New Balance Half Ironman!

http://raceheadquarters.com/results/2009/multi/NewBalanceHalf2009F.html

The New Balance Half Ironman was on Sunday! I need more time to sit down and give a great summary of how the day went. For me, it was one of the most rewarding weekends of my life. Congratulations to Sandy and Trish, my two yummy mommy athletes, that finished their first Half Ironman distance event. Sandy went 5:45 and Trish was 6:16 (on a freshly rolled ankle that was swollen and taped) You guys rocked! I had my own personal best of 5:05! I took 16 minutes off my time from last year! Still, it was not enough to be standing on that podium. Man those women in their 40's are lightning fast!!! Pictures and race report to follow.

Yes, I am still alive!!

There is no place like.... Hawaii! Yes, I know, I did not keep up my end of the deal with this blogging thing. I have left everyone hanging for the last two months. I definitely will not recap the last two months, but I will share with you our family get-a-way that was well worth the time, energy, and $$ to get there. We did not actually think we were going to pull this trip off. This has been the worst year ever for Shawn and his employment in the Heli-Logging Industry. We had purchased the plane tickets last fall with airmiles prior to the great depression of '09 hitting us hard, but managed to find last minute cheep accommodations, and ate out at a restaurant like only four times, cooked all our meals in the condo, and shopped locally at the farmer's markets! That was my kind of holiday. There were no big tours with fancy tour companies. Just plain old fun in the sun. Oh, and yeah, I did the Hawaii 1/2 Ironman. Just a little 40th b-day present to me. Yes, some of you could think of 40 other things you would rather do for your 40th, but for me, that was just the icing on the cake. Loved, loved, loved the race! I recommend it to everyone. If you would like a little taste of what it is like racing in Kohala Coast where the magical Ironman World Championships take place and are like me, that can't get a "Kona" slot to attend the event. You can sign up for the 70.3 and feel half of what they feel on race day. My goodness, I have never raced in such extreme heat before. Even the locals were saying it was hot for them.

My view of the ocean, putting my feet up days before the race. The kids loved coming to boogie board here.

My Pro friend Bree Wee after she gave a group of us a little pre-race buoy swim practice session, some ocean water racing tips, and some great draft practice. Man that girl can swim. She wasn't feeling the greatest prior to the race, but you would never know it. That girl just gives her 100%, even when she is not feeling it, I so need to get me some of that attitude! I'm trying.

Coming out of the ocean pre-race warm up. This had to be the best swim I have ever had. No, it was not my fastest, but it was warm, clear, congested, and I loved every minute of it. Because it is a mass start, if you cannot get into a pack of fast swimmers fast before the first buoy turn, you will be stuck with around 500 other swimmers going at the exact same pace. I could not move forward, backward, sideways, or under. I just had to ride the masses and hope that we were all swimming at a fairly decent pace. Shawn thinks he saw 33 mins on the clock when I came in. It was a super long transition from swim to bike. My new Blue Seventy Speed suit was the funnest suit to swim in. I so do not want to get back into the choking feeling of the full wetsuit for the Victoria 1/2 this weekend.

Post race prune feet. They don't look as bad as they did in real life. I thought for sure while I was running, that the entire bottom of my feet were coming off. It was so hot and humid, I spent probably 15 mins of my 1/2 marathon time just trying to keep myself cool through the aide stations. The volunteers had 2 Litre soda bottles with the top cut off full of ice water and would pour a full one over your head for you while you 'walked' through. Then, I would get two cups of ice. One to pour over my head and one to pour down my bra top. No, there was no frost bite, but I made a lot of noise running with the ice sloshing in my top, my shoes full of water and my salts taps rattling in my back pocket. I was quite the site. One of my favourite parts of the race was the post race grilled Mahi Mahi fish burger. After the nausea subsided and I was able to make room for something more appealing than gels, salts, and gatoraide, I gulped down the burger and beers that were given to us. Yes, 3 beers to be exact. Nice! Shawn says all races should have beer tickets, as I can only have one sip and I'm done. So needless to say, the Stella's went down mighty fine for him.

Just one of the many shopping trips to the farmers market one block from our condo!

Yes, I take my recovery days very seriously! While the boys played in the waves, I put my feet up.

One of our favourite spots. Black sand beach at the north end of the island. If you have a copy of the new Runner's World Mag, Bree Wee is running up the trail we took to get to this amazing spot.

The boys voted this the best spot on the Island. Killer size snow cones. Actually, they had the smalls. The large were as big as footballs and you could get them with ice cream inside.

Another great spot for body surfing and boogie boarding.

"Magic Sands" beach. Otherwise known as "Disappearing Sands" beach, or "White Sands" beach. During the low tides you have some great white sand and great waves to play on. When the tides are up and the surf is up, the beach just gets hit hard with the waves and you loose the beach. This beach was just 2 miles from our condo and voted best place to hang out for our boys. The last day they were there, the waves were so big, the lifeguards would not let our guys in the water. The locals wait for sometimes weeks at a time for the surf to come up, so they were packed in on their boards and had no mercy for the visitor's getting in their way.

A Lava Tube off the main highway.

While you are in Hawaii, you have to go jump off the lava cliffs! We drove two hours to the "southern most tip of the US", "South Point". We met some locals that took us under their wing and showed us some sweet spots to cliff jump, swim in sea caves, and climb up blow holes safely. They were awesome people! The boys could not get enough of the cliff jumping thing. Very freaky! Yes, their mom had to jump too. I was a cliff jumper too back in the days of Shuswap lake. Mom's no chicken!

Brady's leep of faith! He was so brave!

Another highlight of my trip, was the hike from the South Point cliffs to the "Green Sand Beach"... Our local friends told us to pack a lot of water and expect to walk for 3 miles. They said it was well worth the journey. The boys were so good. It took us exactly 1 hour to hike to this special place and was well worth the trip. There are so many magical places to explore on the big Island. And, I know, if you were to hook up with some locals, they could probably show you even more secret spots that they don't like the outsider's knowing about. I could go on and on, but I must close for now. Enjoy the pic's we took tons. Unfortunately, my new underwater camera was not as shockproof and waterproof as they said it would be and filled with water the first time we used it. Have to send it back for an exchange. I am racing in Victoria this weekend with my two yummy mommies, Trish and Sandy who are doing their first 1/2 ironman!!!! I will keep you posted on the weekends festivities! Cheers!

Training Rides and Training Flights!

What a day Nathan had!!! My 12 year old flew an airplane this weekend! Oh to be young and invincible again!!! He has absolutely no fear. Me on the other hand, I was just sick to my stomach the whole time he was up there in that big blue sky! Through his Air Cadet Training, Nathan has the opportunity to get his fixed wing pilots licence (for free) by the time he is 16! He has flying in his blood, like his dad. So this was the first of many flights on the road to obtaining his dream of flying the "A380" when he grows up! So, no, I did not go watch. Shawn took Nathan out to the airport and I set out on a bike ride to keep my mind occupied while he flew. His instructor told him that "he was a mighty fine pilot, and had very steady hands, and did excellent on the controls!" Nathan said it was absolutely the most amazing day of his life so far!!!

The above picture is just after the tow plane releases the glider.
Still attached before releasing the tow line.

Taking off from the runway. Sorry my pic's are out of order!

Penny and Pascale helping me keep my mind off the 'child' in the sky while we ride the Snow to Surf race course!

Yes, that is still snow on the ground!!! I am so looking forward to getting rid of all the extra gear I am wearing.

A much needed recovery drink post ride! I think this is the equivalent to a Jamba Juice in Hawaii! The sun was shinning and the weather was warmer than it has been, I was trying to imagine myself drinking this on the big Island of Hawaii, instead of the cold Comox Valley.

Now, a training day is not complete without the post recovery dinner dessert! I love it when dessert can be so simple and so good for you. We chopped up blood oranges, mangos, dragon fruit, and a strawberry papaya and drizzled organic vanilla yogurt on top! It was the bomb!!!!

Trainer Ride West Coast Style!

I am getting really tired of the unsettled wind and rain we continue to have on the West Coast! I am so ready to be outside permanently on my bike. I was feeling (a little) sorry for myself this week. As this time last year, I was training and racing in Hawaii at the Lavaman Olympic Distance race and training camp! Where did the year go???...

Here I am again, riding in the dark, in front of my 17" computer screen. Shawn snapped this photo, while lying on his back. He keeps me focused on the positives in our life, and does well at redirecting my negative thoughts, even though he is the one that is suffering big time with the lay-offs in his company and lack of income at this time in our lives!...

Now if only we could afford to turn our garage into something like the photos below, I might have an easier time watching the CompuTrainer screen for hours at a time!...

Wow!... Wouldn't I love to have this little set up. Trish (one of my "Mom's of 3, Superstar Athletes) and Will, live down on the ocean (Doctors) and just finished renovating their "boat house" into a classy new "West Coast Gym"! The views through the windows.... aahhhhh! The 42' flat screen TV with surround sound and calming blue walls would make riding a CompuTrainer so much more enjoyable.... Well, actually, what made the ride even more spectacular was being able to do it with Trish and Sandy! That was the icing on the cake! We are pretty sure, we are going to make this a weekly routine now! I haven't had time to watch a movie from start to finish in years!

It was 7:30 in the evening, so we were just getting the tail end of a beautiful sunset on the Strait of Georgia. I felt really, really, sorry for the girls. I sweat like a crazy woman and they only had a few little beads of sweat on their foreheads! Thanks so much for having me over Trish!!! I loved it!!! A great way to end a week of training!

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!!

Oh how I love my "Champion"!...

When I graduated from Nursing College in 1991!... Yes, for me that seems like just yesterday. One of my first "big" purchases I made with my paycheck was my most amazing Champion Juicer. Actually, I didn't buy it outright at first. I put it on lay-away and made payments on it at the local Nature's Fare. It was $300! That was one month's rent at the time. Huge deal! My mom thought I was living the life of "Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget". I explained to her that this was investing in my future and my health and I REALLY!!! needed it! Ha! See mom, after 18 years I am still juicing and lovin it! I think it is probably the best $300 I have ever spent!

I Just wanted to share one of my favorite juicing recipes. It does not have anything unusual or exotic, but it is super tasty and full of soooo many vitamins and minerals! Just what a 'Triathlete-Mom-Nurse' needs to keep up the health while everyone around her is coughing and sniffling away! So far I have been able to ward off the cold and flu bugs! I don't think I could live without my juicer!

2 Grapefruit

2 Oranges

Bunch of Strawberries

One big Carrot

(sometimes I add some ginger and a whole lemon)

So amazing!!!!!

Cheers!

"Ve Vaunt To Pomp You Awp!"

"We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves...The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable." -Sir Roger Bannister, first runner to run a sub-4 minute mile

Below are pictures of ELM's "Victoria Times Colonist 10km run clinic". One of my most favorite ways to spend my time is with a group of super motivated women, running their little hearts out! We had a variety of six hill repeats to conquer and we did them all with big shinning faces throughout the entire evening!

Look at the BIG smile on Kathy's face as we reach the top of the 1st hill repeat of the evening!!!

Love the big smiles on the up-hill too!!!

The last long slow gradual hill repeat along the pipeline! Yay, we did it!

We missed our fearless leader, Sarah Seads, this week! Don't worry Sarah, your leaders were full of high energy as usual! With 'Daylight Savings Time' starting last weekend, our run was totally in the daylight and we enjoyed much warmer temperatures than we have had all year! It was fantastic! Looking forward to seeing everyone next week, enjoy the weekend!