Sorry, this is a long one. But the last one for a while...

It's taken me a full week to really digest the events of last weekend, hence the late follow-up.

Before I try to relay how everything unfolded, I want to take a moment to thank each and every person who has supported me through this whole experience. Not just those who opened up their wallets but those offered me encouragement and listened and hugged. I am truly lucky to have the worlds best support network. I am thankful everyday for the amazing people in my life. I love you all.

Mush, mush, mush.

This is how the story unfolds....

Morning of the race: I was a mess. All I could think of was how unprepared I felt for this whole thing and how completely insane it was that I was actually about to participate in a triathlon (we are leaving the "mini" aspect our here, because really ? - not relevant!). Less than an hour before the start time I gathered up the courage to go and get ready and head down to the beach. Just as I was getting up to go and get my stuff, my father presents my entire family with hand made "Team Beki" t-shirts. They were awesome; to say the least. He even made one for the dog. My Dad is truly the best. Ever. Always.

The team uniforms gave me the inspiration I needed to stop my belly aching and just get on with it.

We started with the swim...



This was more akin to water UFC. There was a lot if splashing, kicking, pulling...not much actual swimming. But I managed to stay with the pack (more or less) and completed this portion is a little over 12 minutes.

Then I ran up to the transition area, stuck my sopping feet into my sneakers, strapped on my helmet and took off on the bike ride...



If you zoom in on this picture you will see that the lady behind me is working WAY harder than me. That may have something to do with why it took me 30:03 to complete this portion.

And lastly the run. This was the part that scared me the most. And you know what?...It wasn't so bad after all.



That's me...crossing the finish line! Team Beki was there cheering me on and it felt pretty awesome to hear them announce my name as I came in. The run took me 22 minutes...but the point is: I actually ran.

All in all it took me 1:10:02 minutes to complete the race. Which, relatively speaking...is not very good. But, I really don't care because I am proud of me! And I am proud of all of you too...

Because together, we raised (drum roll please) $1000.50 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation! That is 2x my original goal. AMAZING! I would like to also thank my Uncle Shuggy for the 50 cents that helped to bump this into the next tax bracket!

So, what now? I have been asked countless times if I am going to do this again. I have decided that the answer is "yes and no". The triathlon is not for me. I can't see myself doing this again. But, I will fundraise for MJFF again. In fact, I have decided to make this an annual event and that I will try something new every year. I am open to suggestions for next year, and they don't have to be based on grueling physical activity. I am thinking...drunken bingo...any takers? Hmm...see, I really do need some suggestions.

Well, there you have it. Thank you again and I promise to hit you all up again next year.

With love and gratitude,

RH

3 days only!

I am leaving tomorrow to go up to Wasaga Beach and had all kinds of plans for this evening. I was going to ride Ara's bike over to the community centre and give my race day outfit a little spin in the pool and then ride the bike back just to make sure everything is in working order. And I realize that I really should do this, but you see...I can't. I am freaking out instead. My tummy is all funny and I'm jittery and I have a giant zit growing on the side of my nose and well...I am plain, freaking out. I have absolutely no idea what I am doing!

I have rationalized at this point that if there is something wrong with my gear, I would frankly rather not know about it.

At this point I am going to pack my bags and spend the evening lying on my couch watching crap on TV.

Well kids, I guess this is it. This is going to be my last post before the big day. Think of me at 1pm on Saturday and try not to laugh. I need as much positive energy as I can get.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far and for those procrastinators out there...it's not too late...just follow this link...

http://www.teamfox.org/c.pjJ0J8MHIoE/b.5594017/k.C005/Edit_Personal_Page/siteapps/personalpage/PageEditor.aspx

Stay tuned for the updates. I'm sure they will be entertaining if nothing else.

Best always,

5 days to go!

It's 10:30 am and I am currently sitting on my couch with my feet up, drinking a lovely cup of coffee and looking out the window at the rain pelting down and the last thing I want to do is go for a bike ride. I'll wait it out for a bit, but in all honesty I'm thinking it probably won't happen...there is still more coffee in the pot.

Just in case you aren't paying attention my race is officially in less than a week! I would be lying if i told you that I wasn't freaking out just a little bit. I think I am in pretty good shape as far as the actual events go, but the transitional logistics are what's scaring me. It has just started to dawn on me that I have no idea how everything comes together. So I've started searching online and of course there are all kinds of training clinics that teach you just that. I guess most people start worrying these things with more than 5 days to go! Oh well..too late now. I figure that there is a very slim chance that I will actually be in the lead, so theoretically there should be someone ahead of me that I can follow.

I hate to ask people for money, but I am doing this event for charity. If you are not among the group of extremely generous people who have contributed already I ask you to please visit my pledge site and consider making a small donation.

http://www.teamfox.org/siteapps/personalpage/ShowPage.aspx?c=pjJ0J8MHIoE&b=5594023&sid=lvK1KcPQIbIYIiMUJsF

This is a great cause and a great organization.

It is still raining....

I wasn't eaten by a bear - Part #2

Ara and I have not been able to go camping in the past couple of years due to new jobs and broken ankles, so we were determined to go this year. We planned the trip along the Highlands Back Packing trail in Algonquin Park. 2 people - 1 dog - 4 days - 3 nights - 35 kilometres.



The trails were really gorgeous and we couldn't have asked for better weather (did you hear that Dad? NO RAIN!!). But unfortunately we didn't enjoy ourselves as much as we should have. We have come to the conclusion that it is completely unnecessary to push ourselves to the point of complete exhaustion. Pain should not be something to overcome, but rather completely out of the equation. The second day we hiked just over 12 Km from Provoking Lake (East) to Harness Lake. I realize that this sounds manageable but once you consider the additional weight that we were carrying and the fact that 1/3 of the hike was uphill, it really puts it over the top. We have vowed that from now on we plan these trips for pleasure and not bragging rights (which I am not even sure we get).

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures from the trip.











As far as wildlife goes, we spotted what is by far the most significant sight I have ever seen. (Melissa, pay close attention here!)...We had just come around a bend and there was a large fallen tree across the path and in order to cross over it we had to bend back some of the smaller branches. As they snapped under the pressure, we heard a rustling in the bush and there it was, for a fraction of a second, a full grown bull moose. no more than 15 metres back. If you had blinked you would have missed it, as it turned tail and vanished so quickly you really only saw it's silhouette. A sight of a lifetime.

On Friday, we were hiking out of the park on the very last leg of our journey. You can always tell when you don't have too much further to go when you start encounter families with small children and generally clean people carrying nothing more than a bottle of water. We knew we were only a matter of metres away from the parking lot but still every step was a small miracle. Ara was walking with the dog about 15 metres up ahead of me when all of a sudden he shortened Filbert's leash and stopped dead in his tracks. That's when I saw it, hunched over and bounding across the trail. It was big, it was black and it had it's nose to the ground. Filbert was pulling with all his might trying to tear after it and Ara is doing everything right...staying calm and keeping quiet. Then there is me...screaming inquisitive profanities from behind. "Is that a f-ing bear?!?!? Holy f-ing s*#t!" Then there was some meager religious rhetoric spewed and just as I began to contemplate my contributions to this world my thoughts were interrupted by the voice of a young girl..."Billy! Come here Boy! Billy!". And there came Billy bounding out of the woods, panting and wagging his tail. Billy was big, Billy was black and Billy was a dog.


And he didn't eat us.

I wasn't eaten by a bear - Part #1

Yeah, I know. I am not very good at this whole blogging thing. Well...I'm not sure if that is exactly true. I think it is more that I am not actually very good at this whole "training" thing. I have not been successful at maintaining any kind of regular training schedule and truth be told, I have been enjoying myself a little more than I should be seeing as my race is about 2 weeks away. Did you really expect any different from me???

With that confession out of the way, I would like to give myself a little credit as I have achieved some significant feats in the last month.

The weekend of August 7 we were invited up to our friends family cottage in Ladysmith QC. I pledged when we got there on Friday evening that I was going to swim across the lake. I was told that it was about a mile from one side to the other. That would have been if I could swim in a straight line. I apparently cannot. It was estimated that I probably swam twice the distance if you took all the zig zagging into account.

Here is the proof:


Here I am with my swimming partner in the boat on our way out to the dock.


Swim, Swim, Swim


Look Ma, no hands!


Yes...I'm okay...No...I am not about to drown...Thanks for checking on me though...


Look at that form!


Hallelujah!

Growing up in Toronto, there has never been much opportunity for me to swim in the open water. It is kind of scary; to tell you the truth. Every little flutter of light under the water and you are convinced that you are about to meet Nessie. There are no black lines clearly defined on a turquoise back drop to keep you on track and you can swim for 10 minutes, lift your head, and realize that you have veered way off track. And, unlike swimming in a pool you don't have the luxury of stopping and grabbing on to the side if you need to catch your breath or if you get a cramp. And as you can imagine, the other side always looks closer than it really is.

I paced myself well on this swim and all zig zagging included it took me about 40 minutes to get across. My original plan had me running back around the lake to the cottage, but my friend advised that it was not unlikey that I would be eaten by a bear, so I opted to be escorted back in the motor boat. Can you blame me??

8 1/2 weeks

Okay kids...my big event is in 8 1/2 weeks! I am officially back on the training circuit and will be tri-ing to work my way through a 10 week training circuit in the next 8 1/2 weeks. HA. Anyway, not much to report at the moment...but please stayed tuned and I'll keep you all posted on my progress!

Cherrio!

Drinking...Running...Whatever!

I just want to mention that "Home for a Rest" by Spirit of the West is not just a great drinking song! It also makes for a fabulous running song! Just saying...