Sun Run - aka "totally unprepared run"

Well the Sun Run was a few days ago, been looking forward to it since missing out last year and it being my first "race" of the year was proving to be a good test for the rest of the year. BUT ofcourse in the weeks leading up to it I got sick, and seemingly strained my calf... so that was great.
Because I was sick I didn't get in the good runs that I had planned and kind of felt like my legs just didn't have their speed yet.

Megan and I got there a little late, luckily they were a little disorganized and the waves were going out slow so we had to actually wait another 15 minutes after getting there to start. Luckily we got to the start line because some genius had decided to unhinge an entire fence panel to get into the race which fell towards us right when he let go. So after dodging the rouge fence we got to the line, and waited for our wave to leave. The first stretched I enjoyed my usual overconfidence and sprinting down Georgia street. But then afterwards I settled in at the pace I wanted and the race pretty much carried on calmly until the 3/4 mark. My legs were reminding me that they hadn't trained well enough and they wanted to slow down. I told them the shut the hell up because I needed to get the damn race over with! So I chugged on through and sprint to the line and ended up with a 41:29. Nothing special, but a good enough sign that my legs are picking up speed for the year.

BMO Half Marathon is this weekend, and anything under 1:35 and I'll be happy. Haven't gotten in the longs runs I think I needed and it's my first half marathon that isn't in a Triathlon so I'm hoping for the best! Pacing will be key, no classic Alex sprinting on Sunday! AND I get to run in the new Pearl Izumi E:Motion Road N1 shoes that Doug brought to the shop last week, can't wait to race in them.

And it begins

Finally exams are near their end, and training is ramping up! The sun's been good to us lately so I've been able to get some good runs in but the rides have been mostly on the trainer to get 100% of my limited time on the bike.

Super excited about the upcoming season and joining the Pearl Izumi brand ambassador program this year. Going to be super fun to train and race in all of their gear.
Speaking of racing, the schedule has been nearly solidified!

Sun Run as always this year, on April 27th. Then the BMO Half Marathon on May 4th to smash out a longer than usual run race for me. Taking a break for a couple months to put in some good miles and then the Squamish Olympic triathlon on July 6th, Vancouver Half Iron on July 13th, and Lake Stevens 70.3 on August 17th! Going to be a sweet summer of racing and if all goes well I might cap it off at Cultus Lake Olympic in September. Can't wait for the months to come!

The training has been picking up and going well. Currently trying to get the legs spinning on the bike and get a lot of miles in for the hilly course at Lake Stevens. Running is staying strong as always since I have fewer problems there, the Sun Run and BMO Half will be the season's tests for what kind of improvement I'll need to do, or hopefully not do!

Blogs will be coming more often now with the season ready to really start for me, stayed tuned!

Stay Classy.

www.pearlizumi.com

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Where It Began

If someone were to ask me tomorrow what one thing I would define myself as, I'd have a few options to choose from. I could be a student, a part-time employee at Tri Geeks, a future police officer or a future criminologist, but the one thing that I know I am for sure is a triathlete.

It started two years ago when a buddy and I had to figure out what challenge to complete in the summer. We had done the West Coast Trail the summer of 2011 and wanted a new challenge to look forward to. The idea of an Ironman triathlon came up so we looked into it. 3.8km swim, 180km bike, followed by a 42.2km marathon...all one after the other. It seemed daunting but nothing could get in the way of young kids with an overreaching ambition. So we looked into it further...$700 to register?! OK NEW PLAN....

Turns out there's a half ironman, which is half the distance but around 1/3 the cost. Now I'm no genius but that is a pretty sweet deal to me; so the training began and before we knew it July 29th rolled around and we were racing. It went horrible, the race was an hour and a half longer than I wanted it to be, and clearly the animal that was Ironman (let alone half ironman) was a bigger beast than we thought. The race didn't go well but I was hooked. The sport that I'd been looking for all my life was staring me in the face, and it didn't even have scores! 

Bike leg during the race at Calgary 70.3

So that's how it happened, that is how I ended up spending way too much on a bike and way too much on running shoes. But they're all I need and all I seem to want. The pursuit begins.