Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Richard all smiles as he enjoys his 1st IM

Gord with 1 mile to the Finish

Maureen on the run

Greg on the run

Bikers at Ironman

Good Wishes

Anyone need a pump? (Transition)

Buoys at IMC

Good Luck

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Ironman Canada

IronMan Canada took place on Sunday. What an amazing day. The lake was calm, no clouds and perfect temperature for the start. I was lucky to find Darryl, Lyndsey and Tammy to share the start. The racers were off. Some swam hard while others took their time to walk into the lake and find their own piece of water. An ironman start is one of the greatest sights to observe. I had a moment where I wished I was also swimming. And then that moment passed. :)

We moved to Main St to watch the cyclists start their 180 km journey. The crowds lined the street and the energy from the crowd was wonderful. It looked like a scene from the Tour de France. What a great sendoff for all the cyclists. After cheering for a while we then slowly made our way to breakfast at the Hotel where we joined Janet. We laughed that we were enjoying a delicious meal while the athletes were consuming gatorade and Gels. Mmmm!

After this I moved to the bike course and made my way close to the special needs and I cheered each cyclist as the rode by. They had a tail wind and were flying. It was great to watch. Once again I had a moment where I wished I was riding, and then it passed. After cheering everyone on I then made my way back to town and cheered at the 4 mile mark on the run. First to run by was Gord, I missed Maureen. He was struggling after a solid ride and was hoping to get his running legs back. Next up was my brother Greg and he looked very happy to be running in Ironman. His plan was to run as much as he could. Next up was Richard and he gave me a great photo op. He also looked great and very happy to be on the course. My digital camera is too slow and I did not get many great shots at this race. Sorry!

In the end, Maureen finished with a time of 12:25. She had a great swim 1:01, solid bike 6:01 and a disappointing run due to sore calves at 5:10. Overall Maureen was very pleased with her day and was proud to be an IronMan.

Gord also had a great swim of 1:03 and another solid ride at 6:07. His run was a bit off pace at 5:32 giving him a total time of 12:56. I have yet to talk to him about his race but I am sure that he is happy to have crossed that finish line. Gord also raised money for prostate cancer in his Ironman effort.

Greg had a steady swim of 1:21 a fast bike at 6:39 and a marathon with very little walking 5:14. His total time was 13:26. He was very happy as he crossed the finish line and looked a bit too good. That must be my brother trying to show me up eh!

Richard had a great swim at 1:31. He was pleased to follow feet throughout the swim. He had a very good bike 6:49 and then a steady marathon of 6:03 to bring him home in 14:39. He was proud to call himself an Ironman.

I was very proud to watch everyone race and I wished I could have run each of you to the finish line. Your hard work paid off and you are all Ironmen / Ironwomen. Watching the race from the sidelines makes me appreciate all the effort each person puts out to complete the day. Congrats again and enjoy the off season!

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Kelowna's Apple Triathlon

Today was the Apple triathlon in Kelowna. This was the last race for many athletes this season. It is such a good race. Sandy had her best ever triathlon today. Strong Swim, pushed on the bike and ran a 10km PR. She is sad that there are no more races to sign up for this summer. Frank was also in Kelowna. He had a good day as well but felt he could have pushed the pace a bit. He is training for a big race in Australia in the late Fall. Darryl was also racing today. This was his key race of the year. He nailed it. Solid in all 3 events, he ended up placing 2nd in his age group and 12 overall. Well done!
Lyndsey was also racing. This was Lyndsey's last race of the summer. How did she do? 1st in her age group and 3rd overall. What a great way to end the season. Darryl and Lyndsey used this race to qualify for the Worlds in Germany next summer. Congrats to all the racers today and next week is Ironman.

A special good luck to Greg, Gord, Maureen and Richard at their 1st ever IM.

You guys all Rock!

New Training Partner

Today I ran with my new training partner. He is smoking Fast! I had to ask him to slow down as I could not keep up. He is also much younger than I am. That is my excuse and he also has 4 legs. Yes, my partner is a golden retriever named Pooch. I ran with him for the 1st time for 35min. He is now fast asleep. I, on the other hand am re-energized. I am looking forward to getting back into running with Pooch. After watching all the triathlons this year I could not help be inspired by everyone. You all did wonderful. My new goal is to sign up for Great White North and race it. I am very exciting about this and I can not wait to go to Ironman and cheer everyone this weekend.

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Bragg Creek (Coffee and treats)


Today was the last bike class of the summer. We took it very easy and rode to Bragg Creek for coffee and some treats. I was looking foward to my nanimo bar all week. MMmmm!

The weather was perfect. Sunny and very little wind. What a great way to end.

Thanks for coming out to the bike class this year. The new location was great!

Watch for Richard, Maureen, Greg and Gord racing IM next week. Shane will have to wait for another week before his Lausanne race! Very exciting!

Thanks for the photo Janna!

Monday, August 14, 2006

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Rose

Corey

Rose & Elaine

Lyndsey, Rose, Maddie

Shane in T1

Shane at Chaparral

Lake Chaparral Triathlon

Today was Lake Chaparral sprint and Olympic distance triathlon. Trevor and Co. put on another great event despite having to deal with many construction issues. Great job guys!
The weather was once again perfect. Shane had a great swim and came out of the water in 5th place. He has worked very hard on his swim this year and it showed today. The rest of the race was a training day for his big event "Lausanne" in a few weeks, and he was pleased with his day.

Corey was also in the mens olympic distance event and he swam a little extra in the lake (just for extra practice :) ), had a strong bike and comfortable run. This was his last race of the year and he was a bit disappointed with his overall race. Corey has had a great summer of racing and now can start to enjoy some downtime.

Maddie's mom Rose, Elaine and Lyndsey were all racing in the Sprint event. No one complained about the race being a bit short (due to construction). Lyndsey was the 2nd athlete out of the lake and 1st female. She had a solid bike & run and held her position to finish 2nd overall. Great job Lyndsey. Lyndsey's last race will be the Apple next weekend.
Elaine was ~5-7th out of the lake and looked very good. I missed her on the bike (too fast) and she looked great on the run. This was Elaine's last race of the year to finish off a stellar race season. Great job Elaine, we can't wait until next year to watch you race again.
Rose was in fine form today and finished very strong despite claiming not being well trained. It was nice to watch you race today Rose!

There were many athletes taking part in their 1st triathlon as evident in many sprint athletes not wearing wetsuits. It was great to see so many new athletes starting to tri. They are tougher than me though. I need my wetsuit. Brrr.

Next week = Kelowna Apple

Maddie at Chaparral Kids of Steel (2nd)

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Kids of Steel Lake Chaparral

Today was the KOS at Lake Chaparral. Early morning rain and some clouds made for a cool prep before the race. The rain went away just in time for the kids to start. Perfect. Maddie was racing in the 13 age category. She had a good swim, steady ride and a smoking run to finish 2nd in her Age group! Way to go Maddie!!!! You ROCK!

Thursday, August 10, 2006

The Finish line

Corrine on the run

Murray on the run

The Swim start at Heritage

Adam at the Start

Sandy at the Start

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Bryce at the Start of Heritage Pointe

Heritage Pointe Tri

Sunday was Heritage Pointe olympic and sprint triathlon. It was a great day to race, sunny sky and very little wind. The organizers had a good turnout and everyone seemed very excited to go.

Sandy was taking on her first ever Olympic distance event, and she had a lot of fun. Sandy had a strong run and was pleasantly surprised that she could push hard at the end even though her legs were gone!

Bryce was taking on his first triathlon in a few years. He did very well considering how busy he has been as of late. He is the proud Papa of Sophie who was born mid July. Great Race Bryce and congrats on the birth of your new baby daughter!

This was a fun race to watch as there were many friends racing. Congrats to all!

See you at Chaparral!

Thursday, August 03, 2006

My Mars Memorial Run

This month the planet Mars will be very close to Earth. This is something that is not expected to happen for another 60,000 years. I thought I had missed it last week.

Tonight I went out for my 1st run in about 3 weeks. As I started running I noticed this very bright half red moon. This was obviously Mars. I was very excited to see this as I really enjoy planetary stuff like this. As I was running I kept my eye on the planet. What a great experience. Then I thought about the 2 athletes from Calgary that have recently died while biking and swimming. Jason Lapierre and Hector Millano. Although I have never met either, many fellow athletes did and were grieving this week. Tomorrow is a memorial ride for Jason and although I am unable to make it I decided to have my own solo memorial run for both while running with Mars. I thought of both as I did my 2 loops and was amazed at how quickly the planet disappeared behind the clouds. One moment it was bigger than life and then the next it was gone!

This happened 2 times during my run and it reminded me of how fast and unexpected our lives can change. It was a very nice run and helped me appreciate my own.

Train safe and see if you can run with Mars this month.....

Invermere Heart of the Rockies Tri

This year the organizers of The Windemere Loop tri, changed the course to an olympic distance event. This was perfect timing for Darryl to test his training for the Apple. He had a strong Swim/Bike and Run and gave himself a great Birthday gift by placing 1st overall. Congrats on winning your 1st Triathlon! I am sure there will be more in your future.

The Apple is fast approaching!

Sylvan Lake Half IronMan

Sylvan lake was a very hot day! The racers were forced to deal with 30 degree heat and a very challenging bike and run course. Elaine pushed hard and managed to place 1st in her Age group with a time of 5:28. Sandy was part of a female relay team and she was very happy in placing 2nd in the female team category. Greg was using this race as a training day for Ironman Canada in late August. He was pleased with his 6:01 and he also commented on the difficulty of the ride and run. The countdown is on for IMC.

Congrats to everyone for completing such a tough course in difficult conditions.

Stanley Park Super Sprint

A big congratulations on a very solid race by Maddie at the Stanley Park Super sprint. She raced fast to 2nd in her age group and 7th overall. Fantastic job! Watch for her at Chaparral in less than 2 weeks.