A Great Spin Season

This season (2016-2017) I was able to get back into consistent indoor cycling training. I love my group and our spin leaders. It's so much fun to train together and enjoy a coffee afterward. This year, the season ended on my birthday so our spin instructor, Stephen, brought scotch to celebrate and another group member brought some cookies. It was a great way to finish up a season of bonding through the pain!

Resolution "Run"

Today I did the 5K Resolution Run, which I signed up for in August, right after my second hip surgery, knowing I'd be ready to go by today. I've been getting back into things in the last few weeks. I started spinning and have been looking forward to this event as a test of where I'm at and what I can do with my still-healing hip. I got a nasty case of bursitis after my second surgery and it has delayed my recovery somewhat. It's getting better now, though, and today's "run" felt great. I actually walked it, as I will always do now. Some people run after their hip replacements but I'm not going to take the chance. I want my new joints to last. Anyway, my goal is to walk the run portion of triathlon events now at a pace that's fast enough to finish under the cut-off time in an Ironman. I was able to hold that pace for the 5K I did today so I'm feeling good about that as a baseline. I'm eager to get back into training and today was a good start.

Hubbles Lake: Always Perfect

This summer, I have been squeezing in a few swims at Hubbles Lake, trying to take advantage of the beautiful open water before and after my second hip replacement surgery in July. My brother, Paul, a triathlete who lives in the Seattle area, was here for a visit and I took him out to Hubbles to show him the favourite swimming hole of local triathletes.

I also made the summer last by swimming as late as possible into the season with my constant triathlon training buddy, Tania.

Every day at Hubbles Lake is a beautiful day!

Training Fun in Jasper

On Friday, my friend Tania and I drove out to Jasper National Park in the Rockies to do some riding and swimming. Her partner Stephen came later in the evening to join us. We stayed in a charming cabin beside the Athabasca River.

On Saturday, after lattes on the deck, we got our bikes ready for a ride. T and S were planning a six hour day, while I wanted to keep it a little shorter. I went off on my own to ride around Lake Annette and Jasper Park Lodge. By the time I got back to our cabin, I didn't quite feel like it was long enough so I went a bit further down the highway to add a few more kilometers. I ended up climbing up to Maligne Canyon, where I spent a few minutes taking in the magnificent scenery. All in all, I rode 35 kms, which is a pretty long ride for me right now. It was an awesome day! T and S enjoyed their rides, too - lots of climbing - and in the evening we went out for dinner.

Our plan on Sunday was to swim in Lake Annette. It's gorgeous - crystal clear water and a weedless sandy bottom. And wow! was it cold! It was painful to get in. We convinced ourselves that we would get ourselves fully submersed and then force ourselves to do 25m. We did that and then headed for the shore but then I felt like we were wimping out so I said we had to do more. I ended up doing 1000m and Tania did over 2000m! We got used to the cold and then really enjoyed the beautiful water.

Just as we were finishing, it started to rain so we sat in my Jeep and had a picnic.

We are so lucky to have such a beautiful playground so close to home. It was a fun and beautiful weekend.

Back At It - For A While!

It's been 11 weeks since my right hip was replaced and yesterday I was able to go back to spin class. The surgery went well and my recovery progressed as expected. I got back on my bike for very short spins a couple of weeks ago and have been building up to being able to handle an hour-long spin class. It felt great to be back at it and to see my friends again! I did my own thing during the class but managed to do some standing and sprinting, which made me feel great! My left hip will be replaced in July and until then, I plan to do what I can to stay active and connected.

Hip, Hip Hooray!

As my posts over the last year or so mention, I have been living with arthritis in both of my hips for a while. It has deteriorated over time and become increasingly limiting in terms of activity. I tried to do everything possible to stay active and connected with my friends in triathlon while waiting for my hip replacements. I did the Allan Beach triathlon with teammates, the Kelowna swim, the Chelan triathlon, and the Harvest Ride. I also swam every Sunday with a friend, rode my bike well into the fall, and did a few spins with the club in December, once we had to go indoors. I managed to swim about 65,000 metres this year, most of it since May, and ride about 800K. I also ran 5K this year! Woohoo! (That was in the Chelan tri). This was a far cry from iron distance training but I feel good about it since I was able to keep going, right up until now.

My hips are pretty much used up now. But that's OK because I made the most of my time and I am having a new one put in on Tuesday, January 19 - two days from now! The right one has gone downhill faster so it's first and then the second one (left) will follow in a few months. I'm not really looking forward to those first few crummy post-op days but I sure am looking forward to being restored to full, pain-free movement again and getting back to my tri life! Depending on the timing of the second surgery, I do plan to be out at the lake a lot this summer for swims with my favourite swim buddy and maybe, if surgery happens quickly and recovery goes well, I can do an aquabike race later in the summer. We'll see. I am chomping at the bit but I want to be sensible and do it right so I can keep going for years.

For a while, as things went downhill, I didn't feel like I was a triathlete anymore. But I learned that there are lots of ways to stay connected and I also found out how incredible and supportive my friends are. They have already promised me that they will go for slow rides with me when I am better. I am so fortunate that this is a fixable problem and that my sport and my people are with me all the way!

Glorious Fall Riding

We have had a gorgeous and unseasonably warm fall this year, which is probably unnatural and worrisome from a scientific perspective, but it sure is nice when you are an Alberta cyclist! I was able to ride almost every weekend, up until yesterday, November 14! I rode alone most of the time this year since I am getting pretty slow and can't go far but I loved these wonderful, solo Saturday rides out in the country east of the city. This year, I saw the beauty of the prairies in a new light, having taken it for granted for too long. The Alberta sky is magnificent and the landscape is stunning in its expansiveness. What a treat to be out on the road so late into the season!