We are one week away from Ironman Canada, Penticton, BC. The weatherman reports a sunny day with temperatures rising to +30 degrees Celsius. The weather is something we, the athletes, cannot control so we must all take what Mother Nature delivers. Instead, we look to things that we can control and focus on those critical aspects of preparing for a race, or in my current perspective, preparing for a Play. On Sunday, August 24th, my plan is to act out the character that I have been refining in my training and preparing for in my mind. Everyone around me, including my support team, are all part of the cast and crew with very little influence on my race execution plan and final scene (a.k.a: finish line).
The curtains roll back at 6:45 a.m. for the professional field of triathletes and 7:00 a.m. for the age groupers. What follows will be like any of my long training days – Act One: 2.4 miles of solid steady swimming with a bunch of friends, Act Two: 112 miles of ride paced 100% within myself fueled and hydrated with my favorite treats, and Act Three: 26.2 miles of running with the last few miles (the Grand Finale) being the pinnacle scene of the day.
The other cast members already know their line for race day as I am most certain they have been preparing equally as diligently as I have. I trust they will perform to the very best of their ability and follow their script word for word. Fortunately, what they do is well beyond my control so there is little need to expend energy thinking about other cast members.
With the lessons from my Ironman Coeur D’Alene experience in my back pocket followed by a couple of recovery weeks before building back fitness and endurance on the Ironman Canada course coupled with the awe inspiring performances of Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, it would seem incomprehensible if I did not have my greatest race this Sunday. This is, by the way, my goal – to have My Greatest Race yet at the Ironman distance. The successful outcome will hinge on a well paced bike leg and first half marathon using all the supporting props, lighting and staging to help get me there. While nothing will be unfamiliar, everything will require trust, patience, and focus.
And, much of that trust, patience, and focus will come from time in Penticton during late July when I had the very impromptu fortune to reconnect with Jasper Blake and link up for our long rides. We would meet at 7:00 a.m. at Starbucks for “one shot, long” as Jasper calls it. There was hardly enough fluid in the cup to wet your palette yet its main purpose was to “giddy up” the body so we could be alert for the next 6 to 7 hours. Jasper generously shared some “Ironman rules” with me (you’d think after 15 of them one would start to catch on…). Two of which I will forever remember: 1) Nothing ever happens quickly in Ironman. Be in control at all times and save surges and power efforts for a short course race. Be strong at the end of the race not at the beginning. 2) Your best race is only within the framework of your fitness (mental and physical). Always race within yourself during an Ironman event. It will never matter who shows up on race day, you can only do what you can do. If you try to do more, you will blow. And since you never know what others will do, stick to your plan.
I have, of course, heard these theories before in different formats and told them to myself many times but for some reason when Jasper said them to me, I heard them as truths and as loud reminders that I needed to abide by these truths on August 24th. He too would be there racing with his new baby, Finlayson, and wife, Jude watching proudly as he will hopefully reclaim his title from 2006.
The first two weeks of August were jam packed with adventures and high quality training. August 6th my mom came for a week’s visit, which is always too short when one considers all the tasks she does to heighten my quality of living, namely stocking the freezer, cleaning up the garden, and creating useful systems around the house. The days were gloriously hot for her stay and I really wanted her to enjoy some of the ocean views during the morning hours. So I enthusiastically invited her to ride my mountain bike along side me for a morning run around Stanley Park (8.8 kilometers). Stanley Park is recognized around the globe as one of the great parks of the world. It is an evergreen oasis of 400 hectares (1,000 acres) close to the Vancouver downtown core but you need to get there early in order to beat the tourist buses that unload by the hundreds. While Mom is a veteran at riding along side while I run, we typically do this when in Florida where the more senior demographic rarely leave their homes and the streets are traffic free. On this particular morning, the crowds on the seawall were abundant and worst yet, I looped us in the WRONG direction around the park. She nearly took out a few roller bladders when coming around some blind corners and got the “lady, you are going the wrong way” glare every so often. Regardless of the directionally challenged navigation on my part, mom got to see the beauty of the coast that I enjoy most mornings. A few days later, I invited her to join me again. She gracious asked a few more specific questions about the length of my run? about the direction of my run? And whether she could have an Advil before hand? She opted to stay home and garden…
My final big weekend of training was August 9-10th. Mom and I traveled over to Qualicum Beach to visit with my Aunty Janet and Uncle Bill. Apparently, Qualicum Beach has the highest retirement population in Canada nesting in its town so it was a no wonder I felt like sleeping all day. We were lucky enough to time our visit when my cousins Paul, Arleigh and their two daughters, Amanda and Melissa were also visit. On our last night, another cousin, Karen, join the party. Paul cooked dinner every single night. It was as though we were staying at a five star hotel. We didn’t even notice him prepare the meals and when dinner was called we thought we’d stepped into a culinary dream. From his recipe-less combinations of spices and herbs to his creations of vegetables, meats and sauces, every morsel was divine. The girls did the clean up which I could see what the unwritten deal of the marvelous meal. I wasn’t arguing!
I was absolutely stunned and thrilled to see this part of Canada. Qualicum Beach is north of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island and sits right on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. I rode along the coast towards Campbell River whilst sight-seeing all the small towns I have only ever heard about like, Fanny Bay (famous for its oysters), Comox and Courtenay. Each town was small, quaint, picturesque, and serene with ocean and beaches bordering its edges and umpteen fresh fruit and vegetable markets. I promised my Aunt and Uncle I would be back for a visit…and maybe the odd long ride too!
So, with one week to go, we IMC athletes are resting up, staying supple, loose, and focusing on having a great race day. Watching Olympic games are a wonderful and inspirational past time, I wish they were on every time I was preparing for an Ironman.
In closure, I thought I would share this link that I read in the magazine Popular Science. And while Andy Potts did not make the Olympic team it is an excellent overview of his training method and focus.
http://www.popsci.com/entertainment-gaming/article/2008-07/making-olympian
The online Ticket Master opens at 6:45 a.m. @ http://www.ironmanlive.com/
Chrissy Fletcher
(My Stage Name)
The curtains roll back at 6:45 a.m. for the professional field of triathletes and 7:00 a.m. for the age groupers. What follows will be like any of my long training days – Act One: 2.4 miles of solid steady swimming with a bunch of friends, Act Two: 112 miles of ride paced 100% within myself fueled and hydrated with my favorite treats, and Act Three: 26.2 miles of running with the last few miles (the Grand Finale) being the pinnacle scene of the day.
The other cast members already know their line for race day as I am most certain they have been preparing equally as diligently as I have. I trust they will perform to the very best of their ability and follow their script word for word. Fortunately, what they do is well beyond my control so there is little need to expend energy thinking about other cast members.
With the lessons from my Ironman Coeur D’Alene experience in my back pocket followed by a couple of recovery weeks before building back fitness and endurance on the Ironman Canada course coupled with the awe inspiring performances of Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, it would seem incomprehensible if I did not have my greatest race this Sunday. This is, by the way, my goal – to have My Greatest Race yet at the Ironman distance. The successful outcome will hinge on a well paced bike leg and first half marathon using all the supporting props, lighting and staging to help get me there. While nothing will be unfamiliar, everything will require trust, patience, and focus.
And, much of that trust, patience, and focus will come from time in Penticton during late July when I had the very impromptu fortune to reconnect with Jasper Blake and link up for our long rides. We would meet at 7:00 a.m. at Starbucks for “one shot, long” as Jasper calls it. There was hardly enough fluid in the cup to wet your palette yet its main purpose was to “giddy up” the body so we could be alert for the next 6 to 7 hours. Jasper generously shared some “Ironman rules” with me (you’d think after 15 of them one would start to catch on…). Two of which I will forever remember: 1) Nothing ever happens quickly in Ironman. Be in control at all times and save surges and power efforts for a short course race. Be strong at the end of the race not at the beginning. 2) Your best race is only within the framework of your fitness (mental and physical). Always race within yourself during an Ironman event. It will never matter who shows up on race day, you can only do what you can do. If you try to do more, you will blow. And since you never know what others will do, stick to your plan.
I have, of course, heard these theories before in different formats and told them to myself many times but for some reason when Jasper said them to me, I heard them as truths and as loud reminders that I needed to abide by these truths on August 24th. He too would be there racing with his new baby, Finlayson, and wife, Jude watching proudly as he will hopefully reclaim his title from 2006.
The first two weeks of August were jam packed with adventures and high quality training. August 6th my mom came for a week’s visit, which is always too short when one considers all the tasks she does to heighten my quality of living, namely stocking the freezer, cleaning up the garden, and creating useful systems around the house. The days were gloriously hot for her stay and I really wanted her to enjoy some of the ocean views during the morning hours. So I enthusiastically invited her to ride my mountain bike along side me for a morning run around Stanley Park (8.8 kilometers). Stanley Park is recognized around the globe as one of the great parks of the world. It is an evergreen oasis of 400 hectares (1,000 acres) close to the Vancouver downtown core but you need to get there early in order to beat the tourist buses that unload by the hundreds. While Mom is a veteran at riding along side while I run, we typically do this when in Florida where the more senior demographic rarely leave their homes and the streets are traffic free. On this particular morning, the crowds on the seawall were abundant and worst yet, I looped us in the WRONG direction around the park. She nearly took out a few roller bladders when coming around some blind corners and got the “lady, you are going the wrong way” glare every so often. Regardless of the directionally challenged navigation on my part, mom got to see the beauty of the coast that I enjoy most mornings. A few days later, I invited her to join me again. She gracious asked a few more specific questions about the length of my run? about the direction of my run? And whether she could have an Advil before hand? She opted to stay home and garden…
My final big weekend of training was August 9-10th. Mom and I traveled over to Qualicum Beach to visit with my Aunty Janet and Uncle Bill. Apparently, Qualicum Beach has the highest retirement population in Canada nesting in its town so it was a no wonder I felt like sleeping all day. We were lucky enough to time our visit when my cousins Paul, Arleigh and their two daughters, Amanda and Melissa were also visit. On our last night, another cousin, Karen, join the party. Paul cooked dinner every single night. It was as though we were staying at a five star hotel. We didn’t even notice him prepare the meals and when dinner was called we thought we’d stepped into a culinary dream. From his recipe-less combinations of spices and herbs to his creations of vegetables, meats and sauces, every morsel was divine. The girls did the clean up which I could see what the unwritten deal of the marvelous meal. I wasn’t arguing!
I was absolutely stunned and thrilled to see this part of Canada. Qualicum Beach is north of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island and sits right on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. I rode along the coast towards Campbell River whilst sight-seeing all the small towns I have only ever heard about like, Fanny Bay (famous for its oysters), Comox and Courtenay. Each town was small, quaint, picturesque, and serene with ocean and beaches bordering its edges and umpteen fresh fruit and vegetable markets. I promised my Aunt and Uncle I would be back for a visit…and maybe the odd long ride too!
So, with one week to go, we IMC athletes are resting up, staying supple, loose, and focusing on having a great race day. Watching Olympic games are a wonderful and inspirational past time, I wish they were on every time I was preparing for an Ironman.
In closure, I thought I would share this link that I read in the magazine Popular Science. And while Andy Potts did not make the Olympic team it is an excellent overview of his training method and focus.
http://www.popsci.com/entertainment-gaming/article/2008-07/making-olympian
The online Ticket Master opens at 6:45 a.m. @ http://www.ironmanlive.com/
Chrissy Fletcher
(My Stage Name)
