Hey all,
My season is officially over. My achilles doesn't like the fact that I ran 30 miles, go figure. So I'm gonna listen to my body and rest it properly before I start running for the winter. I'm not actually minding taking a break. The ultra was really just a last minute goal to try to keep my sane. It really wasn't doing the job anyways, I still miss triathlon training like crazy. I guess the grass always does look better on the other side of the fence. I think I was saying to Greg the other day, I hated all the hard work triathlon training was, but now that I'm not doing it I miss it and get depressed all the time not having it there. It's an addiction, like you all know, but for me it's not the actual training. It's the way it makes me feel. I just love challenge, and accomplishing this(even day to day workouts) gives me that satisfaction. Yes just like the stones song. So here I am, 35 years old wondering what's next on the horizon. I've thought about many things, but so far, nothing really seems like it can fill the void. Some things look possible(although I'd rather go for somthing that might not be) but nothing to do right now!! I'm impatient, I need somthing right now. I wonder if anyone's ever gone to rehab for something like this???
This led me to thinking of some of my favorite workouts over the past 4 years. Here's a few that bring a big smile to my face. Some weren't so much fun at the time, but now I remember them and realize they def. helped shape and mold who I am today. Here they are in no particular order.
#1 Signing up for my first IM. Like most of you know, this is a big deal and the first step down this path to IM'ing.
#2 Going for some epic rides with a friend from work. We'd both signed up for the coming year and wanted to get some good rides in before winter. He had some injury problems so the following year I ended up doing the training and eventually IM CDA on my own.
#3 Running with Curtis at the res. On one particular time I got sick about half way through our run, shakey, feever, muscle soreness(think flu) so Curtis had to go get the car and pick me up near the Tech shop.
#4 Every last long run with Curtis, I have so many memories of this. We've been friends since I moved to calgary way back in 1999. All the smoothies/coffees after, all the miles, good times, will never forget...
#5 Two epic rides with Cam, especially the first one where we did about 120km around his 40k loop? It was sunny, hot, the absolute best riding weather you could imagine. I had so many questions about IM, he took me under his "wing" and answered all of em. Even hung out with me at the race and made sure I had everything in check. But really this memory is about that ride. I hope I can do that loop with him again, damn it was fun climbing on that road. He made me feel like a poka dot jersey wearing TDF mountain goat. At one point I remember clear as day we were climbing side by side(no traffic) with the sweat pouring off our faces, heart pounding, porn star breathing, heat radiating off the pavement and he looks over and says somthing like, "You better be hurting as much as I am". I was.... but I tried to hide it hee hee. The run after was great too, hard.... but awesome.
There's just so many memories I don't know which to post..
#6 Racing IMC cda, the first one. I was finally accomplishing this. It was huge for me!!! I'd dreamt about doing this since I was a young teen watching wide world of sports and watching the athletes kill themselves trying to finish the Hawaii Ironman and then IMC as well. I remember at one point on the bike choking up. Thinking about all of this, and realizing I would get to the finish.
#7 Greg agreeing to coach me. I was sooooo excited at the prospect. He seemed like a really down to earth guy who was genuinely interesting in helping me be my best!! Guess what, I was right and he's become not just a coach, mentor, training partner, but also one of my best friends.
#8 Epic training camps. I soooooooo love to push. I've attended 3 May long camps, they were always hard, really hard. But so many good memories from them. I think I enjoyed them nearly as much as IM. A chance to go out to an amazing place and train train train. With friends who had the same hopes and dreams that you did. I can't do the camps justice with my words...
#9 The IM races themselves, there are many memories from them as well. Each one is special, each one is different. If I had to pick one thing from each race that clearly defined it(if this is possible at all) I'd say; #1 CDA was all about getting through the swim(it was brutally rough water conditions in 07) I knew if I could make it to land, I would finish #2 IM 08 I blew up and big time on the run, ended up walking a lot. I knew I didn't have enough calories in me, the watermelon really appealed to me so I gobbled up as much as I could. This and thoughts of the Curtis/Cam dual catching me got me back into the race to finish strongly in a respectable time. #3 IM 09 Canada again, this time stronger on the bike which helped my run. This race I really thought I would/could run the whole marathon. No walking the whole way through the OK falls(the hilly section). This was a huge breakthrough and I was nearly back into Penticton when my calves/groin started cramping and forced me to take walk breaks. Still finished pretty good and another PB #4 IM CDA I really raced for the first time(at least in my head it felt like more of a race) terrible swim which made me want to quit. But I fooled myself into thinking that I still had a chance at a sub10 and or kona slot. So I went for it on the bike. Rode a little harder than I might do normally. I still ran well and only walked aid stations in the last 10 miles. A PB barely
#10 Flat tires, sorry Curtis this is a memory. It's really about you, but about me too. It was frustrating for both of us how many times we sat on the edge of the road in 08 waiting for you to change your flat. I rememeber one particular ride we were between Calgary and Strathmore and you flatted while I was ahead and just out of ear shot range. We both had cells that day, I remember looking back and wondering what was up as I couldn't even see you anymore. I then felt my cell phone buzzing. I couldn't safely get it on time but got the message(after I'd stopped) that you were fixing another flat. I had to ride like 10k back for you. Then when we managed to get going again, it was early in our ride so we stopped at Canadian Tire in Strathmore to see if we could pick up more C02 since I think you'd left most of yours at home??
#11 Epic weather. One particular long ride Curtis and I did this last year. We went out in 6-8 degrees and did 180k. At one point at a gas station(again in Strathmore) we saw snow flakes and we both looked at each other and asked something like, "Are we really this crazy???" We both knew the answer with out having to say it.
#12 Epic training weekend. We eventually had some summer days this year. One particular weekend Chuckie had me do 200k plus ride one day, followed by a hard ~140km the next day and immediately after a hard run. I had friends along for parts of those rides. That weekend really stretched me and made the next one seem easy(May long weekend).
#13 Getting Chuckie as a coach!! What an honor to be coached by one of my heros. He made me work hard this year. I still feel like I didn't really get a chance to show my fitness, but that's the way it goes and he certainly understands this. IM doesn't care who you are, what you've done, or how badly you want it. You still need to get the job done on the day. So anyways I hope I get to work with this awesome coach again.
#14 Climbing Anarchist Sorry Greg I gotta mention this. We spent a year talking about this climb. It's both our favorites and def. has to be mentioned as a memory. The whole camp at least I was looking forward to nailing this. At first was a bit worried as I was sick the first two days of the camp. Then everything seemed to come together for the climb. One of my favorite things to do on the bike is to climb, when things are going right I always imagine I'm a tour climber. I know it sounds silly, but it really makes me feel good when things are flowing and I'm pushing hard up a hill. Fighting gravity to make it to the top. This was one of those times. It also helps that I was riding away from my training partners. hee hee ;) (sorry I know this is cocky, but it's the way I feel?? and this post is all about me)
Jeez these posts are gettting longer, some of you must have quit reading by now...
#15 Epic hammer fests on tues/thurs rides. Some of these ended up to be solo for one reason or another. I think there were only 1-2 this year, more other years. But they were def. highlights. Climbing the cochrane hill, or hammering up the last Stony trail hill on our springbank loop. It always amazed me how on the bike you can attack so hard, ride till your legs literally give out. Then relax for 1 minute(still riding hard), recover than attack again, rinse and repeat. I just love the pissing contests we have. There was none of the "we're doing a workout, not racing each other, I'm sticking to my pace, doing my own thing" stuff it was clear, drop the others period!!
#16 The IM trips. It was exciting driving down to CDA or west over to Penticton to take in all the IM festivities. Oh it had it's share of stress too. But these memories are about the good and the bad so this one def. had both. Lots of people, lots to do, rushing around Penticton then forgetting to eat the day before the race!!!
#17 My mom and wife coming to watch me race. I absolutely loved this and I"m sure you all get it, I don't have to explain. It was difficult finishing my first one with out Lisa at the finish.
#18 The weather def. goes down as a bad memory. Especially this year!! Chuckie was my coach and he was living in either Solvang, or Boulder. Either way he really didn't understand some of the weather issues. Actually now that I think of it, it was probably more that he didn't care, his sole purpose was to get me ready to race and weather be damned I needed to get those rides in. Anyways this memory is about watching the weather and wondering if the weekend hard ride would have to be done on a trainer. I could handle some of the trainer rides, but the thing that ticked me off was when I thought I'd be riding outside, then the last minute the weather looked bad and I had to change my plans last minute. Ohhhhh I hated having to put my bike back onto the trainer and try to prepare myself mentally(all over again) for a indoor ride. Also especially where the workout was designed to be done on the roads!!! ha ha good times... this leads me into #19
#19 SWEAT!!! The trainer into sweat fests. It was already super cold in the basement for some rides, but I always poured a ton of sweat. I hated it, not so much about how gross and slimy it made me feel, or the clean up on the floor. But and this sounds weird but I couldn't stand the times I could feel it literally coming out of my pours. It just drove me crazy as I'd just wipe my back and I could feel it running down my back the moment I put my towel onto the bench or bars of my bike.
#20 The swim this year. Sorry today I'm ending on the worst one of all. This year during the swim I got fed up with it all and actually wanted to quit. I had choked on some water and had some flem in the back of my throat(now thinking back I think it was the ensure I had drank on the way to the race) and was afraid of drinking or inhaling more water. The congestion in the swim made this even worse and I just plain mentally got out of the race. I hated swimming with all my heart at that point and asked to be removed. Well you know the rest.
I have many more, but now Lisa and I have some errands to do. Gotta go.
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