Monday, December 1, 2014

It's All About the Base

Haven't posted for a couple weeks so thought I should check in.

Right now my schedule has been swim, bike, and run two times each week with an easy to moderate effort.  Except swimming which is still a big effort. Building my base fitness has been the priority for the first few months. I expect that in a couple weeks I will need to adjust my training amounts and efforts. I will keep you posted on that!

I also wanted to update you on the fundraising side of things. On the 21st I held a pub night at the Dublin Crossing Pub in Surrey. It was an awesome venue, I highly recommend it. Good food, great staff, and a fun way to raise some money. I had 12 raffle prizes and 5 silent auction prizes (see my sponsors on the side to check out most of those). In all we managed to raise $1500 and with a few other donations coming in because of that I am now at half way in my fundraising!

Halfway means that I have raised $2500 but I still have $2500 to go.  I will be doing a bake sale at Ward's work before Christmas for part of that. The other plan could involve you!  
I am looking for 100 people to donate $20. This would be new donors, not those who have already contributed. I will be making a list so don't run away when you see me coming!  I will also be sending out a letter to family and friends asking for support.

Just so you know, the money raised all goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada. I am responsible for my flights and bike shipping so you are not paying for my trip! Team in Training does provided some gear, my race entry fee, and shared accommodation for four nights but that is separate from the donations I have collected.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Two!

Yesterday was a new first for me.  I swam in the morning and then ran in the evening.  Two workouts in one day!  It felt good and I had to remind myself that the run was a slow easy run since my legs actually wanted to go faster.

A couple new prizes added to my fundraiser this week.  A tutu set from Tickled Pink Tutus and More as well as Paddle Board lessons for a couple.  Starting to get a good collection of things.  Will try to post a picture soon.

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Event

So, part of why I am doing this triathlon is to raise money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.  I have signed up with Team in Training and committed to them that I would raise $5000!!

That is a lot of money.  In order to help with that I am holding a Pub Night event on Thursday, November 20.  It is at the Dublin Crossing Pub and tickets are $20.  A ticket includes a burger, fries, and drink (beer/wine/pop).  There will be live music, silent auction, raffle prizes and a toonie toss.

I have been busy scurrying around trying to secure prizes.  If you look on the side of my blog you will see a list of sponsors. Each of these individuals or businesses have donated a prize for the event.  In addition I will be auctioning off a custom cake by me.

I am excited about the event but also a lot nervous.  I have 80 tickets to sell!  Yikes!  If you are reading this and you live in the area and would like to attend please let me know.  I appreciate all of the support I have gotten so far.  It has been interesting challenging myself in so many ways.  Right now the challenge is asking people for prizes, money, and ticket sales.

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Pain

Swimming has been causing me both emotional and physical pain the last couple of weeks.  Not surprisingly my arms are a little shocked at the amount of effort I now expect them to put out.  I have been dealing with arm and shoulder pain which caused me to miss a class add Thanksgiving in there and it was about a week off.  

After my little break I headed back to class wondering how my arms would respond.  I swam and was feeling out of sorts.  My arms hurt.  I was swallowing more pool water than I would like.  I was moving slowly (no surprise there).  That is where the emotional pain came in.  Add all of my experiences together and I was feeling beat up.  I stopped to talk to my coach about my arms and ended up crying (much to the surprise of my coach I'm sure).

So, what next?  My coach recommended some stretches to me and I actually went home and did them.  Surprise surprise they made a difference!  The next day I had much less arm pain.  I missed class today due to a power outage but am committed to keep working and improving.  I have to remember that I am a better swimmer now than I was a month ago. I will add the predictable quote from Finding Nemo, "Just keep swimming."



Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Bike!


Last night after the kids were in bed and I was thinking about what to do with my free time Ward reminded me that I should probably get a workout in.  Swimming was cancelled yesterday so I had been secretly hoping to lay low.  No such luck!  There was a severe rainfall warning in effect so I decided it was time to get to know the bike trainer.  The first 5 minutes were pretty boring but once I forgot about the watch and just listened to the music time went by pretty quickly.  Of course I will need to get out on the road soon too but this is a good start.





My new bike all ready to go!

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Lessons

It has been awhile since I posted but I have continued to work on training.  I have also learned a couple of lessons.

1.  It is important to know your limits.

A couple weeks ago I trained four days in a row.  Swim Monday, run Tuesday, swim Wednesday run Thursday.  Coming home from my run on the Thursday I felt great.  It was the most training I had done in a lot of years.  About an hour after getting home my left leg started to cramp in a couple spots.  I tried to convince myself it was nothing but I also know that in 2005 when I trained for the Victoria half that I had injured my left hamstring.  After thinking it through I realized I have six months to train and also learning a new sport.  There is no reason to push hard at the beginning only to cause injury.  So, I am trying to train smart.  Swim Monday and Wednesday, run Friday and maybe an easy bike ride on Saturday.

2.  Don't underestimate the importance of a team

Swimming is hard.  Did I mention I am not a swimmer and have never enjoyed swimming?  So, swimming is hard.  But, as someone wise said to me "It is supposed to be hard."  I am learning a new sport.  My body is adjusting and there is a lot to remember.  I can not imagine doing this without the Masters Swimming group.  They are my team right now.  Every class they encourage me to keep going, to try my best, and to do as much as I can.  The coach is also great.  She has been modifying my workout to improve my swimming and has mentioned that she has already seen a big improvement.  I may still have to stop at each end of the pool but at least I am still going.  I doubt I would have lasted 10 minutes just jumping in the pool and trying to swim without some sort of team.
One last thing - I bought a road bike!  So, expect some hilarious stories about how well I do with clip in shoes/pedals.


Monday, September 15, 2014

Swim

I have a confession to make. I don't like to swim. I have never liked swimming. The thought of swimming 1500 metres makes me more than a little ill.  So, when a friend asked if I wanted to join Masters Swimming with her I really wanted to say no. Of course I already signed up for the race so I said yes.

On Friday it was off to the triathlon store (yes they exist) to buy a swim suit, goggles, swim cap, flippers, and hand paddles.  Being new to swimming I didn't realize I would need so much stuff! Saturday I registered for the class and today was the first day.

I was kind of hoping that even though I really do not like to swim that once I was in the water I would realize that I actually do enjoy swimming.  Nope, it was way harder than I thought.  I mean of course I new it would be but oh boy!  The thought crossed my mind that I may drown.  I also thought no one would notice if I just got out and left.  But knowing that I need to swim in the race I thought it was better to keep going.

By the end of the lesson I was sore, tired, and had swallowed a fair amount of pool water.  I realized I am just as bad at swimming as I thought (maybe even worse) but also that I am capable of learning how to improve.  All of the people I met were encouraging and helpful.  No one asked me what I thought I was doing there, and more than one person mentioned that they had felt like they might drown the first day.  The coach was really nice and she took the time to direct me and give me drills that were at my level.

I am looking forward to seeing how much I improve over the next six months!

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Rain

If you train through the winter in Vancouver you will have to train in rain.  I didn't expect to face this so early in the season but as I got ready to run last night there it was.  Rather than complain about it I decided to make the most of it and you know what?  I remembered that I actually like running in the rain.  Why?  Here are a few reasons:

-There is something about it that makes me feel a whole lot cooler than I probably am.

-Not very many people are out there, only those serious about their training.

-I like trying to avoid puddles at first, the realization my feet are going to get wet either way and then stomping in puddles after that.

-It just feels cool.

Here is a picture after my run.  Hard to tell but I was actually dripping!  Love it.


Tuesday, August 26, 2014

The Beginning

Welcome to my new training blog!

In 2010 I ran the Sun Run. I trained with a group and one of my leaders was also training to run a full marathon in Greece with Team in Training.  The idea of training for an event while raising money and awareness for a good cause appealed to me so I tucked the idea into the back of my head.

Fast forward four years and here we are.  It is time.  My kids are at an age where I can focus a little more on myself and I am approaching the age of 40.  These things combined made training for an event seem like something I could do right now.  After much discussion with Ward and my friend Stacy (who I am hoping will sign up as well), I decided to try the world of triathlon.

I hope you will follow along with me as I train and try to raise $5000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I know there are so many great causes out there but if you can please take a minute to donate or pass this blog along to someone who can.