Ironman Canada 09/16/2009
 
I know it’s 2 ½ weeks post Ironman but better late than never!

IMC was my goal race of the season and I went in feeling fit and ready to have a good race.  I felt pretty calm the week leading up to the race but 2 days before I got really nervous.  By race morning I was eager to get moving and see how my day would unfold.  I did all my pre-race activites (body-marking, pumping of the tires etc.) and before I knew it I was on the beach waiting for the canon to go off.  I was most nervous about the swim so started on the far right-hand side to avoid the crowds even though it was not the most direct route.  My plan was to stay relaxed and not push too hard and save it for the bike/run.  I exited the water in 1:07.  Although I still have a long way to go with swimming, this was a huge breakthrough for me and a 7 minute PB!  I had a pretty solid 1st half of the bike and almost felt effortless.  However, by time I got to Richter’s my stomach started to turn and by time I got to the rollers it was not happy.  I wasn’t able to get any nutrition in and was too crampy to get into my aero position.  I found myself sitting upright going into the wind as packs of people would pass me.  I had lost all my power and there was nothing I could do about it.  Two bee stings later on the out-and-back section and I had had enough.  I wanted off my bike!  I struggled to make it up Yellow Lake but used the last downhill section to regroup and get myself ready for the run.  My bike time was a lot slower than I expected but because I had made up time on the swim I knew that if I put together a good run (which is usually my strength) I could still go under 11 hours.  As soon as I started running I knew it was not going to be a good day.  My stomach hurt so much and running was making it worse.  I ran the first few miles in town as I knew the North Shore cheering crew was out there and I didn’t want them to see me walking.  As soon as I got away from the crowds I started walking.  It was going to be a long day as I still had 20+ miles to go.  I never really felt sorry for myself but wondered if I should drop out (was I really supposed to walk the whole marathon?!?).  I decided that although I was feeling lousy I was still having fun and at that moment there was nothing else I’d rather be doing.  I spent most of the marathon shuffling for a bit and then walking a bit trying to settle the stomach, just trying to move forward in the fastest way possible (shuffling/walking was faster than just walking).  Coming back into town my stomach was starting to feel better and was able to run the last few miles into the finish chute where my husband was able to call me in.  Although my day didn’t turn out as planned I am not sad or disappointed, rather, I look back and realize how lucky I am to be fit/healthy enough to have raced another Ironman. 

 
 
 
Somehow I managed to sprain my lower back well racing the Squamish Triathlon last Sunday.  On the bike my back locked up and didn’t realize how bad it was until the run but adrenaline is a magical thing and was able to run through it.  It wasn’t until I crossed the finish line and stopped moving that I realized that I was in a great deal of pain and was no longer able to move without my back going into spasms.  I took a few days completely off training as the Desert Half Ironman that I was planning on racing was the following weekend.  By Wednesday I was so bored and eager to test out my back.  I tried to go for a swim but even that was too painful.  All week I only managed one really easy bike to Horseshoe Bay.  Clearly, sitting on the coach all week was doing nothing for my fitness!! 

 I really didn’t think I would be able to race but decided to rack my bike on Saturday just in case.  I woke up the next morning and although my back was still really stiff the pain was gone so I decided that I would try and do the swim/bike part of the race and not the run as I didn’t want to make it any worse.  Both my swim and bike times were embarrassingly slow but had a hard time getting my head into it as I wasn’t planning on finishing the race and treated it more as a training day.  I felt uncomfortable on the bike and couldn’t get into my aero bars.  It was windy and was not having much fun.  I saw my mom out on course along with Miranda and so many times I wanted to put my bike in their car and catch a ride back.  I continued to plug along.  Somehow on the way back to Osoyoos I talked myself into starting the run.  I was just going to run the first km so I could see how it felt.  I felt really good and my back was not bothering me at all so I continued on.  I started off slow and then built into my pace.  It was hot; I ran passed a sign that read 37 degrees, so stopped at every aid station to make sure that I was getting in enough fluid.  I couldn’t stomach gels so I ran on coke and Gatorade and seemed to work really well.  I finished 2nd in my age group just 30 seconds behind 1st but ran out of space to catch her.  Although my time was slow I was just happy that I was able to race and glad that I decided to start the run as that was the best part of my day.  My back feels fine today and just have the usual stiffness from racing a ½ iron.  I’m looking forward to getting back into a normal training routine this week.

A special thank you to Jenn Turner from Moveo.  I was in rough shape when I first went in to see her and would not have been able to race without her.   Although her schedule was completely booked she still managed to make room to see me. 

Next up is the Peach Triathlon in Penticton this Sunday.

 
 
It’s been so long since I’ve written anything on my blog as I felt like I didn’t really have anything exciting or positive to say but I guess I haven’t been racing as much as last year and have just been in training mode.  This weekend I raced the Squamish Triathlon for the first time.  Although this was a small grass roots race it is one of my new favourite races and will definitely make sure I put it on my schedule for next year.    Because IMC is just around the corner I had to train through this race and on Saturday did a 3 hour run plus a ride and really wasn’t sure how I was going to feel the next day.  Sure enough I woke up the next morning and felt like I had been hit by a truck yet was so excited to race again and see what I could do.  I felt like I was moving pretty good in the swim but when I exited the water I looked at my watch and was disappointed with my time and was so far back.   I spent way too long in transition trying to get my wetsuit off (all the races I have done this year have had wetsuit strippers).  The bike was okay, I couldn’t get my HR up to where it should be but each loop felt better.  They had changed the bike course to 4 loops with a long gradual climb up the highway each loop so drafting was never an issue.  On the final lap I missed the turnoff to T2 and ended up riding off course and when I realized that I had gone too far I had to turn around and ride back.  I think I lost about 4 or so minutes doing this.   This was a dumb mistake on my part and was clearly not thinking.  The run felt great and was passing lots of people.  I think it helped that I was running from behind and was now trying to re-catch people that I had worked so hard to catch on the bike before I went off course.  Overall it was a good day and managed to win the W25-29 age group!  Next up is the Osoyoos ½ Iron this weekend.  More to come next week...

 
 

Packing the car Saturday afternoon I thought to myself how nice running races are as you don’t have to pack so much equipment.  Fast forward an hour later...me and Karen are sitting in the ferry line up and it suddenly dawned on me that I had forgotten my running shoes with my orthotics in them.  There wasn’t enough time to get someone to drop them off to me as we were about to board the ferry.  I got on the ferry hoping that I would be able to fine a running store that was still open.  Of course, being a small town there were no running stores but did manage to find a strip mall with an “Athlete’s World”.  They did not have the running shoe that I run in and had a VERY limited selection.  The staff had no knowledge of shoes and were trying to sell me a pair of Nike’s because they liked the look of them rather than them being the right fit for me.  No matter what shoe I put on it did not feel right without my orthotics as I have very flat feet and my arches roll in without the support.  I decided that it was only one 13 mile run and I would be fine.  I don’t think I’ll ever live that one down!

This course is probably one of my favourite ½ marathon routes.  It was beautiful yet very challenging.  I don’t think there was ever a flat section.  It was either long gradual up and downs or short steep hills.  I did the exact opposite of what my coach told me to do and went out to hard and slowed down in the 2nd half of the race by 4 minutes instead of building into it.  I thought I could hold the pace but with the lack of running I’ve been doing this was not the case.  I could hear Nick talking most of the way and his voice kept getting closer and closer and finally blew right by me along with everyone else and there was nothing I could do about it.  I finished in 1:37:10, 1st AG, 7th female OA.  I’m disappointed with my time as this is a PW (personal worst) but at the same time I kind of expected it to be around there. 

After the race we headed back to Nick’s place and had the biggest feast ever.  The menu included 10 pounds worth of steak, lobster, prawns, mashed potatoes, salad, lasagne, bread, and deserts.  I definitely did not go hungry this weekend!  It was so great that the weather was nice and able to spend the afternoon on the patio.  It was a disappointing race but a very fun weekend! 

I only have to work 3 days this week and then am off to Penticton for 5 days of training! 

 
 

I was visiting my parents this weekend in Peachland and decided to jump in and race the Penticton Lakeside Resort 5km.  I had a sore hamstring which forced me to back off my running the previous week but after a few test runs with no pain I decided it would be okay to give it a go.  It sounds funny but I’ve never actually raced a 5km race before so didn’t know what to expect.  Driving to the race I started to get really nervous / excited.  That is until I got out of the car and there were 30+ km winds and -6 degrees.  I suddenly was trying to talk myself out of running this race.  “My time is going to be slow because of the strong winds, it’s too cold, I don’t have to race and could just do an easy run and that would be fine, too”.  I decided to ignore all these feelings that were running through my mind and suck it up.  I did a short warm up and then went into the hotel as I just couldn’t warm up.  At the start of the race I positioned myself in the middle of the pack.  I wish I had started closer to the front as I spent the first couple of minutes trying to pass people.  I wasn’t sure how to pace myself, so caught up to a girl in my AG who I knew was a solid runner.  I ran behind her most of the way but eventually she pulled ahead of me.  There were strong headwinds the first half of the race.  I tried to tuck behind a group but they eventually split up.  The second half of the run we experienced crosswinds so strong I felt like it was pushing me sideways.   Finally in the last kilometre a strong tailwind pushed us to the finish line.  I made a big mistake running through the finish chute.  I thought I was almost finished so slowed down and at the time I was 3rd female overall.  As I slowed down two girls sprinted right past me leaving me off the podium and dropped two spots in the last few seconds of the race.  It happened so quick I didn’t have time to react.  All I could hear was Steve King’s voice saying “And here’s Shannon Back, 3rd female overall...no 4th...oh she finished in 5th”.  I finished in 20:30.  Looking back, I wish I had pushed myself harder as it was finished so quickly.  My goal was to run under 20 minutes but because of the winds I felt like I had an okay race and learned lots of lessons.   And because it was my 1st official 5km race it was a PB!  The good news is my hamstring did not hurt at all during the race.  It was a little tight when I woke up this morning but am off to get a massage after work. 

 
46 Day Challenge 02/25/2009
 

Today is day one of a forty-six day challenge I am taking part in...that is 46 days of not eating deserts and cutting the treats out of my diet.  I indulged all last week – the rum cake was definitely my favourite and even went back for seconds...okay maybe for thirds!  I never used to have a sweet tooth until I started triathlon but now I crave sugar.  Other times I eat desert out of habit because that is what I do after dinner when I’m watching TV in my comfy chair, no matter how full I am.  At first it was once a week and then over time it turned into a daily thing.  Don’t get me wrong, I eat very healthy; it is usually between the hours of 8-10 when things start to fall apart.  I know that even dieticians say that you should allow treats as long as they are portion controlled.  My problem is that this never satisfies me and once I start I keep going back for more.  I am not doing this to lose weight but rather to fuel my body with the healthiest foods possible which I think is very important when you demand so much out of your body day after day.  I have already been questioning my dietician friend about what counts as a desert and what doesn’t.  I will stalk the fridge with yogurt, fruit, & ...any other suggestions?!?

 
 

The month of December I dedicated to taking an off season, something I've never done before.  It consisted of very few early mornings, no structure, and very little biking/running.  It had been a good change of pace especially with all the holiday festivities however, a few weeks in and I was bored and looking for a challenge.  After swimming a mainset of "12*100", the most 100's I've done in a row, I told Steph (amazing swimmer!) that I thought I was ready to swim 100*100 in the pool!  A few days after Christmas we were in the pool where we broke the 100's into 10 sets of 10 to keep things interesting.  I was amazed at just how fast the time went.  Having never swam more than 4km before this was a huge accomplishment for me.  Thanks Steph for making me excited about swimming...something that I truly can say I did not enjoy just 4 months ago! 

I also signed up at North Shore Elements, our new yoga studio just minutes from our house for 2 weeks of unlimited classes and so far this week I've tried Hot Yoga, Pilates, and a Core class.  These are all things that I'm horrible at but enjoy doing.  Before I became a triathlete I used to do Pilates and Yoga weekly.  But my Wednesday night Pilates class were quicly replaced by Wednesday night hammerfests out to Horseshoe Bay.  Like everything else I had to prioritize and no longer had time for this.  Today was my 5th day in a row going.  I still can not touch my toes, but am having fun trying!

And finally to start off 2009, for the first time I went skate skiing up Cypress Mountain.  It was such a fun day and brought me back to my childhood days of climbing up hills and then the adrenaline you get going down the hill. 

I am now feeling refreshed and ready to get back into routine and structure.  I can't wait to start training again.  Here's to a happy and healthy 2009!

Shannon

 
 

The Seattle Marathon was my last race of the season.  Going into this race I was very excited as it felt like I hadn’t raced in quite some time and I felt like my training had been going very well.  Based on my training I thought that even if I had an “off” day I could still manage a PB.  This of course did not happen and I ended the day off with a 3:35, definitely one of my slowest marathons. 

The day before the marathon I woke up and did an easy 5km run.  I then spent the rest of the day shopping and spent the whole day on my feet.  I didn’t get back to the hotel until 5 and then walked to dinner.  When I got home I felt pooped and ended up passing out in front of the TV.  I probably should have stayed off my feet but then again that definitely would not have been any fun and would that really have made any difference??

The morning of the race I put on my shoes and my elastic laces snapped.  I started to panic as I am supposed to meet my friend in the lobby.  I take Jordan’s shoe laces out of his shoes and put them in mine.  I then realize that I can’t find my salt pill container.  As I am already running late I decide to leave without them.  Luckily Jordan stayed behind to look for it and found them underneath the fridge and managed to get it to me just before the start of the race.  Lesson learned: spend the day before the race organizing your gear to avoid unnecessary panicking. 

I was expecting the weather to be wet and cold and to my surprise it ended up being dry and mild.  I did not pack any clothes for warmer weather so the day before I bought a pair of shorts at the expo that had pockets to hold gels.  I didn’t try them on as I just assumed they would fit.  I ran to the start of the race and they were clearly too big no matter how tight I tied them up but I didn’t have enough time to go back to the hotel and change.  Guys were running behind me commenting on the fact they could see my crack and how they were enjoying the view.  I held my shorts up with one hand the entire run.  I must have looked pretty ridiculous!  I know you hear this all the time but I suggest not trying anything new on race day.  And yikes, the chaffing, that hurt more than the race itself. 

I really can’t explain what went wrong.  It certainly didn’t feel like I was working hard when I was hitting my pace and it was the first marathon where I had no stomach issues.  However, I just felt flat and for the first time ever in a race I did not have the drive to push through it.  I didn’t want to make myself hurt on that day and didn’t have that extra gear.  At mile 16 I was instructed to pick it up if I was still feeling good.  I was feeling fine but I had no desire to pick it up either.  Familiar faces would pass me and I didn’t even bother trying to go with them.  Instead I was looking at the beautiful houses on the lake and admiring how neat the sun looked peaking through the fog.  I was totally loosing focus and my pace continued to slow down.  I was content running this pace though and never had thoughts of pulling out which sometimes happens when I know I’m not doing well.  My heart rate dropped to 75% when I usually race at 90%+.  As it’s the day after and I am really not that sore I obviously did not go hard enough.  It is very disappointing when your training goes well, you put so much work into it, and your race doesn’t show for it.  However, even on a crappy day I still managed 5th in my age group out of 30 people. 

Looking back at my 2008 racing season I started very early in the year running a marathon in January.  I raced 3 marathons, 2 half marathons, numerous other running races, 2 Ironmans, and 4 half Ironmans along with several other training camps.  This was probably way too much racing especially since I never took any time off in between races let alone a day off.  My problem is that I love to race and train and I love volume but maybe I can’t handle the volume as well as I thought.  I was probably over trained as well.  I ran 3 hours every single weekend this year unless I was racing.  Maybe I experienced burnout??  Anyways, I will spend the next few weeks recovering from this marathon. 

Looking ahead at the 2009 season I will go back to the drawing board and start over.  I will be working with a coach who will help me plan my season better.  I will be open to new ideas of how to train and focus on quality not quantity.  I want to focus on getting my speed back and entering shorter races (10km and Olympic distance) even though they scare me.  As I am still so new at this I still have so much to learn.  I will continue to look back and see what worked and what did not and then make changes.

 
 

After over a year of not being able to train due to an Achilles injury, my husband Jordan is slowly getting back at it.  He is such a talented athlete and I have learned so much from him.  Although I have such an amazing group of people to train with it was never the same when he was not there with me.  He pushes me to my limits when I am tired and want to stop and is able to make anyone laugh.  This is one of my favourite ways to spend time with him.  Although there have been improvements, Jordan’s Achilles is still not 100% and get’s achy after workouts.  I can’t wait for the day he is pain free and can join me for a long run once again! 

 
Seattle Marathon 11/17/2008
 

After IMC I felt like I needed a goal, something to keep me focused during the fall.  I convinced my friend Karen (actually it took no convincing at all!) to train for the Seattle Marathon with me.  The last few months my training has been really run focused.  Although I can’t wait for the triathlon season to begin, it has been a nice break to let the biking and swimming go and do what I enjoy most – running!!  With the Seattle Marathon being less than 2 weeks away I am officially in taper mode.  I have put in more than enough miles so my priority now is to catch up on some sleep so I can go into this race feeling rested and relaxed.  I can’t wait...I’ll keep you updated!