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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