Elements of Erin 337

This past weekend I rode in the Tour de Victoria with my 'I am up for anything' friend Brenda.  I suggested it a few months ago and made the arrangements for us booking a cheap hotel near the race start.   Slight change of plans when Brenda had to go to Victoria early for business. Not only did she shuttle my bike to Victoria, she picked me up as a foot passenger late Friday night on the Victoria side.  Sweet! View from the foot passenger terminal around 9pm on Friday.  Wet, windy and unpleasant.  Hoping that this was not what we were going to ride in for 140kms on Sunday. Spirit of BC - Seaward Lounge.  $12 extra to sit in comfortable seats, quiet environment, free WIFI and all I can drink/eat coffee, cheese and cookies.  Well worth the extra money. And wasn't I pleasantly surprised when Brenda also informed me that we could stay with her friends.  Look how cute this home is.  Built in the early 1940's it has a ton of...

On June 15th in the evening, I participated in the Longest Day 5km Run with my son and my Dad.  Three generations of runners.  The big draw of this race is the post race BBQ.  Because it is an evening race, it is a bit harder to figure out your pre race nutrition.  But he post race nutrition is fantastic and included in your entry fee. We had planned to run together but that quickly changed when I started off too fast downhill.  After the first km, we settled into a more reasonable pace.  Once we stopped at the 1/2 way water station, my son dropped me like a bad habit.  I could see him in the distance for about 1km but then lost him as he pulled even further ahead.  My Dad, who is a faster runner than me, is injured and made the smart choice to take it easy. 5km Son's time:   25:24 My time:   26:23 Dad's time:   27:01 All very respectable times but we were certainly out run by the 13 year old.   Mom and S...

Recovery time is a concern for most people who do endurance sports.  My concern does not come from a desire to win my next race.  My concern is simply being able to function after doing a marathon, half Ironman or Ironman event.  Will I be able to walk the next day, drive myself home from the race location, and go to work the next day? So, when I was contacted by Swiss Natural  back in April and asked to test a product that claimed to increase recovery time and reduce inflammation, I was eager to give it a try. Microlactin claims: Clinically proven to significantly improve pain and stiffness associated with everyday activities in individuals suffering from osteoarthritis.  Proven to provide significant improvement in joint symptoms in as little as 2 weeks. It has provided a significant reduction in pain and stiffness in 9 or 10 patients. How it works: Microlactin contains Milk Proteins It effectively...

Over a year after I signed up for it, I finally completed the Oliver Half Ironman.  I signed up in early 2011 only to be surprised with a trip to Hawaii and the Hawaii 70.3 in May 2011 for my 40th birthday.  Awe shucks.   2012 has been a potpourri of events with sporadic training.  This has been intentional as my 'off Ironman year'.  No coach, no particular event focus just out there having fun.  My running really fell off the wagon before we left for Spain in March with my back issue.  I only ran a few times in Spain and the distance was no more than 5km each run.  Since returning, my I have been focusing on cycling and started to swim again.  My longest run before the Oliver Half Ironman was 16km.  Regardless, I was really stoked for the race.  I knew my swim would be strong, my bike would be stronger than before and my run would be OK.  And that is pretty much how the day went.   Swim - 2000m 42:44 I fe...

Well, once again I have fallen off the blog wagon (even though it was one of my 2012 resolutions).  Not surprizingly, it is not the only resolution have failed to keep.  *sigh* I have been taking care of my shoulder and have a new Physiotherapist after a referral to a Sports Medicine doctor at UBC.  Now, the work is up to me to do the exercises to strengthen my upper back.  Turns out I have extremely loose shoulder joints that have a tendency to roll forward (picture hunch back) and pinch the nerves in the front of my shoulder.  I have started back swimming and am very happy about that. In March, I did not enter an event after our trip to Spain until April when I completed the Delta Sprint Triathlon .  I have done this event for the past 5 or 6 years and love it.  It is a great way to start the triathlon season.  Great grassroots community event for the beginner triathlete all the way up to Elite status. Now, with May almost over, I have not...

We returned from Spain on Monday feeling very jet lagged but very happy to have taken such a great trip.  I will post some updates, highlights and lessons learned from travelling in the next few week. For now, here is a link to our photos.  They are in date order but are not labeled with places. I will say that we traveled to Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona.  See if you can recognize any of the familiar landmarks for each city in the photos. Spain Photos - Set 1 Spain Photos - Set 2

Just over 2 weeks since my lower back decided to revolt, it is on the mend.  It has felt better everyday but yesterday it felt good enough to go for a run.  It was a slow and steady 5.5km with no real issue.  I was sure that I would feel it today but all is good.  I was very careful to ice and stretch it last night and go for ART/Chiro this morning. The plan for the next few weeks is to work on core strength and gradually increase my running pace and distance again.  I can't remember the last time I only did one workout in a 2 week period.  Yesterday morning, my inactivity got to me and I did a series of sit-ups , push-ups and squats all using various iPhone apps.  I hope do to these daily while away in Spain. Will be in Valencia for the Las Fallas Festival .  Celebrations have already started.  Below is a video from March 1st of the fireworks and fire crackers that are a highlight of the festival.  We have been told that t...