Caroline St-Pierre

10 days until the big day   After a horrible start to this year triathlon season, here is my last chance to prove, to you and mostly myself, that I can compete among the bests. The mission isn't easy because I will have to do so during an Ironman, which is a distance I haven't done yet. However, I've always been convinced and I am today more than ever that it is MY race. After St-Andrews half-Ironman, I thought about giving up.  I told myself : " How can I complete an Ironman if I can't even complete a half-Ironman in a decent time for a professionnel athlete ? ". Then, I read an article on Triathlon Magazine written by some coach I don't remember saying that we can build endurance for an Ironman in only 4 to 6 weeks prior to the event. Confidence came back. Even if you now tell me the article isn't that much right, I don't care, it gave me what I needed to face Ironman. Since the end of the school year, I'm training full time. I've

Pierre-Yves, Julien and I, after the race, photo de Linda Chouinard After a sprint triathlon at Joliette, I'm slowly building to Ironman distance with an olympic triathlon at Drummondville. At first, I was going to do the elite race where drafting is legal. I was going to take my old road bike because TT bike aren't allowed. Unfortunately, the race was cancelled due to the small number of athletes registered. I wonder who was the most disappointed. My bike, who misses his chance to show he can still compete against the new bike generation made of carbon and di2 or, myself, because I miss the opportunity to prove short distance athletes that long distance athletes can still kick their ass. Anyhow, I went to Drummondville for the age groupe triathlon with my Garneau TR1 for the non-drafting race. This time, I can't afford to make as many mistakes as last time because the heat and the longer distance won't allow it. I arrive extremely early, I haven't forgotte

Photo du web magazine 10-21-42 km Why not start smoothly my triathlon season with a sprint triathlon ? It's the best way to practice transitions and test the new equipment before the big races. To you, newbies, learn from the following mistakes. Last week, I decided to fix my bike myself (mistake #1). So, 4 days before the race, I had to bring my bike to an unknown bike shop (mistake #2). The day before the race, I try my bike for the first time ever (mistake #3). My aerobars are too low. "Anyone has a torx tool ?" I left mine at home (mistake #4) and this new bike has torx screws everywhere instead of hex screws... "Thanks, Michel". I fix the aerobars. Next, I try to shift gears, but it doesn't work. "Chuck? Can you take a look ?". Oh ! The wire is slack. This time, I need a hex tool to fix it. Finally, I go for a tense 45km bike ride. It takes some time to get used to the new fit. Always the day before the race, I want to fix a bott

Photo from Pamela It's 3 o'clock when I finally write these words. A call from mom gives me the energy to drink some chicken soup and, then, to write this race recap. Honestly, my running is going well. In the past weeks, I did some crazy trainings at the end of which I was verifying the distance shown by my polar V800 on Google Maps because I couldn't believe it. Since January, my goal is to run today's half marathon under 1 hour 23 minutes, which is 2 minutes faster than my PB. I believed in my goal. Two weeks ago, I was sure I could make it. However, 10 days ago, I had a cold that hasn't left me. But, I still believed in my goal when I woke up this morning. The start was at 10. The day is perfect : not too cold, not too hot, bright shiny sun and not too windy. Pamela is my PERSON today, the one who keeps me company until the start, helps with nervosity, cheers, etc. #BSCE At the start line, I meet James and his friend, Eric, both wishing to run the sa

How I will look like at the pool this week In order to balance my professional and social life with my trainings, I haven't swum since September. Well, I have, like 5 or 6 times, which is really like I haven't. In fact, my coach and I thought I should maximize my time on the run and the bike because that's where I lose most of time to my rivals. However, it couldn't last forever. Time has come to go back to the pool ! I've asked a good friend of mine, Coach Oli, whom I consider the best swimming coach, to help me get a swimming shape in less than three months. What a challenge ! With Spring on its way and numerous cycling hours outside coming, weeks won't get easier. It's exciting :) Finally, in exactly a month, I'll be launching my 2015 season at Montreal Half-Marathon. I ran the course twice before. In 2012, I ran 1:27:59 and, in 2013, I ran 1:25:12. This year, my public goal is 1:22:59. Bets are on as for my secret goal ;) Happy training

There were a lot of big races this week end : Mooloolaba WC, Sarasota et Lima American Cups, Las Olas, 70.3 Puerto Rico et Monterrey, NYC Half Marathon, etc. While some have already started their season, I feel like I've only started training seriously. I ran outside ! On asphalt ! Not just 20min. 21km ! Let me explain myself. I don't run outside during winter anymore. Not because of our cold Quebec winter, although it would have been a good reason this year. It's because of the snow and ice on which we have to run outside. I got injured in the past. Good news ! I'm injury free so far this year :) Yesterday, I ran outside. With my new Merrell running shoes (pink !!) on dry asphalt. At the end of an easier training week, I had an hour of bike (inside obviously) followed by a 21km run. During summer, it's not that big of a deal, but yesterday, it came as a wake up call ! I realized that my triathlon season is coming fast. I wish you all great Spring training !

Training for the next triathlon season is on its way. On Friday nights, I'm devastated ! I had lost the ability to plan every minute of every day : plan 10 snacks, plan diners for the week, plan all the clothes for a full day of training, take a 3-minute shower, etc. To keep myself grounded, I joined a gaelic football team. You know, to take away the self-centred attitude coming from individual sports and bring back the team spirit. But... What is Gaelic Football ? It's the Irish national sport. Quickly, it's a mix between american football, soccer, rugby, basketball, volleyball, handball. Yeah... Everything ! However, not for everyone. It's a very complete sport : technical, tactical, physical. For now, we're playing with the men. But, it would be awesome to build a women team. If you're interested, write to me ;)  Thanks PATRIOTES ! ABÙ !!

The first time I saw a triathlon was in Taupo, New Zealand, in 2006. I was running my first half-marathon that weekend, which was the same as Taupo Ironman. I learnt about the Ironman distances and I thought those athletes were crazy. But I remember feeling a little light of excitement inside me. A few months later, I started training for triathlons in Quebec. In 2008, I went to Lake Placid Ironman to cheer some friends. The weather was terrible : rain, cold, falls, hypothermia. Numerous athletes did not finish. I remember seing Hilary Biscay getting off the bike first, but losing on the run. She had such a short and fast stride. Her knees were low. I couldn't believe this stride could make her run a 3 h30 marathon. I had cheered the whole day, mostly on the run course, yelling the name of every runner passing by. That day, even with the worst weather, even if I saw so many struggling bodies, I swore I would do an Ironman. Because even though these athletes were suffering,