Elements of Erin 337

In preparation for the Victoria 1/2 Ironman this weekend, I took a day trip to Victoria a couple of weekends ago to ride the course.   Ellen, who is always up for cycling fun, was excited for the adventure. We took a 7am ferry from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay.  Parking at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, we rode on the ferry.  This is a cheaper option than brining the car over and much more fun.  It does, however, require a bit more planning.    Waiting for the ferry in the holding pen.  Yay, no rain! We paid the extra $12 to sit in the SeaWest Lounge.  Quiet environment, comfy chairs, unlimited Starbucks coffee, yogurt, fruit and cheese!  Well worth the extra money. View from the lounge. I had the map for the route loaded in my phone but forgot the paper map.  My concern was my iPhone running out of juice before we were done.  A BC InfoCentre popped up at the perfect time on the Pat Bay Hwy so we stop...

As many of you have already heard on Twitter, I ROCKED the Victoria Half Iron on Sunday June 21, 2009. Check out my race photos here . Did I win the race? No Did I place in my age group? No Did I finish in the top half of my age group? No, still secure as a below average age grouper Did I finish the swim faster than the top 2 women finishers? YES! Did I feel GREAT in the WHOLE race? YES! Was all the training worth it? H*LL YAH ! Am I confident that I am well on my way to a great Ironman Canada? YES! Ok , here is how it all unfolded... Thursday June 18 th I spoke with Coach Kevin on the phone to review my nutrition plan for the race as well as pre -race. After some fancy calculations, this was what we decided on: Bike Nutrition - estimated 3:30 hour bike time 16oz of Orange GU2O and 3 Shot Bloks per hour (spread out throughout the hour for hour 1 and hour 2) 16oz of Gatorade and 1 shot block for the last hour 500ml of water in my Aero Bottle I only have 2 water bottle cages on...

This week I will be tapering for the Victoria 1/2 Iron on June 21, 2009. Two weeks ago I took a day trip to Victoria to ride the course and swim the swim. Elk Lake was warm and calm. Hope it stay that way for the weekend. The bike course is hilly with no major climbs, just not a lot of flat places to really settle into aero position for too long. Here is what my upcoming taper week looks like: 1 Sports Massage 1 Easy Run 1Fartlek Run 1 Open Water Swim 1 Easy Pool Swim 1 Easy Bike 1 Temp Bike Friday as a REST DAY Saturday when we arrive at the race sight, in addition to the mandatory pre-race meeting at 4pm and bike check in, I will be doing an easy bike, 10min transition run and a 15min swim in the lake. I am ready to race! Happy Training