dreaming over the ocean

Its pretty hard to believe that I have lived in Squamish for 8 months!  We seem like such new residents, and it is so strange to continually have conversations about "how long have you been here, wow! ok!"  There is no question in my mind that this was a bad decision.  However, lets talk about the good and the bad. The Good: Mountains.  We see lots of animals: bears, salmon, bald eagles, deer, mysterious animals in the forest that you cant see, birds, snakes.  There is so much to do!  Being outside is Squawesome, and it is so much fun to learn new things.  Mountain biking is great, and challenging. Trail running is way better than road running.  I want to paddle board, I want to get back into camping. Our neighbourhood is awesome.  Almost like the condo community in Vancouver, but with yards houses.  Good Facebook group, lovely conversations while walking the trails around our house. Farmers markets, and craft markets.  Suc...

1. being told with a great big hug "it's only 2 km.  You will make it, run over that finish line" at IMC 2. Being asked from one portopottie to another: are you OK? At IMC. 3. Trampoline with Swartz kids 4. Cessna plane ride with Zach driving, 5. Buying XC Skis. 6. The lake at Oliver half following a scorching hot day. 7. Buying a mountain bike. 8. Buying a house in Squamish. 9. Obtaining bruises while mountain biking in Squamish. 10. Seeing just how far my dog can run while I am cycling. 11. Watching sean and Sam come off the Alaska ferry. 12. Getting on global news Edmonton during my sister's public inquiry. 13. Having my sisters public inquiry covered in the Edmonton journal, here and here. 14.  Playing ticket to ride with the Greenaway-Robbins. 15. Finally finishing our bible study of the book of Luke... 2.5 yrs after we started! 16. Mandatory hi-fives at Alice lake after an epic training weekend with Jill. 17. Running a st patty's day 5km with sean. 18. Meeti...

It's the eve of Ironman Canada, and I will close my eyes in 3 minutes. People keep asking if his is my first ironman.  I did challenge penticton in 2013, so no.  Somehow this feels very different.  I think I have greater expectations.  I've put more forward onto this race.  When I toe the line tomorrow AM with 100 other women in my age group, and far more other competitors, I will just be so thankful and grateful and excited.  There are going to be a lot of fast women out there.  I am going to do the journey, controlling all that I can, and letting go all that I can't.  I will fill the dark spaces with flowers and rainbows, and high rive as many people a possible.  I will try to dance down the finish chute. Thank you for doing this journey with me.  For believing in me, for pushing me, for laughing with me.  For not getting annoyed with me and ironman talk. For feeding me lots of food, and forgiving me when I'm too tired.  Than...

Hello,   I am wanting to write about a public inquiry that is happening this week at the Edmonton courts, with the hopes that it might get covered in the news. My sister, Shaunnie Rebecca Payne, passed away in September 2012, while she was under care at Alberta Hospital. Rebecca was 31 when she passed away, after years going in and out of different facilities.  She was diagnosed with Schizoaffective disorder, and had all the difficulties associated with it: couldn't hold down a job, difficult family relationships, housing troubles, substance use, etc. etc.  At any rate, long story short is that she was in Alberta Hospital in intensive care; after having been taken off her medications and started on Clozapine, she passed away suddenly.  On a Friday, she had a physical assessment by an MD, and then she was found dead in her bed on a  Sunday morning . The post-mortem indicated that she had a toxic amount of clozapine in her blood. No one knows “...

Oliver Half was a last minute entry for me, as I had planned on racing Cultus Lake Loop, the weekend after.  However, I'm really happy with the weekend, and the time spent in Oliver, and heading back to the site where my first BC race was, after I moved back from Montreal in 2012.  We arrived on Friday, after a beautiful drive through the North Cascades, and then had a good swim.  It felt like it was going to be the hottest place on Earth.  My shoulder has been a bit twingy, so I decided to not swim on Saturday & give it ice and a rest.   Up early on Saturday, got a great bike in (fast, with a low HR), and quick brick.  Then, mostly legs up with a bit of wine tasting!  I was also sipping on electrolyte water all day long.  My goals were to mostly try to race what Ironman should feel like: comfortable, but not insane.  Drink more fluid than I think is needed.  Race smart, race strong.   I think my pre-race warm up was well e...

It's the night before a race, and there is a whole lot of nothing going on!  Exactly the way I hope. We drove to the OK yesterday after meeting Sean and Sam following the epic Alaskan bike and ferry ride. Then we drove an amazing highway: the North cascades across to Osoyoos.  soSo beautiful!   I am going to be racing the Oliver Half Iron put on by Dynamic race events.  The last time I was here, it was 2012, I did an Olympic, and it was my first race in BC after moving back from Montreal. This race is #2 of 3 scheduled for the year, and I feel relaxed! We are staying at beautiful Spirit Rodge resort, and it feels like a race-cation.  Today we even got some wine tasting in, and pool side sitting.  (All, of course, while I taking plenty of salty water and a few more carbs than normal.) I was out on a ride today, and I was able to go fast without much effort.  Exactly what you hope for.  The day before a race.  It is going to be ridiculously hot...

Oh boy!  I cannot believe how quickly this spring had passed by.  Seriously, it is summer already, and Ironman Whistler is just around the corner.   These last couple months, particularly April, have been super hectic.  At the end of March, I had a couple weeks of feeling like I was never feeling healthy.  So much so, that around Easter, I was so sick that I was (well... Still am) convinced that I had mono.  I've never had it before in my life, and my symptoms were right on.  It wasn't strep, which was my other likely.   At that same time, we had a wedding on Vancouver Island, so my mum came to visit.  On her first day here, she slipped and broke her arm.  She stayed for 3ish weeks.   Around that time, sean and I travelled to California (it was awesome!), and I had one of my slowest 1/2 Iron distance races ever.  It hurt SO bad.  I learnt a very basic message:  you can't race fast and efficiently if you don't t...