Calgary 70.3~ My First HalfIronman

I crossed yet another race off my "race bucket list" last weekend.
A Half Ironman which I started and finished...
all 70.3 miles of it!

Out of all the race events I have ever done...this has been the farthest, longest, and most fun.
Maybe it was because I feel I trained forever and I was glad to finally put it to use.
Maybe it was because after crossing the finish line I felt I could do it all over again.
Or maybe...I was just glad to accomplish something I was determined to do. And I actually smiled almost the entire way through it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ironman Calgary 70.3....
was a Point to Point race....meaning a very long Saturday of sitting in on the race meeting, package pickup, packing up transition and dry bags, and then making my way out to Ghost Lake to drop off T1 bag and my bike.
All of it was so new to me, my longest triathlon being an Olympic distance...and being an Ironman sanctioned event didn't help calm my nerves any.
As long as the day was...and for how nervous I felt, it was calming to know I was doing this race with 2 good friends ...and the scenery which surrounded this event was absolutely amazing.

I actually was able to sleep a bit before my alarm went off at 3:45am, and except for a bit of panic when I realized what I was about to do in a few hours, I felt okay...and was able to choke down half a bagel with peanut butter and a bit of banana with some coffee. Body marking and bus pickup was across the city, so by 4:50 I was driving..in the dark...wondering what was to come of the day.
Riding out to the lake with a bus load of athletes who all looked fitter than I, caused me a bit of panic as well....but I tried to focus on where we were driving and where the bike route would be.

Once we arrived at the lake, it seemed there was hardly enough time to fill my bottles on my bike, stock it with my nutrition, pump the tires, stand in line for the washroom, don my wet suit, and get into the lake for the in-water Start. I felt extremely panicked thinking they would blow the horn before I finished all I had to do, but looking back- I'm thrilled I didn't have time to think!
I was in the water maybe a minute before Start time...and before I knew it there I was, beginning my first Half Ironman event in the middle of over 200 other women in my age group. I can happily say my fear of getting kicked or swam over never occurred.

The swim segment is always unnerving to me.
I know I can swim.
I love to swim.
But the unknown takes over my brain and I let my thoughts win out.
Every time.
So for the first 600m my main goal seemed to be just to stay above water and calm my beating heart.
I talked to myself more in that few minutes than I ever have before.
My head was yelling to just go!! while my body wanted to stop and yell HELP!
All negative thoughts crowded out the excitement and for that short bit of time I called myself stupid for even thinking I could do this.
But....I conquered the monster called irrational fear...and within  minutes I found my rhythm and started to breathe like a normal person.
At one point I do remember wondering where my cheer squad was, and actually stopped to look up along the bridge before I swam under it just to see if my kiddos were there. Of course when I saw them I had to make sure they knew just which one of these swimmers in the pink swim caps I was.
So unlike me it was to stop and wave- but I had to. For some reason I needed the comfort of knowing they knew that  I knew -they were there.
(Besides that...my goggles needed to be cleared;)

GHOST LAKE- WATER TEMP. 15+ Celsius

Molly-girl took a picture of me as I swam under the bridge.

I'm glad I stopped to wave;)

After I found my swim legs and arms...I just went. And I actually enjoyed the swim.

There was one point at about the halfway mark when I heard a lady choking beside me and stopped to make sure she was okay.

I remember thinking that if she couldn't catch her breath...how in the world would I manage to call a kayaker over in time for help?!

When she quit sputtering and found her voice, I carried on and came out of the swim:

1.2 mile swim  in 43:40

~~~~

Wet suit stripping.

I had heard of it, but had never seen it occur.

I have always wondered why one would need help taking a wet suit off.

Now I know.

I felt a tad dizzy from the lake swim, legs felt like jello, and I was trying to catch my breath.

Before I knew it I was sitting down on a mat looking up at 2 people who grabbed arms, legs, and peeled that thing right off of me in seconds. 

My only thought as I looked up at them was how the heck I was going to get up.

But they even did that for me;) 

(Yes. I DID feel as stunned as I look here;))

I took off to my  bag for my bike gear, ate half a banana, got on my bike, 

and started the 94km cycle into Calgary.  

Transition took a little too long, but under 5 minutes was fine with me for a first time.

(I am planning to knock off a few next time around.)

The bike was amazing. 

I felt invincible...as long as I didn't think of the potential of a flat tire. Or 2.

And the scenery was absolutely incredible.

At times I almost forgot I was supposed to be racing. 

Almost.

My greatest worry- aside from a flat tire- was taking in enough nutrition to get through the bike, and then have it carry over into the 21km run.

I have played with nutrition before while training, and even the weekend before during my 175km bike tour. 

But nothing has ever seemed to work for me. 

I always end up drained before the bike is even over .

This time...whether it was adrenaline or just luck, I managed to do it right.

Over the  3 hours I was out on the bike route I consumed something every half hour. 

Nutrition included:

granola bars,

gels,

and fruit snacks.

I also consumed an entire bottle of water, and a bottle of Perform.

My average speed was 29.54km/hr, and for a 94km distance which included some very "sweet" inclines, I was happy with this.

94 km in 3:10:56

 ...and I smiled the entire time:D

(TRANSITION TIME (bike to run):  2:50 min)

~~~~

Getting off the bike- I felt amazing.

I didn't even feel like I had "brick legs", and I'm crediting that to my fruit gummy snacks on the bike:)

If anything, it was more of a mental struggle to think that I now I had to run a Half Marathon...but I pushed it out of my head and pretended I hadn't just swam or biked.

This was merely me taking off for my Sunday long run!

It was encouraging to see my greatest fans along the run course. All 4 of my kiddos were there, and it seemed every time I turned a corner at the start and end of the run route, they were there cheering me on.

It was warm. Really warm.

No, it was hot.

And here is where I have to pull out an 

Amazing Gigantic 

THANK YOU 

to all the volunteers!

There was a total of 8 aid stations along the route, and it's at each one where I was blessed with volunteers handing me water, coke, ice, and cold sponges.

And best of all, they all encouraged us on by name.

I came up with a routine after the first 3 aid stations..

Grab 2 waters, dump one over my head,

drink one,

grab and drink the cola,

grab and dump ice into the front of my tri top,

and 2 sponges got stuffed into the front and back of my top.

I was a running water barrel!

And I felt amazing.

I still think it is due to the calories I continued to take in on the bike route.

Along with the water and coke during the run, I consumed a gel every 40 minutes.

By the end, 

I vowed to never consume another gel 

Ever 

Again.

The last kilometer was the longest kilometer in all my days of running.

I remember halfway through it, a spectator yelled out...

"If you give'er...you'll finish with a sub 6:30!"

That was enough to make me forget that my legs were cramping and I was already feeling thirsty enough to grab ice out of the front of my top!

I "sprinted" as hard as my wooden legs would sprint, and finished the run:

21.1km in 2:26:56

~~~

My goal, which I didn't share with anyone less I miss it by any amount of time,

 was to complete these 70.3 miles in 6 hours and 30 minutes.

My final time:

6:29:02

WOOT!

~~~~~~~~~

This race was amazing. 

From start to finish it was a beautiful course,

I never quit smiling (once I got past the first part of the swim!),

I got to run it with 2 amazing friends,

and I already want to try my swim/bike/running at another one.

A full Ironman is on my race bucket list after all...

~My inspirational race buddies~

~My AMAZING Cheer Squad~

Thanks guys!

thought for today ~ and tomorrow...

It doesn’t matter what other people think of you. What matters is what you think of yourself.

~Quentin Crisp

Dear Walk,

Thank you for letting me in on you today.
I think I needed you.

                                     


Thoughts and words came and went and then came again while I was with you.

I thought maybe I would figure some things out.
But sometimes just BREATHING is good enough.
A deep, contented, sighing breath,
~that one can sometimes find only 
                                              ....when on a walk.

Seeing the little things made the big things seem not so big.


Thanks for today.
Looking forward to seeing you again...

~dawn




(P.S.
Extra glad for the walk when I came onto blogger and found a kazillion changes to the way I post. 
I wasn't near as stressed as I normally would have been to all the differences on here;)

(my) Marathon

I have to say that lately it feels I've been running a marathon.

Life events have been taking me for a roller coaster ride-
one I've been yelling to get off of...but for some reason the person manning this ride can't seem to find the stop switch.

Life is like that for us
 all at times...no?

Relationships.
Illness/Cancer.
Kids growing up/Leaving.
People in our lives moving away.
Injury.
Job loss.
Finances.


I remember last year running my first 13.1 miles...looking back at all the "Full Marathoners" having to keep going and running that exact 13.1 miles ALL OVER AGAIN.
My only thought-
"How insane can those people be? They have to run what I just did, Again!"

But this year- THIS was the year I wanted to be the insane one.
So register for the 26.2miles I did.
And trained diligently for several weeks- before some strange foot injury struck.

Huge disappointment.
It also meant I couldn't start my small "job" as a running instructor.
Another disappointment.

Week after week went by and I gave up the hope of running my marathon.

Life events continued and took their toll.
I considered myself  off the Marathon List for this year.

Yet it lurked in the back of my mind.
And my thoughts~ (and I have plenty!)~ played out something like this:

What IF I could conquer it even without the "proper training"?
Even with all the things going on in my life right at present...
why couldn't I see if it was one thing I could conquer in this crazy life right now?

Really...
Each of us could consider our lives exactly  like a marathon.
A continuation of mile after mile of adventure- or misadventure... for us to travel.

And NOT ONE OF US has trained ahead of time to live out our lives- have we?

No one can be prepared for what lies around the next turn, the next mile.
We just Do It.
Because we have to.
It's called Life.

And so.... the night before the race, I decided that I would run my first 42.2km run the next morning.
I would tackle it head on...and cross the finish line whether I ran through...or crawled.

And I did.
I finished my first Marathon.
Not in a record time by any means.
In fact- it was 40 minutes longer than the goal I originally began training for.
But the fact that I did it in a time where everything around me said it probably wasn't possible,
made me hopeful for what we all can be capable of.
Even in circumstances that aren't so great and beyond our control.

I think all of us have it in us to run a Marathon.
A "Running Marathon"...
or the "Marathon we call Life."

We do it because we have to.
Or need to.

But the  point is...
we all have it in us to DO it.


We just have to Want to.

Now go run your  Marathon...
wherever & whatever,
and however that may be!
~~~~

(Race Report to follow on my "Journey to Tri" blog...once my roller coaster slows down a little.)

courage

                       
                    "You can never cross the ocean 
unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."
                                                 ~Christopher Columbus

Flowers for Leontien

Flowers for you,  Leontien....

one of the strongest women I have ever been blessed to know.

Know that your friends here, surround you with our 

love and

                         prayers and

                                               faith.

{{{hugs}}}

lessons learned from the life around us~

One can make good progress

 if only you stick your neck out.

{and it looks as though yoga isn't for the faint of heart.}

Having to face my fear of flying last week...I was reminded by this guy that:

Any landing you can walk away from...is a good one.

{It's always a good thing to face things head on and let the issues just roll off our backs.}

But sometimes it is alright to want to close our eyes and hide while it passes too.

When you're having a bad hair day...food can comfort. 

(although my choice would be chocolate.)

Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're not big enough to do something great...

....and sometimes when we stand alone is when we feel the bravest.

I'm glad to see that there are others who have days when they wish everyone would just leave them alone....

...as long as there are also days when we can bravely stand out and show the beauty of who we really are.

And never forget that:

Life would be a mundane affair if one didn't come out of  their shell every so often.

Curiosity is a perfectly normal way to learn.

Have a wonderful day...and choose to make it great.

Inevitable Change

Change.

It's inevitable.

Sometimes it's good and leaves us with positive emotions...

other times we wish things wouldn't have had to change just yet...

{all the while knowing deep down it needs to occur}

And usually does sooner than later.

Yesterday I held a Graduation for my oldest...who begins his first term of Millwright in 2 weeks.

Mixed emotions...and with the way my mind works...{in overdrive for the most part}....I can't help but replay every single moment- good and bad- throughout the years of his life.

Homeschooling hasn't been an easy route.

Truth is...it's difficult being mom and teacher to your kiddos....and neither one of us has much freedom of escape from the other in the tricky times.

It was a lot of work, a lot of tears on both sides...and yet- I wouldn't trade a minute of the time I got to learn with him.

Not one.

I guess that's why I find this so hard.

He's my firstborn. My guinea pig.

He and I have had to carve our way through all this stuff before the others...and we didn't always do it gracefully.

But we did it the best we knew how...and now on the other side of it all...I can truly say the years I've had getting to be his teacher and his learning buddy....has been an incredible blessing.

Tricky letting go of it all.

Especially as I feel I've lost part of my job as a teacher;)

Now I get to figure out what to spend extra time on....

and watch while he continues on with his own story.

A inevitable change.

~~~~~~~

The following is a short video that I played at his Graduation last night.

(Many thanks to my nephew for putting it together for me!)

Now.... go take on the world!

Happy Easter

~Wishing you all a wonderful day~

Learning to Fall

It seems that we as humans tend to map out for ourselves what we want our lives to look like.

Goals, relationships, dreams,  plans, (Races)....

we hold ideals for these things in our mind.

The thing is....

there often comes moments in this world of reality,

that can change well intended  plans in an instant.

It can storm through like a tornado and leave us wondering... just what DID happen.

The supposedly well-planned ideals lie in a heap around us, almost mocking us as we wonder.

I am currently realizing that there are a few options when this occurs.

I can crumble in a heap along side of all the fallen plans I had made.

And sit there indefinitely.

Or....

Realize that the best laid plans can and often do change course.

And I ultimately have to choose to get back up and try it over.

Maybe the second time around it will work.

Or not.

Whatever the case may be,

One must not only learn to fall...

but also learn to get up again.

And Learning I am.

(For my "Learning to Fall story"...click here:  The Best Laid Plans)

a gift

Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift.

~Albert Einstein

Hypothermic Half ~

Yesterday I ran the Hypothermic Half marathon.
The name sounds worse than the run.
It was a beautiful, snowy day...perfect temperature for running (-5C) and no wind.
(Remember last year's first 13.1mile run? My First Half)
Well this one wasn't so analyzed or lamented over.
I just showed up and ran... for the most part.


My 4 kiddos drove in and waited for me at the Finish Line:

And I got a real pretty medal:
(As did everyone who crossed the finish line;)

Goal time wasn't met...but I'm letting myself off due to the snow covered trail route...where it seems everyone had trouble getting their footing.
Really;)


And remember when I said I thought people were insane to run 42km?
Well my first 42k is scheduled for May. 
Second one is August.




Kind of funny how time changes your mind on a matter isn't it?

Made me Wonder...

Looking out my bedroom window from the upstairs...

I saw 2 of these "hi" messages foot printed 

into the new snow.

Made me wonder....

if my 10 year old was to get a cellphone,

 would he still send me messages like this?

~~~~~

Golden Opportunity

It's on mornings like this,

that I feel like I'm living in a 

Gold Mine.

~~~~

~Mornings are filled with golden opportunities~

(for my friends who have become morning people, 

and for those of you who have yet to become one;)

Hullo There

It's already the middle of February?

Really?

I was going to do a post on a bunch of things tonight...but realized everything is out of date already.

Is it me or does each day, week, month, get faster than the last?

I was also going to post a picture of me standing there waving to you all...but it's Bad Hair Day today.

(Although...I'm not sure if our horse is sporting anything much better on that big head of hers;)

~~~

"Time goes by so fast, people go in and out of your life....

never miss the opportunity to tell them 

how much they mean to you."

~~~

For all of you who are running, biking, swimming, or just plain on your feet all the time!!!~

I posted a quick note on "feet" here:

From Pretty to Pretty Ugly

I know...sounds exciting.

But I'm just in that realization phase of things...of how much I appreciate 

the little but important things;)

(Even feet)

Choosing the bridges to cross

Seems like I've been neglecting my blog and blogging friends lately.

And it hasn't been because I want to.

Life has been one turn after the other lately...

                                                                   I feel almost dizzy.

You know when you hit those points in your life where decisions have to be made? The Big ones?

Choices lay before you...pros and cons listed...and when it's finally all decided....you hold your breath and take one giant step.....

....to cross that next bridge in life.

All the while-  hoping that once you cross- you don't even want to look back.
Or have any regrets.

Since writing here last, I've started a college course which may lead me into something I love doing as a job (for when the kiddos up and leave me;)
And upon hearing I was taking the said course....a manager (of my favorite of all stores)....offered me a job today.

Kids have been moving ahead with things and don't need me quite as much...and they all are living through changes of their own.
And there are other things in Life which seem to be moving and changing quickly all of a sudden.
(Maybe I've been taking too many runs on the treadmill...)


Bridges in life can be breath~taking.
Sometimes you aren't quite sure if you should, or even can cross.
And then once you start to cross, you feel the need to continue, even just to see what it is that lies on the other side.
With heart pounding....steps are taken to walk - sometimes run- to the other side.

{"...Bridge the gap which exists between where you are now and the goal you intend to reach."}

~Earl Nightingale

I would rather say I crossed each bridge I came to in life...rather than hanging out on the other side wondering what lies just beyond.

So I think I'm going to.

As breath~taking as it may be.

~Live life with no regrets~

~~~~~

{Missing you all and will be by to catch up soon.

My last class for this part of the course ends tomorrow night:)}