Me finishing the Sooke Tri last year!

So I have a super awesome exciting announcement to share with all of you!

I was recently given the opportunity to combine everything I’m passionate about — writing, media relations, social media, triathlons and endurance sport events –  into a career!

As of Monday, I will be joining LifeSport Coaching as the Communications Coordinator for the Subaru Western Triathlon Series!

I’m super excited to finally be on the ‘other’ side of an endurance sport event and am looking forward to helping make this Tri Series the best yet.

As you may know, I did the sprint distance at the Subaru Sooke International Triathlon last year. The course was challenging but scenic, and it was cool to watch the event when it was broadcasted on TSN a few months later. (TSN will be back this year, too!) It was only my second triathlon ever (the first one I did was just a week prior!) and I had a blast. I really hope to encourage more newbie triathletes, or even some runners who are thinking about stepping it up a notch and “trying a tri” (like I did last year!), to mark these dates on their 2012 (hopefully Van Island Runner’s for Cancer) calendars:

• Shawnigan Lake – May 27th
• Victoria – June 17th
• Vancouver – July 8th
• Sooke – August 12th
• Banff – September 8th

The only downside to my new job — besides not being able to be a participant in the series anymore, and probably not as much time to train and race in as many endurance sport events for the next few summers — is the fact I can no longer do the Sinister 7 trail race (sad face), as it falls on the same day as the Vancouver triathlon. That said, I may be able to swing the Canadian Death Race (August Long weekend), if anyone wants to put together a relay team! Otherwise, I’m going to look for some sort of crazy destination trail race for the off-season

I’ll still be doing some racing this year, most likely smaller races like the Frontrunner’s Island Race series and the GutBuster Trail Racing series, and maybe a sprint tri. I will definitely keep blogging about my own training and races, but expect more triathlon-related event stuff as well!

P.S. -  Be sure to follow the Subaru Western Triathlon Series on Twitter (@SubaruWestTri) and Facebook!

Me in Maui after finishing the Maui Oceanfront Half Marathon. Has nothing really to do with this post. I just thought it'd be more interesting than a stock photo of 'Happy New Year' text with squiggles and sparkles.

I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions. Mainly because I’m always thinking about, planning and refining my goals — personal, fitness and otherwise — throughout the year. But January 1st is a good time to reflect on the highs and lows of the previous year and how they changed you, as well as look forward to and plan what you want to achieve in the year to come.

And by planning what you want to achieve, I don’t mean the lose-30-pounds-and-make-time-to-read-more-books type of plan (otherwise known as the ‘New Year’s Resolution’) — I mean actually writing down your goals, and considering what it is you actually need to do to reach them.

For me, I knew 2011 was going to be the year I completed my first triathlon. Not only did I have no idea what I was doing or where to even start, but also I didn’t even know how to swim. With my target goal in sight (meaning I signed up for the triathlon before I even had a bike or knew how to swim), I wrote down all of the steps I needed to take in order to get there — the first being to get a good triathlon coach, which helped take all the guesswork out of the rest of the steps!

Instead of focusing on the end goal, I’d focus on the smaller weekly or monthly goals — feeling comfortable clipping in and out of my bike, coming within one hour of the time goal in my workout plan, swimming 200m without stopping, etc. This way of goal setting is much easier to manage and less overwhelming than standing back and looking at the big picture, and can be applied to anything, fitness related or otherwise. (We use this technique — performance-related goals vs. outcome-related goals — at my job, too, to help coach self-published authors about marketing. It works — trust me!)

So if you made a resolution to be healthier/lose weight/run a 10k, and maybe laced up your running shoes for the first time in a long while today and went out for a New Year’s jog… kudos. BUT — make sure you have a plan and a bunch of tiny little goals to help you reach your big goal.

But enough about goal setting.

On a more personal note, my 2011 was challenging but amazing — both personally and in health and fitness. I trained for and completed my first triathlon, improved both my half marathon time and marathon time, took up trail running, placed in my age group in a few races and stayed relatively healthy and injury-free. My personal and career life had it’s high and low points, but I know now it has all been worth it and has set me up for an even better 2012 (I have a super amazing announcement to tell everyone, but I can’t spill the beans just yet!)

As for my 2012 fitness goals, I’d obviously love to improve my running times (maybe a sub 4-hour marathon?) and my triathlon times. I also want to become a better swimmer — I’d say I want to improve my swim stoke, but as of now I don’t even have a swim stroke to improve; it’s more of a flail that somehow propels me forward enough to call it ‘swimming’. Haha. I’d also love to do more trail running, and can definitely see an ultra in my future.

What are your fitness/health/running/triathlon goals for this year? Comment below and tell me!! Also let me know if you’re blogging about it so I can follow your progress as well

I’m going to end this post with a great quote I found on Tumblr. Because Neil Gaiman can sum things up so much more eloquently than I ever could:

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.

So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.

- Neil Gaiman

Miss May in the Van Island Runners for Cancer calendar. Photo credit: Will Winter Photography

I have to say I’ve met some super awesome runners and fellow endurance sport enthusiasts through social media.

This group of Victoria-area and social media-savvy runners of all ages, levels and abilities came together under the #yyjrun hashtag on Twitter a few years ago. We get psyched for races together, cheer each other on and support each others’ goals, offer tips and training advice, run together, suffer through injuries, training road-blocks and taper madness together, race together, and have coffee and dinner together. And most recently, we’ve come together to raise funds for a cause close to all of us.

Skye (@runnerskye) came up with the fabulous idea to put together a calendar featuring local runners on their favourite trails around Vancouver Island and to sell it as a fundraiser for cancer research. Of course, we all jumped on board, especially since most of us have had a family member or friend effected by or lost to cancer.

It was fun to hang out and be models for a day, and it was even more awesome to see the finished product, which looks amazing. Mad props to Kathryn (@klancashire) for the layout and obviously to Skye and Kirsty (@KirstySheldon) for organizing and planning it all. Also to the talented photographers, make-up artists and to everyone that has gone above and beyond with getting it produced and sold. You are all awesome.

So now I know you’re all asking: where can I get one of these amazing calendars, that would make the perfect stocking suffer for that special someone in my life this Christmas???

Visit yyjrunforcancer.com to buy online ($15 plus $5 shipping), or, if you’re in Victoria, stop by Frontrunners Victoria, Frontrunners Westshore or Pen Run Victoria to pick one up for $15.

All proceeds from the calendar sales goes directly to the BC Cancer Foundation, the organization that funds the BC Cancer Agency. Money raised by the foundation stays in BC and goes towards critical cancer research and patient care.

2011 Gunner Shaw XC Trail race - Photo by Jordan Mitchell

So I quit the gym.

I thought when I went in to cancel my membership (which I’ve had for seven years) it might go down like that episode of Friends when Ross and Chandler try to quit the gym… but it wasn’t that bad. They didn’t try to sell me on anything to get me to stay, but they did ask why. Despite the fact I rarely go (maybe once during the summer, and once a week in the winter), I would have totally kept my membership if I could have afforded it. But I can’t. It was either keep my membership or get the internet at my new place… and let’s face it, I can’t live without the internet!

Besides, I do the majority of my workouts outside year-round anyway. I also own a set of weights, a yoga mat, some Jillian Michaels DVDs, an exercise ball and a trainer (that I bought second-hand for $40 a few weeks ago). The only thing I’m missing is a pool…

I haven’t been doing any structured workouts lately, mainly to give myself a break from training mode and to just enjoy being outside. I’ve been doing between three and four runs a week, mainly trail, and leaving my Garmin at home.

A few weekends ago I did the Gunner Shaw XC 10k race at Thetis lake. It was a fun race, as always; single-track trails, hills, slippery rocks, mud pits, a smelly swamp and a cold finish in Thetis Lake — what more could you want? I finished in about 55 minutes and came 7th in my AG, which is respectable I guess? It was more for fun than anything. (I wrote a race report/blog post about it for the A-Life Travel blog if you want to read more about it.)

How do I keep motivated during the winter? Sign up for awesome trail races! Photo by Jordan Mitchell

The following weekend I did the Bear Mountain 10k, which was tough on me this year. I’ve been tackling lots of hills lately, but mainly on trails — the Bear Mountain 10k course is on a paved cart path at a golf course. I was hating life by the last big hill (it seemed to go on forever). Ugh. I think I finished this one in about 55 minutes as well.

Mushrooms at Thetis. Photo by Jordan Mitchell

The cold water finish at Gunner Shaw! - Photo by Jordan Mitchell

This weekend I’m running the Stewart Mt. XC 10 miler at Thetis Lake. The course is similar to Gunner Shaw but longer, and with more hills. Not sure how I’ll fair at this race… I haven’t run over 1o km since the marathon! Absolutely no expectations other than to finish and enjoy the trails. I’m also going to be testing out Vega’s new line of endurance nutrition products, Vega Sport, at this event… I’m excited to see how it goes!

Oh yeah, and I’m officially signed up to run leg 1 of the Sinister 7 Ultra + Relay trail race in Alberta this summer! My leg is 16km, so it shouldn’t be too hard to train for alongside tri training. Excited!

That’s it for now. Need to get some rest for the race tomorrow!

Running the 2011 Goodlife Fitness Victoria marathon.

Really dropped the ball on posting a race recap after the marathon.

But no matter, there wasn’t a whole lot to report anyway. No crazy mishaps or injuries this time — I actually ended up having a really great race.

I stuck to my training plan, which was to go out slow until I found my legs, and expect a 1-2 minute positive split. I actually maintained a decent pace throughout the whole race, and only really struggled in the last 3 km.

Besides a sweet playlist to distract me, I also had my best friend join me on the course for a brief jog (she lasted one minute — granted she was carrying a coffee mug and wasn’t in running gear, but I was super excited she came out to watch and run with me), my coach Noa wait near kilometre 15 and 30 to check in on me, and an old coworker who filmed me running this same race for work last year find me on his bike and escort me for a couple of kms.

I finished in 4:07, which was pretty much what I’d expected to finish in. My pace was a fairly consistent 5:46. (The full Garmin stats are here.) This is a HUGE improvement from last year. It was a PB by almost 30 minutes.

The biggest surprise/highlight of this marathon (only my second) was how great I felt after. No hobbling, no pain, no nothing. I actually went for a hike the next day because I felt so great.

Of course, when I told this to my coach, she told me that I didn’t push myself enough. That’s probably true, but I was so scared of doing what I did last year that I held back on my pace. Good to know, though, for next year!

So what’s next: I’m going to keep my fitness up during the winter. I don’t really want to dial down training too much, but I know I need a bit of a break right now since it feels like I’ve been in training mode for almost a year! I know I need to get back in the pool soon, but for now, I’ve signed up to run a couple of shorter trail races (Gunner Shaw XC 10k, Bear Mountain 10k and Stewart Mountain 10 miler) in the coming months just for fun. Loving this wet, muddy west coast weather on the trails right now!

I haven’t decided what triathlons I’m going to do next year yet, other than the fact I want to do more.  I’d love to end the season at the Apple triathlon in Kelowna, and will probably do some of the Subaru series again. I’m also planning to run a leg of the Sinister 7 trail race in Alberta this summer with my friend Hagen and his buddies.

Just so this post isn’t entirely boring, here are some endurance sport-related pictures from the last while I’ve posted on Twitter!

Went for a hike in Goldstream Park the day after the marathon.

Went for a solo bike ride to East Sooke Park; took way too many pictures of fall leaves with Instagram that day.

View from the Coast Trail in East Sooke Park. Perfect day for a run.

 

Went searching for mud at Thetis Lake. Should be prime for Gunner Shaw!

Only in Metchosin would you get a second-place squash

So I meant be more consistent with my blog posts throughout August and September, but it was hard to find time to blog in between road trips to the Okanagan, camping, barbeques, and other more social activities that kept me outside and away from the computer.

Now that the typical west coast weather has returned to the island (sad face), I’ll probably get back to blogging weekly.

Since my first triathlon at the end of July, I’ve completed a few more races and blog-worthy runs and events, including another triathlon (a sprint distance at the Sooke International Triathlon during the first week of August), a local 5km race (where I came second in my age group and won a squash), and two epic trail runs with Hagen (one that I ran without proper trail shoes, also hungover from a wedding the night before; and one where I learned gels made of 100% agave do not agree with me), and a BC Cancer fundraiser initiative called ”Van Isle Runners for Cancer”, which consisted of a calendar photoshoot (where I confirmed the fact that I take bad action shots; every race photo of me is horrible. I wouldn’t be surprised if they decide not to use my photos — Runner’s World cover model I am not).

In between all of this fun stuff, I’ve been training for my second attempt at 42.2 at the Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon on October 9th. I don’t have any expectations this time around, other than I’d like to finish injury-free, and to spend the majority of the race running, not shuffling or walking like last time.

I’d like to BQ one day, but I’m not a huge fan of marathon training. I’d rather be running trails (I know this frustrates my coach!), cycling, and throwing in a few shorter-distance races and triathlons now and again than pounding the pavement five days a week. And I literally mean pounding the pavement. I feel like I could go for forever on a trail, but get achy legs after just two hours on a road. But, as my coach Noa reminded me, you have to train on the surface you will be racing on, otherwise you’ll be in for a painful surprise come race day.

That said, I think I see some trail running races in my future.

Finished the sprint distance at the Sooke International Trialthon in 1:37, 6th in my AG

Noa and team at the Sooke Tri

Top of Mt. Quimper in Sooke

Taking a break during Mt. Quimper trail run.

But for now, I’m sticking as closely as I can to Noa’s workout plan, even though it’s not what I’m used to following. When I saw the six-week plan, I was a bit concerned that I wouldn’t have enough time to train properly. But she assured me that I had a good foundation of fitness from my triathlon training this summer (“It’s not like you were just sitting around… you will be fine!”).

I had a bit of a setback last week when a blister on my foot got infected. It wasn’t painful, just annoying; it felt like a hard, itchy lump under my foot. I went to a walk-in clinic two days after I noticed it, and went on antibiotics for seven days. The doctor told me that if it didn’t get noticeably better in three days, I should come back and get something stronger. It took about five days until it felt okay enough to run again. Even though the antibiotics made me feel like crap, I managed a bit of cycling and swimming, and took probiotics at the suggestion of Noa to reduce the chance of getting sick (it is cold and flu season, after all). 

And so far so good. My foot is better, I’m not sick, and I’m still injury-free. Knock on wood.

Despite missing a week of running, I think I’m still on track. I did a 3:15 run this past Saturday, my longest before the marathon. I didn’t go as far as I had hoped, as I ended up walking quite a bit near the end. My quads were killing me. I feel like if I can just deal with the muscle soreness I get from long distance road running, I might be able to finish this marathon with a decent time. I guess I will find out in two weeks!

This isn't even all of the pairs I own

I have a running shoe addiction.

There, I said it.

I don’t think an addiction to shoes is unusual, though; most girls I know have a closet full of pumps, strappy sandals, wedges, boots and kitten heels. I just happen to have a closet full of running shoes.

I probably own more pairs at a time than most amateur runners, though. I think right now I have about five in rotation: tri shoes for triathlons; light weight runners for short, fast runs; two pairs of trail runners for summer and winter; and big, clunky stability shoes for long distance running. I’ve read that it’s good to have a few pairs to rotate through so your shoes last longer (rule of thumb is to replace them after about 600 km, or every 6 months — whichever comes first).

Even though I just bought a new pair of running shoes not that long ago, I’ve been in the market for a new pair;  something lighter and less clunky for distance running. The problem is, every time I go into a store to buy a new pair, the person helping me takes one look at my stride and flat feet and hand me the biggest, heaviest stability shoes they have in stock.

So I was excited when I saw that Brooks was coming out with their version of a minimalist shoe called PureProject, that included a posted shoe for runners who need more supportive features. I’d been hooked by their grassroots online campaign and thought the shoes looked sweet (I have a weakness for brightly coloured shoes — so much more fun than plain old white with subdued detailing), so I’ve been patiently awaiting their release in October. I was hoping to get a pair in time for the Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon on October 9, but I know that you shouldn’t be changing up your shoes two weeks before a marathon.

But then yesterday afternoon, I got a tweet from Peninsula Runners, a local running shoe store that I had been pestering about stocking these shoes, that said they just got ONE sample pair of PureProject shoes in, in a size eight. My size. It was meant to be.

So this morning, I stopped in and tried them on. They weren’t the PureProject Cadence (the more supportive shoes), but their neutral version, the PureProject Flow. After chatting with Michael about my flat feet and supportive-shoe dilemma, he figured I could give the neutral a shot. FINALLY!

Brooks PureProject Flow - it's like Christmas!

After a short jog around the block, I was in love. They were light, comfortable, responsive and provided just enough support. Obviously, I bought them in a heartbeat.

I decided to wear them for less than half of my long run that I had on tap for today, just to test them out. But after one 10 km lap of Elk Lake, I didn’t want to take them off. I ran 26 km today in a brand new pair of shoes (I can see my coach shaking her head as she reads this…).

Sitting on the beach after a great run

Cooling off in the lake. Tip: wear your compression sleeves in the lake - legs will stay cool after you get out. Feels amazing.

Elk Lake

And I had an awesome run. My legs felt great and my feet floated. No heavy legs, foot shuffling or kicking the side of my calf — all regular occurrences in my stability shoes.

Overall I was super impressed with these shoes. Looking forward to my recovery run in them tomorrow

Finishing up the 10 km run

“Looking good! Less than a kilometre to the finish line!” shouted a runner passing by me going the opposite way.

A year ago today, that other runner was me, cheering on the last of the Self Transcendence triathlon participants finishing up the run portion around Elk Lake.

I was out for a long run at Elk Lake, my 2010 summer Sunday ritual as I geared up for my first full marathon that fall, when I decided I would do this very same race next year. I was inspired by those triathletes, and thought the event looked like fun. So what if I couldn’t swim? I have a year to train. I can do this.

One year later, there I was, finishing up the last few kilometres of the 10 km run portion of an Olympic triathlon, with other runners cheering me on.

And it was a blast.

***

I arrived early at Elk Lake on race day to beat the crowds, found my transition number and racked my bike. After picking up my timing chip and getting my arms and legs drawn on with a sharpie (getting marked with my race number), I set up my transition area the way my coach Noa had instructed me to do so: cycling gear in front, running gear in the back. She also had me make a list of everything I needed to bring for the race, under sub-headings of swim, bike and run. Unlike a running race, when you generally only need to remember to bring a handful of things, I had a list of about 15 things I needed to bring for the triathlon: bike, helmet, sunglasses, water bottle, gels, tri shoes, cycling shoes, towel, wetsuit, goggles, swim cap, race belt, race bib, tri suit, Garmin… needless to say, I’m glad I had the list!

My transition area

I was happy to hear that morning that wetsuits would be allowed, as the temperature was just borderline where they would disallow it the previous day (if the water temperature taken on race day is above 22 degrees, wetsuits are not allowed). After suiting up, I joined the last wave of swimmers in the water. I wasn’t feeling nervous about the swim, thanks to doing the Thetis Lake MS Swim the previous week. I wasn’t feeling nervous at all, actually. I was more looking forward to see if a triathlon was just as fun as it looked.

Swim

After the gun went off and I fought my way through the crowd of swimmers, I was swimming at a fairly consistent pace, except I found myself meandering more often than not. Without anything below or to my side to use as a guide, I found myself swimming of course quite a bit and had to pop my head up and look for the buoy frequently. After rounding the 2nd buoy (we swam in a 1.5 km diamond shape), I found a hill I could use to keep an eye on to stay straight. I came up on the beach in about 41 minutes, pretty close to what I expected my time to be, with tons of energy left over.

The swim!

T1

Wetsuit off, swim cap and goggles off, sunglasses on, helmet on, dry feet, cycling shoes on, grab bike and run awkwardly to the dismount line.

Bike

The 40 km bike route for this race followed West Saanich Road all the way out to the Victoria airport and back. It was undulating for the most part, with a few stand-up hilly sections and some nice flat sections through farmland. There was no drafting allowed in this race, which means you cannot ride right behind someone. We had to stay back at least 10 metres, and if we felt like we could pass, we had about 15 seconds to do so. I came up on a few people, and worked hard to pass within that time frame, but for the most part I was either riding alone or getting passed!

Coming in from the 40 km ride

My bike computer decided to stop working, so I had no idea how fast I was going. When I reached the airport turnaround, I figured I was about 45 minutes in, so it’d take me about an hour and a half to do the ride. My quads were burning a bit from the hill climbs, but I still felt good. I had two gels on the ride and was feeling ready for the run.

T2

Dismount bike before dismount line, run awkwardly to my transition area, rack my bike, helmet off, glasses off, race belt (with race bib attached) on, cycling shoes off, tri shoes on, grab another gel, Garmin on, hat on, stand there confused for two minutes trying to figure out where I should be exiting the transition area to start my run, ask someone where to go, thank them, start running.

Run

Familiar territory. My legs felt great and I quickly began to pass everyone who passed me on the bike. I was surprised I felt so good. I downed water at every station without stopping, and took another gel about 5 km into my run. I checked my Garmin – I was running sub 5-minute kms! After a 41 minute swim and a 1:30 bike!

Being a runner at heart as its advantages in the tri, for sure.

I crossed the finish line in 3:09, feeling like I could run another 10 km. I also came 5th in my age group, two spots away from a podium finish. Not bad for my first triathlon!

***

So am I a convert now? Of course. I can’t wait to do another tri (which happens to be next weekend… I signed up for the Subaru Sooke International Triathlon! But just the sprint distance this time).

Besides, I have to answer that burning question all endurance athletes have: how much faster can I do it next time?

Huge thanks to Noa of PT Performance Training for getting me ready and trained for my first triathlon — I would be clueless without your help! Also huge thanks to Krista for giving me that extra push I needed I commit to actually doing a triathlon and for all her help with the swim — from nose plugs and pool noodles to wetsuits and open water! My swimming has come a long way in nine months!

Up next? The Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon (running the whole 42.2 this time, and not getting injured!)

Finished! Thanks Kim for sending me these pictures!

One week from today I’ll no longer be ‘Bri, triathlete-in-training.’

I will have actually completed a triathlon and can call myself a triathlete! 

Well… maybe.

A few days ago I found out that Hamsterly Beach, where the swim portion of the Self Transcendence Triathlon will take place, was unsafe due to a high coliform count. Ugh.

I haven’t heard anything yet about what will happen… whether the organizers will move the swim portion to a different beach at Elk Lake, or? If anybody knows, please comment!

At least there are a few other triathlons I can do before the season ends. I think I’ll sign up for the sprint distance at the Subaru Sooke International Triathlon on August 7th, regardless. After all this training, I feel like I should do at least two this summer before marathon training starts!

 And now for the good news: I’m feeling more comfortable about the swim portion of the triathlon now! (The swimming itself, not the goose poop situation… I’m not feeling very comfortable about that!)

 This morning I decided at the last minute to join the rest of my tri training group at the HtO Thetis Lake Swim for MS. I wanted to do it anyway (it’s for a great cause), but had to juggle some funds to afford the entry fee. I’ve spent a lot of money so far this year on race entries and gear, so I’ve been trying to cut back. But you know how it is… you can never have too many pairs of running shoes/shirts/shorts!

My coach Noa and a PT Performance Training team mate before the 1.5 km swim

I signed up for the 1.5 km distance, the distance of the Olympic distance swim in the triathlon. It was great to do a race start in the water and experience swimming in a group, with people grabbing at your feet and you trying to avoid being kicked in the face. I did okay though, despite getting a bit winded during my swim to the first buoy. I took a breather and slowed down, found my rhythm and just kept swimming!

I did a sight every 30 strokes or so (as suggested by Jon – oh, and a ‘sight’ is looking up to see where you’re going in the open water), so I didn’t get too far off course. I finished in just under 40 minutes, which was about how long I figured it would take. I still had lots of energy left over – I felt I could have easily hopped on the bike right after for a 40 km ride!

 

I think I’m ready. Seven more days!

Tranistion area: Helmet, bike shoes, running shoes, sunglasses, gel, Garmin, towel.

I did my first transition today!

Six of them, actually.

My tri group had our first race simulation of the season this morning out at Thetis Lake, where we got to practice our swim-to-bike and bike-to-run transitions, as well as doing all three sports back-to-back.

The day before, however, I decided to see what my legs felt like on the run after a 35 km ride (the Olympic triathlon bike distance is 40 km).

I had a great ride out to Sooke, despite getting a bee in my helmet.

Quite a few bees and large bugs had been smacking into my arms the whole ride out to Sooke, and I was thinking how horrible it would be if a bee flew into my face and got stuck under my sunglasses and stung me in the eye. When I was only a few minutes from home, something large dive-bombed me from above and went straight through into my helmet. Sure enough, when I stopped and took off my helmet, a bee was crawling around inside of it.

Can you see him in there? Thank you, bee, for not stinging me.

I’m terrified of bees. Wasps more so, but bees can be mean, too. At least bees have an important purpose on this planet. Wasps are just assholes.

I shook the bee out, and after throughly checking my helmet and my hair, I continued on home to see how far I could run after an hour-and-a-half ride.

My legs were all kinds of tired. By this point, it was midday and really hot outside. I managed about 6 km at a 5:45 pace before deciding that was enough for the day.

Beautiful day for a ride to Roche Cove. Love the trail out to Sooke.

Besides, I had a race simulation the next day! I thought I’d better save my legs for tomorrow.

(Oh, and I also realize now why cyclists wear high-neck cycling jerseys. Since it was so hot out, I thought I would feel cooler if I wore a lightweight running t-shirt with a scoop neck  instead of my cycling jersey. When I got home, I discovered I’d amassed quite the collection of bugs in my sports bra. Lesson learned.)

But back to the transition training!

I had to leave my house at 7 am and ride my bike to the lake with everything in a backpack, since I am vehicle-less at the moment. So before we even started, I already had a 14 km ride under my belt. If my legs feel anything like they did after my ride yesterday, this wasn’t going to be fun, I thought.

My trusty steed

Once everyone from our group arrived, we set up our transition areas on the grass by the beach. We had our bikes up on trainers with everything laid out and ready to go on a towel beside it. Gels, water, cycling shoes, running shoes and a helmet are really all you need. I brought my Garmin, but it’s not waterproof so I relied on my ol’ Timex Ironman to keep an eye on my pace.

My coach Noa had us do three sets of transitions – essentially three mini triathlons. We swam for eight minutes (well, I swam for eight minutes… the rest of the group swam longer and farther), ran out of the water and jumped on the bike for 12 minutes, then hopped off the bike and ran the trails of Thetis  for eight minutes. After a five-minute break, we did it all again times two.

We started out swimming in our wetsuits, but after the first set, we swam without them. Despite the buoyancy it gives you, a lower-end wetsuit is a lot more tiring to swim longer distances in than just a tri suit, I discovered. I felt less fatigued and swam a lot better without the wetsuit during the last two sets than I did with the wetsuit during the first set. Another lesson learned!

The swim-to-bike transition (T1) was fairly easy. You start to remove your wetsuit while you’re running up the beach and have it hanging down around your waist when you reach your bike. Once you get to your towel, you pull it all the way down and step on the legs to get your feet out, one foot at a time.

Since our bikes were on trainers, I didn’t get to practice running with my bike and hopping on; I just slipped into my cycling shoes, hopped on and clipped in.

I noticed my other group members already had their shoes clipped in to the pedals when they got on, and started to undo their shoes and slipped their feet out before they dismounted. I looked at Noa and said “I still have trouble reaching for my water bottle… don’t expect me to do that.”

“One thing at a time…” she said.

After hopping off my bike and slipping off my cycling shoes, I pulled on my runners sans socks and headed for the trail. Noa told me to buy some elastic shoe laces for my runners, and possibly some racing flats, so I don’t have to sit down and tie my shoes during the bike-to-run transition (T2).

My legs felt great on the run, other than the fact we were running on the hilliest section of the lake trail; if you’ve ever run Thetis, you know what hills I’m talking about!

When I got back to the beach after eight minutes, we had a five-minute break to have some water and a gel before heading back out in the water for the second set.

By the end of the workout, I felt great. Still plenty of energy left for the 14 km ride home!

I still have lots to learn about how to do a smooth transition, but I know I’ll get there eventually.

Four weeks to go!!!