4:26!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not one to usually announce my personal goals for a race outloud before the race actually happens but I decided to go out on a whim this time. Just before bed time the night of the race my facebook status read, "sub 4:40 or bust."...I know its a fast course but I didn't think I'd bust that by 14 minutes and end up on the podium...although that was a goal too :)

Something was different about race morning...and this week in general. I haven't had nerves like that in a WHILE. Like literally getting off the plane I had to talk myself through a meltdown. The few days before was okay because I was around all my Lifesport peeps and Mum and Dad were there too but race morning the nerves came back. Different than any other race this season (or any race the past few years even...like before university alomst) where I had a yeah, I'm here lets go get this done attitude. I went back to my old habit from years ago and jammed the headphones in my ears and cranked up the tunes so I couldn't hear a soul and didn't talk to anyone. The last time I did that was honestly in high school when I was actually winning XC and track races. I always wondered whether I would find that "place" ever again and I seriously felt like I got there before this race. I told Paul on Thursday before the race that I was REALLY nervous and even had a taper week meltdown and when he asked me why I thought I felt that way I said its because I knew I was ready.

...so here's the report:

SWIM: hmmm...I was nervous...and I was even more nervous since we weren't allowed in the water for a warm-up but I did lots of good stretching before having to calm Janet down in the 10 seconds before jumping in.

It took me a little while to get going but I paid attention to the good turnover I felt like I've had recently in workouts in the pool, looked for other red caps, and just went (and avoided the random men who thought it'd be a good idea just to stop and stand up halfway through when it got shallow). For some reason it felt REALLY long but I turned in a 29:59 (yes, note that. the one second counts)...although it would've been faster if the old men in front of us didn't decide to take their silly time and mosey on up the SKINNY boat ramp we had to run up. It was only wide enough for two people. Janet said she chucked some men out of the way. haha. I was SO pissed...but after that I ran past the wetsuit strippers (if ya gotta put it on yourself you should be able to take it off yourself), grabbed my things and I was outta there.

here's where I dropped an F bomb...kinda loud too.

BIKE: I always put a rubber band around the neck of one of my water bottles and hook the sunglasses through that so get on the bike and get going and then pull them out and put them on (I learned that trick from Lisa)...this time they wouldn't come out so I got pissed and tried to snap the rubber band like it does on my shoes. Well apparently that was a bad idea because it also yanked my bottle out of the cage. I got my glasses but lost 16oz in the mean time. F***. Not even two minutes into the bike. Part of me mentally prepared for a bonk. As for the actual bike. I got really tired earlier this week reading comments about it being such a draftfest blah blah blah whine whine whine...well you know what...half those comments came from people who didn't qualify for or do the actual race. It's flat, what can you expect. Stuck in a pack or not, I worked my ass of regardless of whether or not I got sucked into that. I can give you my heart rates if you'd like them. It is what it is and I'm pretty darn pleased with a 2:20 while running on dry for a good portion towards the end end. I just kept repeating "don't bonk. pace it out. don't bonk. pace it out. eat. salt. eat. salt. wet mouth, etc." It was fun being there right with Janet getting off the bike. It always makes things a bit better with a friend so you can push each other. It reminds me of the Vancouver half and heading out onto the run with Lysanne.

RUN: man o man was that deceptive. Running up and over that bridge was TOUGH. I do so many runs by myself that I don't realize when I'm grunting outloud when I'm hurting. I didn't get too many looks when I subconsciously did it except for once on the second lap. I told that woman that I didn't realize I did that out loud. haha. Lap 1 I was still on a bit of a high after biking 2:20. Lap 2...not so much. At one point when I saw Paul I said, "I threw up in my mouth already."...his response..."Then run faster." Thanks coach. Good pep talk. haha. Just kidding. I got a bit of a chuckle. I didn't see anything written on the Ford motivational board for me until the second lap and one mile to go. I'm still not sure who wrote it but now I know what people mean when they say they're so tired they get emotional. For a second I got emotional...then I just smiled and laughed at myself for getting that way. Lance was at the last water station and encouraged me to go for it so I found another gear to kick it home.



The chaffing. So while on the bike my shorts rode up and then the following two hours my thighs just brushed the nose of my seat on EVERY pedal stroke. It is by far the worst thing of that sort that I have ever seen...and I'm not the first one to say that too. It burned so badly at the finish that I had a cold gatorade bottle pretty much in my crotch (the rub is on the inner upper thighs though). Later in the shower I screamed repeatedly while it burned...and for the past 4 days I have healed to my pants every single day. Today being the worst. It bled. It looks like road rash actually...just in a spot you'd never get road rash. At work today I was wearing leggings thinking that would be better than sticking to my jeans again but it was AWFUL. I went to the bathroom at one point and was so tired of the ripping sensation that I held my leggings down on it so that I could just leave it stuck and not have to be in pain while I peed, only to make it stick worse next time around from it getting moist after ripping it off (I hope that made sense. ha.) I hopped on the trainer tonight and since I'm all out of bandaids and didn't feel like ripping what little skin I have left on my legs (its to the point where its white in the middle and bled) and had to shove saran wrap in there. Thank god. What a life saver.

Now that I'm back to having a life again I feel like my inner clutz is returning and I will have plenty of stories to blog about like I used to. Day 1 in Clearwater included me getting sloshed into that "swim area" pole out in the water that was covered in barnicles (scrapped my foot). Then I scrapped my face on the bottom of the ocean while practicing a race start. Janet laughed at me when my face was bleeding. She didn't want to go ride with me later even...where I did almost get blown over once. After that I tried to take my shirt off while wearing my aero helmet. The rest of the day I confined myself to my room so I'd stay in one piece.

This week is another story. It all started with the blue screen of death on my computer on Tuesday. 2 hours later with a frozen computer and having gotten nothing done I took my lunch break and went to the bank. Then I got a speeding ticket and a warning that I must become an official Washingtonian and get a new drivers license if I'm gonna live here. The next morning I went to Mac's masters group to mix things up and see if I liked it compared to FW Kings. I couldn't find my car in the parking garage when I left and I WOULD'VE had enough gas to get to work if there wasn't a fatal wreck that pretty much blocked everything while they investigated. With no exit in sight and semis trying to merge right my "how many miles left in the tank" gauge went from 15 to ZERO. yup. The worst possible time to run out of gas. I had zero left in the tank. I panicked and tried to call mum like 4 times. Called for a possible rescue. Thought about how funny it would be to push my car down I-5 in high heels...and managed a quick chuckle. Somehow I inched my way over left. The zero lasted me about 10 minutes and I made it to a gas station by the hair of my chin. Little blue was sounding VERY grumpy. My computer froze another few times and when I got home in the evening I dropped my groceries and watched them roll down the street. Oh yeah, I lost the bottom to my heel again. This time it's officially lost. Yup. That's been my week. Awesome. The blue screen cursed me but they swapped out my computer and things are on the upswing.

Tomorrow I'm going to Victoria after work...and (drum roll please)...I'm NOT TAKING MY BIKE! what??? yeah, I must admit it feels kinda weird and I feel like I'm slacking or something like skipping a workout.

As for that Plan B/Plan A or whatever it was that I mentioned...I had asked Paul if I could run the Seattle Marathon. He told me in FL if I had a good race that it would earn me some brownie points and some leverage in the decision. After my 3rd place finish he said think about it for a few days. Sunday I was hurting so it was a no. Monday I got excited about the idea again. Today I'm just kinda stressed getting the last of my things out of my place in Vic by the end of the month and not sure whether or not I'll have to go back next weekend too so I think I'm just gonna say no. Mac says its always AWFUL nasty weather. My brain kinda hurts from so much training until this late in the season. I do have an awesome offseason task though. TT BIKE!!!!!!!!!!

On that note I'm gonna end this here.

"You have to want it badly"

That's a good statement when it comes to sport...but in this case it was referring to chocolate. Well, Mum was referring to chocolate and having to walk out of the hotel onto the windy street and down a block to get some. I think it is most definitely appropriate for tomorrow as well. It might be my mantra and remind me that I did buy some chocolate milk tonight for post race. If I "want it badly" I'll go faster and get to the chocolate milk faster. That's a way to do it I suppose. Either way I'm gonna go fast.

I'm in Clearwater...getting ready to race tomorrow and I can't wait. I had a taper meltdown earlier this week and had Kyle tell me to STFU. It's what I needed. In fact, I was the one who told him to tell me to STFU. Then he reminded me that I ran 5:30 miles in the cold rain on Saturday. I am ready.

On that note I'd like to thank Kyle and Macbeth for being so awesome in helping me in my new venture as of lately. They let me sleep on their couch until I both found a place and actually got a bed. Things are starting to come together and I love where I live. It's starting to feel like home which is a good sign. Last weekend we had a bit of a furniture party. While I was putting a bathroom shelf together they were putting their new bed frame together...then they came over and we put their old bed frame together at my place (I bought it from them. perfect timing). Then there was my dresser. That I got from Ikea. I stared at it on the shelf for a few minutes pondering whether or not all 105 lbs of me could move the 93 lb box onto the cart. I did actually try for a second and then figured I shouldn't be so stupid. After that it stayed in my car for a day until I had help. Oh...and then there were the crotchety old women at ikea. I was in the process of seeing if the sheets I was getting would match the duvet cover I had. When I walked over to the wall to make the match these two women tugged on my exact cover and said, "ugh...god...that would give me a hangover." I decided it was best not to say anything and ended up laughing. It's not as bad as that just sounded. Mac said it didn't give her a hangover. It's a magenta pink with some subtle swirls on it and it ads the perfect pop of color to the room with a black bedframe...so there. I like it.

On to Clearwater. I need to get to bed so I'm gonna wrap this up ASAP. Got here on Wednesday...at midnight. man o man. Unfortunately that was only 9pm my time so I was still awake and rather hungry but I was able to get a yummy club sandwich. Best decision ever. The hotel is NICE!!!

Day 1...oh day 1. It was definitely one of those days. I went to the pier to do a morning swim in the ocean after the Lifesport swim clinic talk. It was like a washing machine out there. Going out was fun...then we went right. Janet and I thought we were going to hurl not long later so we went back in the other direct. That's when Mark and I got tossed into the "swim area" pole that was covered with barnicles. Just some minor scratches on my toes. no biggie, but it still hurt. Onto some beach run ins. I swear the waves made it look a lot deeper than it really was. A few dolphin dives later and I probably was not too far off breaking my nose. OUCH. Janet laughed when I had blood on my face. haha. Ok. it really was kinda funny. Minor scratches on that as well. Paul congratulated J on finding two people clumsier than her and was surprised it was me and not her. haha. too funny. She was unsure of whether or not she should go bike with me but I managed to stay upright...just barely. And finally...I tried to take my shirt off with my aero helmet still on. Oh what a day. I confined myself to the room after that so I'd stay in one piece. Today was more maintenance and I'm tired so I'm just gonna end this with a few pics.

Remember..."you have to want it badly"...whether or not its chocolate or a race. I'll do it for both tomorrow. I like chocolate.


Before my clutsy swim I made a turtle.

Coach J's ocean view.

#1326 all checked in.

I sweat chlorine.

Dear Coach Paul. I've been swimming so much lately that I just sweated chlorine on the bike. no joke. I can smell it.

The only reason I mind swimming so much is that it means getting up at 4:45am but other than that I've enjoyed feeling rather fishy lately. Is it weird that the highlight of my day tomorrow is that it is the one day that I don't have to swim in the morning this week? That means I get to sleep until like 6am!!!!

Today felt rather girly. On a whim I decided to put on high heels with my pants. I cave in too much and wear my flats (which need to be retired soon). At lunch I got my eyebrows threaded and later in the day I broke off the tip of one of the heels of my FAVORITE shoes. So I was walking the file cart back to the back room when stupid me tripped on it. Whatever. Kinda normal. On the way back to our cubicle I saw something funny on the floor and then realized it was the tip of a high heeled shoe. First reaction was to laugh and think...that sucks. I'm glad its not from my favorite pair of heels (so much my only favorite heels that I plan outfits around the shoes specifically. I'm not so good with heels and these are actually super comfy)...then I thought maybe I should just double check...and sure enough it was mine. Nothing a little super glue won't fix but I almost lost it again later in my car. I never thought I'd be the girl to break a heel.

In other news I got a mattress today...unfortunately I won't get it till Thursday so its back to the couch for me...and not my couch. I don't have one yet but one of the ladies on my master's team wants to give me one. It's purple but when you're starting with scratch you can make it work. In university Mum made a slip cover for my couch in my apartment so maybe I can do something like that if I'm not a fan of the purple.

As of tomorrow I leave for Clearwater in one week exactly. Exciting!!! After Sunday's two hour run I really feel ready...and ready for that post Clearwater plan I'm working on ;) ;). If not, no biggie but it would really really be fun. Kamal saw me running around the 1hr30 mark at Beaver Lake and apparently yelled at me but z-3 at that point and I was in a zone. He said I looked like I was trucking which sounds awesome to me. I actually felt really really good and could've kept going but my brain was tired and I had to catch a ferry eventually.

I think that's it. Sleep time. Here are some Halloween pics.




my awesome pedicure shelley decided to give me after a few drinks. haha.

ouch

Today I fell over. Somehow I'm not surprised. I was wondering about my fantastic idea to tie my running shoes to dangle them around my neck because I was riding to Hillerie's to meet her for a ride but I had a run off the bike so I had to take them with me (I'm in Victoria for the weekend). A nice lady asked if I was okay...embarrassed was more like it because I was in the middle of the intersection of Superior and Menzies. Go me. I hope I at least have one nice bruise as a showcase of my awesomeness. My left elbow hurts on the bone, a spot on my calf feels like it got punched in the muscle, and my right hand??? But I fell to the left. How my right hand? No worries everyone. All is better now. I was going maybe 5 miles an hour (I suppose I have to speak American now that I'll be back in WA).

The last week and a half has been pretty hectic which is why I haven't posted. Night #1 I slept on MEs couch with a banana. Yup. A banana.

After that I've been at Kyle and Macbeth's. They've been super awesome in letting me stay there until I found a place/while I've been bedless. haha. It's been nice being around people that spend half their evening after working 8-5 doing work outs. Positive engergy. I like that.

My second first day at work was a lot better than my first first day back in february. I've already said that on that day I spent 8 hours in the copy room. This time everything was back to the way it was when I left in June. I got my corner of the cubicle (different cubicle though and not by the window. they moved pods around and I don't want to be by the window again anyways because I don't like looking at the sunny weather come spring time when I'll wish I was outdoors instead), email, login stuff and all that jazz just like before. Randee still thinks I'm weird for all the workouts I do and stuff like bringing my green juice in from Trader Joe's. The office "war" that was going on before I left is still continuing. This is my desk when I returned from a bathroom break the other day. It's happened multiple times since.

No worries though. I've got plans that include jello.

On top of the chaos I had some kick ass workouts...on top of a few where I fizzled out a bit but that happens after a few bigs weeks. Some include my mile repeats at half marathon pace. I will admit that Kyle did not get chicked but Macbeth secretly admitted that he said I worked him but he was determined not to cave in...I suppose nobody has to know that I did double the amount. shhh. lol. To make up for that the guys did smash me on the bike last Saturday but I was trying to keep it base pace while they were being silently competitive. I can't go into too much detail with things though. Coach J is on the prowl trying to steal my workouts :)...BUT she doesn't want to join me for my 2 hour run tomorrow :( ...anyways...back to some of last week. I had some 100s in the pool that I did in all 1:11s!!! J called bullshit but then I admitted that it was yards. Personally I'm a meters fan but you gotta deal with what you have access to. I converted it though and that comes out to 1:18s which is good for that set.

Last night on my way here the ferry gods decided to be nice to me for once. I have on several occasions been the first car not on the ferry. This time I was in a race to catch the very last one of the evening. I had a reservation but that only helps when you get there 30 min in advance. The last ferry is at 9 and I made it to the border at 8:15. Luckily there were only like 5 cars in front of me and the lady in the booth wasn't too unfriendly. I got out my "yes...no...yes...mortgage office...sunday...monday...no" answers and bolted and made it literally with 5 minutes to spare I kid you not. I paid and pretty much drove right on the boat. Phew...I would've been stuck on the mainland and I had a ton I had to get done today (both workout and non workout related). At 11pm on my drive into town once I got off the ferry I had a random thought. A good one. Bree's post on all her plans must've triggered it in my head. I'm not sure whether or not to call it plan A or plan B though...I suppse plan B since it's not what was planned already and is the alternative. Coach P was thrilled when I told him that Bree told me to pester the hell out of him. haha. Day #1 of pestering didn't seem like it is going to be successful but there is hope. Here's to the start of day #2.

So that's the short up to date version. Tonight was Lianna and Mark's Halloween bash out at their place in Sidney. The whole Lifesport gang showed up and provided many good laughs and lots of pics on my part :). The quotes of the evening definitely go to "Coach" J though..."Paul! Did you know she's running TWO HOURS tomorrow?...that's f***in retarded!"...hahaha. it's a good thing he's the one who tells me what to do. haha. more on all that later. It's deserving of its own separate post.

It's a good thing I kept my box of business cards

A friend told me last week that I need to stop searching for change. My response was that I'm not searching for change, but I'm searching for a constant...a constant of happiness and being comfortable with myself. 2009 has been a year of ups and downs and a lot of growing. I moved across the country after finishing university in december, got my first 8-5 job, continued my training on top of that and qualified for Clearwater (as well as already having a spot for short course worlds on the Gold Coast), ran away from life and the real world for a bit, and have been itching to get back into that groove for a while now that I've got my shit back together. Ha. I was told (in list form) that one of the problems back in Tacoma had to do with me working 8-5 and that I didn't have to work 8-5. He'd help support me. Well as nice as that is, I like to think of myself as an independent woman that doesn't have to depend on others. I'm too type A for free time anyways. A training schedule and work schedule makes me happy with structure in my life. Sure my parents are willing to help me when needed here and there in time of need but they know that I hate asking for help. Thank goodness that I feel the way that I do and I never listened to that suggestion because me working 8-5 + overtime hours earlier this year was the only reason I've been able to support myself right now the past few months while being unemployed. In fact...that was a topic of conversation at Canadian Thanksgiving dinner. Denise told me never ever ever ever let yourself be dependent on someone else. This time around I'm ready for it all on my own. Nobody sharing rent, water, electricity, or basics like furniture. The furniture wasn't mine before so I'm gonna have to start over (well...there is my dresser in storage but eff that. It was from target and this is my fresh start. I'd have to make contact to get it back anyways.). Kyle said he'd take me to Ikea once I find a place and I figured I'd just start off with a bed, dresser...and internet of course. Who needs a couch anyways. I've got all my kitchen utensils but the place can come together piece by piece once a month. This is a little all of the sudden for me and I know I'm sounding a bit vague but I suppose you have to go where the work is sometimes...especially right now when things are scarce...and especially here on the island. I came up here with the intentions of finding work, being near family, friends, and training partners. It's been great and it has most definitely breathed the life back into me that had been sucked out longer than just then. My mom even said that. I wasn't happy for months and months and months before. The problem this time is the fact that I have to go where the work is...back to the point of origin that I originally ran away from but this time it feels way different. I feel different. I feel like I can breath. I don't find myself thinking about the past and this is the last time I'm going to talk about it. My closure. I'm a new me, and in a way the old bubbly me that got lost in a world of negativity. The first time I went there with somebody else. Somebody to help me get used to the big adult world out there for the first time, 3,000 miles away from my parents. Pay my own bills...well...share bills. That was nice...But I'm excited to do it all on my own this time. I love Victoria and I love triathlon but the real world is calling. Nothing is gonna change because I made it work before...it just means that I have to leave here, will go back to getting up at 5am for workout #1 and doing workout #2 at 6pm. With that said, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to go back and work for the wholesale mortgage company I was working for earlier this year. I am both excited and very appreciative that they are giving me the opportunity again because I learned tons in an area I had never pictured myself as a poly sci major/spanish minor and loved the people I worked with (I remember my first day when I spent 8 hours in the copy room with the 300+ page files, SO nervous that I was going to spill one and not know what order to put all these important pages in but by June I was one of those people putting all those pages in the files in the correct order for shipping to the investors for purchasing). It was just the wrong time and place for me at the time and I needed to regroup. It's a good thing I kept my business cards...I wonder if my desk phone number will be the same. haha.

On a different note...I had a beastly weekend. 9 hours in total. 6/5/4/3/2/1 fartlek with the gang Saturday morning. It was absolutely pouring out and I feel like I should've logged that one out as a swim as well. Hillerie wasn't too happy with the puddle splashing during warm-up but you're bound to get your feet wet eventually. I thought I was running comfortable for the first 6'...well I WAS running comfortable but went through 1 mile at 5:45 and paid for it by the 4/3/2/ and 1 minute efforts. After that...a 4 hour ride. I got all excited when I left my building at 2. There was a gap in the downpour...but not for long. 45 minutes out and I was drenched. My "I hate my life" moments came at 1hr (when I stopped at the co-op to eat a gel, and throw away the two nuun tablets I had put in my bento box sans container because I didn't have room for it. They had started to fizz up from the rain), 1hr35, 2hrs5, 2hrs30 (when I was doing the 10 minutes recovery in between 3x20min and I was getting super cold), and hour 3 to 3 1/2 (when the rain let up and the sun was behind the tops of the trees and I was even more cold). Lianna and Mark found me around the 2 hour mark but I wasn't too happy, I didn't smile, and all I said was that I was cold. Despite being miserable, I knew I'd feel like a rockstar when 4hours showed up on my computer...and that I did...and then I ate a ton...after I figured out how to get in my building since they changed the locks in the time frame that I was gone. NOT the right time for that. I was hungry and cold and and wet and it had just gotten dark and I was easily piss-off-able. The lesson learned for the day is get a fender no matter how much of a Diva my bike is (no pun intended). It's filthy and I need to clean it now and I don't like getting that brown stripe up my bum.


Sunday was a 2hr15 minute run and a swim. Kamal ran with me for the first hour because he had an 80 minute run, then I was on my own. I ran a lap of Beaver/Elk, ran over and did a lap of the Bog, and back for another lap of Beaver/Elk. Thank goodness for Grandma and Grandpa. I went over to their place between run and swim and they refueled me. I almost thought it pointless to take a shower between workouts but I figured I'd feel better and that's when Grandma said, "well...when I run 30k, I always feel better after I take a shower." ha. she was being sarcastic but it was funny. An old man thought something was seriously wrong with me at the pool because I stared off into space for a good 15 minutes before actually jumping in (longer than usual). He said he thought I had a lot on my mind but it was really just the opposite. Empty mind. Felt like a zombie...but once I got in he said he was impressed with me after such a big weekend.

Other than that, I've been back at my place this week. Dan got back from Hawaii so I'm no longer house sitting. It took me a while to notice...obviously because I wasn't here...but Erin rearranged some magnets on my fridge, thanking me for letting her stay here the night before the RVM half. It made me laugh...partially because I was more surprised that she found such a clean arrangement of poetry magnets in a cup full of poetry magnets that aren't very clean in vocabulary. hahahaha.



ahhhh...I gotta stop staring at my stuff and make some progress.

Elvis told me he wished he had pink sleeves like me

For real. He did. Right before the 17k mark I believe. He told me he liked my HOT PINK sleeves and needed some of his own. Dallas Rd. had just unleashed a bit of hurt on me on that gradual uphill and I wasn't very happy but I still managed a bit of a chuckle to get me moving again for the finish. Anyways...today I ran the RVM half marathon. It was a tid bit nipply out and I usually get wimpy and overdress partly because I don't want to be cold pre-race and then I end up getting really hot during the race...BUT not this time. I took it like a man and wore shorts, a tank top, and HOT pink sleeves (although I suppose a man might not have worn a girly running tank top and hot pink sleeves). I was gonna wear gloves but ended up wearing socks instead...yes...socks on my hands. My race support was in need of some gloves and I didn't want to chuck that pair mid race anyways so I grabbed an old pair of socks instead (I conveniently live 2 blocks from the starting line). I'm not gonna lie. I felt a little weird wiping sweat off my face with an old pair of socks. OH!!!...and the first aid station...I looked at my hands and said to Janet, "I can't grab water with socks on my hands"...or reach into my sports bra and grab a gel, but all worked out though.

The plan: Janet told me she was gonna leave the beginning pace up to me because she goes out to fast...well the problem is I go out too fast. SO...just this once...but don't tell P...I told her I'd chitchat for a K or so. I figured that would slow the pace down. We both agreed building throughout the race starting at like 4:10s or so would be good but sure enough we went through in 3:55...that is when we said a bad word or two. The Ks kept ticking away after that and I went through 5k faster than when I died in my 5k TT last week the day after ballin' on the Malahat with Hillerie and John. Then I went through 10k right at 40 flat, did the math in my head and thought, wow...that's 1:24 pace and I feel pretty decent. Even better was my HR was really in check at the upper end of z-3 which was pretty comfortable. Then we got to Oak Bay and it started to hurt. Then the dreaded gradual uphill on Dallas Rd. came. That hurt too and that's when I only muttered grunts. I should probably mention that from 10k on I was COMPLETELY alone. No mans land. I feel like I always end up there. When Elvis made me laugh I caught another wind and made myself reel in two guys in front of me. 1:25:29. I'll take it. Maybe I should have a glass of red wine with dinner every night before a race from now on. haha. My former PR was off the bike in a half Ironman so its good to have one in an open race and a good mental boost for Clearwater knowing that I haven't lost momentum yet while everyone else is in the offseason pretty much.

The only unfortunate part of the day is that Erin's mother happened to capture of photo of "the face." I would like to point out though that the face did not appear till that stretch on Dallas Rd. by the 16k mark.


John just sent me a super nice congrats email so I'll give him a shout out for that. It went something like this:

Sam,

You rock!

That was a most impressive time for the RVM ½ Marathon . You are my hero.


Other than that I had a really good weekend. Saturday I just had a 2 hour ride but didn't have to ride alone again which was nice :)...although it was fast company so I felt like I was slow...especially when I tried to be funny and make some break-a-ways that lasted all of 10 seconds, followed by a look of don't even try. haha. ...and the mid warm-up stop for a double expresso shot might have to be a new must for me from now on.

As for right now I'm trying to make myself open my LSAT book but I'm tired and laying on the floor instead. Tomorrow is Canadian Thanksgiving so I'm going to Gma and Gpas for a bit and then to the Champion's along with Hillerie and Magali. I need to go get a bottle of wine to take with me.

Apparently I'm recognizable mid flipturn. Hillerie showed up at the pool and recognized my bum...that's when she said to herself, "I recognize that ass!" She told me she tried to stop me with a kickboard but I kept going. Sounds like I was focusing mid set doesn't it?...I think I was 200m into my warm-up.

I had a first today...my first EVER mid ride pee in the bush. I prefer a toilet but there was a big chunk of climbing coming up and I figured I'd be more comfortable if I just went for it. I get afraid I'm gonna pee on myself so I was THAT kid at summer camp that thought you had to take off both underwear and shorts and shoes and socks to prevent that from happening. I had too much spandex on today to try and attempt that...and I didn't pee on myself. I did almost get caught on a thorny bush though. Hillerie told me I yelled exactly like I did when we were blackberry picking. I believe I told her (in defense of my yelling) that I didn't want to prickle my hoo-hoo (yes, I called it that). Other than that I lost a power gel in my sports bra. I was wearing a skin tight under armor top with a high neck (it was a tid bit nipply out) so I really had to fish for it...BUT I FOUND IT. Thank goodness for my HR monitor. Who knows where it would've ended up. When I couldn't find it where I left it, Hillerie told me it probably fell to my buttcrack. Not possible because it was in the front, but it was still funny. I really think things just get out of hand after a few hours of sweatiness...although 10 minutes into the ride, John blew a snot rocket that made me scream because I thought it was gonna fly back at me (but Hillerie said he'd perfected the downward blow so there was nothing to worry about).

I suppose I should talk about the actual ride a bit too. Up the Malahat, around Shawnigan Lake, back down the Malahat...plus some till 4 hours was up. I think that's a good enough explanation. It was great to have company along for the ride. I was dreading doing it by myself all week. I later told Hillerie I thought I was going to die because I was hurting right from the start for the first 30-45 min...like, before the Malahat had even started. I guess I'm so used to riding by myself that I don't even realize I grunt sometimes but she heard me a few times and thought I was gonna die to. Luckily it all clicked and my legs decided they wanted to have fun today.

In other news, I'm house/pet sitting for Coach Dan. I've got 3 buddies (Jada, Mae, and Emma) while everyone is in Kona. I think there is something really big going on there. It seems that way every October. Who knows? :) I told him I'd give pet reports on my blog so here goes. Jada just farted, Mae follows me around and wakes me up at 7am on the dot in the mornings, and Emma is making more of an appearance. I think that's about it. I'll go get more milkbones for Jada tomorrow. She had the last one in the jar tonight.

Since blogs are boring without pictures, here is a pic of me and the now famous Hillerie at Paul's housewarming party last sunday. Rough view.