Bucket List -Check

Lacombe RV Charity Triathlon

September 6, 2010

~the "calm before the storm of swimmers"~

~The day started with  freezing temps...I scraped ice off my vehicle when I left at 6:30am. But as the day progressed...the sun melted it all away and it actually felt warm.~

The water didn't  though....

{~I feel like this should be a "Where's Waldo" picture:)~}

Here in the lake...probably when half of the distance was behind me- is where I battled my mind. The water was not only cold, but choppy, and anytime I put my head in to do front crawl I became disorientated and felt I was doing circles. I ended up forgetting my "practiced swim stroke" and did whatever I could to get to the end of the 750m.

~Running out of the lake, I felt that was it. Sure I was glad the water was behind me, but I couldn't believe I had to hop on my bike after that mental war.

But I did.~

{(Time-19:50...my lane swim usually is just under 15 minutes for this same distance:( I want to blame it on the lake...

but know I need to train in the lake next year!}

{It felt good to catch my breath in the transition:)}

I thought the run would be the easiest for me, but the bike was awesome.
Yep- there was a head wind almost the entire 20km.....but I felt I could breathe, and think of something other than staying afloat:)
It's funny the things that went through my head during that bike distance.
And I don't think I have ever talked to myself quite so much- out loud.
(Time-46:17)

After parking my bike, I realized I now had to run up this hill....I must have read the course route wrong:) Maybe it was better it happened "spontaneously". I felt like the entire crowd was watching....so I gave it up this hill...only to slow down to a fast walk to catch my breath when I knew no one could see me over the top:)
I DID pick up the pace after that...and the trail was beautiful. I think what made dodging trees and roots a bit easier was the Mountain Trail race the weekend before. I pretended I was in the mountains on a short 5k sprint. It was beautiful...I'd like to go back and enjoy the scenery when I'm not running for a time:)
(Time-31:49)

 THIS does not look like me...my running form looks all out of line. But my legs felt like lead, and climbing the hill to the finish almost got me.

Running to the finish line....

.

And I think here..I was just in disbelief I had done the thing:)

Total time:1:37:54.5

{7th out of 27 female div.}

It WAS an amazing day. Friends came out of no where to be there for me, and Thank You for that! I felt truly blessed to have people there that believed I could do this triathlon- even when I myself never dreamed I could do something like this! It's amazing what people having faith in you can do:)

This triathlon was on my "bucket list" so to speak, but it also made me want to put something else back on the list...maybe an Olympic Distance next July in Calgary.....

we'll see.

Guest Blogging Today....

Still trying to catch up from the crazy long weekend we had, and the Triathlon I DID complete yesterday! Yay!
Pictures to come....but just wanted you to know that I am a Guest Blogger here today:)

In keeping with the theme over at The Life of Ann James I just thought I would post a few more pictures of my trip out to the east coast I took with my daughter 2 years ago this month.

Hope you all had a Happy Weekend,  and that the day ahead is full of pleasant things....

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Goodnight Moon

~The Setting Sun~

~The Rising Moon~

~~~~

"Three things cannot be long hidden: 

the sun, the moon, and the truth."

~Gautama Siddharta

~~~

My great thought for today....

~~~~

IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD!

This morning before the day really got started, my sister and I decided to go out to the lake and try out wet suits. I need to swim in one for the Triathlon (YES! I did sign up!!!) on Monday, so I thought it would be a good idea to try the entire process out.

It was cold. So cold. I have never felt cold like that before on my legs and arms. I think I lost all nerve when my head had to go in to begin swimming along the buoy line.
It's approximately 750m from start to finish. But of course, after the swim I will then need to bike 20km, and run 5km to the finish line. And I think I will be very cold indeed after that swim!
Yes- only a Sprint Triathlon. There are farther distances for sure!
But this is my first one alone. No relay this time. No "just doing the bike segment".
This Tri is all mine....a goal I set a while back- to be completed by the end of September.

So.....the swim this morning. The cold swim.
My head went in, and I saw murky green. It took my breath away. Panic rose and all of a sudden my mind did it's own thing and raced off without me. Or rather...I got dragged along by my minds wild thoughts.
"I'm going to freeze in here!
How in the world am I to put my head down and front crawl 750m in this?!
What am I thinking. Hypothermia will set into my legs before I'm halfway.
I can hardly breathe because of the cold....add to that I'm gasping for air just to get through a regular swim"...
And so my thoughts ran.

Rewind about 2 years ago. My 10km race in the beautiful town of Canmore, Alberta.
I had only ran one other 10k race before- and that was with a friend of mine. This one...was on my own. I had no one to talk me through the next km. It was around the 8km mark and my body wanted to stop right there on the trail. I started to slow down, my feet dragging. Hardly hearing the spectators along the edge clapping and cheering, I started to think that "running was just not for me. It wasn't my sport. What was I thinking anyway??? I hyperventilated all through cross-country running in high school. I knew THEN i never liked running. What made me think I could run 10k - and without anyone along with me????""....my thoughts raced on yet again.
Suddenly from amidst the spectators and cheer people along the side, I heard a lady yelling. It was  as though she was reading my thoughts...or maybe she just noticed my lethargic state as I dragged by.
She looked at me, and her voice stood out from all the rest as I heard her yelling (in a not so nice voice...or so it seemed)..."IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD. COME ON! IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD!!"
Within seconds- it dawned on me what she was saying.


My head was draining me of all energy. Sure I was physically tired, but my mental state was in worse condition. I was letting my self get the better of me!
I knew within that moment I Could bring more to this run. I was my own worst enemy. I wasn't going to let my mind win this. I fought it...and I took off running for the last 2km without stopping, even sprinting as I went through the finish.
It was my best 10k time yet to date.

Now jump again to this morning.
My head was in that exact same state as during the run.
And sadly- I had no one yelling at me from the side.
It was me, (my sister was well ahead of me)...and my own dreadful thoughts.
I forgot the mantra..."It's All in Your Head"....that I had tried to hold on to over the last year or 2.
I left the lake saying " I will not be able to do this Triathlon.
Maybe I will just find someone to do the swim segment for me.
Maybe I haven't trained enough.
What AM i thinking...I'm not really great at sports anyways...I just like to think I am."

I have completely talked/thought myself out of this one.
I'm trying to remember it's all In my head.
Because most of it is.
Don't they say the battle is usually won in the mind?

Choosing to battle it is one thing....winning seems to be another for me.

As for right this moment...yes...I am still registered and will be attending the Triathlon on Monday morning.
I will do it.
And how I'm managing to stay put-  is to repeat that "It's all in my head"...over and over again. I'm doing it as I type.
I sure hope that it works.

 I do know one thing though...the water IS ACTUALLY THAT COLD!
THAT I know is a fact that is real.
And I'm wishing THAT part  was just all in my head......

Tis the season...

Hard to believe that summer is now September.

Where did it go?

Here in Alberta...I think we missed it- or summer missed us.

Every where else in the world seems to have set record highs...I think we set the lows.

I still had an enjoyable summer even though it wasn't quite as planned.

Now....fall.

The sounds, sights, smells of September are already beginning.

How I know we're heading into a new season.....

The corn stalks are taller than me.

These little guys are slowing down...and thankfully so are the dandelions.

The fields are baled.

My garden is full of these giants.

And one of my favorite.....

...these guys making game plans with their dad...

'Tis the season.

~~~~~

Local Afternoon Fun

Love it when there are places to visit right "next door"....we can even bike there!

Yes...we are Nature Nuts and love to check out bugs in a pond, butt heads/hands with the goats, and "survey" all the 100's of Birdhouses from all over Canada and the U.S.

Local fun :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~