Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

We were supposed to dress up for tri practice tonight. Since my cape was mangled after Saturday, I decided to do a revised version of my costume from last year. I wore the onesie and wig, but added a cool sweatband and aviators.
It was pretty fricken hot biking in a blond wig, but for my efforts I won a waterbottle. Another One. They are coming out of my butt, I have so many! Oh well, they can always be used.

It is supposed to be a down week this week for the club. I dont know yet if I will treat it like that. I have had a few easier weeks with being sick, and next week will be busy with school and the long weekend, so it might be better taken then. I think I will just play it by ear though.
Yesterday was an hour swim, with some faster intervals. Today I did pilates, and then the rev was 50 min, with a 40 min run.

It is definately winter now. Its quite cold, about -14 with the wind chill. Winter running is such a challenge! I get sooo cold.
In other great news, I ROCKED my last accounting midterm, in my harder accting class. Let's hope the one tomorrow goes as well!

More Awesome Pictures

The title says it all...see the previous post for more explaination of the antics!

Kicking a pregnant nun in the stomach

Sisters: One Rageddy Anne, One Girl From Space

So Nice

Borat

Yes, I am actually friends with these people.

Some people also thought we were robots/from the future

After running through the snow, without spilling....thats talent! (that is a nice electolyte drink in the cup)

Party!

I had an awesome time at the Halloween Kegger last night. Unfortunately, it was quite snowy, which made it difficult to run to the party, but at least I had an awesome cape to keep warm with. I got to hang out with my buddies, and see tons of costumes, so it was a fun night all in all.
This morning the fun ended abruptly when I realised the difficulty I was having standing without spinning. I had to go have a nap, and then was able to move on with my day.

Here are some pictures of the awesome-ness:

Notice the cape flowing in the breeze ( of a fan )

Girls From Space!

woooo

Notice the fine craftsmanship on the cape/breastplate unit

Bamm!


Needless to say I did not make the brick workout. There is also boatloads of snow, so I wouldnt have taken my bike anyway. I think I will try to get on the bike later today, but I have to do some homework first.
I went for an hour run yesterday. It was pretty snowy but still quite nice out, although snow kept getting compacted in the grooves in the soles of my shoes. I ran through the park, and there were about 20 Canada Geese just hanging out by the water. I dont think they got the memo about flying south, so I let them know, haha.
I also went to the gym. We did some different tricept exercies, so I am quite sore today.

All in all, a fun halloween adventure weekend!

Balls Balls Balls

Massage Balls that is...


I have used my massage balls a few times now, and they seem to be pretty effective. It definately is quite painful when I am actually using them, but it is the kind of pain you know is good for you.
After tri last night, my legs were cooked! I spent about 20 min with the balls and rollers, and I wasn't too sore today. It especially feels great on the calves/soleus area. I had problems with that in the summer, so it will be great if this helps.

At swim practice tonight we did alot of work with paddles and flippers. It was pretty fun, but mostly hard. We were using the pool's equipment, and the flippers were a bit too small. I think I will try to buy some for myself, as it was a good/different workout.

I also talked to a girl at tri last night who did Ironman Canada this summer. She didnt seem to be too thrilled about the whole thing. She said she walked the marathon, due to a previous injury. She said she was glad she finished, but didnt seem to have any fun.
As hard as the race is, I would like to come away from it having had fun. It really made that clear to me when I was talking to her, especially since she is my age.

I worked on my halloween costume today...and it is totally awesome!

It's almost here...

Halloween!!

I am really excited to get dressed up. Its just such a great time. Some of our friends are having a kegger Saturday, so I am expecting some wacky adventures! My mom sent a much anticipated Halloween package to me. Here is a picture of the excitement of receiving the goodies:




I went swimming on Monday, and I am not feeling great about my stroke right now. I think something is off with my body position. I tried to really work on it during this morning's swim. I’m not sure what is wrong; I think I just need to spend time breaking it down with some drills.

Another thing that happened at practice this morning was the invasion of the aquafit ladies. There were not very many people at swim practice this morning, (about 5), so the old ladies decided to jump in 10 minutes early. I stuck around, flailing, doing sprint IM, while they waded around. I eventually got pushed to the very far lane in the corner. I got out at the end of our practice time, and was able to see the ladies doing their thing. There was alot of crazy arm swinging going on. There are also about 2 twentish year old girls in the group. I dont know what they are getting out of the class, but it is definately a sight!

I missed running yesterday due to a midterm, but did the revving workout with tri club. I also got in a trainer workout this evening. I need to get a run in tomorrow for sure, as the Sunday brick workout will be tentative due to the aforementioned kegger. hehe.

Champion!

I won the contest for picking the Ironman Hawaii top 3. I really wasnt all that close, but I did get alot of the people who would be up there. It was a really exciting race, especially during the run. Desiree Ficker was a surprise, but i think she was awesome! Lisa Bentley also just looked like a running machine.
I was glued to my computer all day!

Yesterday morning I went for an hour run, and then did weights at the gym. This morning I went to the tri club brick workout. I rode my bike there, and I had definately forgotten how much fun biking outside is, as I have been on the trainer the last month and a half. This just confirms my need for a mountain bike, so I can do some ridng through the winter. We did about 1 hour 15 mn bike, then a 3.2 k run. I felt pretty strong, which was nice.

Here are a few photos I borrowed from other sites that I thought were cool. Watching definately made me want to do Kona someday...

Michellie Biking

Running them down!



Awesome race Desiree!

Look at that bike! Spencer Smith

Dreamer

I had my first "Ironman Dream" last night. It was pretty cool. I was running, and I definately knew I was doing Ironman. I was trying to eat and drink right from the start. My sister was running beside me, seeing how I was doing, and giving me some updates. I then saw my support crew cheering from the sides.
It was a pretty neat dream altogether. I am usually not much for remembering my dreams, but this one was definately positive. I remember thinking that I was doing such a good job with my nutrition. Hopefully, I will have many more positive dreams to come!

I was able to do our full tri practice last night, so I was quite happy. I went to yoga earlier in the day, which is always so nice and relaxing. I did about a 40min run. It was rainy, and a bit chilly, but it will obviously get boatloads colder, so I shouldnt complain now. The rev was about 50 min after that, with alot of harder gear work. All in all, I felt pretty good. The ball of my right foot feels a little swollen, so I will try to figure that out.
I gave myself a nice massage with my massage balls when I got home. Now, when I say nice, that doesnt mean its not painful. It is. But, its a good pain!
I am going to swim practice tonight, which should be fun after 1.5 weeks with no swimming.

In other notes, I hate DHL right now! They called to ask when they could deliver a package to me. I told them, and they then proceeded to attempt delivery at the exact time I said I would NOT be home. Why would you call and arrange a time and then ignore it? They may try again, or else I will have to make an epic journey to retrieve it. Almost any journey in the city without a car is epic!
It is only a replacement laptop battery, which I am getting so that my recalled battery doesnt cause my computer to blow up.

Well, mini rant aside, I hope to have a relaxing weekend. I NEED to study for a midterm next week, and just keep updated on the race.

Go Ironman!

Kona Picks

In a valient effort to procrastinate from doing anything at all productive tonight, I have formulated my picks for Ironman Hawaii. Our Tri club is having a little contest, with socks and a waterbottle up for grabs. Plus the sweet sweet glory of the win!
Here it goes:

Men:
1. Chris McCormack - 8:26
2. Cameron Brown
3. Faris Al Sultan

To be honest the mens race is not as interesting to me as the ladies. I think Faris is strangely hot in his little man speedo. I dont really have anyone that I am clearly rooting for. I hate to say it, but I dont really want Normann Stadler to win, after the scene from last year. The winner cant have temper tantrums.

Ladies:
1. Michellie Jones - 9:21
2. Natasha Badmann
3. Lisa Bentley

Well, the ladies are more exciting to me. Michellie totally rocks the pink, so how could I not cheer for that? I love Lisa Bentley. She just seems to be a really awesome gal, and is super talented. I wish I could say she would win, but there are too many fast ladies. I will also be rooting for Lori Bowden. Dont ever say I dont have Canadian pride! There are actually alot of women I want to do well, they are are pretty inspiring, such as Belinda Granger, Desiree Ficker, etc. Goo Ladies.

I am pretty excited to watch the coverage on Sat. I have been checking out a few blogs with pictures and info. It is definately something I would like to go watch someday soon...like when I am no longer in school! I have a run/gym and studying on the agenda for Sat, so I should be able to keep up with the coverage.


From the TriDubai Website...Dont they look FAST?!

I would say I have quite sucessfully avoided studying tonight, haha!

Assorted Updates

Well, I am feeling a bit better. I decided not to go to the doctor on Mon, and sleep in since I was feeling better. I can finally eat normal food again. Yippee!
I am definately not 100%, as my throat still does hurt and I am quite tired.

I went to my pilates class today. I really like it, and I think it is definately helping with my core strength, which is nice to see. I also went to tri practice, and did about a 45 min spin. I opted not to run, as I was already feeling pretty tired. I stretched and did some abs for about 20 min, then came home for a nice snack.

It has gotten quite cold here. It snowed, and it was cold enough that it stuck around on the roof tops and cars. It is totally toque and mitten time again. Its gonna be a loooong winter.

I also thought of a something else to add to my x-mas list. It already includes a tri bag, and cycling jacket and.... I am not sure what else. However, I really like these swimsuits from Splish. I think I would look super snazzy on the beach in Penticton in one!

Race Musings

I was reading some Ironman race reports the other day, and it got me thinking about how I want my race to go. Not the specifics really, but about how I want to feel.
I want to be smiling most of the day. I want to be excited about what I am doing. I know that it will not be easy or fun at all times, but I want to feel like I am enjoying the overall experience. I want to be in the moment, and really see what is happening around me.

This are things that I know I will have to focus and work on, but I know it is worth it. A really important part of whether I have a good race or not is if I am enjoying what I am doing. At the Great White North Half Iron this summer, I was in tears I was so nervous. Overall, I did not have the greatest race, and it is because I had the wrong mindset. My objective for this year is to race smart, while enjoying racing. I am doing 2 half's next summer, in which I will practice my mental outlook, so I can have the race days I want.
It seems a little silly to be worrying about this now, but it is quite important to me, so alas, I will write down the plan, and go from there.

In more current news, I am still SICK! What the heck! I havent trained in 4.5 days! I am going to go back to the doctor tomorrow to check things out again, and try and get this under control.
At least I should be itching to train again when I finally get better!

Sick Sick Sick

Well, as much as I was cheering for my immune system, reinforcements had to be called in. I went to the doctor on Thurs, and she put me on antibiotics. She could tell just from looking that I had strept throat.
I had expected to feel a bit better by now, but the last two nights have definately been worse. I am sticking to soup/smoothies/tea, and trying to rest.
I was really hoping to be able to go the my tri club's first brick workout tomorrow. You can bring your bike and set it up on a trainer, or use the revving bikes. We are starting at about an hour ride, 20 min, and working up to about 4 hours bike, hour run. It is so nice to be around other people when doing a trainer workout. It makes it much easier, plus you dont only have to listen to "Coach Troy" anymore.

In other notes, my roomie and I are going to try and venture to Value Village today to get our halloween costumes. We had a blast last year, and want something equally as crazy.


So between that, resting, and trying to finally do some homework, it seems that my Sat is all booked up. Now, who ever said I dont have wild and crazy weekends...hehe.

Ironman Canada Video- Part 1

Some Inspiration...

Ironman Canada Video- Part 2

Ironman Canada Video- Part 3

Ironman Canada Video- Part 4

Ironman Canada Video- Part 5

Hmmm

It seems I am getting sick again! I was really healthy all last year, but have not had the same luck this year.
I caught a cold a few weeks ago, and now I have a sore throat. I managed to drag myself to the pool this morning, but got out after 45min, since I was literally afraid I would swallow my tonsil if I kept swimming! aghhh
I am going to take tonight off biking, and try to get into bed quite early.

Gooo Immune System!!

Long Weekend Madness!!

Well, I just finished my first round of midterms, as well as doing the marking for another set of midterms, so the long weekend was much needed.
Unfortunately, I wasn't very productive. I went out both Fri and Sat nights, so I have definately been training my liver lately! I did get some ok workouts in thought. I went to the gym and "pumped some iron" with my roommate/personal trainer on Sat.
Sun I did about 1.5 hours on the trainer, and then dropped my handle bars a few spacers. I was quite proud of my ability to actually take something apart and get it back together on my bike! Good thing I have a book on bike maintenance!
I went for a nice hour run today in the afternoon. I was trying to wait until it warmed up some, so I wouldnt freeze. I wore my super cute, super pink skirtsports skirt. I was chilly, but at least I looked cute!
I must try to get at least some homework done tonight, and will hopefully have a nice solid trainging week!!

Love this commercial...