Hit the Brick Wall…

“A little slow out of the gates, what happened to ‘Look out 2013’…suck it up princess,” sighed Moll.  “It’s the price of aging…older, greyer and slower and its nonsense to try and keep up with the thirty something’s.  Why can’t you accept that your mind is willing but your body is aging?”

The continuous year-round training has taken a mental and physical toll.  Athena is going to quit the bike/swim/run.  There is no inspiration to train, no motivation to enter events and most notably no aspirations to do anything physical.

To quit anything is a hard decision…it means giving up, it means not living up to self-proclaimed expectations it means closing the door.  There is a certainty a final realization of ‘ending’.  There is also guilt and regret.  Guilt that there wasn’t enough work put into the decision to quit and regret in that there will never be the knowledge of what happened if ‘quit’ had not occurred. 

“The agony is the most difficult part, “whined Athena “and I’m so tired of whining to Stephanie about how discouraged I am.  I can read her thoughts in the emails…she’s tired of my complaining and would prefer that I made a decision to commit or not commit.”

“I promised myself that I would continue the workouts until the end of May and then I’ll decide.” explained Athena.  “At least I would have given it my best attempt and I will not have any regrets.”

Promises, Promises...

Promises, promises, promises…I promised that I would blog more consistently but life gets in the way. The year that was (aka 2012) was eventful but not in a sporting sense.

 April 2012 proved to be the start to a long recovery. On April 17th I was on a BC hydro transit bus, I paid the fare then moved to my seat. Before I could get to my seat the bus lurched forward sending me ‘flying’ through the aisle. The result was a severe injury to the already osteoarthritic left knee.

 Twelve weeks later and finally without crutches or canes I was able to walk Max-the-dog. Coach Stephanie created a workout schedule of swimming, walking and cycling. Running was an absolute No-No! I did manage to complete the following events:

 • Sasamat Lake July 1st swim – 1 km - approx. 27 minutes – good time considering I’m afraid of cold, deep dark water
• Victoria GranFondo - June – 50 km – this was my first event after the accident…finishing was the accomplishment
• Vancouver Biennale – August - 110 km – finishing was the accomplishment
• Levi Leipheimer GranFondo – San ta Rosa California August - 110 km – 5th place (out of 26) in my age group.

 I was thrilled with the Levi Leipheimer GF – the cycle was spectacular …cycling through the Napa Valley was beautiful. The hills on the Coast Route were difficult – some of the shorter climbs were at the 10 – 12% grade.

The start of 2013 was difficult. On Jan 9th, all consultants on the IT  project were ‘let go’…that included some 106 folks including me. In February, I caught a cold that turned into pneumonia that resulted in chronic asthma. The asthma is the main concern; gaining adequate control has been difficult. Swimming and Strength training has been a consistent reminder that I’m still training. Coach Stephanie will have me back on a walk/run program soon.

Look out 2013…I’m back…

One thing at a time...

“One thing at a time…don’t get the knickers in a knot”, mumbled Moll “it’s been a hellish few months, all this crap will eventually find resolution”.

The hellish few months started last summer with the dissolution of Athena’s youngest son’s marriage, there’s a child involved and that makes the situation all the more difficult. Christmas was especially tense dealing with an ex-daughter-in-law‘s tantrums. The never ending saga continues - that means that there are only 14 more years to go (until the child reaches the age majority).
The workouts have been aimed at stress busting and the side effect are noticeable…

“You chopped off 2 minutes from your previous best time for the 10 km race – that’s an improvement of 2% - gotta take that as progress” , Bubbled Moll as she consumed the last of the brownies.

‘… and you are gaining weight. That constant snacking is going to add pounds to the race weight”

“I’ll burn it all off at burlesque dance class” stated a defiant Moll. “Leigh has got us going full tilt on the R-E-S-P-E-C-T dance routine”.

‘…and the personal trainer is going to put you on a diet – you are going to be an absolute pain to live with”, growled Athena. “No more empty calories or I’ll call Ali Zetner and she will give you bloody hell”.

In the meantime the training continues under the watchful direction of Coach Stephanie. A nasty case of Plantar Faciitis in the right foot has stalled the training schedule. Yoga classes (6 days/week) have been the only form of exercise during the month of February and the lost fitness is of great concern.

Athena – you need to get mentally tough in order to get back on the train.

2012 Event/race schedule:
• January 22nd – Vancouver Chilly Chase – PB time for a 10 km
• April – Delta Sprint Triathlon
• May – BMO 8km
• May – North Shore Triathlon
• June 10 – West Side Classic (65 km cycle)
• June 24 – Tour de Victoria (100 km cycle)
• July – Subaru Triathlon – Sprint Distance
• Aug – Kelowna Apple Triathlon – perhaps an Olympic distance
• Sept – Cultus Lake Adventure race – kayak, mountain bike, 5 km run (FUN event)

Triathlon from hell...

‘That was a tough go’ sigh Moll, ‘You survived the cycle on 10 to 12 percent hills, then a very hilly 5 km run. There is nothing wrong with walking the hills during the run. You could have quit midway but you didn’t- that says a lot of about survival techniques’.

‘It still wasn’t a good finish, but there are a few lessons from the exercise’, Athena looked at the mound of laundry she was folding, ‘It could have been worse, I mean quitting instead of finishing. I’m still so terribly discouraged and with all the personal crap going on, the motivation to train is minimal’.

It’s been a long season of cycle and tri events for Athena, in total there were 3 sprint triathlons and one century cycle. Two events remain - a Sprint Triathlon and a week later the Whistler MedioFondo. The Medio fondo was Coach Stepahnie suggestion...work on muscular endurance for the climbing. Athena you proved last year that you can sit on a bicycle seat for 7 hours and 52 minutes - no need to prove that accomplishment again

Austraila 2011 - Rave Runs

The Australia trip was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Australia had been a dream and by the end of December I had allowed myself to take 3 to 4 months off work. With the help of the Flight Center I managed to max out my credit cards for air fare, camper van rental, accommodation in Fiji and a few dive trips.

Coach Stephanie provided an every other day run workout schedule, and I had some fantastic trail and city runs. It was really hot and humid (36 degrees C and 85% humidity). I managed to get sunburnt at 9:00 a.m. and within a week bought the SPF shirts/shorts that the surfer’s wear.

I took Moll (the rocker babe persona with me) and I had blast…did a lot of things that I never thought I would have the opportunity to do; surfing, running in the tropical heat, diving at the Great Barrier Reef and enjoying every moment. I left Alice (the persona who thinks I should be working 24/7) at home.

The slide show/movie clip is approx 7 minutes long with music from Bryan Adams…enjoy…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjxQUGRNLBg

The times they are a changing...

“Well, well Missy, lots of changes during the last 3 months, what the hell is going on? Aren’t you past the mid-life crisis conundrum?” mumbled Moll as she was packing another box. “It’s easier if you would just buy a red Ferrari and get on with life.”

Athena’s life changes have been dramatic:
Change #1. Changed coaches in September.
Change #2. Quit the job on December 17th.
Change #3. Moved from Vancouver (I’ll be back).
Change #4. Going to Australia for the month of February.
Change #5. Training harder than last year (swim bike run approx 12 to 14 hours/week). Coach Stephanie is a master slave driver
Change #6. Changing the running gait. Much more difficult than anticipated.

Coach Stephanie set out a race/event schedule for 2011. The workout schedule alone will keep Athena out of the shopping mall:

Sun Run (April 17th)
North Shore Sprint Tri (May)
Vancouver Subaru Tri (July 3 –Sprint)
Axel Merckx Medio 100 km GranFondo (July 11)
Kelowna Apple Tri (August)
Vancouver/Whistler Medio 60 km GranFondo – Squamish to Whistler

“Whine, whine, whine, the event load is an optional and conscious choice,” professed Moll in a holier-than-thou tone. “You chose to burlesque your way though Santa Baby on the stage of the Penthouse with a live, raunchy, drunk audience and didn’t even miss a dance step.”

“Yeah…Suck it up Princess, it’s going to be a busy year,” Athena muttered as she taped down the lid of another box.

Recovery week

Recovery week and thankfully life is normal at least for a few more days .  The bike hasn't seen pavement since the GranFondo,  instead yoga, burlesque dancing and swimming have found their own niches.  Spin cycle classes start next week.  A treadmill patiently awaits its turn.

No more riding in the rain and cold, no more riding in the dark and no more riding up Capilano road at rush hour.  The Hail Mary's that were repeated on Wednesday evenings are no longer required , the fear or death by being hit by a car is now gone.