This is going to be a short post. With only 10 days to go, my training is winding down and I'm feeling fitter than I've been in a long time. Just one long run to go - 12 miles - and the rest is a piece of cake; well, sort of. I still have some speed work to do, and who ever claimed that speed work is easy has, well, never done speed work. I'll be doing some training in Australia too (not much) because my half marathon isn't until 11 days after I arrive, so I have to keep up my fitness for that. Most of you have probably heard about the dust storms that have visited Australia and I'm hoping that they aren't recycling throughout. I'm fairly confident that they won't be there when I arrive in Sydney because if they are, I'm fairly confident my races won't go too well.
Memories of Ironman 2003 in Penticton quickly flood back. The fires in the Okanagan were so bad that the race was in jeopardy of being canceled. At the 11th hour, they managed to save the race by changing the swim and run routes. There would have been 2,000 disappointed athletes if the race had been canceled. We train for eight or nine months for an Ironman distance, and it would be hard to swallow if we couldn't do what we had trained so hard for. Some athletes were affected on the bike by the smoke at Vaseux Lake, but I was lucky and wasn't affected. Maybe by the time I got there, the smoke had dissipated. Sometimes it's an advantage to not be really, really fast (smiles).
My next post will likely be from the airport in Vancouver as I wait to board the plane to Los Angeles. I'm not looking forward to the security in LA. I've heard that the Customs' staff are very power happy and like delaying people; they suspect everybody. One bad apple makes it hard for the rest of us good people.
Ciao for now.
Vernazza
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
It's All Booked
We finally booked our trip to Las Vegas last night. A very nice young man from Airmiles Vacations helped me out with trying to get the best deal on packages vs. flight and hotel separate. I told him we're going to Cher and he said "that's when I knew you were good people". Maybe that's why he helped me so much. He even worked late to make sure we got the flights we wanted. It turns out, after all the checking, that Susan had enough Airmiles to get the flight for free. If we would have known that earlier, we would have booked the trip weeks ago. I'm getting the flight for free using Airmiles as well, courtesy of Mom and Dad.
First we booked Cher, then the 1/2 marathon and now finally the flight and hotel. A little unconventional, but who said I like being conventional.
We're staying at the MGM Grand and our trip is under $500 Canadian including all taxes. Now I'll have more money for shopping.
Las Vegas here we come. Oh wait, I'm going to Australia in 25 days.
First we booked Cher, then the 1/2 marathon and now finally the flight and hotel. A little unconventional, but who said I like being conventional.
We're staying at the MGM Grand and our trip is under $500 Canadian including all taxes. Now I'll have more money for shopping.
Las Vegas here we come. Oh wait, I'm going to Australia in 25 days.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
What Happens on the Road Stays on the Road!
Our road trip was a smashing success. We all had so much fun. We talked about everything from childhood experiences to, well, I can't say or I'd have to kill you. What's said on the road stays on the road!
We arrived on Friday evening and pitched our tents. I'm a little rusty when it comes to pitching tents. Susan is an experienced camper and had to shake me because of my lack of camping savvy. To be fair though, I was out of practice - I haven't pitched that tent for four years. The trip had officially started out on the right foot; we had a good laugh and a ton of fun ... at my expense of course!
Saturday morning came and the first thing we did was go to the local fruit stand - Matheson Creek Farm - and my Mom pre-ordered enough fruit - AGAIN - to feed a small army. We were going to pick it up on Monday before we started our long drive home. Angela, Susan and I didn't miss out on buying enough fruit to last us the week-end as well. Next stop - breakfast and lattes. My Mom had never been to a Starbucks in her life, so now she's not just a cool Mom, but a trendy Mom - experiencing overpriced coffee from a sippy cup. Good thing she always sent me in to buy the coffee; if she'd've (can you have two contractions in a word????) seen how much I pay for a latte, she'd've (there I go again) had a heart attack. Next on the agenda - shopping. My Mom wasn't interested in this activity, so we left her (actually she wanted to be left) in the car by the beach. When we finished and met up with her later, she was sitting under a tree in the shade enjoying the breeze and being a people watcher.
The day had arrived - Ironman - and I was up with the birds. I volunteered in transition instead of special needs, and what a flurry of activity - athletes coming at me from all directions. I'd never had so many men approach me in my life (hee hee)! After my shift was over, back to the campground to prepare for the long day of activity - or should I say watching all the activity. We made one tactical error though; we went downtown for lattes. Trying to get back to the campground was a very time consuming task. We were at the mercy of the athletes and were stuck for over two hours trying to get across Main Street. When we finally got across, we got stuck again. We were only a matter of a minute away from the campground now, but to get there was another issue. By dipsy doodling through the residential areas I found a way. Finally! "Now that we're here girls, lets set up the chairs and watch the marathon." What normally would have been a five minute drive took over three hours. We watched the marathon until 11:00 that night and there were still athletes walking by. We were about 8 km away from the finish line, so if athletes didn't go by soon, they wouldn't make the midnight cut-off. It was exciting and very inspiring to watch.
We were up early breaking camp the next morning. Not a great start to my morning though ... the car battery was dead. Remember yesterday when we were stuck in traffic for three hours? Starting and stopping the engine so many times proved to be too much for the Pacifica to take. The battery had went dead a few weeks earlier because somebody was playing with the buttons too much when the vehicle wasn't running (I won't say who, but he's a big kid). Looks like we'll need a new battery now. Good thing I discovered it early enough to call a tow truck to come and rescue us because if I wouldn't have been able to make it to registration I would have been heart broken. The entire trip was based on my registering for Ironman next year. I had many worst case scenarios running through my head of how I was going to get downtown to register. I would have hitched a ride from someone in the campground, I would have called a cab, I would have even walked the 8 km (at least) if I had to. Some people would call me crazy, but I prefer to think of it as determined.
OK, we're up and running. First stop - downtown so I can register. The line-up was out the park and down three blocks, but since I volunteered yesterday, I was able to jump the line and make it through in a matter of 20 minutes. Oops, my credit card was declined - I was over my limit. I'd better pay off the Australia trip soon. Good thing I have an alternate credit card. $603.50 later, I was registered for Ironman Canada 2010. I'm already excited. Now, go pick up the girls, pick up the fruit and get back to Edmonton. Our travel time was much quicker coming back - only 11 hours!
Next stop - Sydney, Australia!
We arrived on Friday evening and pitched our tents. I'm a little rusty when it comes to pitching tents. Susan is an experienced camper and had to shake me because of my lack of camping savvy. To be fair though, I was out of practice - I haven't pitched that tent for four years. The trip had officially started out on the right foot; we had a good laugh and a ton of fun ... at my expense of course!
Saturday morning came and the first thing we did was go to the local fruit stand - Matheson Creek Farm - and my Mom pre-ordered enough fruit - AGAIN - to feed a small army. We were going to pick it up on Monday before we started our long drive home. Angela, Susan and I didn't miss out on buying enough fruit to last us the week-end as well. Next stop - breakfast and lattes. My Mom had never been to a Starbucks in her life, so now she's not just a cool Mom, but a trendy Mom - experiencing overpriced coffee from a sippy cup. Good thing she always sent me in to buy the coffee; if she'd've (can you have two contractions in a word????) seen how much I pay for a latte, she'd've (there I go again) had a heart attack. Next on the agenda - shopping. My Mom wasn't interested in this activity, so we left her (actually she wanted to be left) in the car by the beach. When we finished and met up with her later, she was sitting under a tree in the shade enjoying the breeze and being a people watcher.
The day had arrived - Ironman - and I was up with the birds. I volunteered in transition instead of special needs, and what a flurry of activity - athletes coming at me from all directions. I'd never had so many men approach me in my life (hee hee)! After my shift was over, back to the campground to prepare for the long day of activity - or should I say watching all the activity. We made one tactical error though; we went downtown for lattes. Trying to get back to the campground was a very time consuming task. We were at the mercy of the athletes and were stuck for over two hours trying to get across Main Street. When we finally got across, we got stuck again. We were only a matter of a minute away from the campground now, but to get there was another issue. By dipsy doodling through the residential areas I found a way. Finally! "Now that we're here girls, lets set up the chairs and watch the marathon." What normally would have been a five minute drive took over three hours. We watched the marathon until 11:00 that night and there were still athletes walking by. We were about 8 km away from the finish line, so if athletes didn't go by soon, they wouldn't make the midnight cut-off. It was exciting and very inspiring to watch.
We were up early breaking camp the next morning. Not a great start to my morning though ... the car battery was dead. Remember yesterday when we were stuck in traffic for three hours? Starting and stopping the engine so many times proved to be too much for the Pacifica to take. The battery had went dead a few weeks earlier because somebody was playing with the buttons too much when the vehicle wasn't running (I won't say who, but he's a big kid). Looks like we'll need a new battery now. Good thing I discovered it early enough to call a tow truck to come and rescue us because if I wouldn't have been able to make it to registration I would have been heart broken. The entire trip was based on my registering for Ironman next year. I had many worst case scenarios running through my head of how I was going to get downtown to register. I would have hitched a ride from someone in the campground, I would have called a cab, I would have even walked the 8 km (at least) if I had to. Some people would call me crazy, but I prefer to think of it as determined.
OK, we're up and running. First stop - downtown so I can register. The line-up was out the park and down three blocks, but since I volunteered yesterday, I was able to jump the line and make it through in a matter of 20 minutes. Oops, my credit card was declined - I was over my limit. I'd better pay off the Australia trip soon. Good thing I have an alternate credit card. $603.50 later, I was registered for Ironman Canada 2010. I'm already excited. Now, go pick up the girls, pick up the fruit and get back to Edmonton. Our travel time was much quicker coming back - only 11 hours!
Next stop - Sydney, Australia!
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