I'm a triathlete...Part 2!

If you didn't get a chance to read Part 1 of my try-a-tri recap you can find it here.

Anyway, I finished my bike, hopped off and somehow ran it back to the transition area to re-rack it. Boy, did my legs not work properly. I now understand the importance of brick workouts! I got back to my spot and put my bike in the wrong way and I couldn't get the handlebars under the rack. I should have gone in backwards and clearly didn't. I ended up tipping my bike sideways and got it under. I had already clipped my number on so all that was left was to take off my helmet and adjust my hair. This was easy to do because I still couldn't run. My legs were not under me yet!

The 2.5k run course for the try-a-tri started out with a steep uphill. There was no way I was running that. I got myself to the top, still walked for a couple more seconds to make sure everything was still working and then started running. The run course was on trails and clearly there were some rainy days with vehicles driving over the trails because there were many places where the trail was torn up a bit and I had to watch my footing.

This is what that hill felt like after the bike ride!

I hit up the water station, grabbed a water and a gatorade and felt much better after that. I hadn't had much to drink and definitely needed that fluid. I hit the turn-around point that was in the nice shady woods and then hit the water station again on the way back. After that my legs were good to go and I managed to get myself running a what I assumed was a decent pace the rest of the way back. I finished the running portion in 17:24 which isn't the greatest time for me, but I'm happy with it!

My overall race time was 1:05:54.9!

I ended coming in near the end of the race because about 5 minutes after I finished they blew the whistle to re-open the transition zone for us to get our stuff. Even though I was near the end, I'm not disappointed. It was my first try-a-tri, I hadn't trained well at all and I was just hoping to finish, which I did! However, I did learn a lot along the way.

Here's what I learned:

*I need a better bike (looking for one in the fall when prices drop)

* I need to practice my swim (both in the pool and open water)

*I need more brick training from the bike to running

* I need to place a water bottle on my towel for in between

* I need a tri-suit or at least something that will wick away the water better

* I need to challenge myself each year on my birthday

and lastly...

I loved every minute of it and can't wait to do another one!

I will definitely be doing Ironman Muskoka 70.3 at some point in my life (I'm thinking two years).

I am registered for IronGirl Sprint in August so until then I will be training, training, training!



I'm a triathlete!

I've decided to break this race recap into two separate posts because there is so much I want to share! So be sure to check back tomorrow for the run and what I learned portion!

Honestly, this was the most nervous for a race I have ever been. I had loads of trouble sleeping Friday and Saturday night and had lots of dreams of drowning, falling off my bike, getting lost, not doing things properly in the transition zone, being late, etc. The list goes on and on. I also was fighting some sort of throat and stomach issues and the lack of sleep that comes with having two busy boys.

I went looking for a wetsuit on Friday after work, got to the store an hour away and found out that I had left my wallet at work. So, I ended up turning around and driving home without a wetsuit. I'd just have to suck up and deal with the cold temperatures. Saturday evening I spent getting myself ready to go and loaded my bike into my car (need to get a bike rack).

I got up at 6:30 Sunday morning and managed to sneak out without waking the boys. I stopped at a Tim Hortons along the way and grabbed a plain bagel with herb and garlic cream cheese, but I could only get half of it down. It wasn't tasting good at all. I got to the conservation area, parked and started the walk with my bike to the transition and race area.

I was on the lookout for my friends from work that were racing. One has done Ironman Muskoka 70.3 so I was hoping to grab a few last tips from here, but I was on my own. I asked a couple of people around for help too and they were fantastic. I grabbed my race kit and headed over to rack my bike. As I was unloading everything, I was listening to the announcement and heard that blue caps were in the first wave. Um, no. I had a blue cap and was not supposed to be in that wave. I checked my envelope and they had me listed as a 16 female. I quickly headed over to the registration table and had it switched for a white cap. Phewf!


Eventually, it was time to get into the water. I decided to dunk myself in the 68 degree weather, then get out with only my feet in so that my body would feel the water as warm when I went back in. Of course, I happen to get bit by a fish. This is the main reason I'm not a huge fan of open water swimming. Fish and other creatures that I can't see.

The lake. We were closer to the left hand side of the picture.
Anyway, the swim started and I managed to front crawl for a grand total of a minute. I suck. Clearly, I need more to work more on my swimming. I managed to get around two of the three buoys before the third wave of swimmers (that started 3 minutes after me) caught us and then I got clunked in the head. The 350m swim took me a total of 10:39.


I finished the rest of the swim, wobbled my way out of the water and back into the transition zone to start the bike. First, I quickly changed my top, dried my feet and got my shoes tied and helmet on. I grabbed my bike and off I went.


The bike was brutal. As I mentioned before, I have a hybrid bike. It's heavy, hasn't been overly well-maintained and according to another athlete isn't properly fitted for me. The bike route seemed relatively easy, especially since we were bypassing the giant hill the sprint athletes had to do, but there were still hills. They were more gradual rollers but they never seemed to end! My giant, clunky bike was no match for them (nor for the 20-30 riders that passed me on their road bikes). By the end I was pushing with everything I had in me. I was so happy to get off my bike! I finished the 10K bike portion in 32:35.







I'll post the run and round out my thoughts tomorrow.

National Running Day!

I'm linking up at Eat, Run, Pray DC , Mar on the Run and You Signed up for What? to share my love for National Running Day!




I celebrated this special day by running 4 miles after work. I had noticed from my run on Monday that my posture was really off and that I spent a lot of time looking at the ground and my shoes and that I was really shuffling by the end of the run. I decided that I was really going to focus on my posture and making sure that I was upright so I forced myself to not look at my shoes.


Wednesday's run!
I think it was pretty successful given that my time was faster and I didn't have a kilometer over 7:00.


I've decided to embrace that fact that I'm always going to be a slow runner. There are no if's and's and but's about it. I might be able to get my time down a bit, but I'll most likely never place. I was very frustrated with this at first, because everything I tried, my times were never getting much better. My goal now is to have fun, get healthy and try to set PBs for myself, which is still a very difficult challenge for me.


The big question on National Running Day was, Why do you run? Here are the reasons I run:


*Me time
* Setting a positive example for my boys
* The extra calories for treats
*The community
*The comfy clothes
*The medals
*The sense of accomplishment


There are so many reasons that people run but this is my list. I think my favourite benefit of running is definitely the community. The comradery at races and events is amazing. The support of everyone, whether you're fast, slow or in between is so fun and inspiring. I can't wait to see what the triathlon community is like! I'm thinking it's the same as the running community and if it is, I'm excited to be a part of such special things.



What do you run for?  

My upcoming try-a-tri!

So panic is really starting to set in.

On Sunday, I'm starting to plant my foot into the world of triathlons.

I'm participating in a try-a-tri at a local conservation area.

I haven't gone swimming since March and even that was just parent and tot swimming with my youngest son. I've taken my bike for a spin here and there but not very far or very long.

Luckily, the event is short. It is a 350m swim, a 10k bike ride and a 2.5k run.

The biggest question I have been asking myself all week is if I need a wetsuit. Since the temperatures have been really warm, the lake temperature has been on the warmer side but the temperatures aren't supposed to be overly warm on Sunday. The downside is that I don't own a wetsuit. I'd have to rent one and the idea of renting one for a 350m swim isn't favourable. Plus, it's a 45 minute drive to pick it up on Friday afternoon (one way) and then another drive on Monday to return it. Decisions, decisions. I'm going to call the store today and see if they have any left. If not, my decision is made!
I'm actually really nervous about the transitions.

This might be the scariest part (an open water swim)


I spent a lot of time looking at Phaedra's post on Tuesday, which was all about streamlining transitions. I'm using all of her tips to get myself set up on Sunday. Granted, I don't have the fancy cycling shoes or tri suit so I'm going to have to put on shorts and a tank as well as socks and take the time to do up my running shoes. Also, I'll be riding a hybrid bike, so I'm not expecting to burn it up on the bike.



I figure this is my starting point. I'm already signed up for a sprint triathlon in August (Iron Girl) so I have to figure it out all pretty quick. Beginning June 14th, I'm hoping to follow an 8 week sprint triathlon training program that I've found online. It'll be tricky because we do have a family trip planned to Philadelphia as well as a trip to the cottage (good for open water swimming) but the biking might suffer a bit.


Either way, I'm looking to have fun trying out a new sport. I have a couple friends doing the sprint triathlon and a friend trying the duathlon so I figure it'll be fun morning if anything!


Anyone else done a try-a-tri? How did it go?

A re-introduction since I'm starting over

I just realized that I haven't really re-introduced myself after re-starting this blog.

My name is Victoria and I'm currently 32 years old (my birthday is on Sunday, but I'm holding onto the 32 as long as I can!). I have two little boys, a 4.5 year old and 2 year old who turns 3 in October.

I live just outside of Toronto in Ontario, Canada and teach 28 lovely munchkins in a full-day Kindergarten program.


I started running in January 2012 (in the dead of winter) as a way to lose the baby weight that I had gained with both boys (since I didn't lose any from the first one in between my two pregnancies). It was easy, relatively cheap and I had a friend who did the Couch to 5K program with me.


I ran my first 5k in May of 2012 and was instantly bit by the running bug. Since then, I've done numerous races. I'm definitely not fast by any definition but I've never come last, so I consider that a win!


This blog is named after my first pair of real running shoes, a pair of Saucony Ride 5's, that were bright pink. I was definitely not a pink girl until I started wearing these.


I'm becoming more interested in triathlons and am registered for two this summer (one try-a-tri and one sprint). I'm also hoping to get more into road biking, but I have a hybrid right now and daycare payments don't allow for a new road bike currently. Hopefully, when things go on sale in the fall I'll find a good deal.


On my downtime, other than running, I love being crafty and reading. I love to make things for my boys, my family and my friends (especially babies)! The sense of accomplishment from finishing a project is the same as finishing a race for me! Reading is my other passion that gets pushed aside a lot. There isn't much time to read other than a bed time and I'm usually too tired to read more than a page or two.


I have two big goals for my running this season. First, consistently run a sub 30:00 5k (I've done it twice so far) and run a sub 2:30 half marathon at the Road 2 Hope Half Marathon in Hamilton in November.



I hope you enjoy what you read from this completely amateur, never in real contention for anything,  athlete and that I can inspire someone (or maybe two people)!


Thanks for reading and hopefully you'll come back again!

June Goals

In one of my Facebook groups that I'm a part of I was asked to list my fitness goals for the month of June. I've written them down in a note on my iPad but I've decided that I'm going to share them here as well since whatever is on the blog is law, right?

So without further ado, here are my goals for the month:

* Run at least 35 miles

* Finish my June Ab Challenge that was posted yesterday

* 3 run days/3 strength days each week

* 6 week strength challenge (which runs into July)

* at least 11, 000 steps each day

* Track my food each day

So far, day 1 went well! Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

We'll have to see how the rest of the month goes when all the craziness begins!

I did my first strength workout this morning (the first in a long time) and man do I suck! I could barely keep up the exercises for the full minute required! It'll definitely be a push.

I did a 4 mile run yesterday. I've determined that I'm just going to be slow for the rest of my life and that my sub 2:30 half marathon time is going to take everything I have! Also, I'm not sure why I decided to take the last week of May off, but apparently that was dumb. We're not doing that again. A week is just too long to take off. My legs felt horrible at first and I have a massive cramp in my left calf that I just can't work out (hello, massage time!). I guess my foam roller will be my best friend until I can work it out!


What goals do you have for the month?

Motivation Monday - June 1st edition

A new month, a new plan and a new me!


I decided that I'm starting a new strength routine that I found at Women's Health and I'm beginning it today with Week 1.


My new schedule is going to look something like this


Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Strength Training
Wednesday: Run
Thursday: Strength Training
Friday: Run
Saturday: Strength Training
Sunday: Long Run


This schedule is going to change once school is out (June 26th) since the boys will be home with me and I'll have to adjust my running times most likely to the morning before they get up but we'll have to see what that looks like too since they get up fairly early. I'm hoping to log at least 35 miles this month.


I'm also going to do this challenge:





I'm hoping that this will set me on the right track to getting into the shape that I want. Just focusing on my running wasn't cutting it anymore.


What are your goals for June?


Any exciting races coming up?