Elements of Erin 337

Now for something completely different. Check out this webcam on Hornby Island of a pair of eagles and soon to be babies. Eagle Cam on Hornby Island

On March 28, 2009 I had officially been blogging for 1 year. It has been an amazing year. More amazing stuff to come!

I updated the title photo again. Because I couldn't figure out how to change the font colour of the title, I chose a photo that has a darker background. This photo was also taken on Hornby Island at our friend's wedding last year.

Lost Lake Snowshoe March 2009 031 Originally uploaded by erinlesleylee Yesterday was a beautiful day in Whistler. The weather was cool, clear and sunny. While my family headed up the mountain for skiing and snowboarding, I headed over to Lost Lake for a wonderful day of snowshoeing. I ended up doing a few loops on the red and orange level trails. Check out my route below. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/2842786 Happy training!

IMG00092.jpg Originally uploaded by erinlesleylee Not sure if a photo is worth 1000 words but I think this photo sums up my cold, wet and uncomfortable ride. Physically I felt great and I didn't let it get me down mentally until the last few kms. I was happy to be done. Still waiting for the feeling to come back in my fingers and toes. Check out the photo of my bike also. Note: no fenders. This made for an extra special level of wetness on my butt. Good times! Happy Training!

Beach where the Vancouver Tri starts After a few e-mail with my coach yesterday, I will now be adding a second 1/2 IM to my race list for 2009. In addition to the Victoria 1/2 IM on June 21 , I will also be doing the Vancouver 1/2 IM on July 12 . Two 1/2 IMs in three weeks...maybe the best way to train is to race. I had also planned a training trip to Penticton on the August 1st long weekend to ride the Ironman Canada course. My coach suggested coming up two weeks before IMC instead to ride the course. Riding the full course two weeks before the race seems a little unorthodox but what do I know?

Family Run March 2009 005 Originally uploaded by erinlesleylee Last night I had the pleasure of running with my husband. This does not happen very often so it was quite a treat. My son was running on the track with his track and field club at the same time. Good times!

Seymour Snowshoe March 2009 007 Originally uploaded by erinlesleylee Over the past few weeks we have been doing some pretty activte things as a family. Here is a great way to spend the morning.

After fooling around with Blogger last night, I decided on this new layout and photo. I like the calm feeling of the colours with the photo. The photo was taken on Hornby Island, BC on June 1st, 2008. It was our first visit to the island and we were attending a wedding. I don't recall who took this photo but it is one of our favourites from the trip.

With this week coming to a close, my legs feel like I just ran a fast 1/2 Marathon. I would not say they feel like they ran a Marathon, just a fast 1/2 Marathon. Regardless, my legs have a healthy dose of lactic acid inside with the stiffness and ache to match. This week my workout schedule changed slightly with a spin on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday plus an outdoor ride on Saturday. This is all in preparation for the Easter Camp that will be mostly riding. Yesterday's ride outside was great. I met the SAA members at 8:30am and we set off on a ride from Steveston into Vancouver. In the end, my route took me on a 65km glorious sunshiny tour of Richmond and Vancouver. It was cold and crisp but no wind. There were many times when I wanted to stop and take photos but I knew that keeping up with the group was important and didn't stop. Here is the route I took . Today, the weather is much the same. I headed off on my regular Sunday morning long run around 8:30am. 90 minute run wa

March 15th marked the end of my first five weeks with my new coach . We had a good conversation on March 13th and discussed the my upcoming four weeks of training. This next block of training will be four weeks instead of five because Easter Base Camp is at the end of the 4th week. During our conversation we discussed nutrition on the bike. Given that we will be riding some good distances at camp, I will have a chance to practice my nutrition. My plan is to use a combo of GU20 , CarboPro , Shot Bloks , Gatorade , Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches, Banana Bread and water. Of course this could all change once I get out on the road and test it. For the Lake Stevens 70.3 I did last year, I used GU20, CarboPro and Shot Bloks with no problems. With IMC being 2x the distance and Gatorade provided on the course, I want to use it in my training to avoid any issues on race day. Easter Camp is three full days of training with an optional fourth day ride. I am excited and nervous about

After feeling exhausted on Thursday, I took some time to reflect on the week and how I got to Thursday . Monday - Rest day and work Tuesday - Worked and a 60minute trainer ride followed by a 45 minute run in the evening Wednesday - Swim in the morning, worked from home, spin class in the evening All of this seems quite normal for me. However, the one thing I haven't mentioned is sleeping and eating. For the most part I sleep very well. Up at 5:30am most days and then in bed by 9pm most nights. This was the case for last week also. No major sleep disruptions . What WAS different (and lacking) was my food intake. AKA fuel intake. In hindsight, I am quite sure I ran out of gas. The tank was empty and I didn't take the time to refuel properly. Perhaps the 2 cheese burger meal with a large fries on Wednesday afternoon was not the best choice, nor the mac&cheese I then ate for dinner. And skipping my daily protein shake should not have happened. Moral of this story is

Tonight I had a bath. That's it. I didn't run, I just had a bath. Do I feel guilty for skipping my Thursday night run? Only a little. Sometimes you just need a bath.

This is one of my favourite photos of the day for a couple of reasons. First, just the colours of the SAA uniforms puts a smile on my face, not to mention the great group of people pictured here. Second, for what you don't see when you look at this photo. Runner #96 - Colin McKay Runner#63 - Ben Hsu Sometimes a photo doesn't tell the whole story does it?

Did you run the E-Venti Marathon on Sunday March 1st? Here are the photos from the Sea Island Starbucks water/cofffee/snack stop. Great day for a Marathon.