Stiff backs and stiff necks...
Riding in the aero position for all my training rides is starting to become a bit of a chore. It is very good, mind you, for training my core muscles and also getting used to that position, but I have to say it is creating a very stiff body.
But enough of my whining...
Continuing on with Lisa Bentley's camp...
While at the camp we were "homestayed" with a great couple, Krissy and Michael. I tell you, some of the best part of this trip was being about to stay with them. I took over Kevin's (their son) room for two nights, which I recall as a kid was one of the highlights of having guests sometimes... Getting to give up my bed (note sarcasm). But Kevin was awesome, and really friendly and outgoing. You can tell a lot about how a kid will grow up by how they relate to adults AS a kid, and Kevin is one of those guys who is friendly and not shy around adults. Okay, I'll give that Lenka and myself aren't exactly "adult-acting"... I am dealing in my own Peter Pan complex and Lenka is all about keeping things fun, especially when she realized that the family had a dog... I don't know if their dog, Scully, has seen so much attention before. So we're not the best examples of acting mature, but still, Kevin was an awesome guy. And Krissy and Michael made excellent hosts, and should consider opening a B&B someday. Krissy is competing in the Ironman this year as well for the first time, and it's exciting to talk with someone getting ready to do it for the first time.
I love seeing how a couple figures out how to have one, or both, train for an Ironman and still be a family. Maybe I'm doing research for myself. I always hope I wind up with a partner who shares the interest at least to enough to try, so that we have that to share. I know she's out there for me... Just waiting for her and I to realize it and find each other. But that's a discussion and digression for another day...
Saturday night we were treated to a dinner at the Best Western Cedar Inn, and again we got a talk from Lisa on our running and Ironman preparation. In this talk, we had a lot of little "tips" to deal with our upcoming tapers, habits the week before Ironman, and the days leading up to it. I think, more and more, I have been sold on the concept of keeping everything as familiar and controllable as possible. This means eating as many meals as possible in our own kitchen at the Bowmont, instead of eating out all the time. Additionally, she encouraged us all to get out on Monday morning and do a light swim. I am also fortunate in that I have a massage appointment set up for 11am in Penticton.
Sunday morning we went for our run, and I started out with Brent, one of the Edmonton guys, as he and I had run a portion of the Vancouver Marathon together. I figured, therefore, that I'd be able to keep the pace with him. The hills in Edmonton's river valley are actually quite challenging, and after a long ride the day before, my legs started to feel quite fatigued as we approached the first hour of running. It was up and down, up and down, throughout the entire run. But, as I have always said, running is where I feel the most comfortable, and pushing a pace a little was fun and also made things more challenging. All in all we finished our 25+k run in 2 hours and 3 minutes, with some pretty high effort during the final 6km.
Lisa had suggested with our marathon running in Ironman to make sure to run the first half as easy as possible. One of her best quotes was that anybody can be a superstar for 21k in a marathon. It's the final 21 k that tells you if you started out too fast or not. So I was happy getting to the 20k mark of our run, at a fairly good pace, and feeling still like I had quite a bit left to take it to the finish. It's not the longest run yet, as I anticipate that will be this weekend, but I feel good about my running after the bike and, I know, if I properly nourish myself during the ride, I will determine my marathon success rather than become a victim of the day out there.
The weather ahd threatened rain all day, but it wasn't until we hit the water at 11am that lightning began to strike. So, the official swim was cancelled... Not that I was going swimming at all! But I felt bad for the other folks who wanted to get that swim in.
Lenka and I started driving back after that, and the rain really poured down. We decided to take a different route home through Banff... This proved fortuitous, as the scenary was breathtaking. Also, after five hours or so of driving, we both decided to hit the Banff hot springs and take a hot tub for a few minutes. Ah, THAT hit the spot. It was quite a joke with me trying to keep my arm from getting wet, but otherwise the warm water was great for the legs and back, and we both were a lot more relaxed afterwards... It helped make the drive back to Vancouver pleasant!
All in all, a great weekend. It really helped re-enforce some of the things I already knew, but also to give me some new information and advice that I can apply immediately. I also made a lot of great friends at the camp and I definitely would like to be back with the Ironcops team in 2008.
Now it's back to work... I've done my trainer ride, my massage, and tonight I'm running hills with the marathon clinic.
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