My first time...

So much happened since the last time I wrote that I was postponing on writing about everything.

First of all, training last week was not so good. Change of temperature, laziness and the prospect of dipping my feet in water early on the dark mornings held me back too much. I also had difficulty with going early to bed, so I was not starting really fresh on mornings.

Another thing: I have to resist the snooze button! Not so long ago, I was a night hawk. I really love getting up early and feeling I actually accomplish things during my day, but apparently, I forgot about it and have to relearn some things. I started better this week (biked on Monday and this morning, and swam yesterday)! Actually, I had some extra motivation: new toys!

It was Toronto’s fall bike show this week-end. An inventory blow-out sale…I knew before getting there it would be hard to resist. I didn’t know at what point though! My first idea when I decided to commit to an Aquabike, was to do my first couple of races on my mountain bike. I’ve never had a road bike in my life, and I knew I would like to get one eventually, I just didn’t know how soon I could.

Hubby, being very supportive, helped a lot with the decisions on that day…Ouch for the wallet, but hey you should have seen my smile! :-) I was in fact alternating between smiles and shaking my head…

So my first idea was to get a road bike. And I got one. Entry level Specialized Allez, satisfying and was running quite smooth. Also didn’t hurt too much the budget (750$ CAD taxes in for brand new). Once I got that, we started thinking: if I get a bike right now, might as well get a trainer, so that I can ride it as much as possible, especially during winter…So we start looking for a good trainer. We spot one, a fluid CycleOps for 300$ CAD + tax (usually worth 400$). We decide that we want to go (again) around the different kiosks to check if there are better prices for the same trainer. There’s a lot of competition in there, so might as well try to take advantage of it!

So my bb, comes back to me after a couple of minutes, and asks me to follow him. Cool, he found a good deal! Well, yeah, it was a good deal: a tri bike! Arg! I had my bike already! I was not shopping for a bike anymore! So my husband decided to keep my road bike for himself, and I got an entry level 2005 never used tri bike (Quintana Roo) for (900$ CAD taxes in.) plus a fluid trainer for 260$ taxes in. Boy, what a day!

And it was not over, I had to get biking shoes + pedals, another computer…So it ended up being pretty expensive, but I’m almost done with guilt by now.

Was a tri bike necessary? Definitely not! Especially because I’m not doing the running portion. But my idea was to buy an entry level bike and upgrade in a couple of years, so meanwhile I’ll have a bit of fun.

I’m a road/tri bike virgin! Never rode them, never even try clipless before!

So this week I did some experiment. The first time I tried to unclip, I simply wasn’t able to. Good thing I got that trainer! :-) The second time, I hurt my ankle. Then I checked if the release tension was at the minimum. Did some adjustment here and there, and it is better. I still don’t think I’m ready for a ride out there, as I have difficulty to unclip quickly, but I’m getting there.

This morning, I did one leg drills. Oof I have some work to do with my left leg! As expected, it’s my weak leg, and I’m quite clumsy with it. Not only am I a rightie, but it’s also the left side that was first affected when I was a kid. I wore crutches often and was relying on my right leg most of the time. So it’s pretty cool that I can now focus on improving this side!

I also tried the aero position. Thank god, I already have a good core and my back seems to support it pretty well. I can also guess I’ll be scared to death trying that on the road. I’ll have to get used to the position first. It’ll probably take me a while to get confident enough. Once I get there, I know the main difficulty will be with my neck, to look forward while riding and still try to be comfortable.
Any exercise ideas to reinforce that area?

Oh, and I also need to give a name to my bike! Got any idea for the tri bike? By the way, it’s a she; I reserve the masculine name for my mtn bike. :-)

Snowfall + Stairs = Pain!

I missed a workout last Friday. I was supposed to go biking, but when I woke up my joints were acting up. I don't know if it's the result of my (almost) falling down a flight of stairs (yes, I can be very clumsy), or if it was because of the very changing weather we have down here. Either way, let's say it was the snow's fault.

I was leaving work on Thursday night, and it was snowing. The first snowfall of the season. There was no snow accumulated on the ground and it was not slippery. I was looking at the snow falling, with my hands in my pockets, while taking the first step down a flight of stairs. My shoe heel got stuck in my pant's cuff...Imagine the rest. I have no idea how I did that, but I ended up at the bottom of the stairs on my two feet. I'm pretty sure that impact didn't help my ankles and knees, as they were quite painful on the next morning and I decided to stay in bed for a longer time and skip that morning's workout.

The temperature is also varying a lot lately, and I always feel it more around this time of the year. Last weekend we've had 20C (68F), and on Friday morning it was 0C (32F)!
Anyway, I recovered pretty quickly, and I'm fine now. I've had a great training during the week-end, doing a 1500M straight swim on Saturday, at a pace of 2:09/100M. I'm happy with that, especially that I had a lot of energy left afterwards, so I know I can push it more. On Sunday, I biked 65km (40Mi) in 2 hours, which is amazing for me. But, it was on a stationnary bike. There's no way I could do that on the road. I'm satisfied nonetheless, I was still able to stay in Zone 1 for 92% of the duration.

I also experimented with Power gels during my "ride". What a difference! And I love the chocolate flavor! :o)

Today is my off day, no training scheduled, and I will actually go to an Arthritis seminar. I'm curious to see what type of people will be participating. I plan to volunteer to host these seminars in the future, the goal being to get people to live better with Arthritis by helping them understand the disease and putting an action plan together.

Still have to figure out about nutrition!

Today I got up, ate a mini banana, drank a yop (liquid yogurt) and went for a 1500m swim. Got out of the water, took a shower, took my time and then got back home (which is upstairs, I live in a condo). By the time I got in the door, I had become a zombie! My energy level was so low I had to drink my juice and eat nuts, sitting and hoping that my sugar level would get back to normal...I usually have a juice drink and am able to wait until I get to work to have a snack there. On my way to work, I bought an energy bar (powerbar) to make sure I would be fine. 3.75$ (CAD) in a convenience store, ouch! and Yuk!!! I remember trying one that tasted much better, but can't remember the brand...I basically had to chew for a minute before being able to swallow, even though I had coffee to help gulp it down. Oh well, it helped and I'm (almost) back to normal.

Note to myself:
1-Bring an energy drink to refuel right after getting out of the water.
2-Think about eating a bit more before working out. (I usually have a huge banana and juice or yop and it seems ok, but today I only had a teeny tiny banana)
3-Try to find out with a nutritionist what I should be doing better.
4-Try to find protein bars or gels I like and that are not too expensive.
5-Do not buy energy stuff in convenience stores!

I guess the nutritionist thing would be the best idea, as I know I eat good stuff, but I don't know if the quantities are right for the amount of energy I spend. I eat much more than before, for sure, I'm always munching on something. But maybe my timing is bad...I'll have to check that out. Let me know if you have any tricks or suggestions.

And I thought I was slacking...

In yesterday's post, I was saying that I've been slacking lately, well, actually, I've checked how much time I've spent training in the last 7 days, and I guess it's not too bad. Almost 5 hours... I know it's not much, but at least it's not nothing...OK I'm cheating a bit here, I include Yoga in there. :o) But hey, shouldn't stretching be a part of any athlete's training?

It was rainy, dark and cold, but I did bike this morning (on a stationary bike). It felt goooood! Was able to do 21.1 km in 40 minutes, which is amazing for me! For you americans, this is a pace of about 19.6 Mph. And the sweetest thing is that my heart rate stayed in Zone 1, with an average HR of 130! :oD I'm actually starting to doubt the accuracy of the bike's computer, but hey, I was really on fire, and I was also concentrating and watching my breathing and movements to keep my HR down.

For the first time in my life, I can't wait to go back an hour at the end of October (daylight saving). I used to hate it, because I was not a morning person and I was craving the sunlight at the end of the day. But now, as I'm trying to get up early, I find it really hard when the sun only rises at 7:30! I do most of my training in the morning, except strength and yoga...

I also have a draft training plan in mind, here's what it looks like:
Monday: off
Tuesday: Swim 1500 (with technique drills)
Wednesday: Bike 40:00 HR Zone1 (training in time and HR, not distance)
Thursday: Swim 1500 (with technique drills)
Friday: Bike 40:00 HR Zone 2 (training in time and HR, not distance)
Saturday: Swim 1500 (distance)
Sunday: Bike long ride (2:00)

Of course, I will increase the duration by 5-10% overall, every week. I will stay in Zones 1 and 2 for now, working on building my endurance. On top of these workouts, I will, from Tuesday to Friday (included) do strength training, mostly core, for a little 15 minutes, and Yoga for another 15 minutes. I'm already doing most of this, but have not been totally regular so far. I guess it's because it was not official. Well, now it is! :o)

Nice Fall Rides

Thanksgiving was last week-end in Canada. So we (hubby and me) decided to go on a mtn bike ride. Fall colors are starting to pop-up, and it was definetely gorgeous! We had the perfect weather for a ride, 20 degrees (celcius...68 in fahrenheit), and quite sunny, although the trees were closing on the trail and not letting too much light in.

The only problem? I have been slacking a bit in the last couple of weeks...I have an excuse, but sometimes I feel like I'm abusing that excuse. The thing is, I get medication every 2 months to treat Arthritis (that's on top of the regular drugs I take). This infusion leaves me exhausted. I usually sleep a lot (probably too much) in the couple of days following it, and it is really difficult to get back to a regular routine. I guess I should force myself to do a bit more, rather than relaxing totally. I go swimming here and there, and biking when I feel I can. I wonder if I'm not too lazy and should try to keep my schedule even if I feel tired. I noticed that being regular in everything I'm doing is essential to help me feel good. I know this applies to most people, but especially in my case, as every single thing I do out of the ordinary throws my balance off.

Anyway, we went to Albion Hills on Saturday, and although the trails aren't too technical (except for the single tracks that I don't attack too much), it is a very good workout. I had to restrain myself from pushing though. I really enjoy giving all I can to get on top of the hill, but I was riding anaerobic most of the time! So after only 11km (6.8 mi) I had to stop! :( I should be building my endurance right now, not pushing it so much. I don't know if it's because I lost so quickly what I gained before my infusion, or if it's because my body was not ready for a hard work out like that, but I was disappointed all the same. Anyway, we were able to stop and take a couple of nice pics, here are a couple...

Also, I went on a swim on Sunday (1300M). It was great because I got some technique drills in: Catch ups, side swim and one arm. It was bad because I swim in my condo pool , which doesn't make me feel like I optimize the drills and once I get the momentum I hit the wall. I also went later than usual (9am) and there were people swimming already. When I go around 6:30 or 7:00, I usually have to pool all for me, which is great! I will probably get into a masters swim program next year, but for now, this will do.

We went for a path ride (paved) yesterday, and it was good. We rode for about an hour and half, and I managed to keep it aerobic (zone3), except for that last climb. The cool thing is, I remember, at the start of the summer, I was not able to do that last climb! :)

I still don't have my training plan yet, I will work on it this week. I believe that once you know where you're going, and how you plan to do it, you're halfway there. The rest is just kicks in the butt! :)

I can make a plan now!

Yessssss. I got my doctor's approval. In fact, she seemed so enthusiastic about my project that I felt stupid I doubted she would approve my participation in an Aquabike! Joints are doing great, motivation is high, and schedules for 2007 are getting ready!

So far, only the Somersault Series offers Aquabike races in Ontario. I would have enjoyed racing in Toronto, especially the Toronto Islands triathlon, but I'm not sure there's going to be any Aquabike event here.

Oh well, I'm still happy, there's a much bigger choice of events in
2007 than this year. I will aim for a sprint early in the season, to evaluate my level, and will go for a half-iron at the end of the season. Registration opens on November 1! I was hoping for an Iron distance, but apparently there is none for the next season (so far).
Maybe it would be biting more than I can chew anyway, so I'll start reasonably! :-) I'll post my training plan very soon!

Good swim

I got a good little workout this morning: 1500 m in 38 minutes (including warm up, cool down and breathers). I know it's not that much, but the time it took me to do it makes me happy! :-)
Specially that I was able to go under 2 minutes for 5X100m series (average 1:57). Little victories mean a lot! Have a great week end!

Waiting for the Doc's verdict

I'm already training 6 days a week. However, I've been holding back on the duration of each session (just doing 30-60 minutes). I'm boiling to do more, but there is one last thing I need to do before I register for a race in 2007. Because of my physical "limitation" (you can read yesterday's post for more details), I need my doctor's approval. I have an appointment next week. I know I'm fine to do this stuff. But I fear an overly conservative opinion from my doctor. They really encourage moving and doing a lot of exercise, but I can't help it, it's stressing me out. In 7 days, I'll be able to have specific goals and put a plan together! Arggg I can't wait!

A bit about me and why I decided to commit

I was diagnosed with Rhumatoid Arthritis when I was 5 years old. I couldn't do any high impact sport during my childhood. I was the kid forced to go to the library during physical education classes. At least I became good enough at swimming! I did a bit of competing, but because I was not a top performer in the club, I was kinda left aside by the coaches that were putting more energy in promising swimmers. I lost some interest in swimming because of that. I didn't like the "compete to win" mentality, I was mostly the "do it as best as you can" kind, especially in my condition!

At 14, my doctor decided to stop completely my medication (not good), it seemed like I was back to normal! I went nuts. I tried every sport I could and was really enjoying life and appreciating each moment. You heard that before, but yes, you really only enjoy things fully when you lost them. The thing is, having been diagnosed so young, I did not know at that time what I was missing. I was therefore discovering life in a new light.

The blast came to me when I was 17. After feeling pain I thought was due to a twisted ankle, I had to go to the doctor and they told me that it was back! But this time, it really hit hard. You're a teen, everybody around you is at the best they've ever been, you're at your worst. I've tasted what it felt to be in good shape. It made it feel much worse. Everything went quickly. Most of the time, I had to use crutches. My ankles, toes, knees, elbows, fingers, wrists and neck were affected. And no medication would help, not even what used to work before.

At 20, there were days I couldn't get up from my bed, both my legs wouldn't support me. My boyfriend at that time had to carry me to the bathroom. Simple buttons or zippers were a nightmare for me. I was crying from pain and was totally depressed. I was also not taking good care of myself, it was an endless cycle. You move less because it hurts like hell, and it gets worse because you're not moving enough. When my doctor told me that if it continued like that, I would be stuck in a wheelchair before I turned 25, I got angry. I just decided this wouldn't happen. I got a new doctor (I thank the old one today for shaking me out of my situation). I went on cortisone for a while until I heard about biologics (expensive!!! but not much for such a miracle).

Since I was 22, my situation has just been improving, and I became more and more active. Now, at 26, I am living a perfectly normal life (except that I can't run), and nobody would guess I've been through that.

I've always admired triathletes and wished I could someday participate in such an event. I also like the community feel, and how a lot of people are competing for the personnal accomplishment, rather than the glory. Until last year, there were triathlons and duathlons, but nothing that would combine swimming and biking, mostly the only two sports I could hope one day to put together for multisports, without endangering my joints. And yes, last year, some US triathlons decided to introduce Aquabike! I learned about it only recently, and was totally delighted! Then Canada got in this year, and it is getting popular. There are a lot of people out there that can't do high impact sports, because of injuries or diseases.

So, with that said, I'm very enthusiastic about having the possibility to show everybody (especially people that have had a similar experience) that I've been through all this and today it is possible for me to get out there and enjoy the chance I have to be able to do this stuff!

Anyway, wish you all a good day!

Sorry for the long story, I tried to make it as short as possible! :-)

Me and My Dog

By the way, this is what I look like...with short hair now.