YYC70.3, part 3, the famous Michelle

Last year I did the swim, and Michelle did the bike and run. This year the swim was all hers! Take it away, Michelle!

I wasn’t ready to swim, bike and run all by myself yet but was delighted when half a dozen friends answered my call to form a team.  We ended up with two teams.  Yarn Bombers and Triple Threat.  The story continues…

Friday I did my practice swim at Auburn Bay in about 42 minutes and figured I had seriously shorted the course but was able to practice sighting.  My swim cap and goggles slipped off so I made sure to crank everything down for race day.  Friday package pickup went smoothly.  The information on the website wasn’t consistent with information in the promo video, on FB and twitter and the maps at package pickup but it was the same thing last year so I just didn’t sweat it.  Luckily, someone filmed the athlete briefing and posted it there so I was able to get that most reliable information very easily and it answered all  my questions. 

Saturday:  Bike drop-off had some challenges but luckily I had lots of time to deal with them.  As I added air to the tires of Tigerlily for Antje to borrow for her ride, I noticed the back tire was 50% flat and was hissing as I added air.  I discovered a horizontal slash in the valve stem.  The pump had not been put straight on and had pushed the valve against the sharp hole in the aluminum rim.  I took both wheels off, zipped over to MEC for new tubes, hubby ground off the sharp edge on the rims and we re-installed new tubes before I dropped her off.  I made sure to ride her and adjust the brakes and check the quick release before checking her in.  Good thing I had nothing else planned for the day.  We all made sure to stay hydrated and carbo-load.  Pasta for dinner for me (although it was a bit too much in hindsight). 

Sunday race morning:  I woke up around 3 a.m. (an hour earlier than my alarm) so just got up to have breakfast and get ready.  Antje and I drove to the start for 6 a.m., parked at the hospital and got Jennifer to do our body marking.  Jennifer was volunteering to do body marking and wetsuit stripping at T1 before she headed to T2 to rock the run.  We found the bike, checked the air in the tires.  The front was good but the back tire needed a top up.  We had been told not to bring pumps as volunteers would be on hand with pumps but we couldn’t see any.  A nice gal next to us offered her pump to us.  I supervised so the valve wouldn’t go sideways while pulling my wetsuit on.  Unfortunately the pump seal was broken and wouldn’t put air in.  The back tire was about 80 psi and should have been 90 but we just went with the flow. 

The start:  I was a bit frazzled by then with everything going on around me.  Antje recognized my parents who came out to cheer us on.  Tara came over around then and it was great to chat with her to calm my nerves.  I headed out to the beach and recognized Saskia (way to go girl – she is competing in worlds!) who sized me up and asked if I had already been in the water.  Nope, I had not.  Jeez.  I ran in to get some water down the front of my wetsuit and get my face and goggles wet before the start.  Back on the beach, I was looking around for my parents and Keith but couldn’t see them.  I heard the announcer tell us to all go over the mat if we were in the first two waves (pros followed by relay teams).  I heard the first horn go and figured that was the pros.  I was still looking around.  Then I heard the announcer say the relay teams were off but hadn’t heard the second wave horn!  I looked over, and my eyes focussed on a pod of swimmers wearing green caps.  My pupils dilated… OMG, that’s supposed to be me!  I ran into the water and threw myself in and paddled like crazy. 

The swim:  We headed west and then north around the first buoy and by then the male age groupers were coming up behind us and passing us…  I remember thinking “I don’t like this.  I don’t think I want to do another open water swim ever.”  I got bumped but not kicked so I know I got off easy.  I sighted the additional buoys on the route north, then around that big buoy and headed east. 

Somewhere around the north end of the lake, I got off course.  I found it quiet and peaceful… because all the swimmers were off to my right.  Argh!  Time to sight more and head back to the pack.  By now, I was getting in the groove.  I definitely ate too much and felt heavy and burpy but my inner shark came out!  I pulled hard!  I even kicked!  I had now graduated from “Goldfish 101” and was taking the test for “Shark 201!” 

Heading east into the sun, it was hard to see the buoys.  I realized my goggles were completely fogged up as I almost swam into the corner of someone’s dock.  I was able to put my feet down and touch the bottom, pull my goggles forward, dunk them in the water and stick them back on and keep swimming.  Much better.  Much clearer.  Stupid anti-fog treatment I used the night  before. 

Around the next big buoy and it was time to head south.  I just kept swimming and tried to stay clear of the breaststroke kicker beside me.  He was a fast breaststroker and/or I was a slow front-crawler!  There were swimmers doing head-up front crawl.  I agonized over learning to front crawl for two years.  Jeez!  Right then, I caught a tsunami wave off the elbow or foot of another swimmer and gulped in a cup of water, dog paddling, coughing and choking.  Wheezing until my breathing returned to normal.  Face down, arms forward, pull, kick, keep moving.  This thing is ON!  

Swim finish; T1:  I could see the triple yellow triangle buoys and knew I was almost done.  Pedal to the medal.  Go go go!  Around the first triangle buoy and heading east to the finish line.  I kept swimming toward the shore until I could dig my hands into the sand the way Keith had me practice before jumping up to run over the finish line, and heard Amy call my name before heading into the tennis court to hand off the timing chip where Antje was waiting with Tigerlily to head off on her 90K ride to Bragg Creek and North Glenmore Park.  (That was possibly a run-on sentence but that’s how my brain was).

(Ed note, I think this picture says everything there is to say about how the swim went!)

The bike:  This story belongs to Antje. (Her blog, but at publication time her race story wasn't up.)

I tracked Antje on Find Friends and knew she was fine when I saw she was in Bragg Creek.  I had time to have coffee with Keith and my parents before heading home for a shower and to meet Jennifer at T2.  My parents really enjoyed hanging out with Keith during the swim as he broke everything down for them and gave them the play-by-play. 

Tigerlily is so proud to wear her shiny new sticker on her stem.  She spent many years collecting dust listening to the odysseys and journeys and feats and accomplishments of another road bike named Estela.  Tigerlily is my favourite bike.  She is so enthusiastic all the time like “Pick me! Pick me!” while Luna is a little more reserved and deigns to let me ride her if I treat her like royalty. 

At T2, I found parking (yay!) and met up with Jennifer to chat while we tracked Antje and waited for her to arrive at T2.  Transfer done and Jennifer was off like a flash!  I got video of that. 

The run:  This story belongs to Jennifer.  

While Jennifer ran, Antje and I sat on the grass between the two paths to watch for her and cheer her on but sadly, we completely missed her.  Eventually we headed to the finish line.  Everyone thought our Cookie Monster “Ride bike, Eat cookie!” jerseys were hysterical and many people asked where we got them.  We waited for Jennifer to run and both started getting suddenly very hot, thirsty and hungry. 

The finish:  Yay!  Jenn was there and we ran in with her but the video I took didn’t work.  Grrr.  We each got awesome medals and finisher shirts.  Time for some refuelling and visiting.  Thank goodness the sausage was gluten free and there were yummy little potatoes.  My favourite gluten-free Cliff bars were on hand as well. 

Reflections:  Two years ago I couldn’t swim.  Last year I biked and ran while Keith swam. This year I worked really hard on my swim and was so happy that Antje biked for our team and Jennifer ran.  I have been biking with Antje on her long rides and commuting to work as well as running with Keith on his long runs and running at lunch but my focus has been on the swim 3-5 times a week before work.  Keith has been a great coach, mentor and training buddy!

I was really worried up until about two weeks before the race that I might not make the cut-off in 70 minutes but was pleasantly surprised by a fast swim and then a second and third fast swim to reassure me it wasn’t a fluke.  I’m now a MID-PACK AGE GROUP SWIMMER!  How did THAT happen?  I’m no longer a dork-a-saurus goldfish.  I’m a SHARK too now!  I can’t wait to swim, bike and run solo in IMYYC 70.3 2017! 

Guest Post, Adrenaline Rush Triathlon 2016

Here is the famous Michelle with a guest post. You can see her previous posts here and here.

Race recap | Adrenaline Rush Triathlon

June 5, 2016, High River, AB

This was my first Olympic distance triathlon:  swim 1500 m (60 lengths, or 30 laps in a pool), bike 42K, run 10K.  I had completed two pool sprint triathlons before and am now happy to call what I do in the pool actually swimming (as opposed to looking like a geeky, gangly Bambi on ice with limbs flailing un-coordinately all over the place when I started learning to swim as an adult two years ago).  My goal was to finish and learn how to stitch everything together in a longer race.  I knew I could do the distances individually but it was the first time stringing a longer swim, bike and run together in the same event. 

Prerace & package pickup| I wasn’t the least bit surprised when I discovered my race number was #13!  The week before the race a string of bad luck kept me from feeling my usual pre-race excitement.  

·         Unluckily, my shifter broke on my small (52 cm) road bike and I couldn’t get it fixed or replaced in time for the race.  (Luckily Antje is just the right height and lent me her small (50 cm) road bike.  I’m so grateful!)  

·         Unluckily, I misplaced my car keys and came out to my car after swimming to discover I couldn’t drive it because I had put the club on the steering wheel.  (Luckily Keith drove me to work that morning and I ran back to my car with keys to pick it up).  

·         Luckily, my sister-in-law let hubby and me crash at her place and we slept well in the cool, dark basement.   We took her out for dinner that night and my helpful nephew reviewed the ins and outs of the course and told me where the hills and busy spots would be.  

·         Luckily, I’m not superstitious.  We adopted three adult black cats because they are always so many of them in shelters.  I ran my best 10K with race number 666. 

Race morning | I got ready, had brought my usual pre-race ritual food and had a nice short, quick 1 km ride over to the race start and didn’t have to deal with driving to High River from Calgary.  Hubby slept in and visited his sister, heading out to cheer me on a little later.  I was only the third bike to set up my bike in transition, so I ended up with some prime real estate.  I got my body marking done, drawing a black cat to go with my number 13. 

Keith showed up right then and helped me set up my transition mat, lending me some spray-on sunscreen (much faster to apply than the lotion I brought) and reminding me I wouldn’t be in flip-flops heading out of the pool to the bike racks.  The announcer went over some tips for triathletes, then it was time to head to the pool as I was in the first wave.

The swim | We lined up along the side of the pool.  Slower swimmers started first and I fit in with the 40 minute racers. 

There was a girl wearing a full scuba mask that covered her nose with a snorkel in my lane.  Don’t laugh.  She was faster than me. (Just barely, and she paused at the ends. ed)  There was a hairy pair of male legs that passed me a few times.  I moved close to the lane ropes but instead of swimming along the black line down the middle, he crowded me into the lane rope and my misfit activity tracker and swim lap counter popped out of its’ band on my wrist. My heart sank.   I have worn it nonstop for seven months and it has never done that.  Ah… race number 13.  I looked around and spotted it on the bottom of the pool in the middle of the other lane with four swimmers.  There was no way I could retrieve it so I resolved to carry on and hope to get it after the race.  I thought ahead to the bike and run and resolved to deal with any issues like flats or leg cramps and carry on.  Keith was there spectating and kindly timing my splits.

T1 (swim to bike transition) | I hopped out of the pool, said something about losing something to the volunteer and ran to my bike, pulled on socks, bike shoes & gloves, helmet & sunglasses and sprayed sunscreen on before un-racking my bike and running to the bike start line.

The bike | There were four loops around High River with lots of turns to slow us down.  Volunteers were wonderful and there sure were lots of them.  There was a big rut in the road just as we turned onto the main drag but the volunteer there was wonderful at warning us and pointing it out.  At one point, two volunteers were standing on the far side of the intersection so I thought I had to turn right.  I called out to them and they moved by the next lap to the near side so it was less confusing.  Another volunteer was holding her arm out pointing the wrong way in a turn.  Again, I called out to mention it and she had it all figured out by the next lap.  My heart sank as I started the second lap.  I remembered there was a dog-leg-turnaround somewhere and I thought I missed it and would be disqualified.  Again, I steeled myself for disappointment but resolved to carry on for the experience.  When I saw Keith after the second lap, I was so relieved!  I realized he was standing right where the confusing part was and I used him to count my laps and know when it was finally time to turn left and head back to transition.  He got some good photos of me looking fast leaning into a corner turn.  As I headed toward transition, I saw hubby and my sister-in-law and waved.

T2 (bike to run transition) | Someone else had racked their bike right over MY transition mat so I racked my bike further down, removed by bike gear and pulled on running shoes, then headed off. 

The run | The two-loop run meandered through a newer community along water and there were lots of volunteers to cheer and offer water to us.  I loved seeing the chalk art and kids!  Keith had found a shady spot to cheer and I did a little sprint and jump when I saw him. 

On the first loop, there was a guy behind me working hard.  I kept up with him and didn’t let him pass me, asking if it was his first or second loop.  He was doing the sprint so was doing half the distance and only had one loop.  The second loop was a little more lonely.  There was nobody for me to “race” so I think I slowed down a bit.  The sun was hot by then but I dumped water over my head and the back of my neck at every water station.  I love having short hair!  I grinned when I saw hubby and his sister cheering in the parking lot just before the finish line!  Hubby took this one:

The finish | A lovely young volunteer took my Velcro strap and timing chip from my ankle and presented me with a ginormous flashy medal. 

Then there were sweaty hugs for everyone in my fabulous cheering crew:  Keith, hubby and my sister-in-law.  I retrieved my misfit from the bottom of the pool, and after a shower and change of clothes, we all had lunch in the Whistle Stop (a train car converted to a café) before heading home.   It’s a cool coincidence that hubby’s sister Carroll knows Keith from many years ago. 

Reflections | I liked the Olympic distance better than the sprint distance.  I’m built more for endurance than sprinting.  My swim was my fastest ever and faster than I thought I could do it.  My bike was not bad, considering I was on a borrowed bike that was heavier than mine.  It was great that it had a small frame and the same 3x10 gear ratio as mine.  The run came in under an hour and I’m surprised I could pull that off after the swim and bike but Keith says it’s because I was all warmed up.  There must be something to that.  I felt great and didn’t fall asleep in the car as I usually do.  I even vacuumed, cleaned bathrooms, grocery shopped and made dinner later in the day.  Hubby was happy with my race day performance!  ;) 

What’s next? | I’m looking forward to doing the 1900m open-water swim leg of Ironman Calgary 70.3 with two gal pals taking on the bike and run legs for our team.  I bought a second-hand wetsuit and did a few swims in open water with it last year.  This will be my first open-water swim in a race so I’m looking to get lots of open-water swimming practice in June and July.  I’m not ready to add 90K on the bike and a half marathon to that this year so I’m glad to do it as part of a fun team.  I am tempted to sign up for another Multisportscanada Olympic distance race: Lake Chaparral triathlon (1500m swim, 40K bike, 21K run) as it’s an open-water swim “Oly” right in Calgary.  Next year, I hope to be strong and fit and healthy enough to tackle my first half-Iron in Calgary at Ironman Calgary 70.3!  I’ll only race when I feel I’m ready.  I’m not in a rush to “do it” and check it off my bucket list.  I want to enjoy the journey and make swimming, biking and running fit into my lifestyle, not make my life fit around training.  I may never actually do a full Ironman if I wish to remain married.

Thanks to my host | Keith will have to start charging me a blog hosting fee for all the guest posts he lets me do here.  I used to blog but gave it up because I lost my voice and felt shut down trying to be concise and write for an imagined audience. I debated starting a low-key triathlon blog but it’s challenging to find the right balance between writing, expressing opinions, accidentally saying things that make others mad, time management, family commitments, training, work and proper nutrition.  This is my first actual written piece of any length for fun or for work since my last guest blog here.  It took a while to process this race and feel less frazzled enough to organize my thoughts and summon semi-coherent words.  It has been a good exercise to write just for fun.  There’s no pressure with guest blogging so I’m grateful for the encouragement and opportunity.  Thanks Keith!  (Um, also THANKS FOR TEACHING ME TO SWIM!)

The mighty veggie dish

There were veggies at Christmas dinner with friends. Oh, I know, most people serve veggies. Corn, spuds, carrots, squash, sweet potato, and (gack) brussels sprouts are common. This was more. Much more.

Here's Linda's instructions and commentary.

This recipe will fill a standard roasting pan (the kind you cook a turkey in) to the top. Quantities can be reduced to make a smaller dish. For this dish all the vegetables were certified organic with the exception of the shallots & the hot house peppers. All of the cut vegetables were cut into pieces no larger than ½ inch in size.

2 large shallots, peeled & chopped into medium size chunks
2 heads garlic, all cloves peeled & tossed whole into the vegetable mix
1 bunch celery hearts, sliced thin
1 each red, yellow & orange bell peppers, seeded/chopped
1 8 oz package cherry tomatoes
1  small head broccoli, chopped
1 small head cauliflower, chopped
4 medium sized sweet potatoes/yams, sliced/chopped (approximately 2 ½ pounds)
1 two lb package baby potatoes, cut into quarters
8 oz package baby carrots, sliced small
Mixed squash – I used 4 different varieties, seeded & cut into small chunks. I was able to purchase cut pieces of acorn, butternut, kabocha & sweet dumpling squash. I seeded the pieces where seeds were present & cut the flesh into smaller ½ inch chunks. I did not peel the squash as the colorful rinds were part of the display. Approximate quantity was about 4 cups chopped squash.
Fresh rosemary, sage & thyme, chopped (try to have at least ¼ cup of fresh chopped herbs)
Fig balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Maple syrup
½ teaspoon salt (only add salt if making a full roasting pan – do NOT add any salt if making reduced quantities)
Fresh ground pepper
Ground nutmeg or fresh ground nutmeg

Peel the shallots & garlic, wash & chop all the vegetables except the cherry tomatoes & the garlic cloves which can be tossed in whole. Strip fresh rosemary/sage off the stem & chop the rosemary & sage leaves, strip the thyme leaves off the stems & add the fresh herbs to the vegetable mix. Once the roasting pan is full but not overflowing add approximately 1/2 cup of fig balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil & ¼ cup maple syrup. Grind a small amount of salt – try not to exceed 1/2 tsp for the entire roasting pan & preferably less than that - grind at least 1 tsp fresh pepper. Add ½ tsp ground nutmeg or grind ½ tsp fresh nutmeg over the vegetable mix. Mix or toss the vegetables until they are evenly coated with the balsamic vinegar/olive oil/maple syrup mix. Cover the pan with tin foil & roast in a 350 degree oven for one full hour.

For all the salt lovers out there, do not add more than the recommended amount of salt. Root vegetables contain salt & the cooking process releases that salt into the dish. If you cut down the quantities to make a smaller dish, do not add ANY salt at all. Once the dish is cooked & served, if you find it too bland then add salt to the serving on your plate.

For a reduced quantity dish, peel & chop one large shallot, peel & toss in one head of garlic, two peppers seeded & chopped, still add the full 8 ounce package cherry tomatoes, 2 to 4 stalks celery sliced thin, ½ to 1 cup each broccoli & cauliflower florets, 1 medium sized sweet potato/yam, ½ of a small squash, 6 to 8 baby potatoes & 4 ounces baby carrots. Cut the quantity of fresh herbs in half & add 2 tablespoons each of fig balsamic vinegar, olive oil & maple syrup. DO NOT ADD ANY SALT. Grind ½ tsp fresh pepper & add 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg. Still roast at 350 degrees but reduce the cooking time – it will likely take no more than 25 – 30 minutes to cook, especially if the vegetables are spread out in one thin layer on the bottom of the baking dish. If you want a ‘drier’ dish, you can leave the tin foil off but pay attention or you could end up with dried out, burnt vegetables, as the sugars from the maple syrup/fig balsamic could caramelize faster than anticipated.

This dish is excellent over plain rice or cooked quinoa. The liquid that comes out of the vegetables during the cooking process (when covered with tin foil or a lid) will be absorbed by the rice/quinoa & is highly flavored. If you choose to cook the dish w/o a lid of any kind so it is drier, there should still be some liquid at the bottom of the dish at the end of the cooking process. Make sure the dish does not dry out completely, you want some moisture left on the bottom. The residue can be used to make a gravy or soup stock. If you’ve made a ‘dry’ dish the residue can be mopped up with fresh chunks of bread. Yum!

Even me, not especially known for liking veggies, chowed down on this dish. 7 adults ate most of it.

I'm still recovering. That massive load of veggies had the expected impact on me, but it didn't impact the lovely run on Saturday.

The swim on Sunday was a bit of a downer. My arms were back in the Pastafarian church, and I was being careful of my hamstrings. They were feeling sort of pre-crampy. The major let down was missing out on the hot tub. It was out of action for maintenance, I had really been looking forward to it. REALLY LOOKING FORWARD!

Today was an easy day. Lots of writing. Some stretching and core to work on the hamstrings. So far I haven't been on the bike. Maybe later. Yeah.

And just for fun, a pic of Curtis using Celina as a pillow.

Fear, Humble Pie, and One More Try. A guest blog.

You meet the most interesting people along the way. I ran into Amy at one of the events leading up to the Calgary Marathon. You may have seen her up on the stand with Steve King, doing race play by play at various events. She called Michelle and I in at this summer's Calgary 70.3 for the best finisher photo ever, and managed to sneak into one of the photos herself.

Everybody walks a different road to fitness. I've read lots of blogs about winners and PB's, and that's nice, but it isn't all rainbows and unicorn poop out there. Some make it look easy, but we don't see behind the scenes. I wince at what some people go through to stay active. Lots of people struggle with physical injuries or the all important mindset. Amy has struggled with both, and I think it's really important that such people realize they are not alone. I'm happy to give Amy a stage (such as it is) to talk about what often stays private. It isn't easy to confront your fears.

Take it away, Amy!


The last five years has been filled with nothing but failure and disappointments. I went from being a strong, confident woman to a socially awkward, injury-riddled, and exhausted stay-at-home Mom. Only in the last few weeks have I realized everything I’ve been doing wrong. Humble pie isn’t the easiest thing to eat, but sometimes it is necessary to taste so we can make improvements.

I was a latecomer to fitness, but finally found my niche as a fencer around age 28 and did that competitively for a couple of years. I was at the top of my physical game. As I look back it was easy since I had nowhere to go but up. I pushed my body physically and mentally through hours of fencing a week, and I loved every sweaty second of it. This sport is the equivalent to chess on your feet since you always thinking a couple of moves ahead. Looking back, I realize now how strong this sport made me - fencing is all about leg strength. You are never standing, but are always in a squat or lunge.

Here I am at the top of my physical game in spring 2009

Fencing, and getting a few points on olympic gold medalist Jujie Luan.

I started running in the spring of 2009 to complement fencing and quickly fell in love with it. I loved that I could zone out, listen to music, and be by myself. I decided to train for and run the Harvest Half Marathon in the fall of 2009. It was my best ever half marathon. I wasn’t fast (2:30), but I’ve never been very concerned with being fast. I did the training, ran the race meeting my expectations, and had an amazing time!

I got pregnant with my second son shortly after that thinking I would keep my fitness and running up. That didn’t happen. I was so sick during most the pregnancy and had terrible, painful hormonal skin breakouts that left me not wanting to leave the house…and I didn’t. This is where things started falling apart for me physically and my confidence was lost.

After Greg was born, I rushed back into fitness thinking it would help me feel better to get my athletic identity back. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a mom, but I do need to have something else in my life other than looking after kids. I took every shortcut in the book to get back into shape-no fencing this time, no strength training. I ran and that’s all I did. I signed up for marathon in 2011, had a disastrous training cycle full of knee pain (I was told it was ITBS) and anxiety. I should have stopped, but didn’t. I ran, walked, and limped the marathon in Kelowna, B.C. to the tune of 5:45. It was awful and still haunts me to this day. I lost all love of running after that and just went to the gym to jump on the odd cardio machine and play with weights. I was lost and completely crushed with no motivation to do anything.

See, running used to be fun! Harvest Half Marathon 2009

The one bright spot in all of that was a sprint triathlon I signed up for at the last minute and did with zero training. Holy cow, did I ever have fun!! My knees hurt for most of the run, but it didn’t matter, I was hooked!

Vulcan Tinman 2011

Shortly after that I got pregnant with my third son and promised myself to take a year off hard exercise to be the best mom I could and enjoy my children. That brought me to 2014. I had so many dreams and goals - the ultimate goal being Ironman.

I thought I was doing what I needed to be doing to get strong, yet I kept experiencing race failures and my knees breaking down in training cycles right before I hit peak weeks. My confidence continued to crash and burn-I felt like a complete fraud! No amount of physio was helping my knees enough to get through the beginner *BEGINNER* training plans I was trying. I was getting so angry and frustrated.

I got tired of everyone telling me my knee problems were ITBS, that wasn’t it! I was doing the physio and foam rolling, but it wasn’t working. So I gave up. I dropped out of my fall running and biking events and seriously considered cutting myself off from all friends who I made through running and triathlons. Yes, Keith, that would’ve meant you too. I was a fraud after all.

I went to my family doctor in January of 2015 for a usual checkup and I told her about my knee issues. She referred me to a sport med doctor who thought I had might have meniscus tears, so we went ahead with an MRI and 5 month wait to see her. The MRI in July 2015 revealed I didn’t have tears, but chondromalacia patella. I won’t go so far to say I was happy, but I wanted an answer and now I had one. I started doing what I thought was good cardio and strength training. I even dared to have some race dreams again. This is where my post should end, right? All happy and full of inspiration again?? NOPE.

I was having trouble getting myself motivated to do anything. I’m so tired of starting from the beginning and am scared that it’s not going to work again. I tried an open water swim in August that turned out to be just another failure to add to the pile. It was at this point I realized that I don’t know what I’m doing and needed some help. I took a big step and signed up for a fitness class. I’m quite anxious around groups of people after all these years, so have avoided it. However, I can’t afford a triathlon coach or personal trainer, so group fitness at my gym is my only option at this point if I want help.

I chose a spin/TRX class that is once a week. It ended up being a small class (five of us including the instructor) and I really like it! However, this is where I got my biggest slice of humble pie yet. It hit me after the first class, and confirmed after the second, just how wrong I’ve been training all these years. Yes, I was puttering at the gym, picking up weights, setting them down, but I haven’t PUSHED myself since I fenced five years ago!!! THAT is why I’ve had injuries, THAT is why pretty every race in the last five years has been a failure. I thought I was an athlete and could get by with the bare minimum of training out of fear of injury. I can’t believe I’ve been such an idiot!

This rude awakening has given me lots to think about over the last couple of weeks. I’m pretty embarrassed and angry at myself, but you know what else I’m feeling? Excitement. I will run again. I see what I’ve been doing wrong. I know I can make myself stronger and there’s the slight possibility that I haven’t tapped into my true potential yet. I still have a lot of fear from the pain and failure I’ve had over the last several years. I do have this knee condition and have no idea how that will impact my triathlon future yet. I don’t plan to start running much until the spring and won’t know if I can really chase my dreams until I start building running mileage. Right now I will focus on strength training and cycling with some help to make sure I’m pushing hard enough to get this body into what it used to be. Sometimes I really wish I could give up, but I just don’t feel like I’m done yet. I’m willing to give triathlon training one more try…here I go!

YYC70.3, part 2, the famous Michelle

And here's what you've all been waiting for! Michelle's last guest blog was enormously popular, and I'm expecting lots from this one too. Take it away Michelle!


Keith has been a run buddy for a few years now and more recently a swim buddy planting thoughts of triathlon in my head.  I’m grateful for Keith’s patience and encouragement as I evolve from hot tub soaker to front crawl swimmer.

This was a three-day gig!

FRIDAY

I got off work early to attend a team briefing session which ended up being cancelled via Twitter/Facebook.  I had found the information online to be conflicting and had my doubts anyway.  Keith picked me up after work and we drove to the Grey Eagle Resort for the solo athlete briefing, to pick up our packages, hand in our signed waivers, pay our $20 ATA insurance fee, and check out the Ironman gear for sale at the expo.  The volunteers were lovely and helpful.  We reviewed how to bag our gear in the appropriately colour coded bags.  Next we viewed the course maps and asked some questions.  The printed swim course map at the briefing differed from the map online but we thought we understood the route.

Keith got the Delft blue swim cap with our team number on it and I was banded like a chicken with a little red plastic hospital band used for claiming my bike after the race.

We all piled into the crowded briefing room for the athlete briefing. There were lots of questions, many of which were covered in the information online but since there was some inconsistency in the information, I was grateful for another opportunity to clarify the directions.  The best part was learning I could keep my iPhone with me so Keith and my family could track me as long as I didn’t use it for music, or as a phone or camera.

SATURDAY

One last gear check against my OCD lists on Saturday morning, then we dropped off my bike at Auburn Bay and ogled the pro bikes.  We noticed ribbons and flowers on the metal fence surrounding the community in memory of Caleb, a boy who drowned the day before.


SUNDAY - Race morning

PRE-RACE

I was up at 4:30 a.m. Keith picked me up at 5:10 and and finished eating my breakfast in the car.  At body marking, our team numbers and age were written on our arms and legs with a felt pen and we wore blue bands in memory of Caleb.  We headed over to the bike racks to fill my bento box with food, put water bottles and bike computer on my bike, and drop off my bike shoes and helmet.  Next we ran into Leana and checked out her gorgeous bike setup, chatting briefly.  Keith pulled on his wetsuit and headed down for a warmup swim. I chatted with Saskia about pre-race jitters in the porta lineup.

I remember quaking in my boots at my first few races but I was surprisingly not nervous this morning.  I was just grateful to be there, excited because this was another first for me, happy to be part of a team and looking forward to the events unfolding as they may.  I had told Keith the day before that it would be all good, no matter what.  I knew we would both do our best.  We were prepared, trained, organized, focussed and there is no point in worrying about things out of our control.  Anything can happen on race day.  Accepting this helps calm my nerves. Butterflies in your stomach are just your body’s way of anticipating that you are about to do something awesome!

Three was a minute of silence followed by the release of 100 blue balloons for Caleb, then I found Keith.  Good thing he is tall and has that distinctive moustache.

SWIM

Keith launched into the water with the teams at 6:49 a.m. just after the pros.  I stayed just long enough to see the first age groupers head off.  The swim story belongs to Keith. (Here, if you missed it.)

T1

Back at the bike racks in T1, I pulled off my running shoes to get my bike shoes and helmet on and wait for Keith.  I did NOT want to be lollygagging.  Keith is a good, strong swimmer and has been working scientifically with the precision of an engineer on his speed and technique all winter.  The pool clock is a borg-like extension of him and he is as regular as the tick tock of a clock.  He knew he could do this swim in 35-40 minutes for sure.

Another relay team swimmer recognized me from Twitter and told me the course was long.  She said Keith was a faster swimmer than her so he must have been directed on a longer route as had happened to many other swimmers.  Just then, around the corner he came! He got a big relieved hug. Keith presented me his ankle and I ripped the velcro chip strap off, stuck it on my leg, un-racked my bike, dinged my little bell and was off running alongside my bike through the bike racks in T2, across the grass to the mount line in the intersection.

BIKE

I was off on the bike with the sun low in the horizon, feeling strong.  Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw my parents but wasn’t expecting them.  Later I learned they had actually been there and I was so disappointed to have not waved. They got the gist of the event from the part they saw and watched my progress using the Find My Friends app on our iPhones, texting and calling me later.

Quite a few people (men and women) complimented my jersey.  (Teehee!  It’s a Primal Wear jersey from Value Village).  I climbed a few hills standing up and a few gals complimented me on my climbing skills.  It’s always nicer to be complimented on what you can do rather than how you look.  My taper had been good and my stored up energy came in handy.  The best compliment came later on the run.

Along the way, many people passed me but that was OK.  Everyone was courteous calling out “on the left” when they were passing me so I could move a bit to the right to let them safely pass.  Only once did a guy pass and immediately cut in front of me so I had to brake.  Drafting wasn’t an issue in the race although I’m happy we practiced it in training so I knew what it was.  It’s when you ride in line behind another rider… um what do you call it?  “breaking wind for you?”  Ha!  That doesn’t sound right.  Anyway, when you ride in the slipstream of another rider it takes less effort for you to pedal.  You get good at watching for small cues of where the rider in front of you is going to steer.  

In the race, you can’t draft.  To ensure this, racers must leave 5 bike lengths between bikes.  If someone passes you, you have to slow down to create that gap or risk getting a 5 minute penalty if an official sees you.  A couple of times I saw an official with a camera making a gap sign to someone drafting behind me, warning them to pass quickly or back off.  I only passed a couple of people going up the hills and and ended up coasting past a guy on the big downhill, where I learned my top speed was 75 km/hr.  (I remember how scared and thrilled I was the first time I hit 60 km/hr.  I’d like to hit 80 km/hr some day to keep up with Keith.)

The bike route was familiar up to Bragg Creek as I had ridden that route with Keith before.  I knew the ups and downs as we had ridden it a few times and it was like he was right there with me.  After Bragg Creek, it was all new to me on the bike although Keith and I had driven it before the race.  I wouldn’t feel safe riding there normally because of high volumes of traffic and narrow shoulders on the road.  I was sure glad for the police, RCMP, and marshals in the intersections.  There weren’t as many hills to climb so the second half of the race was faster - a negative split.  I finished 20 minutes faster than I anticipated.

My strategy was to eat before I was hungry, working my way from solids to gels at 30K & 60K.  In the first 20K I wanted to be strong and not burn out from the adrenaline rush, using my granny gear on the hills and plodding along  constantly.  For the 20-50K range, I wanted to keep a constant cadence and continuous effort shifting gears often to accomplish this.  In the 50-90K range I wanted to pedal hard and never waste a good downhill.  In the last 10K I wanted to GIVE ‘ER and spin up to a higher cadence / lower gear in the last 200m.  I accomplished these goals (mostly).

I stayed well hydrated with my Gatorade Ultima electrolyte mix.  I started with solid nutrition but quickly my usual gluten-free bars became too heavy at race pace so I switched to sesame snaps, then Honey Stinger chews.  I took a gel at 30K and 60K without stopping at all on the 90 km bike course.  (For Amy:  No pyro. ;)

T2

At T2, I dismounted my bike as directed before the stop line and ran alongside it into the bike cage in T2, where I racked it, removed my helmet, bike gloves and bike shoes.  Next I pulled on my running shoes and grabbed my empty water bottle to fill at the water stations.  Keith was there taking pics!

RUN

I started running (hobbling really) on legs that felt like rubber for the first kilometre.  The first two port-o-lets were occupied but I found a thirsty grove of spruce trees.  By 5K my legs had recovered enough that I didn’t feel like I was doing the chicken dance anymore.  A nice guy from Saskatchewan ran with me for a bit chatting.  It turns out my SIL’s mom was his school teacher in Fort Qu’Appelle.

Out to the canoe club and back, then down the Weaselhead hill we ran.  I walked up the big hill, grabbed a Gu, then ran toward Glenmore Landing where some friends from the Running Room were cheering on a friend.  I high-fived them then saw hubby who got a great big hug for coming out.  What a nice surprise!  Just before the turnaround I saw Sue and Kev cheering.  Sue issued the nicest compliment I heard all day.  She said I looked EFFING AMAZING!  Somehow her Scottish accent made the actual expletitive cuss word sound even more amazing and credible than usual.  :)  Maybe it was just to get my rear in gear.  Then I saw Ron, then Leana, and Saskia.

I found my running cruise control pace by then, ran back down the Weaselhead hill, walking back up again, where there was a huge crowd cheering at the top.  I high-fived Keith again and headed to the canoe club and back.  There were some fantastic motivational signs, especially the one with the rainbow unicorn on it.  I wish I remember what it said.

The support for this race was phenomenal.  There were lots of spectators all along the bike course and vehicles driving by with cowbells jangling!  I have never seen such well-stocked water stations with eager volunteers reaching out identifying the beverage as water, Gatorade or Coke.  It was so easy.  I just kept filling my water bottle so I could sip at my own pace along the way.  I don’t trust those sponges but there was lots of cold water to dump on my head to keep cool.

My plan was to seek shade, dump water on my head and tuck sponges or ice in my clothes to keep cool.  I wanted to try to keep my cadence up and constant while running by effort and monitoring my breathing.  Music was not allowed.  I wanted to give it everything I had in the last 3K.  I actually found my cadence and pace drop significantly in the second half of the run but I still gave it all I had in the last 3K.  The crowd support really helped.

I finished within the timeframe I anticipated.  Keith met me incoming to the finish line and we ran across it together while Amy called us in. (Keep reading to see photo.) She sounded so excited for us.  I’m sure I was grinning and I think I did a jump across the line through the banner while holding Keith’s hand up high in team celebration.  I can’t wait to see THAT finisher’s photo. (Keep reading.) Jenn was there too and hugged us and snapped some photos.  She trained so hard but sadly broke her shoulder before the race so I brought her along like a little birdie on my shoulder during my bike ride.   (Photo courtesy of Jenn.)

Keith asked me how I felt and I yelled “Freaking AMAZING” or something like that, perhaps using less sanitized terminology I shouldn’t post and publish.  I was so relieved to learn I could stitch a half marathon on top of a 90K bike ride and not bonk!  It was such fun to be part of this triathlon with Keith’s help as I’m not ready to do it all myself yet.  Keith has done a FULL Ironman. THAT takes a lot of training, fuelling and fitness and merits a lot of respect.  Granted.  :)

There was just enough time for a quick hello with Amy as she was busy at work…

We sat with Jenn, Gord, Ron etc, and I devoured many (most?) of Linda’s legendary gluten-free chocolate chip cookies that Keith willingly supplied to me at a constant rate.  We stayed afterward for all the awards and the bike giveaway from the photo contest we entered.  Apparently you didn’t have to be present to win the bike.  (photo courtesy of Jenn.)

A fantastic way to wrap up the day and properly celebrate, hubby and I enjoyed some fine hospitality and Keith’s legendary BBQ of rack of lamb encrusted with Herbes de Provence, Linda’s homemade guacamole with my little contribution (signature piece utilizing my only culinary skills “mise en place”) garden salad.  All of this was followed by fresh raspberries with cardamom raspberry ice cream and Linda’s gluten-free date squares, then tea in the garden lodge.  Then the 4:30 a.m. wakeup caught up with us and it was time to call it a night.

So, here’s what I wore to the post-race celebration BBQ.  Over the top?  Every Michelle should have a shirt and belt buckle with her initial on it, don’t you think?

What an amazing day.  I am so happy and grateful to have been able to do this and cognizant that it would not have been possible without Keith rocking the swim for our team.  This event and the days and weeks leading up to it were much more fun as a team.

Keith, thanks for the gift of your time and for being a such a great team partner leading up to and on race day!

A year ago, I didn’t know if the bike, swim or run was first in a triathlon, didn’t know the terms T1, T2, or which was further: an Oly, sprint, standard or half.  I couldn’t swim.  A year later, I can actually say I LIKE swimming (although I have a LONG way to go to improve my technique, speed and endurance).  I’m hooked now and am already looking forward to taking more swim lessons this fall and winter and am contemplating a solo Olympic tri next summer.

And really, this finisher photo says it all!

Just for fun… here’s a timeline for you.

ONE YEAR FROM ZERO TO TRI
July 12 - Bought a chlorine resistant swimsuit & goggles.  Went to a pool, got in, looked around, felt intimidated, got out right away, ran to the hot tub.  #fail.
July 27 - Volunteered to hold the banner for finishers at the finish line of IMYYC 70.3.  Met fun people. Saw very fit and regular Joe male and female athletes. #Ironstruck.
Aug 8 - Bought a road bike (second hand).  Love her.
August 15 - Swam my first swim with Keith.  Shy, embarrassed but determined to learn to swim
Aug 17 - My friend Deb asked me to bike and run for her while she swam so my first team relay was the Strathmore Women’s Triathlon.  Keith cheered us on!
Sept 3 - Bought bike shoes (Kijiji) & clip-in pedals
Sept 20 - Rode MEC Fall Century Ride 100K
October 14 - Took my first adult learn to swim lesson at a city pool
Nov 23 - Bought a bike trainer to keep riding in the winter (Amazon)
Nov 30 - registered for IMYYC 70.3 relay with Keith
Jan 12 - Tried on a friend’s wetsuit (too short)
Jan 14 - Jumped in the Polar dip - Jump in an icy lake
Feb 1 - Took a bike maintenance course at MEC
Feb 21 - Bought new swimsuits
Mar 5 - Bought tri shorts
Mar 12 - Last swim lesson at a city pool (5 months)
Mar 15 - Completed my first indoor triathlon (10 mile super sprint at Talisman Center)
Mar 17 - Started alternating commuting to work on my bike and running home
Apr 19 - Rode to Canmore with Saskia & Keith
May 23 - Rode MEC Spring Century Ride 100K
May 31 - Ran Calgary Half marathon
June 4 - Got my first professional bike fit
June 11 - Hubby gave me a bike maintenance book
June 14 - Ran and Biked Footstock Duathlon
July 2 - Rode 90K in 3:44, top speed 70 km/hr
July 8 - Rented a wetsuit for a week
July 9 - Swam my first open water swim in Lake Boavista
July 10 - Swam another Open water swim in a wetsuit in Quarry Lake, followed by a bike ride to Lake Minnewanka and a run in Canmore with Keith & Antje
July 26 - Team relay IMYYC 70.3 with Keith
July 27 - Planning swim lessons and next triathlon