I know that it's only been about a week since my last blog post, but somehow that feels like a while now. I figured maybe I was the only one that had noticed, and no one else really cared. But I happened to log on to check my blog stats and man, I've got quite the following! Weird considering I don't even tell many people about this blog... anyways thanks for the support through the cross country season. Probably nothing too interesting will be going on in the next little while, but I'll still write when it seems appropriate. Don't worry, I won't resort to describing how I brush my teeth every night. Hmm that seems like a common example for me, that's not how I think of other people's blogs, really. I need to get more creative though. Speaking of creative, how did I end up with such a creative sister? Since we're on recovery mode this week I've been home a lot more and have watched her just sit down and come up with crazy-good artwork. While I struggle to draw stick-runners to put on the thank-out cards for my cross country coaches. At least they seemed to appreciate the effort. I got all (well actually there's only 7 of us) the graduating runners to sign it and it was a bit cheesy, but whatever. It's the thought that counts, right?
Oh and before I forget, another cross country update: the JV boys also won silver in their category! There had been a mix up in the results. And by mix up I mean they completely forgot to count the team. Oops, sucks to be the team that thought they had gotten third. Anyways, that makes it a complete sweep for Westgate, with all four teams getting medals!
So as I mentioned we are in recovery mode right now, it feels well deserved after a hard triathlon season follwed by a solid cross country season. Actually it's only about a week completely off. And by completely off I mean we still do strength training and circuits, running just for fun, team meeting, and I still go to athletic therapy for my shoulders that completely suck. But other than that it's still a rest. Next week we start indoor training. To be honest I'm actually really looking forward to it. There's something about settling back into that routine, the familiar disgusting air of Max Bell, not worrying about warm clothing or getting all over the city with a bike... not to mention knowing I have a solid base and getting in some good track workouts and sweaty bike hours. I like indoor season. That was actually quite poetic. If you have a very narrow definition of "fun" and "poetic." Anyways, I'll keep ya posted...
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Provincials!
*Update: full results found at http://mhsaa.e-crew.ca/sites/carberrycollegiate28/2011_XC_Provincials_Results.pdf
Time to talk about another one of those "last" things. Cross Country. Although as opposed to many other things that will not be missed, I'm sad my final high school cross country season is over. Altogether I could not have asked for much more though. I'm super proud of my school for pulling together one of the largest and best teams we've ever had. After the usual two hour bus ride out to Spruce Woods we got to hang out and shiver for a while before the race started. It was quite a chilly day. I once again was told to warm up all the JV and Varsity girls and make sure they were familiarized with the course. Lucky for us, the varsity girls got to go last. Just kidding, I hate going last. I don't get to see everyone else come in because I have to warm up and stuff while they race. Oh well, I got to say hi and catch up with many friends from various circles both before and after the race. One of the things I love about high school cross country is knowing so many people. It's a great community and at provincials everyone is there. Anyways, standing on the start line it was still rather chilly but not as bad as it could have been. There was a bit of jostling around for a good position but it worked out all right by the time the gun went off. Actually it was more of a cannon or something, including a sound so loud you jumped and smoke all over the place. It was one of those races where everybody sprints at the beginning. Kind of crazy, because everyone knows you have to get in a good position by the time you get to the other end of the field where it narrows to a path. Somehow by then everyone else disappeared and I could see exactly five girls in front of me. This made me happy because it was a great place to be and I was surprised that it had worked out well. I spent most of the race in sixth and was hoping either I could hold on to it or catch the girl in front of me. The hills were constant but I tried to keep up the intensity because I knew everyone else was hurting just as much, or more. I kept reminding myself that this was my strength. I definitely wouldn't have been this far up in the race a year ago, all that training has really paid off. For about the last kilometer the girl ahead, the girl behind, and me all kept passing each other. It was back and forth and could have been anyone's race for 5th, 6th, 7th. Unfortunetely it wasn't mine, as I had used up everything and had not much of a finishing kick. But I think I have to be pretty happy with a 7th overall finish. Time was about 11:53 for 3km. Compare that with a last year's placing of 28 and time of 12:53. That's right, a whole minute off on the same course. So yes, I was happy. Also when they seperate it I was 3rd for AAA schools and got a medal for that, as well as my girls team that also placed 3rd for AAA schools. It was nice to walk away with some hardware! Our school's other teams also got some medals. I found myself cheering for many friends both from school and other during the award's ceremony. And good job also to the people that weren't called up for medals, everyone had solid races! I'm not going to start naming other people's finishing placing because it would be too difficult to include everyone in such a big race, but just wanted to give a big congrats and I will post a link to the full results as soon as it is available. You can count on me analyzing all those results to death of course, because that's just what I do! Anyways it was a great cross country season in many ways! It was great to have so much support, so thanks, you know who you are. Solid "last" season.
Time to talk about another one of those "last" things. Cross Country. Although as opposed to many other things that will not be missed, I'm sad my final high school cross country season is over. Altogether I could not have asked for much more though. I'm super proud of my school for pulling together one of the largest and best teams we've ever had. After the usual two hour bus ride out to Spruce Woods we got to hang out and shiver for a while before the race started. It was quite a chilly day. I once again was told to warm up all the JV and Varsity girls and make sure they were familiarized with the course. Lucky for us, the varsity girls got to go last. Just kidding, I hate going last. I don't get to see everyone else come in because I have to warm up and stuff while they race. Oh well, I got to say hi and catch up with many friends from various circles both before and after the race. One of the things I love about high school cross country is knowing so many people. It's a great community and at provincials everyone is there. Anyways, standing on the start line it was still rather chilly but not as bad as it could have been. There was a bit of jostling around for a good position but it worked out all right by the time the gun went off. Actually it was more of a cannon or something, including a sound so loud you jumped and smoke all over the place. It was one of those races where everybody sprints at the beginning. Kind of crazy, because everyone knows you have to get in a good position by the time you get to the other end of the field where it narrows to a path. Somehow by then everyone else disappeared and I could see exactly five girls in front of me. This made me happy because it was a great place to be and I was surprised that it had worked out well. I spent most of the race in sixth and was hoping either I could hold on to it or catch the girl in front of me. The hills were constant but I tried to keep up the intensity because I knew everyone else was hurting just as much, or more. I kept reminding myself that this was my strength. I definitely wouldn't have been this far up in the race a year ago, all that training has really paid off. For about the last kilometer the girl ahead, the girl behind, and me all kept passing each other. It was back and forth and could have been anyone's race for 5th, 6th, 7th. Unfortunetely it wasn't mine, as I had used up everything and had not much of a finishing kick. But I think I have to be pretty happy with a 7th overall finish. Time was about 11:53 for 3km. Compare that with a last year's placing of 28 and time of 12:53. That's right, a whole minute off on the same course. So yes, I was happy. Also when they seperate it I was 3rd for AAA schools and got a medal for that, as well as my girls team that also placed 3rd for AAA schools. It was nice to walk away with some hardware! Our school's other teams also got some medals. I found myself cheering for many friends both from school and other during the award's ceremony. And good job also to the people that weren't called up for medals, everyone had solid races! I'm not going to start naming other people's finishing placing because it would be too difficult to include everyone in such a big race, but just wanted to give a big congrats and I will post a link to the full results as soon as it is available. You can count on me analyzing all those results to death of course, because that's just what I do! Anyways it was a great cross country season in many ways! It was great to have so much support, so thanks, you know who you are. Solid "last" season.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Way to go Westgate!
Alright we have recieved the results from the Zone Championships race and the news is good! As we had hoped, the Varsity guys won the banner for their race. As well as the JV guys and our Varsity girls team! Way to go girls, thanks so much for coming out to run with me, it was so great to have a solid team this year!With three out of the four categories taken by Westgate that just left the JV girls which also did great, placing second. It's been a great season so far for everyone and we're got one final push with provincials, I can't wait!
In somewhat related news, yesterday was supposed to be the championship race for the grade 7/8's. I came along to the park with them and we even started warming up and familiarizing the course. I've got to say, they've already come a long way. Most of them had never raced cross country before and the whole season was a learning experience. I was fortunate enough to be at three out of their four races (including one that I raced as well) and I've gotten to see them improve. At the beginning they had millions of questions which I was happy to answer and they had no idea how to warm up. They would go off in all directions and maybe do a sprint/walk type thing followed by sitting around "stretching" until the race started. They are now much more unified as a team and mostly follow in a jog and dynamic warm up. They are doing good in the races and it would really be a shame if this one was not rescheduled. Anyways we were getting ready but the thunder and lightening was getting worse, and right after we took shelter in the cars it started pouring. However a highlight for me was as I was helping fill out their registration sheet, the other teachers listed me as a coach! Yes, for me this is actually exciting. I've realized I love coaching kids and it's great to officially be involved with this grade seven team. I feel a connection with them and their racing. So even though this race was cancelled they deserve a congrats too! Future varsity champions...?
In somewhat related news, yesterday was supposed to be the championship race for the grade 7/8's. I came along to the park with them and we even started warming up and familiarizing the course. I've got to say, they've already come a long way. Most of them had never raced cross country before and the whole season was a learning experience. I was fortunate enough to be at three out of their four races (including one that I raced as well) and I've gotten to see them improve. At the beginning they had millions of questions which I was happy to answer and they had no idea how to warm up. They would go off in all directions and maybe do a sprint/walk type thing followed by sitting around "stretching" until the race started. They are now much more unified as a team and mostly follow in a jog and dynamic warm up. They are doing good in the races and it would really be a shame if this one was not rescheduled. Anyways we were getting ready but the thunder and lightening was getting worse, and right after we took shelter in the cars it started pouring. However a highlight for me was as I was helping fill out their registration sheet, the other teachers listed me as a coach! Yes, for me this is actually exciting. I've realized I love coaching kids and it's great to officially be involved with this grade seven team. I feel a connection with them and their racing. So even though this race was cancelled they deserve a congrats too! Future varsity champions...?
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Zone Championships
I love it when I have fun things to write about. That's what keeps this blog going. Well, another success story to add to this year's awesome cross country season! I've realized next year I'm really going to miss high school cross country. The people and the competitiong are awesome. Anyways, today we skipped out of school to spend a good chunk of the day at beatutiful Bird's Hill Park for the Zone Chanpionships race. It was awesome to have a varsity team of 6, and I was happy to help lead the varsity and JV girls in a warm-up. Standing on the start line I was surrounded by all the Westgate girls, and was looking around for Catherine. Jane said hi to me and I asked where Catherine was that day. The pressure was on as soon as Jane said she wasn't there. My team all of a sudden was convinced I could win this race for us. I'm pretty sure haven't been this nervous all cross country season. I felt the pressure to help out my team because it would be a close call on the banner this year. I knew I had to be completely sure of the course if I was out in front, and I had to make sure I paced correctly. I was afraid that without her in front of me like usual I wouldn't have the same motivation looking forward and would instead be stuck on looking backwards and hoping the girls behind wouldn't catch me. Wow and all this worrying lasted about sixty seconds. We were off. I pulled to the front and it felt great to take my place there and have control of the race. I felt strong all of a sudden and knew I had to use the initial hills to my advantage to gain a decent lead and mentally seperate myself from the rest of the pack. And I did. I would say I consistantly made up ground on the rest of the field throughout the race and felt strong the whole way. Approaching the area where we finished the lake loop and headed out to the forest loop I knew there would be lots of cheering. I looked forward to this mental boost after putting out so much effort in the first half of the race. I wasn't disappointed; all the Westgate guys and coaches were there for me, as well as people I knew from other schools and people I didn't know. With maybe a kilometer left of this 4.4km race I felt myself starting to fade, and was tempted to back off the pace a bit as long as I maintained the lead. But I knew that I wanted to be proud of the effort I put in and instead imagined Catherine was right there in front of me. I also realized this was the first time I have lead a cross country race from start to finish and wanted to fully enjoy every moment and feel like I earned it. In the end all the hard work paid off and it felt great to make the team proud! I am also really proud of everyone that raced. As I helped keep track of the guys race right after to determine if they would get the banner it looked like they got it! Not sure about the girls but whether or not we get it it was an awesome race for everyone, hope they all had as much fun as I did. Next stop: Provincials!
Monday, 10 October 2011
Gotta love long weekends
I know I usually only write about races, but is such a good weekend that doesn't happen too often! So don't worry, I'm not going to start blogging daily about brushing my teeth and stuff. It started out with my cousin's wedding Friday night which was a lot of fun and it was great to see her looking so beautiful and happy! We didn't stay too late though, because the next morning I had to get up early to drive out to the EK Y for coaching. Always a good time, maybe I'll have to tell more about that in a future blog post. That evening was Thanksgiving dinner number one at Omi and Opa's. So good! So much amazing food, and it was also a celebration of my birthday. After that I went to my twin, Mikala's house for a sleepover. We stayed up all night watching funny movies, talking, and eating crap. The next morning (well same morning I guess) we did it all again with another movie, more chat, and whatever junk food was left for as well as chocolate shakes! Solid breakfast of champions. This was our second year in a row of this birthday celebration. As lame as it may sound, we wanted to also be the first to post on facebook. Last year someone beat us to it which we found rather creepy but this year was a success. So Sunday was obviously the Jets game, which I got to enjoy in the theatre room with HD and surround sound with my family. Wow that was a pretty sweet way to watch hockey! Too bad they lost, but at least they got that one goal in, considering Montreal is a pretty tough team and their goalie is amazing. It was incredible though, just to see how crazy Winnipegers are about their NHL hockey! We also ordered pizza and had a bit of a birthday celebration that night as a family. This also included some more gifts of course, which is always fun. This morning I slept in a long time and am going to sit around pretty much until we go for Thanksgiving dinner number two at Grandma and Grandpa's. Well actually I will go for a run. But homework I'm still undecided on. I've been doing so well at simply not doing it this weekend, so why start now? Also I got the whole weekend off from work which made it awesome! Anyways, the fun will continue today before heading back to school Tuesday, but even that won't be too bad because half the day will be spent at Bird's Hill Park for a cross country race! So keep an eye out for that blog entry.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Shorter Post...?
For being hesitant to start a blog in the first place, I've been a bit surprised by all the positive feedback! So thanks! The only complaint is that I write too long. Don't think that will change because that's just how I write, with lots of details. I think this one will be a bit shorter though, so if it is it's dedicated to people that perfer less to read. You know who you are.
I'm in a bit of race-withdrawl this week. So I decided to go to the grade 7/8 meet that the younger kids at my school were going to be racing at. You know, to help out a bit and give some encouragement. Turned out it was much appreciated by coaches and parents. I mostly lead the grade 7 boys in warming up and stuff. Proud of those kids! Maybe I'll try to go to their meet next week, I had lots of fun!
Following the meet I stayed at the park and was able to join Erin for a nice easy run. I love social pace, especially when you've got lots to catch up on and stuff. It still counts as a solid training run though because it's on the schedule! We should meet up like that more often. Also the park is so beautiful at this time of year, with all the crunchy leaves. And it was around 30 today which was amazing for October!
Anyways, even without racing this is a crazy week. Especially the weekend. Looking forward to some Thanksgiving dinners, a wedding, my birthday, Jet's game on TV, Monday off, and no work. Life is good!
I'm in a bit of race-withdrawl this week. So I decided to go to the grade 7/8 meet that the younger kids at my school were going to be racing at. You know, to help out a bit and give some encouragement. Turned out it was much appreciated by coaches and parents. I mostly lead the grade 7 boys in warming up and stuff. Proud of those kids! Maybe I'll try to go to their meet next week, I had lots of fun!
Following the meet I stayed at the park and was able to join Erin for a nice easy run. I love social pace, especially when you've got lots to catch up on and stuff. It still counts as a solid training run though because it's on the schedule! We should meet up like that more often. Also the park is so beautiful at this time of year, with all the crunchy leaves. And it was around 30 today which was amazing for October!
Anyways, even without racing this is a crazy week. Especially the weekend. Looking forward to some Thanksgiving dinners, a wedding, my birthday, Jet's game on TV, Monday off, and no work. Life is good!
Sunday, 2 October 2011
600/600 Club
This year will be full of a lot of "last" things. Yesterday was the last cyclathon. Every year my school has this cyclathon as a main fundraising event. We go out to Bird's Hill Park and ride, walk, or run 5km laps all day. Fun stuff right...? Especially as a young grade seven tryng to fit in all all those laps by 4pm. Because there is the 100/100 club. This means raising at least $100 and biking 100km. Then for all that hard work you get your name recongized and you get a t-shirt. Hmm thinking back I'm surprised I wanted to do this every year! Anyways, in recent years there have been some graduating students that have been part of the "600/600 club." You guessed it, that means doing the 100 for all 6 years in a row. It is still quite a small group of people that have achieved this status.
Waking up on the morning of my sixth cyclathon it was freezing and windy. I was still sick and the sore throat from last weekend seemed to be returning. I was tired from a long week of running everyday, including my xcountry race earlier and a hill workout the night before. So as you can imagine the appeal of the 600/600 club was already decreasing. However I got out to the park bright and early and got on my bike to begin my laps. I figured it would be best to just finish 75 km (15 laps) by around 11am. Then here's one of the benefits to being a runner: if you are on the xcountry team you can run one lap with the group at noon that counts as 5 laps. So 25km. I would be completely done by 12:30. Turned out almost everything went according to plan. My dad came and biked with me for about 3 hours in the morning. At some points several teachers or parents would come join and draft off of us for a few laps or something. I had enough time before the run to scarf down some food before having to go run. At least as a triathlete I am used to running with tired legs after the bike. Although not really comparable as it was a much longer bike with a delay to accumulate some nice lactic acid in my legs and some undigested food in my stomach. I knew this wouldn't be a speedy day for running so it was great when my friend Mikala asked if she could come run with me, and if I would go her pace. No problem, I didn't really care how long it took and it was great to have some company out there. Also, I decided to rock the socks. Compression socks that is. And she still ran next to me, what a great friend! So having accomplishing my goals I grabbed some more food, caught up with some friends, and was out of there by 1pm. Enough time to have a nap before having to go to work! Anyways, it was suggested to me I return as an alumni and invent a new group; the 1000/1000 club. No thanks, this will actually be the last I think. But a huge thank you to everyone that has supported me over the last six years, your sponsorship for this event was much appreciated!!
Waking up on the morning of my sixth cyclathon it was freezing and windy. I was still sick and the sore throat from last weekend seemed to be returning. I was tired from a long week of running everyday, including my xcountry race earlier and a hill workout the night before. So as you can imagine the appeal of the 600/600 club was already decreasing. However I got out to the park bright and early and got on my bike to begin my laps. I figured it would be best to just finish 75 km (15 laps) by around 11am. Then here's one of the benefits to being a runner: if you are on the xcountry team you can run one lap with the group at noon that counts as 5 laps. So 25km. I would be completely done by 12:30. Turned out almost everything went according to plan. My dad came and biked with me for about 3 hours in the morning. At some points several teachers or parents would come join and draft off of us for a few laps or something. I had enough time before the run to scarf down some food before having to go run. At least as a triathlete I am used to running with tired legs after the bike. Although not really comparable as it was a much longer bike with a delay to accumulate some nice lactic acid in my legs and some undigested food in my stomach. I knew this wouldn't be a speedy day for running so it was great when my friend Mikala asked if she could come run with me, and if I would go her pace. No problem, I didn't really care how long it took and it was great to have some company out there. Also, I decided to rock the socks. Compression socks that is. And she still ran next to me, what a great friend! So having accomplishing my goals I grabbed some more food, caught up with some friends, and was out of there by 1pm. Enough time to have a nap before having to go to work! Anyways, it was suggested to me I return as an alumni and invent a new group; the 1000/1000 club. No thanks, this will actually be the last I think. But a huge thank you to everyone that has supported me over the last six years, your sponsorship for this event was much appreciated!!
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