2013 Races Part Two

So....just trying to catch up on recapping all my races and I seems I am over a year behind.   So here goes, a quick recap of the rest of 2013.

GWN July 2013

This was my first time at this race and it didn't disappoint.  There was a huge TTL crew there and this was a big part of why  my day went so well!  I swam, biked and ran well across the board.  Quads tried to cramp a bit on the run and I had to pull back at times, but other than that this race was near perfect.  Swim was 28:31 (according to sources around 150m too short), bike was 2:33:55 and run was 1:34:47 for a total time of 4:37:12.  When I crossed the finish line of this race I was bawling because I couldn't believe how fast I had gone!

Calgary 70.3 July 2013

After GWN I was pumped to do another half so signed up for this race right after.  This race also went so well!  Everything really clicked across the board.  Swim was a bit rough catching up to the men who had started 5 minutes ahead of us (got kicked a few times).  31:00.   Bike was 2:31:53 (a shorter course).  I had some trouble with a group that was drafting in the last 5km so elected to slow down rather than try and blow by a group of around 10 that were all "flirting with drafting".   You know the ones that stay just inside the draft zone, enough to get a benefit but not close enough to make it blatant.  Run was great 1:35:59 on a tough course.  Total time 4:38:52.  I was so excited by how well I did I claimed my 70.3 world's spot for Sept.

Calgary Women's Run Aug 2013

I didn't taper for this race, my legs were bagged but I still really wanted to go sub 40 on this course again.  Hung on for dear life and finished in 39:52 good enough for 4th overall and 3rd in my AG

Ironman 70.3 World Champs

I was just flat out disappointed with my performance at this race.  I can't pinpoint one thing as being the problem but the end result was I underperformed.  My swim was 2 minutes slower than normal and my swim typically doesn't fluctuate.  The bike was hard, lots of hills and heavy rain followed by heat made it tough.  Things fell apart on the run and I wasn't able to run to my ability at all.  Swim was 34:08, Bike 2:48:30, Run 1:42:46.  18th in my age group when I knew in my heart I should have been top 10, if not top 5.  I wanted redemption for this race.....   

Melissa's 10km Sept 2013

My plan for this race was to run a good pace to the hill, hold effort up the hill, cruise down and work really hard on the flats to finish.  I did this in a new course PR of 41:12 which on the day was good enough for 2nd overall and 1st in my age group.  Always fun to win some $$$

Last Chance Half Nov 2013

I wanted a PB at this race but mother nature dictated otherwise!  There was more than a few fresh centimeters of snow at this race making conditions tough for everyone.  On top of the fresh snow it was also quite cold.  Must have kept the fast gals home because my 1:31:04 in the snow was enough for 1st overall and $500 paycheck :)

An update of many races :)

Since San Antonio's tough half I have gotten in quite a few races. This blog is mostly for my own record of things so bear with me if you are reading for interest sake.


In February I did an indoor tri put on my the TNT youth tri club in Red Deer. Although I had been sick with a nasty case of influenza I really wanted to check this event out. It was really well run and alot of fun (despite wheezing and coughing). The short run hurt alot but the kids counting laps and handing out water were so quite uplifting! Definitely one to go back to!!

A couple weeks after the indoor tri I did the Crave Chick Chaser 5 miler. I was still feeling the effects of being sick so I treated this race like a training run (something I am not good at, but my wise coach asked me to find a way to define success for this race…so for me it was execution). I ran it at an even split, so found my own success there. Time was 34:07

In March I stayed indoors once more and competed in the Talisman center aquathon. This was a mass start 400m swim in a 50m pool in a triangle pattern and a 2km run on the indoor track. Despite feeling I was "behind" due to my illness last month I was pretty happy with the results. The swim was definitely slower than what I would do swimming normal laps but that's what you get when you turn around buoys like a bus :) Swim 6:32, Run 7:31.

At the very end of March I was slowed down by foot pain caused by a bunion. I changed shoes, taped, ultrasound, spend more time on the TM and was able to work through it. Although the nagging pain did last all through April and now (in July) I still get some days with discomfort but it’s holding up!

In April I tackled two road races. The Glencoe 10km and the Police Half Marathon. Glencoe was a good race despite very icy conditions from freezing rain the night before. I ran 40:50 which was :30 seconds slower than last year but given the conditions I was happy with that. I was 6th overall and 1st in my age group.

10 days before the Police Half I sprained my ankle. I did some resting, physio, massage, chiro, cold laser and by some kind of miracle I was able to race. My ankle did hurt a small amount coming down the hill into the weasel head flats but the pain went away after a few minutes and I was able to continue. This was a very tough course! I really struggled in the last 3-4km and my pace dropped each km. I had nothing left in the last 500m so I know I ran my best race on this day. Couldn’t have squeeked out another second! Finishing time was 1:31:08, 8th overall and 6th in my age group (speedy age group!!)

In May for the 4th year in a row I did the Sylvan Lake Sprint. I love doing this race, it’s so well run and a great way to open the tri racing season. I had a good swim 11:42, an okay bike (some technical issues with a rubbing tire)42:40 for 26kms and a solid run 21:47 for 5.3km or so. Total time was 1:17:26 which I was happy with especially after putting a good long ride a few days before.

In June I raced both Wasa Lake and Edmonton ITU. Wasa was a blast! I traveled with Marnie and we roomed with Chris at the Wasa Motel and Phil was also staying there as well as several other TTL’ers were in attendance so a great team event. My swim was ok there, I think I took a wider path than I should of, wasn’t able to get on any feet so swam the whole thing (which ended up being about 200m long) alone. Bike was phenomenal. It was my first ride with my new race wheels and I put them to the test! I may have overbiked slightly because the run HURT! Overall super happy with my day and new OD PR. Swim 26:13, Bike 1:05:01, Run 42:56, overall time 2:15:37. I was 3rd female overall and earned a paycheck!!

It was not my intent to race Edmonton but when they announced that Edmonton would host the worlds in 2014 and the 2013 race would have 8 qualifying spots I really wanted to go and earn my spot! I didn’t taper for this race but felt good and ready to go. Swim was good although I got a little beat up off the start and was kicked in the mouth. Bike was good, technical with lots of hills and corners. Run was absolutely outstanding. It went out and back four times so lots of people to see and cheer on. It felt so good and was so fast I was sure the course was short, but I was assured by the Garmin wearers that it wasn’t. Swim 22:16 ( a bit short ), Bike 1:07:25, Run 41:20, total time 2:14:48 ( another new OD pr, but….swim was short so not sure I want to count this one ) I was 4th overall and 1st in my age group and I am registered for World’s 2014!!!

That catches everything up….GWN gets it’s own race report!

The Race that wasn't really about the race....San Antonio Rock and Roll Half, Nov 11, 2012

I am not quite sure when we decided to do this race but at some point along the way I felt pretty sure I wanted to do another full marathon.  We had all signed up to do Melissa's Road Race in September and in my infite wisdom decided to the half marathon.  My coach, who is often (always) my senate ( you know, the sober second thought ) told me that I should do a zone build for the half mary and not "race" the race.  And, in my brilliance told her, "uh, that's not within my range of capabilities"...."I'm gonna race it".   Well, mistake #1.  The race was fine, but I promised I would be carefull with my recovery the week after so I would be ready for my next long run a week after the race.  Mistake #2 was running the Terry Fox Run 5km 4 days later with my pretty darn speedy 12 year old son.  Mistake #3 came later that day when deciding that my cross country running team had ran enough at the Terry Fox Run that we should play grounders and tag instead practicing.  Did you know when you play tag that you have sprint?  Yeah, not so smart.  Did something to my hip that day, and because of it made the decision to do the half marathon instead of the full.  I ended up running with pain up to and including the race in San Antonio (well, that was a long build up, wasn't it?).

So back to San Antonio....  I wasn't the only one in our group having troubles.  There were a couple other injury issues in our group and there was a definite feeling of uncertainty.  Wondering if we could finish the race, wondering if the whole race would be in pain.....  There was definitely alot of mixed feelings about this race.  But who can worry about racing when you are staying in town down San Antonio with your best friends and eat every meal on the riverwalk and walk past the Alamo 4 times a day??  We had the best times enjoying the city of San Antonio and especially the downtown area.  Absolute beautiful and it was so warm...you could tell who the Canadians were, wearing shorts in the 70's!

Despite all the fun, race morning came eventually.  I will sum this race up quite quickly, because, as the title suggests, the trip and time with the girls was (for me) the best part about this race.  My hip started to hurt 2 miles in, right after I realized the humidity was super high (it was low 20's but I was soaked by the first mile).   I held my goal pace for 5 miles then slowly, mile by mile, started slowing down.   I checked and rechecked my HR to see what was going on, and it was right up there.  I was definitely going as fast as I was able to on that day.  I finished the race more than 5 minutes slower than my personal best and 4 minutes slower than my goal time.  I'm not going to lie, I was disappointed at first.  It took me some time to take my own advice on races like this....I did the best I could do on this day.....

As it turns out,  the rest of the crew struggled in the hummidity.  In various turns there were deydration problems, pain from injuries, technical issues, bathroom issues, and an overall "slowness" due to the high humidity (even the locals were slower than normal).  But, there was also a couple negative splits, brilliant execution and mental toughness, and some amazing team work and support out there.  Lara and Marnie were there for Mel and Jen in more ways than one!  And despite being in pain from start to finish I think Lara was the only one that was "happy" with her race.   

Now after the race (after we dealt with two dehydrated teammates)????  Let's just say that there are a couple establishements on the riverwalk, Fogo de Chao and Dicks, that will never be the same after 5 post race crazy Canadian gals were done with them.  But that's not a story for this blog....   you will have to ask me :)

Another loooong overdue update! Calgary Women's Run August 2012

Was casually visting my own blog and realized I hadn't even written a race report for Calgary Women's Run at the end of August....so here goes!

I had some decent early 10kms and some good 10kms in tri's this year, so though I would take a shot at my 10km PR that I set waaaay back in my 20's, and that sub 40 minute 10km that eluded me all through my 20's (back before I was a triathlete when I was pounding the pavement 6x a week).

After recovering from Calgary 70.3 ( I was sick for a week after) I had a wicked 2 week run focus, a short taper and it was go time.  There was something special about this race...  in my 20's my husband Marty and my young kids accompanied me to all those 10km races and I came so close to sub 40 so many times, but never did get there (40:11 was my best).  When I told Marty was going for sub 40 at the Women's Run he told me that he and the kids would be there (keep in mind they are now 12 and 15 and an 8am 10km race is not all cool).  I felt so wonderfully supported but also so much pressure!!  I know it sounds strange, but in so many ways I wanted to do this for Marty and the kids, so knowing they would be there at the finish meant there was no wimping out in the last km!

I rode into the race with some girlfriends (which is amazing for calming my race nerves - thanks girls!) and Marty and the kids showed up right before the start.  Marty sent me a text during my warmup telling me to basically get it done and my time would be 39:41.
I never did see that text...  but they were there at the starting line and there for me 1km out from the finish.

I went out fast off the gun and had a really good first 5km ( a nice tailwind for sure ).  I hit the halfway mark at 19:17 so I was off to a good start (this is also a 5km pb!).  Usually in a 10km race I hit the "pain cave" around the 7km mark.  In this race as soon as I hit the 5km turnaround (it was an out and back) I was in the pain cave!  5 tough kms for sure.  I definitely slowed down after the turnaround around, but knew if I could hold the slightly slower pace I would be able to do it.  At 9km I was at 35:50.  I had 4 mins and 10 sec to get it done.  Marty and the kids were there and hollered and yelled and it was just the push I needed.  I dug deeper into that pain cave and pulled off a sub 4 min last km to cross the finish line in....  yeah you guessed...39:41.  Marty predicted to the second!

Firmly in the pain cave at 9km!

I turned around and started making my way back to where Marty and the kids were and they met me half way.  I was so excited to celebrate this personal victory.  I accomplished something that I had laid to bed years ago as being untouchable.  To do this, and have Marty and the kids there to cheer me was a pretty big moment for me.

This was my reaction when I came around the corner and saw my family (followed by very sweaty hugs!)

The story gets even better....  I had three of my Team Tri Life Athletes there with me, and all three of them also had personal best days!  Jen and Lara entered their own pain cave and set new 10km PB's and Cherra-Lynne who is a new runner, finished her 2nd ever 5km in a personal best time.  There was a lot of smiles followed up by a celebration lunch together.  Most definitely a day to remember :)

Just a little goofy over there on the left....nice work ladies!

Calgary 70.3 Race Report-July 29th 2012

This is my 6th year doing triathlon, so I can easily say I know how to execute an Olympic distance triathlon, and yes after 6 years this was my first half ironman race. I felt very ready going into this race, I was healthy (with the exception of burnt lips), had no injury issues and had put in some solid training. I really like to hammer hard in an Olympic distance race so for me key in this race was going to be execution. Angie and I had talked it to death and I had a plan. The last thing I did say to Angie Saturday night was my biggest fear wasn’t blowing up on the run, it was underperforming on the bike….

The swim went really well. I had a great start and found fast feet by the first turn. I stayed on the same feet for almost the entire race. It was hard to sight so far to the turnaround buoys so I did rely on the swimmer in front of me and we seemed to hold a decent line. Coming back under the bridge I heard a whistle I couldn’t mistake and on a breath rolled onto my side and offered a wave to my gear mule for the day, my biggest supporter, my rock, my husband Marty. He saw me and I saw him…so nice to connect in such a long race. In the last quarter of the swim I did feel myself tiring and was falling off her feet. I told myself I had two choices. Slow down and swim alone or speed up and catch her feet again and probably end up exerting the same effort with the draft than I would alone. I sped up. At the last buoy things were getting very congested with us catching up to the men’s heat. Around the corner I lost her with swimmers everywhere and the sun in our eyes. I went way wide and swam a bit farther than I needed to but managed to get around quite a few men without getting kicked. My swim time was 31:31, slower than I thought I would be but not too bad.


T1 was fast and I was out and on my bike in 1:59. Once on the bike I reminded myself that until I hit the top of grand valley that my job was to ride like a tourist (unlike my mantra in an oly distance race which is to tell myself this is no vacation….). My chain fell off somewhere going up grand valley, tried to get it on without getting off but couldn’t manage so pulled over and fixed it. On the bike I was passed my 4 females (including Sheila Croft and Tanya Saloman-no surprises there) and passed 2 myself. I kept my hr in a target that I thought would be good over the 94km distance, 10 beats below what I hold in an oly distance race. I did enjoy this ride, it felt good from start to finish. Marty surprised me in 2 spots on the bike it was great to see him out there, ringing the cow bells for me! There were some other familiar faces out there as well, some TTL’ers, Tri-It staff (Madi and Rose) and my fav preggo triathlete gave me a high five coming up Cochrane hill (thanks Richelle). I got lots of cheers from people stuck in traffic on the 22 including these 2 girls in a convertible that I saw 3 times on the bike course and gave me the hugest cheers….thanks ladies! I took in all the fuel I had planned to take in and by the time I came off the bike my stomach was settled and ready to tackle the run. Bike time was 2:44:14, definitely what I thought I would be, BUT, with winds out of the west I should have been faster. I won’t over analyze the bike here, but I will say that I now know I can push harder on the bike over this distance and definitely hold a higher heart rate. So for next time….no more riding like a tourist!

Reaching out for a high 5 from the boys!

I am not sure how he made it but Marty caught me coming into T2. He gave his best transition cheers (he always knows how to keep me moving fast) and I was out on the run in :57. Once I started the run my body did what it always wants to do off the bike- go hard! I actually said out loud to myself to slow down. The first 18km of the run went very smoothly. I was a little slower than I thought I would be but the pace felt right and I was using RPE to judge effort on the run. I took in as much as I could at each aid station took the downhills slowly to prevent those quad cramps that have hampered me in the past. Got to see Steve W. on the out, it was so great to high five him as I went by, he looked so strong! Climbing up weaselhead on the way out I could actually hear the TTL aid station before I could see them. As soon as I came into view they went crazy! I almost started crying at the emotion of so much support! I was so choked up that I had to keep my head down and waived the cheers off just to keep moving forward! What a rush to go through that aid station! Angie ran with me and gave me some good advice and I was on my way again. I high fived the marshal at the turnaround and was pretty excited that the run was halfway done. Back through the TTL aid station where I think I had more composure and back down the hill. I saw Leslie-Anne here and again, that high five was awesome! The climb back out was hard, but not too bad and I was still feeling good. I saw my family at the top of the hill and got some good cheers and high fives from my son and his friend Jacob. And then….3km to go….and it got hard! The same kind of muscle fatigue that you feel in a full marathon! What?! Those last 3km were so tough, my legs hurt so much and I just couldn’t get them to go any faster! Again Marty and the boys showed up at just the right time and the boys ran along side me as the finish area came into view. My daughter Ayden and her friend Layne were there yelling as I came into the chute to cross the line. Run time, 1:41:36. A little slower than I thought I would be but still within my goals so was happy with that. Total time was 5:00:17.

I was 7th female overall and 2nd place in my age group.










In retrospect, I think I could have been alot faster on the bike but that is water under the bridge. It was my first half ironman and I had no idea how my body would react to racing this distance.  I will definitely be tackling this race distance again in 2013....Just like in olympic distance racing I want to see what I am capable of, I want to challenge myself!!

Me, Coach Angie, and Leslie-Anne (2nd in her AG too!)

2 Sprints and 2 Olympic Distance Tri's- an update!

Well....next year I really need to be more timely with my blog/race reports!

Here is the short version of some tri's I did this summer!

Sylvan Lake Sprint- First off I want to say I love this race!  So well run and organized!  Cathy and Scott with Sylvan Lake tri club do an awesome job with this race!!  I did this race 1 week after the Woody's Half Marathon so really didn't know what my legs would do, but it was a great race ( you will hear this alot in 2012, it was quite the year for me personally).  Swim and bike were faster than last year, run was slightly slower but run course was 300m longer this year so probably right on par with last year so considering my tired legs was super happy with that!  Loved being at the race with my athletes Jen, Marnie and Jim and cheering on lots of the Red Deer/Sylvan Lake athletes that I have come to know over the past few years.  I was 1st female overall and 3rd out of the men and I was faster than last year on a slighly longer course!  Yipeee!!!!


Wasa Olympic Distance - Made this weekend a road trip adventure with my daughter Ayden.  On a side note she got her learners right before we hit the highway and drove 2/3 of the way there!  WTG Ayden!!  We also had great hosts with friends of ours, Ron and Leah and their two daughters.  I kind of felt like a pro on a homestay!  The water was brutally cold and they shortened the swim, which is too bad because I had a good swim, a good bike and my best triathlon 10km ever!  41:49!  If this had been a full distance I think I would have been so close to a sub 2:16 time!!  Ah well....  The cool thing was I was 4th female overall (2nd in my AG) and was "in the money".  Wasa gives out cash to top 5 overall finishers.  I was so pumped and thrilled to stand at the front among such speedy ladies!  A huge thanks to Charlie with RM Events for putting on such a top rate triathlon.

Woody's Sprint Tri -  Another awesome race!  Val does such a great job as RD!  One cool thing about Woody's is they take the top 10 overall finishers (male and female) from previous years and group them together in the pool at the end of the swim.  So it feels less like a time trial and more like a head to head race.  Awesome fun!  I was 2nd last year out of everyone, so got to race with the #2.  And they kept announcing to watch out for the athletes with numbers 1-10.  As I came into t2 someone hollered at me to go beat some boys, so funny, so I yelled back "I'm trying!".  I was 2nd again out of the men and 1st overall female.  A fun day...not quite as fast as last year, but super happy with my result.

Edmonton Triathlon Festival and National Championships-  This was my first non wetsuit legal swim and surprisingly I was faster this year than last year!  Wooohooo!!  I need to swim more without a wetsuit!  It works for me!  I had the bike of my life but unfortunately the heat hit me on the run and had my slowest run time ever!  However, the strength of my swim time and bike time, even paired with a 45min run was enough for me to set a new OD personal best!  2:17:50.  (now if only I could plunk in that Wasa run time I'd have that sub 2:15 I am dreaming of......)  I was 4th female overall and 2nd in my AG.  So exciting to be on the podium again at nationals!! 

Well, that's the short version of most of my 2012 tri season!  Calgary 70.3 gets it's own post!

Red Deer Half Marathon May 20, 2012 (long overdue!)

I signed up for this race to help me prep for Calgary 70.3 Ironman.  The original purpose was to be a training tool.  However, after running two good 10kms in March and April (40:51 and 40:29) I knew that this race had the potential to be personal best day.  My previous personal best set in Nov of 2011 was 1:32:15.  I set a goal of 1:31 flat thinking this would be a good challenge.  I printed off one of those nerdy pace bracelets (because I am a NERD) with the splits for 1:31.

Off the gun I went out too fast!  My suunto had been calibrated with my training shoes and I had decided to race in my tri shoes as part of the prep for Calgary 70.3, (the foot pod does not "move" well from shoe to shoe) so needless to say my pace was reading WAY off!  As the first few km markers were ticked off I knew I was too fast, but it felt good so I kept at it and just resigned my self to the fact that either I was going to have a brilliant race and smash my pb or have a total blow up later in the race.... (My coaches mantra of race with your head to start and heart to finish was ringing in my ears).

As the race continuted the km's just flew by.  I couldn't believe how fast this race was going by for me.  The course was absolutely beautiful!  There were hills, which I usually hate, but it didn't matter today.  The weather was perfect, the course was scenic and I was on a roll.  I kept referring to my pace bracelet and couldn't believe that I continued to gain ground on each split time.  I soon realized that even if I blew up at the end I was still going to have a personal best day.  I think the excitement of knowing that I was going to be faster than I thought pushed me to hold that pace and go for it!  I caught up to a guy around that 16-17km mark, and if you have done a half, you know this part of the race.  This is where pace slows a bit and things really start to hurt.  He was chatty and positive.  I told him we were going to beat 1:30 if we can hold this pace and he said, "uh oh, my back half is going to be slow".  He was doing the full!!  We ran together for a couple kms and then he realized he should slow down, but he urged me ahead to go catch the next guy (which I did).  It's always great when you get a bit of mental mojo at a point like that in a race.  As my husband would say that was the TSN turning point.

 As I approached the dreaded uphill that takes you to the downhill finish I just dug in and went for it.  Checked my watch and realized that if I gave it my all I could do this in under 1:28.  The crowds were amazing and brought me across the finish in a time of 1:27:55 -- 4 minutes and 20 seconds faster than my previous personal best!  It is still unbelieveable as I type this....I never imagined I could run a  half marathon that fast. It felt good from start to finish, it was a "zen run" as my coach Angie would say.  I was 3rd overall, but after a race like this, placings really don't matter.  It was me versus me!