Ironman Canada - the rest of the story

The Ironman Canada bike course is no joke. There's a lot of climbing, and most of it takes place at the end. In return for all the uphills, you are rewarded with a lot of fun descents (this coming from someone who doesn't even really like descending), and some gorgeous views. It's totally worth it.

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After my swim in Alta Lake (that you can read about here), I spent what felt like forever in transition. It was 4 minutes (which is a long time when you compare it to other people who spent closer to half that time). So that's an area for improvement, I suppose. One memorable thing from transition was that the volunteers at Ironman Canada were incredibly generous with the sunscreen. It was everywhere (see photos). I spent the first mile or two of the bike trying to rub in sunscreen while also staying upright. I was pretty successful at both of those things.

The volunteers at Ironman Canada were incredibly generous with the sunscreen. :-)

Ironman Canada - the Swim

Just in case you stop reading after the first paragraph of this blog, I need to say something up front:
If you have never been to British Columbia, you need to go. There's a reason why it says "Beautiful British Columbia" on their license plates. It is drop dead gorgeous up there. The drive from Vancouver to Whistler is like Big Sur on steroids. Go there. You will not regret it.

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The Thursday before Ironman Canada, I arrived in Whistler with my support crew (my husband and his parents). And before I say too much about the race, I owe a big thank you to them for helping with so many things during race week. Racing an Ironman is truly a team effort, and I couldn't have done it without their support!

Arriving three days before the race gave me the perfect amount of time to relax and take care of things. We swam in Alta Lake, strolled around Whistler village, worked on jigsaw puzzles, hung out with old friends, met new friends, and ate ice cream.

My husband and I rode our bikes to Alta Lake a few days before the race... what a beautiful setting!

Night with a nocturnal triathlete

It's my day off, so I slept in until 3pm. Yep, you read that right. I'm working nightshift for the entire month of May, which means I sleep during the day and work 12 hours each night. I get one or two days off a week. Also, I'm training for an Ironman triathlon in 10 weeks. Most people think I'm crazy, and some people are curious about what I do on my nights off. So here's a quick rundown of what a typical night off looks like.


3:00 pm - Alarm goes off after a full 8 hours of sleep. When I'm working 12-hour shifts, I usually only have time to sleep for 7-7.5 hours. So this is a luxury.

3:15 pm - Breakfast (coffee and cereal)

4:30 pm - Head out for my long run. Today I have two workouts (a 2-hour run and a 2-hour ride). I opted to do my run while it was still light out and save the ride for the trainer at home later.

So thankful for the running trails/roads and sunshine in SLO!

Wildflower 2016

Wildflower is one of those races that pretty much automatically gets added to my race calendar every year. It's close to home, there's always an abundance of familiar faces, and (since I've raced it so many times) it's a great benchmark for my progress. Although registration numbers have been down in recent years due to the drought, I highly recommend it. You won't find a race like Wildflower anywhere else.

Going into the race this year, I honestly wasn't sure what to expect. I found myself unsure how to answer any time someone asked me if I was excited to race. For some reason, I wasn't sure if I was ready yet. But, ready or not, race morning came and it was off to the lake. I picked up my packet, and met up with fellow Freeplay Magazine athlete Kelly O'Mara in transition. Kelly is quickly becoming one of my favorite athletes to be around. She's fast, and knows what she's doing. But she's also chill. Hanging out with her on race morning was really nice.

Pre-race sitting around eventually came to an end, and it was time to put on our wetsuits and head towards the start. Almost every year I've raced Wildflower, my wave has been one of the last to start. This year it was one of the first, which was a welcome change. An earlier wave means a less crowded race in general which is always nice.

Helping Kelly with her wetsuit before our swim start

Ironman Wisconsin - Highs, Lows, and Everything in Between!

On Sunday, I raced Ironman Wisconsin. It was my second full Ironman distance triathlon, and I was hoping to improve on my race at Coeur d'Alene two years ago and take my best shot at qualifying for Kona. Sunday also happened to be my husband's birthday, and it was extra special because he was racing too - his first Ironman! (I think he decided to sign up because he figured it would be easier to participate in an Ironman than to spectate an Ironman on his birthday.)

With my husband pose at the finish line before the race

In the days leading up to the race, everything went smoothly. We had plenty of time to check in, swim in the lake, make sure our bikes were dialed in, and sit around with our feet up. Before we knew it, our alarm was going off on race morning.