Terrible tens...

I don't know what it is I did to coach Lance!...but he wanted me to suffer today.
I have been off training after Boise to refuel and get ready for more races.
It is not normal for Lance to be easy like that....I should have been more suspicious!
When I looked at my schedule at the beginning of the week, I was disappointed that it would be an easy one (I needed to start pushing after having done almost nothing last week!)....BOY WAS WRONG to complain!
And Boy do I regret having mentioned to Lance that -he was being easy on me this week-. He answered : -tell me that at the end of the week!-.
I should have known then...that the one we like to call...evil coach Lance...was back for more!!!
Never again shall I underestimate a -suffer Saturday-!

Today started with a hard run interval workout, I took it to my favorite trail and figured I would deserved to reward myself by stopping by the river at the end and putting my legs in the cold water. It was a total of 10km of intervals with short rest in a 1h30 run. By interval kilometer five, it started getting scary....by interval kilometer 8, I had to work to block the thought that had me wondering if I would make it to ten...after kilometer ten I was living the magic moment that comes after a big effort and thinking that all of that had been well worth it.

Wait...I shouldn't say that I was alone pushing through those intervals. Kiki and Simeon were there cheering, (mom likes to take walks with the dog on that trail !). Sure got her walking for a long time today!


After the hard work was done, there was only one thing on my mind. To head to the river and to savour a great moment of reward. Legs in the cold water!

I also decided to do some testing with Simeon and see how he would enjoy the water. He really liked it, it's pretty funny to see a wiener dog swim! He looks like a remote control dog with that long tail sticking out of the water.

Oh...just wanted to share this! Look what I found near the garage door when I got back!!?? That intriguing creature looks like it came directly from the Amazon!What do you think?


Even though today was hard training, it kind of felt like a vacation! I went for a recovery nap after that run and took some time at home before heading out on another deadly training.

The main idea of this one was to try as hard as you can to tear you legs out while going up a steep hill 10 times.THAT HURT TOO!

I then completed the two hour bike ride....in a storm!
Tomorrow is another tough one! A 4h30 bike ride and run off the bike! I'm going for it! Wish me luck !!!!!

The Lab stretch...

A day at the Lab:

Hi!
I am back from Boise and Lance put me on a tri-break for a week to allow me to recover a bit...now I get to realize how hard it is to sit still on a chair for prolonged periods of time at school!
This is the perfect opportunity to work on my thesis...the only thing that is holding me back from the complete full time pro experience!


So I was in rainy Montreal today for the final step of data processing. Which I have FINISHED now thanks to the amazing Lab tech Phil!
Here is a picture of our short celebration (wait and see those of the REAL END OF THESIS CELEBRATION!!, I have started making plans already!!hahah)



There was action at the Lab today!

Yanick (green shirt!) has also helped me alot for my project, here he is with Phil assessing a new acquisition, an eye motion tracker.



Have I mentionned that I was doing a running study in a Hockey oriented lab! Here is a video I took today as Xavier was trying a goniometer on the synthetic ice surface.

Now all that is left is the write-up of the results and discussion! My goal is to finish this step in the next month.
And then...

THE AMAZING CRAZY PLANS BEGIN!!!! MORE PARTY TIME WITH TRAINING BUDS!

OUR TEAM

There are so many exciting projects!!! Here are the next plans on my mind:

From Jully 10th to 21st, I will head to another training camp with my team! It is about time!
I have found it hard to train alone and just can’t wait to go back to Victoria and find my old friends. The appetizer will be another race; I am heading down to the Subaru series Vancouver international triathlon, where I will be racing the half-ironman distance event, that should be very fun. Other athletes from the team are racing too.
In Victoria, I will reunite with the Champion family (my first Victoria homestays) and other friends, that have been sending words of encouragement to me throughout the season and that I can’t wait to see again!
After this camp, more racing! The plan is to head to Calgary 70.3 and Lake stevens 70.3 (a second try for that race!), and to take a little easy training time before Muskoka 70.3 and final preparation for the 70.3 world champs! Which I hope will be another comeback opportunity!

Lake Steven's 2008 pictures



Cowgirl Linsey Corbin also put some palm trees and pineapples on my mind.


She will be going to Hawaii to prepare for her big race in September and October and I really want to meet her there. I want to put in some training time with the perfect buddy! Just like in Maui!
Hanging on for dear life behind Linsey on a crazy hill climb in Maui.

I want to go back, run and bike on the Queen K, take another ride on the side winds on the road to Havi! I want to train in the heat and sun with my super cool training buds and swim with the dolphins again! AND I WANT TO SEE THE AMAZING RACE that finishes on Alii drive and get inspired....and see my team mates impress me at THE REAL RACE!
This will all happen! I just have to get this thesis done. That’s the mission! The clock is ticking!

Unforgettable...

So friends! I got my comeback from last year after all!!!

My first 70.3 win is an experience that will stay with me forever. It was quite a gift as it happened on my favourite race course and I got to savour the last hundred meters running through the outstanding crowd that animated the heart of Boise on saturday!

What a wonderful conclusion to a race that felt just like a dream from start to finish. It seems like the wonderful Boise race is getting better every year!

It all started in the sun, in the beautiful lucky peak reservoir. As we treaded water waiting for the gun, I remember laughs and smiles. The afternoon start seemed to have lead to a relaxed atmosphere... although those smiles may also have been smiles of relief as the water was warmer than it was for last year’s freezing swim session!

At the sound of the gun, we were off. I was not surprised to see Brooke Davison take the lead right from the start , that was good, as I could focus on her incredible speed to bring up my pace and soon found myself in a three girl group including Samantha McGlone and Annie Warner, pushing through the choppy water.

I was excited coming out of the water in second place as that had been a good swim and I was looking forward to the hilly bike course. I felt confident and had one thought on my mind: There was one person to pass before I made it to the head of the race. I had a discussion with Lifesport coach Paul Regensburg the night before the race and he mentionned that there was something magic that went on at the front of a race and at that moment I had decided I wanted to have a taste of it on Saturday. Samantha had a quicker transition and I passed her on the elevated road across the dam on the way out of transition, determined never to look back and go for the magic feeling, or at least give it my best try. I just had to look ahead and push as hard as I could. Right after crossing the dam, we headed down a nice descent which would be the first of many encountered on the bike course that takes you to a tour of the Boise country side. I decided to push until I passed Brooke and took the lead, that is when I felt all that magic and realized how once you have a taste of the lead it is very hard to let it go!

I was first then and working hard as I knew Linsey Corbin and Samantha McGlone would be strong on the bike course.

The bike was a solitary battle with the elements. It was a fight through the thunder, lightning, hale and rain...everything was there to make the journey feel epic. And I have to admit I was quite surprised to be alone in the lead, heading down to transition on that long last stretch to transition in the heart of downtown Boise. Was this for real??? How close were the girls?

When, out of the transition, I heard I had a big lead, I was so surprised... I knew I was going to have a good run though, I still didn’t know exactly how far ahead I was and definitely knew Samantha and Linsey would be factors on the run.

But my dream scenario was there and I was to follow the plan and make it a progressive run. I started to get worried when I found myself counting porta potties rather than miles and was afraid of the consequences of downing my favorate caffeinated gel...I decided I would have to elaborate a bathroom strategy.... I was going to have to compromise for bathroom time and that was a scary thought! After having hesitated through 5 aid stations I finaly made a desperate attempt at the fastest bathroom split of my life. I now laugh when I think that a 22 seconds split was recorded on that stop (definitely a PB). The turnaround after loop one was right by the finish line which was a great chance to resource, passing through the roaring croud. So many positive people had made it to down town Bosie to cheer us on in the rain!... One man stood out, yelling on the way in–do it for a double cheese burger- and on the way out-with bacon and extra cheese-.

That actually was an interesting motivational approach which I used to push up the pace. With one lap to go, I was still feeling strong and couldn't believe it. It is at 5 km from the end that my legs really started feeling weaker and I had to concentrate to maintain my pace...until I made it to the unforgettable moment...that final run up to victory... making it to the finish line first is simply an undescribable experience.

A wonderful moment with my amazing team mate Linsey Corbin, who ha such a great race too, what a comeback from injury!

I really want to thank my coach, Lance Watson for the great work we have done together this year, thanks to him, I have shaved 20 minutes off last year's time. I have really been blessed with an amazing coach and inspiring new team.

A perfect day....

Today was a dream....that came true...and took me to my first 70.3 win on my favorite course!!
It was magical day I will never forget. I still can't believe what just happened...everything just came together, the swim, the bike, the run...I had the best time of my life. I will now savour all of the great energy from today and give more news a little later.

With coach Paul from Lifesport and teammate Linsey who also had an amazing comeback today.

Who said hard couldn't be easy?

Today was one of the last days of hard training for Boise.




Waking up to that training day, I had to put aside flashes of my pushing through that one last week. Flashes of that little screw on the garage door that I concentrated on to push through the burn on the tired, three hour trainer interval session. There were also flashes of my kleenex box, still handy at that point, memories of having to push harder than usual to satisfy my greedy watch on the run off the bike..I pushed hard that day not really feeling if it would make me faster and stronger or if it would have the opposite effect of my still weak body.

Well today I had my answer, it was not a mistake to hang on and push through that last week. It is now starting to pay off!


Of course, I needed some good positive energy today. I started by giving myself a day off at school. I needed to visualise a great day of pure training. Just as I was starting to get pumped, my buddy Linsey popped up on skype! (remember, she is also doing the race!). She was excited, talking about last year's race...we realized we had similar trainings today and decided we were going to both nail it! Just like in Hawaii!! Loved it when Linsey dropped -On the trainer, just pretend you are racing me!- That was just the motivation I needed to get my nice sunny day going.
And so, I attacked the day, positivity changes everything. The fact that it was cold outside, turned into an advantage...I took my trainer out for the day.



The sun was also out for me. The only down point is that the mosquitoes too seemed to not mind the cold today and did you know they were lactic acid magnets (no really! This is a scientific fact that I did observe it today).
Oh and...instead of concentrating on the garage screw to better push through the pain...I was concentrating on the tip of the branch of a pine tree. (which is....better??), haha.
I had a great ride. The watts were back up and I was feeling great. Purolator even dropped off my favorite Pearl Izumi racers right in front of my setup! I greeted them with a wave from my bike. The lady smiled and waved back, her eyes said she was wondering why I hadn't noticed that I was going nowhere with my bike stuck on a metal cage on a bright and sunny day.
Off the trainer with a smile, then! I get to my favorite trail and run, run, run....the legs are going strong again, I could run like that for ever...I keep on telling myself how I was going to make that my half marathon speed for Boise.
After that, it wasn't enough for my greedy coach and I, so I conquered the lake. Last week, my toes had told me that it might have been life threatening to dive in, especially with a cold this bothering me. But this time. I was going in no matter what! It couldn't be colder than it was going to be in Boise after all! (You understand this last statement if you have done the race!)
So I had my first Quebec lake swim today with my new Blueseventy wetsuit which I LOVEDDD! It obviously could not save me from freezing my toes, but it was well worth it.








Oh, this is my new friend from around the lake! It is a falabella! (The horse version of a Chihuahua!) They are the smallest horses in the world and I had never seen one of those before!
I rewarded myself with a hot shower to end the day...there was no getting me out of that shower.
WHEN DO WE RACE!!!!?????C'MON!!!

Another revenge!!??

Finishing a 70.3 in a sprint is an experience that is hard to forget. Missing 5th place by one second by doing so is even harder to forget. This year, I am back in Boise for another shot at that finish line.


Boise finish line!

Let me explain:
Last year, at kilometre 13 of the half marathon, I was wondering how my legs would carry me all the way to the finish line, I was very low on energy. At meter 600 before the finish, that long stretch in which all cards are played, I had been fighting since km13 with someone at my heels the whole way. I had now elaborated a strategy: I was going to let her pass now, resource myself for just a couple of seconds...and surprise her in a final sprint.




400m.... we are still running at the same speed, nothing is happening. I tell myself that now is the moment I have to prove to myself that I can be brave and this is my shot at 5th place, it is right there.....I know the feeling, it is the feeling of uncertainty that often proceeds great accomplishment. It feels just like the second before initiating a dive from a really high cliff or a first try of a snowboard stunt...there is no way to be sure about the outcome, all you know is that nothing will feel as good as if you succeed and that is what makes you turn off the switch -STOP THINKING AND JUST DO IT.

Your brain is yelling how much it hurts....at this point, you need to shut off the brain, turn on the heart and run for your life!!!! That’s what I did...all things being relative, I did my –Sprint-. It seemed to be successful at first...until the couple last steps before the line. I was sixth...by one second.

At the finish line that day. I started thinking about how it was going to feel in two weeks from now. I am getting a second shot at that line, there is something special about this race.

Many things make it unique. The experience I just described, of course....but also, the course. The race feels like a journey. There are two transitions, which I love. Starting at point A and finishing at point B is always something I enjoy. The swim starts on an elevated reservoir (on the top of a dam), after transition you bike across the dam and race down a hill. The bike course takes you through the country and includes some nice hills. The run is amazing, it starts and finished in downtown Boise and goes through some shaded areas along a bike path. And there is the stretch into the finish...just amazing. Oh, and did I mention it was an afternoon race? That should be something too!





I had my first contact with Bruce Regensburg and Dan Smith from Lifesport at that race, which was also something to remember and the newest thing that will make this race special is that my buddy Linsey will be there to fight just like last year...of course, mom will be cheering for me too.
I’m excited about this one!






Just a couple more days of hard work...and at this point when motivation is high...hard work just sounds like fun!