Seasoned with Cycling

     After a bit of a low time after Uganda (to let some injuries heal…like a minor separated shoulder to name one) I entered ‘base-building phase’ and began ramping the volume up on all my tri sport training.  Looong runs, loooooooonger bike rides and specific 1500m swim training.  The main goal this summer is to claim that podium at Age Group Triathlon World Championships hosted by the city of Edmonton (home town advantage)!!!  The plan this year is to really train the bike portion, not only for triathlon worlds but also to see where I fit in the cycling world as a straight up cyclist.  I have a few pro races in mind.  I got picked up by a fantabulous cycling team to race for this season and I’m stoked to be a part of their team dynamics.  So a shout out to Glotman-Simpson Cycling out of Vancouver!  A team that rides with a purpose: to cure pancreatic cancer.  At any rate, the season has been building!!!  Read on!

Bikes on Broadway – Saskatoon, SK – May 17-19, 2014

Photo by Alex Jackson

                There is no pack riding here in rural Alberta, so when farming stalled because of rain I drove out to Saskatoon for a stage race: time trial, road race and criterium.  I signed up for Mens Cat 3 to get in more distance and because I knew a local girl who was doing the same.  The 8km TT I raced with my Scott road bike, no aero bars, aero suit or aero helmet AND I left my bottle cages on (haha cyclists are usually - aka always - trying to throw off grams or wear their clothes tighter to go faster). Anyway, I ended up near the bottom of the results but not last. 

Saskatchewan did not disappoint for the 100km RR, offering a steady flow of 35kph winds that took the group 56kph easily down the back straight and 17kph max into the head wind. So although the course was flat the headwind effort resembled climbing an 8km mountain.  The group broke up right away but I was able to work with (or rather hang on to) a smaller group of men to catch the lead pack about 15km before the finish but I was dying and got dropped 8km out.  The group turned into the head wind and on my own my 30sec gap turned into almost 1min.  I placed better overall in the RR than in the TT.

                Sunday the bad weather caught up with us drowning the crit course in rain and disguising all the potholes in the road as puddles.  Not many riders bothered to show up to race because of the dangerous combination of potholes, rain and narrow roads.  The other girl rider and I lined up and ended up racing around the course as just the two of us off the back – a steady and safe training effort.  At any rate I was soooo thankful (Praise God!) that I did not crash!  It was safe racing for everyone.  Also, I got to stay with an amazing family that I just met but they took me in on account of their son offering the connection.  I hope they enjoy the bison meat I brought them because I sure enjoyed sharing stories, occupying a very comfy bed, jumping into clean showers, and eating spinach & eggs for breakfast!

Banff Bike Fest – Banff, AB – June 12-15, 2014

Me and my bikes.  Thanks Ironman Ross for the P3!

                I had been gearing up for these 5 races in 4 days for all of May to test my cycling fitness and skills against a larger pack of competitive cat1&2 women.  For the individual efforts, the 1.2km prologue and the 8km TT, I managed to just miss the podium by receiving the consolation prize of 4^th.  The crit I raced tactically and hard for a 5^th place but whenever there was a mass start race the one and only team to have 6 riders racing controlled the races.  The rest of us individual riders couldn’t ban together soon enough to take on the team.  At any rate I put in some good efforts and was happy that by the end of the week I was feeling fresh and strong!  I was getting really frustrated with 4^th and 5^th place finishes and was determined to podium on the last stage: Tunnel Mountain RR.  I grabbed a sprint point in the middle of the race and was in good position coming into the final corner before the sprint but I made an error when I braked with the girl in front of me around the corner, lost my momentum and had to sprint to 7^th place from 10^th.  I ended up 5^th in the GC and won some money to help cover the costs of the trip. 

crit face ;)

I also have amazing support at the race with my husband and a few friends there to cheer me on!!  When I wasn’t racing, I was shuttling Alex up the mountain in Canmore so he could get his cycling fix on the downhill trails.  I also had a few great teammates to talk though race tactics and have people to warm up with (YAY!)!  In this cycling world I am really thankful to get to meet loads of great people to race with and get coaching tips from.

Devon Grand Prix – Devon, AB – June 21/22, 2014

                This two-day weekend included sunshine, a crit and a RR.  The onmium (overall winner) was determined by points collected throughout the weekend.  The crit was run as a scratch race meaning that every 5min there was a sprint lap for points 3, 2, and 1.  The final sprint was worth a max of 30pts for 1^st down to 4pts for 10^th.  Again, I signed up for Mens Cat 3.  At the last minute they decided to rank the Women Cat 1/2/3 separately within the Cat 3 race.  Sure…but there were only 2 of us in the crit and then 3 women in the RR. 

The crit was fast and narrow but the road was smooth and clean.  I had a great start clipping in fast, and although I never was top 3 (in the men) for any of the timed sprint laps, I was in the lead group that ended up lapping out almost half of the riders that started.  There were a few guys who were really sketch to ride behind and after figuring that out they were never allowed to pass me again ;).  Coming into the final lap 4 riders had opened a small gap on us.  I thought the riders that I was behind would close that no problem and lead me to the sprint but they had less pep left than I thought.  I noticed too late to close the gap but ended up winning the sprint of the chase group to take 5^th.  This 5^th place I was happy with in comparison to the frustrating podium misses at Banff!  However the results don’t show me as 5^th with 15pts in Mens Cat 3, instead I was the only Womens Cat 1/2/3 to finish after winning all the timed sprints and the final sprint…not a true indicator of how the race went.  After the race the triathlete in me pulled on my running shoes to finish the day as a brick workout bike/run.  Then I got to join the AIA triathlon crew for a delicious BBQ and even better people!

Good morning road race: 117km with two KOM challenges for points.  After Banff I was nervous to let any breaks happen without me and put in a solid effort with a group of 6 off the front at about 30km into the race.  The group caught us and I noticed that the group was doing well to never let a break stay away for very long.  I decided to sit in a little more for the rest of the race and let my legs recover for the KOM and final sprint.  The first KOM I was 5^th (no points) and before I could challenge the second KOM at 100km I flatted!  Argh!  The wheel vehicle was quick to arrive but not so quick to do the wheel swap (we laughed about it later).  I got to draft for a little while to make up some lost time but had to TT effort the last 15km to the finish.  The thing is I was killing the TT effort!  Pushing the wattage and feeling peppy!  I caught a few stragglers from the group but was too far back to be a part of the sprint finish – but maybe it was God’s grace to get left behind but I was nowhere near the crash that occurred at the finish line leaving one rider with broken bones!

This third weekend of bike racing shows me that I am riding strong – way stronger than I was in May at Saskatchewan bike races!  Next up, is BCsuperweek: 9 races in 10 days that includes UCI stages with pros and BIGGGGGGA money (so you know its pro).  Wish me luck! And send up your prayers!

While in Edmonton I got to order my FAVOURITE salad at Greenhouse Gardens and my FAVOURITE scone at WildEarth Bakery

Edmonton: A hidden gem

Sometimes it pays to win.  Thanks ABA and Juventus for putting on a great race in Devon!

 

FISUgandALISON: see what I did there?

One crazy week in Entebbe, Uganda

I can’t believe that I travelled 31 hours to get to sleep in sticky-hot Uganda for just 4 nights before competing in a 6km cross-country race against all sorts of languages, nationalities and personalities, and then leave the next evening to travel 34hrs back to Abbotsford.  It was crazy, but that is what makes this world beautiful: adventure, challenge, friendship and a good attitude.   I came in at 17th place, 3rd Canadian and our women's team took home the bronze (woop! woop!).

 

Team Canada in 3rd behind Uganda 1st and Japan 2nd

As it turned out my roommate was very beautiful ;)

Girls Team: Colleen, me, Victoria, Julie-Ann, Grace

Allow me to share a few moments Uganda moments - ha ha - where it was necessary to make the best of every situation.

• Loooooooong travel: get to know Canadian Team, homework compression socks, airport yoga
• Sticky-hot heat of Uganda: turn on the air conditioning in the hotel room
• Weird food options: eating small and non-adventurous until after the race
•  Eating dinner at 9:00pm: Buy bananas for inter-meal satiation
•  Having so-called-dinner at the mayor’s house: call it a dream and giggle with teammates
• Race in the heat and altitude: drink lots of water the day before, wear sunscreen
•  Closest safari is 5hrs away: go to the zoo and take animal selfies

 

The mini bananas - sweeter than regular bananas

Finally eating...in the dark...after 9:00pm the day before Race Day.  Options: potato mash (matooke), boiled potatoes, sweet potatoes, potato medley, squash, white rice, brown rice, spaghetti noodles, flatbread, chicken, fish heads, beef stew, and steamed green stuff

Jackson with Jackson - animal selfie

Dressed up for the Safari

Rhino in the wild safari...while we continue wearing our yellow suits and imaginations

A black and white stripped painted horse - a zebra

What was the race like?

•  Hot – but with a breeze and a bit overcast
• Tough competitors: good athletes from all over but no one would know who at the start line
• Raced on Africa’s oldest golf course and had us run through a couple of sand pits
• Lots of African security, no porta-poddies and no bushes to hid behind…until they brought poddies 15min before the race started
• Some teams shared start boxes even when some boxes were empty randomly between teams
•  LOADS of Ugandan children watching and cheering Canada on!

Entebbe Golf Course served as the race course

 

Signing autographs for our Ugandan supporters

What kind of people did I meet there?

• We flew the 10hrs between Amsterdam and Entebbe with the Suisse team and adopted their small team as honorary Canadians
• Lots of East Asian boys’ teams that wanted to say hello to us white Canadian girls
• The Oliech family (Canadians from my Church that recently moved to Uganda) I got to shower them with gifts from Canada and give them hugs and they pulled out a Canadian flag to come watch the races
• Rachelle Briscoe!!  A friend from TWU who is living and working in the nearby city in Uganda saw my facebook posts and came out to watch!
• In general, most everyone spoke English (at least a bit of English) which made it easier to make friends from all over

Oliechs and me

This girl - Rachelle Briscoe :) TWU grad

What did I learn?

• I can run well in the heat
•  I don’t like matooke (plantain aka banana mash)
• That being married is surprising news
• Some Australian slang
•  Amsterdam has the best Americanos and coffee cookies (stroopiewaffels) of all time
• I LOVE my Canadiam teammates!!

Thank you all who supported me to get here through financial aid, words of encouragement, shared excitement and prayers!
 
Now for MORE PHOTOS!!!
 

Smart and casual

In a Dutch teacup in Amsterdam airport

Grace and I with our Dutch coffees :) The best americano ever (fullstop)

It was sooo good that I had two!!!

Getting Back Outside

Every year our university indoor track season becomes more and more fun.  My first year I did not care to run around a boring oval but now I look forward to watching my times drop race by race before University Nationals.  Since my start at TWU in 2011, my 3000m time has dropped 10-20sec every year.  If I keep this up next year I will run 9:22, then 9:10 and sub 9:00 (9:10 wins races and rolls the dough – although rolling the dough means working at the pizzeria alongside a sponsorship or bits of invitational race money).

1st lap of 15 - Nationals 3000m

This year the field of female distance runners in Canada was deep.  The top 12 girls were hitting standard times and on paper the races looked really close.  This is so exciting for Canadian athletics!  It is also exciting that I am in that top range of runners.  For the second year in a row I have qualified for CIS Nationals in the 1500m, 3000m, and 4x800m relay.  For the second year in a row I am the CanWest 3000m Champion!  I thank God for translating my training into running fast times.

The week before CanWest Championships I injured my foot and had to alter workouts prior to Nationals.  This affected my racing by not allowing me to be race sharp for Nationals.  No PB’s at Nationals, but I am happy with how I ran and the experience to race against fierce competition.

But now, with the indoor season over, we can move outside and onto the trails – my first love.  This year moving back  onto the trails was more important because I had two weeks to prepare for FISU cross country World Championships, that is World University Championships in Entebbe, Uganda.  I had a few workouts where I ran hills in a sweater in the 18 degree sun (prepare for a hot climate).  Tuesday I would throw my things onto the first of 4 flights to fly Abbotsford-Calgary, Calgary-Toronto, Toronto-Amsterdam, and Amsterdam-Entebbe

TWU girls winning the banner at CanWest

TWU Ladies taking home the CanWest Championship trophy

And then on the way home we threw in some airport doubles yoga :)

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Indoor Weekend 1 - 3000m

For the CIS Track & Field athlete, it is indoor season (which means running around tight ovals in a dry building).  Last weekend we were lucky enough to run on the 307m indoor track at the University of Washington (307m? Ya, we don't know why either).

Most of my teammates would agree that the first meet of the season is terrifying.  Will I best my PR (personal record)?  Did I remember my spikes? What pins should I use? 
Should I take a nap?
Did I eat too much breakfast?  Do I remember how to race?????  Yes, I thought these things before my season opener 3000m.  I was happy to get to run in the fastest heat of the weekend with my teammates Sarah and Regan as we were all going for the auto qualifying time to make Nationals.  Sarah took it out hard with the pros.  I ran even paced right on target, pulling Regan along all the way.  It felt steady and controlled (ha! I do remember how to race!)

Sarah got the auto.  I got the auto and Regan was less than a second off...except...then the times were converted from the 307m track to a 200m track and that put me off the auto by a second. (*sad face).  We were so close though and since I ran so controlled I'm looking forward to running 15sec faster than THAT next time! (At least THE coach thinks so!)  So thankful for team, and athletics, and sweating and TWU and God's grace!

Next up......Seattle Feb.1 - The Mile
(watch on flotrack.com) <---but you might need an account

Also don't forget about my trip to Uganda to race for Team Canada at the World University Cross-Country Championships!  I'm in need of some help to get there and I am raising $$ support through the CIS Adopt-an-Athlete program.  Check out my last blog for details on how to donate for a taxable receipt!!

Thanks All!