Be Thankful

I’m currently sitting on a comfortable hospital chair, getting an IV to treat a debilitating disease, rheumatoid arthritis. It’s amazing that just 5 days ago I was racing in a triathlon. It’s incredible how I feel right now.

I have to come here at Mount Sinai Hospital every 2 months, sit in a chair for 4 hours to get that life changing infusion. The medication is called Remicade, and I’ve been on it for more than 2 years now. Remicade is a biologic medication that has been working incredibly well for me. I wouldn’t be where I am right now.

I wouldn’t be planning for next year’s racing season. I wouldn’t be able to ride for 2 hours, or even simply enjoy a walk on the beach with my husband and the dog playing around.

I know because I’ve been there. I’ve been stuck to my bed, not able to get up, not because I didn’t want to, but because my joints didn’t want to. I’ve been suffering from walking for only 15 minutes, or even just standing in one of the many line-ups the city life brings us.

I’ve been crying from desperation, wondering why it was happening to me, why no medication worked and doubting it was worth even fighting for. Remicade came at a right time in my life. I was ready for a change, not only on the medication side, but also in the way I took care of myself. I know Remicade is a big part of it, but at the same time I started to trust my capacities, take a better care of myself, by eating better, drinking less and exercising. I also have to give credit to my husband, whose support made a huge difference, and still does.

Yes I still have some bad days, but they are comparable to the good days from 5 years ago! As long as I don’t forget this, I will be happy.

I don’t need to win a triathlon (or relay, or Aquabike), I just need to be there. Body and soul. Being able to be there is the greatest gift I have. And it doesn’t just apply to triathlons. It applies to every single aspect of my life. Everybody should realize that they are lucky to be able to do whatever they’re doing.

Be Thankful.

Race Report - Guelph Lake 2 Triathlon

Saturday September 1st was the Guelph Lake 2 Triathlon.

It took me a while before writing this report, and I still don't know how to start. There are a lot of things to say, I just don't know how to put it in words right now. I suppose I just have to start and hope that the words will come.

Before I go into the details of the race, let's just say that me and my teammate weren't really ready for this one. He had a bad fall and hurt his back the week before. Not so good for running. As for me, I didn't really know what to expect. I knew theoretically, what would be happening during the swim, the transition, and the biking part. But I also knew that theory and reality are two different things, and you can't really know how you will cope with them until you are face to face with the different scenarios.

Something I didn't know was the bike course. The registration said rolling hills, fast course, so I figured it shouldn't be too bad! Fortunately, I went on a car ride on the morning of the race to have a look, so I wouldn't get surprised by hills, or whatever I would consider as a difficulty.

Don't worry, I'm not making any excuses for the race, I'm happy with the results and was not disappointed at all.

So my husband, the dog and I arrived at the race venue around 7:30am. I wanted to make sure I would have time to register, get my transition ready, and relax before the start. The venue was great, well organized. As for the temperature, the air was a cold 12C (54F) at the start of the race, and 18C (65) on the bike. And the water was a nice and warm 72F, so no worries about the swim being canceled this time! I was glad I could finally get my first real "Aquabike" race ever!!!

I got to transition. I setup my bike, got my helmet, bike shoes, socks and sunglasses neatly ready, and by 7:45 I was waiting for my teammate Neal to arrive, to get through registration. He called at 8:00am saying he took a wrong turn and wasn't so sure where to go. I tried not to stress too much about it, and trust his orientation skills. At 8:15am he showed up. Just enough time to get the race kit, get body marked, go one last time to the restrooms, put on the wetsuit, get my good luck kiss from my husband and jump in the water for a warmup as the first waves were starting.

The Swim
As I get into the water, the first thing I think is: I don't think I needed a wetsuit! Oh well, at least it's good practice for the transition! Then, walking to the start (it was a start in the water), I hit my big left toe on a big rock!! ouch! It really hurt, but I tried to ignore it, I had to concentrate on my swim. So here you go, our wave is called, and as I tried to seed myself, and get some space around me for a start, the horn goes off, and everybody throws themselves in the water and try to survive that first 100m. One women in the first row, right in front of me, started the race walking, when there was 4 feet of water! So I had to swim around her, bump into a couple of people and squeeze between two swimmer who weren't swimming straight.

After 200m it started to clear. Just as I was getting into a good tempo, one guy behind me decided it was a good idea to grab my ankle and pull it to help himself move forward. I tried really hard not to get frustrated about it, I knew it could happen, so I just sped up a bit and got out of reach. After that it was uneventful, going around the buoys wasn't so bad, and I think I did a pretty good job of swimming straight. My only issue, was that I didn't really know when to start sprinting to the end, or if I should have been sprinting at all. Oh well...I got out of the water in about 16 minutes (I'm not sure exactly), and started to run (or jog/walk) for the transition.
Distance: 750M Time: 18:10 (includes walk to transition) Rank: 10/17

Transition 1
The run/jog/walk to transition was rather long, at least for me, and it was also uphill. It took me almost 2 minutes to get to the timing mat at the start of the transition. I was also breathing hard and was starting to think that a sprint to the finish of the swim was not a good idea in a triathlon. I've been used to sprints at the finish in swimming competitions (a looooong time ago!). I got there anyway, and had already stripped the wetsuit below my bottom when I got to my bike. I sat on the ground to take it completely off. I figured I would loose too much time trying to keep my balance to take off my wetsuit, put my socks and shoes on, so I just sat. I struggled a bit with the wetsuit at my ankles, but it finally was off. I didn't wipe anything, there was nice grass to wipe the feet on the way up. Got ready, grabbed my bike, and I was ready (or not) for the bike course!
Time: 2:40 Rank: 16/17 (but it was a relay, so most people weren't really transitioning after all)

The Bike
That's the part where I'm a bit confused. I think I lost some focus, I think it kicked my but, and I think I could have pushed more.
There were challenging hills for me, but I climbed them all, and didn't hurt too much. The fact that there wasn't much pain is probably the reason I think I could have pushed some more. Also, I was not gasping for air as much as the last (and first) triathlon I did. My nutrition was good, I didn't feel a low in energy, no cramps, no upset stomach, nothing! Even my joints were in good shape! I guess I was expecting some sort of pain, because the first tri I did was painful, and it was on a flat course!
I passed some people, most people passed me. But I saw a couple of people walking their expensive bikes up some hills, and that made me feel a bit better. Sorry for the walkers, I think it's great that they're in triathlons anyway. :) I used the aero bars for about 90% of the time, and felt very comfortable riding aero. I made some last minute adjustments to my bike the week before, and it paid off. The only problem is that it was so hilly I had to change gears quite often, and had to get out of aero every time. Aero shifters are definitely an upgrade I'll get soon! Nothing special happened on the bike, except that I wasn't fast enough to my liking.
Distance: 30km Time: 1:08:18 Rank: 14/17

My Husband and the dog Cheering for me (or checking how long it took me) :o)

Transition 2
I got to the dismount line, unclipped my bike without a problem, and ran through transition to the bike rack, where somebody racked their bike on my spot! My bag was still there, but I suppose they liked the idea of the closest more convenient spot! I probably lost 10-20 secs there because I fumbled with the bike to get it racked successfully. Then my teammate was gone for his run.
Time: 1:21 Rank: 16/17

The Run
The run went well for my teammate, considering his bad back. He was lucky enough to run at the same pace than a 3 times Ironman finisher, recovering from an injury. That gives some boost! He was able to finish his longest run ever, a 7km, without making his back worse, and enjoying his day!
Distance: 7km Time: 47:37 Rank: 17/17

Overall: 2:18:04 Rank: 16/17

Whoohoo! Not Last!!

All in all, we're pretty happy with the result, and we had an amazingly nice day! Oh and I won a t-shirt. Too big for me of course, they never carry x-small, so it's my husband's now! He's starting a collection. :oP Anyway, I'm starting to think about the possibilities for the next season. Sprint, Olympic for sure, Half Iron as an Aquabike if possible. As for the toe, it was red for two days after that, and it was hurting. At least it didn't turn blue! I was limping quite a lot, but it's back to normal now. I didn't feel it at all during the race.