P.S. I just noticed that he walks by us at the 49 second point. I’m in the orange jacket. Hee hee
Oh Canada, I love your politics, your people and your landscape
I just got back from a long weekend trip to Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada.
Oh, how I love Canada – my friends to the north. Loved traveling through your countryside. However, Montreal, your highway is a bit of a mess.
About a year ago I registered for Ironman Mont Tremblant thinking what a great location for a race. I’d never been west of Montreal.
What was I thinking?
I was thinking that Mary wanted to go and Mark followed suit. Why the heck not. I can drive to the race and not fly. With my bike in the car I could bring all the gear I needed. My plan was to train like heck on the hills in Concord and run all the hills in the mountains.
Sweet!
Heading into the weekend I thought I was prepared. Kind of. Well…….. hmmm. I’m not sure…. Some things didn’t go as planned such as motivation and sticking to a training plan. I forget that when it comes to my plans and future goals – it is truly a crapshoot.
Crapshoot definition: a risky or uncertain matter.
Yep sounds like my life. And I’m okay with it. Really, really I am.
Okay – truth: I’ve DNF my last two big races in the last 12 months leading up to the weekend in Mont Tremblant. Ego wise – I needed to finish the %^&$#@%^ thing and retire from Ironman.
Again ….. Well …… I didn’t finish this race, but I had a wicked, awesome vacation and swam 2.4 miles and biked a crazy, hilly 56 miles (I still can’t convert to metric despite loving me some Canada). Holy schnikes Batman, those hills were obscene. I admire every single person who crossed that finish line. Well deserved kudos to every… single …. one!
I’m breaking up with Ironman. I have fallen out of love with you Ironman – it’s not you, it’s me.
Mont Tremblant had a little to do with it but I was not in love with the bike course. However, I do have to call out the race director, who hugged me and told me how I have to come back soon, after I crashed the finish line with the pros.
Here are the highlights of the road trip north with some pretty cool people. I’d say I’d try it again but I’m retired.
Marianne & Richard – Two peas in a pod. Fun. Adventurous. Kind. Thoughtful. Silly. Richard is a comedian and Marianne gets punchy at 10 pm. They helped me turn the DNF into sherpa-ing and, seriously, it was probably easier to finish the race.
Mark #13 Ironman. Headed to Kona. Driven. Kind. Accomplished. Steadfast. Travel Buddy. Friend. I admire Mark’s tenacity and his single minded pursuit of a goal.
The village at Mont Tremblant – so European and beautiful. Am I in Paris or Mont Tremblant? You decide.
Cardigan Mountain, Swim In the Merrimack – A perfect summer day
Today began with a hike to the top of Mount Cardigan at 3,155 feet.
I met a woman, and her dog, who is an ultra runner and former Ironman athlete. I love it when you meet your people. It doesn’t happen much for me but when you do, you learn so much. I didn’t snap a photo of her but I hope to see her on the trail again.
Here is the top – the view was great, a little hazy in the distance but after all the rains the last few days it’s understandable. The streams were running throughout the hike; it was glorious.
And as I made my way down the slabs of rock and into the forest, the streams were so cool and nice!
Once I got home it was a hot, 90 degrees in Concord so I took the Winnie-dog to the Merrimack River (Sorry, no pics).
It was a good day to be a New Hampshire resident. #hikeNH #swimNH
Swim, Bike, Run, Read Weekend
What a great weekend! Swim – Bike – Run – Read.
Saturday:
Swim – I started Saturday with a 3,100 yard swim.
Bike – Then immediately went for a bike ride and decided to take a more scenic, never-been-on-this-road route. Hopkinton is just the next town over but I rode past an Army Corp of Engineer dam
and a covered bridge.
Run – Then once back at HQ I immediately ran; in pretty decent temperatures and cloud cover.
Then I finished reading Desperate Steps as part of my recovery.
Sunday:
I woke up sore! Sore! I knew I needed to run but I was completely enthralled reading Critical Hours.
It’s such a great book about recent Search and Rescues in the White Mountains. The author, Sandy Stott will be in Concord this week for an event. I can’t wait to see his talk.
But eventually I knew I need to run, so I ran. This weekend was about new routes so I ran towards NHTI and took a few pictures along the way so I could rest from fatigue, sweat and just overall tiredness; it was hot and muggy as well.
Here is Horseshoe Pond. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a lily pad.
And a random tree with interesting things growing on them near the Heritage Trail by the NHTI boat launch. (no clue what the tree or thing was, I’m no botanist that’s for sure).
Now as evening approaches on Sunday evening I chill out and read more Critical Hours.
And hang out with this pup:
Critical Hours, Search & Rescue themed reading
Today I got the Gibson’s Bookstore newsletter and learned about a new search and rescue book, Critical Hours: Search and Rescue in the White Mountains by Sandy Stott and he is coming to the bookstore next week for an author event. This book will be a perfect next-read after I finish Not Without Peril for this month’s themed reading about rescues in the White Mountains.
I did a bit of research and Sandy Stott is a teacher, editor and ultra runner. In one article he wrote he talks about how trail running is the new endurance event for people looking to push their limits so there are much more runners on hiking trails (and that they are rescued less). I’m looking forward to attending the event and buying his book.
I’m still reading Desperate Steps and it’s really good. The stories are so intriguing and at times I’m actually holding my breath waiting for the rescue teams to arrive. I can’t put it down even though my eyes want to close and go to sleep (I tend to read at night). Many of the stories brought me to tears when a hiker/climber dies. Mathew Potel Foundation. I admire the rescued hikers and the other survivors who let Peter Kick tell their stories in this book to educate others. I particularly like the detailed information about how each search was executed and communicated between each organization; it’s what I enjoyed so much about Ty Gagne’s book about Kate Matrosova. Interesting connection that I just learned: the article I reference in this post is written by Sandy Stott.
P.S.
Last week’s training (read: giggling from happiness from the number of hours and actually feel pretty darn good on Sunday night).
