14:46:19 ... I am an IRONWOMAN !!!

Finally home ... it's been an interesting few days. Got back late in Montreal last night and was surprised by friends at the airport. HOW COOL!!! We all went out for some late night Chinese at one of my favourite little spots in Chinatown. Needless to say when I got home, I lay on my bed and fell asleep pretty well right away. Did I unpack? Noooo.

What did I do today? Sleep. Lots of it. Did I unpack? Noooo. Tummy has been off since the race and though I am able to eat, my tummy feels upset afterwards and can't eat the copious quantities that I am used to, not even half of it. One thing for sure, I don't want to eat or see another granola bar or gel pack for a very very long time.

Anyway, all this is to say, I am back home and alive and still in disbelief of my accomplishment ... I still need to write my race report and upload lots of pics, including ugly ones of me racing (ugh). I did better than I thought I could do and pushed myself beyond what I could imagine. I took a dream and I made it happen ...

AAAAAAGGGHHH !!!

I can't believe it's the night before the race. I can't believe the TIME has finally come. I'm nervous but in a strange sense, I'm not nervous. Probably more in denial and disbelief than anything, making this whole experience just a little too surreal.

Day One
I arrived in Kelowna Thursday morning. Got 20 min. sleep before I had to get up and go to the airport. I was supposed to have a rental car ready when I arrived, but lo and behold, as Murphy's Law dictates, it wasn't ready. So no car, but that was alright since I had to wait for KillerChops' flight to come in. And when he arrived, there was still no car. Ho hum.

Finally got to Penticton later that afternoon in a nifty Mazda 3. They gave me first choice when a whole slew of cars finally arrived. Found out later that my bike wouldn't be arriving until Friday, a day later than I planned. Seems that they delayed it's delivery a day in Toronto. Hello courier service, what is there not to understand about "guaranteed service"?

So, first day was just about getting settled in and trying to catch up on the lack of sleep the night before. Oh yes, maybe about picking up some really cool IM souvenir stuff, but I'll show that all to TurtleBoy and co. later :-)

Day Two
Bike arrived after breakfast, cause I made sure it would the day before - grrrr ... just kidding. Met up with P. from Miami, whom Dirk also trains and we went for a swim together. Waves were 2 feet high in some places and crowned with whitecaps. Yay. Good thing that KC had taken me out to Lake Carmine the weekend before. I was ready for this.





Water was cool but nicely refreshing and the waves tossed me around a bit, but unlike Carmine, the waves, though big, had a rhythm to it and I was able to get into a groove. Water was amazingly clear and it was nice to have something to look at when my face was in the water. After the swim, I went to register for the race.


For anyone who plans to do IMC, there's a bike guy from Toronto who transports bikes, Aubrey, who will put your bike together for you and anything else technical for a good deal. Nice smile, great service, quick too. You'll find him at Hotel Carmi.

Quick lunch then off for a tour of the bike course with KC and P. from Miami. We took a short break around Okanagan Falls after Lake Skaha and munched down some really ripe and juicy peaches. Yummy. We continued on our way but ended up at the U.S. border. Not good. Turned around then went back the way we came towards Hwy. 3 as indicated on the map. Went through Osoyoos and then started climbing up some mountain pass - the infamous Richter's Pass? I thought that this 11 km climb was not supposed to be more than a 6% grade.


The climb went on for at least 50 km and some hairpin turns before we realised that something was very wrong with this picture, besides us sh*tting in our drawers. P. got out for directions. Seems that we turned the wrong way on #3. Alright, just a wee little hour plus detour before we got back to the IMC bike route.

When we finally saw the two major climb's, Richter's Pass and Yellow Lake, we were RELIEVED !! So happy that what we originally thought was the bike route was not the bike route but just a wrong turn and a bad dream. KC told me later on that he really felt for us but kept quiet to not discourage us. All P. and I could say was WHEW !!

We got back into Penticton late and I went for a quick 20 min. run. Needless to say, we missed the pasta supper. Arrived just as people were all walking out. Alright, back-up plan. Thai with KC. P. retired to his room.

Great food, horrible service. Not given water nor utensils, had to ask again for tea since they'd forgotten. Starter soup took over a half hour and I had to ask about it twice. The noodles that arrived weren't the ones I ordered but the ditsy just-out-of-adolescence waitress told me that they'd taste the same. I'd like to send her a box of cookie crumbs one day.

After supper, came back to the hotel. I lay on my bed for a second and was out like a light, fully dressed. I guess it had been a long day.

Day Three
Got my transition bags ready. Went out for a short 45 min. cycle. I plan to take it easy tomorrow on the race course. Checked in my bags and bike and checked out the transition area and flow of traffic. Participated in the "Athlete's Parade" which was kinda cool, but also kinda embarrassing (yes, I do get embarrassed from time to time). Ran into an acquaintance athlete from Team in Training who was running with Cops for Cancer. We had been part of TNT doing Run Barbados in 2003. It's a small world.

Had an amazing supper at some Japanese restaurant called Ginsu. Service was the opposite of the night before because the food came out faster than we could eat it, but that was alright since we didn't have time to eat lunch today.

Took a stroll on the waterfront and enjoyed a Japanese garden ... kinda went with the meal, huh?. N-i-c-e ...


Finished off the evening with some pineapple sundaes at Dairy Queen. Yummy ... Now it's time for bed ... Night folks, and wish me God speed for tomorrow ...

I'm thinking of you mummy, and I love you very much. Good night, Toulouse and Gustav. You'll be excited when mommy brings home another medal ... hugs and kisses ... xoxo

I'm off !!

Finally got out and ran today, only a short 40 minutes, but legs felt good though not springy. Stomach felt better and I was able to wolf down a bowl of Tonkinese soup with Grommit as he wished me good luck for the race.

G. , the inventor of the Mathesis Box, came over later to give me a good luck hug and then presented me with one of his precious boxes. Yippee yay! When I got back from another painful physio session, I promptly took a stab at opening it, and voila! First shot! Was this a good omen about this Sunday? I closed it and tried again ... and again ... and again ... Nope, I had no clue how I succeeded the first time.

I had wanted to ride my mountain bike yesterday but had a flat tire - one of my tires had shredded on the side. So today, with my recently-acquired "how to change a flat tire" knowledge, I succeeded in replacing the worn-out slicks with the original knobbies. Went for a 65 min. ride. Such a different feeling than my road bike but I figured some cycling was better than none.

I still can't believe I have reached "that moment". Egads! What have I gotten into?!!! Feeling thoroughly undertrained and under-rested, I have resigned myself to "what will happen will happen" and realise that there is no point anymore fretting about all the missed trainings. It's not like I haven't ever run a marathon before, or swam 4 km, or cycled for 7 hours. I just have to piece all these elements together now ... And as Grommit pointed out, it'll be a day chock full of things I like to do, and I will have lots of time to do all these things, well at least 17 hours. The best part will be the medal at the end of the day, my favourite part, besides the hug I'll get from KC who'll waiting for me at the finish.

Thanks JKR & Charlie for dropping in and sharing a laugh and a bite to eat while I packed. And thanks Dirk and all my other close friends (you know who you are) for believing in me and encouraging me to fulfill my outrageous dreams without batting an eyelash.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"You’re better than you think you are and you can do more than you think you can. Whether you're running one mile or one hundred, I encourage you to test your own personal boundaries and expand upon your own personal limits of endurance. It's been tremendously gratifying for me to go farther than I ever thought possible, and I wish the same for you."


- Ken Chlouber, founder of the Leadville Trail 100 Mile Race Across the Sky

--------------------------------------------------------------------

"Nothing is impossible. I don't believe in sitting around and watching life go by. There is just so much to see and do and feel and experience. What makes a moment miraculous or even just simply wonderful? It's not about the joy it imparts, but about the awe in life it inspires. True, there are those moments of great bliss where happiness is evident, but from great sadness one can also draw deep meaning and strength, and from this strength comes a great awakening."

- Bonnie Mak, future Ironwoman


And with that awakening, I will ROAR!!

Ironman Canada, 7 a.m. PST
Bib # 2147, www.ironmanlive.com

I somehow don't think this is seasickness

Alright, not much training over the last two days. I got in a half hour swim on Monday and a 40 min. one today (got some great last minute tips about technique from the lifeguard, yay!) I wanted to run last night but when it was time to go out, I got hit with GI issues. When I finally started feeling better, I had missed the window of time to train and didn't feel like heading out that late anymore. Yup, this virus ain't wanting to go away. Been feeling queasy for several days now. I got some extra sleep this morning, but I'm still off centre.

Had trouble eating much today even though I felt hungry. Today's diet consisted of four waffles for breakfast, a nan bread with slices of cucumber and one ham slice for lunch, and then two slices of toast for supper. Throw in four plums during the evening (they were really sweet and juicy!) and you get a very hungry wannabe Ironwoman. I met up with KC later on and said I couldn't hack the hunger anymore ... then promptly scoffed down a good-sized portion of plain pasta and vegetables. Hopefully that will set my body back into balance ...

Life is what you make it ...

Why choose a mediocre life when you can have an extraordinary one? It's all up to you ... what you decide to do, how you decide to perceive and envision things. Blaming others to avoid taking responsibility for your own actions will only bring you sadness and frustration because what you chase will always be elusive. The answers to set you free aren't so far ... Look inside yourself and love yourself for who and what you are, entirely. You're worth more than you give yourself credit for. Dream small, you get small.

I choose to dream big and live extraordinarily. I choose to look at life with awe and wonder, the good and the bad, and say, "Heck, I'm really lucky to be alive and have choices." Life is so beautiful ... don't let it slip away. You will never have time back ...

(left to right) DragonsRouges, K, N, TurtleBoy, Silly Sally (me), Kneejerk, KillerChops, Grommit, and Uncle Sam who refused to be in the pic ...

I love you all to bits and thank you soooo much for my good luck supper. (By the way, to the Montreal readers ... avoid The Moon of India on St-Denis ... bad service, mediocre food ... was that frozen veggies? They even ran out of nan bread ... we got a quarter slice each with our water.)

I'd like to thank all my other CR friends, on the multi-sport and Montreal threads ... You've been wonderful with all your support and have helped me get through my clumsiness with the triathlon sport as well as all the loneliness that comes with training so many hours.

Today's training: nada. Stomach still upset, but as you see, I managed to get some food in me. Still getting some pain in the ears, but it's basically gone. Don't know how I will feel over the next few days though.

p.s. DR & TB: I love the shirt ... something to aim for :-) ... 2007?

Overcoming obstacles

I bought a Pro-Motion wetsuit in July but never had the chance to use it.

I live in the city and pool swimming was oh so much closer. Then during my recent HIM, there were no suits allowed, and up at my friend's cottage, I didn't need one since the water was warm and pristine, easily seeing 5 or more feet down into the water.

Not the case today. I would need a wetsuit. We had driven to Lake Carmine in Vermont, a favourite camping area from his past. KillerChops rowed me out to where the lake got deeper and past some of the nastier weeds. Time for me to slip into the water ... but I couldn't.

I sat on the seat and realised what I was about to do and why. The thought hit me of how hard I had worked to get over my lifetime fear of water just to learn to swim and be able to attempt the Ironman. The fact that I was actually going to swim in my wetsuit for the first time made me realise moreso what I would be facing in one week. The horrible fear of water that I once knew suddenly flooded my mind. Frozen, I felt afraid again and started to cry.

I thought about my decision to join Team Diabetes Canada in honour of my mother who has diabetes and cancer, and also about the nasty car accident that I had had in February where I saw death. And I felt overwhelmed with intense emotion as I realised all the obstacles I had overcome this year ...

I took some deep slow breaths and slipped into the water and started swimming ... The water was heavy and thick and I could not see anything except dark green. No light penetrated the water. There were still lots of weeds until I got more into the middle of the lake. The waves were rough and very choppy since the wind was blowing easily at 40 km/h. I could feel my body jostled everywhere and my goggles got knocked off several times by waves crashing onto my face. Within 10 strokes, albeit sighting, my body was thrown into a whole new direction and my support boat became dangerously far. KC had a difficult time managing the wind and waves himself. I wanted to get back into the boat but I told myself I would need to learn to do this ... I ended up swimming for an hour and a half.



KC confessed something to me afterwards ... he had been afraid for me. He'd never seen the lake so rough and he knew that it would only get choppier the longer we were in it. But he never said anything to me 'til afterwards because he believed that I could do it ...

Thank you KC and little C. for taking care of me in the water and never letting your eyes leave me. Thank you to my CR friends who have responded with such encouragement to my recent triumph in the water albeit such miserable conditions. As KC said, if I was able to swim that long in such rough conditions, then everything else will be a breeze.

I'm crossing my fingers ...

I peeled off the wetsuit, tried to dry off a bit then put on my cycling gear. Today was a test off clothing ... I wanted to see how I would feel cycling with my wet cycling shorts on. It started to rain lightly, then within minutes, it was pouring. My planned half hour cycle on my mountain bike was quickly shortened to 20 minutes as the rain came down in torrents. I wasn't even this wet in the lake!

Felt good to change into some dry clothing and head home from Vermont except I felt a little off ... That little off became a lot off ... My ears had shooting pains and my shoulders and neck felt all achey - could this have been from the swim? I've never felt bad after a long swim. I ended up eating sparsely for supper as I had trouble staying vertical at times. Hope I'm not coming down with anything.

I learned how to change a flat tire!

Confession:

Though I've been cycling since I was four years old, I've never changed a flat tire. I've actually only gotten one flat on my bike ever, and that was well over 10 years ago, but I had it changed at the bike shop. Something that has been bugging me during all my training this year is that I don't know how to change a flat tire and during all my rides, I've been fearful that that flat would finally happen ... until now ...

I should have sent my bike off to Penticton on Wednesday like I originally planned but I wanted to get in one last good cycle, which I failed in doing last night and this morning (um, where was that wake-up call that I needed?) So I thought, well, maybe I could slip in a short one before taking her down to the bike store to get boxed and shipped ... then while looking for a courier service, I quickly came to the realization that most services would only be able to deliver WAY TOO LATE FOR MY LIKING. Luckily after an hour of internet research and calling, I was able to find out that Purolator offered 4-day service for a reasonable amount. WHEW!!

So while at Cycles Technique, I got a lesson in changing a flat tire ... good idea, since I'm sure Murphy's Law would have applied during the bike leg of Ironman Canada, and Dirk told me that the bike support people might not get to me for 20 minutes or so ... why wait when I can finally do it myself?

The rest of the day was filled with work, including animating a bridal party where I had to kidnap the bride-to-be. Cool, huh?

Work, work, work, ain't got no time to train ...

I was *supposed* to do a mega-long cycle of about 160 - 180 km.

Ahem.

I ended up sitting at my computer almost all day to work on my fund-raiser. My other big commitment as a member of Team Diabetes Canada besides training for the Ironman is to fund-raise. So today I consecrated my training to do this because of my upcoming Lock & Key fund-raiser on September 6, 2006. Check it out - it's going to be a blast!

Let's see if I can get up tomorrow for a cycle before heading to physio ... wish me luck, and if you're reading this, please give me a wake-up call at 5:30 a.m.

When crappy things happen to good people ... Part II

I heard a knock on my door this morning ... a friend of mine who had bad news. His car, being parked not too far away in my neighbourhood, had been broken into overnight. He was not happy.

I've never understood the mentality of theft or any of those other despicable things that human beings can do ...

So I tried to console him and help him figure out what he had to do to tackle this unexpected and unwelcome occurrence. He walked out later on with all his major cards cancelled and a long list of other things he'd have to take care of.

I've been robbed five times in Montreal. It has never been a pleasant experience and has always left me a little paranoid ... and I've been told that I'm not the only one who has had this happen to them this many times. Hope they catch the criminal, but knowing how the justice system works here, it's not likely. What that means is that thief is now ready to rob YOU or ME next.

Today's training:
Short swim - just 30 min. Had too much work to do today what with the unexpected emergency to deal with. Then a little 9k jog in the neighbourhood. I was supposed to run farther but I had food cooking in the oven and my left knee had a twinge left in it from last Sunday's cycle. Slightly painful, I could still run, but I decided I didn't want to push it and risk injury. The "big run" is coming up soon enough. Legs felt light and springy and fast ... could it be all the spinning I've been doing on my bike?

How to stay married ...

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about..

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box.

When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000. He asked her about the contents. "When we were to be married," she said, "my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll."

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness. "Honey," he said, "that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?""Oh," she said, "that's the money I made from selling the dolls."

Women will love this ...

A Prayer ...

Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him; And Patience for his moods; Because Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death.

Amen!

Welcome to my world ...

A friend of mine wanted to accompany me on my cycle tonight. I said "Sure, why not?" He didn't know what was coming. I tried to be nice and gentle and not make him suffer too much ... I didn't pedal for a good chunk of the 37.36 km we covered and went a good 5 - 10 km under my regular speed. Didn't want to kill him you know. Short ride for me, longest ride he's probably ever done on flat (he's a mountain biker).

He kept up a good show though and made it to the end, though he wasn't sure if he'd be able to walk the next morning. I personally think he did really well ... I really had the advantage:

1) I have a lighter bike.
2) I have thin racing tires. He has typical mountain bike knobbies.
3) I have clips and proper cycling shoes.
4) I have at least 2000 km of cycling in my legs accumulated in the last few months. He has zippity-doo-da.

What a good sport! Now he's anxious to get a road bike himself. I told him he'd be able to whup my a$$ next year, and he said no way 'cause I'd be into my second season of tri training. Hmmm ... I smell a challenge ...

Got home and after a short break to start supper, slipped on my new running shoes and went out for a little jaunt in my neighbourhood. No noodle feeling. AMAZING!! Legs were light and springy, as if I hadn't done a long cycle at all recently or even that short one just now.

Doing the distance ... well, trying to ...

It's catch up time!! Sorry folks, been out of town for the last few days and haven't been able to blog. Here goes ...

Friday
- finally got out for a cycle, albeit for only an hour, makes me wonder how I've been able to do any long distances at all ... argh!

Saturday
- got in a very solid swim - an hour of continuous laps

- I catch myself often amazed that I can swim at all, considering what I wasn't able to do at the end of last year. Can that be me gliding through the pool gracefully and efficiently?!!

- I went to Boutique Courir and picked up these little puppies ... figured I needed a new pair 'cause my old ones were hurting


- got interviewed by Era Melinda on CJAD about my Ironwoman Journey and the upcoming Lock & Key fund-raiser for the Canadian Diabetes Association - COOL!

- was supposed to cycle and run later that evening but ended up napping and chatting with friends on the couch. My bad!

Sunday - the day of reckoning
- set out on my bike for a long but conservative ride. I haven't gone farther than 130 km so far on my bike and today I told myself that I would do "the distance". Had to do it ... I needed to know that I could. Dirk had told me that I would hit a hump at 150 km, mental and physical ...

- started out on the bike path leading from KillerChops' house. He told me that it follows the river and goes as far as Quebec City. Yeah, right ... I ended up in suburban wasteland right by the mall. Alright, plan B. Ask directions. That finally got me out to some open road and after a while, I found myself outside on some country roads. Cool.

- went out to Sorel, then south to Beloeil. The evening was getting on and I knew I'd have to get back since the sun would go down soon, but where was I? Good thing I had a cell phone on me. Bad thing is I forgot to charge it the night before.

- many calls to KillerChops as well as going back and forth on the same road finally got me to Highway 116. Finally, on my way back to Montreal. Good thing about the 116 is that it has a wide paved shoulder. Bad thing about it is that shoulder is part of a busy highway.

- I hit 150 km. I felt fine. No different than how I did at 90k when I found myself in Sorel. I guess my nutrition plan was working. I continued on the 116 and zipped along strongly at 29-31 km/h looking for the back of KC's truck where he said he would pick me up. I hit 180 km ... where was he? I must say, travelling that speed on the shoulder of a highway after the sun has gone down is pretty terrifying and not recommended.

- I used the last of my battery on my cell phone to call KC. He had gone all the way out to Beloeil to search for me, too worried about my being on a busy highway at night.

- Everything worked out though and we found each other eventually at a gas station not far from his house. KC learned that two moving objects don't find themselves easily. I learned that I should not do a long distance ride in unknown territory without a map or a fully-charged cell phone.

- I was happy to get to my friend's house where I promptly put on my new spiffy shoes and ran around the block. Noodle legs, but after a few minutes, the feeling started subsiding and I felt on a high! I was able to run, and felt oddly fresh, albeit the long ride!

- WOOHOO!! Ironman Canada, here I come!!

Monday
- recuperation swim: nice easy 45 min. swim, long strokes concentrating on pushing and pulling

- I fell asleep on the couch at 5 p.m. when I got back home and stayed asleep until 3 a.m. Then caught another two hours sleep before starting my day. That's a total of 12 hours. I think I needed the rest ...

When 18km is considered cheating ...

What a day!

Appointment in the morning, Cycles Technique to pick up gels, super quick lunch with friends, then off to a job interview, and back home to make some important calls. Add on top of it some prep I had to do for a radio interview originally scheduled for tonight but postponed until Saturday.

Now here I am on my computer and instead of stretching, I am typing. Ran 18 km with KJ tonight. Felt like a slug beside her. It took about 2 hours ... s-l-o-w. Bad thing is I was supposed to cycle for 1.5 hours beforehand and make it a *brick* workout and the run was supposed to be a half hour longer. No go, no time left after all that I had to do this afternoon. Sigh. Happy I got the run in though, even if I feel like I've cheated once again on my training program. Ugh. No discipline.

I think I need new running shoes.

BBQ pork chops and grilled vegetables tonight. Yum yum. Then back to the computer to write an article about my Ironwoman Journey for Asianwave, a Toronto magazine.

Too busy for my own good these days ...

Tuesday:

Barely managed a 25 min. run around the neighbourhood. Couldn't get rid of the achey leg feeling as I did not run long enough to feel like I even used my legs. I guess it's short trainings like these that make me realise how fit I am, as they really don't do much for me, including make me breathe harder. Guess I will have to run faster?

Wednesday:

Only managed to slip in a long swim. 200 m warm-up followed by 7 x 500 m, cool down of 250 m, then breast stroke for 100 m. Total = 4, 050 m ... wow! Just over 4 km!! Felt good and could have gone one ...

Made dinner for a friend in from the States. Where did the cycling go today? Who put the clocks forward!!

I will seriously suffer during the bike leg of the Ironman ... sigh ...

p.s. Oh yes, I landed the role of the RCMP officer that I auditioned for the other day ... YAY! It'll be shooting right after the Ironman ... will I be able to walk or stand?

A feeble attempt

Tried to get back on schedule with my training today ... so hard, especially when I have to mix together work (auditioned as a RCMP officer), two kids, and a shortened day camp schedule. Needless to say, it was a dismal failure and I only *barely* succeeded in swimming, which I ended up doing in two sessions in two different pools.

Swim:
- 300 m warm-up
- 4 x 125 m, 20 sec. recovery
- 2 x 250 m, 30 sec. recovery
- 500 m, 40. sec recovery

and then I was supposed to repeat this in reverse order ...

Nope. By the time I got to the second swim session, it was just easier to repeat the entire thing ... got kicked out though, about 125 m short, but who's counting?

Total = 3475 m, or 139 laps.

Never got out to run or cycle, and my legs are paying for the lack of movement over the last week horribly! Cramping easily and achey ... I need to run a good half marathon or cycle 100 km or something like that, and then maybe I'll feel better.

Lolly-gagging in La-La Land

It's been a week since I posted, and since then, haven't much news for you all ... Been a veritable triathlete delinquent recently and been distracted with other things that I've been forgoing and neglecting for a long while.

Last Tuesday was a bust because I worked on the postponement of my charity event all day then had a previously planned engagement later that evening. Wednesday, I only fit in a short 40 min. dip in the pool with half serious swimming. Thursday, I can't even remember what I did ... but it wasn't super productive - oh, oh, oh ... I did have to go to go into town for an appointment then some running around to take care of kiddie things, then into the office for a while ... alright, some running around, now that I come to think of it.

Friday was a killer day. Back-back-contracts. Shot a corporate video where I played a mother of two undergoing chemotherapy for vulvar cancer ... extremely emotional scene where she realises that she may not make it through to see her children grow up. When I did the read for this role, I knew it was for me ... "A mother of two. I work part-time and do a lot of volunteering ... " Needless to say, I nailed the shot in one poignant take (yay!) and can't wait to see the finished edit as it is some of my best work. I can't say more about the project since it is confidential but it will help A LOT of women ... Short shoot - only eight hours, but no break.

Second work contract started at 10 p.m. I didn't get home until 4 a.m. Ugh ... another almost sleepless night. Fifteen hour day.

My turn for the kids for vacation started Sat. morning and first on the plate was a weekend away close to Quebec. My dear friends got married.

Here's to you, A. & L. - I love you both tremendously and wish you much bliss in your life together ...

Sunday: a little get-away with friends at a cottage. Went for two long swims. P. said I swam 2k each time. I'd like to believe that :-) The water was fantastic ... nice and clean and clear. First time out, I had to get used to the fact that I was out in the middle of a lake and if I ran into difficulty, there would be no one there to come help me ... Still getting used to the plants and fish, but that stuff is starting to ick me out less and I'm starting to enjoy it - something to look at. Practised sighting and finally getting more used to waves and a current. P. accompanied me the second crossing as they were all afraid I'd get run over by a boat or ski-doo or some other horribly loud and noise-polluting water vehicle. I figured I didn't want to worry them a second time ...

I like open-water swimming.