CITS, with a few honorary members, ran the Spirit of the Shore Half Marathon on Sunday. I was going to write some big long race report but the reality is that Liz did a better job and mine can be summarized in bullet points and pictures.
Shoulder fracture? January 4th. Knee surgery #1? January 23. Shoulder reconstruction? July 23. 6 weeks of dominating life in a sling and not running a step until mid-September. That, right there, is a good set up for a personal worst, my friends.
It’s early but it sure is pretty.
The joys of social media allowed me to successfully farm out 3 children for sleepovers.
Pre-race meal: beer, Chinese food, wine. For the win!
She needs the extra liquid calories: this mama is still nursing.We may or may not have been assigning terrible nick names at this point.YES. All kinds of YES.I chose my beer based on the looks of the can.
Pulling into the parking lot at 7:21 for a 7:30 start? You know it.
The girls had babies 4 months ago. NBD.I like to give those following me something to remember me by. Also, something to read.Our Creative DirectorSomeone was worried about finishing last. Someone did not come close to finishing last.
Quoted at km 9: “God, I’m bored”.
Internal quote at km 15: “Maybe I should have done a real long run before this race.”
The ladies
There may or may not have been some texting on-course.
We looked damn good.
It was sunny. Sunny as in “Ow, my eyes are burning I can’t see anything” sunny. And it was awesome.
Great course, fun atmosphere, good post-race food. Sign up for next year, people.
PWs all ’round, baby!
I now very much appreciate the fitness I had last summer and can now admit that running a half slowly, undertrained and under-fueled isn’t as magical as it sounds. But I can assure you that I’ll probably do it again.
When I set my sights on the Spirit of the Shore Half Marathon back in January, I knew that I needed a big goal. It’s not every day that you achieve a new PW, but I thought it was in me and I set out to do everything I could to reach it. I’m happy to report that my new half marathon PW is 2:05, knocking my previous 1:58 from my very first half off the chart.
Training
My last big training block for the race began mid July when I could finally run 3k without stopping and posted a new PW in a 5k on July 27th. If 5k could take me 28:31, surely I could stretch that out to a half marathon by October. Since that 5k I managed a few 9k, 12k, 15k and 18k all of which left me feeling like my insides might fall out and crawling back into bed for a few hours. Truly optimal training.
Pre-race
I have my usual race pre-race routine, but to make big leaps sometimes you have to try something new. I planned the ideal weekend to reach the starting line in the best condition I could. Starting with Chinese food and beer for dinner. Then a restful night of feeding Henry at 12:30am, 3am, 5am and finally waking at 6:37am for an optimal 20min frantic search for running tights and socks. Breakfast is also so crucial and instead of packing in useful calories like most other races I thought the half bagel and a cup of coffee would really bring my performance up to snuff.
Race
Like most halfs the first 5k were easy and fun. The next 5k were still moving fairly quickly. Then at 13k or so I looked at the pavement and it seemed to me to be soft and pillow-like and waiting for me to lie down on it. I couldn’t believe how completely exhausted I felt. If I had been running alone, I’m fairly certain I would have turned around and headed back to the car or at least the closest coffee bar. Seeing as I was with super hot pink company and didn’t want to let the team down, I kept going. Besides, the last half I started ended in my one and only DNF and that wasn’t the goal this time. Things improved after I stopped to pee and didn’t have to concentrate on not being incontinent. The last few k were actually better than the first few, but we had to be careful not to go too hard and end up with more than our 5min negative split else the goal wouldn’t have been met.
Post race
It’s like the running melted away. After a shower, some food, a far too large bowl of frozen yogurt, I was back to my usual self and ready to do it again.
Future goals
Now that I have a new PW, I’d like to keep it that way. I’m sure there could be more down the road with more matching shirts and great company, but for now I think I’ll go back to getting faster again. Just 4 months to take 30mins off my time. No problemo right?
My workation began yesterday. What’s that, you say? Why it’s simple. It’s where you take a week off from your “real” job and immerse yourself into another job. In this case, that other job would be Ironman Canada. Because the reality is… if you can’t race ’em, join ’em!
Sidebar: I cannot believe that it’s been 8 years since my last Ironman. Yeesh.
I won’t lie and pretend that seeing all these athletes on our roads and trails all summer hasn’t made me totally envious, because it has. Triathlon FOMO in full effect! But this gig is kind of assuaging me and I think it will likely keep me busy enough that you won’t find me in the registration lineup come Monday morning. I think.
So should you find yourself in the Expo with some time to kill, do come find me and throw me a high five. I’ll be easy to spot: I’m the short one in the sling telling people where to put stuff.
While I search for inspiration, AKA try to think about something to write about that doesn’t consist in whining about what I can’t do or the silly things my kids say, please enjoy this guest post by Lizzie.
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Are you tired of that pudgy layer around your midsection? Have you heard the whisperings of “muffin top” as you walk by in your pre baby jeans that you just can’t afford to replace? Is your washing machine broken and you need a washboard and they haven’t made a washboard in like 100 years so you need to ripple that midsection just to clean your clothes? If you were born yesterday then you need these amazing ABventions:
As seen on TV; and never, ever in real life.
Who wouldn’t be convinced that these would work? I mean, look at how happy she looks. But, seeing as we couldn’t come up with three easy payments of $19.95 plus shipping and handling the recovering member of CITS came up with [in your best stadium announcer voice]: ABS OF AUGUST.
Well, it’s really more a CORE challenge than just a way to get sexy Abs, but sometimes you just have to live with side effects. So why the big challenge? Enter the team.
–SMO: Surgery recovery and general boredom. Recently pinned in place wing removing all fun summer activities that require a working arm including running. Boo.
–Yenny: C-section recovery. Cute little Ella didn’t turn herself around in time, so out through the lower abdominals it is.
–Lizard: Regular pregnancy recovery. A little bit of Diastasis Recti, core weakness, general flabbyness and a refusal to purchase new jeans for post baby hips.
-Laura: general core strength for long distance running
We are all runners and enjoy being active, so we know that a strong core is the key to performance and injury prevention. So here we go, 30 days of about 10-15mins of core each day. We have all taken before pictures too, but will most likely only post them once noticeable changes have been made.
So what are we doing? Nothing revolutionary. We didn’t go out and spend $150 on a TRX (although I’d kinda like one). Just your everyday core regime:
-planks
-v-sits
-heel drops
-twists
-hip raises
-etc.
modified for one arm, post c-section and general laziness as necessary.
(Editor’s note: ever try a one-arm plank? I’ve topped out at 15 shaky, huffy-puffy seconds. It isn’t pretty).
Will it work? No idea, but along with the four of us keeping each other honest there’s the added motivation of first person to miss a day owes the other three wine.
With any luck by September we’ll be stable around the middle, ready to get back to some serious running training and looking half decent on the pool deck. With a lot of luck, we’ll be looking like this and running 1:20 halfs.
—
And here’s the best part. We’re taking weekly pics. Whether or not we get brave enough to post remains to be seen.
We’re still looking for joiners… If you’re in – just remember the bottle of wine rule.
Pemberton, BC – A group of dedicated, hard-core, lycra-clad weekend warriors gathered at the base of the relentless climb to take on the challenge of Defeating the Duffey on a sunny, mosquito-y Sunday morning. This year’s race, the third annual, saw the biggest turnout ever for Pemberton’s premiere uphill event, attracting 15 riders from as far away as North Vancouver.
Per the regulations governing the event, riders surrendered all timing devices prior to the start and submitted their guesses to the timing officials. Said Anja Taylor, assistant timer and official mosquito repellant sprayer, “5-6-4-fwee-2-1-GO!” Although race rules call for the time-trial start to allow for one minute intervals between riders, swarms of mosquitos forced organizers to bump the intervals up to 30s to avoid too much blood loss, which would effectively negate all blood-doping advantages.
The pack charged hard up the hill, with early leader and slow-time predictor Kevin Glavas leading the way. The peloton soon followed, with several attacks brought on by the hard-charging Sarah Olner and the hard-gasping David Higgins. Eventual winner Vincent Marcotte picked his way through the field, whistling.
The caravan, sponsored by Volvo, safely carried paparazzi and a frenzied fan to the finish line to greet the exhausted racers. Once at the finish, racers were thrown a curve ball with a new finish line/rock this year, adding 15 feet to the race and throwing off many a prediction. A stiff breeze picked up at the finish, and racers wasted little time trash talking one another before enjoying a very rapid descent.
At the awards banquet, the podium ceremony was derailed by the organizers very poor math skills but the event was salvaged by an eagle-eared Higgins. Winner Paul Nicholas said, “thank god for this victory. My ever-expanding brood depends on me to bring home the bacon, and this bag of cherries and bag of Pemberton Coffee makes all those early mornings so worth it”. He teared up as he hugged and kissed his young family and waved to his adoring fan. Organizers would like to thank all those who attended and list all the winners, losers and times but the results sheet went missing.
The race committee looks forward to hosting next year’s event and to not being in charge of timing.
The event is upon us… Sunday morning. Lakeside. Hot temps in store. The more the merrier, you’ll be rewarded with a killer ride, sweatiness, and a post-event BBQ/smack talk event. C’mon. It’s fun.
Join us… Don’t be scared. We’re friendly, we don’t bite but we do like to smack-talk each other.
Earlier in the week, I signed up to run Comfy Numb as a last minute replacement to the Test of Metal. I hadn’t run this race in probably 6 years, so I was looking forward to re-visiting it and besting my not-so-fast times from previous years.
Never one to shy away from looking ridiculous.
I’d had some good runs leading up to it, and was feeling happy and relaxed about doing it. I had no goals per se, just go out and enjoy.
Fun fun
Race morning I woke up a little tired but nothing out of the ordinary. Ate some breakfast, grabbed a coffee, watched some cartoons and was on my way.
3, 2, 1 Go! And we’re off. The race starts straight uphill, but I like to climb so no worries there. I settled into a nice little train of people for about the first 6K. Once we crossed the bridge (or as I like to think of it, the point of no return) I started to feel little off. No big deal, I thought, this happens all the time. I drank a bit, ate something and slowed a bit.
Then the doubts started creeping in. I mentally looked back on what I’d consumed the day before, wondering if that was the cause of my discomfort. I couldn’t get into a rhythm and for the first time in about 8 years, I really, really wanted to quit.
This was my mental image of myself between kilometers 6-10.
BUT. That’s the thing about Comfortably Numb. It’s a 25k point-to-point trail and at this part of the trail, I figured it would take me as long to turn around as it would to keep going (oh hello, terrible race math. Thanks for nothing.)
Luckily for me and unluckily for her, Marie-Anne had sprained her ankle at I caught up to her at about 11k (I know this because that’s about when I turned off Strava because seriously? I didn’t want to know anymore). And that was pretty much the last run step I took as things went rapidly downhill from there for me.
Ugh.
Thankfully, Marie-Anne stayed by my side as my stomach turned itself inside out in a variety of disgusting ways for the next 14K of misery. We chatted, commiserated, and looked forward to seeing that finish arch… 5 hours after we started. Never in a million years would I have ever guessed the two of us would tie for DFLat a race.
Got myself to the clinic, and 3 litres of IV fluids + heavy doses of Gravol + 12 hours of sleep means I finally feel human again. My eyes are swollen but the upside is I don’t have any blisters and my legs don’t hurt. There’s always an upside, right?
My ever-lasting gratitude to:
My in-laws for taking control of the situation at home and thus allowing me to care for myself.
Marie-Anne for staying with me. If not, chances are I’d still be out there, sleeping under a tree with my race number as a blankie.
Jenny + Liz for encouraging me via text and checking up on me.
Best text conversation ever.
Bob for waiting for us.
Chris Colpitts and crew for not taking down the finish arch till we stumbled under it.
The staff at the Emerg in Pemberton for taking care of me and not making fun of me. Why is it that when I’m sick it’s always super-hot-doctor guy on duty?
How this self-professed Type-A personality reacted when told that putting off shoulder surgery any longer is no longer really an option:
So there you go. Moving on to plan B, cancelling some summer race plans (including my “A” race, which I was irrationally excited to do) and listening to that little voice inside my head (Hi, Mum) telling me it’s time to suck it up and get it done.
I’ve got till July 23rd to fit in as much fun as possible. Now taking applications for fun-joiners (and also: post-op company).
Looking at the bright side:
-I haven’t swum a stroke since at least January 4th, the day I broke my shoulder. I likely won’t swim one till about 5-6 months from now. Is this enough time to forget my terrible swimming habits and thus return to triathlon as a swimming superstar? No, I didn’t think so either. But it’s fun to pretend.
-I will learn to be ambidexterous.
-I’ll have lots of time to plot and plan my comeback.
Aaand… that’s all I got for now on the bright side of things.
I’ve put my opinion on the Ironman Canada bike course out there for all the world to see, so I’ll just continue doling out the unsolicited advice on the swim and run courses.
The Swim
Alta Lake is the biggest swimmable lake in Whistler. You’re welcome to take a crack at Green Lake: let me know how that goes, if you survive. Currently, Alta’s being measured at about 15C (59F) but it warms up to a less ice-cream headache-inducing temperature once we get a few weeks of sustained sunshine. I’m a total warm water lover and do just fine in a sleeveless wetsuit in August.
There’s no danger of this being non-wetsuit swim, for all you nervous nellies out there. This is a two-looper. Is it going to be tight? You bet. Can you do anything about it? Nope. Sharpen your elbows and practice your splashy, open-water sighting skills. You’re going to need it.
That being said, this lake is pretty beautiful to swim in. There aren’t many weeds (*shudder*) and when the sun pokes up over the mountains, it’s both blinding and pretty! You may want to choose your goggles accordingly.
(Sidebar: I am a crappy swimmer and I don’t care who knows it. Sure, on the pool deck I look the part with my pretty suit and fast-looking goggles, but my cover gets blown the minute I hit the water. The best tip I ever got about OWS is “just keep moving forward”. Sounds simple, right? Well, when you’re in the middle of a full-blown panic attack, it’s not so simple. Float on your back, breast-stroke, doggy paddle…just do what you gotta do – but don’t ever turn around. Every watch a salmon swimming upstream? That’s when the grizzlies get them.)
If you’re coming to train prior to the race, by all means swim in Alta Lake, but do it with eyes wide-open. We tri people share the lake in early mornings with those speedy backwards-going sculls and there have been a few near misses (and one collision that I know of). Bright caps and lots of spotting recommended. Better yet, join the Whistler Tri Club on Saturday mornings at 7:45am and make it a sea of bobbing caps (or at least, 8-9 bobbing caps).
Can you guess which triathlete this is on her wedding day last December? Rainbow park in the snow…
Come mid-July, our lakes tend to get swimmer’s itch. Grease yourselves up, people. It helps.
The run
Ah, the run. You’re just a mere 42km (26.2 mi) from the sweet, sweet finish line. If you’re like me, you’ll be happy to hand off your bike to anyone who’ll take it and get away from it.
I think the run on this course is going to be fantastic for several reasons:
Shade: There are shady parts around Lost Lake and along the valley trail and those will feel like teeny tiny oasis’ when you’re out there. Plus, most of the shade will be around Lost Lake which is on pea gravel. No trail shoes required, but it’s going to be a nice break from pavement.
The nudie dock at Lost Lake! You’re welcome to detour, if that’s your thing.
Real Estate gawking along the Valley Trail by Nick North.
The inevitable tourist you’ll encounter who will have booked his/her holiday without knowing what the hell is going on and will stand there is wonder/disbelief as you cruise by and high-five him/her.
The fact that you get to run through Whistler twice – think of the adulation!
Valley Trail by Nick North; humongous homes to your left.
Is this run going to be tough? Probably. It’s what I’d call “rolling”. There aren’t any heartbreaking types of hill but – similar to the bike – there are very few spots where you can just zone out and be flat for a while. The section before the turn around at Green Lake might offer this, but this will also be an exposed section in the sun (hopefully) and (potentially) the wind. This section is also where real estate will be at a premium: it’s a narrow trail and there will be a lot of traffic.
But just think… as you make that last turn around, you’re on the home stretch. All that hard work and dedication will have paid off and soon enough the sound of the announcer will be calling you home. I’ll be there, cheering you on whether you finish in 9 hours or 16:58.
And if you’re coming in with seconds to spare, you can bet I’ll be cheering the loudest for you.
I’m starting to understand more and more what people mean when they say that weekends go by too weekly. Seriously, how does that happen? One minute it’s Friday night and I’m relishing 48 hours off and the next I’m back to making school lunches.
My grand plans to return to the Test of Metal this past weekend were foiled by injury and babysitting costs. So on to plan B we went… The Whistler Valley Trail Run. The boys both promised they’d run the whole thing. Will kept his word. Rory, however, not so much. Pushing 75 pounds of kids through the trails is the same as running 10k, right? Right.
Anja rounded off the team effort with the Teddy Bear trot. No dress this time, I don’t know what got into her.
(Editor’s note: Why don’t more people do this run? Cost? Location? Timing? It could be so good and yet…)
Sunday I celebrated Father’s Day by sleeping in till 7:30 and then treating myself to a 2h solo trail run. That was pretty much perfection right there.
Later that afternoon we tackled the trails for some kid mountain biking. We’re working on our “descending and cornering”. Also known as “slow down and watch where you’re going or you’ll give your mother a heart attack”
(Editor’s note: to the woman who snarled at us on Happy Trail because our kids were “in her way”: trail karma will get you and it will take you down. If not, I will, next time you do that.)
Phew, I feel better already.
Next up: a trail race without kids, Comfortably Numb. My body has blocked out the pain from the last time I did it, let’s see how quickly those memories come flooding back next weekend.
When I first moved here 13 years ago, rare were road bikes on highway 99 between Whistler and Pemberton (and rarer still, south to Squamish). With the increase in cycling events and cycling’s popularity in general, we’re starting to see LOTS of bikes on the roads and this makes me happy. It’s a sport that I love and I’m happy to see so many people, local and visitors alike, embracing it.
With Ironman Canada looming, the roads are getting busier every day. I’ve had the distinct pleasure of eavesdropping on some conversations had by these riders, be it in coffee shops, the gym, the grocery store… It’s provided a few good chuckles when I hear some of the athletes say things like “Oh, the Callaghan is definitely the hardest part”. My internal monologue takes on a super condescending tone, saying something like “Oh honey, you have no idea”. I’d never dare say that out loud. I’m opinionated, not stupid.
That said, I know lots of Iron athletes are signed up who won’t be able to ride the course ahead of time. Herewith, my opinion of how the ride will go.
(Editor’s note: I don’t ride with a computer, a GPS, a power meter or a watch. I have no sense of elevation, power, watts, etc. I like to ride by feel and fun.)
You’ll leave Rainbow Park (or in this case, T1) and right away, the fun begins. Heading north, you’ll hit a few shorter climbs right away before cruising south on Hwy 99 towards your first major challenge of the day, the Callaghan climb. Hopefully, the highway through Whistler will be lined with lots of cheering sections to boost your morale as your start your journey! It’s a nice, mostly downhill, section all the way to the Callaghan.
When you make the right hand turn to start climbing to the Callaghan, you’ll start climbing for about 10k. I personally find it to be quite a nice climb with no steep grades to really suck your will to live – with maybe one exception near the top. If you’re hoping to see some bears on this course, the Callaghan is going to be your best bet.
Useless fun fact #1: When I worked at the ski jump venue at the 2010 Games, this road was closed for about 40 minutes so that USA VP Biden could make his way to the venue with his entourage. Have a good look around when you get to the top! This venue didn’t exist prior to 2008…
When you hit the bottom of the Callaghan and head back into Whistler, don’t discount these climbs! They are shorter but steeper. After descending for quite some time, spin our your legs or you’ll be miserable for a while. Be prepared to shift a lot on this course (your gears and your body. All the up adn down will require it). Savour the cheers of the crowds back in Whistler. You won’t be seeing many people between Whistler and Pemberton.
From Green Lake to Pemberton, it’s mostly downhill with 2 exceptions: the shorter steeper climb at Shadow lake and the beloved Suicide Hill. Be watchful on this section of road. The paving isn’t the best and you’ll come ripping down a couple of the hills to some train tracks. Bike handling skills come in handy here…
Useless fun fact #2: On January 4th, a train derailed and went off the tracks at the bottom of suicide hill, thus closing the highway for several hours. Fear not: trains won’t be running on race day.
Suicide Hill is steep but fairly short. Some locals are planning a fun surprise here (think that weird devil dude at the Tour de France) – I hope they pull it off.
Once you get to Pemberton, you’ll head out the famous/infamous Pemberton Meadows road, a flat 25K out and back. I say infamous here because it’s the one I recommend cyclists be the most cautious on when training in our area. While many, many residents actively support Ironman, there is a small minority of people who just as actively don’t – and they aren’t afraid to show their displeasure. I strongly suggest staying in single file (while training), even if it seems like no one is coming. Trust me, someone is always coming…
Useless fun fact #3: In 2009, the far end of the meadows experienced major forest fires, resulting in middle-of-the-night livestock evacuations. You can read about one farm’s experience here. In 2010, there was a huge landslide at Meager Creek, once again affecting farms out the Meadows.
Be prepared for winds. They seem to be at their strongest past 2pm, but they can always surprise us. Plus, they have that delightful ability to surprise us and turn, making you think that you may have had a tail wind coming to you but…no. Headwind both ways. It happens. Stay loose!
Back in Pemberton, smile and wave at the crowds, put your head down and be prepared to work because let’s face it… what goes down has to go back up, right?
Useless fun fact #4: In 2003, Pemberton experienced an early snowfall followed by a melt and epic rains. This led to major flooding and to the highway being closed for several days due to the collapse of the Rutherford Creek Bridge. Something to think about as you pedal over it!
The ride back to Whistler is hard. Point blank. Even on fresh legs, it’s hard. It’s hilly, frequently windy and about 36k long. But don’t let it break you. This part can be mentally broken into several parts and it won’t seem so bad that way. If you are totally struggling and/or overheating, there’s a great pull out across from the motocross track. Dump your bike, dunk your helmet in the ice cold river, take a deep breath and get back at it. Once you get back to WedgeWoods, know that the hardest part is over. You’ll have a few more shorter climbs to tackle but the bulk of the cycling work is behind you.
Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, seen from Green Lake
Cruise into Whistler to the cheers of your adoring fans, rack you bike and get ready to run. Fun, right?
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I’m editing this to include this message from Frank Savage, a planner at the Resort Municipality of Whistler, because I think it’s an important one:
Hello Whistler Tri Club, Team Whistler and local riders,
With the growing number of local and visiting cyclists using Highway 99 and other roads in the Sea to Sky Corridor, there is a concern about safety of cyclists. Some are training for Ironman or GranFondo, others are riding for fitness, and many are just using a bicycle to get around. There are many economic, health and societal benefits to cycling, and the Resort Municipality of Whistler and other Corridor communities are encouraging cyclists to come to the Corridor to visit and to train. We want them to enjoy the experience and be safe.
However, cyclists and motorists may not be fully knowledgeable of the rules of sharing the road, so we are developing key messages to both cyclists and drivers. Attached is a brochure previously prepared by the Whistler Tri Club. We may update it and we will prepare new materials to post on websites, send to the media and distribute with maps, etc.
The following is a draft of key messages to drivers and cyclists. We want simple, positive and balanced messages to both. (The last point in each is a throw-away, there if we want to keep it light.) Please review and send me your comments on the draft key messages and the brochure. I would appreciate comments by Wednesday, June 5 so we can start getting the message out.
Key Messages to Drivers:
· Share the road, Show respect
· When passing, allow at least one metre between your vehicle and a cyclist.
· When turning, leave plenty of room for cyclists who may be moving faster than you think.
· On rural roads a cyclist may not know you are behind. Before overtaking, consider giving a tap on your horn as a warning.
· Cyclists have the same rights and duties as the driver of a motor vehicle.
· Cyclists are not required to ride on any part of the road that is not paved.
· Cyclists are permitted to ride to the left of the white line.
· Be considerate. That cyclist you see might be your friend, neighbour, co-worker, child, spouse, mother, grandchild, grandmother, boss, banker, ….
Key Messages to Cyclists:
· Share the road, Show respect
· Be visible, be predictable, wear a helmet
· Use hand signals when you change lanes, turn, stop, slow down.
· Cyclists have the same rights and duties as the driver of a motor vehicle.
· Cyclists must ride as near as practicable to the right side of the road.
· Cyclists are not required to ride on any part of the road that is not paved.
· Cyclists must not ride abreast of another cyclist on the road.
The SMO's stories 
