Thursday, April 7, 2011
Getting excited...
Well, things are winding down at school as I approach my last few final exams, and winding up in triathlon as race season is almost upon us! Watching Paula Findlay, Kyla Coates, and Jeff Phillips race in Australia really got me excited for racing, even though I still have two months before my first big competition! This year is quite different in that the Pan-American Triathlon Championships, a race that is usually in April or May, is in July, so a bit of pressure is relieved as this won't be the first race of the season. Feeling some speed coming, I'm getting motivated for the next 2 months of training. As well, I will finally be getting a new bike and making the jump from steel frame to carbon frame! I upgraded from my first road bike, a broken down and fixed up pink steel frame, about 5 years ago to a handcrafted Berg bike, also steel and pink (had to keep the tradition!). Now, as a member of Triathlon Code, a group of developing triathletes with our eyes on olympic dreams and sport greatness, Specialized has sponsored us with new bikes! I was fitted on my Amira Comp on Wednesday and even on the wind trainer it feels fast!! I can't wait to take it out on the road. Read more about Triathlon Code by visiting our website www.triathloncode.com and blog triathloncode.blogspot.com
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Time for a much needed rest
At the end of three quality weeks of training, a few days of recovery are much needed. In my experience, recovering is just as important as key workouts, and can also sometimes be just as difficult to push yourself through. As an athlete, it is second nature to push yourself hard during back to back workouts, and to rush around crazily to get everything done in a day. We desire to keep the pace up and not slow down...however, every few weeks, it is necessary to take a breather.
Unaccustomed to laying on the couch for hours on end, avoiding unnecessary movement, or staying out of the sun, doing nothing can be easier said than done (even though there is actually nothing to do!). For me, the worst part about not training is boredom. Sitting inside all day, away from sunlight, fresh air, and my training buddies really affects my mental state, but makes me all the more grateful to get back out training the next day!
So, being completely exhausted at the moment and looking forward to a few slower days, I also have to reassure myself that it is OK to have nothing to do! I have learned that in order to be able to do everything I want to do, I have to do nothing (as backwards as that sounds, hopefully you get my point!).
Unaccustomed to laying on the couch for hours on end, avoiding unnecessary movement, or staying out of the sun, doing nothing can be easier said than done (even though there is actually nothing to do!). For me, the worst part about not training is boredom. Sitting inside all day, away from sunlight, fresh air, and my training buddies really affects my mental state, but makes me all the more grateful to get back out training the next day!
So, being completely exhausted at the moment and looking forward to a few slower days, I also have to reassure myself that it is OK to have nothing to do! I have learned that in order to be able to do everything I want to do, I have to do nothing (as backwards as that sounds, hopefully you get my point!).
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Commitment...it means showing up to practice no matter what.
Well, today was a day that I'll look back on years from now and still remember.
It started with snow. Waking up this morning for swim practice, the weather conditions didn't quite register in my brain until I was scraping a 2 inch thick layer of snow off my 1992 Toyota Corolla, a car which has definitely seen better days. Although I have only ever driven in the snow once before, I was not too worried about getting to the pool as I only live about 5 min away; however, this short treck proved to be more exciting than usual.
Driving about 20 km per hour along the snow covered road, I am forced to take a detour to avoid the traffic jam in front of me as cars with twice the power of mine are getting stuck going up a hill. Stupidly, I decide to take my chances on an even steeper hill (steeper than I remember). Zigzagging back and forth in order to not slide backwards, my car's wheels are spinning, barely gripping the pavement, but somehow (I guess luck was on my side today) I make it to the top of the hill. Getting stuck for a second at the intersection, I arrive at the pool safe, but not sound. Just thinking about all the bad things that could have happened on the way here, I wondered why I even tried driving at all (next time I will definitely walk)...but not showing up to practice was not an option.
After a solid swim with my team mates, I managed to drive home on cleared roads without too much trouble, and rest for an hour before our afternoon bike session.
Realizing that my car was no match for the unrelenting snow, I arranged a ride with Alison to our indoor bike practice at PISE (about a 10 minute drive away). Too afraid to even drive to her house, I decided to tough it out and trudge through the snow with my wind trainer resting on my shoulders and my bike rolling along beside me. About 20 minutes later, I finally turn up her street, now dragging my bike behind me as the wheels are so congested with compact snow that they are pretty much dysfunctional. Finding my way through the blizzard to her car, stage 1 of my journey is over, and I can breathe for a short while. We arrived at PISE after sliding through an intersection, and more trudging through the snow. This journey was truly epic.
After this morning's swim, and the past two days of solid training, the bike session felt tough. But considering all the trouble we went through to get here, we were not about to sit back and waste the next 2 hours. One by one, people leave the building, passing by us with looks that seem to say "You're crazy". I don't take offense to this. What some people don't realize is that we're not crazy, just committed. Committment means showing up to practice no matter what. We choose not to take the easy road.
Christine
It started with snow. Waking up this morning for swim practice, the weather conditions didn't quite register in my brain until I was scraping a 2 inch thick layer of snow off my 1992 Toyota Corolla, a car which has definitely seen better days. Although I have only ever driven in the snow once before, I was not too worried about getting to the pool as I only live about 5 min away; however, this short treck proved to be more exciting than usual.
Driving about 20 km per hour along the snow covered road, I am forced to take a detour to avoid the traffic jam in front of me as cars with twice the power of mine are getting stuck going up a hill. Stupidly, I decide to take my chances on an even steeper hill (steeper than I remember). Zigzagging back and forth in order to not slide backwards, my car's wheels are spinning, barely gripping the pavement, but somehow (I guess luck was on my side today) I make it to the top of the hill. Getting stuck for a second at the intersection, I arrive at the pool safe, but not sound. Just thinking about all the bad things that could have happened on the way here, I wondered why I even tried driving at all (next time I will definitely walk)...but not showing up to practice was not an option.
After a solid swim with my team mates, I managed to drive home on cleared roads without too much trouble, and rest for an hour before our afternoon bike session.
Realizing that my car was no match for the unrelenting snow, I arranged a ride with Alison to our indoor bike practice at PISE (about a 10 minute drive away). Too afraid to even drive to her house, I decided to tough it out and trudge through the snow with my wind trainer resting on my shoulders and my bike rolling along beside me. About 20 minutes later, I finally turn up her street, now dragging my bike behind me as the wheels are so congested with compact snow that they are pretty much dysfunctional. Finding my way through the blizzard to her car, stage 1 of my journey is over, and I can breathe for a short while. We arrived at PISE after sliding through an intersection, and more trudging through the snow. This journey was truly epic.
After this morning's swim, and the past two days of solid training, the bike session felt tough. But considering all the trouble we went through to get here, we were not about to sit back and waste the next 2 hours. One by one, people leave the building, passing by us with looks that seem to say "You're crazy". I don't take offense to this. What some people don't realize is that we're not crazy, just committed. Committment means showing up to practice no matter what. We choose not to take the easy road.
Christine
Sunday, February 20, 2011
A long overdue update...
Well, so much for my goal to update once a week! Unfortunately, the only excuse I can come up with is that I was busy... I know, the truth is not very exciting.
So what exactly have I been doing? To sum up, school, training, sleeping, and cleaning.
First, school. I've been handling my second semester at UVic much better than my first. Discovering the stress and anxiety of falling behind, I have been doing my best to stay up to date in all my classes, which means LOTS of reading. I've gotten my first midterms over with and am now enjoying reading break. Even though classes only started 6 weeks ago, a break from the books was definitely needed!
Second, training. January sped by and we are deep into February with March just around the corner. My first big competition is not until June, so I have a few solid months of quality training to get under my belt before I hit the races. My swimming has been coming along surprisingly well, and I have finally broken through the dreaded "plateau" that I've been on since I was 15, which is something that seems to happen to a lot of female swimmers around that age. It is really exciting to see my hard work from the past few years paying off, as I get faster in workouts. With an 800 time trial bound to come up soon, I am very excited to see what I can do.
Over reading break, I was hoping to go somewhere warm and sunny for a training camp, but unfortunately, those plans fell though. Staying in Victoria in some ways will be very good for me, and will make managing school a lot easier. And just because we are not going anywhere, doesn't mean there won't be a training camp!
Third, sleeping. Sleep is crucial to being able to do the first two well and consistently. I avoided getting sick all winter, and hope to keep up this good routine by continuing to get enough sleep, which can get really hard around exam time. Now that reading break is here, and an undoubtedly a hard training camp is about to begin, I don't think being in bed by 9:00 pm will be a challenge!
Fourth, cleaning...one of the things I hate about living by myself. It was an amazing discovery to find that the dishes do not magically become clean, or that my clothes don't just pick themselves up off the floor...and the amount of time it takes to do all these things!! Really mom, I don't know how you do it.
Until next time (no promises on when that will be!)
Christine
So what exactly have I been doing? To sum up, school, training, sleeping, and cleaning.
First, school. I've been handling my second semester at UVic much better than my first. Discovering the stress and anxiety of falling behind, I have been doing my best to stay up to date in all my classes, which means LOTS of reading. I've gotten my first midterms over with and am now enjoying reading break. Even though classes only started 6 weeks ago, a break from the books was definitely needed!
Second, training. January sped by and we are deep into February with March just around the corner. My first big competition is not until June, so I have a few solid months of quality training to get under my belt before I hit the races. My swimming has been coming along surprisingly well, and I have finally broken through the dreaded "plateau" that I've been on since I was 15, which is something that seems to happen to a lot of female swimmers around that age. It is really exciting to see my hard work from the past few years paying off, as I get faster in workouts. With an 800 time trial bound to come up soon, I am very excited to see what I can do.
Over reading break, I was hoping to go somewhere warm and sunny for a training camp, but unfortunately, those plans fell though. Staying in Victoria in some ways will be very good for me, and will make managing school a lot easier. And just because we are not going anywhere, doesn't mean there won't be a training camp!
Third, sleeping. Sleep is crucial to being able to do the first two well and consistently. I avoided getting sick all winter, and hope to keep up this good routine by continuing to get enough sleep, which can get really hard around exam time. Now that reading break is here, and an undoubtedly a hard training camp is about to begin, I don't think being in bed by 9:00 pm will be a challenge!
Fourth, cleaning...one of the things I hate about living by myself. It was an amazing discovery to find that the dishes do not magically become clean, or that my clothes don't just pick themselves up off the floor...and the amount of time it takes to do all these things!! Really mom, I don't know how you do it.
Until next time (no promises on when that will be!)
Christine
Saturday, January 8, 2011
2011! A new year... a new blog!
Well, I am officially entering the world of blogging. Let me introduce myself.
Birthday: June 13, 1992
Age: 18
Hometown: Cowichan Bay, British Columbia
How I came to be a triathlete:
I raced my first triathlon, the Victoria Youth Triathlon, when I was nine at the recommendation of my swim coach. Immediately loving the sport, I continued to race in the Kids of Steel Program until the age of 15. I am now preparing to race my last year as a Junior Elite.
Training History:
I swam with the Duncan Stingrays Swim Team from the age of 7 to 18. I began triathlon specific training when I was 13 with Kelly’s Kids Triathlon Team, coached by Kelly Guest. I currently train with the National Triathlon Center coached by Patrick Kelly.
What I love about triathlon:
This sport is great because it is not just one sport. Boredom is not a factor with the continual variation of swim, bike, and run training. Racing triathlon provides a feeling of accomplishment far above what I felt in other sports. I also love the fact that every race is different, and every race is unpredictable.
Why I do triathlon:
Sport has always been a huge part of my life. Although triathlon requires a great amount of commitment, there is honestly nothing else I would rather be doing. My triathlon career has provided many great memories, and has allowed me to travel around the world. As well, the friends I’ve made along the way make it all the more worthwhile.
My Inspiration:
I’ve never really had a role model in triathlon, but there have definitely been people that have inspired me along the way. My coaches, team mates, as well as up and coming athletes, are all people that have helped motivate me on a slow day, and continually push me to be a better athlete and person.
Highlights:
Kids of Steel Successes:
Two-time winner of US Youth Elite Nationals (2006, 2007)
Two-time Western Canadian Champion (2006, 2007)
Winner of three gold medals (aquathon, duathlon, triathlon) at BC Summer Games (2006)
Junior Elite Accomplishments:
Junior Elite National Series: 1st 2008, 3rd 2009
Canadian Eastern Championships: 3rd 2009, 1st 2010
Canadian Western Championships: 3rd 2009, 1st 2010
Junior Elite Nationals: 3rd 2008, 6th 2009
2009 Canada Summer Games: 4th individual triathlon, 1st team relay
Pan-American Triathlon Championships: 5th 2008, 7th 2009, 3rd 2010
2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival: 5th
2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games: 14th
2010 Junior Elite World Championships: 12th
Since graduating high school last June, I now live in Victoria and train with the National Triathlon Center. I am very excited for the upcoming 2011 season.
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