New bike, new helmet, new shoes... oh my!

Yay! I finally got to ride my new bike this week and I love it! I went in for a bike fit on Wednesday (thanks so much Bill!) and did my first hard bike workout afterwards. The hills are definitely easier to go up and it is so great to have smooth shifting and a shiny clean new chain that doesn't make noises!! I'm trying to ride as much as possible before the race next weekend, so hopefully I will have practiced enough with all my new gear to be ready to use it on race day.

Christine

Almost ready...

I am so close to riding my new bike, I am just aching to feel the speed of my new Specialized Amira, but there are still a fwe more things to do...the final touches. I was so excited to pick up my bike from the bike store and bring it home, and was hoping to get on a give it a quick ride, but encountered an unexpected problem that sort of ruined the moment. My bike came with pedals attached to it that I tried to take off only to realize I needed a pedal wrench (which I don't have). It was such an anticlimax to just leave it sitting against the wall all afternoon because of something as silly as not being able to get the pedals off!! I've arranged to borrow a pedal wrench tomorrow so then the fun can begin!  I really hope that everything is ready to go by the time the first junior series race rolls around, which is coming up on June 26th in St. Malo. It is sort of hard to believe that I will be racing again in about 2 weeks, but I am feeling ready. We are heading into our last hard training block before the race and I plan to make the most of it. The race is like the light at the end of the tunnel which I will keep my eyes on over the next two weeks.

Christine

Thank you sponsors!

Today was a pretty exciting day... a whole bunch of stuff arrived from our great sponsors!! It was like Christmas...or an early birthday...or winning the lottery (I imagine at least!). This morning I tried out my new Nineteen wetsuit in the pool and really liked it. It felt really good in the water and fit me just right! I can't wait to wear it in Thetis Lake this weekend! Next, I picked up my helmet, cycling shoes, and race wheels from Specialized...the final touches to complete our package. We will hopefully be on the new bikes next week as the components came in the other day and are being assembled as you read! I am so excited to use all this new gear and finally say goodbye to my beat up cycling shoes and chipped paint job on my old bike. Thanks everyone for supporting Triathlon Code... I'll be wearing your name proudly this summer!

Christine

North Shore Triathlon

Well, now I'm eating my words... there was not a drop of rain at the North Shore Triathlon on Monday! But I think everyone was relieved to have some nice weather for a day! I had a really good first race of the season, the race played out pretty well exactly how I wanted it too. I felt really strong in the swim, and I came out of the water just behind Hilary so we were able to work together on the bike. Drafting helped the 4 loops go by fast, soon we were running into T2. I ran out of T2 first and held my position on the run. I felt good on the run as well, which was a good confidence booster. Despite the run course being very hilly, I felt quick and light and was happy with my run split. I try to take something away from each race that I can improve on, so over the rest of the summer I will continue to work on my 180 degree turns on the bike, my running stride and range of motion, as well as smoothing out my T1.

Until next time!

Christine

Race season here I come!

Have my first race of the season coming up in  a few days...the North Shore Triathlon. Alison provides a very accurate description, but she forgot to mention that it ALWAYS rains! I haven't done this race in the last 2 years, but it was one of my usual competitions when I raced Kids of Steel. I can't remember a year that it wasn't overcast with at least a drizzle if not full on rain pouring down. I always love the first race of the season. I get really excited and nervous at the same time...it takes me a while to remember that I do this probably eight times every year! But it always feels like I am starting something new each season, it is the first taste of the summer ahead. This year, it is a big relief that the first race is a training race... no pressure to qualify for anything, no stress of racing athletes from all over the continent, no plane ride or time change to adjust to. The only expectation is that we race our hardest, which is what we all love to do anyway! So I'm looking forward to taking a little family trip over to Vancouver and racing.

Christine

Welcome home... not!

After a two and a half week training camp, I'm now back home in Victoria. I was feeling ready to come home from my "holiday" in the sun... but now I kind of just want to go back to Arizona!! Flying in at midnight Tuesday evening, of course the first thing to greet us was Victoria rain... a little depressing after two weeks of sunshine! Luckily, we cleared customs fairly quickly and all our luggage came through. My mom met me at the airport and drove me home, and I curled into my bed at around 1 am. With the next morning off I had the opportunity to sleep in as late as I wanted. I turned off my alarm and just slept...until 6:45 (I wish I could sleep in!!). Wide awake, I figured I might as well go to the morning swim at 7:30 and jump in for 3 km easy. All ready to go (and on time too!) I walk down to my car to find that the driver side door is slightly ajar, my glove compartment is open, the little bit of change I leave in the car is spilled out on the seat, and my car battery is dead... wonderful. I was really frustrated because a similar thing happened when I was away for two weeks in Budapest for Worlds last year...honestly, if your going to break into my car and not steal anything at least close the door!! So, seeing as there was nothing I could do to fix my car immediately, I thought I would just take the bus to swimming. As a UVic student, I was planning on just using my student card as bus fees are included in tuition...but I soon discovered that my student card expired April 30th, so I would have to pay. Just coming back from the states, all I had was American change, and not very much. Figuring the fee wouldn't be any more than $1.50, I was shocked to find out that my 3 minute bus ride cost me $2.50! By the time I was finished putting in all my nickels and dimes in the slot I was at the pool! After my ordeal getting to the pool, I had a good swim, and it was nice seeing all my team mates and coach again. It wasn't exactly the welcome home I was hoping for... but hey, at least I'm home.

Christine

A very frustrating day.

Well today was a bit of a nightmare. It was one of those days when lots of little things don't really work out the way you would like them to, and when taken individually they don't seem a big deal, but when piled on top of each other can push you over the edge.
This morning I woke up with a bad cold. I don't get sick very often, so when I do I am pretty miserable, especially when it happens in the middle of a training camp and I am forced to miss workouts. Being sick for a few days can really make you lose perspective. I know in the grand scheme of things it is not the end of the world to miss a few training sessions due to sickness as these things happen (although  have been very fortunate and this is the first time I have gotten sick since August), but at the same time (like today) it seems like a big deal. So I lay in bed this morning, sniffling and croaking, alone in the house, while my training partners were swimming laps in the pool. My mind wanted to do it, but my body was not letting me.
After a lazy morning came a kind of hectic afternoon. We had to change rooms after two nights at our accommodation to another room about 50 meters away... which is just a really annoying inconvenience. Like I said before, this alone is not a big deal, but when you have a head cold and are not exactly feeling at your best, this is just a drag. So I stuff all my training gear into my overflowing suitcase, push it down the stairs, and transfer everything across the parking lot to my new home that is the mirror image to the one I was just in. I was stuck in no-man's-land for a few hours while those who were in the room I was about to occupy packed their things and left. All I wanted to do was lay down and rest, but that didn't happen until about four hours later....ugggh.....
So, after moving all my stuff over (about 5 trips across the parking lot in all), I discover that my computer has a virus and now I can't use it.... this kind of sucks... especially when you are sick and lean on technology for entertainment and sanity. I have to wait until I am home to get my computer fixed, so will have to beg other people to let me use theirs, which is hard in a house of athletes when you have germs. (I promise to try my best not to sneeze on it and will disinfect as soon as I'm done!).
To sum up, I am really tired, snuffly, have piles of gear to unpack (which is still sitting at the bottom of the stairs), and have no computer..... but there is a bright side... I finally got all my marks for my second term at university and did very well on all my finals!

Christine