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??