About Me

I am a mother of three very hungry, busy boys. A Wife to a helicopter pilot and my most amazing support and sponsor of my triathlon lifestyle! I am the owner of Perseverance Multisport Coaching in Whistler, BC. I coach athletes competing in short to long course distance triathlons. I started racing triathlon in 2003 in my first sprint distance race and gradually worked my way up to the Ironman level racing. This past July, I completed my 9th Ironman Canada race! In 2009, My goal one day is to qualify for Ironman Hawaii World Championships and show my boys that with a lot of commitment, hard work and determination "Anything is Possible"! I hope that I can instill the love of sport and living life to its fullest every day to my boys and to everyone I am able to share my healthy triathlon lifestyle with!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Spring Break, Best Friends, Pace Bunnies, and Hockey, Hockey, and more Hockey!!!

Wow!!!! We just had the most amazing Spring Break! I don't think we could jam one more activity in! Thank goodness for being 'casual on- call' and scheduling myself off for the last 10 days! There was no room for work! Our Spring Break started with our Best Friends, from our old home town Kamloops, coming up to visit us for a few days. Sarah, Josh, and Gabe pulled an early 6 am start from Kamloops to start the holidays off with a menu created by the kids. First night "Tacos" (of course), 2nd night "Home Made Pizza's" and the third night "Lasagna and Bread with Melted Brie, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Garlic" and the grand finale "Audrey's Famous Thai Food" for the last night!!! Thursday morning we were up at the crack of dawn to start the FOUR days worth of hockey tournaments. Braydan started the puck rolling with a goal and two assists. Nathan's first game, he had a goal, and a few break-aways. Both Braydan and Nathan's team's won all three of their round robin games. Braydan had a "Hat Trick" for each of the last two games, and Nathan scored once more, with a few more assists.



I took Sarah to Seal Bay Park for some epic runs while she was here. It was still snowing in Kamloops, so she enjoyed the west coast trails immensely! I miss her! Yes, I know, not a great pic of me. I am extremely pale, and looking rather old around the eyes! But, what can I say, I am 40!






Note in the title of the blog, "Pace Bunny", ya right! Not sure yet why I do this to myself... So, for all of you out there pounding the pavement day after day, like me, trying your little heart out to improve your running. You might just want to skip to the photos and video at the bottom! My Shawn! Gotta love him! Ya, so this morning went something like this... 9:23am Me: Hey Shawn, (laughing) maybe you should come with me this morning and run the 'Comox Half Marathon' and be my pace bunny??..." "Coach has a plan for how he wants me to run the race today, maybe you could come and help me get a new PR???" Shawn: (Looking at me kind of sideways)"Ya?... So don't you have to train for those kinds of distances?... Like, when was my last 1/2, two years ago"??... Me: "Oh come on, it'll be fun!"... "We have to leave in 15 minutes!"...

So we get to the race with like 20 minutes till gun time. Shawn says to me, "Ya know, I sure would have liked a couple days notice, ya know, like... I might have trained a little for this"... Whaaa!!!

11 am gun goes off, Shawn is ahead of me, I am staying in his draft, slowly he starts to get a little further ahead... He keeps turning around, smiling like a little kid in an amusement park, "Come on Aud, stay with me", kilometer 2... he says, "see piece of cake", kilometer 3... nowhere to be seen!!!!

I'm on my own, no pace bunny, nowhere! Darn it! He does it again! Every time I ask him to do this for me, he just goes!!! Oh well, I slug along, keeping my heart rate in it's zone like coach said! At least I am following my plan. I am just about at the 10.5 km turn around... SHAWN!!! He is so happy to see me, grinning from ear to ear! Tells me I rock, and I suck it up and pick the pace up a little! Kilometers 11 to 16 went well, then we hit some hills and I lost my momentum and my little voice was getting smaller. I couldn't let him beat me by 12 minutes like last time! I was able to gather some strength, counting my foot strikes, I passed a couple of people that had passed me earlier. I was also passed by some that I passed earlier....

Finish line! Finally! My Mom, oldest boy Jordan and yes SHAWN!!! Looking like he had been to the car to change! He tells me, "No PR for me this year Aud, just 1:43 and change!"... So, he beat me by 9 minutes!!! I chalk it up to him taking bigger strides than me! I also have to justify my time with "Well, I did this at the end of a training week, you've done nothing". I have to try and take it where I can!






My SUPER awesome athlete, Sandy with her family! Sandy, was so looking forward to nailing this run today and came down with a huge sinus infection last week! She did the race anyways, feeling terrible, but with a new PR for her 1:57! Yay!!!!!!! I am so proud of her, way to go!







Check out the groovy mom's!





My youngest, Braydan, after his play off game. A little teary as he fought so hard to try and tie the game up 3-3 at the end, but his last shot on goal deflected off the post and the buzzer went. My heart was just breaking for him. I had to tell him my story of Dad, just coming out for his first run in years, and beating me by 9 minutes. He thought that was the greatest. Talk about crying!




Nathan's Gold Medal Round game start! He is number '96'

Unfortunately they lost 5-3, but Silver is really good too! Way to go Warriors! There were a few tears shed by Nathan also! Man, these boys, not sure where they get all their competitiveness from....

Josh and Jordan on the dirt bikes in our 'bike' yard! Gotta love living out in the forest. We have quickly outgrown our acre, and the boys are carving out our yard like a motor cross arena!... Now Back to reality, school in the morning for the boys and I work this week!!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

That's hilarious. What the hell with men anyways??? Bruce does that to me all the time too. Although I'm not sure I could convince him to do a 1/2 marathon at the eleventh hour! Awesome time btw. Sarah looks fantastic, as always. I was drooling over the west coast weather! Have fun in Hawaii! :)