Giving a Tri-a-Try

Speaking of cross training.. I'm giving my first Tri-a-Try. I've stumbled upon this great site for the Ontario women's' Triathalon Series (OWTS) and have found that it's a great place for women of all shapes, sizes, experience and athleticism. They host three "Super Sprints" a year, including a number of clinics for all levels of Triathletes. It's the perfect place to get started, and also a great training outlet for me. The events sound challenging enough that I will take it seriously and really get myself educated on the training aspect of it, plus it's not to intimidating since not only is this series for women only, but it's mostly an amateur crowd. I'll be attending my first Triathalon Clinic on July 11th.

I started swimming this morning at my local community swimming pool. 6:30 am this morning and I was out doing lengths for the first time since... mmm.. well.. in a long time. MAN!!! Swimming is a lot harder than I remember it being. I guess since the most swimming I've done in the past few years was not so much "swimming" as it was bobbing around in a lake on a water noodle and the only "treading water" I did was to keep my cold drink above water. Not exactly the same. Anyhow, the Super Sprint starts with a 350M swim.. doesn't sound like much.. it's equivalent to about 14 lengths of a 25M pool. Well.. let me tell you.. that's a helluva lot of lengths to a non-swimmer! It only took about 15min, but let me tell you, I was not excepting that kind of workout from a 15min swim. I'm going to keep this up three times a week (only for the next three weeks since that's when the first event is) then will go to twice a week.

Lucky for me, I thrive on these types of challenges. If this was too easy, I probably wouldn't take much interest in it at all. What I'm finding out about myself here is that the individual sports/challenges I find much more appealing. I think it's due to the fact that when it's just you competing, every success and every failure is all your own. Should I give in to easily, or not complete the race, it's no ones doing but my own, and on the contrary, each race completed, every goal achieved, and every small success obtained, I can take glory in.

Will update the calendar soon with a training schedule I've created.

Details for the Jazz Festival BBQ coming soon!

Sarah

Let the cross-training begin

Last week I saw a sports medicine doctor at a clinic that specializes in athletes and sports injuries. Although for weeks now my foot has been feeling great and the pain has completely subsided, it took Dr. Chen only a few minutes to locate and re-induce the pain back into my arches. The good news... It's not Plantar Fasciitis. The not so good news.. I'm going for a bone scan this week to search for stress fractures. If the pain was in fact a combination of a strained tendon and stress fractures, the treatment is this- 6 weeks off (which I'm already rounding week 5 of) and some physical therapy to strengthen the "big toe tendon". I'm not to worried, seeing as I'm closing off the "rest" period means that I'm close to getting back into a smarter, healthier training regime.

For starters, I'm going to be doing more cross-training than ever. The running will be short and easy until I can comfortably get back to pushing for long distances, and until then, I've picked up a schedule for my community recreational swimming pool, I've dusted off my rollerblades, I"m shopping for new (road worthy) tires for my bike and I'll be regulating my gym schedule.

As much as I would love to be back hitting the pavement and out running, I really think that this approach is not only going to help me prevent any further injuries, but is actually going to be much more effective in showing results.

Anyone out there that has any opinion or training tips for me.. please.. I'm an informational sponge waiting for advice.

Fundraising is coming to another peak. Some more encouragement to family and friends has raised my total to close to $2,400. Jazz Festival BBQ party in the Beach is coming soon. Exact details still to come.

Sarah

The Real O.C

I'm home now from my trip to So Cal. After leaving Beverly Hills, I have to say, my trip got much more interesting. I had the opportunity to drive down the coast as I was staying in San Diego for one night. I headed out Wednesday afternoon and drove through Newport Beach and stopped for lunch in the now infamous Laguna Beach. This was incredible. Despite the insistent cloud cover, which I have now been repeadity told is know as the June Gloom, this was still a beautiful drive and these two cities were well worth the detour. The hills of California are the perfect back drop to the picturesque homes and stereotypical "California lifestyle". The beachside homes and city centers all ouze with the easy laidback "life's a beach" mentality and the people are perfectly manicured to match either their enormous hillside homes or their "modest" beachside villas. This is the Real O.C.

After a short but sweet visit to San Diego, I was headed north again, but this time stopping in Hermosa Beach. I lucked out as this weekend happened to be the weekend Hermosa Beach played host to the AVP Open (American Volleyball Professionals- for all you not so volleyball inclined). I got to watch some of the worlds best volleyball players from no further than six feet off the court.


The town was buzzing with fans and players alike all out for a great weekend and some good ol' fashion tourney parties. I of course, being there on business had no part in this volleyball Tom Foolery ;) but I did get to to witness some of the lifestyle as I walked up and down The Strand, a pedestrian only street which lines the beach and some of the most beautiful houses back onto. By mid afternoon the people had started to congregate on patios and fire up the BBQ's. By late afternoon I was getting familiar with the idea that not very many people drive in this town but rather get from party to party via their uber retro- yet very cool low rider bikes followed closely by (and sometimes even towing) their buddy on a long board skateboard. This lifestyle is something I became envious of quickly and will not easily forget.



Now, I'm back in the good old T dot, and life is back to normal. Yesterday, I enjoyed my very last day of rest before getting back into my training regime. I'm going to be taking it slowly for a few weeks, just keeping it to two 5K runs a week. I'm seeing a Sports Medicine Doctor on Wednesday morning, hopefully he'll have some good advice for me.

Also, I'm very proud to announce my Team Diabetes campaign has now reach over $2,211 as of this morning. So many thanks go out to everyone who has supported me. What's next?? The end of July brings the International Jazz Festival to the Beaches and I will be taking advantage of my Queen Street front property and having a massive Fundraising BBQ!!!! More details to come. Stay tuned.

S.

The City of Angeles

This week I'm in LA on business. It's a pretty busy week but myself, and a colleague that has accompanied me until tomorrow, have found time to see some of what Los Angeles has to offer. With my new digital camera in tow- we've seen such sites as The Santa Monica pier, which I would rate as a "if-you-have-time" on a scale of "Don't-Bother" to "Must-see/Do-it". We've window shopped in the Rodeo Drive, Wilshire Blvd district and took a drive down the Sunset Strip. Now, like every one else, I was super excited to come to Sunny California to get a taste of the glitz and glamour of this tinseltown they call LALA Land, but I'm sorry to say, I've been sorely disappointed thus far. To start with, I'm not sure what all this hype is about "Sunny California" because since we arrived on Sunday- it's been nothing but overcast and gloomy. We've been going to all the staple Los Angeles must-sees anxiously awaiting something interesting to happen or to see something that just screams- This is soooo LA, but really, this town couldn't be more normal. The "Golden Triangle" sector in Beverly Hills which encompasses the ever famous shopping district of Rodeo Drive & Wilshire Blvd couldn't have been described better as nothing more than (for all us Torontonians) Yorkville with Palm trees. Yes, the Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Saks Fifth Ave and Versace store fronts beamed off the perfectly manicured sidewalks but on a beautiful sunny day in Toronto, Bloor Street gives Rodeo Drive a run for it's money.

For dinner last night, on recommendation, we went to Miyagi's on Sunset for some good sushi and Sunset Strip culture. Didn't find either. We left and decided to cruise around for a bit checking out what happens around this town after dark. We found Hollywood Blvd- site of the Kodak Theatre (home of the Oscars) and the famous Chinese Theatre, where all those fancy premiers happen. We drove up and down this 4 block strip a few times, but never were enticed enough to actually park and get out to walk around. The flashing souvenirs signs and bright lights of attractions like the Wax Museum and Ripley's Believe It Or Not we figured we could see any old time with an hours drive to Niagara Falls.

Maybe all the hype was just to much, or maybe I'm just missing all the good stuff here in 90210, but so far, I'm not impressed. Tomorrow after an afternoon meeting I'm off to San Diego for just one night. I'm told I will like it there. I'm also planning on getting in a short run. I've been resting now for just about three weeks, and I'm feeling great. No more pain in the mornings. I'm also going crazy with the zero activity... so, tomorrow night, a short jog in San Diego.

S.