Getting back into it!

Just a quick update:  I've had a great first week in Victoria.  It's been tough, especially last weekend.  Friday was a hard fought 10x1k run workout, Saturday was some 'threshold' (aka: pain) bike ride with Dan 'I'm-gonna-make-you-hurt' Smith (Lifesport coach), then Sunday was the Lifesport Shawnigan Lake Half--I was on a relay, so I only did the 1.9k swim and the 21k run--the run was done as a stepping base run but finishing on a pretty high heart rate, so it hurt on tired legs....How do you long course guys do it???!!

Anyway, after shocking my body back into hard training and after a couple crappy sleeps over the weekend, I was toast by the recovery swim/bike on Monday morning.  The rest of Monday and all of Tuesday was spend on the couch or massage table...not much was accomplished over these 2 days, except recovery, sleeping, oh yeah, and some yummy Sushi eating with my Vic roommate Erin! Today I am feeling MUCH better and had a great run--I tested out my new racing flats, so my feet felt fast!  After the 'T4 Racer disaster', I always thoroughly test out my new run shoes pre-race!  I'm sure the homeless person in Calgary wearing my beautiful, flashy, lightweight, but bloody T4 Racers is making better use of them than I did....

Now I am into the final push of hard work into Vancouver.  I'm also waiting with my fingers crossed that my new Orbea Orca will get here before Vancouver (so exciting, thanks Brian McCoy with Orbea Canada and Speed Theory for helping me organize this!).  It should be a good week of work!

Oh yeah, for the dog lovers out there, here are my sightings in the last couple days: 4 standard poodles (3 black, 1 white, all within 3min!) and 2 labradoodles (along with their buddy golden retriever who tried to join us on our swim).  I saw these sightings as a good omen--Big J, Bono and Shags are watching out for me!!  Unfortunately, Clarice, only one Sheltie sighting so far!

Hi to everyone reading!!  Good luck to everyone racing this weekend in Oliver and Honu!

LM

You know your behind in your blogging when...

...you check your own blog and wonder why it hasn't been updated in awhile!  

Here is a quick summary of the last couple weeks:  It was a long trip home from South Africa. After the disappointment of the race, I just wanted to get home but it seemed like the travel gods were upset with me.  I was charged insane prices for my bike box to travel with me, I had flight delays and missed a connection in Hong Kong.  Then after 4 long travel days and 3 attempts to get to Calgary from Seattle, I finally got home a day later than planned!  Needless to say, I was very tired when I got home!

The week after that was a bit of a blur, couple dinners with family, cheered Jord on at a soccer game, the soon-to-be-inlaws staying at our house, a dentist appointment, a haircut and visit to my athletic therapist....The weather went from freezing and snow to not a cloud in the sky and 29 degrees in 6 days....only in Calgary!!  Between all that, I squeezed in a few workouts; a 2 hour run on Nose Hill park on a beautiful day, a ride out to Elbow Falls, and some swims with the U of C team (nothing like getting your butt kicked by Breaststrokers to keep the ego in check!).  

Anyway, after having a tough week keeping my focus, my coach and I decided it was best for me to train out in Victoria until Worlds and probably into Des Moines on June 22.  So I washed my clothes and loaded up the car and headed out of Calgary.  The travel gods were apparently still pissed at me, so they closed Highway 1 and made me drive the long and windy, beautiful if you aren't trying to catch a ferry on the other end, highway 3.  My car has also decided to act up...who knows how much that will cost!?

Now I'm in Victoria, the weather is good and the training is more focused.  The lake was 16.7 the other day, so I can get some wetsuit practice in before Vancouver....have to keep up with the American girls!  

Sorry if I missed you when I was in Calgary, I tried to squeeze everyone in but ran out of time and was a bit stressed out last week!  If anyone knows how to appease the travel gods, please let me know...I only have to take the ferry across to Vancouver but I'd like it not to sink on the way over!!

Take Care,

LM

My apologies....

...to those who got up at 3am to watch me race last weekend...here are some pics from a South African game reserve to make up for it!!

African traffic jam...
This guy was just watching the jeeps go by....
Nope, that's not Shaggy after another bad haircut by Dad! Hyenas...apparently a rarity to see in the park during the day...there was an baby Springbok on the other side of the road, but he didn't seem to be worried!
The Rhino. We saw everything except the lions!

Well....

I'll make this brief, and spare you some of the details (many of which you wouldn't want to hear anyway!)....

Felt pretty good before the race, excited for the day. Did swim warm up and noticed my stomach was a bit off, thought it would go away. Nearly missed the start (none of us at the far end of the pontoon heard the "take your marks"), was in 3rd after 750m. On the second lap I threw up, and not from exertion, just plan puked! I pulled it back together and managed to come out of the water 8th. On the bike, I was mainly concerned about trying to get my stomach to settle down. It didn't work. Came out of T2 in 5th--hoping that I'd be able to run. The next part of the story involved me hurdling a barricade and frantically running to the public bathroom...we'll just leave it at that! Think I picked up a little stomach bug--after 6weeks of travelling through countless airports around the world and over-nighting on a couple airplanes--now I get sick!!

Anyway, sucked that I DNF'd, this was my ticket to Beijing, there were girls in the top 10 that I beat last weekend in Korea . The good thing is, I didn't DNF to injury or a crash. Now to reset and get ready for World's in Vancouver, need a top 12 there, and Des Moines for another World Cup.

Now the journey back home.....I can almost feel my OWN bed.....

Thanks for the support/concerned e-mails!

Lis