Oops I did it again...

I hiked up a mountain.

Week 'fore a race! 

Oh ouchie, ouchie.

Yes, oops is right for hiking another Rocky Mountain peak the week before a race!  But…but…it was only a 4 hour round trip hike!  I am still not sure why I was so sore and could barely walk 3 days later!  Am I not used to walking up steep inclines? Or was it the running down the mountain that did it?

Ha'Ling Peak (2296 ft)

Anyway, I won’t complain too much about it because I was able to finish the race (I didn’t think I would get any farther than the swim) and I actually placed quite well.

The ITU was a great practice to get ready for elite racing.  Our swim was wetsuit prohibited, I practiced my transitions and ran barefoot in my shoes (without getting any blisters!).  The hardest part was the bike portion where I had no ‘umph’ in my legs for the hill (which are usually my favourite) and it was my aerobic training that got me through the run on a base pace...or was it the AMAZING fans that were there cheering???  My husband being my #1 fan and media man :) 

Thanks to out AIA teammates who cheered and had a cold freezee waiting for me at the finish!!!  ALSO thanks to Amber and Matt, Leah and dog, & Katie and Carrie for coming!!  Yay!!!

Looking forward to training hard for the next 38 days leading up to Kelowna – August 19^th!

Keep A Lookout For:

- Local TV Interview of me!  (They found me on THIS blog!) 

- Fundraiser event in Vermilion August 4^th AND WATCH THE LONDON 2012 WOMEN’S OLYMPIC RACE 

Final time 2:18:17.9 20-24 Age Group Winner and 5th Female Overall

Complete Results HERE

FREEZES . . . FREEZIES? FREEZEES?

How do you spell it?  You know, those delicious-colorful-pipes-of-frozen-sugar-water?

Well, our sign said ‘Freezes’ and kids still came for a refreshing treat.

Here in Vermilion I connected with the man who first introduced me to triathlons and found out that he has a crew of 14 or more kids that he has been preparing to race at a kids triathlon in a nearby city.  Right away I asked if I could help.  On a Thursday before the race, we met the kids at the pool to run through transitions – the heart and soul of triathlon racing.  It was great, the parents set up bike racks and the kids excitedly arranged their gear.  I was given quite the introduction which excited everyone that a small town girl is competing on the world stage in triathlon!

After practice, I made sure everyone got a box of raisins.  It is wonderful: teaching kids about race nutrition AND they like you better!

Anyway, this practice led me to bring our Athletes in ActionTriathlon group to volunteer at the Vegreville iTri Kids Triathlon and set up an AIA booth to hand out…

      Freezes.

Alex and I got there early Saturday morning of June 2^nd to roll out mats and body mark the competitors.  Ian set up the tent. 

Then we cheered the kids on from 7&under to Adult to Special Olympic racers.  I confess, I cheered a little bit louder for our Vermilion kids :)

After the race, our tent was the favorite stop for all the competitors:  It was a HOT day!  And I was so blessed that the Vermilion gang asked me to sign their t-shirts – and I haven’t even been to Worlds yet!

Yup, I love triathlons.

And I love that God loves triathletes :)

Alberta Provincial Cycling Champ?

Can you pick me out?

Well, I entered a cycling race this last weekend.  I mean, why not?  I need the practice racing in a pack and drafting.  ABA (Alberta Bicycling Association) was holding their provincial championships at Pigeon Lake near Edmonton so I signed up and raced 3 days later.

The Women’s Cat 3/4/5 was a 63K race fairly flat, kind of rolly.

The ladies were great.   

They really were lovely. 

 It was a safe race all around ZERO crashes! Praise God!  (It’s because my mom was there praying the whole time!)  It was a fairly easy paced race I kept in the back for the first half then in good position changing leads for the second half.  No one broke from the group at all. 

1000m to go I’m leading in the head wind…

                200m to go…

                                Okay, so I am going…

                                                Up the hill and cross the line. 

                                                                First :) 

That's the finish line

Anyway, I have the BEST support team EVER!

1. PhoenixVelo for the speedy SCOTT FOIL that makes cycling feel like flying

2. Athletes inAction who helped sign me up and made me wear sweet threads

3. My cheer team! Momma and Papa Farkash, the Husband, and my brother-in-law

Complete Results HERE

Me and the Husband :)

               

The ACTION Jackson Movie

If you want to donate to the trip for a taxable receipt click HERE which will take you to aiatriathlon.ca. Then make sure to write a comment or note for "Action Jackson - New Zealand" :) or Alison Jackson

I will be doing some more fundraising for AIA and also some personal fundraising to help me get to the World Championships in top competing condition!  Next to trip and competition costs I have a few items on my wishlist which include:

o   Cycling shoes women’s size 10 (because I have size nine & they are crunching my feet!) ($200-300)

o   Race saddle for my new SCOTT bike ($200)

o   Running shoes (because I destroy a pair every couple of months) ($75-150)

o   Stubby draft-legal areo bars (200)

o   A Bike Box! (I've got to get my bike to New Zealand safe and sound and in one beautiful piece) (300-500)

o   Bike computer (perhaps a Garmin Edge 400, but maybe I’m dreaming) (350)

Also, I will need a certified ITU elite triathlon race suit for the elite races I hope to do this summer and I am looking for sponsors who want to put their logo on the suit (even if you don’t have a business but you want your name on it under ‘Powered By:’). Suggested donations are $100 for a small logo $175 for a medium logo 250 for a large logo.

Or, if you want to sponsor a race (send me to a race) this is my tentative race plan for 2012 (very dependent on funding to get to elite races and continental cups):

June 16 Monroe, WA age group draft legal sprint race (for practice)           

July 8 Edmonton’s Hawrelak Park Triathlon Olympic Age Group Nationals

August 19 Kelowna ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup (Elite Race)

September 15 Buffalo ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup (Elite Race)

October 22 Barfoot&Thompson World Triathlon Grand Final Auckland

- there are entry fees and travel fees

Contact me via triactionjackson@gmail.com for more info!

A Fan of Silver Hills Bread

Check it out!!
I like Silver Hills bread and now Silver Hills loves me!!!
 So they put me on their website :)

http://www.silverhillsbakery.ca/our-fans/alison-jackson

Bikes with Baskets

It is that time of the year again when my husband and I travel back to Alberta for spring planting, summer farming and milking the bison….?!

On our way through the Rockies we stopped for a free night stay at the Paintbox Lodge B&B in Canmore.  Last year I won the Canmore triathlon and this was the main prize!  It was wonderful!  The Paintbox Lodge provides guests with cruiser bikes to travel around town: Bikes with Baskets!   

So I wore a dress :)

1538 Calories Later

3 and 1/2 hours of cycling with the BEST TEAM EVER will do that to a girl!

It's been WAAAAAAAAY too long since I went for a ride with the boys in Phoenix Velo, but what a great ride to squeak in on!  A warm - but not too warm - day.  NO RAIN!!!  And lots of fun conversations, hill climbs and getting to that 100km mark.

Mmm...and when I got home the chocolate milk tasted mooooost delicious.

Bike with Tow Rope

Let's do it again, ok boys?  Maybe I'll even let one of you beat me up the Glenmore hill ....NAH!! 
With this SCOTT bike I sure can destroy!
Happy, happy girl.

ACTIONjackson.
TEMPO!  NIGEL, TEMPO!