Home Renos

This past fall I have had two major renos going at both houses- pool construction in New Glasgow and major renovation at my place in Charlottetown. It just occured to me today that it has had a bit of an effect on my training. It has taken some of my time but also my mental energy a bit. The good news is that the renos are almost over. I have been swimming regularly all fall and running 2 or three times a week. Prior to Christmas, I thought my running endurance was pretty good. I had been running alot around New Glasgow. Since then, it has decreased a bit. I have been doing yoga 2 or 3 times a week which is really a mental break. I have been doing spin class once a week but am having a hard time getting going on my trainor. I am going to Tucson in about a month and should be doing a bit of cycling in preparation. Otherwise, I am looking forward to the spring. My first big race is Mount Tremblant 70.3 in June.

Injured

I went for a long run a week ago around New Glasgow and I have had a very sore hip ever since. I was wearing fairly old sneakers which could be part of the problem. It was also a very hilly route. I am not sure what the exact cause is. I took most of last week off and then ran for about an hour yesterday. My hip is still sore but not as bad. I am going to buy new sneakers this week to see if that helps. I also wonder if I have over stretched things by doing yoga too agressively. I think that is also possible. Otherwise, I am hoping to get back to my routine and also start doing more indoor spinning. I need to get my trainor set up for the winter. I purchased a new cyclo cross bike and i hope to use it a bit outdoors this winter. It is hard to believe that i will be heading to Tucson in about 2 and a half months for cycling. It helps make for a shorter winter.

enthusiasm returning?

I think my enthusiasm for working out is returning a bit after being a bit low through september and october. I am swimming twice a week and feel ready to up that to three times a week. I have been running two or three times a week and feeling pretty good when I run. I ran 15 k this past sunday and that didn't feel too bad. I am back doing yoga about three times a week and I think that is still good for my flexibility and overall health. I am teaching a spin class once a week and feeling like I will try to cycle a bit outdoors if the weather premits it. I am booked to go to Tucson in february for a week of cycling so i would like to keep my cycling fitness up as much as possible. I am also signed up for both a half ironman and full ironman next summer.

Home renos

This has been a busy fall for home renos and it has cut into my training a bit; I have been building a new pool in New Glasgow; had new floors installed in New Glasgow and have ripped out an old bathroom and kitchen in Charlottetown and building a new bathroom. I am also supposed to have some work done at 46 Prince. It seems like alot but I didn't intend to have it all done at once.

In terms of triathlons, I am starting to plan for next year. I am doing Mount Tremblant 70.3 in June next year and an ironman there in August. I am booked to go to Tucson in February to go cycling. I would also like to qualify for the age group world championships in London in 2013 (the qualifying race is next year) Work is busy as usual which is good. I am swimming about 2 days a week but not very intensely. I have run twixe this week so far for about 40 mins each and have done two hot yoga classes.I am taching spinning on Saturdays. I haven't been biking outside for about a month. I would like to go once or twice more before the winter. I have cycled more than 3000 k this summer which I think is quite a bit.

Taking it Easy

Since the ITU Worlds, I have been taking it relatively easy. I have been doing hot yoga; have started teaching spin classes on Saturday mornings. I have been swimming just once a week, doing drills. I haven't run much but will get back at it soon. It seems like a break when I only do one workout per day. This week, I went for a long hike with some friends on Sunday; I did hot yoga three times, swm once etc...

On the home front, my swimming pool in New Glasgow is nearly complete but it is a little too late in the season to use it. It will be ready for use in the spring. There is also a whirlpool that I can use all winter. Otherwise, work is busy but good. I am taking my mother to Maine for Thanksgiving weekend and looking forward to that.

World ITU Triathlon Championships

I just got back from the ITU World Triathlon Championships in Beijing, China. It was a great trip. I was reasonably happy with my performance, finishing 34th out of 75. I was, perhaps, a bit cautious on the bikeas the course was a bit difficult and tricky. The race was also at the end of the season and my enthusiasm wains a bit as the season goes on. But, I met really great people and it was fun to go to a place a bit out of my comfort zone. I tend to do things that i am comfortable with and go to places I like. It was great to go to a place that I would never have gone to, except for this triathlon.

We had lots of great chinese food, and it was very cheap.We did some sightseeing: the great wall, forbidden city, summer palace and Tien mien Square. The security everwhere was quite intense both around the triathlon and the city in general. Also, the smog is as bad as people say with alot of days where u can't see the sky and it is like fog.

My coaches instructions now are to take 2 weeks off from training. i am going to do some workouts for fun and I am doing hot yoga. I signed up today for ironman 70.3 in mount tremblant, quebec which will be a warm up for the ironman that i am doing there next August. After going to Beijing, a group of us agreed we would try to qualify for the 2013 World Championships which will be in London, england on their Olympic course.

going to china

i am leaving for China on Sept 4th for the world ITU triathlon championships in Beijung. i am going as an age group competitor having qualified in a race in New Brunswick last year. It is really just an excuse to go somewhere i would not go otherwise. The reality of it is setting in. I am only going for 10 days as i am busy at work and it is a stuggle to take off more time than that. I have two days trips booked; one to the Great Wall and one to the Forbidden city and around Beijing. I am going with a group as part of triathlon canada so i won't really be alone and i expect i will meet people.

my training has been going well. it is always a challenge to balance work, social activities and training. Summer on PEI is very social and there is always lots going on. I think my swimming and cycling are very good and my running is ok. I have been working hard on my running and i see some improvement but it is not as rapid as i would like. I will be getting organized this week; packing including packing my bike and other triathlon gear. Travellling with a bike is becoming an increaing problem as planes are getting smaller and they frequently don't have room for them. The airlines simply don't put them on if it is crowded and make no apologies. it can take several dasy for your bike to get to your destination. the biggest challenge for me in getting my bike to china is getting it out of charlottetown airport where all the planes are small. i am going to go early on departure day and speak nicely to someone to see if i can impress upon them that it needs to get on the plane.