2nd Chances

3892

2012-05-24T10:57:00.002-04:00

Anyone that knows me well, knows I've usually got a count going. A countdown looking forward to something, or the number of days since something special happened. Suddenly, about two weeks ago, one of my counts came to an abrupt, and unanticipated halt.

3892. 3892 days since Sept 11, 2001... the day I had my last seizure as I was being rolled into the operating room for brain surgery.

They're bbbb--aaaaa----ccccc----kkkkkk. *cue tears*

May 8th, I sat on the couch having my morning coffee and breakfast, going through a few work emails. My husband, who happened to be home from work for the week, sat next to me, on the phone. What happened next, I would hear from his mouth, describing the first seizure he's witness me have.

They came with a vengeance too, 11 more over the next 24 hours. He captured one on video, which we sent to my mom, and they're the same as they were back then. Crap.

Immediately after surgery, I started counting. Hours, then days since my last seizure. Soon, it turned into weeks, months, and years! I even made it to a decade since getting what I affectionally named, my Titanium Cranium. During that time, I fought back hard to regain the independence and freedom that the seizures stripped away. It became my past, but the beginning of better things that were happening. I started to run, in part because of my seizures. I then ventured into triathlon, because of running injuries. Cycling alongside vehicles, swimming in a lake, driving to my next race... all things that I really didn't need to give much thought to anymore.

Suddenly, all of that is slipping away, again. I'm scared, devastated and completely frustrated. I feel like my Titanium Cranium came with a 10 year warranty, and that warranty just expired.

I had gotten back into more regular running, with Terron, my 13 year old joining us in training. Somedays, I'd run on my own, to see my husband at work! Can't now... that was on a pretty busy road, too dangerous. I also sat out a 10k recently, that the three of us signed up for -- it would have been our first race as a family. In hindsight, probably a good thing I did too, because I had a seizure while sitting at the finish line waiting for them.

Nothing is making sense. There's no rhyme or reason. I've been making some phone calls to the hospital where I had my surgery, and have located my surgeon who has also moved to the US. I'll be getting checked out soon, likely having to start all over again. Questions, I have many... hopefully answers will quickly follow.

I may need this blog more in the coming months, to vent, and document a journey I thought was over. I will remain positive, and hopeful.

Where Have I Been?

2012-02-16T10:25:00.001-05:00

The problem with blogging little more than once a year, is that this post now has the possibility of becoming really long! So if you're pressed for time, and clicked on the link assuming that surely there was a mistake that I might have shown up in your blogroll, I'll provide you an abbreviated version of what's happened since my last post in April... I've seen my darkest and brightest days, I've played a part in a "real life Christmas story" and I'm challenging my body like never before (had to tie something fitness related in here eventually!). The end.

Want more? Grab a coffee, and make yourself comfortable.

Nearly 20 years to the day after I packed up and left all that was 'home' to me, I did it again. I took a chance on life and love, moved south of the border, and tied the knot. Oh yes, I'm a Mrs!

Running, you ask? Let's just say that one of my very first runs in my new surroundings had me running in fear, chased by two fairly big dogs. Luckily for me, it seems that they had an invisible fence, and stopped giving chase soon after I passed their property. Choosing a different route for my next run, I thought I'd check out some Christmas decorations...

...it's no wonder I feel right at home where I am, other Canadians live just down the street!

Despite my lack of running and a major life overhaul, I still managed to take a road trip in November, for a pre-planned race with the girls from my old running group in Toronto, in St. Pete's, FL running the Women's Half Marathon. While relocating and leaving friends/family behind is hard, it is significantly improved with the advent of the internet since my first time... but seeing them made a world of difference.

I do miss the training for triathlon... I just haven't found my running groove here just yet, been rock climbing at the gym rather than swimming, and my bike hasn't yet made the trip south to join me. However, I have been enjoying this injury-free streak. *Knock on wood* For anyone that has followed my blog long enough, you'll know that I typically train for a goal race, and either don't complete it or don't get to the start line because of stress fractures.

Instead, I've taken on P90X2, the followup to the popular P90X workout. I remember previewing some of the workouts, and gulping as I saw pushups on medicine balls, and every variety of pull up possible, wondering what I'd be getting myself into. Now, I'm doing it (still assisted pull ups for now, but I've been challenged...). For me, this is becoming a mental journey as much as a physical journey... more on that another time.

I hope to catch back up with all of you over the next while, and hope you understand my being out of the loop! Blog, and bloggers, oh how I've missed you.

I've been here before...

2011-04-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

First of all, thank you to all of you who've stopped by my blog or sent me emails recently to check on me! I'm still around, despite having neglected my blog! Thank you as well for all the amazing comments on the slideshow I posted in my previous post... I cried more than a few times reading them all :)

It's an all too familiar place. Life has had a way of challenging me on many levels, over and over again. I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for the discovery and growing I've done, so for that I'm thankful.

As I approach the 10th anniversary of my brain surgery, (and 6 years since I quit smoking), I had really high hopes that this year would be epic. I'd face the marathon again, tackle my first 70.3, and I'd live happily ever after. What? This is my story, I can end it however I want to, no?

Well, everything was great. My long runs were getting long again, the ice and snow were finally starting to melt, my eyelashes were freezing together less often. I got home from an 18 mile run a few weeks ago, happy. It felt like a good run, confidence was increasing. An ice bath, just because. 2 days rest, then out for an 8k, immediately I felt that something was wrong. Calves felt awkward, tight, things hurt... and by the time I got home, I could barely walk.

The next morning, things were worse. The pain, a grim reminder of my stress fractures, but this time,my right leg. Hobble into the sports clinic the following day, she felt confident that it was muscular, and not a stress fracture, and that I could hopefully try a run in a few days, as long as there's no pain walking.

Today, 3 weeks later, there's still pain... walking. It's a lot better than it was, but of course, I've had to rethink my plans. Having missed too many long runs, I've come to grips with the marathon winning, again. Thankfully, I've learned to set myself up well for disappointment in life. It's a crappy way to think and live... but if the disappointment happens, at least I was prepared for it and it wasn't a surprise, if it doesn't, consider it a bonus.

I'll do the half in Ottawa rather than the full, and fingers are crossed that the 70.3 will be my last big hurrah, here. Then, I'll working on the 'happily ever after' with a one way ticket for two, to Atlanta!

Have I succeeded in not turning this into a pity-party post? :P One last note, to all the racers headed to Boston, enjoy your moment, and reward!!

Believe. Inspire. Motivate. Dream.

2011-01-11T12:49:00.000-05:00

My journey has forced me to believe. Needed an incredible amount of inspiration. Required motivation, beyond words. Developed my ability to dream.

In response to my post here, about explaining 'our passion' to others around us that might not 'get it', and while cleaning up a pictures folder on my computer, I tapped into my creative side.

You have all helped me believe, are a constant source of motivation and inspiration, and have given me dreams... so consider yourselves included in the thank you. I heart you all.

I debated about posting this... anywhere. I wasn't sure if I wanted to, but realized that the purpose of my blog is to help others believe. Believe in change. Believe in themselves. Maybe inspire someone, and motivate a few. The feedback I got after posting this on Facebook yesterday, was, more than I imagined, to say the least. Let's just say, I needed more than a few kleenexes. So, thank you, as well, for giving me the courage to get this out there.

I just couldn't stand it anymore!

2011-01-01T23:48:00.015-05:00

While it's the end of 2010..., I look forward to the new beginning...

Highlights of the past year include:

first century ride - check
first Olympic distance triathlon - check
3rd place AG finish in a Try-a-tri
250,000m milestone in masters swim, with a heartfelt speech from coach, and certificate from Mira
Employment benefit allotment wasn't completely used up in the first six months of the year... (and I still had some left over!!) No out of pocket expenses for therapy due to injury! (knock on wood, please!)
Combined mileage goal of 4000k reached! (2917.7k bike, 950.7 run, 238.8 swum)
I decided to tackle the marathon again after my last attempt, so let's hope that 'take 2' in Ottawa, on May 29th, 2011 will end up differently.
Melanie vs. 70.3!! Half Iron distance, here I come! Race picked out, Welland on June 26th, 2011, just waiting on registration to open up!

This afternoon, I headed out for my first run of the year. It had been raining all day, and unseasonably mild. I was feeling rather lazy, getting out the door later than I had planned. I convinced myself that an easy 5k would be a good start to the year, and better than nothing at all. While a blank slate can be refreshing, looking at spreadsheet with a 0 in my YTD column didn't feel right. It's been ready to be filled in weeks ago, anxious for 2011 to get here. It was time.

Soon after leaving the house, I was already feeling better. I also noticed people in cars looking at me, probably thinking that I was 'one of those resolutioners'. You know, the ones who commit (don't get me wrong... I hope they also succeed!!!) to making this the year. The year that they lose weight, or start exercising. Little do they know, this has been a part of me for a few years now (and I hope many to come!!). It's my stress relief, my independence, my freedom.

As the song Today by the Smashing Pumpkins started playing on my iPod, I started singing along as I usually do. "Today, is the greatest, day I've ever known..." Just then, I stepped in a huge puddle, disguised by the darkness of the night... socks soaking wet. Still, today, the first day of 2011, the beginning of my brand new journey, my first entry into my log was an amazing 10k. I say that makes it a really, really, great day.

As seen on the Multisport Canada's website... Why, yes! YES IT IS!! What are your goals for this year?

How do you explain it?

2010-12-28T16:50:00.000-05:00

Hi, my name is Melanie, and I'm addicted to... (clearly, blogging is not the right answer here, sigh.)

We've all been called crazy, right? Given a quizzical look when you mention a planned or completed workout? How many times have you been asked, why?

Christmas eve, while helping my best friend clean up after dinner, said "You'd better be eating dessert tonight, especially since I know you're probably up to something crazy again tomorrow anyway. Nothing surprises me anymore." She then finished off by saying "...sometimes, I think you're addicted."

Another time, she has asked if I was becoming obsessive because of the heart attack that Terron's dad suffered... I told her I was "crazy" well before that happened. She nodded in agreement.

Without trying to sound like a sleazy salesperson, I let her know that I'm having fun, and that is of utmost importance, always. I'm challenging myself beyond my wildest dreams, and doing things because I can. I've been on the other side of that fence, not being able to do the simplest of things, because I couldn't. It sucked. Further, I told her that triathlon, running, swimming, cycling don't define me, but they sure make me a happier person. I let her know that no, I won't win races. I'm not, and won't be paid for any of this, but I am 'compensated' by a much stronger sense of independence, freedom and confidence than I have ever known! Can you imagine the therapy I'd need if I didn't have this in my life!?

Do you have people in your world, that are outside of 'our bubble'-- in which we all have common goals and passions, that just "don't get it"? Do you bother taking the time to try to justify it? And if so, does the glazed look in the eye of whom you're talking ever go away?

My 8%

2010-11-15T15:22:00.001-05:00

My 8% was my right temporal lobe, removed over 9 years ago. With it, went something irreplaceable.

I've struggled with the fact that many years of my seem to have vanished... been lost, since surgery. I don't remember a lot of my high school years (perhaps a good thing), and sadly, Terron's early years. His first milestones... steps, words, etc. are all left to my own imagination, and pictures. It crushes me.

I recently reunited with an elementary school friend of mine, on Facebook. After moving as a child, about 10 years of lost contact, I got the chance to see her, during the period of time that I was having seizures. Now, another 10 years later, I've even seen pictures of us, and our kids playing together... I might as well be looking at a strangers' pictures, because looking at us doesn't bring back the memories.

Why I'd expect the following to be different, I'm not sure...

Yesterday, I participated in the Etobicoke Masters swim meet, the first of the season. While not as exciting to me as triathlon, or road races, still fun to cheer on the people that I swim with each week, and a good way to see how I'm doing. Much more relaxed this time than last year, being my second meet... or so I thought.

I arrived at the Etobicoke Olympium, a little intimidated. I knew my events though, because I had selected them, so I knew I'd be fine.

Into the water for a quick warm up, trying to get a feel for everything new, I calmed down relatively easily. Over the next few hours, I swam in 6 events, PR'ing in each of my individual swims, and placing in age group!

1st place -- 100m free 1:29.72

2nd place -- 200m free 3:16.93 2nd place -- 400m free 7:02.25
2nd place -- 50m free 40.08
3rd place -- Mixed 200m free relay
3rd place -- Mixed 200m medley relay

Last night, I got a call from one of my very best friends from high school... and quickly told her about my morning.

C: "Where was the meet?"
Me: "Etobicoke Olympium"
C: "Really? We swam there, remember?"
Me: "We did? When? Why?"
C: "For a swim meet, in school. Remember?"
Me: Silence...then "I did a meet in high school? I was on a swim team then? *sigh* No. I don't remember." Hmmm, wonder if I was any good??

My 8% seems a whole lot bigger somedays...

I'm Changing...

2010-11-04T23:02:00.000-04:00

"You know what? You're changing, you're becoming a different person..." Tracy Morgan's voice told me so last night once I finished my run using the Nike+ GPS app. But I didn't necessarily need him to tell me that, I know I have. Many of the things I do today are also reminders of just how much I, and things, have changed.

I thought I smoked because it was stress relief, but brain surgery for what doctors figured that was partly stress related. Guess that smoking thing wasn't working out so well... Thankfully, I quit, and started to run. I then rode a bike, and got into the pool, because there was a period of time that I couldn't lace up, and run. All of this became my new stress reliever.

Last year, I joined a local Masters swim club, and immediately started tracking my mileage towards a Million Meter Challenge. Well, last night, during a tough swim set, I hit a milestone, 1/5th of the way to 1,000,000 meters. 200,000 meters swum, 200 kilometres. By me. While the number may be insignificant, or irrelevant, the achievement, for me, is monumental.

You see, 10 years ago, at 23 years of age, already a mother... I needed to be closely monitored. Watched while having a bath. To make sure I didn't drown in there, if I had another seizure, which was likely to happen, as many days I had 30 or more.

That I am able to, without a second thought, swim in a lake, or lap after lap in a Masters' session with other swimmers and triathletes, is simply awesome.

Each time I hit the road, hop on the bike or get in the water, I try to remember that someone else can't. Someone else won't. There was a time I couldn't, a time I wouldn't. I don't take any of it for granted. I promise.

If I put it here, it must be real, right?

2010-10-26T20:13:00.002-04:00

I've taken things slow, started back from scratch twice when I needed to.

I've trained smarter. My stress fractures, a blessing in disguise... forcing me to cross-train.

After a lifetime of hating it, I eventually fell in love... it was all about running, usually 5 days a week. I've learned runners don't all come in one shape, or one size. I understand that perhaps my body isn't designed for running that many days a week.

I've learned to listen to my body, take rest days when needed.

I've had to remind myself that bones heal stronger than they were before.

I know that running is much mental, if not more, as it is physical.

I know that when I want something bad enough, I will do whatever I can to get it. While I wanted to be a marathoner back in 2009, it wasn't my day. Not because I didn't want it, but because my body wouldn't let me fight anymore to get it. I came close, dammit, 6k shy of the finish line.

So, looking ahead 7 months... 215 days to be exact, 2 years and 2 weeks later...

I will have my second 'first' marathon... with the hopes that this one will end differently.

May 29, 2011.

Deep Breath.
Ready, set, go. Let the training begin.

No Air.

2010-10-25T17:00:00.000-04:00

Almost another month has passed since my last blog post, another unintended hiatus... sigh. I've missed blogging. I've missed getting my goals out there (there's a biggie coming up, post coming soon...), and being held accountable. I've missed jotting down my thoughts, the many that swirl around in my mind as I head out for a run, especially lately.

A few weeks ago, I got a call from my best friend... "mom" was in critical care, another bout of pneumonia... could I come stay with her son overnight while she and hubby went to the hospital. The next two and a half days, as she stayed by her mother's side, I was busy with building blocks, diaper changes, warming up bottles, taking her dog for a walk, and nap time (for the baby, not me).

I thought about all of you strong, running moms, pushing a stroller while logging your miles... You see, when Terron was that age, I never would have thought about a run. My, how things have changed.

Oh, how I wished I had brought my running shoes...

Sunday morning, I saw a Facebook update that Marathonman Rick had suddenly passed away while out for a run, and about 30 minutes later, a text from the hospital, "mom" had passed away, too. While she may not have been my biological mother, she has been a "mom" to me since I moved here about 17 years ago.... Wow, talk about a Thanksgiving to remember, two lives taken far too soon.

It wasn't until the following day that I had the opportunity to run. No planned route, no distance in mind. Just run.

Within the first kilometre, memories came flooding back, tears streamed down my face, the sadness I held in while trying to be strong for my friend poured out. I ran.

In an almost cruel twist of fate, the song No Air started playing on my ipod... I don't remember the last time that song played. I could only think of "mom's" final breaths, as she struggled to breathe. I felt like I was running on clouds, like they were both helping lift me a little to make my footfall light, and silent, both with me at that moment. I just ran. Thinking. Crying. Remembering.

From bike to cruiser

2010-09-29T21:52:00.000-04:00

While you may have thought I had completely abandoned blogging, I haven't. I've just been holding onto the last of the nice weather, and enjoying it all while I can. While I have lots that I've wanted to post and catch up on, I simply haven't sat down to do it. For now, I'll start with my latest adventure...

Never a dull moment.

I signed up to do the Tour de Greenbelt on Sept 25th, my last "supported" ride (we'll get to that later), another 100k.

Having friends that have previously done this ride, it came highly recommended that we park away from the start, ride over to pick up our kits, and start ahead of the crowd. Good call, because the first few km were on a narrow, fairly popular paved trail. Lots of walkers, dogs and young children enjoying a cool, crisp, fall morning.

We had picked up a map, which had the written directions for all 3 routes, but the map failed to show the 100k route. It didn't seem important... at the time.

The three of us rode for about 13k until the routes split... I was heading north, they continued east. My surroundings were beautiful, the colors of the leaves spectacular. Eventually, I arrived at my first rest stop, an unsuspecting girl sitting in the back of a van, seeking shelter from the wind, reading a book. I was the first to arrive, which didn't really surprise me, as we did leave early, and no one caught up or passed me. I used the porta-potty, and laughed as she thanked me for the short visit, having just seen a farmer walking a cow moments before.

I continued, making a mental note of street names on which I'd need to turn, as the wind had blown a few signs around. Turning west on Herald Road wasn't supposed to be the end of my ride...

Let me set the scene.

No... not the real sign posted, thankfully ;)

Single lane traffic, tall trees with colored leaves, some having already fallen to the ground, along with acorns. Cars speeding by, kinda scary given the lack of a shoulder on the road, and, are you ready for it? Gun shots heard nearby. Yep, gun shots. I'm a small-town-turned-city girl. Still, not sure I've ever heard a real gun-shot. While I then started feeling a few raindrops, I would not be seeking shelter in there, no matter how much rain would fall, for fear of being mistaken for a target. That, my friends, would be my luck.

I sailed down a hill, through an intersection, gun shots becoming more distant, and finally resumed pedalling with an upcoming ascent. CRUNCH.

My chain had slipped off the gears, and suddenly, my feet were no longer even able to push forward. I quickly unclipped and hopped off my bike, to find that my chain had gouged out a piece of my frame, while wedging itself between the frame and my crank. Tried as I might, it would go back the same way it came. A group of cyclists rode on by, courteous nod as they passed.

According to the written directions, there would be a left turn, then a rest stop.... somewhere, on that road. Again, without the 100k route map, I had no visuals to go by.

I decided it was time to call the SAG number on the map... this was a first. After telling the person that answered that I had broken down, and my approximate location, she asked if I could walk to a rest stop. Me: "Umm, can you tell me about how far away it is from where I am?" Her: "No, I'm not sure how far it is. But there is support there, so if you can start walking, maybe someone will drive by later to pick you up"

Stunned silence. Maybe? Later? maybe!!!

Finally, one guy stopped and asked if I was ok. He went to work on my bike, trying to free my chain. Requesting permission to flip it upside down to try again proved futile. I told him that the silver lining in all of that it wasn't a simple task for him either, making me look like an idiot. He confirmed that I had "...done a good job" jamming it, and that the whole crank would need to be removed. I recounted my phone conversation, he chuckled, asked him if he could let the rest stop personnel know I was stuck if he found, and stopped at the rest stop.

Cars continued to whiz by. Cyclists, too. Time to walk, I guess. It was almost 2 kilometres to the next major intersection, which doesn't seem like a long way considering.... but in cleats, on fallen sticks and acorns, it's far enough.

A female police officer opened her car door, and stepped out, as I approached. After telling my tale, she texted one of the coordinators, soon followed by a phone call, which produced the same responses... "Someone may be able to come pick her up later." This time, both of our eyebrows raised a little. She was there directing traffic for the cyclists at the busy intersection, and was off duty in approximately 30 minutes. She offered to give me a ride back to my car, as long as I didn't hold her liable for any scratches on my bike! Ha! Who would I be to argue?

This would be my first time riding in a police car, and not even having to get into trouble! I'd be getting a ride back to my car, into the warmth, instead of waiting for a possible ride back, sometime...later.

Of course Terron's response was "Whoa, mom! What did you DO!" when I called him to tell him where I was!

I couldn't thank her enough. While I had planned to ride 100k that day, I only managed close to 57k. It worked out in the end, because it allowed me more time to get to the bike shop for the repair, and head downtown to meet a very special friend. More about that soon, and many more things going on, so stay tuned! In the meantime, I'll be catching up with you! Thanks for sticking with me!

By the way....yes, I was very lucky. This story could have had a very different ending. I think about that nearly every time I come back safely from a ride, how fortunate I am. I don't take it for granted.

Hills, and tears, and kilometers, oh my!

2010-09-13T20:56:00.004-04:00

"It may not add years to my life, but it adds life to my years" -- Peter H.

There is one day of the year that is more of a celebration to me than my birthday. It marks the end of the old me; the beginning of the new me. It's the reason I am who I am, do what I do, and the premise of my blog. Sept 12, 2001, I had brain surgery to remove part of my right temporal lobe because of epilepsy. Prior to surgery, I wrote a letter to my then almost 3 year old son... just in case. I still don't have enough tears to reread it, maybe one day, but just happy that it wasn't needed then. Those years were hell on earth, but in a sick sort of way, I'm glad I went through it. A life-changing event like that really makes you change, fast.

I remember the days following surgery, X's on the calendar for each day that passed without a seizure. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and yesterday, I celebrated 9 years! Years! I'm able to bathe without someone watching over me again; in fact, a few weeks ago, I swam across the lake without worry. What better way to celebrate life than by living life!

Last year, I marked the occasion with my first 100k bike ride. This year, I figured I'd tackle the real century, 100 miles, not the metric century.

That is a long way to ride!

I signed up the Ride for Karen because I know a few that had done in last year, and heard great things. The following description made me a little nervous, but, go big or go home, right?

"In the long course, cyclists will embark on a 160 km / 100 mile ride through the valleys and farmlands north of Toronto. While scenic, the 160 km ride is a difficult undertaking even for a seasoned cyclist and acts as a suitable metaphor for the strength that Karen showed in her tireless battle with Breast Cancer."

I arrived to the parking lot, scanning faces for someone familiar. One cyclist from my Tuesday group mentioned that he might come if an injury didn't flare up... I never did see him, but did see his truck in the parking lot from where we ride on Tuesdays. You're busted!

Announcements were made, instructions given for us to line up in one of 3 groups. 35k/hr, 30k/hr or 25k/hr. Ummm, I moved back, back, back. First time tackling this distance, not a race, let's have some fun with this! The weather had looked iffy all week, a beautiful, clear, sunny forecast everyday for about a week, except Sunday. Of course.

Within minutes of starting, I was chatting away with Heather, another cyclist I had just met while in line, embarking on her first century. Taking a mental note of each other's jersey for the beginning of a long day. We starting in a group of about 15, that quickly separated into smaller packs. The wind heading northwest separated everyone a little more. That, and the start of the hills. I knew there would be some... that was only the beginning. I saw a jersey ahead of me in the distance, at this point, I was riding alone, in an area I never knew existed. I wanted to catch up, and soon after, I did.

Peter saw my shadow behind him as I stayed in his draft for just a little bit.. I told him that I worked hard to catch him! I moved ahead, beside him, where we chatted over the next few kilometers, before he mentioned that he'd need to make a side-of-the-road-pit-stop. We both talked about our "stories", he was celebrating 15 years (I hope I remembered that correctly) since his heart attack. He shared with me the quote at the top of my post. It stuck with me for the remainder of the day, and will for a very long time.

Soon, I arrived at the first rest stop, about 53k into the ride. Boys peeing along a chain link fence with their backs turned, four of us girls all looking at each other, searching for a place to do the same. Thanks to the row of strategically placed tractors, with their huge tires and rims, we each our own stall, with privacy because of the size of tires, and something to hold onto. Definitely a first for me!

One last stop at the table for... yet, another cookie, and to refill my water, I left a few minutes after Heather's group. Their jerseys were almost always within view, but the gap didn't seem to narrow much, until I hit the 'marsh'... very familiar territory. You'll notice a bunch of circles on the map. Funny thing about this route, and one of the reasons I was so interested in doing this, because it hits one of my old running routes, and two of my usual riding spots! It was fantastic to see lots of new stuff too though! Trees are already starting to show their fall colors... so pretty.

Met up with Heather and her group again, as we counted down until lunch. Oh, we knew we were close, but it seemed like hours since the last stop. Ahead, a big climb, but right before it, finally... a sign pointing us left into a park. Ahhhh, food. More cookies, sandwiches, and a flushing toilet! Bonus! Already feeling the salted crust on my face, but otherwise pretty good considering this was already 4k more than I'd ever ridden, and I still had another 50+ to go!

Riding in the pack really made the last stretch a lot more tolerable and enjoyable. We all seemed to groan in unison with each hill that awaited. If Toronto is considered flat, I think we found most, if not all the hills! There were a few doozies. There was one... where we actually stood at the top of to rest, while pondering the next descent and climb. Killer. One went, the next one about 10 seconds later, repeated until we reached all crested the next climb. Ow. At about 125k into the ride, it seemed a bit cruel.

Until then, we had perfect weather. Wearing arm sleeves turned out to be perfect, because I just slid them down when the sun came out, and pulled them up when it peeked back behind the clouds. It rained for about 10 minutes at about 130k, and while the clouds for the remainder of the ride looked threatening, we got off easy.

Arriving back in the parking lot, crossing the blow up finish line after 160k, I thought about all I had seen since leaving the same place earlier that morning, and how much of a celebration it was to me. I choked back tears and felt the sting in my eyes as I explained to Heather why I was there...

The day after surgery, first time realizing I still had hair! Priceless!!

I still wonder sometimes what the doctor did while in there... but I'm not going to spend a lot of time thinking that. I'll just continue adding life to my years :)

What should I do to celebrate 10 years?!

Finally here -- Milton Women's Olympic Race report

2010-09-10T09:27:00.000-04:00

For the few days leading up to the race, I had my fingers crossed, and a little chant going through my head. Please, no injuries. Please, no family emergencies or deaths. Just please. As I arrived in the parking lot, my eyes scanned familiar surroundings, this time as a participant.

While at the registration table, waiting patiently for the end of a conversation, the race director looks up and said I looked familiar! It had been 2 years earlier that I registered for my first multisport event, on a whim, as something fun to do on my 31st (on the 31st) birthday. I smiled, and briefly explained that it was my 3rd time paying for his race, but my first time participating. I intended to get my money's worth from the day.

I was there, having that conversation. I was already one step ahead.

My goal at the end of last year, after really getting hooked on triathlon, was to work my way up to an Olympic distance tri this year, then a half Ironman the following year. Yes, I take baby steps, and have learned that this works best for me.

I set up my transition, twice, because of a little mix up with the racks, and quickly found the rest of my team! It was the girls that seemed to stick it out this year... seemed fitting that most of us signed up for this women's only race to close the season, including a 62 year old first timer! I heard it was a race to the end as well! So proud of her!

Lavender swim caps all headed down to the water, 21 of us registered for the Olympic. I was among them. Awesome.

SWIM:
After gingerly navigating the rocky bottom, I did a quick warm up to assess the water. 1500m, a 2 loop course, with a quick run through a few pylons on the beach, before starting the second.

Two ladies quickly led out the small group, myself a short distance behind.
I was passed once, but kept the leaders all within my sight, I was feeling good. 4th out of the water... I was doing the race!

BIKE:
I was happy that the race was on the Sunday, and not the previous day. A few local triathlons had turned into duathlons due to very choppy water caused by high winds, unsafe for the swimmers, as well as the kayakers. It even grounded the air show! While nowhere near as bad on Sunday, the headwind seemed ever present for the climbs, making the descents with a tail wind, fast! I felt ok on the bike, but it definitely wasn't my best effort. Some km's passed by fast at 1:24/km, one at 3:15/km... ouch. Overall, only 2 minutes slower than the bike portion of my Olympic aquabike in June. . but I'll take it, considering this time I was following it with a 10k run.

RUN:
Oh, the run. Sigh. It's all starting to make a little more sense to me.

I decided to go with the compression calf sleeves while in transition. Lately I hadn't needed them, having great runs off the bike, but I listened to my gut, and slid them on while in T2. 4 loop hilly course. I remembered those hills from when I volunteered a few years ago.

Not even the sleeves helped.

First loop was brutal. I felt the sting in my eyes, I was near tears. I walked. Most of it. I stopped to stretch. Walking hurt. Wow, 9.5 more kilometres of this. I was there. I was trying to remember that. A runner passed me on one of the outs, and asked if I needed a gel. I thanked her, declined, but asked if she had shins that wouldn't burn. She didn't have a spare set.

I finally made it to the turn around, 3 more to go. This time I was able to muster more of a run. This time at the turn around, my swim coach, who had come to cheer us all on was there, and asked if I was ok. I shook my head, and carried on.

Third loop was feeling a little more comfortable, finally smiling a little. I was here.

Not hard to have a negative split type of run, when the beginning sucks so bad. My final loop was, of course, better. Had the whole run been that way, I would have finished much sooner. I may even have been in time for a finishers medal! Seems that there was a problem with the ordering, they were short on medals, so I'll be getting mine in the mail.

3:09:33, a little longer than I had hoped, but I fought for it. I met my goal for the year, completing the Olympic distance... and am still moving forward. It's been quite the year for me where triathlon is concerned. I'm looking forward to new goals for next year!

This weekend will be marking a 'special' anniversary, which to me, is far bigger than my birthday. I will celebrate, by living life, and doing something I never thought I would! Post to follow.

Hello Oly!

2010-09-03T13:15:00.000-04:00

There are so many things going on in my head these days. From the 31st of August (my birthday), until later in September, (Terron's birthday), several days in between are marked my various monumental anniversaries.

In some sort of way, all three changed my life (and Terron's)... I'll be "observing" two of the three over the course of this long weekend!

Two years ago, I had an idea to do a duathlon on my champagne birthday. I rode, I ran, let's do both! At that point, I was still 'scared of the swim' to try a tri, but always thought it looked cool.

Unfortunately, a few weeks before, I found out I had healing stress fractures, so I decided to spend my birthday volunteering at the event, sporting my not-so-sexy air cast, instead. Within the year that followed, after having no choice but to get into the water for recovery, I got bit by the 'tri bug' and once again registered for the same race, this time a Sprint Triathlon.

That time, I missed the race because Terron's dad suddenly passed away the night before.

If the third time is supposed to be the charm, I will be doing the Milton's Women's Olympic Triathlon on Sunday, my longest tri so far, and my goal race for the year! The race, on the 1 year anniversary of my son's father's passing, no doubt reminds me to make the most out of my life, something I've been trying to do for several years now, after another major upcoming anniversary. Life is far too short, and we know not when our day will come.

None of this would have been possible though, if it weren't for another anniversary, this time a happy one, that I celebrate on Sept 6th. 5 years since I quit smoking! Best.Thing.I've.Ever.Done. Never been so proud to be a quitter at something, which trust me, is not something I often do!

Having been inspired like never before this past weekend, I'm excited, and ready! Both my masters swim, and tri coaches will be there cheering 4 of us on too!! Guess I have to be ready!! Have a great long weekend everyone!

At peace

2010-08-23T00:44:00.001-04:00

With only 9 days to go before one of my past goals slips through my fingers as incomplete, I realized today that I was completely at peace with it.

It's not to say that I am happy with things that I set out to do, but cannot. I'm not letting myself off the hook, not setting a precedence, not accepting of failure, and not saying it'll never happen.

I was about 27 when I started running, never thinking I'd be hooked. As the distances increased, from my first 5k, then 10k, half marathon, 30k... I thought it would be an amazing goal to run my first marathon at the age of 32, the age at which my dad ran his first, and only marathon. Well, in 9 days, I will be 33. Goal: FAIL.

But, it's not a total loss. If you don't know what happened the day I attempted to cross that goal off my to-do list, you can read about it here. I'm not sure that I'll ever write as emotional a post as I did that day, only hours later. It was probably the best thing I did all day! The funny thing is, I read it, almost as if it's in the third person, as if I'm reading someone else's account of a race gone bad.

I learned a lot about myself that day, and unexpectedly, got a lot more than I could have asked for. Even without the right to call myself a marathoner, even without the finishers medal, bigger things happened.

I learned that I can push through more pain that I'd ever like to feel again, for something I chose to do, willingly. I learned that I don't give up without a fight. I learned that while I do have a stubborn streak in me (read: walked, limped, hobbled, cried from when the pain set in at 8k, reaching 35.98k, when I finally turned off the Garmin, and sat on the curb, sobbing), I eventually come to my senses (read: stop before doing more permanent damage. 8 weeks off, including crutches, walking cast, lots of frustration. Would hate to know what the outcome would have been if I had continued, if I even could!)

After all this, and 9 days before failing at my goal, I'm at peace! There were days that I took it pretty hard, but I'm over that now. I've heard comments, but they don't sting quite as bad. I've taken the above lessons learned that day, and carried them forward in other parts of my life.

I was forced into a pool, and onto a bike as part of recovery, and got bit by the tri bug hard. LOOK! I even placed 3rd in my AG in the Welland Try-a-Tri earlier this summer! Never being even close to this in a running only race, leave it to me to completely miss the awards ceremony, and have to get my bronze medal mailed to me!! It's been a fun, and interesting journey! Wonder if I would even have ventured here, had it not been for the injury!

I've taken baby steps in the 'tri world' too, learned a lot, and have my goal race for the season coming up on Sept 5th, my very first Olympic distance triathlon. Let's hope the story ends differently this time, and perhaps for the next time I run the marathon distance. I'll never say never!

Toronto Island Sprint Tri Race report -- maybe it WAS the cookie?

2010-08-17T23:00:00.001-04:00

Oh! Hello there! Remember me?! Don't ask, because I won't tell, yet.

Funny thing about living somewhere is that you tend to take things for granted, I know I have. While I've lived in Toronto for close to 16 years, it took a triathlon for me to get to the Toronto Island.

After the rough day at the Muskoka tri last month, I was looking for a race that would work with my available weekends, before my Olympic tri on Sept. 5th... this was it!

I woke up at 5:20am, roused myself out of bed, and wiped the sleep from my eyes. I chose to do this. I enjoy this. I really do.

Gear on, car packed, I made it downtown in no time. I found expensive parking (grrr) next to the ferry terminal, picked up my race kit, took advantage of a flushing toilet restroom in the hotel, then stood in line with a large group of triathletes for the ferry.

The thunderstorm and rain forecasted for overnight hadn't materialized, so while it was cooler down by the water, the humidity could still be felt. Took the time on the ferry to braid up my hair so it wouldn't be one giant frizz ball by the time the race was over.

With a 9:20am wave start, I arrived in plenty of time for transition, and snagged a sweet spot right on the end of a rack, half way between the bike out and run out. I knew of one other girl racing, so as the transition area continued to fill, I scanned faces until I finally saw her. A little frazzled from having missed a ferry, taking a different one to another part of the island, having to hurry; I listened as she vented while setting up transition... all set, time to head down to the water.

Not only have I never been to the Toronto Island, I also haven't swum in Lake Ontario. Ever. As we got out to the beach, the thing I noticed right after eyeballing the green and orange buoys, were the waves. The sound also caught my ear. Huh, quite a bit more wavy than I had expected. The effort in our stroke didn't seem to pay off with equal movement, as we were constantly being pushed back to shore, but I convinced myself that we'd get an awesome push home...

9:20am, horn blast, and here I am, starting another race! My fourth tri of the season, 6th ever... it sure beats paying for a race, having to volunteer instead, in an air cast, on my champagne (31st) birthday!

As expected, a tough swim, but 750m (plus transition) done in just over 16 minutes... here comes the fun part!

Flat, 10k loop, done 3 times... my fastest ride yet, finishing the bike in 56:35. A little nervous with the upcoming run (this was, my longest sprint tri to date) I fought the negative voices in my head, and was determined not to let them win.

Quick transition to run, time to finish this race. A two direction, out 'n back course, done twice, with plenty of water stations, it was the only time I took a few moments to walk. Took a few sips of water each time, poured the rest on my head to cool off... run on. A funny thing happened...while yes, I was passed by several fast runners, I also did a bit of passing myself! What burning calves? I was feeling great despite the humidity, and that I was running off the bike, which historically has always given me such problems! 7.5k done in 45:42, with a total time of 2:02:17. Completely elated, I waited for Karly to finish!

If I had to run another 2.5k for the Olympic race distance, I could have.... so to say I'm quite a bit more confident, with less than 3 weeks to go, is an understatement!!

Sarah, maybe it was the cookie at Cameron's birthday party the day before!! :)

Time to start making my rounds again, to see what you've all been up to!

A funny thing happened..

2010-07-29T11:33:00.001-04:00

Somewhere along the way, my idea of fun really changed. Big time.

In my mind, I had thought to do some sort of comparison.... what was fun to me then, and now. Sure, hanging out with friends, watching a movie, etc, those were/are all fun. But that was it. I really had no goals, no passion, nothing that I really worked towards! Looking back, life as the 'old' me was really boring!

Now, I'm not suggesting everyone go have brain surgery to start enjoying life. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! While I'm thankful for everything it's done for me, there are easier ways...

Suddenly, my idea of fun includes running around the track doing drills, swimming in a lake at which everyone else cringes their noses, or spending hours in shorts that make me look like I'm wearing a diaper, on a hard seat, pedalling distances that people often think is too far to drive! While none of these things define me, I love that they have become a part of me.

I was itching to do a long ride, and after the character building weather conditions for the 75k Ride for Heart in June, I had my fingers crossed. I couldn't possibly have luck so bad, that I'd have to do that twice, would I?

Sure, I could map out my own long ride, but running and riding have given me the opportunity to see so many things that I otherwise wouldn't. In one of my race kits, I had a brochure for "Le Tour de Norfolk", a supported, recreational type of ride. I did one last year, to celebrate 8 years since my brain surgery, and my last seizure... this time, I registered... for fun!

Tried explaining this to a close friend of mine from high school... she knew the 'old me'... and isn't sure she'll understand the 'new me', and that's ok. She just shakes her head, rolls her eyes, and laughs at me a lot, all in good fun.

The ride was about 2 hours away from home, so another early morning. I went down alone, which is also quite significant for me. I wasn't often the type to try new things... especially if going solo. Once there, I picked up my map, and my complimentary Tim Horton's coffee!! WHOOHOO!!! Chatted with a few friendly cyclists, was given my instructions, and pointed in the direction of the ride start.

So I headed in that direction...riding slowly up the hill at approximately 8:15a, even though the ride started at 8:30. I'd already seen some cyclists make their way up there, so I sort of anticipated seeing a cluster of people waiting to start... that never happened, so I just continued, seeing someone waaaaaaay out in the distance.

I had signed up for the 100k ride, so my instructions were to follow neon green arrows painted on the ground. There would be three, one ahead of a turn, one at the turn, and then a confirmation arrow afterwards. Got it. Green.

It became very apparent to me, early in the ride, how important seeing those little arrows would be! It wasn't until about the first rest stop, that I ended up seeing, and riding close to others, that had obviously started earlier than be, because I hadn't been passed by anyone!

Truth be told, the alone time was kind of nice... with plenty on my mind recently, unfamiliar surroundings were perfect for me to get 'lost in my thoughts'.... fingers crossed that I would literally become lost throughout the day!

I can be a little cynical at times. For example, when the arrows steered me onto Spooky Hollow Road. Really, how bad can it be. Not a cloud in the sky, wide open corn fields, cute country homes, with friendly farmers waving as you pass them, what's so 'spooky' about this?

As I sit here, and type out this post, I have goosebumps, the hair on my arms and the back of my next are standing on end. From the wide open fields, a slight turn right to a heavily wooded area, a sharp descent, and suddenly the air has a distinct chill. The sounds coming from the woods, eerie. I remember looking back and over my shoulder a few times, thinking that I was no longer alone, but I was, I think. A climb out, and finally some warmer air, and back to the sunshine... For some reason, this part of the ride stuck with me, and I googled it when I got home... and found this story. Maybe I won't be so quick to judge street names anymore!!

The rest of the ride had a few more gently rolling hills compared to the beginning, and I completely missed the second rest stop, as I crossed and intersection and made a turn. Feeling good, and having plenty of fuel and water, with only about 25k until the third and final rest stop, I pedalled on.

Couldn't help but giggle as a much older lady stopped to admire my ride, as I filled up the Speedfil with more water and the final stop. "Oh my, bikes sure are different from when I used to ride..."

In the last 20k, I learned that a chocolate-covered protein bar, tucked into one of the pouches on the back of a cycling jersey, on a hot July morning, with sunshine beating down on my back, and body heat radiating off of me... is a difficult thing to eat while riding! It's also nearly impossible to stay clean, during said process. I spent the few minutes following that, licking my fingers, so as not to get the white bar tape on my aerobars disgusting. Lesson learned.

I also saw something cross the street in the distance, a fairly big something, and as I passed by an opening in the field, saw a deer, that stopped to watch me pass. Crowd support! Awesome!

Neon green arrows! Yes! I'm still on course...

The last few kilometers clicked by, with more people around, as we met up with cyclists that were doing either the 40k or 75k routes.

Rolling into the parking lot, I had covered 102k in about 3h45, and burnt more than 1800 calories!

Pasta lunch, followed by a guilt-free ice cream made for a perfect ending to an amazing day! Ahhhh, the things I do for fun! :)

Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time! -- Muskoka Sprint Tri Race Report

2010-07-26T16:18:00.000-04:00

There's good news, and there's bad news. Since I'm not going to take the time to poll which one all of you want first, I'll just go ahead, and spill it all.

I signed up for the Muskoka Sprint Triathlon after learning that one of the guys from my masters/triathlon club was too... it seemed like a good idea at the time. A Saturday afternoon race, when the Sunday was already double-booked!

With a 4pm start, there was plenty of time to make the 2+ hour trek north the same day. I had been nervous of the possibility of melting with the temperatures we've been having recently, but quickly found out that it was cooler up there than it was at home! Bonus!

Picked up my kit, pink swim cap for wave 3 start, timing chip, and body marked before setting up transition, still with plenty of time. Bumped in Marlene a few times, who was doing the run leg as a relay... still working on getting her to become a triathlete! *wink, wink*

With still more than 2 hours to go, we walked into town to get some food. A slice of pizza may not have been the best choice, but it was close, a familiar chain, and with a few hours to go before starting, figured would be ok. Heading back to transition, from across the street we hear this guy's voice... yelling out at us, unsure of the words, because I wasn't really listening. Turned to look, it was one of the managers from the days when I worked in the office, his wife was racing today! YAY!

Most triathlons I've done have had a triangle shaped swim, so you enter where you begin... this one was a little different. With about an hour before the start, we headed to find the swim start... the gravel road seemed endless. Not many people there yet, and not much to see, still unsure how the swim start would be with a few narrow stairways, and no beach area. Headed back to transition for one last restroom break, get my wetsuit, goggles, and cap to turn right back around and make the walk back.

Deep water start

SWIM: Wetsuit on, crap, sunglasses are on my head, hoped I'd be able to catch Jay on my way out of the water to get them for the bike and run. Into the water for a quick warm-up and to assess the water, and soon into the water with Karly, my co-worker's wife for our wave start. Had contemplated wearing the wetsuit with the heat and humidity, but while treading water for a few minutes prior to starting, I was happy to have it on!

Stroke, stroke, stroke, swim, swim, swim, I got into a groove, and just went. Easy, straight line from point to point, no worries about turning the corner at a buoy. Race announcers said they didn't care if we were on the left, or right of it, so none of the usual crowding, so that was nice for a change. Eventually, I caught up to, and passed a few swimmers from waves 1 and 2, and found myself at steps climbing out and running up to transition. Grabbed my glasses from Jay, high-fived my co-worker, and continued onto transition, where I saw Marlene.

See me there, climbing the stairs? 2nd out of the water for my AG, catching up to a few from previous waves!

Bike: Heading out onto the bike, I was prepared for hills. I had overheard some racers who had previously done the course, and was also warned in both the pre-race letter, and by overhearing others about some bumpy roads. Having been worried about hydration, I've been experimenting with some e-Load electrolyte recently, and decided I'd use it for race day. As per the packet instructions, I poured two packages into a 1.5L bottle of water, shook it up, and poured it into my 40oz. Speedfil. Started drinking a bit early on while getting settled into a groove... and it wasn't long before I started having some mild discomfort in my stomach. Yuck.

The best part of the 20k ride was at the 10k turn-around. Not only being I was now heading back, and half way done the ride, and getting closer to finishing, which at this point was a good thing considering how I was starting to feel... but because a good running friend of mine, Tina, and her husband were waiting there to cheer me on!! With a hairpin turn, it took everything I had to muster a smile, a quick wave, stay with the rubber side down, and dodge the other cyclists. It gave me such a boost!

The mild discomfort soon turned to sharp, stabbing pains. Being tucked into aero for most of the ride, other than some decent inclines, seemed to be the most comfortable, but didn't prevent me from vomiting twice. Ewwwwwwww. Somehow, and I'm quite proud of this, I managed to keep my bike and myself clean. I was feeling worse as time went on... and was starting to get chills. Finally back at transition, quick shoe change, remembered to take off my helmet ;) and I was headed towards Marlene, who was standing waiting for her relay partner, in front of the run out. High-fived her, and told her not to kick my ass too badly on the run... she's speedy!

Run: Oh my, where to start. As I rounded the corner past the parking lot where I parked, I knew I was in trouble. Heavier breathing while running was causing my already-twisted-into-a-knot-stomach to hurt even more. I'd run, then slowed to a walk, wincing in pain. 2 loop, out 'n back hilly route, a challenge, indeed, on the best of days. On a bad day, as I was having, made to seem worse. In my head.. 'Here comes Marlene, gotta run!' So I did! Apparently it "worked" as she mentioned in her race report that I appeared strong! Ha, looks can be deceiving! I totally fake smiled as I passed the race photographers, too. Both Karly and Marlene passed me between the last hill, and the last few hundred meters, I just kept chugging along, hurting.

And done... finally.

So yes, while it was good news that I finished, I have even better news! One of two things happened. Either, I finally had no burning or pain in my shins/calves during the run!!! Or I just focused on my stomach much more, and didn't realize it! Regardless, it has restored my confidence, so I'm looking forward to what's next already! :)

Right after I crossed the finish line, I took in some more water, was told I looked yellow, given Gatorade, and got a banana. I'm not sure that I was dehydrated, and wouldn't understand how if I was, since I drink lots of water, everyday. Maybe something to do with the e-load? Who knows. I've never had any issues with it before...

In any case, it took me until late Sunday night to be back to 'normal', whatever that is... and I'm quite sure that an afternoon race start is not something I'll rush to do again, even though the event was well-organized, scenic, and fun!!

Finish time: 1:36:33 -- a PR since it's my first sprint with these distances, I'll take it :)

Ignorance is bliss...

2010-07-21T23:22:00.000-04:00

Ok, so you might think I'm talking about ignoring all of you, since I haven't been around to your posts recently (Sorry!!) Or... maybe even my blog, since I haven't updated in more than a week... oops. It's certainly not because I have nothing to talk about, in fact, it's the opposite! I just haven't had the time, life happens!

I'm talking about ignoring myself, my own worst enemy!

Since my two triathlons last year, having burning shins in both, it's been in my mind. I'm not naive that training for anything is not only physical, but mental as well. The latter is the one that often proves more difficult of the two. A constant struggle. I tend to give in to the voice in my head.

Two weeks ago at the lake, during our tri group practice, I had a milestone swim, followed by a good bike ride. As I packed up my bike, I got my calf sleeves out of my bag. I had a great run with them on during my triathlon just the week before, let's see if they worked again! Coach suggested I try a brick run without, just to see. Suddenly, it was like losing a security blanket.

I did just a short 2k run with another girl, and while the shins started to burn towards the end, I didn't give in. I chose to ignore it. I knew I wasn't pushing an injury, or risking another, so felt it safe to push on. I wasn't going to listen to the voice or the pain, wasn't looking for an explanation of why it happens, and wasn't going to speak a word about it while running.

This past weekend, I had a tougher mentality as I headed out for my brick run, and didn't give it a thought! I just ran, and could've gone longer!

I'm doing my first Sprint Triathlon of the season on Saturday afternoon. Yes, afternoon. I'll be packing my newfound toughness and stubbornness with me, in case I need to do some more ignoring during the race!

A Series of... Interesting Coincidences!

2010-07-11T23:57:00.000-04:00

Yet another example of how small the world can be at times!

There are a couple of players in this story --> J, D, S, T(erron), and I(Me, moi, yours truly). Let's begin.

Saturday morning, 6 of us met at the lake for our OWS, and group ride... up to this point, everything was... normal. D and I were the only two going long again. He suggests we swim 8 buoys, after a brief pause, another 5. He looks out in the distance, sees a blue one among the straight line of whites, and says we have to go to that one, just to say we did. Reaching that blue buoy was not only the furthest I've swum in the lake, but left only one, single buoy before crossing the lake completely! That'll be for next time :) D then said we swim the whole way back straight, no stopping. Done!

A huge milestone, happy, leaving me near tears at how much freedom and independence this all multisport stuff has given me back, and represents, since seizures! Still hard to express in words, not sure I'll ever find the right ones... although constantly on my mind.

Oh, and in case you're wondering... no, I didn't continue my swim up the road and into the parking lot! Ooops :) I was so beyond ecstatic, that I forgot to stop my Garmin when we were blabbing on about our swim to the others, who could no longer see our yellow swim caps in the water, and waited for us!

D and I have previously talked about the TriKids series of triathlon before, when I mentioned that Terron was doing one a few weeks ago. He had wanted to register his kids, but it had already sold out. This weekend was another, for which we had both signed up our kids. D wasn't going to be riding, because he was heading out to the race site with the kids for the kit pick up and orientation. With this being Terron's third, and about 60k away from home, I told D that I wasn't going to bother going on Saturday, only to be back there again on Sunday, but let him know that the orientation would be worth since it was their first time. He asked what my son's name was, and left, as we hit the road for a ride.

Terron has been looking very forward to this triathlon in particular, because he knew from before school ended for the summer, that his friend J was participating! Being the same age, I was a little worried that he'd get a little competitive, especially if in the same wave, (and hopefully not disappointed), so I had a little chat with him yesterday afternoon, and he said he understood. Good.

Last night, sitting outside with some neighbors, my phone rings with an unknown number, but definitely someone in the area. Saturday evening, shouldn't be a telemarketer, right? It was D... who started by saying "I didn't know Terron was in J's class!" It was then that it hit me....

D, is J's DAD! I have been swimming and tri training with my son's friend's dad for 8 months, and had no clue! I then found out today, when I met S, D's wife, and J's mom, that she coached Terron's volleyball! Funny now, how all the faces and relationships came together!

Now, here's coincidence number two for this weekend!

Arrived at the race kit pick up table, Terron was body marked, had a few minor things on his bike tweaked, setup his transition, then had hours to wait before his wave start. As I sat down next to him for a moment, finishing my coffee, I noticed his race number, 558! Light bulb moment, quickly checked my iPhone for previous pictures -- 558 was my last race number from just two weeks ago!! How awesome is that!? Terron put up his hand for a high-five, and said we were meant to be triathlon buddies!! LOVE IT!

We ran into other friends, cheered on their 3 triathletes, and had the best 4 year old cheerleader-but-not-so-distant-future-triathlete helping me count down Terron's laps on the bike!

Safe to say he left it all out on the course today? He did awesome, and PR'd by over 5 minutes!

Balance... and other random stuff.

2010-07-09T15:02:00.000-04:00

Balance: My goal for 2010 was to continue what I had started in the latter part of '09... cross-train, and find a better balance to avoid running injuries. Well, given the pie chart showing my activity so far since the beginning of the year, I'd say I've stuck to the plan!

Drills: Speaking of injuries... I was a heel-striker, proven over and over again by race pictures, which likely contributed to at least one round of stress fractures. Suggested by my doctor, I bought The Pose Method of Running book by Dr. Romanov and read it cover to cover. While I didn't necessarily follow all the drills, I definitely tried to visualize it all a lot more when I finally got the ok to run again. Now, each Wednesday, the triathlon club meets at the track for a structured workout -- something completely new to me. A newbie to speed work, intervals and the track. We generally go through a warm-up, strides, intervals, cool-down and stretching, but with the recent heatwave and insanely high humidity, coach decided that it wasn't a good idea to do tough intervals, so we did a bunch of drills instead. All drills from the Pose Method book, which encourages forefoot running! I think it's awesome that coach focuses a little on this considering my past!

Swimming: Yesterday, I ~~invited myself,~~ ~~offered to skip masters~~ invited myself, when a friend that I trained with last year, and still ride with sometimes emailed me about the lake in which we train Saturdays. It almost sounded like she was going alone (even know I'm sure she's smarter than that...) so, I told her that I'd be up for a lake swim rather than the pool on a hot night. Wow, did that water warm up fast since Saturday! Not as refreshing as I thought it might be, and I certainly didn't need my wetsuit (other than the fact that I prefer it because of an icky weedy patch...ewwwwww)! Swim done, we headed out to meet some other friends for a drink ;)

Triathlon: Terron will be doing his third triathlon on Sunday! 200m swim, 8.4k bike, 2.5k run! GO Terron GO! I have a new triathlon goal, but am not quite ready to put it in writing, yet. Oh! I was also sent this local newspaper article from last Saturday! That's me! :D

Bring on the weekend!

Get lost!

2010-07-06T15:29:00.000-04:00

Thursday morning, being Canada Day, I was all set to ride. I checked mapmyride.com to get an idea of where I wanted to go, packed my bike up in the car with plenty of water, remembered my sunscreen, and headed out to my usual Sunday group run parking lot. Different scenery for a ride. Timing was perfect, because I ended up there just as some were coming back from an early morning run... so chatted for a bit before heading out.

I had an idea of where I wanted to go, wanting to ride about 60k. It wasn't long before I deviated from the plan, and just kept heading north. I made a mental note that I wanted to avoid this same street as the street was buzzing with people setting up a street festival, and soon had a decision to make as I came to a fork in the road. Take a busy-ish highway, and hope for a paved shoulder or turn back around. I chose the latter... back to the original route. Bumpy ride due to construction, on a fairly busy street, so I decided to head north again at the next major intersection. I rode, and rode, until most streets were becoming sideroads, and not paved. Time to check the map app on my iPhone to see where I was at... Ummm, check out the intersection! Time to move.... fast!! hahah

I went a little further, then decided it best to head back to the last known-to-me road, this was getting a little hillier than I had hoped today.

Headed west... it was at this point I wondered if I would be disproving the theory of the earth being round! I was at the top of hills that looked the like road ended, and at the bottom of hills that looked like mountains! I also realized that the good part about not knowing the route ahead of time, is not knowing about the hills to come. Turns out, it can also be the bad part!! Ha!

Kept going and going, and soon realized that, once again, most of the cross streets to head south again were once again gravel. Where am I?

Finally found a relatively busy, paved road, that was heading south... I think. I stopped at the first safe place I could to once again pull up the map app, which took forever to repaint on the screen! Ummm, how far away am I that I'm no longer 3G signal!? eeeek.

At last, a familiar intersection from a friend that lives nearby! I'm all the way over here!? South, then eventually back east, on what I thought was the road from which I started. I came to this sign, and couldn't help but stop and take a picture as I giggled. With all the unfamiliar sights and roads I had travelled so far, seeing a sign for Nashville almost didn't surprise me. Was I still in Canada?! We have a Nashville here?

I soon found out that I was not on the road that I needed to be on, in fact, I had no choice but to ride through the street festival. Yes, the one I had hoped to avoid. Looped a little through a neighborhood, and finished my 60k!

I've seen more things because of cycling and running! Sometimes getting lost, and letting the roads take you where they may (as long as you're safe) is a pleasure!!

Goal check, and AMBP giveaway!

2010-07-01T00:44:00.000-04:00

Here we are, half way through the year, already! I haven't even gotten out of the habit of typing the year as 200..... I always end up having to backspace to correct it to 201...! Might take me a while yet! Ugh.

I know many of you have pure running mileage goals, I stopped doing that sometime last year, as I found that I was more prone to injury, and spending more time in the water, I figured a combined mileage goal would be better suited for me.

In January, I decided 4000. Four thousand. Quatre mille. 4000km, combined total of swimming, cycling and running. Forward motion. Movement, powered by my very own body.

As of tonight, I'm happy to see that I'm pretty much on track.

Cycling ytd: 1441.6k

Running ytd: 420k

Swimming ytd: 104k -- realizing that I've swum 100k this year, priceless!

Combined ytd: 1965.6!

I've done 2 half marathons, a 30k relay, an 8k, a 10k, an Olympic Distance Aquabike, and a Try-a-Tri, and 3rd place AG finish in the last two races! And very thankfully (please everyone, knock on some wood for me now??), I've stayed relatively injury free. I've lost some weight after discovering P90X and the Insanity series. I am happy. :)

Tomorrow being Canada Day, I'm hoping to start making a dent into the second half of the year's mileage, and am heading out for a solo ride in the morning. Cannot.wait. After 5 consecutive weeks of a race or event of some sort between Terron and I, it almost seems weird to not be preparing for something this weekend! I won't lie by telling you I didn't scope out races nearby...

Thanks to those that entered the Anti Monkey Butt Powder giveaway, and to Robin Leedy Associates for giving me the opportunity to try it (review here) and for allowing me to host a giveaway to two readers!! Interestingly, the girls seemed more interested in this one :) Wish I had a bottle to give to all of you that were interested!!

For the girls...

Leana! Preparing for Ironman Canada at the end of August, no doubt this will come in handy!

For the boys...

Big Daddy Diesel!

I will be forwarding both of your email addresses to John, so that he can follow up with you both to get your bottles!

Happy Canada Day to those of us north of the border, and Happy 4th of July to my southern friends!! Stay safe!

On a roll! Welland Give-It-A-Tri Race Report

2010-06-28T23:56:00.003-04:00

This is just not something that happens to me!

While standing around the parking lot after our OWS and bike ride a few weekends ago, I was asked by the soon-to-be-first-time-triathlete that I'm training with if I'd join her at the Give-It-A-Tri in Welland this past weekend. Checked out the website once I got home, saw that the course was fast 'n flat, and not yet sold out... sold. I was in.

I remember the nerves of being a first timer. As I hopped out of the pool on Thursday night, Coach called me over, saying he needed to talk to me, told me to take care of her, and share with her everything I know. Glad to.

With a 10:30am start time, I had plenty of time to make it there, but was happy to have gotten there early, as I snagged a parking spot directly across the street from the transition area, and the bike in/out. Inside the arena to get body marked, bib, race cap and shirt, and my transition area setup. Met up with Hayley, whose husband was already out on the course rockin' his duathlon, and helped her get ready, as I answered questions to the girl next to me -- it occurred to me then, that I was in their shoes last year. It's nice that I'm able to be the one to answer the questions this time!

Headed down to the water, barefoot, to collect the timing chip, and get ready. GO TIME!

The Swim:

Time trial start, 5 seconds apart, by race bib number, so a long line along the path, all of us donning yellow swim caps with a race number, athletes scanned everyone's head for their numeric spot in line. As I stood, I scanned the faces of everyone to find and wish Hayley a good race one last time. Somehow, faces can have a marked resemblance when their heads are covered a cap, eyes hidden behind goggles, and bodies in a wetsuit. I finally found her, frantic wave, thumbs up, the line started to move. The time span from the start, race number 501, seemed to pass by quickly, even though I don't tend to get nervous. Edged into the water, treaded water when I was deep enough for a few seconds, as the girls ahead of me went, waiting to hear "558, go". I got into my groove quickly, and started passing swimmers ahead of me. Calm, clear water, feeling awesome.

Swim: 400m, 8:23 (**pure swim time**), 19/150 overall! -- Run from the water to Transition 2:34, T1 2:28

The Bike:

I love the bike, I love my bike. I love riding, because it makes me feel free, and strong. I also discovered that it's kinda fun yelling out 'on your left'. Flat 5k out 'n back, residential street alongside the canal, definitely conducive to a fast ride. In fact, my fastest ride. I counted only being passed by 3 men! Whoohoo! Not much else to say here... but wait! Have I mentioned that I love riding my bike? Oh, I have. Ok, let's continue then.

Bike: 10k, 19:55, 22/150 overall, 30.1 km/h T2 1:19

While in T2, I heard "Come on Mel, looking strong". Ummm, clearly she must be talking to someone else, that's not Hayley, she'd be on the bike by now... who else would know me, here. But she was looking directly at me. Sugoi Brand Champion clothing. Hmmm.

*On a side note, I finally took advantage of being a Sugoi Brand Champion last weekend, and ordered a tri top and shorts, hoping it would arrive in time for this weekend's race. Of course it would arrive today :( Oh well, next race!

Bike racked, shoes switched, helmet and gloves off, start running towards the run out, she's still looking at me. Then it hit me. Andrina! DUH! All the clues were right there, she had just finished rocking the Sprint tri before me, and whether she stuck around to see me or not, whatever! What a boost to have someone cheer me on! High-five as I passed her, thanks girl!

The Run:

Oh, the dreaded run. Yes, it was the run that started my triathlon journey. Yes, I have run some halfs, a 30k, 36k of a marathon, but I was dreading this measly 2.5k run. Silly, I know. I discovered during the two triathlons I did last year, that my calves burn something fierce when running off the bike. I've been training lots, and doing some short bricks time permitting. Tentative to think about or try longer distances yet, for fear of the run, but I really want to. Really bad. Aquabike is a good alternative, but the anticlimactic finish is kinda weird. First tri of the season, let's see where I'm at.

I had bought some 2XU compression sleeves a few months ago, but haven't yet worn them. Cloudy day, super short distance, no chance of worse tan lines than what I'm already sporting. Perfect day to test them out, right? What's the worst that can happen, right?

Started my run, and just kept going. Walked for a few seconds at the water break just to down a few sips, and just kept going. Huh. A few hundred meters from finishing my run, I crossed paths with Hayley, who was smiling from ear to ear. So far, I was doing my job :)

Crossed the finish line, didn't see a clock, dunno if there even was one... so I had no idea what my finish time was, other than what I had on my Garmin.

Run: 2.5k 13:38 5:27/k. Let me repeat that. 5:27/k.... I NEVER run that pace! 73/150... damn, there are some super fast runners!!

**whether the compression sleeves really worked that well, or I wanted them to work, or training... whatever. I am stoked with this.** Psssst, I ran a 5:27/k pace. ;)

Stretched a little while waiting for Hayley who crossed about 6 minutes later. Her kids came rushing over, letting us know that we HAD to wait around for the awards because their dad has placed 2nd in his AG in the du! The drizzle had started, so the awards ceremony had been moved into the arena, where we headed in to get some food. The next 10-15 minutes, I spent between the arena, transition to get dry clothes, looking for Hayley and family again, and the results board which had nothing listed for my race. Bib number random draws were being held, which seemed to wrap up the event, so everyone was dispersing. Figured I would too, despite having no idea how I did. Weird.

I headed back to transition to gather the last of my belongings, and was thanked by the girl that had been next to me. "You have no idea how much you helped me" she said. Awesome! I think I also convinced her 3 year old to sign up for a triathlon, when I told him that my not-so-little-boy will be doing his third in a few weeks! heehee

In the car, quick stop for coffee, I hit the highway just in time for the downpour. Home, checked online for results, still nothing posted. Shower, put things away, a bite to eat, and a nap. Results were up!

Check.This.Out.

34/150 Overall WHAT!?

3/16 W30-34 !!!! ME!!!!!

My second race, in less than a week, with a 3rd place AG finish!

Stuff like this doesn't happen to me! It's pretty awesome. For me!

I know it's a small event, I know the distances are small, and know that the streak won't continue as distances get longer, with the field more competitive... so I'm extremely proud, and will take it while I can! I'm used to results from road races, where I'm comfortably in the middle of the pack, and nowhere close to AG awards!

I'm told that there were probably age group awards for the Give-It-A-Tri. Did I miss it while out of the arena putting my stuff away? Not sure, but hopefully not. I've written to the race director to see, no response yet. What a bummer if I missed it! Without seeing results anywhere, I had no clue!! **edit** Just got a response back from the race... there was an award ceremony, and I missed it! Boooo! They've let me know that they'll bring it to a future race, so I just need to let them know. Can't believe it.

The Anti Monkey Butt Powder giveaway ends Wednesday at 6pm EST.

Made me a believer

2010-06-25T12:52:00.000-04:00

Bullet point friday!

Flip turns scared me when I joined masters. I'd never been shown how to do them, hate the feeling of getting water up my nose, didn't want to crash into anyone or get in their way, and was a little scared of the dizziness or what would happen post-brain-surgery (not because of any doctors' warnings... just my own fears). It's also why I had a hard time getting back on a roller-coaster in January when Terron and I went to Orlando. It was the first time in more than 9 years.... nothing happened on the roller-coaster, surely a flip turn should be fine too. Coach became more.... 'coach-like' this week, at the beginning of the summer masters session saying touch-turns were no longer accepted. Almost all triathletes panicked, as mastering flip turns certainly won't help in an open-water, lake swim triathlon. I've nailed it. I hit all of yesterday's flip-turns... even during the 1050m endurance set! I've broken through 'my flip turn wall'. He made me believe that I could do it, that I'd be faster on the turns, and that breathing would eventually get easier.
Aquabike pictures are in!

Considering less than 10 years ago, I needed to have someone 'monitor' me while having a bath because of the drowning risk during my seizures... swimming 1500m in open water, without fear or a second thought, it epic!

Homestretch... right before coming into transition, and the anticlimactic Aquabike finish!

Thankful that I had the VIP Ride for Heart picture taken before my ride!! My lips may have been a nice shade of blue, I would've been wearing a few more layers, completely soaked, looking like a drowned rat, too cold to smile. ;)

Tomorrow is my first triathlon of the season! Last weekend I did the Aquabike -- swim, bike, no run. One of the girls from the tri group will be doing her first Give-It-A-Tri tomorrow, and asked me to do it with her!! Sure, why not!? I figure it'll give me a good idea of where I'm at with running off the bike, given the burning of my shins that I usually get. Bike is supposed to be flat and fast, and sigh, rain is in the forecast. Hoping to get some longer course tri's in this season... this will give me a good idea of where I'm at.
Don't forget about my Anti Monkey Butt Power giveaway!