After about a month of really thinking what it is I wanted to do with biking and running this year, I have come to some conclusions. Every year for the last several, I try something new. Well this year is no exception.
In the fall I bought a mountain bike which I have yet to ride. The first order of business for me is to learn to ride it. Last week I had made the decision to only mountain bike race but as of Sunday I decided to stick with a couple of road races, and a couple of mountain bike races. Am I scared about the mountain bike? Yeah! This is new item one.
Item number two is not totally new as it has the word run in it. However, I have been a road, track and cross country runner, but never a trail runner. I will be running the Trans Rockies 6 day trail race in late August. The race is 120 miles long, goes from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek, through the heart of the White River and San Isable National Forests. My partner in this run is Dr. Sharisse Kyle. I figured it was best to partner up with a Sport Medicine Doctor who can fix me along the way! Seriously though, Sharisse is an amazing athlete. She is very easy going which is opposite to me so we should have a great time. By the way, I just really want to finish. I believe my calf which I tore in September has finally healed completely, and I have managed to run consistently for 5 weeks now!! Sunday was the first time I ran and completely forgot that I had an injured calf.
Item number three is track cycling. I am planning on learning to ride on the track and will throw some of my training on to track. I am really not sure why I did not do this two or three years ago. As in running, training and racing on the track improves top end efforts required in racing. This is an experiment for me to see if, at my age, I can gain more top end speed and power. I do know that as a high performance distance runner, returning to the track and doing track races, resulted in marked improvements in my 5km / 10km times on the road after retiring from the marathon distance.
Three new items for the year! That is a lot but I am out there for fun now, and pretty much do whatever these days!
Here is my race plans for the season:
June 16- 18 - Banff Bike Fest Stage Race
June 25/26 - Mtn Bike / Trail Race - ?
July 9 - Sinister 7 Trail Race
July 30 - Aug 1 - Niklas Bow Cycle bike races
Aug 21-26 - Trans Rockies Trail Race
It is a big season, managing three very different things- mountain bike, road bike, and trail running- but life is about exploring and learning. I put my time in as an elite athlete and now it is about doing different things.
Mission Statement: To offer up my life and philosophy, flaws and all, to help other people find their way. I believe that success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life, or accomplish for yourself, but what you do for others.
About Me
As an endurance athlete, whether you are a runner, cyclist, or multi-sport athlete, you deserve the personal attention and expert training advice that the world's best athletes receive. Sandra's goal is to provide individualized, expert coaching that helps you achieve your goals and learn more about yourself and the training process. Unlike restrictive online coaching programs, there are no limits on the number of emails and phone calls.
Sandra has worked with all levels of athletes including age groupers, high performance athletes, and developing athletes. She holds sport specific clinics and camps for groups, and works with individuals one on one to help improve skills and tactics, and to ensure you are getting the most out of training.
About Sandra:
Sandra competed at the national level in many different sports and has been an athlete all her life. Her pursuit of athletics began at a young age with involvement in hockey and freestyle skiing. She went on to compete at the National and International level in these sports.
In 1991, at the young age of 30, Sandra was diagnosed with cancer. Sandra struggled emotionally, and began running as a coping mechanism. The hours spent running helped her to manage her anger toward cancer, taught her about her own body, and her own inner strength. Cancer and running taught Sandra to take control of her health, and be responsible for managing her treatment protocol. During her battle with cancer, she became one of Canada's top marathon runners. Sandra still struggles daily with cancer, and since 2002, rheumatoid arthritis.
In 1994, Sandra ran her first competitive marathon in Portland Oregon. This would be her most memorable race ever as she not only ran cancer free, but led the race from the 10km to 40km marks. In the last 600 meters Sandra was outsprinted and lost the race by a mere 8 seconds. In total, Sandra has competed in 20 marathons, two of which she has placed second female. In addition, she has numerous top three podium finishes in races ranging from 3 km to 30km.
In 2001 and 2002, Sandra switched her focus to multi-sport where she competed at the elite level in duathlon. In 2006, Sandra won a silver medal at the World Duathlon Championships as an age grouper. Her next pursuit was triathlon and the challenge of Ironman. She is a two-time sub 11:30 hour Ironman finisher. As an avid cyclist, Sandra also competes in both road and cyclo cross.
Sandra is very passionate about sport and athlete development. She believes that being an athlete is a constant journey of striving to be the best you can be and one worth taking. If you are looking to take your athletic pursuits to the next level, Sandra would like to take that journey with you as your coach.
"Life's changes are not supposed to paralyze you; they're supposed to help you discover who you are" Bernice Johnson Reagon
Sandra has worked with all levels of athletes including age groupers, high performance athletes, and developing athletes. She holds sport specific clinics and camps for groups, and works with individuals one on one to help improve skills and tactics, and to ensure you are getting the most out of training.
About Sandra:
Sandra competed at the national level in many different sports and has been an athlete all her life. Her pursuit of athletics began at a young age with involvement in hockey and freestyle skiing. She went on to compete at the National and International level in these sports.
In 1991, at the young age of 30, Sandra was diagnosed with cancer. Sandra struggled emotionally, and began running as a coping mechanism. The hours spent running helped her to manage her anger toward cancer, taught her about her own body, and her own inner strength. Cancer and running taught Sandra to take control of her health, and be responsible for managing her treatment protocol. During her battle with cancer, she became one of Canada's top marathon runners. Sandra still struggles daily with cancer, and since 2002, rheumatoid arthritis.
In 1994, Sandra ran her first competitive marathon in Portland Oregon. This would be her most memorable race ever as she not only ran cancer free, but led the race from the 10km to 40km marks. In the last 600 meters Sandra was outsprinted and lost the race by a mere 8 seconds. In total, Sandra has competed in 20 marathons, two of which she has placed second female. In addition, she has numerous top three podium finishes in races ranging from 3 km to 30km.
In 2001 and 2002, Sandra switched her focus to multi-sport where she competed at the elite level in duathlon. In 2006, Sandra won a silver medal at the World Duathlon Championships as an age grouper. Her next pursuit was triathlon and the challenge of Ironman. She is a two-time sub 11:30 hour Ironman finisher. As an avid cyclist, Sandra also competes in both road and cyclo cross.
Sandra is very passionate about sport and athlete development. She believes that being an athlete is a constant journey of striving to be the best you can be and one worth taking. If you are looking to take your athletic pursuits to the next level, Sandra would like to take that journey with you as your coach.
"Life's changes are not supposed to paralyze you; they're supposed to help you discover who you are" Bernice Johnson Reagon
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment