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Race Reports

May 2009

May 31, 2009

Hey TTL... Another huge weekend of racing. We are one busy team, let me tell you!

Sylvan LakeSprint Tri...

Shannon had a good race on a windy day. After a hot swim she had a good bike... pushed hard and used a friend as a carrot to keep forcing the torque on the pedals. This was a positive step for Shannon on the bike!! I was really pleased with her effort:) Her run split wasn't quite as fast as she'd hoped for, but that was due to a missed turn on the course and a few stops to stretch. When she was running her pace was the best it's been in a sprint tri!!! Shannon sent me a wonderful email of positives from the race and lessons learned / things to build on for Stony. Good job Shannon!!!
Sharon... She had a good swim and bike in Sylvan, and was a bit off the mark on her run. We've worked hard on the swimming and cycling this winter though, and I was thrilled with the gains made here. Sharon won her age group and was second woman overall at this event, so an outstanding effort!!! Well done!!!!!

Calgary 10k...

I haven't heard from Paddy or Trish about their race yet so I'm not sure how they felt about it! Toni who was on the course said Paddy was all smiles as she went by!!! Trish... no news!!!!
Susan Edmunds did this one as well after her longest bike ride of the year on a SUPER windy day! It was far off her best time but she has a healthy perspective on the fact that a big bike and a weekend of company and no sleep take on your ability to race:) Well done Sue!
Rena... Rena wasn't supposed to do this race as she is healing up from an injury!! I was worried it would set her back. Luckily it did not, and she was THRILLED with her time considering she hasn't ran in 6 weeks!!! We used the elliptical, water running and loads of cycling for training, and out of that she ran a 48 min 10k WITH a 2 min bathroom break! Way to go Rena!

Calgary Half Mary

Michelle... she has worked SO hard all year! Her training updates show consistency week after week after week!!! (That's a bit of a dig for those of you who don't send them to me!! I do look at them:) Well, the work paid off and she OBLITERATED her previous half marathon PR by 13 minutes... yup... that's not a typo!!! She also beat her goal of 2:10 and came in at 2:06! WAY TO GO MICHELLE!!!!!
Sarah... Holy Crap... what do you say about a girl who rides a hilly tough windy course on Saturday... just under 100k to be exact, then helps her uber fast sister Lara lay sod all day, THEN goes and runs a 3+ min pr on a half marathon and finishes 5th in her age group!!!! Wow Sarah... there isn't much else to be said except Wow!!! a 1:37:30 is a spectacular half marathon time. Beyond spectacular! CONGRATS!!!!!! You have set the bar high and things are looking very good for Great White North!
Lara... Lara isn't technically a TTL athlete, but she hangs around a bunch! She also had a huge PR with a cold and laryngitis! 1:36:02 and 4th in her AG. Those Pearce girls are speedy!!! congrats Lara!
Phil had a really good day too!!! He rode Friday with Ken and I for 125k... his longest ride ever! We didn't ride hard (a few pace line tempo sections here and there, but overall a good endurance ride.) Sunday he raced on legs he described as tired and still found a way to sneak a few seconds off his Police Half PR!!! Good job Phil!
Kelly... after being in New Zealand for the major weeks of build to this race, Kelly had a really good day! She missed some key long runs, and despite some ankle pain on the course was able to run her second fastest half marathon ever!!! Nice work Kelly!
Kelvin... no update from Kelvin yet. We know we tuckered him out with the ride on Saturday, and his goal was to go hard and risk a blow up. he was off his goal pace by a bit, but as of yet I haven't been told how it went.
Joanne... JoZ was hoping to break the 3 hour mark for the half but it wasn't meant to be today. She's been training hard as many of you know... and maybe that took it out of her legs for Sunday. A bit of a disappointing day for her, but I know she'll continue to pound it out on the way to IMC in August.
Doug popped this little race in without much warning. He didn't really even tell me about it, but he knew he's have to do a long ride the day before! So Saturday, he worked from 7 - 3, then came home and got out on his bike. (Did I mention how nutty the wind was that day!) He race the half and was about a minute off what he ran in Vancouver. I haven't heard from hit yet so I don't know his perspective, but his run time on tired legs is a good indication that run fitness is solid for GWN.
Cindy... WHOO HOO Cindy!!! A Half Mary PR of just over 1:50!!!! I don't know what your previous PR was but I think it was in the 1:52 range! Nice work on tired legs:) I look forward to hearing all about it!!!

New Port Marathon

Susan our Vancouver athlete had her sights set on a Boston qualifier. Her race times coming into the mary all indicated she was 110% on track to achieve the goal of a 3:40 marathon. Training went well, and she followed her program to a "T". I thought it was in the bag. Well, the human body is a funky thing... sometimes it doesn't give back what it should, and there are no guarantees in marathons. Susan did not accomplish her goal and had a really tough day. Right from the days leading up to the race and the opening half of the mary her legs just didn't feel like they had the zip they needed to hit the time she wanted. We haven't sat down to analyze her race fully yet, but we will. We'll try to figure out what happened on this day. I believe from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes that she is fully capable of a Boston time. There is no doubt. We just need to figure out what happened, and build on it.

Blackfoot Baby Ultra...

Dana ran this insanely hilly 25k race on Saturday. He loves hills and trails and this suited him perfectly! He ended up holding the same pace he had at the Police Half a few weeks ago and I believe he was second in his age group! (He told me but I can't remember if it was second or first and results aren't up yet.) Congrats Dana!!! You looked quite pleased with yourself on Saturday night! As well you should be!

Honorable mention... late but still important...

Roy was a force to be reckoned with in the beer mile. He was on top of his game for 2 laps... actually led the first lap, but the drinking got in the way of the running and he fell off the pace in the final 2 laps. Still, a valiant effort on the same day he raced a 12k 5 peaks race with a sore back! Well done!
Toni... most of you see her at every race. She is our cheer leader extraordinaire!!! A bizarre injury from a 1k track race in early January has kept her away from the start line. What she does do though is give back to every one of us who is racing by being there to cheer. She was in Canmore for the RockyMountain run, at the Police Half, at the 5 Peaks Race, at the Calgary Half... She's there and calls me with updates when I'm not. Thank you from all of us Toni for cheering us on. You make us better.

So... some athletes exceeded expectations and some didn't meet their goals. It's hard as a coach to write about the ones that don't go as expected. If I had my way, everyone would hit the mark every time we toe the line... we all know that isn't possible. So, we need to celebrate those who do well, and support those who have rough days. We all train hard and race hard. We all live healthy lifestyles and are fortunate to be surrounded by like minded people. When a race goes well, it's easy to remember that. When a race falls below our expectations, we sometimes forget all the amazing life enhancing moments we've experienced on the way to the start line. When athletes call me after a tough one, they wonder if I'm disappointed in their result. Honestly... if you've done the training, the race is secondary to me. Not committing to the day to day tasks of swim / bike / run is what I struggle with as your coach. I've done this long enough to know that racing is a very small piece of what we do.

To finish up another long email... when things go well, take the time to reflect on what you did to create success on that day. Think about it from a rest, nutrition, mental strategies, sleep, massage, etc perspective. What went into that outstanding day! When a race doesn't go well, do the same thing, but ALWAYS start with the positives. What did you do well... then move on to what you need to work on for the next one. What did you learn.

That's how we grow as athletes and humans. Live life, celebrate success, learn from the not so good ones and move on to live life the next day.

I'll get off my soap box now. Hope you're having a good Monday. Thanks for being my "Team"!

P.S.... I had a really good Thursday night 5k run this week too. I passed a gal who has beat me in the last 2 weeks, and was first woman for the first time. (One of the fast girls wasn't there.) I had my best time of 3 races there so was happy but it sure hurt a lot:)

May 28, 2009

Hey TTL... Another busy race weekend was had by a few TTL athletes!

James... after attempting to do 2 triathlons in the last year, third time was the charm! (The first race his helmet prevented him from starting, the second one he got calf cramps so bad in the swim he had to pull out, and the third one... well... Read the race report attached and see for yourself how it went! James is now a true Tri Geek! CONGRATS!!!!! James is going to post it on our race report page on the TTL website which needs a bit of inspiration these days! Right James
Phil... Phil is on "Ph"ire!! (Get it!!!) He has taken Kenny twice this week for the first time in their racing history! Phil beat Ken in our little 5k series last Thursday. They ran together till close to the finish, and Ken couldn't match Phil's closing sprint. Then, in an impressive Beer Mile Debut, Phil took 3rd place overall and obliterated Ken's finish. (Ken was close to last.) This was a major feet... drink a beer, run 400m... repeat 4 times! OUCH! It was a really fun event that raised money for a Cochrane boy with leukemia.
Kelvin! WHOO HOO KELVIN!!!! He's been fighting some back issues but his personal physio therapist (aka: wife Sarah) got him well in speedy fashion, and he had a 2:30 PR at the FoothillsAcademy 10k on Saturday! An OUTSTANDING effort for Kelvin! He said it hurt:)
Stephen our resident doc... he also raced the 10k. He was hoping to have a faster day, so didn't quite meet his goal. On the other hand, he matched his new 10k pr set at St. Patty's day proving that day wasn't a fluke, and he took 5 min off this time last year at this event. All in all not a bad day I'd say:)
Katie Anne... She is new to TTL and raced the Tri a Tri with James in her TTL outfit! (I had one medium top left.) She looked great and had a ton of fun:) You'll all meet her soon.
Leanna... She raced her first Olympic Distance race EVER, and had a great day breaking that 3 hour mark in her debut race! Her race report is attached as well... and of course, she will post it on the website! Congrats Leana! A GREAT start to the triathlon season!!!
Pamela... As you have read before Pam has had a challenging early season of training because her darn job keeps getting in the way! Well, she not only went and did a GIGANTIC over distance training weekend in Penticton last week... rode the course, but she RACED the 10k on Sunday and had a very respectable time!! It was a bit off her PR, but what I was really pleased with was that Pamela looked at her Heart Rate data after the race, and saw that she really raced it; she felt she couldn't have gone any faster. She was proud of herself for this and I am proud of her. Sometimes the clock doesn't reflect a really great effort. You need to look at where you are on the day. Pam did this!
Hope... Hope raced the Red Deer Half Mary after a hilly tough 100k ride the day before. She surprised herself by aggressively pursuing runners in front of her to move up spots, even though her legs were somewhat dead! She had a great weekend of training! Congrats Hope!
Denise - on only her second triathlon, Denise showed that she was made for this sport! She had a fabulous race placing 3rd in her age-group at Try-a-Tri. She then went on to play a double header of baseball right afterwards! We are also happy to report that Denise raced "broken ribs free" this race.
Shannon - after a bit of trouble in Vegas, Shannon "got back on the horse" and raced Try-a-Tri this weekend. She raced hard and was happy with her race (which she absolutly should be!) She had the best support crew there with her husband as her head bike tech and cheerer, and her son as mommy-hugger when she crossed the line. Congrats Shannon, well done!
Maureen - Maureen had a huge PB at her race this weekend. She raced the Bow Valley Club 5km (without tapering) and cracked the sub-30 minute mark! She came in at 29:45 which was almost a 1 minute PB from last year! She has alot of races coming up so you will be hearing more about this fabulous triathlete!
Angie... I ran the 10k on Saturday too. I had a 10k pr and I should be thrilled... but I'm not quite there. I race 44:46; the fastest official time I've ever had, but I executed the race so poorly that I'm a bit disappointed in myself. I had a stellar first 5k, getting there in 21:46. Unfortunately I couldn't hold that pace and I dropped to a 23 min second 5k. I still hit my goal of a 44:59, but for me, time doesn't mean much if I don't execute well... and I didn't. So... next race I'll put those breaks on and do my best to equal split.
Honorable Mentions... Joanne Z was a major trooper in the beer mile! She did her long ride that day and still completed the grueling event! WAY TO GO!

May 15, 2009

Hey TTL... I've been a busy beaver on the computer today. I'm slowly getting caught up after our 4 day weekend of volleyball in Abbotsford. So... what's been happening...

Iron Girls Triathlon in Las Vegas...

Kori cycled with us all winter, and took on the challenge of an early season sprint triathlon in Vegas, with a gentle (smiling) nudge from her hubby Micheal! She planned, and prepared, and checked out the course... no stone was left unturned! She said she got hit a few times in the swim but the women said "sorry"! (When does that ever happen!) She made up 60 places on the bike, and the run was hard in 37 degree heat in the desert! She says she's going back next year... CONGRATS Kori!
Cindy did the Olympic distance race in Vegas and had a great day! Hot hot hot and hilly! She said it was so hard, but she raced hard! Well done! She told some stories of women drafting on the bike (we all know how I feel about that!) and chasing down competitors on the run. A great experience and a sun tan for her effort:) Nice work Cindy!!!

Mother's Day 10k

Shannon did this run the day after a long ride made longer by a wrong turn! She ended up extending the planned ride by quite a bit in pretty nasty conditions! She emailed to ask what she should do about her run because her legs were fried! I told her to run easy and get it done... no slack from the coach! Well, she matched her 10k PR and felt really good after the run to boot!!! Well done Shannon and CONGRATS!

Other news...

James got a $500 donation for the Ride for Children's Cancer that TTL is hosting on June 14th from his and his wife's place of employment. Thank you James. A wonderful gift...
The article I wrote on drafting is on the last page of Impact Magazine that just came out. I'm pretty excited about it. Take a look if you are at all inclined.
Finally..., Wade the race director at Great White North has done an amazing thing. Every year at the awards banquet he gives out awards for a few things. The Survivor Award, the Couple Award (Ken and I got this a few years ago) , the Best Volunteer Award, and the Nicest Competitor award. Wade followed Terry (Tigger) Toma's illness from September when he donated a deluxe race entry to our auction for her, right to when she passed. Great White North was one of Terry's favorite races. She had an entry for this year... as you know, she'll be there in our thoughts but not on her yellow bike. Wade decided to honor her in a way that we'll see every year as long as we go to his race. The "Terry Tigger Toma Award" for the Nicest Competitor is the new name. The plaque is already engraved. I thought I'd let you know.

That's all for now... I hope I haven't missed anyone. If I have, James will let me know :) Thanks TTL...

May 2, 2009

Hey Team Tri Life… A lot of TTL athletes have raced in the last little bit! This is my late (not a surprise for you I’m sure) but none the less exciting race update! This is a LONG one… sorry

So… What’s been happening? I’ll start with our first triathlon result of the year. (I guess second if you count my race in California!

BostonMarathon

This is a race that a lot of runners dream of one day qualifying for. Garreth has been there a few times, and this year wasn’t an easy one. Training went well leading up to the race, but on race day a bizarre case of stomach cramps got in the way and forced a slow down in pace early in the race. He made a decision to switch from a time goal to enjoying the race to salvage the day. It’s tough to do but something we are forced into in some races… sometimes we don’t know why. Garreth is on his way to the Calgary Half Ironman with a few running races between now and then.

Tour d’ Airdrie 10k

Sharon our uber fast runner / triathlete ran this local race. She wasn’t happy with the event, or the poorly measured course, but in the end once true finish times were calculated it ended up being a pretty good day. She was 2^nd woman overall and 5^th runner overall! Congrats Sharon! You made the best of a challenging day!

Big Sur Marathon

Roy trained hard for this race and training went well. His wife Lana was also training for the Mary, and Roy decided to run with Lana and support her. (This is true love… wow Roy!) They had an outstanding day! Roy felt like he could keep going after the 42.2k hilly run, and he and Lana finished together! Congrats to both of you. Roy is focusing on the 5 Peaks Trail running series in upcoming months.

Delta Sprint Triathlon

Susan G. our Vancouver TTL representative had a GREAT early season sprint triathlon on Saturday, April 25^th. She had a good swim, a spectacular bike, and a solid run. The best part was how she went to awards to cheer her husband for his second place age group finish. Susan has never placed in a triathlon before and didn’t look at results after the race. She didn’t think she needed to. What a surprise when her name was called for 3^rd place in the women’s 30-39 age group!

Rocky Mountain Soap Company 6 and 12k, Saturday April 25^th.

Joanne Z. had an outstanding 12k race! The course was extremely hilly and she was thrilled with how it went. A good step towards the Calgary Half!
Sue E. has her sites set on the 8k in Vancouver on May 3^rd, and used the RockyMountain race as a stepping stone. She made a wise decision to do the 6k rather than the 12 with a goal of a good race in Vancouver. Nice to see you back Sue!
Trish held very close to her 10k race pace on this 12k hilly course! She felt good about the race and it sets her up well for a strong half mary in Vancouver.
Paddy had a rough start… the hills were causing pain in her back. She contemplated pulling out after the first 6k loop but changed her mind and kept going. She’s glad she did and is in Vancouver ready to run the half mary tomorrow.
Kori C… What a good sport! Kori is new to running and racing, and she’ hitting it hard! St. Patty’s Day, Spring Trio, and the RockyMountain 6k! As luck would have it, this one was the hardest course, AND her fastest per km time… all done after a few cocktails the night before and a Rotten Ronny’s breakfast! Maybe Kori is on to somethingJ CONGRATS Kori! We’ll be rooting for you from here when you race in Vegas next weekend at Iron Girls!

Regina Police Half Marathon

Who knew we’d have an athlete go to Regina for a half mary! Lori did and she ran with her sister for a good finish especially considering a pesky ITB that acted up just days before the race. She didn’t hit her PB by a few minutes. Hopefully next time! Lori is on her way to GWN Half Ironman in July,

Fort Nelson Duathlon

Billy oh Billy…. He trained his a## off for a few days going into this race. He hoped his legs would hold up but he knew he was tired! A 2k run, 10k bike, 2k run… He ROCKED IT! Won the whole thing! Way to go Billy! Imagine how good you’ll be on fresh legs. That’s a short hard race Billy! OuchJ

Calgary Police Half

Caroline took Sept. to December off of running and tri training after Ironman Canada last year. In January she started back on a walk run program, and after a pretty quick rise in run volume raced the Police Half. Caroline executed her race very well and her Suunto graph supported this! A steady pace, held from start to finish, at a race HR proving the effort and energy was there! Good job Caroline.
Phil… Phil has had a fairy tale running and triathlon career in a very short period of time. This race continued the story… In only his second half mary he had a 6+ min PR and hit his goal time of 1:30 by one second! 1:30:59!!! Way to pull it out Phil and congrats on yet another outstanding race!
Micheal C… I got such a kick out of his wife at the finish line. Mike finished and he knew it was a PR race. He didn’t know by how much though… I guess he doesn’t remember race times like I doJ He was smiling and came over to chat. His wife told me with a smile… “I’m used to Mike coming in 20 min after his goal time, not a few minutes in front of when he thinks he’ll get there! This is a nice change!!” I thought it was cute! He went home to look up times and found out it was a half mary PR by about 4 minutes. CONGRATS Mike! A great step to Ironman Canada!
Dana is new to triathlon training but it’s working well for him! After focusing on ultra marathons for a few years and having a knee that didn’t like the volume of running needed, he decided to sign up for a half mary! He’s watched Caroline train and race for enough of them; I guess he decided he should give it a go! Well, his body is holding up great with s/b/r workouts, and he had his fastest half mary in recent memory! GREAT job Dana!
Christine F… she signed up for this half a long time ago. Between signing up and race day she had to finish her thesis, defend her thesis, heal damaged ribs from a fall on the ice, and train! She got it done and was THRILLED to cross the finish line! As an added bonus she got to spend time running with teammates Hope and Shannon. Congrats CF! This was a gigantic goal and you did it!
Kelvin… Kelvin is having a really solid running year. He raced St. Patty’s Day, the Icebreaker, and came back for more at the Police Half. He just missed his half mary PR by seconds, but considering the “ PR” was on a much faster course with a few less pounds on his bones, I’m calling this is fastest half ever! You can argue with me if you want… honestJ Congrats Kelvin and I’m pretty excited to see you race at GWN and IMC this year! I think you’re going to have a very good season!
Pamela… Pam has had a rough year of working away. She has to go to a camp that is very hard… almost impossible… for her to train at. She came home excited to get refocused, and after a very fast rise in volume, got the job done with a smile! Considering the little bit of training she had coming in, she did awesome, and is even more keen to train on her way to GWN!
Leana… what a year this girl is having! Every time she goes to a start line a new PR is set! It might not last for ever but for now, running is rocking! A 2 min PR for Leana, and her previous best was on a flat course making this one even more significant! I have to say that her strength on the bike is pretty impressive after a solid winter of bike training! GREAT JOB Leana!
Carla… Carla is an athlete (like many of you) who makes the coach look good! Her fastest half was ran in November 08, just before she started with TTL. At this race she had a best time by over 6 minutes, and the best thing is she executed her race plan from start to finish and stayed strong mentally throughout. She deserved this result!!! Congrats Carla!
Tracey… Tracey didn’t have a good day. She raced smart, but perhaps held back too much in the opening 10k. Tracey is a much faster runner than her finish time indicates, and we are not sure why. It’s hard… she did the training, but it didn’t come together on race day. So… moving forward, Tracey will take lessons learned from this one and build on it for the next one. I often say, and I mean it, that a “not great” race has far more lessons than a “great” race. I know Tracey will see this too when she nails the next one.
Hope… Hope has had immense stress at work. Challenges that would have broke most of us. Somehow she managed to train thru it, hitting most workouts while managing a sore heel. She decided to run this to see where she was at, and came in very close to her goal time. Work stress is disappearing, which is the best thing for Hope, Ella and Kent, and she’s ready to train hard for GWN!
Shannon… Shannon wasn’t sure if she was going to race. She has had ongoing pressure / pain in her lower limbs for a long time now. Going to Mexico for a well deserved vacation played havoc with her legs just before the race. She got treatment but couldn’t make it go away and with assurance that the race would not cause long term damage she decided to go for it! She got the job done, was in quite a bit of pain at the finish, and is looking at new treatment options to get it under control before GWN.
Sarah P… Wow! What do you say about this one? Sarah’s best time in a half mary was in a marathon, and it was 1:47:?? Training has gone well, and I knew her goal and her dream goal. I expected her to do well, but this was spectacular! A 7 min PR and 17 in her AG in one of the biggest half mary’s in Alberta! She finished just over 1:41 right behind her sister Lara. Sarah was so proud of herself for executing her plan to a T. She raced her own race and her results was outstanding! Congrats Sarah! Things are looking good for GWN and IMC this year!
Chad…Chad is the thinker on the team! He’s very calculated in his training, and he’s also very good at listening to his body and taking rest when needed. Chad set a dream goal for this race, and was VERY close to hitting it! He’s pretty excited about racing again at the Calgary Half Mary, even though he’ll be doing 100k ride the day before! Congratulations Chad! You looked very comfortable at the finish line… we need to work on thatJ
Nola… Nola had a good day. She was a ways off her half mary PR from last year, but spirits were good after she finished. She race it… the speed just wasn’t there on this day! Memorable moments were seeing a lot of friendly faces on the race course! I’m quite proud of her for not talking to all of them!!! Way to go Nola!
Finally,Dr. Stephen… he had a great first half mary! When he started with TTL his focus was Olympic distance races. When I suggested a half mary he surprised me with a quick decision to sign up! He had a really good day, but thinks he has more to give in the next one as he ran with a friend and got to the 16k mark feeling fresh! 1:33:42 is a pretty solid first time at this distance! Congrats Stephen! An outstanding Half Mary debut!
Maureen MacDonald: Maureen is new to TTL and is loving being part of such an amazing team. Maureen trained for the half marathon, but due to some injuries made a last minute switch to the 5km race just 2 days before the race! Maureen pushed herself hard and had a spectaculare result. She followed a detailed pre-race routine and demonstrated helself as a true athlete. Way to go Maureen!
NicoleEly-Joshi: Nicole had an amazing day on Sunday with a 5 minute PR on a much harder course than her first half marathon. Just outstandng! Nicole has worked hard on her training and also in executing a good race day through race planning. She followed her race plan and was able to get very close to the result she wanted. Congratulations Nicole!

Bloomsday:

Danielle - Danielle is Richelle’s athlete. She ran the famous Bloomsday 12km this past weekend. Without being fully tapered (as she has the Calgary 1/2 Marathon this month), Danielle ran the same time as she did last year when she was fully tapered and ready to go. This really shows her strength gained; and with her excellent race planning and race plan execution she had at Bloomsday, Danielle is set as she heads into one of her "A" races.

Vancouver, May 3rd:

Paddy B… what a race she had! It was suggested by numerous people that Paddy should not do this race. She’s been working her way back from a back injury and this distance was a big one. Training had been a struggle. What I learned is to never ever tell Paddy that it’s not a good idea… cause she’ll do exactly what she wants. On the plus side she proved me wrong! She finished just under her goal time with the biggest smile ever, and I had the pleasure of standing with her hubby Doug as she crossed the finish line! He was maybe happier than she was… a very proud hubby! It was a great moment.
Sue E.: Sue decided to do the 6k rather than the 12 last weekend in Canmore to save her legs for this one. The plan worked GREAT, and she had an 8k PR and finished with a gigantic smile! CONGRATS Sue!!!
Patti G… This was Patti’s first race in 3 years. In the mean time she created a very successful career in real estate in Cochrane, but it was so nice to have her back! She ran with her beautiful daughter Ashley who lives in Vancouver and was all smiles when it was over. I hope this is just the start Patti!
Trish… What a day Trish had! Once again, at 52 years young, Trish hit a new best time in her half marathon on what turned out to be a very challenging course! (Over 600ft of elevation in 21.1k! To give you an idea that’s almost 200 more than the Police Half, so this new best time was hard fought!) Trish raced from start to finish, and at the end spent an hour in the med tent for bizarre leg cramps that would not go away! Trish has been up at the track every Friday morning all winter at 6:30 for speed work. The effort has paid off and I’m so proud of her!
Doug… well, Doug didn’t hit his best time but was all smiles after the race. He’s been nursing a hamstring niggly that rears it’s ugly head from time to time and has for years. It took away his ability to do hills or speed, but he could handle race pace running, so that’s what we did! He missed a pr, but he ended up 9^th in his AG in a very large event! CONGRATS Doug!
Finally me… the coach… Angie… I had a good day. I set a best time in the half mary distance with my previous best being at the Police Half in 07. (Vancouver time = 1:39:25, Police Half 07 = 1:40:44) I have worked really hard on my running this year… it’s been a HUGE focus! It’s hard to believe that all that work resulted in that little bit of time, but on the other hand, I know that PR’s are a blessing and need to be celebrated whenever they happen. My days are numbered getting best times that’s for sure! I exceeded my goal of 1:39:59 and was really pleased! It was hard… but well worth the effort to see a “3” in the tens spot; a number I never thought I’d see!

Once again, I feel extremely blessed to coach such a wonderful group of people. Most had outstanding races, some not so good, but the journey of committing to a race goal and doing the work to get to the start line is an immense accomplishment. Thank you for letting me along for the ride. Angie

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