Extra, extra, read all about it! The long range forecast for Penticton is all about rain, so by unanimous vote Ellen Ainsley and Susan Roberts have decided to stay in sunny Alberta to train.
Ninety percent possibility of precipitation doesn't excite me too much. If it's going to be wet in Penticton, I'd rather stay in Edmonton where it's going to be drier. If it does end up raining in Edmonton, at least I'll get wet and cold at no charge, but the forecast looks better here than there.
My knee is causing me grief too. I don't know what the problem is for sure, but I suspect my IT band is the culprit. After about an hour and a bit, it's painful to run. I guess I better get in to see my physio therapist. He'll get me up and running (pardon the pun). On the bright side, I have Tuesday and Thursday evenings free this week because my coach told me not to run and aggravate it. Playing mind games with myself is a regular occurrence to help me get through all this training, so I always put a positive spin on anything that may be a downer. Ice will be my friend for the next little while. I hope my knee is healed in three weeks or else I'll be poppin' pills because I have a 10 mile race on April 18th.
I've secured the painter for my condo, which was a rude awakening. It is a lot more costly for painting than I thought it would be, but it is going to look amazing. I just don't want to do it myself. I know nothing about painting and frankly, I don't have the time. My new rule, as suggested by Susan, 'whatever you think the price of renovations will be... double it'!
I also got a second opinion on the flooring, simply because I didn't have a good feeling with the lady who originally came in to measure my condo. I guess I better take the flooring sample back and give her the bad news before she sends the cavalry out to get me.
Signing off until next time.
Vernazza
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Spring's Here
Well, since March is almost over, it's probably a good time for a February update. I'll let you in on what’s going on in the life of triathlete extraordinaire, Ellen Ainsley, or on second thought, maybe that should be ordinaire.
I’m getting fitter and fitter each week and I train about 11 – 12 hours per week. Once I get out on the road, my training volume will increase significantly. Road riding is always longer than on the wind trainer during the winter months. Here's a picture and video at one of my spin classes.
It’s spring so outdoor riding is fast approaching. As a matter of fact I’m going to Penticton on the Easter week-end with a friend to get some training in. We’ll welcome the warmer weather with open arms, not to mention the lack of pot holes. Of course there will be swimming, running, lattes and shopping involved too. Then it’s off to Oliver, BC a month later for the Half Ironman.
I’ve taken about three weeks off of swimming because my shoulder was bothering me and I just returned to swimming this morning. I should have eased back into swimming after taking two years off instead of going as hard as I did. I have now backed off and demoted myself to the slow lane. Hopefully it won’t take long to feel comfortable enough to promote myself again.
I’ve registered for a couple of races already – the St. Albert Ten Miler Road Race on April 18 and the Coronation triathlon in Edmonton on May 29. This year’s 10 Miler will be my 9th consecutive year. I always strive to beat my previous year’s time – sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don’t, but at the very least it is challenging and that’s how I get faster – by pushing myself out of my comfort zone and into the taste of blood.
The Coronation Triathlon is another race I’ve done on a regular basis. The distances are a 1 km swim in Coronation swimming pool, 26 km bike on Groat Road and 8 km run down Groat Road into McKinnon Ravine and back. The bike is the best part because the road is closed to traffic and it is really fast down the snaky bit. Of course, you have to come back up on the other side and do it three more times.
I’m still deciding what other races to do besides the Oliver Half Ironman in June and Ironman Canada in August. I like to do about five or six races in the summer. If you want to get faster, do lots of races. My coach always says "Pain is weakness leaving the body", and I've never quite known if he means it or not. I suppose if you want to be fast, you do have to feel discomfort; hence the taste of blood.
I recently bought a condo in St. Albert. I'm sooooo excited to have my own home. My possession date isn't until April 30 and I'm getting new flooring and painting done before I actually move in, so I'll probably move in the first week of May. It's much easier to do those things when there isn't furniture to contend with. I meet with a painter and the flooring person tomorrow for estimates and measuring. I hope the painter is reasonably priced because then I get to use his interior decorator, free of charge, to decide what colors go on which walls. Well, I'm sure her cost is absorbed into his price. As you all know, I like bright colours, but walls aren't the place for bright colours, so I think I need a decorator because I'm not sure I trust myself. Yikes! If I can't trust myself though, who can I trust.
Oh, time to go. CSI: Miami is on! Stay tuned for more of my adventures as my race season progresses.
I’m getting fitter and fitter each week and I train about 11 – 12 hours per week. Once I get out on the road, my training volume will increase significantly. Road riding is always longer than on the wind trainer during the winter months. Here's a picture and video at one of my spin classes.
It’s spring so outdoor riding is fast approaching. As a matter of fact I’m going to Penticton on the Easter week-end with a friend to get some training in. We’ll welcome the warmer weather with open arms, not to mention the lack of pot holes. Of course there will be swimming, running, lattes and shopping involved too. Then it’s off to Oliver, BC a month later for the Half Ironman.
I’ve taken about three weeks off of swimming because my shoulder was bothering me and I just returned to swimming this morning. I should have eased back into swimming after taking two years off instead of going as hard as I did. I have now backed off and demoted myself to the slow lane. Hopefully it won’t take long to feel comfortable enough to promote myself again.
I’ve registered for a couple of races already – the St. Albert Ten Miler Road Race on April 18 and the Coronation triathlon in Edmonton on May 29. This year’s 10 Miler will be my 9th consecutive year. I always strive to beat my previous year’s time – sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don’t, but at the very least it is challenging and that’s how I get faster – by pushing myself out of my comfort zone and into the taste of blood.
The Coronation Triathlon is another race I’ve done on a regular basis. The distances are a 1 km swim in Coronation swimming pool, 26 km bike on Groat Road and 8 km run down Groat Road into McKinnon Ravine and back. The bike is the best part because the road is closed to traffic and it is really fast down the snaky bit. Of course, you have to come back up on the other side and do it three more times.
I’m still deciding what other races to do besides the Oliver Half Ironman in June and Ironman Canada in August. I like to do about five or six races in the summer. If you want to get faster, do lots of races. My coach always says "Pain is weakness leaving the body", and I've never quite known if he means it or not. I suppose if you want to be fast, you do have to feel discomfort; hence the taste of blood.
I recently bought a condo in St. Albert. I'm sooooo excited to have my own home. My possession date isn't until April 30 and I'm getting new flooring and painting done before I actually move in, so I'll probably move in the first week of May. It's much easier to do those things when there isn't furniture to contend with. I meet with a painter and the flooring person tomorrow for estimates and measuring. I hope the painter is reasonably priced because then I get to use his interior decorator, free of charge, to decide what colors go on which walls. Well, I'm sure her cost is absorbed into his price. As you all know, I like bright colours, but walls aren't the place for bright colours, so I think I need a decorator because I'm not sure I trust myself. Yikes! If I can't trust myself though, who can I trust.
Oh, time to go. CSI: Miami is on! Stay tuned for more of my adventures as my race season progresses.
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