Monday, December 08, 2008

Sacramento International Marathon

Elaine competed this past weekend in Sacramento. She had a great day finishing in 3:30.

Well done Elaine!!!!!

That is an early Christmas present for sure :)

Sunday, December 07, 2008

IronMan Western Australia

Lynn has just complete her Ironman down under. Western Australia!

Here are her splits: Swim 1:03 , Bike 7:00 and Run 5:37 for a total time of 13:57.

Congrats Lynn and I look forward to your race report!!!

IronMan Arizona

IronMan Arizona is now complete! Bernie went into the race with high goals this being his 19th IronMan. Wow!

He started off with a swim PR of 1:01 and then rode to a 2nd best bike ride of 5:36. So far so good. The run is where he had some trouble. His heels were bruised a few weeks prior to the race and this really affected his run time as the race went on. He ended up running a 5:31 marathon which brought him home in a time of 12:19. Not the time that we had hoped but still a great learning day.

Great job at getting to the fnish line for the 19th time Bernie! That is amazing!!!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Wildflower Training Camp (April 27 - May 3)

The Camp is Full! Thanks for your interest!!!

Ironman Arizona this weekend!!!

Bernie Maillet is competing in Ironman Arizona this weekend. I hope that we will be able to follow his progress at ironmanlive.com

Good luck bernie!!! You are ready for a great day!

Maureen Saul is also competing this weekend. Let's send them both good vibes throughout the day!

Year End Party

The No Limits year end party was a big hit. This year we decided to play 3 different games to test everyone's triathlon knoweldge and balloon popping ability. There was even a surprise (barefoot run around the block) dash for cash.

Thanks for coming out and celebrating the amazing year we had in 2008. I am looking forward to some great results for the last part of 2008 and the new Tri 2009 season!!!

Train safe and have fun.

Last Chance Half

Another great day to run! Wow we have had a great fall for training and racing.

Leading the way for No limits today was Kyle setting a PR in the half with a very quick 1:27 (11th overall).
Elaine used this day as a training race for her upcoming marathon and ran a 1:41 (4th in Age group)
Vivian was very happy with her day finishing in 2:07.

Banff Winterstart

Conditions were great for the Banff Winterstart. For a November 1 date this is fantastic!

Madi ran well and placed 3rd in her age group and 26 overall in a time of 33:04
Elaine had a good day and also placed 3rd in her age group with a time of 36:39
Lynn showed that her IM training is going well and was very happy with 10th in Age group in a time of 42:15.
Rose was right behind lynn in a time of 44:12

Great running everyone! One of these times I will try the legendary winterstat race! :)

Halloween Howler Results

Halloween is alwasy a great time to exercise as we all know that the candies will last for about 3 - 4 weeks after. Much too long!

The Halloween 10 Km was held a while ago and here are some results:

Rob pushed himself hard and finished in 5th place with a time of 44.49
Aundrea is just getting back into training and pulled off a PB of 46 min.
John unfortunately slipped at the start hurting his knee but he still finished in 53 min.

I am really enjoying watching the Fall results roll in. This seems to be a busy fall.

Canmore 2009 Triathlon

If you would like to compete in the Canmore 2009 Triathlon, please follow the link below to register. This race did fill up last year.

http://www.trainingandracing.com/canmoretriathlon/

Monday, October 20, 2008

Gorilla run

The Gorilla run was held this past weekend. This sounds like a fantastic run. You get to run through the zoo with the animals all cheering loudly as you run by. Lots of Fun.

Good results were seen:
Kevin ran 1:15 (2nd in AG)
Elaine ran 1:17 (3rd in AG)
Lisa ran 1:26 (5th in AG)
Janice ran 130 (8th in AG)

Next year I will put this one my calendar for sure! :)

Next race is winterstart / Halloween Howler! and then the last chance half!

get out and enjoy the fall weather!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Thanksgiving 10 km run

2 weeks ago calgary saw the 10 Km Thanksgiving 10 Km run along the Bow river. Myron and Kyle were testing their HR and speed. Myron ran 39:29 (4th) and Kyle ran 40:07 (5th).

Good job guys!!!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

KONA RACE REPORT

My Kona race report is complete but it is too big to post on the blog. If you would like a copy please send me a short email...

Mahalo!!!
Todd

Sue checking out transition


Mark Allen and Todd


Setting up the Finish Line - Hang Loose


Dropping buoys in the Ocean


Pre Race diner with the Daves


Entrance to Expo


Dave fixing his Zipps


Sue at the Ocean


Todd at the Ocean


Bike is ready to go!


Transition bags


Transition bags


Transition - Bikes


Hawaii Beach


IronMan Hawaii

Well Hawaii has come and gone. We all had a fantastic trip and a race experience that we will never forget. The race is truly amazing and it was one of the hardest/coolest things I have ever done. I wish that every triathlete could experience this race.

Here is how we did:

Lyndsey: Total = 11:04 Swim = 1:11, Bike = 5:46, Run = 3:59, T1= 4:17, T2 = 2:37 14th in AG.
ME: Total = 11:18 Swim = 1:07, Bike = 5:47, Run = 4:12, T1 = 4:01, T2 = 6:54 186th in AG
Dave Total = 12:17 Swim = 1:16, Bike = 6:16, Run = 4:35, T1 = 4:45, T2 = 4:41 120th in AG
Sue Total = 13:54 Swim = 1:21, Bike = 7:21, Run = 5:00, T1 = 4:55, T2 = 5:22 5th in AG

We all gave a great effort on the course and loved every minute of it!!!!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Mahalo!!!


To get myself to this spot took the last 2 years!!! Thank you to all of you who helped me get here. You all have helped in many different ways. Some helped with physical, emotional, and others financial.
To race in Hawaii was one of my dreams and now it is complete. It was a great ride and truly one of the best experiences of my life!!!
Now the big question that I need to ask is What is next????
Mahalo to all of you!!!

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Kona Training


















harvest half marathon

The harvest half was held last weekend on an absolutley beautiful day.

Here are some results:

Ian - 1:29
Bernie - 1:32
Elaine - 1:38
Mary - 1:55
Tanya - 2:11

Oh and Sam finished in 1:49

Nice running everyone!

Sooke Half Ironman

Just a short while ago Sooke held a half Ironman. Lynn and Myron were eager to try the distance. Lynn is preparing for IM west Australia and Myron was testing the waters of the half ironman distance.

In short both enjoyed the day!!! Great conditions to race and the course was great!

Lynn finished the course in 6:30 with a 32 min swim, 3:29 bike and a 2:22 run. Well done Lynn!

Myron started the day with a 28 min swim placing him 5th overall, and then he was off on the bike. After a short time he encountered a slight problem. He broke his chain. So he waited along side of the road for the van and they told him they could not touch his bike but they could tell him how to fix the broken chain. He just happened to have a repair tool with him. After about an hour he was good to go and finished the bike in 3:57, then finished the run in 1:47 and finished just in front of lynn at 6:18.

How many of you out there would have taken the time to fix your chain??? Great job Lynn and Myron and the lesson here is: maybe look online to see how to repair your chain just in case.....

Kona Bound Age Group Women

Check out the Kona website for info on the Canadian Age group Prospects.

Well done Lyndsey and Sue!

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship/gaylia-osterlund-profiles-some-of-the-qualifiers-from-subaru-ironman-canada

Monday, September 01, 2008

Kevin's IronMan race report

Here is a quick summary of my day

Swim - Not too fast, not too slow. Followed lots of feet and bubbles. Didn't ever feel like I pushed the pace but I was worried about the length of the day. Next time I will probably push it harder.

Bike - tried to take it easy on the out bound leg like we planned but got so pissed at all the drafting and pack riding that I turned it up after OK falls. After a few choice words to a pack of 15 riders and a bit of threshold riding I cooled my jets and rode smart from Osoyoos on. Flatted the front tire on the out and back portion and thought the day was done but there was hardly any glue holding the thing on and it was a quick tire change. Thoughts of a rolled tire and skin grafts galore plagued my enjoyment of the ride down yellow lake (but I still cooked it down). The tail wind into town was a blessing and the crowds were great.

Run - This is where the plan came undone. My tummy decided it was time for a break. Not nauseous and no loose poops but lots of cramps. The false flat and head winds heading out of town didn't help my enthusiasm but I just kept plunking away. Wound up walking every feed station and visiting most of the port-a-potties out and back BUT I ran/shuffled most of the time b/w aid stations. Towards the end my feet started to hurt but by then we were back in town and the people on the road were an appreciated distraction. In the end I got to run across the line with Adrian, see Lisa, Cathy, Jay, Viv and her crew and was happy to have finished it.

It was a fun day and a steep learning curve.

Kevin's new paintjob for IMC


Check out this new Kevelo P4. One of the fastest bikes on the planet! If you need a new paintjob, I think Kevin may be your man!!! Sponsors stay away as he is already part of the highly sought after Team KLA.

Sue happy to be at IronMan Canada


Sue's "A" race was supposed to be IM Arizona in a few months. But she grabbed a spot at GWN and here she is. How did she do? Well for a rookie not bad. 2nd in Age group plus grabbing a Hawaii spot.
I guess we will have to wait to do Arizona!! :)

Sue has the 2nd last bike rack - Easy to find!!!


Bikes at IronMan Canada


MMMmmmmm what is that???


Ready for the worst


Dave and Todd - ready to go!


Dave was well trained and so excited to start. It was pleasure for me to walk with him through his swim exit!

Finish Line visualization - 9:59



The day before the start I took this picture and I stopped for a moment and thought how would I feel running down this road and seeing 9:5x on the clock?? Awesome!

Day before the race


Bike to Run Bags


Chalk Messages


Todd Happy to race (Richters Pass)


Todd on the Run at IronMan Canada




Todd breaking 10 hours WOW!!


IM Canada - What a bunch of Rookies!!!!

Now that a week has passed I have found time to write some notes about IronMan Canada. This year No Limits had 9 athletes competing. 7 of the 9 were 1st timers (rookies) at the Ironman distance. Anything could happen!!! This was my 3rd IMC and Dave's 2nd. Dave was on a mission to qualify. I am going to keep this insert short as I will write a longer report later. So for those of you who just want the goods, here it is:

I had an amazing day finishing in 9:57 (Hawaii spot)
Lyndsey had an amazing day finishing in 10:17 (Hawaii spot and new course record for age)
Dave had a great day 10:34 (Hawaii spot)
Kevin smoked the bike (freshly painted ride) and had a good day 11:41
Michele very happy with her solid 12:52
Sue finished 2nd in age group (Hawaii spot) 13:02
Phoenix was happy with her 13:17 and is already thinking of how to go faster
Tim's 6 year dream came true as he became an Ironman at 15:15
John proved that indeed he would be an Ironman as he struggled with stomach issues on the bike and run to finish in a nailbitter time of 16:45.

With such great success from a bunch of rookies it is hard to imagine what they will do on their next attempt!!!

Great work by everyone who became an Ironman that day. Setting a goal to compete in an Ironman event is huge and can be life changing. The things we learn in training and racing are too countless to write down but all make us better people and grateful that we are able to do this crazy sport.

I want to say thank you for all the people who have helped me get to IronMan Canada. Tim for use of the wheels, Maureen and Richard for the great accommodations, Rob for helping me ride at silly times of day, Rose for tracking down shoes for me in the last 2 weeks, to Chris and Alison for taking my bike out to BC and all of my athletes who wished me well. The month before the race I was lucky to talk to many of you (and even some people I had seen in years) and all of your dreams motivated me to follow mine which was to finish in 9:59. Thanks again and I am once again reminded why I decided on "No Limits" as a name.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Apple Race Report by Isabelle

“So my last race for the 2008 season is done...and I feel empty...what a fun season! My first half, cutting down 18 minutes off last year at the Peach Classic! Wow! I had great expectations for the Apple – my time goal has been staring at me from my fridge magnet since Todd’s Christmas party! But on Wednesday night, I twisted my ankle walking to my car...badly....it was very swollen and I could hardly walk on it on Thursday....I couldn’t go see a physio as we were driving out to Kelowna on Thursday after work...oh well, it’s life, it’s not like I am trying to qualify for the National team....just wanted to meet my time goal!Race morning – I actually woke up at a decent hour as my start time was 9am...a little too late for my liking hopefully this changes next year! I got to the race site and organized my transition thinking fast fast fast...This was a no wetsuit race as the water was too warm which I absolutely don’t mind as I swim faster without a wetsuit J I then went straight to physio and had her tape my ankle to make sure it didn’t fall off during the race (ha ha)...she did and I put electrical tape over the taping job just to make sure it stayed on in the water...good thing I had an engineer friend on the site who happens to carry electrical tape in her bag...ha ha...thanks Janette! Her start was after mine so we unfortunately couldn’t race together which was unfortunate!
Race start, I felt like I was electrified (must have been the tape) – I had a great swim, felt strong and long, my pull was good or so it felt like it was and I got out of the water with a great time. My transition was fast and I was on my bike...I was going up the hill thinking man I forgot how steep this was and I heard Rose in front of me yelling “Kill me!” which made me laugh – such a Rose comment...so I forgot about the hill for a while. The first bike loop was hard, my legs were stiff with the hill being so close to the end of the swim...but it went ok. Second loop, I felt stronger, my legs were back but my foot started to hurt...I felt like it was all cramped up and tearing into little pieces...and that’s how it felt for the remainder of the bike...ouch! I couldn’t wait for it to end...I didn’t do too bad on the bike but without my ankle I definitely would’ve done a great job I think. And then the run. First steps were ok, I was super positive, another fast transition and I was holding my pace bracelet for my run...ready to meet my time goal...I was still ok for time although my bike was a little slower than I was hoping...then the pain started – oh god!! I walked 75% of the first 5km. I tried to take more motrin but I could still feel my foot tearing apart..augh, so frustrating when all my training was going so well! I stopped and loosened up the taping job by removing a piece that was too tight as my whole foot was swelling up! It felt a tiny bit better.
When I came to the turn around point, I was thinking of stopping right there but then this person comes up to me asking me if I was Isabelle....well it was Elaine, she told me she read my race report from Oliver and she gave me the nicest smile and encouraging words ever so I kept on going!! THANKS ELAINE!!!! I then saw my mom who ran next to me for a little while until she was told she wasn’t aloud to coach me...my mom is not a runner so that was amazing too !! To have her all the way from Venezuela encouraging me was the best feeling ever! She was so excited and happy! I finished the race!!! 13 minutes longer than my race goal but there are three positive outcomes to this race:
1) Without my ankle I believe I would’ve been very close to my goal,
2) I finished 36/45 therefore not last
3) AND, MOST OF ALL, I FINALLY HAVE LEARNED HOW TO RACE WITH PAIN!!!!!
So Todd thanks again, and I promise I’ll meet the goal next year!! It was an amazing season and I can’t wait to be inspired by all the ironmen and ironwomen in a week!! GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!! And Todd, stay away from the bees this year!”

Monday, August 11, 2008

Strathmore womens only sprint

As I was riding with the Sunday group to Bragg Creek during the last class to get a treat (coffee and donut) I started to wonder how the race was going in Strathmore.

The weather in Calgary was breezy and cool. No rain though. This should be good for racing.

Madi had a very strong week of training and she topped it off by taking the overall win at Strathmore! Nice work Madi!!!

Mary was also racing and she was strong from start to finish. She had the 3rd fastest swim, 11 on the bike and 23 on the run (new PR) and finished 9th overall! Top 10 in always nice!

Madi and Mary well done! The Apple and Chaparral are next!!!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Canmore Triathlon

Canmore Triathlon was held last weekend and for a 1st time event the feedback was very positive. We had a few athletes testing out the course.

Louise decided to try the Olympic distance. She had a great day and ended placing 1st in her age group and 9th female overall.

Elaine choose to do the sprint. Even with Sylvan lake still in her legs she had a very good day finishing 1st in her age group and 3rd female overall.

Lisa also did the sprint and finished 10th female. Nice racing ladies!!!

Here is a tip for everyone: Once you pass someone on the bike make sure that you are well in front of the bike before moving to the right side of the road. Lisa had her front tire clipped in the race and was fortunate not to have crashed. Ride Safe!

Salmon Arm Tri

Salmon Arm race was also last weekend. This race is an Olympic distance race but in the order: Swim / Run / Bike. Dave and Ian were both racing and placed 5th and 8th overall. Good job guys!!!

If you are looking for a different race, I hear this is a great one!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Sylvan Lake half

The Sylvan lake half was held last weekend. The exciting team of Viv, Lisa and Rose were all out to have a great time! And they did. Please read Kevin's race report for more details.

Kevin had a great day 46th overall and 5th in age group in a time of 5:13
Elaine had a great day as well 55th overall and 2nd in age group in a time of 5:21
John was thrilled to complete his 1st ever half ironman in training for IMC. Less than 4 weeks, but who is counting... :)

Lisa and Kevin at Sylvan lake


Kevin's Sylvan lake report

So Lisa, Viv, Rose and myself did the Sylvan Lake half ironman this weekend. Here’s how it went down…

Lisa and the girls decided to do it as a team in COSTUME! The three were dressed up as Hef Bunnies and looked damn cute. Lisa lost most of her aero advantage by tacking big floppy bunny ears on her helmet! Rose had a great run despite recurrent “issues” and was still smiling when she cruised in – Hope you’re feeling better! Viv rocked the swim and then pulled the toughest leg of the race – childcare. Next year they need some one to race with them dressed in a silk bathrobe and smoking a pipe.

As for me, I experienced a new first - pure dread on the swim. I had a little hissy fit of dyspnea/hyperventilation right at the start of the race. As I tried to calm down I hummed the chorus to “le freak” by Chic (yeah, I’m old but it worked) and tried to recall what SIPE actually stood for (swimming induced pulmonary edema). Since there wasn’t pink frothy stuff coming out my nose and I liked the song, I carried on. Now people often mention how bad triathletes bike handling skills are, but I would like to point out that our swim “handling” skills are a thousand times worse. I have never been tackled, hit or run over on the road but in the water… it’s like the Deerfoot with bumper cars!

After a tardy transition, it was on to the bike, yeah! With my power tap and HR monitor dutifully informing me of performance parameters, a detailed nutritional plan in place and exquisite knowledge of the course from previous races, I set off to do some damage. It all went pretty well except for the large volume of lake water consumed in the previous paragraph. I spent a large portion of the ride wondering how to pee and cycle at the same time – if only they talked about this on OLN during le tour…

After a prolonged T2 potty break it was off on the run. Now in my previous two visits to Sylvan I have gained great knowledge of the cleanliness and locations of all the porta-potties on course. They are both plentiful and fairly clean. But this year I was able to pass them all by! Thanks for the tip, Viv! On the outbound leg I felt pretty good, but I could hear this one guy running me down forever! His shoes were super loud. It sounded like a Dutchman wearing clogs or a samurai wearing those wooden slippers as he paddled by. I made a joke of it hoping he would slow down but to no avail. It was a little lonelier but a lot quieter after he was gone. In the final kilometres my brother, who was a volunteer, helped clear the path for me through the masses of beach people. I felt like the race leader and it was clear sailing to the finish and a fantastic day! At the finish I met up with Lisa and a good friend while we cheered in the other athletes.

Finally, a super huge THANKS to Roger andeveryone involved with putting the race on, especially the volunteers. They ROCKED.

Heart of the Rockies

The Heart of the Rockies triathlon was held on July 20. Tim and Louise took part in this race. The conditions were perfect! Tim swam 23:49 and Louise swam 28:48. This is where the differences stopped. They both biked 1 hr 23 min and ran 48 mins. They also both grabbed 3rd in their age groups. Tim at 2:35 and Louise at 2:40 were both pleased with the day. Great racing Tim and Louise!!!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Janette and Isabelle finished at the Peach Classic


Peach Classic Race Report by Janette

I am so proud of myself! I did it - my first olympic! 3:38:42 154avg HR, 172max HR I went for a ride with Isabelle last Tuesday and we found some big hills. I'm so glad because when I drove the Peach course on Saturday I was pretty scared. I knew I had the gears on my bike to get me up them, but man, there are a lot of hills!
The swim started out okay. At the first turn we started heading back into the sun and I couldn't see the next marker. I was with a group of swimmers though, so I figured I was pretty much on course. Wrong! I finally saw the marker when I was beside it - but 30' to the inside of the triangle. Once I got back on course, I found my rhythm but it felt like I was super slow because now I was all alone. I was out of the water around 37min. My HR during the swim was around 155.
The bike was both as hard as I thought it would be, but also more fun then I though it would be. It was the first time I've gone that fast on my bike, racing down those hills, trying to make up for the 9km/hr climb I just did. I saw a rattlesnake on the side of the road which was pretty good motivation to go faster. Isabelle past me way before the turnaround looking strong going up the hill I was racing down. Get moving Janette! The way back wasn't as consistently downhill as I thought it would be and I had to talk myself into going faster for the last couple of hills before the quick downhill back into town.
Yeah, onto the run! I totally underestimated the first long hill. I ran all the way to the top, but I had to walk for a minute or so three times up the other smaller hills before the turnaround. My max HR was going up that big hill, but it stayed around 160 for the rest of the run. My calf's were rock hard and wouldn't loosen up. I stopped at a bathroom at 6km and then I was off down the big hill. I was almost crying, I was so happy that I was almost done! I had a great cheering section as I crossed the finish line - Thank you Tom, Isabelle, and Scotty! It was super hot and sunny and I just finished the hardest race I've ever done! Can't wait for Apple - there are no hills there, right? :) Thank you so much Todd!!! I'm so glad you suggested this race - I now know I can do this!!
Janette

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Coral Springs Triathlons

This past weekend was the Coral springs triathlon. There were 3 events taking place: super sprint, sprint and Olympic distances.

In the sprint we saw Madi win her 1st race. She was top female today in a smoking time of 1:17. Awesome!

Louise was testing her fitness with her 1st triathlon of the year and she finished 2nd in her age group and 5th overall female in a time of 1:20.

Mary was just getting back from a 2 week vacation and finished strong in 1:27.

Nice work Ladies!!!

Tim was the sole No Limits athlete in the Olympic dist race and he was 5th out of the lake. Flying on his bike he ran into some technical problems as he crossed the train tracks and his race was unfortunately over. He, as well as Louise will be back in action this weekend at the Invermere Triathlon.

Stampede 10 Km / Marathon

The stampede has come and gone and most of Calgary is recovering from all the fun!

Madi was in top form for her 10 Km race. She finished in 42:40 and 2nd in her Age group and 14 overall female. Nice job!!!

For the Marathon, Dave was attempting his 1st ever marathon. He had a goal time of breaking 4 hours. At the 32 Km mark he was on pace for 4:15 and at this point he decided to go for it and push as hard as he could until the finish. Guess what? He finished in 3:59.19. I find this a great message for all of us. Never quit and push strong until the end. Remember once you cross the finish line you can rest for hours or days!!!! Great job Dave!

John was also running the marathon. He was on pace for a 4:15 but then ran into stomach problems. Lesson: watch what you eat the night before a race. He courageously finished in a time of 4:48. Well done John!

Desert Half race report by Lynn

Osoyoos Race Report – July 7, 2008

Ok, heading off to a ½ Ironman with 3 of your best friends is maybe not the best for getting the head into race mode especially when your 1st night of sleeping is in Winfield at Carol’s sisters. Picture house right on Okanagan Lake, dinner and a beer on the dock with your best buds? Who needs to go any further, no husbands, no kids, race in Osoyoos – are we crazy??? We did get up in the morning and continue our journey, but we all for a ½ second thought staying on the dock for the weekend would have been just as good.

I like races that the bikes spend the night in transition. It seems to make race morning more organized. We arrived with plenty of time to prepare and to get ready. No rushing required.

The swim was two heats, another enjoyable feature. Let the fast men go and get out of the way. The water was VERY warm, clear and calm. I could have just kept swimming for a couple more hours! I even managed a quick glance at the HR monitor – 143. This is where the enjoyment ends for me….

Transition was seamless, and on to bike. The Richer climb was not so bad and even the 1st few rollers. But quickly after that, at about 25k the wind started, only as a breeze at first. It was relentless; but you kept telling yourself that at the turnaround it would be all behind. It was a great tailwind for about 10k. Then all of a sudden there was not wind at all, then only a light breeze (headwind, nothing to terrible). The breeze picked up good and became a good headwind at times. Not fair to have wind like that both directions on hills that are a bit ridiculous. It is a very challenging bike course and for anyone doing Ironman Canada is a must! HEAT, WIND, and HILLS. I was probably 1 of the 5 women that braked going down Richer – yes, I am a big chicken! Nutrition was good, but must get behind the seat waterbottle holders as I’m not drinking Gatorade. Extremely happy to see transition and know that the run is basically flat. Avg HR between 145 – 150.

Felt great on the run, although I new the heat was creeping up on the last loop. Drank water/Gatorade at each station, no coke, and only one gel. Stomach was great throughout. Started to fade about the 17k-18k mark, but new it was almost done. Avg HR between 155-160. Felt pretty good after, nothing really sore, just overall fatigue. Stomach great after, able to eat right after and drank lots of water. It was only 29 degrees when I finished, not the usual 37 degree heat that can happen in Osoyoos. This is a fabulous race, well organized and lots of volunteers. Exceptional training day for me.

Swim – 32.51
Bike – 3.42.40
Run – 2.12.42
6.33.49

Great White North Triathlon (half ironman)

Well, the great white North half Ironman is over. The day was good for racing. The bike was a bit wet early on but not too bad. No snow so I figure the day was good! We had quite a few athletes racing today including myself. My goal was to grab an IronMan spot. Here was my plan: Draft off Lyndsey on the swim, keep her in sight on the bike and then run with her as much as I could and this should give me a good time and hopefully an IMC spot. Well the swim started well. After the 1st loop I got out of the water and sure enough Lyndsey was right in front of me. I patted her on the back and then we dove back in the water. She went one way and I chose a different line (believing mine was shorter). Well she beat me out of the lake by a min or so. After a quick T1 we were once again side by side at the mount line. I passed her and after a smart remark by the coach I was 1st at the top. I assumed that she would quickly catch me so I never looked back. The next I would see of her would be at the turnaround. Still behind me. I must be doing OK. The next 30 or so Km for me would be a struggle. My fitness was starting to show and I felt a bit flat. After finishing the bike I had my classic dismount at near the transition area and then something happened and my bike crashed and then I was falling on top. I did a double flip (or something J ) and then picked up myself and my bike and made my way to get my running gear on. By the way this crash would end up gaining me a 2 min penalty for riding through transition. L. Once on the run my legs never felt fresh. Quite flat, but I maintained the best pace I could. My treat to myself was to walk the aid stations. I held Lyndsey off for ~13Km and then she caught me. We ran side by side for a brief while and then she was off. Lyndsey finished very strong at her 1st ever Half and in typical Lyndsey style also finished in a record breaking time (4:41) for the Masters category and 7th female. Nice work. I finished in 4:45 + 2 mins and was very lucky to get a spot to IM! J

Dave had a great day, even with a flat tire finishing in 4:55
Kevin just :15 sec behind Dave also picked up a spot to IMC
Sue also captured #1 spot in her Age Group and earned a trip to IMC (5:24)
Dawn had a great day and PB’s by almost 15 min in a time of 5:25 and 6th in age group
Lisa was very pleased with her day even though she had some stomach issues. A great finish in 5:53
Greg was just behind Lisa in a time of 6:00 and was happy to once again finish GWN.
Jordan had an awesome swim, loved the bike and then struggled a bit on the run and finished in 6:18.

Great results by everyone and a big thanks to wade for putting on another great show! Until next year!

Great White North Tri start! Here we go!


Lyndsey exits the water (where is Todd?)


Todd at T1


Lyndsey on the run at GWN


Todd on the run at GWN


Mike getting ready for the pass near the finish!


Can you believe Mike would pass me right before the finish line??

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Congrats to Elaine!

Elaine had a great day at IronMan Coeur D'Alene. She finished in a time of 11:35, 12th in Age group. Fantastic!!!!

Waiting for a full race report.

Congrats Elaine!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Michele at the Chinook Half (finished 1st in Age group)


Sue grabbing some fuel at the Chinook half (1st in Age group, 8th overall)


Chinook race report by Phoenix

I finished in a time of 6:20 according to my watch; I’m still waiting for the officially time and split.
Right off the bat I have to say I am beyond pleased with how everything went. Even my transitions (which I practiced the day before went almost without a hitch :-p).
Swim:
My initial plan was to play it safe and find myself a corner or something, but once the start sounded I found myself jammed into a crowd of swimmers, and I thought who cares, this is what IMC is going to feel like so this is better anyway!
I worked hard the entire swim to keep a good pace, kept looking for feet ahead that I might ride on for a while, that didn’t in the end work out for any length of time, but that strategy at least found me speeding up to catch people if only to pass them. Of course there were a couple of times where I had a guy swimming zig zag in front of me, but I felt good about my sighting, never strayed off course too much, and was elated to be on the beach after the second lap in under 40 minutes!
The T1 went very well, the wetsuit strippers were amazing, I got my shoes on while on the bike and didn’t fall off (as I did while practicing the day before J)
I worked hard on the bike, with my heart rate pretty consistently at 160. The course is hilly and it seemed to play to my strengths if I couldn’t catch the rider in front of me on the flats I was catching and passing them on the hills.
Right at the city limits my knee started to hurt (like debilitating hurt, searing pain through to my spine… kind of hurt) two of the riders I had passed previously were able to over take me during that last couple of kilometers as my cadence was definitely down. I believe this knee pain although the same knee is a result of my bike fit, as it has only started after the recent bike fit. I will be taking it back to get that fixed.
So here are my bike computer readings: this was completed reset once it was racked before race start.
Trip Dist 96.59
Trip Time 3:21:24
Avg Speed 28.77
Avg Cad 71
Max speed 66.45
Nutrition: I did my best to make sure my nutrition went as planned, which was one bottle per hour, my first two bottles had carbo pro, ultima, and two sodium tabs a piece, the third bottle was a Gatorade (got that mostly down) and within the last km of the bike I took in one hammer gel.
Run: With my knee hurting on the bike I was certain my day was over before the run started, but the plan was to go until it hurt and felt like I could do some damage. Through t2 the transition itself was quick, but I had to stop at the bathroom, ran through the timing mat to add that time to the run not the bike. Once I started running, or rather jogging I was surprised that my knee initially did not hurt at all, the pain from the bike was located higher than the pain I typically experience while running.
Running on the shale path, and sometimes where it permitted, the grass kept the knee pain manageable. Seeing you at about the 10 km point I wasn’t sure it was going to stay the same or get worse. But I did want to keep going as long as it was manageable, and it turned out…it stayed manageable till the very end. My hip didn’t hurt the entire time. I should mention I took 800mg of Advil just before swim start and 800mg again at the start of the run, I think this was a good strategy over all.
Nutrition on the run
I took in a gel ever half hour for the first hour, and Gatorade at least two gulps at each aid station, at the 1:30 hour mark give or take, I knew I was due for more; I was out of hammer gel and had been holding a honey stinger, provided by the aid station. I took one slug of that and just about lost my stomach contents. I forgot how much I hate the taste of honey. So I didn’t take more, but on the last aid station before the hill, I drank most of a cup of Gatorade between the out and back and the hill.
I don’t know my officially time for the run, but I do know that my heart rate on average was in the 150’s for the run…definitely kept it easy!
Overall a very good practice run for IMC, I am very pleased with everything, even my run impressed me given the circumstances. Thanks so much for your guidance; it was very nice to see you out on the course.