Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

  • Home
  • About
  • Current Gear
  • Race Reports
  • Pregnancy//Baby
  • Travel
  • Bucket List
  • All In

Archives for August 2015

August 10, 2015

Visiting Whistler

While my race may have ended in disappointment, Whistler did not disappoint. Western Canada is so beautiful, we loved visiting BC! I may be a bit biased since I grew up in Portland, Oregon but I think the rain forest of that area is one of the most beautiful places in the world. BC was especially beautiful because it melded the temperate rain forest with the ocean and the mountains that I have grown to love living in Colorado for the last six years.  If you are thinking of racing an Ironman next year I highly suggest IM Canada, especially if you aren’t afraid of a few hills, altitude and unpredictable weather.

Whisper really is stunning! Also looking forward to getting home and plotting new adventures

Whistler really is stunning! Also looking forward to getting home and plotting new adventures

On the way to Whistler we flew into Seattle and drove up to Canada. In Seattle we stopped for lunch, since we live in a landlocked state it had to be Seafood! We headed to the waterfront and enjoyed lunch at The Crab Pot.

Image-1

It was great, we didn’t have time to hang around long but have been to Seattle many times. If you go make sure you visit Pike Place Fish Market, it’s a must see in Seattle. Also the space needle and a walk along the waterfront aren’t to be missed.

Hello Seattle! #IMCanada

Hello Seattle! #IMCanada

It was great, we didn’t have time to hang around long but have been to Seattle many times. If you go make sure you go to Pikes Place Fish Market, it’s a must go in Seattle. Also the space needle and a walk along the waterfront aren’t to be missed.

Then we were on our way across the boarder to Canada and up the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler. I wish we had much more time to explore Vancouver, guess it will have to be on another trip.

Whistler Village is really cute and easy to navigate. Lot’s of beautiful views and restaurants everywhere.

Fun times around Whister today. 2 more sleeps before show time #IMCanada

Fun times around Whistler today.

We stayed at the Market Place lodge booked through Airb&b  It was a great choice for Ironman since it was right on Olympic Plaza where the Athlete Village was. There was also a grocery store, drug store and coffee shop steps from our condo. It was a bit noisy during the day with all the Ironman events as well as a playground directly below us but it quieted down early each night.

There were many places to eat around town, a couple of my favorites were:

Caramba! – Mediterranean food made with lots of local organic food.

La Cantina – REALLY good street tacos and salads

IMG_3709

La Bocca – Yummy simple Italian Food

Crepe Montagne – We didn’t eat here until the last day but it is an amazing little breakfast spot.

IMG_3711

Marketplace IGA – Ok this is just a grocery store, but it’s amazing and they have great sandwiches at the deli if you want to grab something to take with you on a hike.

Whistler is full of some amazing sights, and the best way to see them is on foot. We took a short hike to Wedgemount Falls, it’s a little challenging hiking up the side of a mountain but the views were worth it.

Image-1Or you can drive to Alexander Falls and see it from the parking lot. It’s worth the drive

Beautiful last day in Whistler but happy to be headed home to my pups #backtoreality

Beautiful last day in Whistler but happy to be headed home to my pups #backtoreality

By far my favorite thing that we did was to ride up to Whistler Mountain and ride the Peak 2 Peak Gondola It was amazing to hike around and enjoy the views. Seriously the photos can’t do it justice.

IMG_3822

 

 

Posted by bethcurtis 2 Comments
Filed Under: Ironman Canada, Travel, Uncategorized Tagged: Ironman Canada, Travel

August 5, 2015

Ironman Canada // 2015

I really wish this was a happy race report, but it is not.

Yay athlete check in!! Loving Whistler #IMCanada

Yay athlete check in!! Loving Whistler #IMCanada

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram then you already know that Ironman Canada ended in a DNF. Honestly I am really disappointed about it, I worked for months to prepare, had been looking forward to it for a LONG time and had planned my year around this race. But it’s also not the worst thing to ever happen to a person, there are so many worse things that could happen in this life. So it’s time to put my big girl pants on, find the lessons that can be learned and move on.  Here is the story of my time at Ironman Canada:

The week leading up to the race I watched the weather get worse and worse for race day. At first the forecast was 75 and sunny (perfect!) but the days leading up were chilly and rainy so I worried that the weather would change. That is exactly what happened, race day ended up having the worst weather of the entire week.

IMG_3644

We flew into Seattle on Thursday and drove up to Whistler, the drive was stunning and we enjoyed the drive and the sights.

Boarder crossing! Oh Canada  #IMCanada

Boarder crossing! Oh Canada #IMCanada

Friday and Saturday were full of the normal pre-race prep. Athlete check in, practice swim in the lake and easy spin on the legs. It rained off and on over the couple of days and was chilly. This caused some pretty high nerves on my part. It really made me realize that I have been a fair weather rider. Sure I can swim and run in the cold/rain but I have never ridden in those conditions. Lesson learned there! I will try harder to get out in non-ideal conditions and figure out what gear I might need. Not surprisingly a waterproof jacket would have gone a long way.

IMG_3646

Race morning it was very overcast and lightly sprinkling. I did my normal bike and gear check, it was chilly and dark. I was doing my best to get pumped up but I was a little worried about the day and the deep water mass start. As the race start grew closer I got into my wetsuit and kissed Cory goodbye.

Alta lake is a beautiful place to swim 2.4 miles #IMCanada

Alta lake is a beautiful place to swim 2.4 miles #IMCanada (not from race morning, it was too rainy for Cory to take photos)

I made my way through the swim arch then into the water, I have never done a deep water start in a race before and this one had thousands of people joining me. Many athletes were hanging out in the shallow water off to the side, I don’t understand this since we were all in wetsuits and treading water doesn’t take much effort.  I lined myself up slightly to the outside of the buoys since I have heard that Canada’s swim can be a bit brutal and congested.  After bobbing around in the cold water for a few minutes the gun went off and we all started moving. It wasn’t too bad at first, but then all the athletes that were hanging out on shore made their way out with the rest of us. There were people everywhere, no water and nowhere to move. I just tried to (literally) roll with the punches and keep moving forward in the herd. It was definitely slower than I would have liked but it’s a long day so no use worrying about it. After the first turn things opened up and I found some great feet to swim with, he sighted well and was pretty consistent. I followed my feet until halfway through my second lap when I decided that I needed to be going faster so I jumped off to do my own thing. After that I couldn’t find anyone else to follow, looking at my paces I really fell off at that point and I definitely could feel I was working a lot harder. So another lesson learned, don’t leave good feet if you find them!

As I rounded the last turn and made my way towards the swim exit, I was excited to be almost done but nervous about the bike leg. It had started to really pour down rain as we were swimming and I felt really cold in the lake. As I got out of the lake I found some nice wetsuit strippers and headed into the tent.

IMG_3648

My T1 time was supper long as my hands were freezing and I had decided to make a full change into warm dry clothes. After the full change and stuffing my gear in the bag I ran out into a full downpour. I grabbed my bike and headed out to the mount line. Almost immediately I was drenched, rivers of water where in the streets and I was freezing.

I am not even sure how far I made it (not far) before pulling off to the side. I was shaking uncontrollably, I couldn’t imagine navigating 10% downhill grades with  hairpin turns. This was a pretty low moment for me, I have been looking forward to IM Canada for so long and the conditions were so bad. It was especially hard seeing the courageous athletes blow by me as they continued on in the harsh conditions.

I found Cory, who was also freezing from standing out in the cold and wet all morning and headed back to our condo. A warm shower and crashing on the couch felt pretty dang good but my spirit was a little crushed. After warming up for a bit and grabbing brunch, we decided the best thing to do was to cheer on the other competitors. It was bitter sweet to stand on the course and cheer on the athletes who had endured so much and were headed to their ironman finish in some of the worst conditions I have ever seen. Even though it was a little painful for me it was also inspiring and helped me to refocus on the future, to work harder and keep trying. The worst thing I could let happen is to give up because of one failure.

So now onto the next adventure, I WILL finish an Ironman this year. I have done it before and I can do it again! Up Next  Ironman Lake Tahoe.

Fall down seven times, Stand up eight. Here I come Ironman Lake Tahoe #IMLakeTahoe #nevergiveup

Fall down seven times, Stand up eight. Here I come Ironman Lake Tahoe #IMLakeTahoe #nevergiveup

Posted by bethcurtis 9 Comments
Filed Under: Ironman, Ironman Canada Tagged: Ironman

Meet Beth

Follow

Search

Instagram

runwithbeth

Adventure Wednesday! Ten points if you can find Ca Adventure Wednesday! Ten points if you can find Cannon #1000hoursoutside
My forever Valentines ❤️❤️❤️ #happyval My forever Valentines ❤️❤️❤️ #happyvalentinesday
Ready for a weekend of adventure ❤️ #1000hours Ready for a weekend of adventure ❤️ #1000hoursoutside #wintercamping
Today I hold my daughter close as I watch @kamalah Today I hold my daughter close as I watch @kamalaharris arrive at her inauguration. For Emmy I hope it is just the norm seeing women in leadership but for me it feels very emotional. I sit here with happy tears and hope for the future ❤️🤍💙🇺🇸
We can do so much better. Let’s unite around wha We can do so much better. Let’s unite around what matters ❤️
Another year visiting the ice castles in Dillion. Another year visiting the ice castles in Dillion. We had so much fun and it was a nice break from being stuck at home #1000hoursoutside #icecastles #icecastlesdillon
Working on our #1000hoursoutside Working on our #1000hoursoutside
One last family adventure for 2020. Garden of the One last family adventure for 2020. Garden of the Gods did not disappoint. Happy New Year everyone!!! ✨
My 2020 top nine.... not my favorite year by far b My 2020 top nine.... not my favorite year by far but still many shining moments to celebrate
- socially distant Santa 🎅 
-getting to cast a very important vote🗳 
- Camping in the summer 🏕 
- visiting the Grand Tetons 🏔 
- getting to see Yellowstone 🐻 
- enjoying the pool 🏝 
- Humphry coming home to us 🐶 
- Enjoying the little moments together 💗
- Ice castles pre Covid ❄️
Merry 2020 🎅 😷 ❤️ Merry 2020 🎅 😷 ❤️
Socially distant Santa 🎅 ➡️2019➡️2018 Socially distant Santa 🎅 

➡️2019➡️2018➡️2017➡️2016
No matter how many times I tell you I love you it No matter how many times I tell you I love you it will always ALWAYS be more than that ❤️ #mylove #myson #cannonmichael
We are back doing school from home and under quara We are back doing school from home and under quarantine because Cannon had close contact with someone at school who tested positive for Covid. Cannon is taking it all in stride with a smile on his face. I am so proud of this little ray of sunshine ☀️ Emmy is happy to have Cannon home but we are all missing our family and friends. Happy to report we got a negative Covid test 😆 #safeathome
Crying tears of joy, hope and relief today. I am h Crying tears of joy, hope and relief today. I am happy about Joe, I believe he is a good man with character and class, but Madam Vice President is what really makes my heart sing. ❤️ #bidenharris2020
I voted because her future depends on it 💗 keep I voted because her future depends on it 💗 keeping hope alive 🤞🤞🤞
Happy Halloween 🎃 2020 - Cinderella and a pump Happy Halloween 🎃 
2020 - Cinderella and a pumpkin 
2019 - Peter Pan and Tinker Bell
2018 - Wizard of Oz
2017 - Where the Wild Things Are 
2016 - Pumpkin ❤️
#vote like your life depends on it! Felt so good t #vote like your life depends on it! Felt so good to turn in my ballot today.
Finally a morning run not staring at my basement t Finally a morning run not staring at my basement treadmill. It’s not good to have so many fires burning across the west but it does make for some incredible sunrises 🌅 #nofilterneeded #run
Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all can find as Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all can find as much joy today as Emmy does 💗
There are many pictures I love of Cannon, but this There are many pictures I love of Cannon, but this captures his personality best ❤️ I love his silly and sweet soul. Happy #nationalsonsday to my boy. Love you to the moon and back.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Tag Cloud

50k Baby Baby Update Boston Bumpdate Cannon Disneyland Emerald Europe Family Favorites Friday Favorites Gear Goals Holidays Ironman Ironman Canada Ironman Training Life Marathon Marathon Training Monthly Update postpartum fitness pregnancy Project 366 race report Races recap Run run streak trail race trail running training Travel Ultra Ultra Training Ultramarathon Update updates Weekly Recap Weekly Rundown

Monthly Archives

  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • August 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • May 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010

Easy Instagram

Loading...

Instagram Slider

No images found!
Try some other hashtag or username

Theme by 17th Avenue · Powered by WordPress & Genesis