It's getting hot in here!

Holy moly!! It has been HOT, HOT, HOT in Boulder!!

I think I am noticing it a wee bit more because our air conditioning is out-of-order for the time being and the office is a sauna. Not a problem, I think of it as a “detox”, where I sweat out all my bodily toxins (nothing to do with wine).

So, as I mentioned in my earlier post, I had a “challenging” weekend of training; of course I survived, if not I wouldn’t be writing this post. Now I don’t usually go into specifics of what my training involves (other than biking, running…and…what is the other one….oh well, must not be important) but this one was a doozy!! Last “BIG” weekend (actually, just one day) before starting the “taper” for Wisconsin.

Before I go any further, from the ankle standpoint, things are great!! I have healed MUCH faster than anticipated so I am a happy camper.

Saturday started out VERY early for me, BIG breakfast and off to the pool for a swim. Pretty uneventful, I looked at a black line for an hour and cursed at how “little” distance I can get cover in an hour (soon the NEMO fairy will visit me with gills and fins). Anyhow, it was off to the bike…a LONG bike in some already scorching temperatures. I decided last minute to go and meet up with Megan and some of her friends at Amante to “start” the ride with. Low and behold Tingle, JK1 and JK2 appeared. Unfortunately, none of these options worked out as Megan and her crew were heading straight up into hill country beginning with Lee Hill…(um, not feeling that sadistic) and some confusion lead to me missing the JK and Tingle group so I was flying solo…which, was for the best.

I headed out 36 in attempt to warm up the legs (although I was already sweating buckets due to the heat) Got into a rhythm and focused on the HR and keeping everything in check. Before I knew it I was at highway 66 and there was a lot of orange construction, plus a big billboard that said “Under construction” (what I missed was the 5 second delay which then said “closed to cyclists”) I was ready to turn around because it did not look good, but then 2 cyclists in front of me made the right turn so I figured “it must still be open.” So, I turned right, heading to Hygiene, following the two cyclists, when less than a mile they slow down, and crossed the construction barrier in the middle of the road to head back. I passed them in awe, wondering what they were doing, it wasn’t until a mile or so later where the shoulder disappears and the road is “skinny” that I realized “Hey, the road is probably closed…CRAP” so the option was to turn around or continue to Hygiene. I decided crossing a construction area was probably not the best idea, so I hauled ass to get to the turn-off to Hygiene. Meanwhile, the few drivers that passed me were very nice, I DO love Boulder….even when I AM IN THE WRONG; the drivers are still nice!!

Well, low and behold, at the turnoff to Hygiene was 2 cop cars and I immediately knew what was going to happen…so I just pulled over before they could motion me too. The cop was actually very stern at first, as he should be. But I told him what happened, and that I was out of country for 10 weeks and just got back without any sort of forewarning of the construction; and that this was a simple mistake that I would NEVER make again nor was it intentional. NOT that this is an excuse! As a cyclist (which is considered a motor vehicle) I SHOULD pay more attention to the signs and warnings on the road (there was a sign at Hygiene road stating 66 was closed which I missed, MY FAULT!). I do not appreciate bikers whose reckless actions ruins the reputations of the “good” cyclists, and I was one of those BAD cyclists on Saturday. Personally it was mortifying and disheartened expecting the DESERVED punishment, BUT, the policeman saw how concerned I was and decided not take any “demerits” on my driving record AND decreased the fee. I was very grateful, yet still upset at myself. A lesson learned!!


Here is my ticket (notice the type of offender: Bike, Yellow...Fast...LOL!! ..ok I made the last part up!) So, resuming my ride, with a ticket in my back pocket (which I imagined was a speeding ticket to make myself feel better!) I headed out for the remaining “LONG TIME” of my ride…which meant a wee bit longer on the flats and then heading up to Hill Country….YES, COOKIE TOWN!! WARD!! 16 miles of climbing bliss….14 miles of fun, 2 miles of HELL!! The last two miles of that climb do me in!! Combined with the altitude, and the odor of “Pot” (does anyone else notice this!!?? It smells like marijuana up there!!) Do me in. I kept my HR in check till those last two miles, and I WAS NOT going to turn down 2 miles of hurt…I HAD to get the cookie (although Gregory eats them now because of my allergies…3 more weeks till I can indulge!). I made it…albeit very slow, and very painful!! You can climb as many +10% grade climbs in the Frech Alpes, but other than Galibier, none of them compare to the altitude you experience in the Colorado mountains! So, yes, I sucked wind, and I…SUCKED!!

Good news is that it was a cool 30 degrees (Celcius, I am still on the Canadian/French system) at Ward, and then I descended and I entered the “Furnace”. It was FRIGGEN HOT!! I knew things were going to crap when my HR started climbing under “reasonable perceived effort”….in other words; things were going to get ugly… I did the best I could, lots of hydration, and “sucking it up”

This is me VERY EXCITED TO GO RUN!!

ICING ON THE CAKE!!

Running at 3 in the afternoon when it is +35 degrees celcius, no shade and you are already cooked. It’s in the head baby, all in the head. I went from running to shuffling, to walking, to shuffling to…well you get the idea. The longest hour of running in my LIFE!! Yes, I could have said “this sucks, I am stopping” but I needed that “uncomfortable” feeling to add to my “checklist” of “uncomfortable feelings” for Ironman. You never know what will be thrown at you come race day and a lot of it comes down to “experience” or “how much can you take” …well I took it yesterday…..I think I am still cooling down from it!! It was not pretty, I DID NOT go fast (for all of you who think I am a good runner, I think you would have enjoyed yesterdays performance) BUT I FINISHED

Isn’t that what it’s all about?? When you think of Ironman, you can think of the many time goals you have and how you expect to hit them…but, you always need to keep in mind, this is Ironman, this is 140.6!! I distance most normal people are not meant to cover in 17 hrs (unless you are in a car!) So many things can happen, unpredictable good and bad things!! So, at the end of the day, you need to take a step back and look at what you are doing/have done, the time put into it…and SMILE!!

I AM SMILING!!

I LOVE Boulder, but....

Could we not benefit from a little more oxygen?? I mean this is ridiculous!! I might succumb to depression from the way I feel, LOL!! Of course I am JOKING! but it REALLY is difficult to to adjust to the "5430"

In the French Alpe's, I was at about 2000, climbing to heights higher than Ward and the Peak to Peak, however, that 1 or 2 hours a day at "high altitude" does not EVEN compare to 24/7 at "5430"

For some reason, this time back to altitude did not give me the luxurious 1-2 day window when I "barely noticed it" NOPE, I felt it the minute I stepped off the plane. Dry mouth, tight chest when exerting myself....which, means flopping around like a dead fish on the dock when I try to swim (yes, I am sure I look like that!) but wait...I always look like that when I swim...whatever!!

Anyhow, it has been a few hard days. But, I am pleased to annouce that last night I slept the WHOLE night through without waking up!! yes, that is right, 8 hrs of uninterupted sleep! JET LAG is OVER!!

Things on the work-front are BUSY! which is extremely GOOD...well, good for me, but not the blog entries!! Sorry, I will try to keep up.

Training-wise, I am in the stage of "OMG, IMWI...MY FAVORITE IM!! it's in less than 1 MONTH!!" so, I am smiling, A LOT!! And yes, the ankle is good...I am in ACTIVE recovery.

I am looking forward to catching up with my GREAT friends in Boulder. I have MISSED them so much!! I actually had to ask for an "extra" swim workout today so that I could see some friends I had not seen since June!! ( and I NEVER want to swim more, LOL!!)

This weekend marks an "epic workout" weekend...for those of us who do IM or any other sort of sport, there is always the "build" portion in the training to an ultimate "workout or event" that will challenge you, mold you, and make you the strongest you can be on that "race day". Saturday marks this for me. I am strangely excited, scared and anxious...stay tuned for the report...

Back in Boulder and on the mend!!

I am back in the States!! I arrived Friday night and am fighting jet-lag. You can get a whole bunch done in a day when you wake up at 4 am, LOL!!

The ankle is doing MUCH better and I have decided to pursue IMWI. So, a few more weeks of hard work lies ahead....

Today was my first time back on a bike with aerobars in 10 weeks and it felt great!!

I am definitely feeling the altitude though!! Ahhhh, nothing beats oxygen, LOL!

Right now I am getting settled and catching up on many odds and ends that need to be taken care of when you have been away for over 2 months. However, I want to give my hubby Kudo's for having the place absolutely spotless and immaculately organized when I returned! The bed was even made!

To all my Boulder peeps, I will be in touch so that we can catch up!!

Im Baaaack!

Long time, no post!!

So much has happened since I last blogged, where to start???

It has been an exciting month! After my last post Joelle and Claude had some friends come and stay with us in the Alpes to hike and vacation. However, the hiking adventures were cut a tad short for Claude who fell and broke her ankle in 3 places! She dragged herself down the mountain using just her arms! When the doctor saw her, he couldn’t imagine how she had gotten down the mountain; usually people are helivacked out! My Auntie Cocole is a tough cookie! She had surgery and spent a few weeks recovering and now is starting to walk with crutches. Joelle has been nothing but wonderful taking care of Claude and hosting Gregory and I.

Now, when I say mountains, I mean “the middle of the mountains”; the boonies! So, when storms roll through, they are pretty nasty!! It is usually after a very hot spell that we have thunderstorms (sometimes tornadoes) roll through bringing hail and snow. 2 weeks ago, when Gregory and I left for one night to watch the tour (more on that in a bit) a storm rolled through, knocking out all internet and phone lines. It has been 2 weeks and the phone line is not repaired and I am working from one of those unique USB drive wireless thingy’s. Very cool, but it is slow and we are still waiting for the local internet company to fix the line (yes, we reside in the middle of the mountains!).
This is an arial shot of the EDF damn. Our house is to the left on the mountain.

This is Allemont in the winter. Our house is below and to the left of the church.

This is what Allemont looks like now in the summer

Now back to Le Tour….the Spaniard who looks like and is built like a 14 yr old boy won (not that I am happy about it..I am a Lance fan). I don’t think that people realize how small the riders are and the power they push! After spending a few months riding in the Alpes, I am realizing that the level of difficulty of Le Tour is greatly underestimated and underplayed by many who have never experienced the Alpes (the TV does not give the climbs or weather enough credit!). Over the course of 3 weeks, the tour riders go from fit to emaciated from the effort and long days.

Gregory and I found out a few days before the time trial in Annecy that our good friend Tony would be arriving in Paris for work and could meet us up to watch Le Tour. So we picked up Tony Wednesday night in Grenoble and got some great engagement news!! Congrats Tony!! We spent the night in Chambery with the “Livestrong” promotional crew and a bunch of media in our hotel. These folks are worked to the bone!! Thursday we rose early to get to Annecy, but the whole city was closed. We parked out side the city and bused to the start area. Having attended the tour once before on Alpe D’Huez, I knew it would be crazy busy!! Which is was, but this experience was unique because it was a time trial. We were able to see the teams warm up and get ready. I did not see Lance, but I did get a good shot of Matthew McConaughey outside the Astana bus, along with a bunch of other riders. We then positioned ourselves near the start to see the riders take-off. WOW!! The riders pass so quickly and SO FAST! It is hard to imagine riding at speeds they are riding at. Seeing the Tour in person really puts into perspective how fit, fast and dedicated the riders are!

So, I got my yearly dose of Le Tour!

It's Matthew!!

Team Garmin

This is how they do their laundry in the team bus.

This is Lance's bike

The Polka Dot bike


As for my riding, biking and swimming; It has been going really, really well (well, till yesterday! More in a bit) After La Marmotte, I made a tough decision to switch coaches. Wolfgang has coached me for almost two years; two years of amazing progress, and I have achieved levels of fitness I never knew I could. Wolfgang helped me obtain the endurance and patience to become a great long-distance triathlete and I very thankful. However, due to a number of factors, including time constraints I felt I needed a coach with a “better fit” for my schedule, demands and goals. After La Marmotte, I started working with Carole Sharpless and am very, very happy with that decision. Over this month, I am moving in the right direction with my swimming (it has never been my strong point), revived my running legs and kept up the strong biking!

But, life is unpredictable, and you never know what obstacles may be thrown in your path. Yesterday, while stepping down from a stone ledge in the garden, I rolled my ankle. This is the ankle that I had surgery on 7 yrs ago to repair torn ligaments (two screws and reconstruction); the only thing that went through my head was “2 months in the middle of the mountains running, swimming and biking, in the boonies and THIS is how I injure myself??” This is not a serious injury, X-rays shows no broken bones, but there is ligament damage. I cannot have an MRI because of the screws so alternative imaging may be required; I will find out on Monday; most likely it is pulled with a few small tears. This brings into play the athletes “desire” to continue training for that “one” important race or the long-term outcome.

I believe that you should learn from your mistakes. Seven years ago, I ran on an ankle that had torn ligaments and needed surgery because I did not listen to my body and I pushed too hard. I don’t want to make that mistake again. So, I am being realistic here; on Monday I might have to call off IMWI, and I am ok with that (but, I am trying to stay optimistic). There is always next year or even the possibility of a IM later in the year. Right now my focus is on the long-term as I have been down the other short-term road before.

I think this is some sort of sick way to make me swim more, LOL!