Another Jasperite, another Ironman competitor.

Local resident Stephanie English has signed up for her first Ironman Canada competition.

“I just want to see if I can do it,” said Stephanie English, who has put just about everything, including her honeymoon, on hold so that she can train hard for her first full Ironman Canada competition in Penticton.

“You can’t do everything, but you pick things that are really important – like my wedding, I got married in May. So, that was a pretty non-training day,” she said adding that being organized was important when trying to juggle a strict training regime with her social and work life.

Although it’s the Jasperite’s first full Ironman competition, she has competed in various triathlons for the last five years.

The 32-year-old said she was “really excited” about the event, but was a little nervous about the unknowns.

Describing herself as a “diesel engine, because once I get warmed up I can just go for a long time,” she’s quick to point out that her aim is not to finish on a podium, but to put her body and mind to the test.

Part of that test will be finishing the race, a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.4km run, in under 14 hours – healthy and standing.

“Hopefully, I won’t be in the medical tent,” she laughed, noting that she’ll only be disappointed if she doesn’t stick to her own plan.

“I’ll be disappointed if I let things that I can’t control ruin my race,” she said.

English, who coaches basketball at Jasper Jr./Sr. High School, said the triathlons are her first individual sport, as she’d always competed in team sports. For her, the mixture between running, swimming and riding “prevents boredom and injury.”

In preparation for the event, she has followed a 24-week program that will bring her right up to race day and has spent most of her time training alone in preparation for the 14 hour race.
“Most of the stuff is just a general maintenance for the week and then the weekends are long runs and long rides,” she said.

“If you’re tired, the only person that’s going to push you through is you. Fourteen hours is a long day, so if you’re having a crappy day you have to make it through the crappy day,” she said.

She’s also enjoyed sharing knowledge with other racers and previous competitors, such as Jasper’s Todd Wolanski.

‘This town has so many fantastic athletes, who all have lots of knowledge and are so open to sharing information with you,” she added.

The Nova Scotia born English said the 3.8 km swim, which she hopes she can do in a wet-suit, is the weakest link in her race and finds the thought of swimming with another couple thousand people a little daunting.

“It’ll be a matter of staying on the left and away from all the other people and subsequently all the other unknowns, such as Joe Bloggs kicking you in the head or something,” she said.

Training six days a week since March, English said the 180 km bike is her favourite event, but she has tried to focus on her running during her training.

“The run is fun, but painful,” she laughed. “My goal for this marathon is to run to each aid station, which is two kms, (and) have something to drink.”

In preparation for her run, she’s been running every Saturday for two-and-a-half hours, running 15 minutes and walking two minutes. “Just to train your legs to start, stop, start, stop. I’ve never run like that before. I’ve never broken it into pieces,” she said noting that it helps her to think about it as 20 two minute intervals rather than one 40 km run.

Another factor for English, as with any other competitive athletes, is sustenance.

“That’s probably been my biggest learning curve,” she said, “what my stomach likes and what it doesn’t.”

“Having some food that will give you a sustained amount of energy for that period of time and that you won’t get sick or that you won’t bonk or that you don’t fade and having those long rides where you ate wrong is probably the best learning tool. They hurt and they’re awful and they’re discouraging, but in the end I know now what I can and can’t eat.”

Even before this race has been run the athletic Jasperite is planning for 2010 and uses her knowledge towards a better training regime.

“I’m positive I’ll do it again next year,” she said.