#42 – Compete in a triathlon – DONE!

 

Finally, the last race of the season! I have to admit regardless of the time it took me to complete the race – I’m proud of myself. As a competitive person by nature I obviously looked at my time and thought I could have done better but that’s not what this is about. This triathlon was about more than just a time, it was about completing something that I never thought was possible. This race took more inner strength than I could have possibly imagined and made me realize that I really can do anything that I put my mind to.

A few years ago I struggled to run in a 10km race. Yesterday I completed a 1500m swim, 41.8km bike, and 10 km run. It’s amazing how resilient our bodies are and how your brain and your attitude can give you a DNF or it can help you finish a race.

I’m writing down my story for my memories so feel free to read. If I loose you half way that’s ok too!

This summer was for training for this triathlon. I had initially signed up for a sprint distance because that was the practical thing to do. I really wanted to enjoy my experience and feel like I was ready to finish something of this magnitude. Two weeks before the race I decided to start swimming…

My Mom came with me to my first visit to the pool. Our goal was to swim the distance of the race I wanted to do (1500km) that way I would be over prepared for the race I was registered to do (750km). I finished the 1.5km at the pool in 47mins, so not any kind of shape for a race. By the end of my swimming training I was able to get my time down to 30 minutes for 62 lengths (25m).

Biking was fun for me until I got clip ins.. I had a few spills trying to unclip from my bike but with the help of a loaner bike trainer I felt like I had practiced enough to wear them during the race.

After the half marathon I felt like I could run a 10km race no problem. I went for a few jogs over lunch hour but nothing serious. Unfortunately a few days before the race the black toe that I got doing the half had started to pull away. Too much info? probably, but this was a moment where my body was winning over my mind (first time ever).

A week before the race, I switched my distance from sprint to Olympic.. what was I thinking? Well to be honest I just wanted to see how far I could really push myself and determine what I can really do!

Race day: Swim

Everyone was all decked out in their wetsuits and looked like they could swim for miles. Me? I was wearing a sports swim suit and a rash guard. Hmm.. one of these things is not like the other haha. I’m already feeling intimidated by all these people. I ended up chatting with a mother of four who was competing (also wasn’t wearing a wetsuit) and she put me at ease a little bit. So, how many triathlons have you done? None… Have you swam in open water? Nope. OK, so you’re just just going to wing it? Yep, that’s my game plan – just have fun!

The race starts and 50m in I’m shocked that the water is so cold. 100m in and I feel like I’m drowning in the water. It was one of the most terrifying experiences I have ever been in. At this point I thought to myself ‘how the heck am I going to finish this race?’ my mind panicked and my body went numb. I stopped and took a bit of a breather to calm myself down. 100m down – 1400 to go! All I could think to myself at this point is ‘Death before DNF’ I didn’t work this hard to not get past the swim portion of the race. 650m later I was able to swim and feel comfortable – I finished the race portion and was onto transition!

With the help of the trusty volunteers I was out safely and off to the next transition.

 

 

 

 

In the transition area I thought that I was going to black out and hit my head on the bike racks. I had to sit down and reassess the situation – should I continue? You bet I will! I get on my gear and head out of transition one and start my bike adventure.

My bike was clearly not set up to be an hk triathloner so I’m just riding along freezing from the water and enjoying my ride. The hill was the intimidating part on this ride. It was a km long and steep. The first lap I rode up the hill in the hardest gear possible, I had no idea that I had messed up the gear process that bad until I got to the top! Lap 2-5 went a lot smoother and I could honestly say that I ate hills for breakfast that morning.

Transition two comes up and I am terrified of falling in front of that many people! I dismount way too early and do it in the most awkward way possible but I did it without any falls. I see my sister, LD, Darren, Kiersti and my mom cheering me on by the entrance and I am pumped, it was the best feeling having that support there!

 

In transition number two I get my shoes on as fast as possible and forget to take off my shorts. Turns out it’s hard to take off spandex when shoes are on so I decided to run with them. Not the most comfortable decision I’ve ever made but it saved me some time.

 

Mind over body. Mind over body. All the motivational talks that Tyler had given me in the past came flooding into my head. I didn’t make it this far to start walking! I get into the groove of things and just keep running. Every hill felt like it was a mountain and with every step I could feel the finish line getting closer. My body had no clue what it was doing or why but it was doing it. Raisins in hand and the motivation of all of my supporters in my head I ran.

I’m almost finished and I felt disappointed that my cousin had left early. I turn the corner and he’s there waiting to run with me! I almost teared up at this point because that’s when your body hates you the most but your mind wants to be finished. He pushed me through the last half kilometre of the race! And this is exactly how I felt at the end of the race…

I have to admit there were a few tears at the end of that race. I finished it, not competitively but I finished it and I was so proud of myself for doing it!

Thanks to everyone who supported me in my triathlon. From Kait who pushed me through a few races at the beginning of the summer, Justin who inspired me to change the distance and go on a few bike rides, Tyler who ran with me a few times this summer and gave me a number of motivational talks, Matt who gave me some biking pointers and lent out his trainer, and my Dad who said ‘there’s no such thing as a DNF’ and believed in me  - although you weren’t there in person you helped inspire me along the way.

Thanks to Kiersti, Darren, LD, Lauren and my Mom for coming and supporting me at my race. Seeing you all cheer me on made such an impact on my spirits throughout the race. Thanks for sticking it out in the rain and showing up early enough to watch the race. It means more than you can imagine and I can honestly say I probably couldn’t have completed it with a smile on my face at the end without you guys. There were a ton of other supporters as well who made an impact on me either prior to the race or after and I feel very blessed for having so many wonderful people in my life!

Quote for the experience: We have two options – give up or fight like hell.

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last and definitely least are my times (no judging allowed):

Position #: 136 Time: 3:17:59 Place/Total: 14/18 Category: Women 20-20

Swim

Category: 150 Time: 40:22 /100m: 2:42

Bike

Category: 137 Time: 1:37:30 Km/hr: 24.6

Run

Category: 113 Time: 1:00:08 /km: 6:01

 

#42 – Compete in a triathlon

 

Not quite off the list yet! The race is in 5 days and I’m pretty nervous..

I’m doing this one solo and I’m excited to prove to myself that I can do it! I’ve dedicated my summer to training and it all comes down to this Sunday (hopefully it paid off and I don’t get a DNF haha). Transition prep is this Saturday so maybe I’ll have a better idea of how this whole triathlon thing really works.

I officially switched from the sprint distance to the Olympic distance just to make it that much tougher! I’m competing in the big leagues now so hopefully my competitiveness comes out and they help me push myself that much harder. 

So a recap for the summer:

2 10 km runs, one half marathon, and hopefully a completed Olympic distance triathlon.

So some details for the race in case anyone wants to come witness this:

Sunday August 8

Race Starts – 8:00am sharp

Lake Chaparral

half of # 6 – Run a Marathon

Well, since this technically isn’t crossing off number 6 – run a marathon, I decided to call this ½ of #6 (which technically it is!). I still thought that this was such a huge accomplishment so I’m writing about it regardless of whether or not I crossed another item off of the list.

I had heard that my friend Carolyn, from Vancouver, was running in a half marathon through the grapevine of related friends. I talked to her on June 27 and she sounded so excited after running the race that I decided that I should actually sign up for the half that I was supposed to run. I honestly didn’t have the guts nor was I ready to run that far, but I did it anyways. With a little inspiration and a good two weeks of training I thought I would be ready to race!

I decided to register with 11 days until the race and then realized that the fact that I hadn’t been training hasn’t changed since a few weeks ago. I developed an accelerated game plan so I could at least attempt to finish the race.

I had anticipated that my longest run would end up being the Wednesday prior to the race. I had just gotten new socks for my birthday so I was excited to try them out on the big run! One kilometre in, my side stitches were so bad I could barely breathe – I already felt defeated with 17 kms left. That day I made it to 14 kms and had to call it a day because running without breathing is a little complicated!

Having only run 14 kms as my maximum distance I did not feel prepared for race day at all! Again, I woke up with side stitches which were almost worse then the Wednesday  prior to the race. Not the best thing to wake up to race morning.

I showed up to the race and decided to fight the pain and just get it done! I packed up my raisins and ran the best I could given the circumstances.

I ran the entire race with Tyler until the last two kms. Luckily Justin came to support us and decided to push me through those last couple of kilometres. Although I felt like passing out while I was running with him he definitely kept me moving forward.

Although my goal was to finish the half marathon under two hours I finished in two hours and six minutes. To be honest, I don’t think that I could have completed the half marathon without the support that I had that day. Overall, it was an amazing experience but I definitely can’t remember much of it!

Cost of running a marathon: cut ankle, bruised toenail, a sore body, and the feeling that I can accomplish anything with support, determination, and a little competiveness.

Quote of the Race/Training: ‘You don’t change your goals, your goals change you’ - TM

#35 - Graduate from University

Well, I am proud to say that we have knocked another item off the list! This has been 6 years in the making and I could not be more proud of Kaitlyn.

I have only known Kaitlyn for four years now, and have only lived in the same city for one of those years, but within that short time it didn’t take me long to figure out that she is one smart cookie! I have to say that she has been one of the most outstanding students I have ever met. She is the most motivated and naturally talented girl that I know and will do anything to pursue excellence.

Without her even knowing it she has inspired me to keep pushing through classes even when I felt like giving up. The tears that I wanted to cry were held back because she understood how hard those classes are. She would always give me mini-pep talks (probably more to help her through her ridiculous econ courses) that kept me motivated and committed to studying.

Graduating with Honours in Economics cannot be easy; in fact it turns my stomach whenever I think about how challenging that must have been. Kait had a rough ride getting there but managed to come out alive.



Her family celebrated her graduation by inviting friends and family over to her house for a little get together. Her and her father made speeches to the group and I couldn’t hold back the tears. I am just so proud of Kaitlyn and I’m glad I got to be a part of her journey.

I only have one picture for now but I will add more pictures as soon as she send them!

Thought for Kaits graduation:

“You have brains in your head,
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
Any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”
- Dr. Seuss – Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

The New Bike

So the day had to come sooner or later - I got a new bike!

I was talking to one of the salesman about my knees killing me when I bike ride and he said that if I got a bike that fit properly I shouldn’t notice a thing! This almost brought tears to my eyes, I was so excited that I could actually ride a bike without wanting to get a knee replacement at the end of it!

Being the savvy shopper that I am, I wanted to look around for the best bang for my buck. Unfortunately, this also took me about a month to get up the guts to fork out the money to buy a new bike. I stuck to my guns and kept telling myself that it would be a great investment. So, I have officially put my years of agony behind me and have upgraded to a road bike. I purchased a Giant Avail and she is a beauty.



First bike ride of the season – I was really excited to get riding my bike and start training for that triathlon that Kait and I signed up for. I get on my bike and fifteen minutes later I was already complaining. It turns out that the seats on road bikes are definitely not anything to brag about. Any other seat would seem like a cloud compared to my seat; it almost feels like I’m riding on a piece of wood.



A few bike rides later and a really sore butt I was back in action. Knees felt good, butt felt.. umm.. manageable, and I was ready to keep training. I’m still thinking of where I need to go before I get to the triathlon in August. I’m still worried about riding 40kms and then having the enthusiasm, drive, and determination to complete a 10km run. I may need to have some cheerleaders situated at every 1km to help me finish the race.

It’s been snowing and raining here in Calgary so I’ve been a bit of a baby in terms on exercising in the cold. Summer has finally rolled around and I am determined to do well in this triathlon so if any of you want to go for a ride I'm in!

To end off the entry here is a quote from a man that will help me push through any kind of pain and cross that finish line with a smile on my face:

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”
– Lance Armstrong

Scotiabank 10km Run – Race number 2

Race Start time: 7:30

Temperature: 2°C

Well it was one of the last days of May and Mother Nature was a bit confused as to what season we were in. Kait and I, being the troopers that we are, still show up at the race start line at 6:47am. Yes you read that right – two degrees and not even 7am! That takes some heart..

The race started and Kait took off being her awesome runner self. She's really good at weaving through the crowd at the very beginning of the race. After about 10 minutes of trying to track where she was I could no longer see the blond ponytail swinging back and forth. I was officially on my own.. again.

I look around the crowd and found someone who was keeping the same pace as me. Luckily he was a trooper and decided to run with me for the first 5.5kms. Without him I don't think I could have achieved the time that I did. Sometimes I struggle with the fact that I'm running 10kms in freezing cold weather. After the 5.5km mark he said "Kayley, I can't run with you anymore – my heart hurts" and decided to walk after that.

At about 6.5km I picked up my next victim and we decided to finish the race together. We had been running at the same pace the whole race and decided to gather some inspiration from each other! Jo-Anne usually runs with her 16 year old son but he had pulled his quad and couldn't be there to keep her motivated. I was more than happy to fulfill his role for the last few kilometres.

At km 8 I heard someone call my name from the sideline – it was my Mom! She had made a sign at six in the morning just to keep me motivated on the last bit of the run. She ended up inspiring a lot of runners, some of which came running up to Jo-Anne and I saying how cool my Mom was.

In the last kilometre, Jo-Anne and I decided to pick up the pace! We decided that we would run as fast as we could without having to throw up. We both achieved our personal best for the race and it was a pretty exciting moment at the end (minus the nausea!). After we exchanged a few hugs we parted ways.

Kait's Time: 51:09 KM Pace: 5:07 Overall Place: 83/1241 Division: 17/150
Kayley's Time: 54:04 KM Pace: 5:25 Overall Place: 162/1241 Division: 32/150

This was our second race of the season and we still managed to mess up with the camera. Last race Kait forgot to put her batteries in her camera and this time I forgot to put my memory card in. So unlucky (or lucky) for you, you don't get to see too many pictures of the race.

Just a quick thought from race day: It's amazing how a stranger can be in your life for 15 minutes but within that time they will leave a memory with you for life.

Thanks to everyone who helped me beat my personal best by 5:02!

May 9 2010, Calgary

Race Start Time: 9:00am

Temperature: 0°C

Kait and I decided to start off our running season with a 'just for fun' 10k run. By the time May rolls around most people are thinking that there will be green grass and potentially some flowers looming around Calgary – why not?! It's May! I think that's a pretty reasonable assumption but Mother Nature can sometimes have a mind of her own.

We are standing on the platform waiting for the C-train when Kait says something she'll regret for the rest of the day – "At least it's not raining or snowing". We get downtown and guess what happens? It starts raining and then starts snowing. People actually do this for fun?! What were we thinking?

The race finally starts and we are ready, numb fingers and all. Although it was cold and our muscles were severely tight we both finished under an hour. For me I finished the race and achieved my personal best – don't get too excited I still have a long way to go!

Although I'm sure Kait won't be very impressed if I posted our results I'm going to anyways to track our progress over the season:

Kait – total race time 54:58 with a pace of 5:30

Kayley – race time 59:07 with a pace of 5:55

Next on the agenda is another 10km run is in 19 days! Stay tuned for the race update..

Quote of the day (courtesy of Lululemon): If it were easy, everyone would be doing it