Signs, signs, everywhere are signs!

There are signs of Ironmania everywhere around town!!! Braydan and I went out for a little 'walk-about' town to see the peeps and the transformation of small town Penticton into an Iron City. We first had to make a few stops at my new stomping grounds since we have been staying here. In the past 12 months, our little shopping complex grew from a Tim Horton's coffee to an amazing Organic Grocery, Starbucks, T-Bone's, and Cobb's Bread. What more could a mother of three and a triathlete need in just 50 paces from my doorstep! I am in heaven. I don't have to take a car to load up on groceries I don't have room for. We come home from the day at the beach and walk to the stores and decide what we are going to cook up on the Bar-B-Q. Amazing!

The hotels are filling up and there are athletes out getting in their last minute training in the lake, and on the roads.

This sign is conveniently located right at the finish line area! I will be looking for this around 6pm Sunday night!

Down town artwork.

The sign right at the transition area exits says it all.

Boxes and boxes of tri-geek clothing just waiting to be opened for the grand opening tomorrow morning. It is like boxing day sales in these tents come 9am Thursday! The athlete's go crazy for M dot merchandise.

Downtown Starbuck's art.

Made completely out of bike parts, of course.

These guys were great. And Bree, if you are reading this. I was paid the best compliment here today. A couple of the employees asked me if I was "Bree Wee"?? I got a huge smile on my face and said "No, but I know her!" And they were like, " Really, wow!!" Thanks Bree!

The bike works guys got my girl all pretty and in tip top shape for race day! She looks fast!!!

I love Brady. He loves the simple toys we had as kids. He was so happy today, after we picked up a slinky for him!

After the walk-about, this triathlete took a very, very, rare nap! Well needed, and now I am off to Whole Foods to listen to Jordan Rapp talk about race day nutrition!

Have a great day!!

Monday Morning of IMC Race Week!!!

Really???? Is it that time already??? Monday morning of IMC race week. The town of Penticton has grown by double in the last week. There are "Iron Bods" everywhere! My early morning swims with the lake to myself, not having to site for oncoming traffic has come to an abrupt halt! This morning there were at least 30 Tri-Geeks coming and going out on the 'flat calm' lake. A nice change from yesterday's windy morning chop. Apparently there were more than just the two swimmers I saw out there, as the rollers were deep enough you could not see to your left or right if someone was beside you.

Taper week went extremely well... Too well actually. I fell into vacation mode way too easy. I had some help though. We were fortunate to have the best friends ever come and keep us company for the week. It was easy for me to get up at the crack of dawn, get my training in before anyone was awake, and then spend the rest of the day laying on the beach and catching up with Rhonda and Sarah while the "boys" and the "boys and girls" swam, swam, and swam some more. A couple nights we were at the beach until 9:30. Just love those evening swims!

My little Braydan. Now 11, and man he is so cute. He is like his mom though. We both get way too cold in the lake swimming without a wetsuit on. He keeps me company when the other two boys stay in the water for hours.

This has got to be one of my most favourite pic's of the summer!

Braydan

I absolutely love my underwater mode of my camera. It still makes me a little uneasy using it under the water, as I don't want it to fail again.

Jordan

Nathan

Nathan, working on that stream line technique.

Nathan in stealth mode under the water.

Eden and Braydan.

So cute watching these guys. An 'all boys' family needs an 'all girls' family to hang out with. They were so cute. I just loved watching them hang out together. Eden was teaching Brady how to do a hand stand roll over.

Rhonda and I at the beach until who knows how long while the kids swam in the light of the moon. So cool!! Rhonda will be back this weekend to be part of the cheering squad and maybe, just maybe, get in that line up Monday morning for IMC registration.

Jordan, Nathan, Annika, Eden, and Braydan.

The gang and taco night with mom's famous "Mango Salsa".

No vacation is complete without making a couple of visits to the go carts. Josh is looking all "Chillaxin" here while he crushes his competitors on course.

Jordan loving the hair blowing in the wind and "driving". He has caught the driving bug and cannot stop talking about what car he wants to buy when he gets his drivers licence.

Braydan!

Gabe!

Nathan!

Josh, Brady, Nathan, Gabe, and Jordan!

Finally, after like 3 years, I have an updated Summer photo of my friend Sarah and I at the beach. So good to see everyone!

Monday morning "Race Week" swim. I actually had a little nervous tummy going into the water today. Now that the friends are gone, the real race week taper begins. No more ice cream until after the race! I have already picked out what I want Shawn to have for me at the finish line. Rhonda and I found some "Dutch Dairy" Chocolate milk at "Whole Foods Market". It is like drinking a chocolate bar. I always have such a hard time trying to figure out what I want to have right after coming across the finish line, as the nausea that sets in right after increases like 10 fold when you see the nasty pizza they are serving in the food tent. After my chocolate milk, we are going out for dinner, and I plan on getting something super creamy and full of fat!

This was just the perfect way to start the week. Today's high is to be 28C. The forecast for the week is calling for Tuesday a high of 27C, Wednesday 28C, Thursday 33C, Friday 31C, and Saturday a high of 33C!!! So glad to be here acclimating in this weather. Here's hoping my Hawaii and Penticton 'hot and windy weather' training will give me some good heat resistance come race morning!

Only 6 more sleeps until the 3:45am wake up call Sunday Morning!

Happy Monday!!

12 more sleeps and counting!!!

I am finally at the Ironman Canada race site anticipating the big event in 12 more sleeps! OMG!! Where has the time gone? When you sign up for a sporting event a year in advance it sure does make life fly by. I remember posting the IMC and Kona countdown tickers on my blog page thinking I had so much time to prepare mentally and physically to make my 40th year as eventful as possible! I have had an excellent adventure leading up to this race this year. Coaching and supporting some of the most amazing friends in triathlon this year has made my own training and racing even more special. It brought a fresh start to the year, new training partners, new friendships, great adventures, and I feel I have had the best race season to date. Now, I just need to keep that good energy going through the next week and a half into next Sunday. This morning I was up at the crack of dawn eager to get out in the water. Which is a very good feeling to have in taper time. "Tapering" for IMC is definitely something to master. You would think it was just a piece of cake. Reduced training volume, no big deal. But what comes with that is the overwhelming feelings of "but did I do enough", "I feel like I should be doing more", "Oh, I can't eat all that food anymore cause I am not burning all those calories anymore", "what am I going to do for the rest of the day, I have only one workout, and it's done, now what?... Oh yeah, put my feet up, sit on the beach and watch the boys swim, relax in a tube and float down the canal, read, put my feet up some more, eat a little, sleep some more.... Nice! I need to make piece with this taper thing, it sounds like a good thing.

My Kona inspirational swimming cap! Look coach, I have my 'tempo' trainer with me too! Oh yeah, and my Lisa Bentley signed IMC lucky pack sack for my early morning wake up call to the "Peach" at Okanagan Beach!

We swim way out to those clay bluffs across and back race morning! 3.8km (2.4 miles for the americans)

The infamous "Peach" just before the finish line. When you see that after 11 hours and 59 minutes and 58 seconds you just want to kiss it! This year, here's hoping I see it at least an hour earlier than last year! "Our hopes and dreams should never be smaller than our memories"!

Have a beautiful Tuesday.