Elements of Erin 337

I decided on the Victoria 1/2 IM on June 21st. I figure it is a quick trip to Victoria on the ferry and only one night stay in a hotel. The IMC costs are starting at add up and I need to be a little bit more frugal. Plus, who can beat swimming in Elk Lake, cycling in Victoria and then finishing with a run around Elk Lake.

How excited was I when I read this news!!! "I am really excited to announce that my best friends and training partners, Belinda Granger and Chrissie Wellington, and I will be forming a new squad under the direction of renowned coach Cliff English" says Hillary Biscay on her blog today.

I met with my new Peak Centre coach, Paul, yesterday to discuss my 2009 IMC training plan. Based on my lactate testing he concluded that I have a huge Z1 and a very squished up Z2-5. Basically, I can do long slow distances forever but really can't speed it up at all. He suggested doing a few 5km and 10km running races between now and March to build up my Z3. His other suggestion was to do only one Half IM before IMC and it should be in late May or early June. Below are my choices...not sure which one will win out but I know that registration is filling up for all of them quickly! Shawnigan Lake May 25, 2009 Oliver June 9, 2009 Victoria June 21, 2009

Louis Garneau Superleggera time trial helmet featuring golf ball like dimpling up front. Can you picture me in this next year for IMC? Sweet!

15 days and 4 cities in China. Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and Suzhou. Check out my Flickr album to see 500+ photos. And yes, we really are watching the Paralympics in the Birds Nest. Jealous ? You should be.

My last post was in mid August and I have been pretty busy since then. Here is a brief summary of what I have been up to... August 23 - family trip to Penticton to watch the SAA folks participate in Ironman Canada 2008. August 25 - caught the Ironman fever and signed up for Ironman Canada 2009. September 1 - participated in the Vancouver Triathlon for the 5th year in a row. Olympic Distance 3.04:25. I took 15 minutes off my time from last year! The water (as always) was exceptionally cold making T1 challenging. After tripping up the beach slightly disoriented from the cold water, getting out of my wetsuit and into my biking gear was slower than I had expected. A far cry from the super fast sock, sock, shoe, shoe, helmet, glasses, go mantra I practiced (thanks The Age Group for the tip). My bike was great. Used my new Orbea for the first time in a race. :-) T2 was better but my feet were still completely numb from the ankle down. This situation did not improve until 5kms into th...