the other, why are you so narrowminded? Yes I ride both. At the moment, I prefer my road bike. There is something about the constant pedaling, and straight concrete road that leads you to a place of meditation that $1500 worth of yoga classes never could. Plus - I have to admit, there is something comforting about knowing that the next endo is not just around the corner.
Have you ever ridden a recumbent? If so, why? If not, describe the circumstances under which you would ride a recumbent. I have never ridden a recumbent. In order to get me on a recumbent, you would need the perfect set of conditions - me and a recumbent bike. So far the universe has not aligned, but I have faith that someday it will all come together in perfect harmony.
Have you ever raced a triathlon? If so, have you also ever tried strangling yourself with dental floss? I have raced a couple of triathlons and plan to race a couple more. I have decided that triathlons are perfect for those people who aren't particularly talented at any one sport. Mediocrity at all three can somehow propel you right to the middle of the pack. Right now, I'm planning for 2 half ironmans and a full ironman in 09. Also - I have never tried strangling myself with dental floss, I don't suspect I ever will...I've got a bit of a phobia of the dentist and floss reminds me of my psychotic dental hygienist.
Suppose you were forced to either give up ice cream or bicycles for the rest of your life. Which would you give up, and why? Ice cream because there is still Frozen Yogurt, Gelato and Sorbet to meet my frozen dessert needs. Plus, if I stopped eating ice cream I could save thousands of dollars on trying to reduce my bike weight by 38 grams because I'd be so much svelter.
What is a question you think this questionnaire should have asked, but has not? Also, answer it. If you could destroy anyone in a 24 Hours of Light solo event and make her wish she was never born who would it be? Tough question, but I think I'm going to go with Jill from Juneau.
You’re riding your bike in the wilderness (if you’re a roadie, you’re on a road, but otherwise the surroundings are quite wilderness-like) and you see a bear. The bear sees you. What do you do? If I'm in a group, look around and see if I'm the slowest cyclist. Chances are I will be - and in that case jam a pump in someone's spokes and pedal like hell. I suppose if I was alone I would beg the bear to take me and spare my innocent bike.
Now, tag three biking bloggers. List them below. What do I do when the only biking bloggers I know have already done this. Was this question designed just to make me feel bad about my lack of internet based social skills? I'll have you know I have 138 Facebook friends, so it's not like I'm a total loser...just a biking loser apparently. That's it - I'm going to eat ice cream, it's going to take a whole tub to get over this incident... I will tag the one and only bike blogger that I know and that hasn't been tagged - Mr. Daniel Sessford superbiker of the Yukoner.
Sierra posted this on Jul 24, 2008 from the gym | | permanent link
