Category Archives: races

Peaked or Peaking and Last Race Before Ironman

  By Crystal Clarke | August 11, 2017 - 12:45 pm | , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

Emotions have been running high for me lately. Such is the way of the last weeks before Ironman (combined with other life and woman things). I know that this happens, but it is still difficult. This past week has been my “peak” week. However, I believe my body is done with the long training sessions. My last bike ride (last Saturday) was 150km and it took all I had to keep going. Not that I really had a choice. I knew that my partner would not come and pick me up no matter how much I pleaded. Even if I … Keep reading →

Race Report: Frank Dunn Triathlon 2015

  By Crystal Clarke | September 14, 2015 - 9:40 pm | , , , ,
Leave a comment

It only took a month to finish, but here’s the race report for Frank Dunn! Pre-Race: It felt like any normal race for me. I got up, did my morning routine: coffee, toast, and a banana, sipping water through the morning. Got down to the transition area early as people were just starting to get there. I got my transition area somewhat set up and went to look for Blair, my training buddy. I decided to do a short bike ride up the gradual hill that starts off the bike. It was good to find that rhythm going up and … Keep reading →

The No-Goal Triathlete

  By Crystal Clarke | August 5, 2015 - 4:13 pm | , , , ,
Leave a comment

In 4 days I’ll be participating in my first triathlon in almost a year. This will be the 10th time I’ve been in this event. My best time was in 2006 with 3:52; my worst time was 2014 with 4:59 (yes, training DOES make a difference!). Not surprisingly, the bike time makes a huge difference (see the table below). This year’s race, though, will be in a team which is a first for me. I’m excited not to run! It’s always been my Achilles heal (pun intended), but I do love the run. So many people excited about finishing. It … Keep reading →

Two steps forward, one step back

  By Crystal Clarke | July 18, 2015 - 12:01 pm | , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

This last weekend I went to the Winnipeg Folk Festival with some great people. It was probably one of the stupidest things I’ve done in a long, long time. My over-confident self thought that I would be able to hobble around the festival without problem. That was a stupid thing to think. Or maybe just very optimistic? Either way, it was a difficult lesson to learn. Let me sum up the weekend: the music and people were awesome, I was in pain and quite miserable most of the time. The website says the following: “There are ten stages of music to … Keep reading →

Race #2 of 2014

  By Crystal Clarke | August 6, 2014 - 12:56 pm | , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

In only 3 days I will be participating in my second triathlon this year. My training buddy and I were looking back at my history of the race, which is very varied. It will be interesting to see how Sunday plays out. This race has followed me throughout my triathlon life and I have loved every second. My times vary from sub-4-hours to sub-5. This year I’m being realistic and looking closer to the 4 and a half to 5-hour mark. That is, if my knees will stop freaking hurting! This morning’s run/walk was pretty painful. I have GOT to … Keep reading →

Pre-Race Jitters

  By Crystal Clarke | July 19, 2014 - 2:32 pm | , , , , , ,
1 Comment

This morning I went for my pre-race swim with my training buddy, Blair. It went well even though I forgot my wetsuit. So I swam in my bathing suit, which was actually pretty good. It prepared me for the “cold panic” that I always get (and I think most get) when I first get in the water. The water this morning was clear and calm, even though it was pretty windy. I met another triathlete out there and we may even become training buddies! As I’ve mentioned before, training buddies are the shit! As I was driving into town this … Keep reading →

Team 50km Ultra Marathon Race Review

  By Crystal Clarke | October 23, 2011 - 2:59 pm | , , , , , , , , , , ,
2 Comments

Yesterday my training buddies, MellowJohnny and SpeedyK, and I ran together in a team effort for Saskatoon’s 50km Ultra Marathon event. It’s a great fall season event and it was really lots of fun! The three of us had had many discussions about who would take which “leg” of the race. We didn’t know the distances when the discussion began, so we tentatively set it at me doing the first, SpeedyK doing the second, and MellowJohnny doing the third. It ended up going exactly like that! This meant that I would take the longest leg at 17.4km, SpeedyK would take … Keep reading →

Ready to Roll

  By Crystal Clarke | July 11, 2009 - 9:22 pm | , , ,
Leave a comment

I am sitting in a very cool place while outside is scorching hot. Well, not as hot as it was earlier, but pretty close. Actually, I’m in Penticton which is not nearly as hot as Osoyoos. Apparently the water was 22.5 degrees Celsius today, which is .5 degrees cooler than the cut-off for wearing a wetsuit. Whew! I have never done a triathlon without a wetsuit before. I guess there is a first time for everything! This race is all about first-times for me. I have been really nervous about this race and was wondering what that was all about, … Keep reading →

Race Report: Brain Freeze 10km race!

  By Crystal Clarke | February 8, 2009 - 5:50 pm | , ,
Leave a comment

This afternoon I ran my first 1okm race ever. Last spring I participated in my first running race ever. Running has never been my strong leg in a triathlon and races generally inspire me to get better. So I thought I’d sign up for a few races to try to inspire myself to get going with the running. As long as I stay injury-free, I’m happy. Side note: I haven’t checked my Garmin yet, so all of this is based on how I felt. The race started out pretty good. The start of a run is so different from a … Keep reading →

Ouch

  By Crystal Clarke | May 27, 2008 - 5:44 pm | , , , , ,
Leave a comment

“When does your season start?” my chiropractor asked. “Ummm… last Sunday….” I answered. “No, you’re triathlon season.” “Oh. Mid-June.” “You’re not ready. Your lungs might be ready, but your back is not ready. Your body isn’t ready.” “I thought not,” I replied. On Sunday I ran a half marathon, my first running race of my life (other than in junior high school when I ran a 1500m race). It was a great race, but I really wasn’t ready. I knew I wasn’t ready and I knew I wasn’t going to be ready, but I did it anyway. My time was … Keep reading →