Canadian XC Club Nationals - 2013

Picture by Rita Ivanauskas...Do I need to circle my face?

Ze last and final race of the 2013 cross-country calendar: Canadian Nationals at wet, muddy Jericho Beach!

We have had the most amazing fall here in the Lower Mainland this year because there has been only a handful of miserably wet and rainy days.  However one of those wet, rainy, windy, cold days was this past Saturday for the races.  No person (not even spectators) left that course without mud coated shoes and a soaked jacket.  At least us runners got to run and keep warm compared to spectators...but at least the spectators could wear clothes and have umbrellas to keep somewhat dry and warm.

We were looking for a strong and steady performance by me and that is what we got.  Nothing too exciting or spectacular out of me but nothing less than expected: 14th place is an improvement from last year's 22nd.  I was running a bit stiff and flat (I couldn't get my upper body to relax), while I did good not to get stressed out by the lack of footing because of the mud.  I had a bit left over in the tank as we came around the final straight-away suggesting that I could have moved up a few spots if I kicked earlier.  Anyway, I was stoked to be running for Team BC this year (my first time), and as a team we took second as a regional team. <<insert> pat-on-the-back>  Of course on my team were the the 1st and 2nd place winners!  At the awards it was fun to mingle with the other races, pass out congratulations and giggle at everyone's excitement for the after party :)

Finally my hubby came to watch a race which was wonderful!  Nothing like a muddy, wet, cold race to encourage your family to become regular race spectators...err, yeah.

I can't thank TWU and Coach Bomba enough for the opportunity given to me to learn and run and run well and to be believed in as a person pursing education, high-level athletics, and being a kind, peaceful, loving person.  I pray it may all continue for looooong time.

Complete Results here

2013 CIS/CANWEST Cross-Country Championships

Early September, I remember Coach Bomba saying, "This year is about team."  Then fall practices began in the outdoor sun and fresh air with teammates cheering and egging each other on to run more, train consistently, and attend the ice baths rigidly.  We had a team vibe going on.  The new vibe this year was due to old steady beats and fresh new sounds both local and from 'round the world.

As the season progressed our race stats amplified our team excitement.  Our boys were consistent and strong and our women's team never left a race without a medal.  My individual season race stats were 4th at Seattle Sundodger meet (season opener), 2nd at WWU Lake Padden, and 3rd at B.C. Championships in Abbotsford (which put me on Team B.C. for Canadian Club Nationals 7K race coming up Nov.30 in Vancouver).  I had a grrrrREAT! race at B.C. Championships pulling out a killer final half of the race to negative split and bridge gaps between me and the leaders.  Two weeks after this race we were in London, Ontario for our CIS Championship meet (CANWEST Champions would be awarded at this event also).

Coach Bomba detailed what 'taper' would look like for us, and although I have tendencies to continue all my triathlete activities I did slim down my volume 'un peu' (a little) according to his plan and tried hard to stick to that plan.  I had to keep reminding myself that Bomba knows best (when it comes to running, that is!).

Anyway, the taper, the mental attitude, the confidence in my training and ability and tactics, AND God's blessing for it all to come together at the right moment lead me into finishing 5th spot nation-wide (CIS) and  CanWest Champion!!!  Is that exciting? Yes, but there is more!  Our women's' team made history by bringing home the CanWest Championship banner!! Remember...."This year is about team!" AND...that 5th spot over-all nabbed me a spot on the Canadian University team going to compete at the World University Games (FISU) in Uganda in March!!!!!

The thing is, I couldn't be more proud of our ladies and men.  Our women's team was 13th last year and moved to 4th this year in the nation, and our men's team climbed from 14th to 7th!  This weekend held a lot of celebrations for me and when I celebrate my successes I always think of the people in my life that encouraged me, believed in me, and made sporting opportunities possible.  My family (especially my number One fan Momma Farkash and major sponsor Pa Farkash) and my new family (especially a bus driver hubby), my Quest leaders, TWU Spartan athletics, Wentings Cycle & Mountain Shop, Phoenix Velo Cycling Club members, Coach Bomba, my training buddies that push me to run and run and run...  I can look back a few days to many years and piece together a journey of people that raised me up, God has shown me His goodness in this way.  Thank you!


Here are a few links to race results and news articles from the weekend:
TWU Spartan Article
CIS Championship Results
Race VIDEO

Alison Jackson - 5th CIS, 1st CanWest - 21:25.1

Looking forward to Canadian Nationals Nov.30, long winter cycling rides, Christmas, indoor track w/TWU and running in Uganda!!

3 X Summer Swim Weekends

Throughout the summer I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to train one-on-one with Denise Totman, a lovely coach with the Lloydminster Rebels swim club.  Once I expressed my interest in doing some swim races in efforts to reach TriathlonBC and TriathlonCanada's swim standards`for elite funding and Provincial/National triathlon teams, she promptly had me registered!

In combination with my existing race schedule, we had me entered in 3 back-to-back-to-back weekends of in the pool swim races.  With a goal in mind pool training took on a freshness to train hard, which came at just the right time! 

Dreaming, setting goals and making a plan to get there is always a huge motivating factor for me.

I got to swim a few different races that included the 50 FLY and the 200 IM along with many FREESTYLE races :)  It was a confidence booster for me to see that with every weekend, and each bit of tweaking of skills came faster times and renewed my hope that IT IS POSSIBLE!  I'm still behind but Praise God! I see that I am getting faster!

100 FR: 1:12.64/1:10.0 (2.64sec) ----> I had a previous best time of 1:14
1500 FR: 22:03.20/20:00 (2:03min) ----> First time for a 1500m pool swim

We are really trying to work on getting my arms to move faster and finishing my stroke.  Here is an example of a 3000m speed workout taken from Dave Salo a swim coach from the states:

WU: 1000m+
MS: 10 x [6x25m SPRINT! w/ or w/o fins in :45; 
                150m broken no fins (:10) on 200m race pace in 3:00]
CD: 200m+

How many can you do?

Edmonton ITU 2013

Today I get to post epic pictures because I had my main man and media guy cheering me on at this race.

It was a beautiful sunny day.

I was well rested and trained up.

No flats.  No crashes. Always a few blisters.  Great competition.  Carefully organized course.

And…

I won!  I won with an overall personal best and PB’s in all of my splits!  Finally! Thank you, Lord.  1^st in the Collegiate Championship division for my university Trinity Western, and 1^st overall female!

Total time: 2:06:53.9

Swim: 22:24.7 (my fastest time yet, but looking for a sub 21:00)

Bike: 1:04:17.6 (with hills!)

Run: 37.09.8 (so happy with this time! I’ve known for a while now that I should be able to run a 37:00 or less at the end of a triathlon and finally! Finally! It’s here.)

The next closest female clocked in at a 2:14- (+9min) and I wouldn’t have ended anything less than 5^th place in any male category.  I hope this shows TriCanada that Jackson CAN race elite World Cups!!!  It was tough watching the women’s elite race later in the afternoon because, although I would have been last out of the water, I would have very well passed the stragglers on the bike AND caught the trail pack and….and…who KNOWS what would have happened!  I had to keep reminding myself that I am very happy with my age group overall win and more than that the great time I was able to produce.

Thank you so much to my amazing fan squad: my hubby Alex, Ma & Pa Farkash, my broskie Nathan and miss Terri, Denise Totman my friend and swim butt-kicker ;) and of course the AIA Triathlon team who you could find on every corner of that race course it seemed!!!

ACTIONjackson is very blessed!

AIA racers

Ixtapa Pan Am Cup Triathlon 2013

I won!! I won!!! Okay…I didn’t win the race, but it sure felt like a win for me :)

My swim is still a little behind everyone else (about 5:00min behind the leaders and 1:15min behind the next closest competitors.  Breaking my wrist and elbow just 6weeks ago, and being attacked by powerful ocean waves created quite the challenge. I swam a good time but really, it’s not a good time.

I am really happy with my bike split.  The second fastest split of the field! – because I had to cycle like a madwoman to catch not only 2 stragglers, but also the trailing pack (right at T2 – so although it was awesome to catch the pack I didn’t get to use any of them to lighten my load!).  The fastest bike split was owned by the winner, a former Olympian, in a solo break off the lead pack. 

So I got to enter the run course with 5 other athletes and passed all but two of them.  My 10k was slow and steady – steady is good, slow isn’t the greatest but good enough for the conditions: 33oC feeling hotter with the humidity.  There were 4 water stations on the 2.5k course which broke up the race into short dashes for water.  Every stop meant a water bottle dumped on the head and body with maybe one gulp down the throat.  I wasn’t sure what kind of pace I could handle in the heat but I knew my main goal was to finish without exploding.

Running & representing AIA Triathlon!

Christine :) another great Canadian superstar!

I finished 7^th – whoop whoop!!  And got randomly selected for a drug test so lucky me I got to pee in a cup.  I suppose we all are asked to do that at some point…at least I made a new friend!  A nice Mexican girl, Jennifer, had to follow me around for a few hours as I recovered, got snacks, found my I.D. and supervised me when I peed in the cup.  So happy she spoke English.

More than anything I saw answers to prayer throughout this entire race.  The waves calmed from the 15ft that they were the day before, I had a positive mantra for the entire race, my healing broken bones gave me no trouble, I pedaled fastest enough on my bike to bridge the gap in 40K between me and the trailing pack, then I ran without overheating to end up 7^th!  and again...Woop wooop!!!  :)

Thanks to my mom for being the BEST fan and support this weekend and to my new Canadian friend Christine Ridenour who was an awesome competitor and teammate.  Also thank you to my friends with AIA Triathlon, mom, and my family for praying for me :)

Mucho bueno!

Racing the Ridge

I was really looking forward to this cycling race.  It would mark my first ever three part stage race and I would get to race Cat 1/2 women (aka PRO/really, really good racers).  I was really interested to see how I would fare, and how many I could beat!  Barry the race director and owner of Maple Ridge’s bike shop Local Ride put on a fantastic race and had offered this newbie all kinds of help and support for the weekend which was awesome.  

Stage 1: Saturday morning 10:30am was the 70K road race – in cold, dumpy rain; I am good on cornering downhills, and bridging gaps but need some work on my hill climbing speed and pick up my ave cadence; I finished with the main pack behind 2 lead escapees 

Stage 2: Saturday evening 5:00pm was the 12.7K Time Trial – in a dry tailwind, with clip-on aerobars and Bruce Wenting’s light n’fast tubulars

Day One: 4^th position, 1 minute behind the leader

Stage 3: Sunday afternoon 1:30 was the 45min + 3 laps Criterium – a sunny, beautiful race day! Took 3^rd in the 15min sprint lap; then, in the 30min sprint lap I’m coming around the final tight corner to the finish in first position, clip my pedal, get tossed off the bike, scramble to pick up the bike, and ride for a 5^th overall position with a broken arm (I only found out it was fractured in two places hours later at the hospital).

In sports and competition, an athlete must learn to take the downs with the ups – I have had an incredible year of racing which has been a definite high so I’m grateful and praise God for the ups and the downs.  Praise God for the broken arm…?  Yes, AND at least I can train my legs hard (cycling and running) so I’m thankful :) and my cast is purple like my bike!

Happy to Take the Pain

Sunday was Vancouver’s infamous Sun Run.  This race is many different things to different people: a social event, the end-goal to a fitness plan, an opportunity to claim participation in 10K of the well-known race, or a chance to better one’s 10K time.

This was my chance to better my 10K time.

Two years ago I raced the Sun Run as an elite to pull through in 39:14.  Last year I only ran 10K in triathlon races for a best time of 39:10.  This year I am proud to nail a sub 36min 10K – 35:56.

Thank you to Coach Bomba, my mother-in-law and hubby-wubby who came to the race.

It was really fun being a VIP elite for the day.  My elite race number got us everywhere fast and with lots of good food!

My teammate Joel DeSchiffart and I post-race (I promise I am wearing shorts...)

Alex, me, momma Ruth, french toast and Joel at the VIP brunch