Toronto Island Give-It-A-Try: My First Triathlon

August 22 was perfect for a triathlon.
We were body marked on the mainland and took the 6:30 ferry to Hanlan's Point.
Outside temperature was 17 degrees and the water temperature was 19 degrees which made wetsuits optional.

My wave was at 8:20.
My goggles got water in my first 2 strokes, so I stopped, stood and readjusted them.
I then had to catch up with the others. I swam close to a straight line towards the first buoy, almost hit it at right angles turning into the parallel line with the shore. The 2nd turn was also a close one to the buoy and I was then facing the sun. I was getting tired by then, and couldn't find the last buoy. Nobody was around me, and I kept looking up to see just the sun ahead. I almost panicked. Then I saw someone on my right and it seemed that we were going towards the same point on shore. So I kept swimming until I could stand and run out of the water.

I did not rush in my transition one. I did take my goggles and started to unzip my wetsuit. I then jogged to my bike. I took the time to wipe my feet before putting my shoes on. On my mountain bike I went, for 10km! I got many 'on your left!' and people passing me. I kept a steady pace and got to the transition zone without a glitch.

It was then time for the 2.5k race. I adjusted my knee brace and set off. This was not like the Nike 15K, it was just a loop, part of which we had to do twice. I was able to finish it without too much trouble, stopping once to take a sip of water.

I felt great finishing the triathlon. It didn't push me to my limits, but it was a challenge.

LINC: The classes that saved me.

When my parents moved in with me in a 2 bedroom in January, things started to settle down finally.
I enrolled them in the Language Instruction for New Comers, a program intended to help new comers with getting jobs and/or integrating Canadian society.
I did not enrol them for them to get a job, but I did enrol them to give them something to do.
And it has given me even more than expected.

Structure
First, the classes gave their days some structure.
Before they were enrolled, they would wake up whenever they felt like it and the rest of their day would flow accordingly, with them having lunch at 4pm sometimes. By being enrolled in a 9:00 to 2:30pm class, their days were regimented by their commitment to attending the classes. It gave them just enough freedom after school, to go to the library or to Chinatown to pick up some groceries for dinner before they had to return home. They even have homework to fill their afternoons before dinner time.

Exercise
Second, the Ukrainian centre where the classes are held is about 2km from home. My parents found out that it will take them at least 30 minutes one way to get there, 45 minutes if they take their time. That was for me, the best way to ensure that they will get at least 1 hr of walking every day. After seeing how my grandmother's mobility decreased due to inactivity, I loved it when they said they don't mind the walk and even walked in the harsh Canadian weather. With the right boots and jackets, they did not complain much even when the weather was really, really bad.

Something to talk about
Last, but not least, the classes gave them something to talk about at dinner time.
When before they would assault me with questions about my day as soon as I walked through the door, we are now all in the same state of mind when I get home. By the time we sit down for dinner, we are all ready to share how our day went, and instead of not having much to say, now they both cheerily share what their teachers have said, or what they have learned at school that day.

In addition to all the above, the classes gave both of them a small circle of friends to socialize with on a daily basis. My parents were put in different levels and therefore do not spend the whole day together, which definitely has its own benefits.

They were hooked from the very first week. They look forward to learning and spending the day at the Ukrainian centre. Whenever they have to skip classes to go to doctor's appointments, I feel their regret about having to miss school, so now I make sure that, when possible, doctor's appointments are made in the afternoon so that they would only miss a couple of hours of their classes.
Yes, these classes have been good, not only for my parents, but for me as well.
And the best is that they are free to stay in these classes for as long as they wish, until they become Canadian citizens!

The day I ran 21k...

So I did it! Yay me!
It was a painful 2:12:52 seconds, but I kept running throughout.
Gary and I decided that we will maintain a 6 min/km run. I fought against it a bit, I wanted to do it under 2:10mins, but Gary was adamant. Probably rightfully so. He had enough energy to speed up for the last kilometer, so his chip time was actually more than a full minute ahead of me. 

I've run up to 18k on my training, so in my head, I knew I could do it, I just needed to run for 18 more mins past my longest run so far. I got tired around the 15k mark. Running with Gary always gets me more tired because we chat and laugh and I'm not focused. So I stopped talking to him after that, it was a lot of grunting and pushing elbows to let him know that I needed him to move to the right or the left or that we needed to pass someone too slow.

Gary and I at the 3k mark

So the last 6k were a drag.
At 19k, I started to feel hungry. That has never happened to me before, but then, I've never actually run long distances first thing in the morning. 
At 20k, a friend was waiting for us by the side of the road and after that, Gary took off. I was on my own for that last kilometer up Bay Street to Nathan Philips Square. Throughout the course, there were people encouraging us, but that final 'ligne droite', there were even more people, with cowbells, flags, posters.
My worse nightmare almost happened right there. Running up on Bay street was the toughest 6 mins of my running life and my biggest fear was that I would succumb to all the muscles in my body screaming for me to stop. In front of all these people. That would have been the ultimate embarrassment for me.

I had to put my 'mind over body' right there. Unfocus on the hordes of people screaming by the side of the road, focus on my legs, bringing me closer to the finish line where I can finally stop.
500m to go. Push a little bit more, another 3 mins at most.
400m, yes, stop screaming at me, I'm getting there, geez!
200m, I know I can do this, I can imagine what 200m looks like on my regular training runs, I can see my building in my mind, imagining it where the finish line is.
100m, there, I can see the finish line!
50m to go, oh, I think I can push for a sprint! Here I go! Oh crap, what is this dude doing in front of me, I won't get a good finish line picture! Slooooowww....he passed the line, wait a second, now I pass the line, YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY I MAY STOP!

Now, where's the food? :P
Only when I met with my friends did I realize that I had a pretty big blister on my left heel. That was gross. A 'war scar' a friend called it. Bah, it will heal, the end result is that I did it! One thing off my bucket list!