Game Changers



Clint, Rosie, myself and Gramma Rosaleen on Boxing Day



After Ironman Arizona and Cozumel, I took a 3-week break. Clint and I started planning for 2012. We spent Christmas in Ontario with my Dad and his wife Mary, who had never met Rosalee. And Rosalee got to meet her namesake, my 101-year-old grandmother Rosaleen. I amused myself with big days of mountain biking and cross country skiing, not to mention a lot of family visiting.



Rosalee, age 1 and Rosaleen, age 101



On our return to Vic the plan was simple, improve my cycling. One of the things we did was talk to some knowledgable people about how to reach my goals. One of the people we talked to is Clint's friend Patrick, who also happens to coach Paula Findlay. Among other things, Patrick said that I need to find 2 or 3 Game Changers and implement them in training. For some reason I loved this phrase and it stayed with me.

One of the Game Changers we decided on was to attend a camp put on by the Pacific Sport Cycing Centre's Houshang Amiri, who is generally regarded as one the best cycling coaches in Victoria. This meant attending a 5-day, big-volume bike camp with some of the best riders in town. For me, this felt akin to jumping off a cliff, at least in terms of fear, and the possibility of pain. Its safe to say, I would be outside of my comfort zone.

Nervous as I was, I rolled up to the camp feeling positive about what i would learn. The first couple days were a bit of a struggle, especially in terms of my pack-riding skills which are negligable especially compared to guys and girls who race bikes at a high level. It took 2 days of falling off the group on corners, riding 2 feet behind the wheel infront and generally having to focus so hard i couldnt make conversation, before I settled into a reasonable skill level. Its still a work in progress, but at least i can now talk and ride at the same time!

On the first day, we did a couple time trials. One was a 12-minute quad-buster up a big hill that got steep at the top, and the other was an undulating 20-minute effort. Following the advice of another girl on the camp, I turned off my brain and went as hard as i could. I found out later that my times fell right in with the other girls, which i was quite pleased about. On the second day, we did some hill climbs. I was hurting and was already partially blown before we even started climbing. The second day was the roughest for me. I wondered if i could survive 3 more days.



Enough with the boring cycling talk Mom!



On the third day I started to come into my own, felt more comfortable with the group and was really starting to enjoy all the time in the saddle. We did team time trials that day, which were very fun, especially because i didnt get dropped. The fourth day was hills again, and my legs were getting heavy after 4-5hours of hard riding each day. I did my best, but still got lapped by the boys on the hill repeats. At least i know what i have to work on!

The last day of the camp got snowed out, and I was more than happy to go for a run and rest up. I came out of the camp having learned a ton, and also gained a new riding group. We met today for some more hill repeats and I fared a lot better than last week!

Here's a list of my "Game Changers" from the week;

1. A new skill level for riding in a group, cornering and generally being comfy on my bike.

2. A new group to do long rides with on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

3. Some great advice from Coach Houshang about my cycling training.

4. The feeling that maybe, just maybe, I can kick an ass or two on the bike.



Are you done writing yet? Can we play chase?

Happy Training everyone!!



An Interview with Julie

A couple months ago I started working with Julie as our team manager for Mercury Rising. Julie has a wonderful blog chronicling her triathlon journey (see link below) and has recently started a video log full of great triathlon tips (http://trivlogger.blogspot.com/). After I finished the two Ironman races this past November Julie had some great questions for me, which in time became an interview for our coaching website. I thought I would repost it here. Thanks to Julie for her great writing and inquisitive mind!

Julie on her way to a 2h30 bike split at Great White North 1/2 Iron!

Doing the Double

By Julie Anderson

For many iron-distance triathletes, the transition from finisher to competitor is often years in the making. Training, recovery, tapering, racing. Lather, rinse, repeat. But every once in awhile something challenges the way we view our sport in terms of recovery and performance. Outside of the box kind of stuff – like racing two Ironman races only 1 week apart for example.

In November 2011, professional triathlete Sara Gross (http://www.saragross.ca/ and www.saragross.blogspot.com/) did just this. (Keep in mind that Sara gave birth to her daughter Rosalee last year. So, not only did Sara train to regain the fitness required to compete at an elite level, she did so with all the challenges of being a new Mom!) On November 20, 2011, Sara competed at Ironman Arizona. One week later she raced Ironman Cozumel. At both races, she placed in the top ten: 8th female overall in Arizona and 6th female overall in Cozumel.

The following is an interview I had with Sara about her successful execution of the Ironman Double:

1. How did you feel after IMAZ? In other words, do you feel as crappy as the rest of us mortals after an IM race? How I was going to feel during the week between races was actually one of my main concerns going in. After Ironman Canada this year I felt terrible for more than a week, so I worried this would happen again. Before deciding to do the double, I talked to Chris McDonald (and wife Marilyn) to pick his brain and get the low-down on doing the double. (Chris was very successful at it and actually won the second race, Ironman Wisconsin 2008, ed.) He told me that recovering from the first race is all about what you do (or don’t do) during the first 72 hours after the race. This includes getting hydrated, massage, using compression, recovery food, and the little bit of exercise that you do to keep things firing. To answer your question, I felt great after IMAZ. A lot better than after most IM races, and I contribute that to being more diligent with my recovery. I was also in a very positive frame of mind, which always helps.

2. Why did you decide to do another IM only 7 days after IMAZ? Have you ever done this before? I have never done back-to-back Ironman races before but I did race two long-course distances (4k-120k-30k) 8 days apart in 2005. I finished 2nd at the first race in Gerardmer France and won the second race in Sweden 8 days later. So, I had a good feeling about racing back to back. I am not sure exactly what made me decide to do both this time. I was signed up for both races and was having trouble deciding which race to do. Arizona is always very competitive and I really love racing against a tough field. That always motivates me, though it isn’t a wise choice if you are after Kona points! Once the idea of doing both popped into my head I just couldn’t shake it. I was worried that Clint (my husband and coach) wouldn't go for it, but he got completely behind me. I guess the short answer is; because I wanted to. It really is as simple as that. I thought I was fit enough to pull it off and it was a challenge that excited me.

3. In terms of recovery after an IM, what did you do differently, if anything, to prepare for IMCoz? The differences in what I did after IMAZ compared to what I normally do after IM were subtle. It was more a mindset that kept me focused after the race. I did everything a little bit more quickly and efficiently. I ate the post-race pizza immediately even though I wasn’t hungry. I went to the massage tent right away instead of hanging around and chatting with my friends. It was mostly little things like that. I had my Zoot compression socks ready to put on in the car on the way home. I ate lots of protein. I went to bed and actually slept for 8 or 9 hours. I stretched the next day. I had multiple massages. I walked around and didn’t allow my muscles to seize up.

4. Racing 2 IMs only a week apart goes against the widely held notion of training, tapering, racing and recovering. Do you think you were fully recovered for IM Cozumel? Lol! Well, you only have to look at my bike time to see that I was not fully recovered! I was however, recovered enough to finish in 6th place, so I consider it to be a success. So many things can go wrong in an event that takes all day that a little fatigue was not a great concern for me on race day. You know, this little experiment has really challenged the way I see myself and our sport. My performance at IM Cozumel was pretty much exactly what I would expect it to be if I were to do a full Ironman in the middle of a big training block (ie, with no taper). Its amazing how it panned out in such a predictable way. And, the fact that I wasn’t fully recovered sort of makes me want to try again. The whole challenge of racing back-to-back Ironmans is about how well you can recover in 7 days. I think I could do better. I could use my compression clothing from Zoot more effectively or try to get my hands on some of those compression boots that people are using. My daughter really kept me on my toes in the week between the races, so I would recruit more people to help out with that. There are a few bits and pieces that I would change.

5. Did you do any “training” in the week between the two races? Based on advice from Chris, I kept moving in the days after the race and also listened to my body. The morning after IMAZ I rode my bike for 30mins. On Tuesday I did an 800m swim and a short water run and on Wednesday I did a 1200m swim and was able to do some short surges of 15m or so. I also did a fair bit of walking (with my daughter in the stroller). If I did this again, it might be entirely different, but this was the right amount for me that week. My legs and energy levels started to come around on Thursday and from there on I proceeded with my normal taper week. I ended up taking Friday off and did the “biggest” day of the week on Saturday with a 20min swim, 1h bike and 20min run. My total volume for the week between the races was 4h30mins.

6. How much food did you eat after IMAZ? Did you eat even more (the day after and the days following) after IM Coz? Lol!! Yes Julie, if you do 2 Ironmans in a row, you can eat as many bananas and sweet potatoes as you like!! Seriously, one of the things I was thankful for was that I had a good appetite the night after IMAZ. I often feel too sick to eat after an IM. Clint took me to Chipotle after the race for a giant burrito. During the week after Ironman, I normally eat whatever I want. And I did that this time as well, but I also made sure I was eating enough protein for my muscles to recover. I thought that I would be painfully hungry for weeks after the second race, but shockingly, I just had a “normal” post-race appetite after Cozumel. Actually, this applies to how I felt after IMCoz in general. It really felt like I had just done 1 race. I had been warned that I may feel a lot of systemic fatigue in the weeks after the second race, but its been weeks now and I feel great! I am very happy about that.

6. How on earth did you run a 3:07, and then a 3:18 in an IM only 7 days apart? WOW! Ok. You always have to see things like this in relation to how fit you are and what you are capable of. So, In Arizona I ran 3.07 and had a couple minutes of walking break in there. In Cozumel, I had a low patch that lasted 4-5hours smack in the middle of the race, so I was running slowly at the beginning and built into it until I was running at a more suitable pace. The same would apply to the difference in my bike times when compared to my ability, the conditions etc.

7. Did the new Hawaii qualification system effect your decision to race back-to-back? Will we see more of these double IM races in the future? To be honest, the points system was a factor, but not the main reason I decided to try the double. If I had done only Cozumel, I would have likely had a faster day, got decent points from that race and made more prize money. For me, it was mostly about the challenge of it. I love Ironman and just really liked the idea of the double. I don’t know if we will see more of it in the future as many people worry (and rightly so!) that they would not recover in time for the second race. Though I did feel that by playing my cards right it was easier than I thought it would be. I was excited about it and had fun executing it. The race in Cozumel just felt like a celebration to me. It was the right thing to do.

8. Anything else you would like to say? First of all, thanks for the questions Julie! At the risk of sounding a little cheesy, doing back-to-back Ironman races has had a subtle effect on my worldview. It has reinforced the idea that we really can do anything we set our minds to. Once I got my mind linked into the idea of doing the double, it was easy to just follow the path and get the job done. It stretched me as a person and as an athlete. It has had a positive effect on how I feel about my future and on the attitude I bring to my coaching as well. All in all, it was a great experience.

Julie Anderson is the Team Manager for Mercury Rising Triathlon (www.mercuryrisingtriathloncom). She is also a successful age group triathlete and dedicated student of the sport. Julie writes extensively on her blog (www.runningwithdoggies.blogspot.com). She lives in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, Canada with her partner Mike and cats Mandalay and Peanut.

IM Cozumel Race Report

Before i start my report, let me just say that Cozumel is one of the coolest places i have ever been. And the whole island came out to cheer us on. It is a really special Ironman. I could go on about the place, but this is a race report, not a travel guide and I suspect the report itself will be long enough!

I have a lot to say about this race, about doing 2 Ironman races 7 days apart, what i did in between and what i learned about myself and my sport. I thought i would start with the race itself.

I arrived in Cozumel on Friday afternoon, a bit late in the week compared to my norm, but in time to register and get settled. The legendary Ben Cotter (a fellow pro from Victoria) had hooked us up with amazing accomodations right by the finish line. We each had a rooftop bedroom overlooking the water. The rooms were simple and "mexico" all-over, but they were 1/3 the price of the regular hotel rooms below.

Saturday I got myself aquainted with the swim course, walked through the transition areas, did a quick interview with TSN and generally felt ready to go. I was feeling recovered and very relaxed. My legs weren't as fresh as they had been the previous Saturday, but they weren't too bad either.

Race morning came and I was so relaxed i almost fell asleep in the taxi on the way to the start. But by the time i set up my bike and waited in line for the porta-potties, i had built up plenty of nerves. As I stood with the other pros in the starting area I realized that this was the first time in long time that i really didn't know if i was going to be able to complete the task I had set for myself. And to be clear, the task was as follows;

To compete at 2 Ironman races in 8 days. Note the word compete. I was not there to complete the race, but to compete in it. I was not looking for a 12h finish, i wanted to race. And i have to say, it felt really good to step into the unknown. It felt good to be in that grey area where i knew i was going to be tested physically and mentally. This was the challenge i was looking for and I knew i would get it.

We got in the water for a quick warm and then we were off. Almost immediately, I got dropped by the first pack. I was swimming ok, but just didnt have the sharpness required for the sprint off the line. This didnt really phase me, i just got into my groove and trusted my own swim ability. It quickly became apparent that i was one of the better swimmers in the group I was with, so i made my way to the front and started to chase a small group that was about 100m infront of us.

The swim in Cozumel is non-wetsuit and the water is as clear as you can imagine. You can see every ripple of sand of the ocean floor. Its beautiful. Even though i led the pack most of the way, I came out of the water feeling good.

On the first lap of the bike I felt great. My legs felt strong and fresh. I overtook a couple girls without much effort and started to get excited about how well the day was going. On Thursday before the race, I had a last-minute tune-up with Bob from Sportexcel via Skype. Bob told me that when we feel fatigue or pain, our vision starts to narrow and darken. So everytime i felt myself going into "the cave", I would consciously expand my vision by focusing on the periphery and "brightening" my field of vision. This really worked!! It kept me in the moment and time was just flying by.

At some point during the second lap, I started to feel really uncomfortable on by bike. My shoulders were hurting, my butt was sore, and worst of all, lots of age groupers were blowing by me. I started to get the impression that i was losing ground. The course in Cozumel is 3 loops, bone flat and windy as heck. By the third lap i knew i was really slowing down and had become incredibly uncomfortable. I kept trying to pull myself out of the cave, but it was a battle now. It was also very hot by this point in the day. A number of women passed me on the 3rd lap.
In 19 Ironman races, I can honestly say that i have never been so happy to see T2. The time on the clock said 6.38 which was exactly 30mins slower than i had entered T2 the week before. Feeling lightheaded, discouraged, hot and grumpy, I entered T2 and really had no choice but to take my time. Some cute, 12-year-old Mexican girls lathered me with suncream as I gathered myself and tried to face the marathon. The thing that actually got me out of my funk was a fellow pro woman who was in T2 at the same time as i was. She was cramping up and being carried away on a stretcher. It was a good reminder that things could be a whole lot worse. Her pain became my gain (Ben called this side of me "cold Sara"... I secretly like her).

So out i went onto the run course. At this point, I was reassessing my goals. I came into the race looking for a top 5 finish, but at this point i thought I would be happy just to finish under 10 hours. So, with this new mindset, I set out. At first, all i could do was jog.

I jogged out the first lap and the heat and wind continued. I don't think i mentioned, but Cozumel has a similar climate to Hawaii, but with more humidity. Oh, and windier. I usually hold off on drinking Coke until halfway through the marathon, but the way things were going i thought, screw that, I need it now. So, at about mile 9 I took my first sip of coke and it might as well have been cocaine. It was ice cold, still fizzy and absolutely awesome. Sometime, not long after this, the clouds rolled in offering some much-needed respite from the heat. I continued to take Coke at almost every aid station and life got a whole lot better. Then the skies opened and torrential rain poured about as much as rain can pour during hurricane season on a small island off the coast of Mexico. And not long after it started, a section of the run course flooded and we were all wading through knee-deep water. Other parts just turned into big puddles. It was actually kind of funny.

I spent most of the run thinking I was out of the money placings and was just trucking along trying to get my sub-10h finish. The route was 3 out-and-back loops and I hadnt bothered to count the number of women infront of me. As i started the third loop, I was really starting to come around. Marino Vanhoenacker was standing by the side of the road, looked at me and said, You are in 8th and you look good. 8th? Really? I was pleasantly surprised to learn that i was that far up the field. And so i ran faster. The last loop of the run was definitely the best part of my day. I was feeling human again and really running. I overtook 2 more women and ended up just one spot shy of my goal of Top 5. I got a little choked up in the finishing chute as i allowed myself to remember that i had done 2 Ironman races 2 weekends in a row and was about to finish the 2nd one. 9 hours and 56 minutes.

It was an interesting experiment and I look forward to expounding on what i learned. I will save that for another day.

I wont repeat my list of thank yous since you can find them below in last week's race report, but i will say this: Thank you to everyone who supported me the last few weeks in big ways and small ways. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me on email, Facebook and Twitter. I appreciate you all.

Sara



Ironman Arizona and Stuff

I knew i was fairly fit going into this Ironman and coming out the other side I feel that my 9.18 finish is about right. I ran a 3.07, a PB for me (my previous best was 3.10) and I swam and rode solidly. The only time I've gone faster was in IM Western Autralia in 2006, which was not only a long time ago, but also pre-baby. The course in Arizona is a bit more challenging than WA, so 9.18 is pretty darn close to my best race ever. And i finished 8th. 8th. Yes, you read that correctly, 8th. The last girl to get a paycheck that day. It reminds me of the time I broke the course record at Ironman Florida, but unfortunately, so did 6 other women infront of me that day. Sigh. So I am content with my performance but the fire in my belly has also been stoked.

As for the race itself. I felt good in the morning when i woke up. I had been sleeping well in the week leading up to the race, so i was healthy and strong. I had virtually no warm up for the swim, but felt confident. I got in with a good group and was swimming well, at the right intensity. After the turn around at about the 2k-mark, the guy infront of me fell off the group and a gap opened up. I was lucky enough to be right there and see what had happened. I put in a hard effort for about 200m, swam around him and got back on the pack. Phew!! I was not surprised to learn i had swum a low-54. Thats what it felt like.

I left transition pretty quickly and felt good starting the bike. It always bodes well if the first few kms on the bike feel strong. Then i know i am in for a good day. The 3-lap, out-and-back bike course is well-paved and fast. There is a slight uphill grade going out and coming back is fast. There was some wind out there, so it was not without some challenges.

I was riding strong and girls just kept coming by me. The good news is that most of them weren't blowing by like i was standing still, but still A LOT of women passed me. The weird thing is, i was riding well. Going into the race, i expected to ride about 5.10 on a good day and i knew i was doing that. So many girls were riding under 5h out there! Its great to see, great for the sport and great for woman-kind in general, but WAIT UP GIRLS!!! It took me about 30mins post-race to start plotting how to improve my ride for 2012.

Starting the run, I saw Clint and knew he thought i was having a bad race because of the sheer number of women in front of me off the bike (i think i was in 17th or 18th then?). I could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't feeling great about it (Clint would not do well in a game of poker). If i there had been time for a chat i would have explained that i was actually having a decent race and that i cant really control what everyone else is doing, but keep the faith. Its going well!!

Out on the run and I started at about 3h marathon pace, which i knew i was fit enough to hold. At mile 6, a salt tab exploded in my throat. I know, stupid right? It was the most painful bloody thing. It was like someone detonated a small bomb in my larinx. ouch. I walked and coughed and walked and coughed. White powder was blowing out of my mouth. Water just made it feel worse, but i knew i had to drink it!! Two women ran by me while i was having this little episode and just as the paramedics reached me, i came good and started jogging again and then running properly. My throat still hurts as i write this.

Once that nonsense was over, the rest of the run went by without a hitch. I felt strong and enjoyed striding my way past 10 or so women to finally grab that last paycheck and 8th place overall. HUGE kudos to the 7 fantastic ladies in front of me who continue to set the bar higher and higher! I love how fast the women are going these days. Special thanks to Linsey, Meredith and Amanda for their encouraging words post-race. They are classy girls and great competitors.

In October, when i was in Kona, I sent out an email to my support crew saying I wanted to do a training camp in Tucson and take Rosalee (my 11-month old daughter) with me. It sorta seemed crazy at the time, but I had a simple mantra in my head "lets make this happen," and so we did. That means that after all is said and done, there are a number of people without whom i couldn't have even raced and another group without whom I would not have raced as well as i did. Unfortunately, the $1000 paycheck is not enough to share, but if it was, a number of people would be worthy of a cut. Here is a short list (apologies to those who didnt make the list... I appreciate each and every one of you, I just dont want to bore my readers):

Shelley Thomson (without a "p")- Nanny, friend and swimming partner extraodinaire. There is no one kinder in this world.. at least not that i've met.

My Mom- My brave mother took the plunge and bought a condo in Tucson, allowed me and my crew to take over the place, babysat during some long training days and trips to Mt. Lemmon. Thanks Grandma D.

Rachel Kiers- This girl was all things when required, training partner, babysitter, chef, laundry folder, cheerleader, smoothie-maker, the list could go on forever. I have never known anyone who can figure out how to read the needs of others and help them more than Rachel. And husband Mike is not far behind. Thank you. Thank you.

Marilyn and Chris McDonald- Now here is a fabulous couple. So generous in every way, they helped myself and Clint dozens of times over the last few weeks. I am lucky to know them.

Angela Naeth- Angela showed me where to ride, and put up with me knocking on her door with a sheepish face saying "Can i borrow this? Can i borrow that?". Much appreciated.

Bill Kruse- Massage therapist to pretty much every pro in Tucson. Bill will talk your ear off about everything under the sun and you leave feeling not only physically good, but having learned a thing or two as well.

The Husband- My dear Clinton always makes sacrifices for me so that i can race to my potential and for that I am extraordinarily thankful. Without him there would be no triathlon.

My Sponsors- Zoot, Rudy Project, The Trek Store (Victoria), Sportexcel and Altitudetech. Without their ongoing support i could not afford to chase my dreams.

Mercury Rising Triathlon- Thanks to the team for all the pre-race wishes and post-race kudos! Its great to share my tri-journey with such an enthusiastic group. Lets go flaming squids!!

And lastly, thank you for reading my report. I also love comments and questions.

Sara
 
Photos above courtesy of Zoot Sports.
Photos below courtesy of Rachel Kiers.
 

Rosalee and Grandma D.

 

Shelley and I after a swim workout

 
 

A view from a training ride on Mt Lemmon

 
 
 
 

Subaru Ironman Canada Race Report

Ironman Canada 2011. I am not sure what to say really. I swam, i biked, I ran. It was a day.

I dont want to mince my words and i have made an effort to be honest and straight forward in this blog, to be "real", if you will. So let me say first that I was happy with my day. In 2009 i collapsed while running in 3rd, so it was better than that. Last year, i was pregnant, so i had to be patient. Earlier this year i DNFed at IM Brazil. But at Ironman Canada, i had the best day i was capable of and i ended up in 4th place, only 5mins shy of my best time on that course. Not bad really.

My day started out with a sub-par swim. It was ok, but not great. The intensity was lower than i am used to (even for IM!) but i couldnt seem to get going. The bike and the run followed suit... i said to Clint after that i knew i wasnt going to blow up because i couldnt go hard enough to be in danger of that! On the run, maybe the fact that i couldnt exert myself saved me from breaking down in the heat like so many did. Maybe.

How's this for consistency; I came out of the water in 4th place (all placings are amongst the pro women, since the age groupers are in an entirely different race in so many ways), had the 3rd fastest T1, 4th fastest bike, 5th in T2 and 3rd fastest run, finishing finally in 4th. These stats say as much about my day as anything. I was consistent. And strangely, I was by myself ALL DAY! I passed one girl on the bike and one girl passed me. Other than that, i was just out there, chugging away, doing my thing. Its almost funny to think about now.

Most women have a couple days a month when they wont perform as well as they would on the other 28 days. Ironman Canada fell on one of these days for me. I actually had no idea why i was so lackluster during the race until the next day!! Aha!! Since having Rosalee things have been a little topsy turvy when it comes to girlie bits and hormomes and such.

 

Anyway, I am not complaining. I am not saying "I would have gone faster if only..." I dont know that for sure. What i do know is that i look forward to more racing. 9 months ago i gave birth to my little girl and I am awfully pleased by how fit i managed to get over the last 7months or so!

Now for the thank yous, there are so many people to thank, but i dont want to bore you so i will keep it short. David McColm was out there with his camera and captured some great shots as you can see. I was delighted to see that ProCityCycle had set up a tent on Yellow Lake and Bill was even out on the run course giving me splits! Thursday before the race i visited the Zoot tent and got some sweet new kit. The new endurance 4" tri shorts are the most comfy shorts i have ever worn. And thanks to Bob Palmer from Sportexcel I have improved my ability to stay focused and perform at my best on race day.

Thanks to the Mercury Rising team who continue to be my inspiration. Thanks to Carrie, Shelley, Clint, Pearl, my mom and all the other people screaming there heads off out there! You guys are awesome.

Francis the Conductor

When i was 19 years old I had a mentor called Francis. She was in her fifties, strong, independent and smart and I looked up to her.  She was married to my Master's thesis supervisor and I frequently looked to Fran for advice in those angst-filled years between childhood and adulthood - when i was trying to figure out who i was and what my place might be. As the years went by I didnt see Fran as much, but whenever i had a problem, my friend Meghan would ask me, "What would Fran say?" And so, over time, I developed my own "internal Fran", a kind of mind coach who would help me get perspective when making a decision.

Everything i've learned from Bob so far has been somewhat natural and intuitive. He doesn't throw crazy ideas at me that i find hard to understand or put into practice. Likewise, this past week he showed me how to create and use a mind coach, much like my internal Fran of past years. Its been many years since i've called upon internal Fran for advice and now Bob has helped me create a new version of her.

The new Fran goes way beyond the old one, to whom i would look for advice on the big, important questions like "Should i break up with that guy or not?" The new Fran knows all about all my activities, hopes and goals and helps me to transition from one role to another. For example, when i finish a training session, Fran can say, "Triathlete-Sara, your turn is over. Mom-Sara, you're up." And thus, i can move quickly from athlete to mom helping me to be present in each moment and each role and not miss a thing in my own life. This brings us back to my first Bob-blog when i talked about the Buddhist principle of mindfulness and being present in each moment of one's life.

If you are a triathlete, imagine your last race. Remember coming out of the water, going through transition and getting on your bike? How long did it take you, once you were on the bike, to shed your swimmer and become a cyclist? Did it take awhile to get your legs working and in the groove? How much time do you think you would save if you could transition faster from swimmer to biker? If the moment you pushed the pedals you were ready to rock the bike? 6 seconds perhaps?

The mind coach that Bob encouraged me to create can speed up the transition process by saying "Step aside swim-Sara, its bike-Sara's turn." Likewise, in day to day life, the coach can just nod at whatever part of you needs to be in action and voila! you are in it and ready to tackle the next challenge. The place where i have used my new Fran most effectively is with sleep-Sara. At bedtime when i lie down i think, "Step aside everyone, its sleep-Sara's turn".  Its amazing how such a simple concept can actually help me sleep with such great effect.

So here's what to do. Remember the 3rd perspective from a couple weeks ago? Create a mind-coach who can oversee all your activities and make sure that you are focused on the right thing at the right time. This will help ensure that you will meet your goals in all aspects of your life and also that you will enjoy each aspect more because you can be fully present in all roles at all times knowing that each aspect of your personality will have its time and its place in due course.  Because the conductor is turning the notes into beautiful music!

Calgary 70.3 Race Report

The pro race started at 6.10am mountain time with the sun not yet over the horizon. Even on a beautiful summer's day, its still cold at 6.10am in Alberta! I kept warm by hiding in one of the race buses while i put my wetsuit on, then did a longer dry-land warm up than usual followed by a short warm up in the water. On the start line i was cold but ready to go. I tapered more for this race than my other races this summer and i felt ready to "unleash fury" as Clint would say.

 The swim was ok. I found myself in a small group of pro men who i later noticed were friends Trevor Wurtele and Kyle Marcotte. Thanks for the draft boys! I was the 2nd woman out of the water and was pleased with that even though i lost 1min 47s to Tenille. T1, however, was a gong show. I was so cold coming out of the water that i stumbled and fell right there on the boat ramp. I still wonder if the TSN guys caught that graceful moment?! And that was only the beginning! My hands wouldnt work, so i couldnt get my wetsuit off or put my sunglasses or bike shoes on! It was a bit of a comedy show. Check out the photo below... I clearly have no blood left in my face or hands. I recognize that it was the same for everyone, but it was pretty funny!

 

Out on the bike course I was all alone. Three pro men passed me and i didnt see anyone else until Mackenzie overtook me with 10k to go. I had a solid bike ride, made good use of the mental skills i have been learning from Bob and treated the solitude as good practice for Ironman Canada. I rode strong and solid and felt good about it. The only other mishap was that i punctured coming into T2. 37th street needs to be repaved! After such a smooth ride, it was a bit of a shock to have to deal with brutal road surface, especially riding on my rim!

Starting the run i was in 3rd place, almost 9mins (gulp!) down on Tenille and just a minute behind Mackenzie. I knew Mackenzie was a good runner, so i had to think tactically. I ran solidly but made sure i had a little in the tank. I approached her slowly from behind and as i passed, listened to her breathing and could tell she was working quite hard. I moved past her hoping that would force her to run at my pace instead of hers. I am not sure if it worked, but i do know she held strong and with 4k to go was still just 50m or so behind me. I tried to pick up the pace but had very little left at that point. As we approached the finish, i felt certain that second place was mine. Then i saw her. Tenille. Suffering. I rallied whatever energy i had left and ran harder. As we got closer to the finishline i started to sprint, but it was too little too late. She won by 6 seconds.

6 seconds. Yes, 6 seconds after 4.5 hours of racing. It really puts a little perspective on things. I sat down and wrote a list of all the times during the race that i could have saved 6 seconds. I came up with 10 times. That's 1 minute total. I've never looked at a race like that before, going over every single detail in my head, looking for 6 seconds here, 6 seconds there. It was an extremely valuable learning experience that i will take with me to future races. 

I want to note further that there was lots of talk about my close finish with Tenille, but that until about 100m to go, Mackenzie had also been running strong and pushed me all the way to the finishline. Also, Danelle Kabush, a mother of two herself, had the fastest run split of that day finishing 4th. These girls deserve much credit.

There are many many people to thank. My mom let me sleep on her floor all week. Her and my sister fed me every evening and got up early on race morning and cheered their heads off in the their matching "team gross" t-shirts! My sister's son Oliver (picture below) was also part of the cheering committee. My BFF Carrie and our Mercury Rising Team were out in full force. In the women's race we took 3 of the top 10 spots! Carrie is the best BFF a girl could ever ask for and she was smart enough to marry a guy with the skills to take beautiful photos like the ones shown. Thanks Kaz! Thanks to Zoot who have supported me for years and also ProCityCycles. Rob Hasegawa from Cedar Hill Sports Therapy has been keeping me injury-free for many months. His help is irreplaceable. My husband Clint and daughter Rosalee couldnt make the trip, but without them, none of this would be worth the trouble. Clint keeps me consistent in training (not to mention sane), and i couldnt be more grateful.

 

My post-pregnancy return to racing has been a great adventure so far and i look forward to more. If you want to watch my close finish with Tenille, the race will be aired on TSN on August 31st, time TBA, probably in the evening.