What happend the last weeks....and 2014 race plan

Hi everybody!

It has been a while since I wrote my last blog (like almost always)! The last weeks and months have been very busy and at times very crazy. Overall my fitness improved a lot and I am on a good way to get race ready. My knees are tolerating some solid training but I still have to make sure that I balance the stress-recovery for the knees well.

I am currently in Calgary, and after we had a few nice days it started snowing again tonight! I was suppose to be in Spain right now and run a training camp for the Talisman Centre triathlon club. BUT I am currently between two work-permits and while I am waiting for my permanent residency and an open work permit I am in a so called implied status. During this time I am not allowed to leave Canada. I had for the longest time a wrong information from my lawyer and that's why we started to plan the camp. Less than 48hrs before I was suppose to leave I became the confirmation from the Canadian boarder control that I can't leave the country even if I am going on a work trip for a Canadian company to serve Canadian clients. I could go on and on about all of this but unfortunately it change nothing. Beside the fact that it effects the camp it will effect my race and travel schedule for at 2014. The estimated time that I will hopefully receive my permanent residency should be the end of 2014 or the beginning of 2015. All over this situation is very frustrating but I have to deal with it. Mallorca is probably my most favorite place on the planet and I just have so many good memories when I think about this island. Currently I have the feeling that I let my athletes and fellow coaches down that I am just sad not being able to train there with them.

I will make the best out of it and do my best to get race ready for 2014. The first race will come up pretty soon. In less than 4 weeks will it lace up my shoes to race the Oliver half triathlon. It is a first test to see where I am at before I will fly all the way to the East cost to race at Challenge St. Andrews. I am excited about this race as it will be the first time that the Challenge family will have a race in St. Andrews. In between this two half distance races I will try something "new" and do some bike racing at two weekends.
I joined the bicisport team here in Calgary and I am excited to be more involved into cycling again. The last time I raced a bike race is about 12 years ago :)! Beside the fun I hope that I will get some solid speed work out of this races...

I might do another half distance race at the end of July before the final preparation for my main race in 2014 starts. Challenge Penticton was a really bad day for me last year but the atmosphere and the course left no doubt that I will have to go back and do it better in 2014. Shortly after I will start to another trip to the East coast and will race 2 weeks after Challenge Penticton in Montreal at the Esprit triathlon which will be held in downtown Montreal and I will write more about this special course once we come closer to race day!

I really would like to go back to Palm Springs in December and try to defend my title but I have to wait what will happen with my papers...

It's been a stressful time in the last weeks and I hope to be able to focus more on the important things and having a lot of fun training, working and enjoying life!

Cheers,

Elmar