The Website!

I have not put anything up on here lately because I have started using my website! Vegantriathlete.com is becoming a reality for me. I'm very excited about this. For regular updates to my training, my schedule, and lots more that will be on my website, check it out!

I was Tagged!

I was tagged by Charlie, a fellow vegan triathlete. I've never done a meme on this blog, but I guess there's a first time for everything - I will try to keep it sports-related.

The rules are as follows:
# Link to the person who tagged you
# Post the rules on your blog.
# Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
# Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
# Leave a comment on their blogs so that they know they have been tagged.

1. My first triathlon was a longer-than-Olympic distance race (ie. 1.5km swim, 60km bike, 13km run). People thought I was crazy... now I do too. During this tri, I wore underwear in my wetsuit and under my bike shorts. It took be more than 4.5 hours to complete, my whole family was there to cheer me on, it took place on my 24th birthday, and I almost quit during the swim.

2. My friend Maybel fan dangled me into doing my first Half IM after doing only 4 tris before that. It took me 6:42 to complete - I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. No wonder people think I'm crazy.

3. After my first Half IM was over, I cried under a tree because I couldn't believe it was over and I was so glad! (Maybel was already showered by the time I came in to the finish line) This year will be my third time doing this race.

4. During Ironman Canada last year, I had to look at the ingredients of a gel before I took it because I wasn't sure if it was vegan. I am officially a professional label-reader!

5. My parents put me in gymnastics at the ripe age of 4 because I was so active. It was their solution to my driving them crazy. It didn't work!

6. I don't listen to music while I train because I do visualization exercises while I am swimming, biking, and running.

7. The whole time I've been a triathlete, I've been vegan. Sports nutrition has become a hobby for me.

I tag:
Franny and Ishmael and Matthew. That's it for now. If I can think of more, I'll tag them too. Beward, friends, beware!

Why the Lull? An Explanation!

I have not posted in almost two weeks. Even I am shocked at the amount of time between now and my last post. I suppose time flies when you are training, get sick, have to work a lot, and am working on my new website!

A couple of weekends ago I went on a lovely cross-country ski trip with some fabulous friends. Unfortunately, their wee child (as I like to call the "Germ Monger") had a virus that included a cold and an eye infection. So almost everyone on the trip had what we called "shiteye" for a few days - mine lasted almost a week. I still don't feel 100%, but I'm getting better. However, I have been training minimally due to this setback.

Tomorrow I plan to be fully back in action, with a run in the morning and dancing at night. Friday's early morning swim will likely be unpleasant, but I get to sleep in a car for an hour afterwards while on my way to a workshop/conference.

This weekend I am organizing and racing in a winter mountain bike race, which will be much fun and maybe even get my heart-rate up. On Sunday is a 10km fun race, which I might partake in just to see how it feels. I haven't run in 10 days, so we will see how that goes. I will test it out tomorrow morning.

Thanks to a friend of mine who is the owner of Saskatoon Web Design, my website is coming along. I hope to "launch" it by the end of March... just in time for the racing season!

DOMS!

I discovered yesterday that sitting in a car for two hours while driving for work does not help the delayed onset muscle soreness (ie. DOMS) from a run the day before. Yesterday, however, that was what I did. My legs have been sore since Tuesday - my hamstrings, groin, hip-flexors, butt, quads. The whole shebang. My engine and everything around it. The only time my legs weren't sore was this morning when I did half an hour of easy running on the treadmill at my hotel. It really is amazing how getting the blood flowing can make sore legs feel so much less sore. I did some yoga after that to stretch things out and it felt so good. I'm hoping to get in another yoga/stretch session today.

I was planning to do my bike testing today, but I think I will put it off until tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully one more day of rest will be all that my legs need to feel 100% again.

Last night I watched the "How to do flip turns" video on the Beginner Triathlete website (thanks to my new triathlete friend Navarra). So I've decided to incorporate flip turns into my workout. I have done them before, but got out of the habit. I think I'm going to try the steps that are suggested in the video because I'm not sure I ever did them properly. I taught myself how to do them. I do think that they are beneficial to a swim workout because they make things easier and force you to hold your breath longer at the ends. They are just kind of difficult. I'm going to incorporate them slowly into my workouts and hopefully soon enough I will be doing them throughout the workout with ease. Project Flip-Turn will start tomorrow morning.

Last night I also did some reading of trifuel's latest newsletter, which you can read about in my Vegan Triathlete Nutrition Blog. I gave away all my secrets of quick vegan meals.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Testing, Testing... is this thing on?

This is my first week of testing and I have to say... it hurts. A lot.

This morning I did three intervals: 200m, 800m, and 1500m. I thought I was going to die after sprinting for 200m and it scared me for the other two. My lungs burned and my legs felt like bricks after the first 100m. I thought I was going to puke, but luckily I did not. That would have really ruined the rest of the workout. My running buddy was all optimistic and reminded me how great it will feel after I've been training for a while. "I guess so," was my reply. The 800m and 1500m actually weren't that bad, which makes me think that I didn't push myself 100%, but the 200m really did really hurt. Oh well, here are my times:
200m in 0:48, rest for 5'
800m in 4:40, rest for 10'
1500m in 9:10

Yesterday was my swim test. It was weird to sit in the pool for so long while resting. I felt like I was pruning! Here were my results:
100m in 1:40, rest for 5'
300m in 5:35, rest for 10'
600m in 10:45

The rest of the workout was evil on the part of my coach... I wasn't allowed to do freestyle. It was weird doing 500m of back crawl, butterfly, breaststroke, side stroke, and whatever else I could come up with.

I just have one more test to do this week: the dreaded bike. Luckily, I have a treat to bribe myself with!

The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

Yesterday my good intention was to complete one bike workout for the week, but I only got through half before I cut it short to head to yoga. Yoga was definitely my priority yesterday because I have been having some neck problems lately in the form of a neck headache that lasted almost 3 days. I went to the chiropractor to get it adjusted and he said it was a little swollen at the top of my neck. I've been icing and stretching and it has gotten better, but it was a wake-up call for me to continue with my yoga practice. However, it was also nice to get off my dreaded trainer.

This morning my good intention was to get to the track early to get in my run workout before meeting a fellow triathlete to talk about the women's triathlon program that I'm volunteering for this spring. However, as I was perusing the local newspaper, I noticed that there is a track meet today. I swore a little bit as I called the track to see if it was open this morning. Nope, not open. Damn! I was REALLY looking forward to FIVE intervals at a high pace. (Note: that was sarcasm) So I looked at the good ol' thermometer to see if I could get outside to do at least a few intervals. This is what it looks like:


Needless to say, I am not running outside.

My good intention today is to get on the trainer this afternoon and do my complete bike workout for the week. Perhaps tomorrow I can get in my other run workout. Only time and circumstances will tell!

100th post!

So after BRAGGING that I hadn't missed a workout yet this week, I missed a workout last night. I was tired and actually fell asleep against my wishes after supper. I was in no mood to hit my dreaded trainer. Even watching "Sex and the City" didn't inspire me to get on my trainer. The biking has definitely suffered this week. I need to love my trainer. Tonight I'm going to make up this missed workout by getting in a session after work and before yoga. I hope my coach doesn't yell at me! (Just kidding)

Also, I noticed the other day that the two toenails I lost after Ironman have grown in and need to be cut for the first time in four months. Losing toenails is fairly common after Ironman and I was not spared from this experience. At least they grew back!

Back to regular programming

This week was my first week with my coach's training schedule and me being ready and raring to go! My coach and I had a good chat last weekend about a schedule, my goals, and how I'm going to achieve it all. We talked about the burnout the I always feel around the beginning of August (although last year it was in June) because I train too hard in January and February. This year is going to be different... and so far it is!

My training schedule seems so free right now. I mean, I don't even have a workout to do on Sunday. So I'm going to go cross-country skiing! I FEEL SO FREE!!! It just feels so good to get all of my workouts done in the week, as opposed to skipping workouts and planning to skip workouts. I really enjoy the sense of accomplishment I get from doing everything I'm "supposed to."

Also, this week I have discovered the beauty of a training buddy. My coworker and friend J. and I ran on Tuesday and this morning. It is so much easier to get up at 5am when I know that someone else is going to be there waiting for me at the doors. J. is a great training buddy because she is a positive person, like myself, and seems to have an endless amount of positive energy to give as we pass the halfway point of our workout. She has exercise-induced asthma, which I am learning a lot about, and I feel a little bit guilty about running along breathing heavily, but not laboured, as she is huffing air through what apparently feels like a tiny straw. However, she assures me that she is fine and "just needs a minute." My training intensity is a little bit higher than hers right now, but this week she cheered me on through my session of intense intervals. It was nice to have a cheerleader. :o)

Another part of training that I have thoroughly enjoyed this week is the City of Saskatoon Leisure Pass. I get to go to all of the leisure centres in Saskatoon for the low price of $37/month for 7 months! That will take me to the end of summer and this week I've used it enough to be worth my while. I get a strange sense of satisfaction when I scan my card in and it "dings!" me through. I am very proud of myself and my leisure card.

I'm really getting into my training groove this week and it feels great! Next season is going to be awesome and hopefully I don't burn out before my peak races. Things are really coming together right now and I can't help but think about what it would be like to train for Ironman knowing what I know right now. Maybe I'll give myself another year to think about it. :o)

Travelling

The past couple of weeks have been wrought with travelling for work. This makes it slightly difficult to keep a steady training schedule. So I have found myself kind of binge working out. Some days I'll do all of the workouts I want while other times I feel completely worn out from driving and meetings that I just don't want to do anything but eat peanut butter toast. However, I think that I've done pretty good lately.

Last Monday I was in Regina and used the stationary bike for a good 35 minutes while watching some really bad television. The next morning I got up for a 35 minute run, which I felt pretty good doing. Wednesday I went to my beloved yoga class. Thursday I got in the pool early in the morning. Friday morning I did a good run and was completely wiped out by Friday night. Saturday I went for a pretty good long-run of about 40 minutes (see map below). Sunday I did a good 2000m swim and then went cross-country skiing. It was a busy weekend.

However, today I feel tired. We are in full winter mode right now and a cold front has just moved in to make sure that us Saskatchewanians know that it is winter. It is currently -28oC (-43 with the Wind Chill). So I am in hibernation mode. I just want to curl up with a good book all evening, which is what I'm probably going to do. However, my coworker and I are starting our half marathon training this Thursday. We are going to do our long runs indoors on a track together... as long as it is like this outside! Tomorrow morning I'm going to hit the pool again to get the last bit of use out of my YMCA membership that expires at the end of this month. It's funny how I forgot what winter really feels like - it's very cold.

Training In the Dead of Winter in Saskatchewan

After a bout of insomnia last night, I decided to use my lack of sleep and tiredness to get in a good swim this morning. A nice 2000m in 1:15, but I'm not really worried about time right now. I'm focusing on form and just getting back into the pool. It feels pretty good and I'm committed to working on my swim technique right now and my arm strength. I am hoping to get in 3 swim workouts this week, 3 runs and at least one bike workout (2 would be nice).

Yesterday I went for a 35-minute x-country ski, which is a lot considering it was pretty cold. We could have went longer, but my eye lashes were sticking together, so tea was had afterwards. Getting outside in this weather is challenging, at best. However, I'm going to keep getting outside a bit and running on the treadmill or on the track.

Last week I was out of town for most of the week at a very intense training workshop for work. This left me less than motivated to do one workout a day, let alone the two that I was hoping for. So I ran twice on the treadmill for 35 minutes each time and got in a good 4km while watching Canada AM. Treadmills are not my favorite things, but I can sure get my heart-rate up on them. I just dislike feeling like a hamster in a cage. Preferably while I'm running, I'm also seeing beautiful trees, some birds, other people, and feeling the wind. None of that happens while running on a treadmill. However, it's what has to happen occasionally in the dead of winter in Saskatchewan.

This week will be less busy for work and I hope to get in all of my workouts. I guess we'll see how it goes.

Back in the Saddle and on the wagon!

This week was my first week transitioning back into training. I would say it was pretty successful. I only missed two workouts, which is pretty good considering I gave myself a pretty difficult schedule.

On Tuesday I got "back in the saddle" and rode my trainer for 45 minutes on Sky, my trusty road bike. This was the first time I've rode her since Ironman. She still has the IM stickers on it and I had to re-set the computer because it still had 8:17:34 on her time tracking. It was a good 45 minutes on the trainer, with the help of my new cordless phone that I got for Christmas that I used with my headset and some good friends to talk to while trying not to count down every second on the trainer. After that, I did a small amount of arm strength exercises and my first core strength workout also since training for Ironman.

I have to say that the past few months have been great, not worrying about training, and just taking it easy. However, I have been itching to get back into it. This week was a really great week to get back on the wagon.

On Tuesday and Friday I got into the pool for the first time in months as well. Tuesday I did a solid 1500m swim at a pretty easy pace. On Friday, I did 45 minutes of also fairly easy swimming, but didn't keep track of my distance. It was probably around 1000m.

I won the CFCR members draw, which was a one-month membership to the YMCA. I'm definitely going to take advantage of the free pool use for the next few months, that's for sure.

This morning I went for a good 40 minute run along the river. I struggled quite a bit with my breathing, but I figure it is probably because my body isn't used to so many different types of exercise. I did some yoga afterwards and now I feel great! There really is nothing like a good yoga session after a run. Yoga is now imperative to my training and will continue to play a big role as I continue to train.

Next week will be very different because I am out of town the whole time. So I probably won't do as much, but it'll be a nice resting week with a little bit of running and cycling. Soon enough, I hope to create my plan for the next few months leading into my 6th racing season.

Strength Training

Each off-season I make a resolution to myself to do more strength training, but have yet to find a workout that works for me. Nonetheless, I believe it to be helpful and I'm trying to figure out how I can do it without it boring me.

I found this good knowledge to have when it comes to strength training:

UPPER BODY

Upper body exercises reduce the amount of oxygen you use when running, lowering your heart rate and improving your endurance. Always maintain proper form when exercising
– even when fatigue has set in. Do 3 sets of 15 reps of each of the following exercises:
• Incline Dumbbell Presses
• Lat Pull-downs (handle only)
• Upright Rows
• Dips
• Biceps Curls
• Regular and Reverse Crunches
* Workout specifics: Do lower body exercises 2 times per week, immediately following your hard runs. Do the upper body portion 2 to 3 times per week, on alternate days. Rest 90 seconds in between lower body exercises and 60 seconds in between upper body ones. You may choose to do abdominal exercises in between upper body sets.

It comes from Brendan Brazier's article in a Canadian publication called "beyond Fitness: Strategies for a Total Body Workout."

Winter Training!

I know that it is only December and winter has only been around for a couple of months, but I'm really loving it right now and I hope the love continues on into March. It stems from my newfound love of cross-country skiing. It is relaxing and a great workout at the same time! Because my feet are still not feeling 100%, I am mixing my running with skiing and I think it is adding a lot of good stuff. Combine that with yoga and I am a happy, healthy, fit vegan triathlete!

I officially signed up for the Saskatoon half marathon on May 25th. I'm pretty excited about it. I was thinking today about setting a time goal. If the training goes well, which I'm hoping it will without injury, I would like to run a sub-2 hour half marathon. My half marathon time in the half Ironman has been around 2:30 both times I did the half IM, so I think I should be able to do a 2-hour half marathon without all the swimming and biking. It will be so different though. I'm excited for it!

In January, I'm going to hit the pool and the bike as well. I'm hoping to get to the pool 3 times, ski at least once, run twice, and bike twice a week. I am going to get myself organized in January and just get back in the swing of things so that February will have specific goals and workouts. I'm excited to get back into training - so much fun! Hopefully my personal life stays pretty stable so that I can concentrate on my training.

Winter Training Fun!

On Sunday, I embarked on my first cross-country ski adventure of the winter. It was a beautiful, crisp, sunny day and my friend and I went out for a quick run on a ski trail that I hadn't been to before. Admittedly, this is the first time I have ever sought out skiing in the city, as last year I went skiing for the first time in my life and went to a beautiful area in the northern part of the province. Sunday's ski was great, but it really worked my lower back (as I found out later that day with uncomfortable tightness). A nice soak in the tub helped it out. As did last night's two-hour yoga session with lots of spinal twists. What will I do if my yoga teacher/good friend leaves for Mexico for the rest of the winter?! Today, my back feels great, my abs are sore, and I feel taller and lighter. Yoga, seriously, is THE SHIT!

Perspiration and Inspiration

Today I did some holiday baking and knew that I had to get out into the winter wonderland that I live in. So when I got my first reminder about Saskatoon's 30th Marathon, I was reminded that I am going to do my first running race since I was in Junior High School. I have completed an Ironman, two half Ironmans, numerous other triathlons and duathlons, but I have never ran a long-distance running race. I decided after Ironman that 2008 was going to be my year to do that. My co-worker and I made a pact to do it train and inspire each other for this.

So I went out today and got in a good 40-minute run. I have to admit, though, that my feet weren't necessarily happy about it. My form started slipping near the end and my back wasn't as straight as it could have been and my pelvis was "tipping." So my ankle protested with a slight ache that I took note of right away. I walked for a bit and stretched my ankles a bit. I was near the end of my run, but I wanted to see if fixing my form would quiet the ache and it did. So I ran the rest of the way home, focusing on my form and cooling down.

I have to say that I am very anxious to get back into the full swing of training, but I'm not quite sure that my body feels the same way my mind does. Easing back into it is the best way, but I'm just so excited about it. Luckily, I'm playing lots of guitar, practicing yoga, and developing my website. So I have lots of distractions, but I'm definitely feeling the itch.

So I put up a countdown on this page to remind me of how much time I have to train for the half marathon. A good plan is what I need. I'll work on that to curb the itch of training.

Ironman advice

So I subscribe to many online 'zines about triathlon. The one I got today from Trifuel is a really good one on racing for Ironman. I tried to transport myself to a year ago when I was starting on my training plan and thinking about what this article would have done for me. I don't honestly think I would have known what it was talking about, but now that I've been through it I can really appreciate the advice given. So I thought I'd add the four keys that they talk about and add my comments. The whole article is here.

The Four Keys
by Rich Strauss (Crucible Fitness) and Patrick McCrann (Performance Training Systems)

1. Execution, not Fitness.
All you've done for 9 months is build a vehicle. Ironman racing is about how you DRIVE that vehicle, it is NOT about the vehicle. The majority of athletes on race day are fitness-focused (look at my T-shirt, look at my abs/veins/etc, look at how fast I can go in the first hour of the bike, etc.) As coaches we can make you stronger, but we can't fix stoopid if you decide to race your own way.
I definitely took their advice before my race. I am glad that I did this one right.

2. The Line.
Nothing on race day really matters until you reach The Line on the run. The Line is the point at which continuing becomes very, very difficult. You define success as simply not slowing down at The Line. EVERYTHING before The Line is simply about creating conditions for success for when the Line comes to you.
I had no idea what The Line was before Ironman. After reading this article and looking back, I know what The Line is. For me, it was after the sun went down and I was running with a few people with our glowsticks dangling. I was carrying my purple Powerade bottle and suddenly it felt really really heavy. I thought that my arm was going to fall off if I kept carrying it, but I kept it because carrying it outweighed the thought of drinking anymore orange or yellow Gatorade.

Additional Kool-Aid flavored thoughts we'd like to put in your head regarding this point are:
a) A successful race = a good run. There is no such thing as a good bike followed by bad run, period. In our world, if you showed up with solid run fitness, had a "good" bike and a poor run, we will ALWAYS assume you boogered your bike pacing unless you are missing a limb or are in the ICU with an intestinal parasite.
ABSOLUTELY!!! I 100% agree with this and race every race with this in mind.

b) If you think you can ride faster than we're telling you, prove it by running well off the bike first (preferrably not attempted for the first time on IM race day).
c) Ride your "should" bike split vs your "could" bike split. Your Could split is what you tell Timmy you could ride on a good day, when you're out together for your Saturday ride. If you say you "could ride a 5:50," your Should split is likely 6:00 and defined as the bike split that yields a good run (see above).
d) Don't eat the paste. Ironman in general, but especially the bike leg, is at best a special ed class: you only have to show up with your C game to be at the head of the class. If you find yourself doing the opposite of everyone else, you're doing the right thing. If Jimmy and everyone else is in the corner eating the paste, don't join them! Sit down, do what we're telling you, and don't eat the paste! Lots of people passing you in the first 40 miles? That's good, don't eat the paste. Going backwards through the field on a hill? That's good, don't eat the paste.
Not eating the paste is really really hard to do when everyone around you is eating the paste and you're thinking "Why can't I eat the paste? Everyone looks like they're doing so good by eating the paste." However, I'm glad that I didn't eat the paste. I'm glad I prepared myself to not eat the paste. My first memory of not eating the paste was in elementary school where we were being tested compared to national standards. We were doing a "long" run and everyone was sprinting right off the start. I ran at the back of the pack at a slow-and-steady pace and then I passed everyone. It was really hard to be at the back of the pack at the start, but it ended very well.

e) Think you made the mistake of riding too easy? You now have 26 miles to fix that mistake. Make the mistake of riding too hard? That mistake now has 26 miles to express itself, to the tune of X miles at 17-18' walking pace vs X miles at 8-10' running pace. Do the math. How is that bike split going to look as you are walking/shuffling the last 10 miles of the run?
Absolutely! Struggling for the run of any triathlon is my worst nightmare. I race every race so that I can finish the race by sprinting to the line. I sprinted at the end of my first triathlon 5 years ago and I sprinted the end of Ironman in August. It is the most satisfying feeling.

f) Every time you feel yourself about to get stupid, look at where you are. Are you at The Line? No. Then sit down, shut up, do what you're told and don't be stoopid. Please. :)
These guys are pretty harshly amusing.

3. The Box: all day long you are going to race inside a box defined by what you can control. Ask yourself "What do I need to do right NOW to create the conditions for success at The Line? Is what I'm doing right now counter to this goal? From what we've seen first hand on the IM courses this season, we believe you should ask yourself "Am I participating in some short-term tactical masturbation?" If yes, STOP!!

On the swim, the Box is the space your body occupies in the water: focus on your form and the rest will come. On the bike, the box is probably about one aid station long. On the run, the box begins as 2-3 aid stations long but often diminishes to "from here to the next lampost/manhole cover/mail box." Regardless:
a) Keep the box as big as you can for as long as you can.
b) Keep in the box only the things you can control. Let go of the rest.
c) Exercise this decision-making process inside your box: Observe the situation, Orient yourself to a possible course of action, Decide on a course of action, Act (OODA Loop).
I don't think I understand what the Box is.

4. The One Thing. If you swallowed the Kool-Aid we're serving you here, you will show up at the Line, in your Box, ready to git'erdun and simply not slow down. But we're not done yet. There is still some psychological stuff you need to address.

During the course of your race day, expect your body to have a conversation with your mind: "Look, Mind, you've had me out here slogging away for 132 miles. This is really starting to get old and very painful. You need to give me a good reason to keep going forward. If you can't give me a good one, I'm gonna slow down and you can't stop me!" Before the race, you need to ask yourself "Why am I doing Ironman?" In other words, you need to determine what is the One Thing that put you in this race? To finish in the daylight with a smile on your face? To run a 4:10? Whatever your One Thing is, be absolutely clear and rehearse your mind/body debate beforehand. But be warned: your body can be a helluva good negotiator at mile 18, especially if your mind hasn't prepared its rebuttal arguments beforehand.
Absolutely! For me, I told myself "You have been waiting to do this race since you knew it exists. You absolutely can do this... you will BE AN IRONMAN." That was what went through my mind when my body started to protest, but it helps that I had a great run.

Unity of purpose creates clarity of focus, yielding breakthrough performance.

Balance

In yoga, balance is my biggest problem. Some days are better than others, but usually I have a hard time standing on one foot for too long. This is quite opposite from when I was a kid and the balance beam was my favorite part of gymnastics. So it really isn't surprising that I need more balance in my general life as well as in my yoga practice.

Last night I went running with my friend and her baby. It was snowing and we got a few centimetres of the white, fluffy stuff. We went for about 40 minutes (according to my friend) and it was really good. I've been having some emotional difficulty, but the run really helped with that. I think I just need to keep getting out and getting the old cardiovascular system going.

During the run, I couldn't help but marvel at how easy it was to run like this after being on hiatus for the last few months. Apparently my base is pretty good. It always surprises me when I can do things like that. Good to know.

My right hamstring is a bit sore right now after Monday's intense yoga session, but I have been stretching it and I think it'll work itself out soon enough. I could really feel it last night during the run. I'm going to ice it tonight as well.

Pure Bliss

This week I spent more than 12 hours in a car driving for work. The work I did was worth it, but my body felt more than lethargic. Last night when I got home, I had to muster all of my strength just to eat some food before crawling into bed. Long days do that sometimes. I had every intention of popping right out of bed and into my running shoes, but when the alarm went off and my eyes had to open, I knew it was not happening. Rest is what I needed.

However, after another day in the car, my legs needed an outlet. So after work, I promptly put on my layers for a really cold run-walk. It was 5:30pm so rush-hour traffic was at its peak. So I went to where the cars weren't and I could just do my thing. That is the great thing about living near the river... no cars, just the trees, the snow, and my feet. I'm not sure if it was all the rest that I've given my body over the past couple of months, but I felt like I was flying down the trail. I didn't see anybody on the trail... it was just me. I felt this complete sense of peace and calm in my body, in my mind, and I remembered that THIS is why I run... THIS is why I do triathlon. It's for the sense of peace that I get when my heart is pumping, my nose is running, my feet are thudding, and my breath is laboured. It was dark out, the trees were sparkling from the snow, and my breath looked like smoke coming out from under my neck-warmer.

I have no idea how long it took me, but it felt like my fastest run of the year. It was effortless. I had to make myself walk periodically, but all I wanted to do was run and run and run until I passed out. But I know my injury well and know that I must not push it even close to my limit. So I just enjoyed the break in between the bursts of flying through the crisp air. Amazing. Purely amazing.

YOGA!!!!!

Tonight I went to a 2-hour yoga session that my friend, Georgina, teaches. It was so so fantastic! We did a ton of partner stretching and poses, which was really awesome. It works the core, the balance, and the strength. I couldn't really do much for inversions tonight because I was having lots of issues with dizziness and blood pressure, but I did do a tripod headstand and held it, which I haven't done before. G shows us so many poses and some of they are so hard and at first I was intimidated, but now that I've went so many times I'm definitely getting the hang of it. I can even do crow now! It's so great to be able to see my poses progressing.

Tonight we did a 4-person downward dog partner pose and there are pictures! We also made a pyramid, facing the mirrors and it was really awesome. We also did some partner stretching, which I'm sure made me grow. Just a fantastic session!

Walking down there, I could feel the muscles around my shins from walk-running yesterday. It feels good to get my body going again. Having a healthy body is imperative to having a healthy mind and these days both are doing great. It's interesting how when one door closes, a myriad of other doors open. I knew that it would happen, but I did not expect my path to be so apparent and easy. Who knew life didn't have to be hard!

I'm back!

Today I went for a run-walk and it felt really good. My feet feel good and my body was happy to be back into doing cardio workouts, even if the weather is a little on the chilly side (ie. -20 degrees Celsius). I love it when the frost collects on my eyelids and on my neck warmer. I wish I could get a picture of it, but it melts as soon as it hits the warm air of my house. After my run, I did some meditation and yoga just to let the feeling of the run sink into the muscles. It felt really good and I'm hoping that by going slowly, I will be running regularly in January. I'm also going to set up my wind trainer next weekend and maybe invest in some Spinerval videos for the winter. And I may have found a coach for the next season.

So far, my season looks like this:
* - Bridge City Duathlon - Saskatoon, SK
May 24, 2008 - Saskatoon Half Marathon - Saskatoon, SK
June *, 2008 - Spin off Spadina Olympic Triathlon - Saskatoon, SK
July 6, 2008 - Great White North Triathlon - Stony Plain, Alberta
August 11, 2008 - Frank Dunn Triathlon - Waskesiu, SK

I might also do a bit of road bike racing and definitely will be doing some mountain bike racing. I'm looking forward to next season!