Running for Isa

I haven’t been nearly as active on this blog in the last year as I had hoped to. 

Two pretty big race reports are long overdue, Boston Marathon and my first ½ Ironman triathlon, both significant events in my limited athletic portfolio, but in spite of their impact and the amazing people I completed them with and received support from leading up to, at and post events, I just haven’t felt moved to write.

This week, I've been thinking a lot about the upcoming Winterman event.  Last year a couple of friends and I ran the marathon as a relay team with my friend Isabelle, it was her first race back after receiving her cancer diagnosis, it was also as it turned out, her last race.

Coming in on the first lap, love the smile Isa

Crossing the Finish line of the 2014 Winterman Marathon

On September 19, a little over six months later, Isabelle left us.  To quote Stuart Scott in his ESPY speech (if you haven’t seen this video, I HIGHLY recommend you watch it!)

"When you die, that does not mean you lose to cancer.  You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live. So live, live, fight like hell. And when you get too tired, [lie] down, rest and let someone else fight for you.”

This quote so accurately reflects the way Isabelle lived her life from the moment she shared her cancer diagnosis with me, that I when I heard it I was convinced he was speaking about her!  If you read any of the posts or exchanges between Isabelle and I on facebook during her fight, you will know that she fought hard, stayed positive and was so incredibly strong and courageous throughout the battle, always keeping her sense of humour and always hanging onto the hope that she’d return to health and to her love of running.

Isabelle and I shared our love of running and a passion for the mission of Imerman Angels.

In our last conversation, just two days before she passed away, Isabelle sounded very tired, but she insisted she was going to beat this disease, return to run and raise funds for Imerman Angels and become a mentor for them.

This weekend, I’ll be running the Winterman Marathon as a relay once again with friends, many of whom got the chance to meet Isabelle, and we’ll pick up the baton, run and continue to fight for Isabelle to that she can rest (or run) in peace!

The gang post-race, Isa was smiling pretty much all weekend

I miss you dearly my friend, but my heart will be filled with joy on Sunday as I run that route in your memory and reflect how it brought you joy and comfort as well!

Chicago Marathon Race Report – No disrespect intended

The lead-up:

This race report is long overdue…I’ve been meaning to get to it for months, but finally found some downtime to put thoughts to paper…or blog in this case.

The decision to run the Chicago Marathon was based solely on the fact that it is premiere race (and headquarters) of Imerman Angels.  I focused a lot of my time on energy on raising funds and awareness for Imerman Angels in 2013 and it paid big dividends…with the help of friends and family, we raised over $3000 for Imerman Angels, which equates to just over 9 connections for cancer fighters or caregivers.  Equally important, as a result of spreading awareness here in Ottawa, 2 new Ottawa based mentor Angels were recruited and many friends are continuing to spread the word to those they know who have been affected by cancer.

Training was a bit of a challenge this year, balancing cycling events, triathlon, shorter distance races with family and friends and an ever accumulating fatigue from the training and in hind sight a general lack of focus.

Race Weekend:

Since I was headed to the Home of Imerman Angels, I booked some extra time on either side of the Marathon, arriving early Friday afternoon, and staying until mid-day the day after the marathon. 

After getting settled in on Friday, I headed over to the race expo to volunteer at the Imerman Angels booth where I got to meet the Incredibly Energetic Khitam.  Khit is a 2 time cancer survivor, Mentor Angel, member of the Imerman Angels professionals board and is incredibly passionate about the mission of Imerman Angels and spreading awareness…she makes me feel like a sloth with her boundless energy!  Oh and she was going to be running her first marathon on Sunday too J

 

As luck would have it, my good friend and Mentor Angel, Derek works in Chicago AND his boss has season tickets to the Black Hawks!  His boss, generously offered to take us along, he’s a great guy, who loves his Chicago teams and knows everything about them!  We saw a great game (which Chicago won) had some great food and got to hang out for the evening, great way to stay relaxed.

 

One of the BEST things about this weekend was that my friends Dave & Elaine came to cheer me on (they brought Doot too)!   We met up on Saturday evening with Ben, Steven and Jennifer and headed over to the Team Imerman Angels dinner where we got to meet up with staff, volunteers and many of the Team Imerman Angels members who I would be running with the next day.  After that it was early to bed in preparation for race day.

 

Race Day:

The goal for this race was to finally break the 4:30:00 barrier (more on that later).  The forecast called for a chilly start to the race (8C) with the day getting progressively warmer (17C) for the finish.

The morning started with my normal pre-race meal, oatmeal and a banana and then a quick cab ride to the Charity Village to meet up with Team Imerman Angels and all of the volunteers and staff who we busy preparing pre and post-race refereshments and treats for us. 

Joan (Team Imerman Angels director) was on-site taking charge and making sure that everyone was accounted for, photographed, got their wings (see photo) and generally in the right state of mind (and body) to head out for their marathon challenge.

It was GREAT to get to meet so many people who had a connection with Imerman Angels and had decided to fundraise and train to run the Chicago marathon…a first marathon for many of the team. One of the people I met (in person finally) was Pascale an expat Canadian (see photo)

 

As we were walking over to the start line with the team and figuring out what corrals we were assigned to, we also started talking expected/goal times and informally sorted ourselves into groups that would run together for as long as our pace would let us.  The group of four I started with included Anthony, Becky and Pascale…us Canucks need to stick together ya’ know J

 

I’m not sure how or when we came up with this, but as we ran past each mile marker, we would call out the mile number followed by Ah, Ah, Ah…very Sesame street of us…hey you do what you gotta’  to keep yourself distracted during a marathon.

The crowd support was amazing!!! I can’t remember the exact number but there were people and signs everywhere…and a few personal connections along the way too. 

We got to see…actually hear then see Pascale’s mom several times during the race, she is a real ball of energy and just what you need when your own energy is waning, it was touching to see Pascale and her mom run together as they spotted each other and her mom checked in to make sure she was doing well.

Mile 13 was my energy boost as I got to see Dave, Elaine and Doot and get some high fives and a hug along with an acknowledgement from Elaine that I was ahead of pace…woohoo!!

I know I saw Dave, Elaine and Doot again and I think it was around mile 17, but my mind is a bit hazy on this one…their smiles, cheers and signs we a fantastic boost and helped me re-focus on the goal.

Mile 18(ish) was the only spot where the crowd support was thin…it’s in a business park and I am sure getting public transit there is a bit of a challenge, but you sure feel it when you don’t have the energy of the crowd to draw on, thankfully we had Pascale’s mom, with her exuberant cheers and her run along with Pascale to keep us going until we got to the crowds again..

I don’t remember exactly where the group started to split as we each began budgeting our energy and pace to make sure that we would cross the finish line upright and smiling, but at some point we all ended up running our own races.

I’m not sure if it was being out there alone, the lack of focus in training or the accumulated mileage, but somewhere around the 35k mark, things started to go downhill.  My pace was slipping, my energy was waning and the negative self-talk was starting.  I was becoming more and more certain that I was not going to make my goal time and started “letting” myself take more frequent and longer walk breaks…telling myself I wasn’t going to make the goal anyway..beginning to question why I was out here but catching myself each time I let my chin drop to my chest and felt dejected, my eyes saw the Imerman Angels logo on my jersey …and I would remind myself of what the survivors and cancer fighters I know have and are going through and that I got to choose to be out here, that I was raising awareness with each person who saw the jersey and making connections with the funds raised.

It wasn’t going to get me back on track for my goal time, but it was enough to get me started running each time knowing that I could finish this.

I must have looked especially dejected after the last water station somewhere around mile 25, because as I was walking and moping, another marathon runner, a complete stranger ran up behind me, tapped me on the shoulder and said “come on Brent, you’ve got this!” (our names are on the back of our jerseys), he then proceeded to run with me up to the 26 mile marker where he said “you’ve got this, you look strong now run it in! I’ve got to go run in some friends” and he was gone…I LOVE that about running! Thank you complete stranger!!

I did manage to run in the last .2 without assistance J to cross the finish line in a time of 4:40:58.  I got my bling, my mylar blanket and I swore that I was taking a year off of this marathon thing!

Post Race:

The walk from the finish line to Charity Village was about 1k which was a good thing (except for the stairs on the way out of the park) as I needed to keep moving.

As I got to Charity Village, I was greeted with smiles, hugs and congratulations from Dave, Elaine and Doot…it was soooo Great to have some familiar faces there after a very tough finish and a disappointing result. Perspective is everything and friends sure help you gain that quickly!

 

 

Post-race (post-shower) activities included a visit to Burke’s Bacon Bar (is anyone surprised) for a light snack with Dave, Elaine, Doot and a few of Dave & Elaine’s friends as well as a walk to Navy Pier to kill some time before meeting up with Ben, Steven (who also ran the marathon..super fast I might add), Jennifer and a few more of Dave and Elaine’s friends for Deep Dish pizza…and it was GOOOD!!!

 

 

Lesson learned:

Ya’ gotta respect the distance.  In hindsight, I think that I was too casual about this race, with it being my 5^th I was possibly too relaxed…I didn’t feel the normal pre-race nerves leading up to the race or even at the start line, which should have been a sign.

Although I was a little disappointed when I realized I wasn't going to make my time goal, I am grateful for the gift of fitness and for my amazing family and friends who are always so supportive!

Next up:

This year’s focus will be on triathlon and my first half iron distance in particular, I’m also hoping to PB in the ½ marathon distance in the fall, so it promises to be a fun, tough summer.  I hope to be more consistent about my blog entries too, so that you can all track my progress on my goals both in events and in fundraising/awareness for Imerman Angels.

If you’re in Ottawa, drop me a line and let’s get a swim, ride or run in together!

 

Time to DU it again - Esprit Duathlon Race Report

I added the Esprit Duathlon to my race calendar after the Worlds here in Ottawa as I felt I needed to redeem myself. Sonia and I had talked about Spain for next year's Worlds and decided that we'd put that chat off until we saw IF I could qualify in Montreal, as it turns out, we won't need to have that chat.

Going into the race, I was unsure if my back would hold-up after the spasms I had in the Olympic last week so I decided the plan would be to race at perceived effort and rarely looked at my Garmin save to make sure I was on the right lap on the bike.

The stats:
Run 1: 55:29.9
Bike: 1:17:37 (includes both transitions I think as my Garmin showed the bike as 1:11 and some change)
Run 2: 32:42.8
Race total: 2:45:48.9 (PB of just under 5 minutes over Worlds in August)
21/25 M 45-49 (only the top 10 qualify for Worlds)
116/153 Men

Run 1 (10k):
Felt pretty good, my back was not causing any problems and thanks to the fact that there was a mix of age groupers and folks trying to qualify, I was not left in everyone's dust this time.

T1:
Went pretty well, it's a longish transition, but well marked and there were lots of volunteers to guide you.

Bike (40k):
A relatively flat course with some nice tight corners and thankfully DRY when I was out there. Since it is the Gilles Villeneuve race course, I couldn't help but make some F1 noises as I "opened it up" on the straight aways...in my head anyway.  My goal on the bike was to go hard for the first half and then ease up a bit so that I still had some legs left for the second run (learning from my mistake at Worlds). I managed this pretty well and spent the last couple of laps spinning things out. PB for this distance on the bike, and the good news, I didn't feel like I was going to puke.

T2:
Things did not go so smoothly here, it was a long transition off the bike to where the duathletes rack and maybe I pushed harder than I thought because when I got to the rack, I almost knocked the bike next to mine off the rack...a wee bit off balance. Transition took longer than normal for me, almost double, but again maybe that was due to the bike.

Run 2 (5k):
Overall a good run, not quite as fast as at Worlds, but at least I didn't feel like I was going to puke! No back issues which was surprising and a relief. Experienced some stomach issues that may be due to the new sports drink and chews that I am testing out before Chicago or maybe due to having Greek as the pre-race supper the night before (not my regular pre-race supper).

After the race I was feeling a little defeated when I saw that I hadn't qualified, not that I honestly expected to as I knew the calibre of the racers at the world level, but in the back of my mind I still thought I MIGHT have a chance. Two things helped give me perspective and “reset the brain"

1. Seeing other OTC peeps out there enjoying their fitness, racing with a smile (thanks for that hug Annick, you probably didn't realise how much it helped at the time).

2. Meeting up with my friend Isabelle after the race and hearing about her battle with a rare, incurable form of cancer. Isabelle is a runner and has been unable to run due to the effects of her multiple treatments over the last 8 months. She's about to get a break from chemo and IF she's given the green light and has any energy at all, she plans to race, she misses the positivity of the race environment so much that she just HAS to get back out there if she can. We've decided we'll run together and celebrate every step!

Lessons learned:
Perception is not reality, reviewing the stats when I got home was when I realised I had a PB, even though I didn't feel like I went as hard as I had at Worlds.
Slow is relative and I can do something about it.
Nutrition needs work and maybe more thought and planning.

One last Tri - Canadian Triathlon Race Report

Race Dedication:

Race morning I received news that my good friend Jane’s father had passed away, just shy of his 91st birthday.  He inspired so many people, competing in races well into his 80's and always with a smile on his face and kind words for his fellow competitors and advice and encouragement for those of us who were new to the sport.  He was a war hero (though he would never have accepted that title and was very private about his experiences during the war) flying as part of many secret and dangerous missions.

I decided that I would race in the name of a hero, a man who never claimed that title, but lived his life that way and who after a valiant battle, sadly left us early Saturday morning and so I raced (with a smile) for Mr. (Smiling) Jack Galbraith.  R.I.P. you will be missed!


The short report:

Swim +t1: 41:57
Bike: 1:27:12
T2: 2:09
Run: 1:07:19
Overall: 3:18:35.7, 85 overall, 57/74 men, 9/13 m 45-49

The long report:

The Canadian was my first Olympic distance Triathlon as well and it was FANTASTIC to have the support of the OTC, it made all the difference.

I had not planned on doing an Olympic distance event until next year, but with the confidence gained from doing Bring on the Bay and the encouragement of fellow OTC members (the good peer pressure), I decided to give this distance a Tri.

Last year at the Canadian, I did my first open water event at the super-sprint distance and my plan then was SURVIVE the swim, hammer the bike and leave nothing in the tank on the run, this year with all of the excellent instruction and tips gained from Coaches Geordie, Holly and Sean, I adjusted the goal, ENJOY the swim, hammer the bike and empty the tank on the run, but above all HAVE FUN and finish with a smile.

For the first time leading up to a tri (or any event involving a swim) I didn't feel nervous, instead I was feeling excited and really looking forward to the race and hanging out with other OTC folks after the race, that's BIGGER than I can explain in words, to feel that calm about the swim portion was so different for me, it was weird and wonderful at the same time, so weird that I started to question if maybe I was feeling too calm and maybe too confident...decided to shake that thought off and go with calm and confident based on a summer filled with LOTS of swimming.


I got to the race site WAY early which is just part of my race day routine, was able to pick up my race kit, get myself setup in the t-zone and had plenty of time to hangout at the OTC tent, and head down to the beach to see and cheer on a few OTC folks coming out of the water including Garry who was serving as a swim angel for Erin as she did the swim leg for her relay team, (we need to get you some wings buddy, and not water wings!), it was truly inspirational to see not only how people are facing and overcoming their own challenges but how the people like Garry and Geordie continue to strengthen and grow our triathlon community by helping others along their journey.

After that is was time to go do my walkthrough, final checks of all equipment in the T-zone and the last trip to the washroom before slipping into the wetsuit. Down to the beach for Geordie's orientation talk, a few last minute chats with OTC and other folks I knew who were also racing this and then the warm-up swim. Still feeling relatively calm up to this point.

Swim:
It was a beach start, another first for me and I was doing my best to get to the back of the crowd, self-seeding as a “patient” swimmer, but I stopped about halfway back, not sure that it was a conscious decision, but that’s where I was when we started, ran (or at least it felt like I was running) into the water and “jostled” with others for a bit of open water. In the first 100m, I was kicked, elbowed, swam over, grabbed, none of which I am sure was intentional, but in the melee, my goggles got knocked loose and one side was filling with water, switched to a modified breast stroke, fixed my goggles and got back into my swim groove.

The rest of the swim was pretty uneventful, stuck to my rhythm, miscounted and realized that what I thought was the last buoy was actually second last (couldn’t see the green beach buoys) but didn’t let that bother me, just kept swimming. I have to chalk this up as one of my best ever swims, and the best part of the race for me, not necessarily from a time perspective, but because I didn’t panic, I didn’t let the bumping around at the start throw me off and I kept a simple mantra throughout “think happy thoughts” , I event tried to smile while breathing...or imagined that I was.

T1:
Jogged up the hill, and got an extra boost as I ran by the OTC tent and heard the cheers, Ya’ gotta’ love being part of this club!!

Bike:
I LOVE the bike course on the Canadian, FLAT & FAST, I managed to keep a fairly steady pace and was able to catch some of the folks who beat me out of the water, stayed in aero for all but the turnarounds and felt pretty good about the bike portion overall. I was grinning from ear to ear and doing my best to give a shoutout to all the OTC athletes out there, managed to pickout Andrew, Christina , Claude, Bryan and Bart and tried to give them a specific shoutout as we crossed paths.

T2:
This is where the wheels came off my race plan, I had tweaked my back the week before while on vacation and as soon as I stepped off the bike, and my back began to spasm. Transition was almost double my normal time as I had trouble bending over to get shoes changed and had to try to massage my lower back a bit. Decided that I would just start moving and see what happened. Crossing in front of the OTC tent I heard Ian (and maybe others) yelling to “go get the bacon”, brought the smile back to my face and maybe added a little extra oomph to my step.

Run:
With the back acting up I was not able to go as hard as I had hoped and struggled with the spasms, but ran as much as I could, taking walk breaks to massage the back from time to time and kept trying to keep the smile there. Spotted a few OTC folks out there and gave them shoutouts as we crossed paths and yes Christina was smiling every time I saw her...beaming actually, it got to where I could spot her smile before I knew it was her. Having the OTC tent just before the turnaround was a big help, re-energized me and helped me to be able to re-focus on the fun in spite of the back issues, I was still healthy enough to be out here and to be surrounded by so many supportive people! Sadly I never found the bacon on the run, I’m convinced Ian may have been pulling my leg on that one, though it may have been that the aid stations ran out by the time I got there due to the walk breaks.

I was very fortunate that there so many Ottawa Triathlon Club members at the events.  I received many a high five, low five and shout out from OTC peeps along the whole course.

Most importantly, I managed to cross that finish line with a smile on my face and pay tribute to Mr. Galbraith with a salute !

 I am so thankful for all of the support I have received this season from my family, friends fellow athletes and new friends at the OTC, I honestly could not keep doing what I love so much without all of your support, encouragement and advice!

THANK YOU and I hope to see you all at many more events.

Duathlon World Championships - Race reprot..wow were those folks FAST!

The short report:
2:50:03.5
M45-49 39/39
Men 297/219
PB on the first 10K, PB on the 40K bike, hurting on the final 5K.

The not so short report:
This was my first Duathlon World Championship and it was an incredible experience.  Being a part of Team Canada, participating in the Team events, meeting people from all over this country and the world who were all so positive and happy to be here and so down-to-earth too, some truly inspiring people and some awesome athletes.

Participating in the parade of Nations was one of the highlights for me, my family commented that Team Canada’s uniforms really stood out and more than any other country, we really looked like a Team.  Kudos to the Team managers for stressing the importance of everyone wearing the parade uniform since we were hosting, the pictures really drive home this point.

I have spent most of this season participating in events without any specific time goals, I’ve been participating with friends or family and going at their pace, or participating in events where I was happy to just complete.  In retrospect, that may not have been the best way to prepare for this competition. 

For those who don’t know, the Ottawa venue was announced late last season after Spain had to withdraw as host.  By the time the location was announced, I had missed all of the qualifying events however I was accepted onto the team via the special application process. 

In the lead up to the race, I wanted to be a part of everything that was going on downtown, but also had to try and juggle work and family responsibilities in there, in hindsight, I spent much too much time on my legs and walking around in the days and evenings before.  In short, I did not follow my usual pre-race preparations, not that it would have made a significant difference in the day’s results, but it may have contributed to my personal performance and I certainly didn’t feel “on my game”.

This is the first event where I had to check my bike in the day before, I kinda’ like the idea of not having to go through the full setup process on race morning, there were still all the last minute preps to do, air in tires, helmet on bars, shoes on ground…but having the bike in a pre-assigned spot was somewhat comforting.  Less comforting was the fact that until about an hour before the race, we still were not sure if there were traffic flow rules for the T-zone, turns out there were, but there were relatively simple and there were ample volunteers to make sure you knew where you were going…phew!

Before the race, I had been thinking a lot about a couple of friends (Khitam & Isabelle) who have been an inspiration to me over the last year, Khit is a two time cancer survivor who recently had another scare with the disease (Negative thankfully) and Isabelle is battling a rare form of cancer, both have been incredibly strong, courageous and positive throughout.  I decided that this race was going to be dedicated to both of them and that anytime I was feeling tired, lacking motivation or struggling in anyway, that I would draw on their strength, courage and positivity to pull me through; I just didn’t realize at the time how much I was going to need to rely on them.

The race itself was grueling!  I was way out of my league and I have a new appreciation for the speed and caliber of athletes competing on the World stage, they left me in their dust from the time the horn blew.  This is the first event that I have participated in where I was in last for the entire race.  I have worked hard on the bike over the last couple of years and can usually make up a few spots on the bike sometimes only to lose them on the final run, but nevertheless it was mentally tough to handle.  I found myself wondering on a few occasions why I got myself into this, I was obviously not on the same level as these athletes and as hard as I tried,

I just couldn’t make the body go any faster.  It was a struggle to stay motivated and not just go into cruise mode, but anytime I started feeling like I wanted to give up, or was feeling sorry for myself, I would turn my thoughts to Khit or Isa and how they would just LOVE to be in my place, (they are both runners, Isa has just bought a road bike so that she can stay active in spite of her low energy levels due to the chemo treatments and Khit has started doing Triathlons in the last couple of years too) and I was able to just keep the legs turning over, dig a little deeper and push to what I think were the very edge of my limits.

I was fortunate enough to have my wife and daughter, one of my oldest friends and my run and bike coach out on the course cheering and taking pictures their cheers also helped me to be able to find new energy and my smile (hey the camera captures everything!)

I came close to throwing up twice on the bike and twice during the 5K, so I'm pretty sure I was going as fast as I could on the day.  I managed to PB in the 10K run, PB on the 40K bike and then struggled through the final 5K.  I have no regrets! 

If you ever have the chance to compete at a World Championship as part of Team Canada, no matter how you get on the Team, I highly recommend it.  I met some incredible athletes from Canada and around the world and the experience was amazing!

Facing fear

It has been a long while since I posted anything to my blog, and nothing at all on my triathlon journey so far, some of you have seen the photos and a quick summary of my Bring on the Bay 3K Open Water Swim, but unless you are an Ottawa Triathlon Club (OTC) member, you would not have seen my race report.

So here it is, a “race” report and summary of my triathlon journey so far.

First though here is the short report:
Time 1:23:20, M40-49 34/35, overall 198/209

Now the long report with a bit of a back grounder:

I have had a fear of the water since I was very young, 2 near drowning experiences as a pre-teen and teen and 1 close call while rafting as an adult.

I’m not sure when or why I decided to do triathlon, but I knew I was going to need some help.
I started my triathlon journey in 2011, I attended the OTC swim clinic and Triathlon School, but did my swim training on my own.  I entered the early bird try-a-tri and had a panic attack at 75m, I managed to finish, but it was not a pleasant experience.  That made me decide to sign up for the OTC summer program for the open water swims.  I entered the super-sprint at the Canadian and although I had some nervous moments, I was able to use the cloud counting to get me through it.

Knowing I still had a long way to go, I signed up for the OTC swim program in the fall on Monday (with coach Sean) and Saturday (emerging swimmers with coach Geordie), somewhere along the way I decided to enter Bring on the Bay, again no idea when or why, but I registered.

My goal for this event was to finish. I was certain I would be last, that I would likely be cloud counting a fair bit and that I might have to hang onto a kayak or even stop and ask to be taken to shore.  The idea was to go as far as I could comfortably and to be ok with whatever that happened to be on the day.

“Race” day:

I arrived about an hour and a half before the start of the race (before registration even opened) as I wanted to get my stuff, get settled, go through some visualization and feel ready to go.

I ran into lots of OTC folks, chatted a bit, grabbed my timing chip and headed towards the water to get my wetsuit on.

I ran into Luc, one of my Monday morning swim program mates, so we helped each other get into the suits and decided to do a warm-up together.  During the warm-up Luc decided to go wayyy out there (from my perspective), but I cut it short and headed back to the dock to work on settling my nerves some more.

As the race announcer was doing the countdown, I was surprised by how calm (relatively speaking) that I was, maybe this no time goal, no expectations thing was working.  With about a minute to go, I floated over to the start line, made sure I was as close to the back as possible and flipped onto my back to relax until the gun went off.

The lower the countdown got, the faster my heart was beating and I was really beginning to question if I should even start, what made me register, why would I want to swim this far or for this long, but before I could act on those feelings, the gun went off and race instinct took over, I flipped onto my front and slowly started trying to find my rhythm.

My focus was on counting my strokes and breath, making sure I did my sighting at regular intervals and staying settled and in my comfort zone.  There was some very minor contact as folks tried to find their best line for the buoys, but nothing compared to the simulations in the OTC swims (Thank you OTC!!)

In my mind I had broken the race into two parts, out to the turn and from the turn to the yacht club, that was too long of a milestone to focus on for me on the day, so I broke it down to each buoy.  As I swam along my mantra was, just swim to the next buoy and then you can decide if you need to cloud count, call a kayak over or quit.

There were times when I couldn’t see the buoy due to the choppy water, or when the wave slapping the side of my head annoyed me, but I was able to go back to the teachings of Coach Sean and Coach Geordie and just focus on my stroke and breathing counts, wait and piece together the picture on the next sighting.  I had to do a double-take on one of my breaths when I swore I saw 4-5 pair of legs sticking out of the water...not something you usually see in triathlon or any open water swim I am aware of...but then I remembered the Synchro swim club pictures from previous years...phew, not hallucinating...back to the breathing counts.

There were a few times where I got bumped by the folks in the second wave who were passing me and I kept reminding myself that no they were not doing this on purpose just to annoy me or get in my head, they were simply swimming along like me, some sighting better, some not as well and I did my best to just settle back in, but I did have to switch to breast stroke to recover from a few of those.

The breast stroke became my new settling strategy, whenever I couldn’t piece together the buoy picture, I’d switch to breast stroke, find the buoy, correct if necessary and swim on.

I managed to swim the whole distance, no panic attack, no cloud counting, no hanging onto a kayak.

In the final stretch to the finish, I was sure that my goggles had started to leak, it wasn’t until I took them off at the top of the ladder that I realized it was actually my tears filling them up. 

Standing on the breakwater looking back ad what I had just done, I was overwhelmed and trying not to break down to full on sobbing, thankfully I spotted Trina (OTC member) with her beaming smile and that whole grown man crying scene was avoided.

With the help of Coach Sean, Coach Geordie and MANY of the OTC members who believed in me long before I thought this was possible I was able to overcome a childhood fear and have realized that the swim leg will no longer be the limiting factor in my triathlon journey.

Thank you to everyone who has supported and encouraged me along the way!!

To my triathlon and multi-sport friends both inside and outside of the OTC, who offered not only support and encouragement but also shared experiences, tips, techniques and who were willing to meet up for training in the open water leading up to this event. I will never be able to adequately express just how helpful you all were or how grateful I am to you for everything, you were a huge part of this accomplishment and I look forward to sharing this journey with you as it progresses!

The Goofy Challenge

I should start off by explaining what the Goofy Challenge is, for those who didn’t see my many facebook posts last year, the Goofy Challenge consists of running the Disney Half Marathon on the Saturday, for which you receive the Donald Duck Medal, and running the Disney Marathon on Sunday, for which you receive the Mickey Medal, run them both and you also get the Goofy Medal for completing the Goofy Challenge.          

Last summer someone mentioned this race (more accurately these races) to me and for some reason it just resonated with me.  I’m not a huge Disney fan, but I figured that running in mild weather in January with a company that is known for putting on a dang good show was a pretty sweet deal. 

I figured if I was going to do something that was going to require this kind of commitment, two things had to happen, one, I’d need sign-off, acceptance, approval, understanding, call it what you will, but I’d have to run it by Sonia and the family since the training would mean I’d be out running or recovering from a run for most weekends for multiple months, second, I’d need something bigger than just the bling to shoot for, something with a greater purpose that would fuel me through back to back long runs weekend after weekend, month after month and especially on race weekend.  My go to motivator when it comes to marathons is fundraising for organizations that fund research and/or patient support for people living with cancer.  Turns out Team in Training, was offering the Goofy to Alumni participants via the flex team, PERFECT!!! I love the virtual aspect of the flex team, Cheryl is an awesome coordinator, logistics guru and having Theresa back as a coach, sounding board and Purple Fairy, was the icing on the cake!!

I decided that since I’d likely be training alone for at least one long run per weekend, I was going to start carrying my iPhone with me and listening to music, ‘cause I can only listen to my own voice for sooo long before it drives even me batty, or is that battier? Hmmm

The fundraising was more challenging than I thought it would be, but that’s to be expected when you’re calling on the same group of people to support you over and over again, but I am happy to say that thanks to some creative suggestions, generous friends, family and corporate donations, I raised close to $5000 this time around, you all ROCK, yet again!

One of the things I LOVE about the flex team is getting to know people over the phone, e-mail and social media, and then finally getting to meet them at the event.  This was the second time I had a Team roommate and as it turns out the second Team in Training coach roommate, he was racing and fundraising as a participant for this event just like the rest of us.  We hit it off first on facebook and once again in person.  If there was a fit, fast, younger, more energetic version of me…Brock would be that version…or maybe I’m the less fit, slower, older, less energetic version of him?? Coincidence that we were both doing the Goofy? I think not…and the photos are proof positive that the title fits us well!

 

 

This was the first time I participated in a US Team in Training event and the inspiration dinner the night before was amazing!! Over 900 people from across the globe gathered to share stories of inspiration, survival, and progress as well as memories of those who had lost their battles. It was an incredibly emotional evening.

Now for those of you who have not heard the Disney wake-up call story…here it is (and further proof that I deserve to be a part of the Cranky Old Men).  Since we had to be up at about 3:30 to meet the team, get to the bus and be at the starting coral for 5:00, Brock and I decided to employ as many wake-up methods as we could, in-room alarm, watches, his computer (I think), and finally the resort automated wake-up call. 

If you don’t already know this, I am NOT a morning person, I’ve gotten used to the annoying sounds of watch and radio alarms over the years and have learned to accept them as a normal part of most days and almost appreciate them on race day, knowing that they ensure I’m up and have plenty of time for my pre-race routines….but the Disney automated wake-up call….oooh boy, so 3:00 a.m. and the phone rings, since I set it up, I figured I should answer and I’m greeted by some soothing music which cuts off suddenly and is followed by this message “NO MORE SLEEEEEPING!!!!” screeched at me by Stitch, followed by an apologetic Mickey stating “Sorry folks, ever since Stitch escaped, he has  been getting into all kinds of trouble.  Have a MAGICAL day!”….the look on my face must have said it all as Brock starts asking me what’s going on…it takes me a few seconds to shake it off and be able to answer him.  Which only makes him sure of the fact that he has to setup the call for the next day so he can “experience” it himself....I’m guessing he’s sorry he did, ‘cause the next day it was the same call and his reaction was similar to mine…now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure if you’re at Disney with your kids and it’s 8 or 9 in the morning, this is a perfectly cheery, downright Disney way to wake up, but at 3:30 with a whole lotta’ waiting and running ahead of you when you’re not a morning person or a Disney guy….like nails on a chalkboard!! GAHHHH! 

Oh and my Disney resort convenience store experience…in line buying a few last minute hydration and nutrition supplies and the cashier who in this case happens to be a 20 something, effervescent little thing is happily ringing up purchases, naming each item you purchase as she waves her magic wand over them (YES a magic wand!!) and closing the sale with “Have a MAGICAL day!”, but that’s not the best part, the customer in front of me, a woman of around the same age as me, smiles at the cashier and as sincere as possible says, I’m not sure what sparkles more, your wand or your smile….AKKKK!

So now you know why the phrases “No More Sleeping” and “Have a MAGICAL Day” pop up on my FB timeline over and over… “Have a MAGICAL Day” is wayyyyyy overused at Disney, almost every “cast member” uses this phrase at the close of every discussion…I know, I know…Cranky Old Man…got it! 

OK, so onto the races…

Saturday 1/2 marathon:

After the “MAGICAL” wake-up call on Saturday, it was a matter of settling into the tested and true pre-race routine, followed by meeting up with the TEAM, onto the bus and then the long crowded walk to the start line, hey 26,000 people shuffling around half asleep does not move so quick…oh and of course some goofy photos with team mates and the multiple port-a-loo stops due to the pre-race nerves.

One thing Disney does that even this Cranky Old Man appreciated, they send EVERY coral off with their own countdown and fireworks display.  I made the decision when I registered to run both races a fair bit slower than my normally slow pace, so I was able to enjoy the starting fireworks of multiple corals (A-G to be specific).  Starting this far back had some other advantages too, it forced me to start off slow and remain slow for about the first 2k, it meant that I got a mental boost from passing people all race long AND I got to cheer on lots and lots of Team in Training purple runners.

I had every intention of stopping to grab a picture with one or more of the Disney Characters when I started the race, but as I ran by the spots where you could pull over for a picture and saw the number of people waiting, I just couldn’t see how I’d keep going if I stopped for that long, so I did my best to grab a few photos on the run and just kept moving forward.

I finished in a time of 2:12:34, faster than my planned 2:30, so I was a little worried that going faster than planned and what I had trained for might impact my ability to finish the marathon on Sunday, but knew that there was nothing I could do about it now other than to get the legs up, iced and rest for the remainder of the day. 

The ½ marathon gets you the Donald Duck medal, 1 big honkin’ duck face medal it is too!

Team in Training requires you to check in at the TEAM tent post-race to make sure you’re accounted for and doing ok, it’s also a great way to make sure you get to see your team mates post-race and chat about how their event went. Chatted a bit, took a few photos and then headed for the bus to get back to the room for a shower and a nap before dinner.

The great thing about 2 days of back-to-back racing, two evenings of back-to-back carb loading…oh yeah!!

Sunday Marathon:

Repeat Saturday morning pre-race routine.

Lined up in the same coral and the start of the race was almost exactly the same, except that I  bumped into a woman from Toronto that I had met at the airport on the way down and we chatted before the race and for the first couple of km before going our own way.

I truly appreciated the Disney organization on this day!! They are very well organized and supported, and they do many things right out on the course and in the finish area! Lots of water, Gatorade and gels along the way in the right spots and they even had Bio-Freeze gel at every second aid station…WOW! I REALLY appreciated that this day, especially around mile 23!!

I finished in a time of 4:42:58, just a little faster than my planned 5:00:00 and I was sooooo happy to be done.

Crossing the finish line, you get your Mickey Marathon medal, again huge bling and for anyone doing the Goofy Challenge (identified by the race bib), you also get to go claim a third medal, The GOOFY!! Equally large and when combined with the Mickey Medal, almost enough to topple you from the combined weight.

 

Medals in hand, the first thought was to get back to the room for a nap. Short lines for the shuttle bus made this a non-event. A quick shower followed by a nap and it was time to meet up with the  Team again for the celebration dinner.

I was fortunate on this trip to not only meet and run with my Flex Team in Training team mates from across the country, but also a bunch of other runners and a super-friendly family from Louisiana that kept me company on the shuttle bus from the airport and throughout the weekend as we bumped into each other.  Elle (a survivor who ran her first ½ marathon at Disney), her sister Felice (worked her butt off all weekend with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) and their mom Paula (Super cheer/support crew) will always have a place to stay if they decide to make the trek to Ottawa and it would be awesome if they came up for Winterlude…hint…hint

Oh and one other thing Disney does extremely well that NEEDS to be mentioned about Coronado Springs Resort at least....buffet breakfast with multiple Bacon Stations...and not that gross half-cooked bacon you normally get at a buffet, but hot, crispy, tasty bacon goodness the way it should be...that really was "MAGICAL"

Well I think that about sums it up…possibly, no definitely my longest blog post EVER, but that in a nutshell was my GOOFY weekend this past January, not what I would call “MAGICAL, but even with the wake-up call and other Disneyisms, I’m glad I did it, a truly unforgettable experience!