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Team Tri Life Update, July 11, 2008

 We have been a busy little training team. So many racers, so many stories.  The forum is brimming with stories of triumph and challenge… thank you to all of you who have contributed your race reports to the forum.  I’m thrilled to see how many hits there have been on each one.  So, what’s been going on.

 Rena Almon:

• Rena did IMC last year finishing right around 12 hours! Her new role is a “Mommy to be” and she has a bun in the oven as I type! Rena plans to head back to IMC next year, and in the mean time hopes to use the extra floatation the baby in her belly creates to work on her swimming! 

 Caroline Ang: 

• Any of you who know Caroline know she’s had a really tough year.  She’s broken her shoulder and had ongoing stomach issues.  Despite that, she made the decision to race at GWN. This was a tough decision for her as she is very results oriented… the thought of not bettering her time from last year was very difficult to comprehend.  In the end, she did the race and had a surprisingly good swim considering the shoulder, and her bike time was really solid too.  She really struggled in the run, however, which I feel was largely caused by low caloric intake in the days and weeks leading into the race, but she kept going and got it done!  If there’s one thing I know about Caroline it’s that she can keep going for a really long time, even if she doesn’t want too. That will do her well at IMC on August 24^th! CONGRATS on the new bike too Caroline! I can’t wait to meet it!

 Doug Barker:

• Doug is our runner extraordinaire and new to the world of triathlon. He works shifts and often has to train alone, but whenever he’s with the group he’s full of smiles and support!  Doug was a non-swimmer when he signed on to race GWN!  This winter he diligently went to the pool and worked hard to get his job done! He knew he had to cover 2000m on July 6^th before he could get to his happy place on the bike and run!  It wasn’t an easy swim, but to the tears of his very happy and wonderful wife he emerged from the water close to the back of the pack, only to pass and pass and pass many athletes on the bike and run.  I asked Doug what he though after the race, and he said simply “I’ll be back”!  Just a reminder, Doug re-qualified for Boston at Boston! That is no small feat! Now back to the pool Doug!

Paddy Barker:

• Paddy is an honorary TTL member this year. She bikes with us, swims with us, but isn’t really training for a race. The huge bonus for us with this system is that she is game to ride any distance and any speed to support the gals around her! Trish, Mo, Sue and Caroline are a few of the team who have benefited from Paddy’s generosity with her time. I’m sure she’s offered hubby Doug a few useful tidbits of tri info along the way too! Thanks for all you do Paddy!

 John Bosma:

• The KING of negative split! In the Footstock Half Mary John ran the second half 8 min faster than the first half! He raced this one on really tired legs after a long ride the day before and and had a great result with a 1:52!
• GWN: John realistically thought 6:30 was a solid goal for his first Half Ironman. He’s new to this tri stuff so wanted to play it safe!  He smiled the entire day in his team colors, and was a shocked that the clock read 5:28! He had exceeded his goal by over an hour, and his emotion at the finish line was wonderful and humbling.  What a day!

 Phil Buote: 

• At Footstock Phil set the goal of a sub 40 min 10k which was a huge leap from his last best time of 42 at the Glencoe Icebreaker only 3 months earlier.  Despite a last minute add on of a really tough hill to the course, he accomplished the goal, was 8^th overall and 2^nd in his age group.  Pretty good for a dude who just started running last April! 
• Phil also raced the duathlon on Sunday. Quite a weekend!
• GWN:  Phil got a spot in GWN only 3 weeks prior to race day. His wonderful wife Carmen had put him on the waiting list and didn’t tell him!  He got the email and jumped at the opportunity despite few rides over 60k!  He had an outstanding race by racing smart and pacing well!  A 5:05 finish in his first half was exciting and the best part was that Ken didn’t catch him until about 5k from the end of the bike!  Great race Phil!

 Cynthia Chang:

• Chang as she is lovingly called by “Dinsmore” started off the year on her way to her second GWN Half Ironman.  A new job and very busy life forced a change of goals, and she is now going for speed and working on sprint and OD races as the training load fits better with her life!  She didn’t want to take a break from triathlon and I’m excited to see her race the shorter ones!  A well executed sprint and OD race are HUGE accomplishments Chang! Just you wait and see!

 Cindy Chetley-Thompson: 

• Her baby was born in November and she is now racing Ironman Canada thanks to a qualifying time at GWN Half Ironman! Cindy has trained hard and pushed a baby jogger a lot of miles with 2 kids in it!  She said the run at GWN felt somewhat easy after pushing that darn baby stroller!  She had a great first half Ironman, and she placed 2^nd in her AG at Footstock Duathlon receiving the title of Silver medalist in the Provincial Duathlon Championships!  WOW Cindy! Maybe this baby thing is good for racing, although nursing does get in the way I’m sure!  Ashton and Roo may have no idea what Mommy is doing at this young stage in their life, but one day they will and they will be very proud of you!

 James Davidson:

§      At Footstock he completed his first ever running race!  He smiled the whole way and loved it and can’t wait to come back next year!

§      James was also an outstanding supporter at GWN!  He took pictures and hung around on Saturday and Sunday. Thanks James!

 Kelly Dinsmore:

• Kelly is my swimmer… I call her mine cause I love that she’s part of our team and chose me to coach her to her first Half Ironman.  She is funny and warm and known to be a bit of a jokester. She swims fast enough to put almost every swimmer in the pool to shame, but he HATES running! (I should make that past tense… Hated!)  So, what happened in her life!  She ran her first half mary at Woody’s and actually smiled through the process, finished in 1:57 slightly exceeding her goal of 2 hours.
• Then, at Wasa, she “hoped” to be able to take a few minutes off, but rocked the race course with a 9 min PR from the previous year! She actually thought her watch wasn’t telling time correctly cause her interval splits on the 10k were faster than she believed she could run! Her friends asked is she had a rocket shoved up her….  I’ll stop that line of thought! Regardless, she had a great day!
• GWN:  She was 3^rd woman out of the water and met her goal of a 27 min swim. She got on the bike only to have the really nasty experience of a flat, and lost about 9 minutes.
• She ran a sub 2 hour half mary, and finished in 5:25 WITH A FLAT!  She was teary at the finish and really overjoyed by her accomplishment!  What a day!!!

 Sue Edmunds:

• Sue has worked really hard on her swimming this year and we’ve seen gains in her form and confidence in the water! Sue is heading to Strathmore Women’s Tri along with Christine on August 10^th! Sue trains hard but finds she loves training more than racing! I know Trish appreciates your willingness to hit the road Sue!

 Roy Ellis:

• Roy raced the 5 peaks mountain series on Saturday, June 13^th  and did a really tough mountainous event. Then, on Sunday June 14^th at Footstock, he showed up to the start line in mountain bike shorts and ROCKED the hilly tough course!  Roy is racing a lot and his wife Lana is alongside him!  Way to go Roy!  Next up for him is a 30k leg of the Sinister 7 Relay Team! Have a great one Roy!

 Dana Engler:

• Dana is our ultra marathoner. He climbs mountains and loves to get lost in his head in really really really long runs. Most of you know him as Caroline’s support team, but he’s an athlete in his own right. He’s had a rough year of injuries that derailed his plans to do the Death Race, but he’s worked hard to get on top of the knee issues and is back running, going to Grande Cash to race a team on the August Long. We’re talking about a fall marathon but that is yet to be committed too.  Congrats on the road to recovery Dana. I know it’s been some work.

 Karen Fisher:

• Karen is a crazy busy teacher and single mother. She has a supportive family but has a lot on her plate to balance out with work and kids.  Despite al this she has had an unbelievable year!
• At Footstock, she ran a blistering 48:30 on a really tough course. Then the next day in the duathlon she became the silver medalist in the Provincial Duathlon Championships for women 40 – 49!
• To top that off, she obliterated her goal of 6:00 – 6:30 at GWN with a time of 5:31:21.  How’d she do that with her life and schedule!  She turned down and IMC spot for this year, but we all know she’ll be there when the time is right. Congrats Karen!

 Footstock Race Weekend:

• This was a busy one for lots of TTL athletes, but several weren’t racing, they were volunteering! Thanks for giving your time! 

 Christine Forner:

• Another TTL you don’t know! Christine is a full time student and Mom. She’s had some travel around her studies and recently broke her toe!  She has committed (or maybe been committed by her sisters) to race at the Strathmore Women’s Tri August 10^th!

 Jenn Glover:

• Jenn was our “missing link” at GWN this year! She was there, but did we really see her!  Jenn loves riding long and running long! She is meant to do Ironman, and one day I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see her on her way to ultras. She has that kind of mindset! GWN was a really solid day for her! She was happy with her result, and based on all the LSD (long slow distance… not the drug LSD) training had a really solid day finishing in 5:51! Jen is also racing at IMC this year and then moving to Vancouver to continue developing her skills as a nurse.  Congrats Jenn!

 Alfred Han

• I think the best way to describe Alfred is “hard on himself”.  I see so much positive energy and kindness, and along with that, improvement!  Alfred took his timed 1000m swim time down from a 32:00 to a 23:00 this year! That only comes with hard work. His bike strength has grown in leaps and bounds and he loves the bike, and running has been a battle with nigglies rearing their ugly head along the way. After Wasa Lake OD Tri, Alfred did not want to do Stony.  He had cramping issues that he fought through on the swim and bike and just felt beat up.  We had a few emails back and forth and some conversations, and he decided to step up to the plate and get to the start line at GWN.  His goal was to stay positive all day, and finish smiling. OH MY GAWD!  Alfred… I am so incredibly proud of you. You fought back against all the demons in your head telling you you couldn’t do it. You came out of the swim smiling, you got off the bike smiling, and you ran the entire half mary without stopping… a HUGE accomplishment!  Thank you for letting me be a part of this. I’ve always believed in you; I hope you do now too.

 Pam Harling:

• Pam was the lone TTL athlete to travel to Oliver for the Half IM.  Despite rainy conditions she had a good day indicating things are on track for her first Ironman Canada. 
• Pam then raced GWN hoping to better her time. Her goal was 6:30, and when she got to the clock she thought her eyesight was wrong!  It can’t say 6:11… that’s not possible!  Congrats Pam on an outstanding happy day! The clock doesn’t lie and you had a 30 min half IM PR!  (I should point out that Oliver is a 93k bike, but it’s still outstanding!

Richelle Love:

• Richelle is a racer! She loves to race but has never found her stride in terms of results until this year.  Through hard work, and diligent care of a case of Plantars, she has had an outstanding year.
• PR in 10k (48:??)
• PR in Half Marathon (1:48:??)
• PR in 5k in a sprint tri (22:??)
• First Half Ironman (5:16:??) with a dream goal of 5:30!!!!!!!!!!
• Not only did she ROCK her first half mary, but she did it smiling and truly joyful all day.  I was shocked, but not near as shocked as she was at her result!  WOW!!! Thanks for letting me guide you through this outstanding season Richelle! IMC 2009 here you come!

 Gillian Marriot:

• Gillian is a runner and lawyer when she’s not running. Gillian has worked hard at her running this year and was so close to breaking that 2:00 mark at the Stampede Half Mary.  She had an outstanding first 10k (best ever) but missed the 2:00 cut by seconds. We’ll get there Gillian!

 Leslie Anne McKenzie:

• Leslie Anne hasn’t raced for a bit, but deserves a HUGE honorable mention for getting in ArbourLake at group swims without a wetsuit on! Who does that!!!! She does, and she does it with a smile!  She is now training for her first tri which will be the Canmore OD on August 3^rd!

 Tracy McQuillin:

• Tracey was our only representative at the Chinook Half Ironman and she had a really solid race despite gut issues on the run.  Her 3^rd place finish in her age group was an added bonus!
• Tracey also raced the Stampede Half on really tired legs!  (A 120k ride and a 3500m swim the day before!)  She was still able to pull a 1:43 of in that event! Man can she run!

 Kent Milloy: 

• Another PR for a TTL athlete at Footstock Half Mary!  The course is a tough one with a big long hill in the middle of the course, but Kent ate it up for yet another personal record of 1:43.
• GWN:  This was Kent’s 4^th start line at GWN Half IM! His first with Team Tri Life! He beat his best swim time, he beat his best bike time, and he beat his best run time to throw down a 1 hour course best time!  How outstanding is that!  He was the most shocked of all!!!!!  WOW!

 Maureen Ng: 

• Just out of a cast and forced to miss Wasa because of her wrist, she signed up last minute to do Footstock Half Marathon! She had a great day and like James will be back next year!
• GWN:  Mo was not sure she could do this race. She had trained so hard indoors on her trainer while we all road outside, but her confidence on the road wasn’t up to snuff.  When Mo puts her mind to something though, I’m learning that she does it! Not only did she do GWN, but she finished in a very respectable time of 6:35 finishing with a 2:15 half marathon!  Her smiles and tears at the finish line were beautiful and I was so glad her son Calum was there to see his old Mom take a big step towards her dream of IMC 2009!
• Mo also won Survivor of the Year GWN 2008 for her trials leading up to the race!  Congrats Mo and THANK YOU to Richelle for taking the time to nominate her!

 Shannon Ouellette:

• Shannon has been a TTL athlete for a few years now, but she’s not one that most of you knew until GWN.  She trains on her own in Airdrie, and is a mom of 2 busy hockey boys and a very successful engineer and manager.  Over the past few years we have gradually brought Shannon thru her first sprint tri’s, to a few OD races, and this year she wanted to do her first half Ironman.  She got things straightened out in her life to find time to train, but 3 weeks before the race had a disastrous (her words not mine) experience at ArbourLake, and she told me she was pulling the pin on GWN. She wasn’t ready and couldn’t do it. 
• I’m sure you won’t be surprised, but I disagreed, and over the course of a few days convinced her to change her mind. She came to the race with a nervous but positive attitude, and had a great day!  Her goal was 7 hours, but she blew that out of the water with a 6:41 despite a great deal of ankle pain from an existing injury.  Congratulations Shannon! YOU DID IT! (She’s decided she really likes the longer races too!)

 Sarah Pearce:

• I know Sarah through her sister who is a good friend of mine. Sarah talked to me last year about coaching her on her way to her first IMC 2008.  Unfortunately Sarah ended up with an injury prior to the start of our coaching relationship that threatened to make her walk the half marathon at GWN and the marathon at IMC 08.  She was up for the challenge and wanted to do the races.  Well, Sarah has shocked all of us! She wasn’t supposed to be able to run, and at GWN, with gut issues that started before the race and continued after the race, she had an outstanding swim (31:25… man can she swim!)  a ROCKING bike and a solid run to hold on for a finish time of 5:21; a 15 min pr DESPITE all the reasons not to be great described above!  She is engaged and getting married this fall after her inaugural Ironman. Lots to celebrate Sarah!

 Michelle Saquet:

• She has read all your race reports and is more driven than ever to bring up her bike speed based on all the GWN super speedy bike times!  Michelle did her first open water tri at Wasa and was kind enough to post a wonderful race report! She has trained more this year than ever before and is finding herself committed to the triathlon lifestyle!  She’s even saying she may show up for some more group swims soon!!!  We hope to see you and good luck at your sprint tri in Sask!!!!

Janet Sima:

• Another Airdrie athlete and coach! Janet is a mother of 2, has her own coaching business and works for the City of Calgary. This year she decided to take a break from Half Ironman racing and focus on the short stuff! She had a really good day at the Footstock duathlon despite the fact she was there as both an athlete and coach!  Coming up for her is the Coral Springs Sprint and Lake Chapparal OD tri in August.

 Nola Steininger:

• Nola bought a new bike, but more importantly, she learned how to apply torque to her pedals to move forward faster on her bike!  At spin class this winter we saw Nola focus in a way that was new to her! She worked hard and it’s paid off!
• At Wasa Nola had a wonderful PR of 9 minutes split over bike and run! 
• Then, at GWN Nola shocked everyone with a 30 min course record! She’s been riding tons and it paid off.  Nola is well on her way to a wonderful day at IMC August 24^th!  She has been pretty vocal about how pleased she is with her gains over the past few years with TTL! You’ve done the work Nola!  Congrats!]

 Trish Thorne:

• Trish may be getting older but she keeps getting better!  At GWN this year Trish PR’d by 8 minutes!  This was her 4^th time doing this event, and every minute is harder to get when as you creep over the 50 years of age point in life! Trish trains as hard as anyone and is 100% committed to her goal of IMC 2008!  GWN was an outstanding day for her, and I’m confident she will have another great one on August 24^th in Penticton!  Way to go Trish!

 Daniela Widmer:

• Daniela is my nurse from Vancouver.  She has raced her little heart out this year…raced through training and raced through racing, to have an outstanding season! Her last trip to the start line was the most difficult Half Ironman in North America… the Dessert Half, where you climb over and back on Richter pass and the famous 7 bumps from the IMC course!  She had a great day, flew up the hills and despite 30+ degree temperatures finished strong with a 5:54!  Way to go Daniela!

 Joanne Zawada: 

• I’ve been coaching Joanne for a few years now, and I’ve seen her transform from the one and only back of the packer (meaning the back…. The very back) to a woman who believes she is capable of anything and is committed to training, racing and supporting her teammates and family.
• Joanne (JoZ as we call her) had a 1 HOUR PR AT GWN and a 45 MINUTE PR at Wasa Olympic Distance Triathlon!  There have been lots of tears and joy. No more “back of the pack” for you JoZ. This is only the start! You are 40 lbs lighter and on your way to Ironman Canada next year!  I can’t wait!

 Welcome to new Team Tri Life Athletes:

• Sarah Durham:  IMC 2009.  She’s started her prep now which is an outstanding plan! Sarah is a geologist in Calgary. Thanks to Michelle S. for sending her to TTL!
• Jackie Bowen training for her first Half Marathon and a nurse at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
• Olwen Worth on her way to the Strathmore Sprint
• Laura Green:  Brand new and still working on goals for next year! She was inspired by our team at GWN and contacted me for coaching. She loves the passion and support of our group and was in awe of what JoZ did from last year to this years race!
• Shawna Gallant:  She is busy leading the marathon clinic at the Tech Shop but has her sights set on some sprint and OD tri’s.  She’s newly engaged and wants tri back in her life for a healthy lifestyle. There’s an Ironman on her horizon… it’s just a matter of when!