The Universe sent me a sign today ...

In my head, I'd decided to do the Ottawa Half Ironman this Saturday, and my tri friends had agreed that I should go for the longer distance over the sprint, but then I got sick last week and couldn't train.

I'm feeling better now after this short but intense virus and actually had a good training today (50k cycle). So, missing one intense training weekend out of an available five seriously nicks "cramming" for a Half Iron, so I decided to do the Sprint Tri instead to play it safe, 'cause you and I both know I haven't done the miles for a Half, and I still have a hip injury.

So, I go online and lo and behold, online registration closed before the announced midnight cut-off today. And I'm not willing to pay more money to sign up on-site, especially at 6am on race day (since I'm working Friday and can't do early pick-up, Ottawa is two hours away!)

Guess it's an omen, a sign from the Universe ...

Another online registration opened weeks earlier than was supposed to (it was announced for mid-Sept) and a tri friend tipped me off. My heart jumped when she popped up suddenly in my Facebook chat window with the online registration link and I knew right away what I really wanted.

I signed up, no ifs or buts.

My credit card ain't too happy and I don't have the money to go yet (flight, hotel and shipping my bike, OUCH!) but I believe the money will come ... because my heart is already in this race ... and I'm going to be racing for my mom to raise money for cancer.

Ironman Canada 2010, here I come!

Interesting how I couldn't commit to signing up for the Ottawa triathlon ... I waffled and agonized and couldn't decide ... seemed that training, work, injury and sickness intended to get in the way ... somehow the Universe knew I'd need this race entry money for another bigger, more important race.

I've got a year to train ... a year to become disciplined ... a year to get ready ... and a year to find the money. But I have full trust in the Universe and it will provide :-)

On another positive note, the premiere of the short film "The Cat in the Pan" at the Montreal World Film Festival went well ... Very cool film, very cool cast and crew ;-)

From left to right:

Me (role: Goth Girl)
Bruno Philip, C.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Cindy Landerman (actor, wife to David Schapp and a beautiful mother-to-be!)
David Schapp (role: Monitor)
Anne Kmetyko (Director)

So life is wonderful and I can't wait for more amazing things to happen! Thank you, Universe!

[Edited to add: My friends with whom I was supposed to stay had their baby arrive 5 1/2 weeks early ... it would have been pandemonium at their house!]

Montreal World Film Festival: International premiere of "The Cat in the Pan"

Yesterday, I was still sitting on the fence about which race to do in Ottawa on Sept. 5. Today, I feel like I have fallen off, but not in a good way.

I'm fighting some kind of weird virus that makes it difficult to concentrate and keep my head up because I feel achey and woozy. My head and ears feel warm, my chest is a bit congested and my throat is swollen and I should really be lying in bed right now. But I am obstinate and am trying to be productive, well, at least semi-productive.

And I would love to go out and train but yesterday's short ride and run was difficult. I thought all the sneezing was due to severe allergies but I now realise that this nasty virus that I've caught was also contributing. Anyway, I would probably fall off from being too dizzy ... Sigh, forced rest day for me today.

So, being sick and not being able to train hard this last precious weekend before the race pretty well nullifies any chance of doing the Half Ironman. In addition, I've been called to shoot on a television series one day before the race, meaning that I'll miss the race packet pick-up Friday and would have to do it first thing Saturday morning, as well as familarise myself with the race course ... I could always fall back on racing the Sprint Tri ... hmmm ... but that starts at 8am and Ottawa is a two hour drive from Montreal.

Alright ... let's think about something else, something positive ...


My short film in which I play the Goth Girl, "The Cat in the Pan" directed by Anne Kmetyko, is making its international debut Sunday, August 30 at the Montreal World Film Festival. It'll be opening for another Canadian film called "The Poet".

Here are some pics from the shoot, taken by the set photographer, Aurelien Pallier-Colinot ...

Excuses, excuses ...

Well, last week, I thought I was off to a good restart at training again. Finally off the atrocious meds for my neck and back and feeling better (yes, ESPECIALLY since I'm off those nasty meds! Sometimes the side effects outweigh the benefits ... sigh.)

Then last weekend, I went off to Cape Cod for a swing dance convention. Drove 16 hours. Danced 18. Slept ... too little.

Came back feeling a little run down, which is quite normal after an intense dance weekend. But after a good night's sleep, I didn't feel any better, actually worse, and my usual velvet voice wasn't so velvet anymore.

I've got LARYNGITIS! Arrgh!

Thought about going to the pool but my blocked ears nixed that idea. Thought about running but the cold air going down my throat nixed that idea too.

Today, I felt a bit better and even entertained the idea of running, but being invited to the premiere of "Quantum of Solace" nixed that idea quickly :-) It's cool to have connections in the industry ... Thanks CG!


Tomorrow, I receive my official Mime Clowns Unite! membership card.

Oooh ... I've got to kick my butt a lot harder!

I've been doing a fair bit of cooking recently, probably to provide me with great leftovers so I can be lazy for the rest of the week.

This was fairly easy to make:

- chicken and portabella mushrooms alfredo
- endive and cucumber salad

And actually, so was this ... which is actually my first attempt at making salmon ... DELICIOUS! And I used to hate fish when I was growing up.

- sauteed potatoes with onions and spices
- salmon (olive oil, chives, special mix of seasonings with orange, topped with Italian breadcrumbs)
- sauteed veggies (I added some chicken stock for the seasoning, just perfect for this meal!)


I'm getting a wee more disciplined in training, but just a tad. I think when I finally make up my training schedule and post it somewhere, it'll be easier, 'cause frankly, having too many choices makes me end up doing none of them. I am too easily distracted.

In reverse order (as I try to remember my week ...):

Thursday
Cycle = 23km
Swim = 750m
- ride on my mountain bike up the mountain path and around through Outremont, a picturesque and wealthy part of town. Some good climbing for JC and I!
- super quick swim before joining a friend for supper. Worked in flip turns at every lap 'cept for two, once since I didn't want to kick a girl resting at the end, the other to adjust my cap

Wednesday
Cycle = 14km
- had too much to do and also had to change my tire so only got in a short symbolic ride. Still good to get out on my mountain bike though I feared puncturing my tire again.

Monday
Run = 14.5km
Swim = 1000m, with flip turns

Sunday
Swim = 1500m
Cycle = 30 min. on Mr. SB 'cause I was too lazy to set up my trainer

Saturday
Cycle = 1h 10min on my trainer
- I watched "Ray" while riding and have to admit, was distracted enough to stop a few times 'cause I didn't want to miss out on what was happening. Jamie Foxx's performance is amazing! Ray Charles was such a dog.
- the best films to cycle to though are action ones, like the Matrix series. The action and music just keep me pumping!

Not that hard to figure out ...

One night, coming home from rehearsal, it suddenly dawned on me why I wasn't training.

That particular day, I had worked 9 hours non-stop at my day job and then rushed off to a 5-hour play rehearsal in which I landed one of the leads. Throw in almost two hours travelling time and I come up with a grand total of 16 hours. Then throw in time needed to shower and get ready and eat and look over my lines and I'm already running a major sleep deficit. Yes, it's been intense with rehearsals since we had a public reading recently ... sorry I didn't have time to invite you all ... just too busy to BLOG!

Who has time to train?

So that's what my past two weeks have been like ... busy, busy, busy. Lots of dancing too, since I went off to Cape Cod for "Swingin' New England", a West Coast Swing dance convention. Nothing like visiting the ocean, which was right behind the hotel. Incredibly serene ... lovely.

Some have said to me that I've taken too much on my plate and I totally agree. But hey, that's how life is sometimes and it's difficult to pass up interesting opportunities.

I did take the opportunity to go for a short dip in the pool yesterday though I couldn't swim lengths since it was family time and I was playing with my kiddies. There's something to be said though for staying familiar with the movement of water around you, and also for movement IN water. You have to "feel the water", my trainer friend, Dirk, always says.

It's been one of those weeks ...

Seems that when it rains, it pours ...

Super full week ... work, dancing, play rehearsals (I landed a lead!), film premiere, audition, Montreal Coolrunners meet-up, what else was there? Training, did I hear training? Nope, I think that must have been a figment of my imagination. Doesn't help that I have enough stuff on my plate that if I didn't sleep, I'd still have too much to do ...

Oh well ... but I did get in a little swim tonight!

Went to a cool film premiere this week ... "China's Sexual Revolution" ... I did a few of the women's voice-overs (i.e. translations for the radio talk show host and Muzimei, the blogger). Fun project, great documentary. It aired on CBC tonight and will be airing again on CBC Newsworld Saturday, November 10 at 10 pm. Don't miss it!



That's Josh Freed, the filmmaker, in the middle of a bunch of cool Asian actors.

Funny, I'm too busy to train these days but am really looking forward to when my life will slow down a bit so I can get back into a training routine, I miss it ... How many months left before IM Louisville? Hmmm .... OUF!

Confession

Now that I've started running again after my doctor-induced break, I'm finding it a little more challenging than I'd like.

Sometimes, I pray that the light will turn red.

Yup, you got it folks, the simple truth! I wish and hope for that 30 second reprieve where I can stop running, go "ah", and just relax. Most of the time though, Murphy's Law prevails and dang, I'll get to that red light just as it turns green ... And what with runner's guilt being so powerful, I am forced to continue. That's right, runner's guilt dictates that green means go.

BAH!! Who made up these rules?

Sigh.

I ran 10k last Sunday. It was actually much easier than it was the previous weekend. Maybe the bit of cycling that I've been doing helped ... maybe that it was much cooler and I had finally gotten some rest the previous nights is more like the real answer. Good news is that my body wasn't suffering the next morning. Good news indeed. Muscle memory, it's recuperation powers are starting to kick into a higher gear.

Have I run since Sunday? Ummmm ...

Monday
Got invited to the Montreal World Film Festival closing cocktail. Had planned to go back home and run afterwards but got whisked away down the red carpet to the award ceremony and closing screening of the incredible and poignant film "A Secret" by French director Claude Miller (who, by the way, is a very nice and unpretentious gentleman). This film, along with "Ben X", won the top prize of the festival, the juried Grand Prix of the Americas. It's coming out soon, don't miss it!

Tuesday & Wednesday
Late evenings at work followed by supper with friends ... A girl's gotta eat, you know! Don't forget, I'm in marathon training.

I hate having insomnia

Well, I wore my bikini at the beach and a bared my Buddha Belly who also wanted to get some sun. (Yes, I dared!) I must have the most powerful sunscreen in the world because I don't even have a tan line and my belly is still very white.

Lots and lots and lots of weeds in different parts and a lower water level ... but still a lot of fun. Didn't make for the best swimming in the world though. I resorted to doing breast stroke as I felt I needed to see something other than weeds and cloudy water. Funniest moment was my youngest son making a wig out of seaweed to camouflage himself from me while we were playing tag.

I hate not being able to fall asleep when I want to ... which doesn't happen too often. Why don't I feel sleepy? I'm certainly tired ...

Watched a film I picked up for real cheap at Walmart. And I'm happy we spotted it in the bargain bin.

I've caught different bits of this film at various times on television so said, what the heck, why not? I was sure the kids would enjoy it, and indeed we all did. Totally underrated, totally hilarious. Pokes fun at a lot of stereotypes and still manages to convey a positive message at the end. Brandon Fraser is excellent in all his different roles, and Elizabeth Hurley does what she does best ... sexy and gorgeous with a bit of playfulness.