2010 - A Year to Remember

I am not sure how to capture this year in words as it has been such an incredible journey. It has been wonderful and painful, has brought joy and sadness but most importantly has challenged me to be a better person, better athlete and striving for more.

In January I sold all my furniture and left my work with the federal government to train full-time. Knowing that my run was my weakness I went to Austin Texas to work with Steve Sisson who is a phenomenal elite running coach. Once again I fell in love with Austin and the people who make this community so incredible. I was there for three short weeks but it was long enough for me to want to go back as soon as possible. In March I returned and was ready to work hard but this time I was limping around – there was something wrong in my hips but I had no idea what. I went to see Dr. Zelinski of Advanced Rehabilitation and he worked hard on improving my mobility. No matter how many treatments I had though, I was still suffering. He sent me to get an MRI and I stopped running entirely. The prognosis was not good – labral tears on both hips.

At the same time as getting these results I flew back to Victoria to say good-bye to my pake (grandfather) who was dying. Whilst with my family I went to see an orthopaedic surgeon in Vancouver to discuss the MRI. His prognosis was that despite having labral tears I should do everything I could to not have surgery – there was no guarantee that surgery would help me. And so I went back to Austin on a mission to change how I run. It was essential and the only way that I could get back to doing what I love.

I had to make some hard decisions to make changes in my training that I felt were necessary to take me to the next level. I needed a coach that could change my running form so I could run. I needed a coach that could help me use and apply the motor that I had developed over the past three years with Ken Brunet of the Peak Centre of Human Performance. Finally I needed to be in an environment with others that pushed me to be better everyday. Zane Castro, a friend of the past three years and a person who I had turned to numerous times to seek coaching advice was what I needed. With a lot of difficulty I left Ken to work with him. Zane had his work cut out for him!

Starting 5 minutes at a time I started to come back to running. Every moment was supervised with Zane demanding nothing but perfect form. These training sessions were some of the hardest I have done both physically and mentally. I also worked with Lauren Green at Advanced Rehabilitation to strengthen my coordinative strength, my core and my hip flexor mobility. Through this time there were incredible people who gave me the strength to keep going and that kept reminding me that this too was all part of the journey.

After 6 weeks Zane gave me the green light to race in the ITU Pan-American Cup San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island. I had just got my mileage up to 6 miles. The result – First Place! That race meant everything to me and set the tone for the rest of an incredible year. I raced everything from a super sprint (300m swim, 5mile bike, 1.5 mile run X2) to a half ironman. I learnt that despite training in heat I have not learnt how to race in the heat and had some tough races in 35C+ weather conditions. I learnt that I absolutely LOVE really hard races with lots of hills (Alcatraz). If there is one thing I can do it is grit my teeth and power my way through hills. Mostly I learnt that this job, being an elite athlete, is incredibly challenging, sometimes lonely and leaves no room for excuses. It is complete dedication to a lifestyle - eat, sleep, breathe, train - that rarely allows for compromise. It is also incredibly rewarding.

Just like every journey it is the people and the relationships you create that enrich the experience. Although triathlon can be a completely selfish endeavour, it is when you share it that it is truly worth something. The people that have supported me above and beyond: Mark Cathcart, one of those unsung heroes that has provided me with a roof over my head for numerous months, been a sound advisor all things triathlon and has generally supported me asking for nothing in return; Zane Castro and the Peak Centre for making me believe and getting me to where I am; Rogue Running (Ruth, Steve, Carolyn and the Elite team); Advanced Rehabilitation; The Cyclery (getting me what I need regardless of where I am!); Jack and Adams Triathlon Store (they fix my bike on a dime every time); Logan Katz LLP; Dr. Alan Edmunds (sport psychologist who challenges me every time); Kevin Trybalsiki (my massage therapist, counsellor and best hugger in Austin); Sugoi (amazing cloths and Canadian!); Solefit Orthodics; and, Dr. Taylor of Carleton Sports Medicine Clinic who won’t stop until she really knows what is going on. With these people I could keep going, dreaming and working my butt off. Finally, I can’t thank my family enough – you only get one and I have the best out there.

I am actually taking a vacation this year – first one in 3 years. No training, no work, just bliss. I am sure after 2 weeks I will be absolutely itching to get back to what I love and absolutely passionate about. This year was very good but next year is going to be incredible. That I know.

Second Place Super Sprint Triathlon Grand Prix!

An amazing day. An unbelievably exciting race experience. An awesome result.

Going into this race I knew the race would be fast, fun and really hard. It was all that but awesome for triathlon, fantastic for elite athletes, and so much more. The vision that Marc Lees has for the Super Sprint Triathlon Grand Prix will be incredible entertainment for spectators and television viewers. The race format was 300m swim, 5mile bike, 1.5 mile run x2 and no breaks.

The race was in the community of Oceanside at the Pier. It was perfect weather, not too hot and not too cold. There was surf which definitely benefitted those that knew how to read and swim waves and those that felt confident in their swimming abilities. I fell into the later category as I really have not had much experience in the whole wave thing. Apparently I am a quick learner.

The horn blew and we were off – from that moment on it was full on racing. Sara McLarty was phenomenal right from the first swim. She apparently caught a wave that launched just after theturn buoy and rode it practically to the shore amazing spectators. She came out of the water ~40 seconds ahead and maintained that lead for the rest of the race.

The race really became about 2^nd place. Out of the first swim I set the stage for what was to come - I was in second.

The bike course was hotdog shape and we did 8 laps. It was head down, surge out of corners and hard. Coming off the bike Aussie Charlotte McShane launched a terrific speed onto the run quickly followed by Alicia Kaye. I never lost contact but fell into fourth. The ITU racer Takagi from Japan and Ironman superstar Kate Major ran themselves into the race and so our chase pack swelled to 5 women into the 2^nd swim. Richie Cunningham had prepared me mentally for that second swim telling me that it would be super hard but to just get through it. I love a good fight so I did just that. I pushed through a lot of pain and managed to catch up around the buoy. Then a miracle happened – I caught a wave on my way back. I have to say that this was a super cool experience as I had no idea even how to catch a wave. I just kept swimming with it and found myself coming out of the water in second again. Perfect. The second bike was similar to the first in that it was fast and hard. Alicia Kaye caught up to me and we worked together. Kate Major, Takagi, and Michellie Jones were hot on our heels. Getting onto the second run I felt good and my legs were really turning over. I passed Alicia and was running in second up until the last 300m of the last lap. Takagi caught me and Kate and I started to run shoulder to shoulder. Around the last turn though I was in contact with Takagi and I gave it my all. I ran hard, overcame her and sprinted across the line to

take second place. It was absolutely awesome.

The Super Sprint Triathlon Grand Prix is really like nothing I have experienced before. It was sheer adrenaline from the get go. The coolest part was that it was not just the athletes that had the total high but spectators too. They were on the side cheering their hearts out which spurred each of us on and pushed us to a new level. I can’t thank Marc Lees enough for having such an incredible vision for this race. It takes incredible courage and passion to put on such a class act and Marc obviously has it in spades! Super Sprint Triathlon Grand Prix 2011 here we come!!!

Acknowledgements for Photos: Sean Watkins Photography, Finishline Multisport, Super Sprint Triathlon Grand Prix

For Media coverage check out:

http://triathlon.competitor.com/

http://video.competitor.com/2010/11/triathlon/tricenter-super-sprint-tri-grand-prix/?marquee