Augusta 70.3 RR or How I fell in love with triathlon all over again

I know it has been a while since I have blogged. IM training, family life and work have kept me busy. As my training hours ramped up I tried to spend as much “free” time with my family as possible; putting less essential things in the back burner big time; with blogging being one of those activities. Also; after the last “disaster” race I had back in May I realized I had become too dependant on what blog world thought of me and my training and decided to take a step back. That proved to be a very smart decision.

Last weekend I raced Augusta 70.3. It was my third half ironman but my first “Ironman brand” race. I had never been part of a race of this magnitude. The transition area was HUGE and slightly intimidating.

Molly and I arrived on Friday evening; me by car, Molly by plane. I picked her up from the Augusta airport and we headed to the hotel. We chatted all the way to the hotel and then some; but soon thereafter it was time to get some sleep. Friday was the “most important” night of sleep according to Coach. I slept really well. Woke up without an alarm on Saturday and we headed to the river for some swimming. The current was quite strong and we were swimming upriver… Let’s just say we did not cover a lot of distance. Out of the water, walk back to the hotel, and off on a quick spin. Once the pre-race brick was done; we tried and tried to find some food. Downtown Augusta is not as cute as I thought it would be. Most of the storefronts were closed and there was nobody on the street with the exception of the athletes in town. We finally found some food (and coffee) at the host hotel and headed to the pre-race meeting and athlete check in. All I am going to say is that I expected this to be better organized. We stood in lines for at least 40 minutes; and we all know that the day before a race that is not super smart. We went through the expo and I scored a VERY nice TYR tri top for 50% off (I wore it on race day). After all that mess we went out to drive the bike course. The elevation chart posted on the website makes it look a lot hillier than it actually is. We also saw a LOT of people riding the entire bike course the day before the race. Not us!

The rest of the afternoon went by fast. Lunch, a quick trip to starbucks for some real coffee, and back to the hotel to put my feet up. Around 6 pm we headed to transition to drop off my bike and then we met up with Wes, DeeDee, Kevin and Kathy for dinner at Carrabbas. Again, not the smoothest operation around…. We waited close to 2 hours to be seated and then about another 30 minutes to put our food orders in. At this point; my head had kind of checked out already; but the company was AWESOME. While we were at dinner it started raining, quite hard actually; and for a slight bit I worried about my bike. Minutes later I realized; there was nothing I could do, so I let it go. We said our goodnights and Molly and I headed back to the hotel. I got all my nutrition ready and went to bed.

Race morning started at 5am. Woke up, ate my breakfast; drank the horrendous hotel coffee and started getting ready. I got dressed, body marked myself, Molly helped me with the sunscreen and I left. I walked to the host hotel to catch the shuttle to transition; and once I was on it I started chatting with people. I know most of you already know but the triathlon community is awesome. ‘Nuff said.

When I got to transition I set up pretty quickly. The space between the bikes was awfully small and I did not like that fact one bit. That paired with the fact that all the people from your same wave were set up next to each other made for a pretty tight set up. Coming out of the water to T1 would certainly be interesting. Anyhow; I think I have become really efficient at setting up my transition as I have learnt from past experiences what I tend to do and in what order. After setting up I headed to use the “facilities”. The line was long. Once I made sure I had done everything I needed to do in transition I headed to the swim start. Since it was 1.2 miles away they had shuttle buses; but those lines were long and out of control, so I walked. Molly was going to wait for me at the start and take my morning gear bag so I wore my spare sneakers. At this point, I was getting slightly nervous, your typical butterflies; but at the same time I felt calm. I knew going into this race that this was not a performance about time; but about executing my IM plan and making sure it worked. Upon arrival to the swim start I was delighted to see they had A LOT more porta potties J I picked up my chip and started my search for Molly. I found DeeDee really easily and we made a back up plan for my gear in case I did not see Molly. Shortly thereafter I found my Sherpa Extraordinaire. We hung out, watched the pros go off and too soon it was time for me to get ready. Wetsuit on, body glide applied, swim cap, goggles… Off to stand with the rest of the pink caps. When my wave was called we walked to the pier from where we were to start and since I was towards the end of the line I had to stay on the pier until everybody went off.

The swim

The horn went off and as people started moving away from the pier I lowered myself into the water, found some space and started swimming. I was unusually calm. There really wasn’t anything to sight off so I followed the other pink caps. I did my best to swim as straight as possible and I think I managed. There was one thing that surprised me about this swim (other than my swim time); I never freaked out, I never thought “what am I doing?” which is a common occurrence for me. I think knowing that this was NOT my BIG race helped me stay calm and focused on having a good swim and having fun rather than worrying about time. I never looked at my watch; but the swim still seemed long. You all know the water and I are not exactly friends; but I am learning to embrace our relationship J At one point I did think that I was going to have another sub par minute swim because I felt like I was not really going “faster” (there was all this hype about how much faster you’d go because of the current; and we did indeed swim faster -a lot faster- but when swimming I really couldn’t feel the current’s assistance). I just swam, and swam and swam. Eventually the swim exit came into view and I picked up my pace. As we were getting closer to the exit someone tried to grab my legs and swim over me. NOT COOL. I kicked hard so that whomever was trying to swim over me would at least get a kick in the face J You don’t mess with me on swim exit!

T1

The run to T1 was long; but I had my legs with me. I am not sure how fast I ran, but I felt calm and able to push it. They had wetsuit peelers and that was awesome. Only bad thing is that my feet were full of grass and I had no way of cleaning them. Like I said before, transition was packed tightly; and when I got to my area; both the ladies to my left and right were there as well. Not much space to move around. I got my gear and headed out.

The bike

Molly and I had driven the course the day before and it did not look as hilly as the elevation chart showed it. I left transition; clipped in and off I went. I took it extremely easy for the first .25 mile because there were A LOT of bikes on a very small space. Once we hit the open road I got aero and started pedaling at the cadence I would hold the entire bike leg… Above 85 (this was my strategy and my goal). The first part of the course seemed really fast; I was going at about 20.5 mph and I did not feel like I was working hard at all. I really tried to bring my HR down; but my watch kept showing me zone 4 (I had set my watch to show me the zones that I had pre-programmed and not the actual HR number). The funny thing is that I did NOT feel like I was riding Z4. My breathing was easy, my legs were not burning and it felt relatively “easy” to go. I decided to go by feel rather than worry about HR. I followed my nutrition plan as I am going to do for IM (goal #2 for this race) and luckily I never got tired of my “food”. I found the bike course extremely enjoyable, and honestly just had a FUN time out there. People passed me, I passed people. I was not concerned about placement at all. As coach instructed me, I spun up the hills and made sure my HR did not go too much out of control (the key to letting my stomach digest my food to ensure a good run). I felt strong the entire time. On previous races I normally hit a “low” point at around mile 48 where I want to be done and my legs are toast; my cadence drops significantly and I slug my way back to transition. During this race, that never happened. I kept getting myself mentally ready to fight through it; but the low never came. I think the nutrition plan might have been responsible for it; I think I was more consistently fueled and my energy levels remained more constant than in previous races. I was just having a lot of fun; and I think that was key. I had my best bike split on a ½ IM.

T2

Rolling into T2 I could not believe my bike split ☺ I was HAPPY. I jogged/walked my way to my rack being very careful not to step on the potholes on the way or lose footing. I put my bike back on the rack, changed shoes, grabbed my nutrition and left.

The run

I started the run feeling really good. My legs were there for the most part; definitely better than on previous races. The run for me is usually a mental challenge. I get overwhelmed by the distance I have yet to cover and I start slipping slowly. Knowing this, I started working on that right away. I kept repeating my mantras and just focusing on myself and my own race. I ran the first 2 miles non stop (maybe slightly faster than I should have.. but I can’t really judge my pace off the bike as it always feels like I am running slow and it turns out I am not) then my stomach got a little bothersome. Some burps, a little bit of reflux. I took water at the aid stations, mixed a couple of walk breaks here and there and little by little my stomach started to settle. Here is when I started seeing Molly at regular intervals on the race. She was AWESOME! Giving me encouraging words, taking pictures, relaying messages from coach. THE WORKS. Totally rocked the spectathlete, Sherpa duties during this race. I hit the 7 mile marker a little slower than I wanted; but after that my stomach finally felt better and I was able to run more. I could still not tell how fast I was running; but I kept running as long as I felt good. I would run about 8/9 minutes and then take a 30 second walk break to “relax” my stomach (harder efforts make my stomach tense up… weird, I know). I was so unattached to a time goal that I was just focused on feeling good and nailing my IM strategy. I had a smile on my face the entire time. Yes I was sore, I had a huge blister on one of my toes on the left foot but I felt AWESOME. Never ONCE did I question what I was doing on the race course. On the contrary; I was inundated with the feeling of loving this sport and being SO lucky to be able to do this. The spectators were awesome and hearing people cheer for you made you want to go harder/faster. With about one mile to go I allowed myself to look at the total elapsed time and could not believe my eyes! I was on pace to break 6 hours!

Crossing that finish line was awesome. For the first time I allowed myself to “celebrate” as I was crossing the line. I had finished the race and I felt like I could have kept going. I glanced at my watch; did a double take and started laughing. I had not set out to beat the clock; or even set a PR. Coach and I took a look at how my training has been going; what bumps in the road I have encountered and we agreed that a sub 6 was probably not achievable this time around. Especially because I was not racing at my HIM pace; but more like practicing my IM pace. And there I was; sub 6 and feeling awesome. Completely speechless.

I walked out of the finish chute; found Molly and headed towards the food/drinks. I had asked her to bring my recovery drink so I could take it right away; and I think that helped my recovery tremendously. We hung out to see Wes finish and then it was time for me to get my stuff and get on the road.

I learnt a lot of lessons during this race. The biggest ones: when I “let go” I can achieve big things; and it is definitely all in my head. Here it is to hoping I will be able to remember these lessons on November 7th.

Coping & Inspiration

It has been a couple of hard weeks around these parts. Weeks with some accomplishments and some setbacks.

I finished the first training block for IM; and I managed to get in every training session with the exception of a recovery bike after my long run last sunday. That long run was the hardest one I've had in a long time; mostly because I have been battling some really nasty leg pain on my left leg. I have been coping with it as best as I can; but sunday I'd had enough. My run was so painful that it made me incredibly angry/upset. I had to hobble/walk the majority of it and I felt cheated out of my session.

The pain basically boils down to having really tight muscles on my butt and that is putting pressure on my sciatic nerve and making my leg hurt/tingle. I have started massage therapy and it is better; but still not 100%. I will continue to go as often as I can afford it and I am doing a lot of stretching/rolling at home as well. Hopefully if I work at it diligently I will be able to solve the problem. I'll give it all I have.

Last weekend I was also asked to participate on the swim portion of a relay team on a small sprint tri. One of the coaches from my old tri program asked me if I would relay for one of the women she is coaching now; who was not so comfortable in the water. I did not hesitate to accept. I remember when I was in that same position; being afraid of the OW. The race went well; the woman had an awesome race and so did I. I had my best 1/2 mile OW time... almost 3 minutes faster than last year.

Of course while watching everybody riding and running I wanted to race pretty badly; and I had to keep reminding myself of "the big picture"; what I am trying to accomplish this year and how a short sprint is not exactly the most "beneficial" for me at this point. Next year.

The week was good; I had a nice recovery week and I mostly enjoyed my workouts. And then there was yesterday.

S (the woman I relayed the swim for) asked me if I was still planning on attending the OW practice they held at the local lake. I had told her that even though I was planning on swimming a mile (2 loops) I would swim the first loop with her. You see; she had attempted to swim the one loop by herself and found that when she got to the second buoy panic had set in and her head convinced her she could not do it.

Upon arrival yesterday morning I found S and was very specific about the goals for the day: "I will NOT let you quit. You will swim the entire loop. Doesn't matter how or how fast you go; you will move forward and you will finish." With that statement right there I also assured her that I would stick by her side the entire way and offer reassurance; I would not exactly "help" her swim, but I would be there to comfort and calm any nerves that might arise. From my own experience I knew that once you finish one of these OWS, your self confidence takes a huge boost; and that is what I was after for her.

When the horn went off we waited until everyone had left the beach to start swimming. S set off swimming and I was right behind her. A couple of strokes later she lifted her head and looked for me. I was able to notice the little "scared" feeling and I assured her I was right behind her. She sighed with relief. I moved up to her "breathing side" so that she could see me there each time she took a breath. Slowly but surely we made our way around the loop. At the final buoy; with a mere 150 yds to the finish I told S she would swim to shore by herself so that I could go on to the second loop. She agreed no problem; after all she had come that far and there was no way she was quitting now! I was SO proud of her; still am. Sometimes all that it takes is for someone to show you they believe in you.

Right now I am fresh from watching the coverage of the Irongirl Atlanta. Man! I want to race so much! I was watching the women and got flooded with this feeling of happiness and fun. I love this sport so much! Can't wait for my next race!

White Lake Race report

I thought long and hard about what I would write when I posted this race report. I still haven't quite figured it out. In a nutshell, it was the worst race I have ever executed. It was windy, it was hot, and I messed it up big time. I lost it, broke down and was never able to pick myself up.

The swim was ok, I positioned myself in the middle of my wave and when the gun went off I promptly got swum over. I did not panic, but it took me a while to find my rhythm. We were swimming on a lake, the pretties one I've ever swum in; you could see your hands and sometimes the bottom as well. I had a few minor issues here, I got hit on the face and had to stop to put my goggles back on; and I also got a cramp on my left foot. Overall, I improved 2 minutes from last year's Half IM swim. I did notice that I was not going on a straight line; and I need to keep practicing to make sure I swim as straight as possible.

T1 was uneventful. I got all my stuff on and headed out.

The bike started out good; I felt awesome the first hour. I got all my nutrition down; my cadence was right where it had to be. My HR did not go higher than Z3 the entire time; and I was keeping a pretty good speed. Then when we took a turn into the 20 mile stretch of road, they also turned on the wind and they left it on for the remainder of the race. At some point during hour 2, I got so focused on getting to T2 at a specific time; that I totally blew my nutrition. I found myself drinking just water, instead of my Gu2o; and having a hard time eating my Clif blocks.

At about mile 45 on the bike, I lost it. I realized I had slacked on my nutrition, the wind was still on; my legs were toast. I found myself yelling at the wind to stop. Talk about crazy, right?? The pavement turned really rough and my stomach was done.

When I rolled into T2, I knew I was in for a tough run. I put on my running shoes, grabbed my belt, visor and nutrition and headed out. I ran less than 1/4 mile; and then my stomach revolted, my legs called it quits and I started self doubting myself. Here is a sample of all the things that went through my head:

- You suck
- Why the hell are you doing this?
- How are you going to finish Ironman if you can't even run a Half Ironman?
- Everybody is better than you
- You should quit right now
- You should drop off from Ironman

I was so concerned about what all of you would think that I considered a DNF instead of posting the time I ended up posting. I felt so embarrased. I fought really hard with my inner competitive self. I WALKED the entire 1/2 marathon; and it took me almost the same amount of time to go the 13 miles on the "run" than it took me to go the 56 miles on the bike.

Of course I am not pleased with my results. I was ready to have a great race; and it is entirely my fault that I did not follow my race plan. And I am now experiencing what happens when you don't go according to plan. Is it easy? NO. Did I learn anything from it? YES.

I was so focused on posting an x:xx time; that I completely blew it. And I wanted to post that time so that all of you could see how good I am. And then is when I realized: Since when do I do this sport for others and not myself?? When did I lose sight of the most important part of the equation? Myself and MY achievements.

It is a hard way to learn the lesson, a HUGE humbling experience but I am glad it happened. My focus and my priorities are once again where they need to be; and I am ready to move forward.

Change is here

I am still here. I am still training. I am still working. I just needed to collect my thoughts for a couple of days.

Change is upon me; both mentally and at work. The second one BIG time. Some things transpired within the last couple of days and I am now given the opportunity to show off my colors. If you are my friend on Facebook; you might have seen my status update: "Time to step up to the plate and hit some home runs. My chance to shine is here. Game on!" A lot of people thought it was racing related; not so much. It is 100% work related. Let's just say that I have been working hard with the hopes the "higher powers" would notice. And they did. It just came out of the left field; and now it is all me baby. And I am ready.

Training is going well. Last weekend I had an outstanding open water swim. For the first time in my Tri "life" I felt strong and confident in the open water. I got into a rhythm that I was able to sustain for the entire duration of the swim. I passed people... did you read that? I passed people. That does not happen often. I am usually a coward when it comes to swimming in the open water; but that did I didn't feel that way. The water was cold; and it was a bit shocking at first; but once I got used to it, it was just perfect. A common occurrence for me is to have to side stroke, to catch a breath. Well, I did not feel the need to do it even once. The only time I HAD to stop was because the rescue boats were blocking my way getting people out of the water. And you know what? I got a bit upset because they were preventing me from negative splitting the course; just like Coach wanted me to do. All in all, I think I chopped about 5 minutes from my one mile time compared to last year on the same "course". I call that improvement :)

As much as saturday was a high in regards to training; sunday was more of a letdown. I had a less than stellar bike ride; where I could not keep my HR in check and it became a matter of "just get through it". I was not able to hit any of my prescribed intervals and was sucky overall. It is funny how you go from an all high to a pretty low place. I wrote to Liz that things didn't go as planned and the ride sucked; to which she replied that it is patterns over time that matter. I would usually be upset about not being able to perform as expected; but not this time. I told Liz I was totally at peace with the workout. And I was.

I have been at peace with myself this week. And interestingly enough; I haven't had the best week ever. With all the ruckus at work, my head and my body are just exhausted.

Next week is my season opener. And this year I am going big. White Lake Half Ironman will be waiting for me next saturday. I am trying to eat even cleaner for the 2 weeks leading to race day, and I have not had a single piece of candy or added sugar since last saturday. My reward for the hard work? Hopefully a great race, and of course a special treat after the race.

GAME ON!

What a week!

It all started last saturday with a long 2:30 ride on my trainer. It was a cold, rainy day and having 2:30 on tap for a bike ride I decided to stay indoors. The key here was the entertainment playing on my little TV. Lord of the rings: The two towers carried me through and made the workout fly by.

Having a couple of bad days during the previous week, I had to move my long run from friday to sunday (forgoeing my rest day). Sunday we got up to a torrential downpour that forced me to do the run idoors on the treadmill. I ran for 1:10 and then decided to take the "speed" intervals that were built into the run outside. It was about 32 degrees and it had stopped raining for a bit. My neighborhood is a 1 mile loop and I figured I could run the last 35 minutes of the prescribed time outside. I changed my shorts for my tights and long sleeves and out I went. It was cold but not too bad, until I made the last turn of the loop, heading to the stretch that would bring me past home. The wind was so hard that i could barely move. I did one loop and called it a day. I emailed Liz telling her I am not as tough as I thought I was: YET.

Sunday evening started snowing, which is kind of a big event here in the south. We got about 4 inches and of course everything was closed on monday, because the city does not have the infrastructure to plow the streets and all. I ended up working from home and enjoying the snow day with Megan playing outside making snow angels. I had long ride again on tap for monday morning. 2 hours. It worked perfectly because I did not have to get up extra early to fit it in before work. So the snow day was kind of welcome. It allowed me to not only work from home, but get a few extra hours of zzz's.

During that long rida I also had the company of the Lord of the Rings. The Return of the King this time. Have I mentioned that I LOVE those movies? I have read the books 3 times. Definitely one of my all time favorites.

Tuesday went on fine. I did my run after work and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think after that the week fell apart. On wednesday I had a stiff neck; I tried swimming and it HURT. So after toughing it out for the warmup I called it a day and went to work. When I got home I got on my trainer and felt completely weak. I had to inhale 1/2 a clif bar to feel like I had some kind of energy. Liz emailed me reminding me that I need to EAT; which I have been doing, so I do not know what went wrong. Thursday I woke up with a nasty migraine. It lasted all day. I even took my migraine medicine but that did not help. Of course I went to work and had a busy day. People told me I should have taken the day off, but I have a couple of trips planned for the year (including the family vacation to Disney World) and I want to save my PTO days for those occasions. There was definitely no training on thursday, my head could not take it.

Then on Friday I had a do-over of Wednesday's swim and that did not go so well. Let's say it was frustrating and not a good experience. Work was work and I still had a headache... Kind of a leftover from the prior's day migraine.

Saturday came, and I had a 5k on tap. The goal for this race was to get out there, find the hurt and learn to deal with it. Secretly I had a pace goal/finish time; but Liz not to focus on that; to work the mental aspect of the race. It was a company sponsored event, so I had to wear a t-shirt with the company's logo. Cotton. Not my first choice, but it served the purpose. I am not going to do a race report, but I will say that I was able to accomplish everything I had set out to. I even PR'd by about 20 seconds; running faster than at my peak last year. Definitely a good feeling; and something I needed after the awful week I had.

I emailed with Liz about this and told her it was reassuring that even though I feel slow during some of my training runs; I am capable to put out some nice speed on race day. The pace I ran was not in my real of possiblity a couple of years ago. Heck, even last year I didn't think I could run as fast as I did yesterday! To this day, it still boggles my mind. But you know what? I'll take it!

Here comes 2009... oh no, wait... it's already here!

Wow, 2008 is over. Done. Finished. Left behind.

I'd be lying if I said I did not enjoy it. It was quite the roller coaster ride. Lots of changes, good news, bad news, new friendships, rekindling old friendships, connecting with people, feeling disconnected from the world.

I saw a big change happen within myself. I saw my true colors. Did I like all of them? Not necessarily. But I am embracing this discovery. Accepting it. 

2008 saw me make a big commitment to the sport of triathlon. It was the year I realized I am truly passionate about it, the year I discovered I want to be GOOD at it, the year when I realized that the training is more than half the fun, the year when I signed up for my first Ironman.

2008 helped me realize that people are not indestructible, even the ones we always thought were made of steel. It helped me figure out that all it takes is determination and a strong will to get rid of a bad habit (Dad, I am so PROUD of you for quitting smoking). It helped me make peace with myself; with who I am.

2008 was a great year; full of growth & self discovery. I could not have asked for more.

2009 is here now, and I have a feeling it is going to be even BETTER than 2008. There is much more to be discovered, more adventures to be had, more love to be given.

I hope 2009 finds all of you in good health and excellent spirits. I am expecting another roller coaster ride; after all, that is life. 

Wanna come along?

Whirlwind

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since the last time I updated the blog. I can’t believe it has been almost 2 weeks since my last writing adventure, but life had me busy. Deadlines, responsibilities, duties, you name it I had it. It’s not that I did not have any fun in the past week and a half, but everything went by so quickly! Let me recap the important events that had my head in a daze of sorts these past couple of days.

Last week was spent amidst preparations to my trip to Panama City Beach. You would have thought I was racing IMFL if you had seen the lists I made. Stuff that needed to get done; things that I needed to pack; phone numbers of people I was intending to meet; countless emails and plans on how to spend the 2 ½ days I was going to be away. All much fun, once you realize that you are doing this because you WANT to and not because you have to.

On my to do list for Thursday was the much anticipated run test. You know how it goes… You warm up for 20 minutes and then you run your booty off for 20 minutes, all while wearing a HR monitor to see what your cuore (I think that is Italian for heart) decides to do. Oh yes, and you can’t eat for 3 hours prior to the thing. I don’t know what is harder: the test or being at work in the morning starving already (mind you just 1 hour after breakfast) waiting for the dang test, only to realize you had forgotten about the stupid meeting that is taking place on the time slot you had planned to go to the gym. Anyhow, after said meeting I went to the gym, and let me tell you… a GU never tasted so good and hit the spot as nicely as the one I was allowed to down before the test.

I got on the ‘mill of dread (or Dready like I call it), and started turning my legs over and over. Warm up: check. Reset HR monitor: check. Set Dreadmill incline: check. The test itself was uneventful. I think I must have looked funny to a whole bunch of people since after running hard for 20 minutes, I basically got off Dready and stood still for a minute with a pen and paper in hand to write some all important numbers that coach wanted to know about. When that was all done, I jumped back on the machine and did my cool down. Now that I think about it, I did get some weird looks… Oh well. After shooting an email with the “magic” numbers to coach she replied saying that I had had huge improvements. Not exactly in the form of speed (which is the kind of improvement I like the most) but in the form of overall fitness. Apparently whatever it is we are doing, it’s working like it’s supposed to. Have I mentioned how glad I am to have the coach that I have?? She keeps me focused, gives me the best workouts and just plain rocks. If you are considering a coach, you NEED to give HER a try; once you experience what I have, you will be a believer!

The rest of Thursday went by without a hitch. When I got home from work I packed the bag (and a small one at that) for my Friday trip, had dinner with Megan, did some extra work and after Todd got home from the airport I went to bed. I slept quite well, but I think I was up before the alarm went off. I did my morning routine, shower, breakfast, coffee; and after leaving everything organized for the weekend Todd dropped me off at the airport. I got on a plane to Fort Walton Beach, FL; where I rented a car and drove to PCB. I drove for what seemed like forever and finally arrived at the hotel, the glorious Days Inn. I checked in, changed into lighter clothes and I went to the race expo (just it case you did not guess it by now, I went to spectate/volunteer at IMFL). Holy Bikes Batman! The place was spectacular and a bit overwhelming. I mean, seriously, there must have been at least 4 million dollars worth of bike equipment in that transition area…. The place was buzzing full of people; athletes, spectators, vendors, volunteers. I had never been to a race this big before and was surprised at the level of organization that it seemed to have. Of course I hit the merchandise tent, and after drooling over a whole bunch of apparel and Mdot stuff, I retreated back to the Days Inn.

That is when I got in touch with Mary. We met at the beach and I was able to hang out with her and Luc (her son). We built some sand volcanoes and even saw them erupt clear lava (ocean water); you should have been there it was pretty spectacular. We even buried a giggling Luc in the sand! 4.30 was my cue to go, and as Cinderella would have done I left the beach to head to the volunteer meeting. At this point I was starting to get a massive headache. I did a really poor job at hydrating that day, and my migraine reminded me of the mistake for the remainder of the day. I stayed as focused as I could and after getting my wrist band I left to go get some food and migraine medicine.

I woke up on Saturday and I was ready to roll! Mary was kind enough to drop me off close to the race site so I could do my volunteering duties. I had picked and was assigned to the women’s changing tent. After checking in and getting my t-shirt I headed over to the swim start. It was a bit chilly, but the ocean looked beautiful. After a few minutes, the canon went off and the athletes hit the water. What a sight! The calm blue water turned white and a sea of colored swim caps started moving towards the horizon. As the pros finished their first lap and headed in for the second one I walked to transition. I wanted to make sure I was on the tent with plenty of time before the first few people started arriving. We got debriefed once more by our “team leader” and within a few minutes the first pros started coming in. I was able to help a couple of them, and let’s just say that not all of them are nice. We got some thank you’s but we also got yelled at.

The age groupers were a different story. At first they were coming about 2 at a time, spaced out nicely and all. I was helping a lady put on her socks and shoes and when I looked up, the place was packed! There was literally no room for us to even help anyone. I limited myself to unpacking and packing transition bags. When things slowed down a bit I was able to help some of the latecomers and got some of the most heartfelt thanks I heard. One lady even called me her “angel” and gave me a hug. It felt mighty good.

After the last participant was out of T1, my duties for the day were done and I headed back out to meet with Mary and Luc. We had breakfast and went to the hotel to rest a bit. At around noon we headed out to the Memphis House. Mary and Luc were going straight there and I hit the merchandise tent one more time to get Megan a cute t-shirt that says “My Mommy is a Triathlete”. That is when I met Marit. She helped me find the right size tee for my little munchkin and I helped her find some things she needed. After our shopping was done, we jumped on Marit’s bikes (she brought both of them so I could borrow one. Thanks Marit!) and headed out the run course. We found the house no problem… Picture this… a whole bunch of girls in sexy costumes, playing loud music and dancing to the beat. We met Laura and a whole bunch of her Memphis friends ( I am sorry I can’t remember the names). We cheered on the athletes, hung out by the pool with Mary and Luc; we saw Curt (Mary’s hubby) go by and even managed to take some pics. Marit and I rode some of the run course and then we all headed to the finish line.

We were there all of 10 minutes when we saw Curt come in. He finished the race in 9:55 and what ensued afterwards was wonderful. The excitement on Mary and Curt’s face after realizing the feat he had just accomplished. It was beautiful to witness how they didn’t even need words to connect; to know what each other was feeling/thinking. Beautiful, I tell you. Behind my sunglasses, I cried. Marit, Laura and I decided to give the Eggers' some alone family time and headed over to the second lap turn around. That is when we saw Damie make her turn and Joy head for the finish. We hung out for a couple more minutes and then found Mary and Luc again.

That night we did dinner at Dirty Dick’s and went back to the hotel. Marit and I had a nice talk, and it was great to get to know her better. By the time 10:30 rolled around I was toast and went to sleep.

The following morning I woke up before the alarm went off. I changed and headed over to the race site, yet again. This time, to start my own journey. I signed up for IMFL’09. Yes, my bloggy peeps, in exactly one year, I will be toeing the line at my first Ironman. I still find it hard to believe sometimes. Me, an Ironman. Ha!

Sunday went by too quickly. After swimming in the ocean with Marit and Mary (THANK YOU both for taking the time to show me things and for your words of encouragement) it was finally time to head back home. We said goodbye to Mary, Curt and Luc; and after a quick shower we were out of the hotel and on our way home.

It was an incredibly intense weekend. The whole race setting was inspiring; not to mention the people…The camaraderie, the ability to strike conversation with anyone and being able to share experiences and tips, making friends. It was all great. When I got home I was beaming with excitement, I am still floating on air and I have been back for 5 days now.

Next year will be exciting, challenging, short and long at the same time. It will be full of achievements, goals, disappointments, sweat and maybe even tears. Whatever it is the training will bring me, I am ready to accept it with open arms. I am ready to give it my all and aim high for my dream. Here I go.

SC Half Iron RR

This is an adaptation to what I sent to my ELF (coach)

I woke up with the alarm clock and realized I was not nervous. Maybe because I was by myself and needed to make sure I did not forget anything; I was pretty much get down to business and get ready. I ate breakfast, filled all my bottles, got my nutrition ready and headed out the door.I arrived at the race site with enough time to get all my stuff done. Body marked, weighed in, used port-a-potties, applied sunscreen. All check. As I was getting ready to go for my warmup I ran into Kellye. I recognized her from her blog pics.. I am such a stalker! She is a very nice girl, not to mention super speedy! After introductions and a few minutes of chit chatting I headed to the start line to warm up. I put my wetsuit on and got in the water. It felt good, to finally be there and realized that it was actually going to happen. I warmed up and got out of the water as they were calling people to get out so the race could start. 

Swim

When my wave was called I finally felt the butterflies. I was able to quiet them down by repeating my pre-race words in my head. We got in the water and treaded it for about 3 minutes. The gun went off and I started swimming. I went a long way without feeling out of breath or anything. I found open water and just swam, as best as I could. I did not panic, but the swim did seem long. I am not used to swim long with just breathing to one side, so  my shoulder/neck started to get tight. I also had the feeling I was going nowhere if I breathed every other stroke, so I decided to switch to breathing every 3 strokes. My goal was to not side stroke, and I failed miserably. I got punched on the face by a guy on the wave after mine. It almost took my goggles off. I did not panic about it but it took me a split second to snap out of it. People swam on top of me and into me, and for some reason that just breaks my focus. The swim seemed LOOOONG.This is definitely an area that I would LOVE to improve upon this off season since I know that it will help my times so much if I am able to conquer whatever irrational fears I have with the water. I know I can swim… I have proved it many times… I just think I am not efficient and that if I swim too hard then I will have nothing left for the rest of the race. I came out of the water and was pleased with my time but knew I could have done better. 

T1.

I was on the second to last rack out of transition which made my run to the bike quite long. I think I managed to get out of T1 pretty fast, considering I took my wetsuit off, and took the time to dry my feet off. 

Bike

 As usual, I had a hard time clipping in. I think you could say I am afraid of falling as I try to get on the bike… I lost some seconds here, but in the big picture I don't think it matters that much. We were also at an incline (going up) and I made sure I had enough momentum before clipping in my second shoe. After I did it I was off. The first mile I was quite cautious as people were yelling different things and I got a bit of sensory overload. Once I was on the open road I started to pedal with a purpose. I realized my HR monitor did not work and I thought for a brief moment I was doomed.  Then I figured I'd just have to be more careful since I'd have to go by feel. The first few miles seemed really daunting when I drove the course the day before, but to my surprise I was able to climb all the hills with little to no effort. I guess looks can be deceiving. I started my nutrition at 5 minutes in and took a sip of my sports drink every 5 minutes. I stuck to my  nutrition plan and got everything in.  My legs felt really good most of the way, except when I hit portions of the course where the pavement was super rough. I think that more than anything else took a toll on my legs. The time on the bike FLEW by, and by the time I realized it T2 was around the corner.

T2

 After I dismounted, my run to the rack was long and it felt slow. I racked my bike, took my shoes off; put my shoes on. I did pause for 5 seconds to "regroup" and put my running skirt on. I was out of there faster than I thought I was. 

Run 

I got out of t2 and immediately realized I needed to use the bathroom. I decided to trudge along and hold it. But then I saw a port-a-potty with a guy that had just gone in and I thought he would not take very long and I could go in and out in a jiffy. I was wrong! The guy took longer than I anticipated. After I took care of things I was back on my way.  I ran for the first 3 miles pretty well. I was keeping it a constant effort but I did not feel I was getting out of breath or going so hard I could not keep it up for the whole 2 loops. I took water at the first couple of water stops and then a gel. After that my stomach got unsettled. I started having reflux and that was no fun. My legs were sore but they could keep going. It was my head and the knowledge of potential stomach issues that got to me. It was hot and I started to fall apart. I did let my fear of throwing up get the best of me. And I HATE that. The hills were not as taxing to my legs as they were to my stomach. Legs could have kept pushing, maybe even kicking harder. They did hurt, and so did the stomach. I could handle the legs hurting; I gave in to the stomach. I focused on moving forward. My goal was to not walk, and I failed here as well. I cut myself too much slack when I knew that I would definitely come under 6:30; and I did not push as hard as I should. I kept moving forward and the first loop went by pretty fast. I started the second loop feeling rejuvenated. I knew that was the home stretch so I wanted to have a better loop than the first one. Did not happen. By now  it was really hot on this particular stretch of the highway where there was no shade. My shoes were sticking to the pavement… I walked/run as best/fast as I could. I took another gel at mile 9. I think that calmed my stomach down a bit, but don't quite remember. When I hit mile marker number 12, my legs and spirit got a second wind. I was running fast now. I passed people. I was dumbfounded but not complaining. I think the last mile was my fastest mile. When I saw the finish line I knew I had made it. And I smiled. I climbed that last hill pumping my arms high.. I wanted a good running picture for once.. I think I even smiled a bit . I crossed the finish line and was done.

After finishing I let the volunteers take my chip off, weighed in  and headed over to the misting station. I got in a nice cool soak and then met up with Wes and DeeDee. I had seen Wes along the run course a couple of times and we even high fived when he was on his second loop. He said to me "Dig Deep Danni" and that helped me quite a bit.  We went for some food and I was surprised that I was actually hungry... I ate a chicken burger, a brownie and a chocolate chip cookie.. along with a couple of cans of soda... I guess the splurging on junk food started before coach gave me the green light to do so. Ha! 

After resting for a couple of minutes we saw Kevin cross the finish line, he had a really rough run and we were all expectantly waiting for him. He finished strong and then joined us for some R & R. I chatted with Wes &DeeDee for a bit longer and then decided it was time to pick my stuff up and head home. When I got back into the transition area I called Todd and told him the news. He was super excited for me. Then, I called coach, and after giving her the cliff notes version  I said something that will stick with me for a long time; and I quote: The good thing is that I didn't lose any weight; so I guess the hydration worked just fine. Now THAT is what I call geeky.

Overall:

I loved the race. I was out there 6:20:05, but I am still having a hard time believing that it was indeed so long. It did not seem long at all. Even the run went by fast. I proved myself that the body can do it. I now have to work on keeping the mind quiet and focusing on something other than the pain and discomfort. I am happy with my results. Could I have done better? Absolutely. Am I upset because of it? Nope. I gave it what my body and head were able to give at the time. The good thing is (besides not losing weight) that there is a lot of room for improvement here. And I am ready.

T-2

So tomorrow I head out to SC, to race on my first HIM.

I am ready. 

Packed? Not yet.

Panicked? Not yet.

It will all come, I'm sure.

Off I go friends, see you on the flip side.

The end of peak week

Well folks, I survived Peak week. It kicked my ass, but I survived it.

What did it include?? Let me tell you...

Monday: 1.5 hrs run. With 30 minutes in zone 3 and then on the last 30 minutes, some hard efforts x 8. Nice.

Tuesday: Easy 45 minute spin to get the leg circulation going.

Wednesday: 2400 yrds in the pool, with a LOOONG main set and speed (of which I have none). Man, it burnt in my lungs... But swimming always does, so what else is new, right?

Thursday: 45 min run in zones 1-2. Wake up the legs and get them ready for the next day.

Friday: 2 hr brick, as follows: bike for 1:30, following race day nutrition plan. With 30 minutes in zone 3 and them some time in zone 4 just for kicks. Get off bike and run, first 15 minutes in zones 3-4 and then cool down the last 15. Oh, and find a place that resembles your race course (that would be hilly).

Saturday: a 40 minute swim, with some drills and open water like practice. And then to finish it of a 30 minute easy spin of the legs.

Sunday: It's my day off :)

Oh, did I mention that my office was moving this week? So not only did I do all my workouts as prescribed by coach, I also packed, lifted boxes and got my arms a NICE tiring weight training like workout.

How am I feeling?? Race ready. I have written down my race plan. I have my "words". I have my timeline of events leading to the race (day before race and race day). I have my nutrition figured out... I still need to pick out my outfit... Wanted a new top because of the occasion, but I think I will have to settle with what I already own... None of my local stores carries Zoot :( and that is a bummer. I even got a new hat! Because now that I cut my hair I really look ridiculous in my Triathlon Mom visor, something about the layers bouncing up and down and making me look totally dorky. Oh well. 

Nest week is taper and then on sunday, game on!

I am ready to end my season with a bang. Wish me luck.

I LOVE MY COACH!

Two years ago, when I first got involved in triathlon I was all about the group setting. Working out with other people, having the extra motivation to get up early knowing that I would not be doing the workout by myself. It was all laid out for us. We had awesome coaches, that handled the group very well. Some of them had their own coaching business and were pretty successful at it.

Fast forward to this year. When the time came to move on from the group setting, you would have thought that I would have chosen one of the people whose coaching style I know. Someone local, someone that already knew me. Oddly enough I did not. The coaches I had while training with the group were awesome; they knew their craft, they were great motivators, but they did not see "IT" in me. Not that they ever told me; that would have been totally classless; but you could tell by their actions. What is "IT"? I am not 100% sure, but I think it is a combination of potential, dedication and passion. 

So after stumbling upon Liz's blog and reading some of her entries (this one in particular) I decided to take a risk and sign up for coaching with her. And, oh boy! am I happy I did!!!!

Ever since I have started working with Liz I have learned more about myself than I have in a while. It is amazing how through something as simple (note that I did not say easy, because gosh, sometimes it is not easy at all!) as coaching me towards a goal she has helped me realize what I am made of. And we are still in the get to know you phase!!! I have been working with her for 5 months and I can tell you for a fact that I am in the best shape of my life. I am in better shape than I was before I had my daughter (and I thought I looked good back then), and I have been crushing all my times in my races.

Yesterday I had a Sprint tri. It was the one that got me started in Triathlons 2 years ago. Back in 2006 I finished that race in a little over 2 hours, I did it last year and I finished it in a bit under 2 hours. I did it yesterday and I finished 15 minutes FASTER than in 2007. 16 minutes!!!! The best part of it is that I felt awesome during the entire race. And after I finished I could have jumped on my bike and gone home. 

And who do I have to thank for these amazing results?? My coach Liz! Yes, I did all the work, but without her guidance I would not be here. It takes a great coach to get the best out of you; and LIZ is one of them.

Lake Logan Olympic RR

After a whole bunch of back and forth, I finally convinced Todd that he and Megan needed to come to the race with me. He has been traveling much during the week so we do not have a lot of time to spend as "family". This was a great opportunity for all of us to be together and for Megan to see me race for the first time.

We left on friday at about 1:30 pm. It was a 3 hour drive to Canton, NC. We got on the road, and decided we needed lunch. Todd and I had not had anything to eat since breakfast and were starving. So we made a quick stop and then got back on the road. About 25 minutes into the drive, Megan fell asleep for her usual afternoon nap. Wonderful :) The drive there was pretty uneventful. We got to packet pickup at about 5 pm, grabbed my stuff and headed to the hotel. Dropped the gear off and we went to check the race site.

The place was beautiful. The lake/creek was about 6 feet low from normal levels, but it was still gorgeous. As we are driving around checking the transition area and such I look out the window and spot a familiar face.... It was Ashley! I got off the car and introduced myself. She is friends with Coach, and is one fast tri-chica. She was camping at the race site with her sister and some friends. We chatted for a bit, she gave me a short scoop of what to expect the next day and then the family and I headed back to get some dinner.

By the time we arrived back into town it was almost 8 pm and we were pretty hungry. We decided to go to a steakhouse. The wait was about 30 minutes. We put our name on the list and head outside to wait. About 15 minutes later Todd goes in to check where we are on the list, and we are told that someone answered to our name. NOT COOL. The staff was accommodating and they gave us a table right away. We ate some decent dinner and headed to the hotel to get some zzz in. That said, I was NOT able to sleep. Kept waking up every 2 hours.

The morning comes, I get ready eat my bagel with PB, make my bottles of Heed and off we go. We get to the site at about 6 am. Park, get my stuff out of the car and off we go so I can set up transition. As I am racking my bike I hear someone say: "Hey Danni"... It was Wes, he was on the rack right next to mine with DeeDee! It was great meeting some more fellow bloggers. I finish unpacking my tri bag and get this feeling like I am forgetting something. Go over everything and it all looks good, so off I go to get body marked and pick up my chip. Megan decides to tag along for this task and she ends up scoring a cute pink bracelet (a chip strap). She wants to get body marked too, but I had to say no... Almost thought it would be cute for her to have a smiley face on her calf; but decide against it at the last minute.

After Todd helps me apply sunscreen it is time for me to go potty. I always get nervous before the race if you catch my drift :) There is a huge line at the port-a-potties by transition so I decide I will go to the swim start and use those potties. Only problem is that swim start/finish is about 1/2 mile away.. yeah, do to the lake being low they had to move the swim about 1/2 mile down the road. I kiss the family goodbye and head my merry way.

I get to the swim start, do my business ;) and head to the water. I put on my wetsuit and realize I had forgotten to put on body glide on my neck. Luckily for me Wes and DeeDee were there and they had suit juice for me to put on. Thanks guys! I wave them goodbye and I get in the water to warm up. 

I had forgotten how buoyant the wetsuit made me feel and after a few strokes I know I am going to have a great swim. I get out of the water and wait until it is time for my wave to start.

I was in the 4th wave. It was an in water start, so we treaded water for a good 3 minutes before the horn went off. I started swimming as I heard the horn and tried really hard not to panic, but I was not very successful. I don't know why I get this feeling like I am not able to breathe, it feels like my breathing accelerates itself and no matter how many times I try to control it, it just gets worse. So, I end up side stroking more than I would have liked. I manage to get out of the water in under 40 minutes; which was my goal, but I am frustrated by the lousy swim.

Due to the low level of the lake, they had set up a small transition area right out of the water to hold the shoes you would put on to run to T1. I get off my wetsuit, slide my running shoes and start running. I tried to focus on keeping my breathing regulated, my HR in check and not stepping on any pot holes. I get to the "main" transition area, slip off my running shoes; get my bike gear on and realize I had forgotten to unpack my sunglasses. I KNEW there was something missing when I set up. I had to reach into my bag and grab those suckers. Because of the LOOOONG run to T1 from the water I had a T1 time of over 9 minutes. 

As I am getting in/out of T1 I see Todd and Megan and they are yelling for me: "Go mommy go, go mommy go!!!" I make sure I smile each time I see them and also give Megan a thumbs up :) LOVED having my girl and hubby there (they make me want to go faster so I can see them quicker).

The bike was awesome! After mounting the bike, you went about 100 yards and there was one of the 2 big climbs for the course. I manage that challenge really well. Stay on the saddle the whole time. After that climb came the downhill, it looked pretty steep and I got chicken sh!t. Oh well. Better luck next time. 

The course was wonderfully flat; with some minor climbs to keep your legs working a bit. I felt strong the entire time and was able to stay aero for most of the ride. I passed some folks, mostly girls, a few guys and then there was THD (tall hairy dude). Each time I yelled, "on your left" and tried to make a move on him, he would speed up; only to fade about 45 seconds later. If I tried to pass him, while he was behind someone, he would try to pass the person in front of him. He pissed me off. He finally stretched the gap in between us, on some downhill; since I am scared of losing control of my bike. I decided to focus on my race and leave him be. I am killing this bike ride, minding my business, getting the best our of my effort; and then I see him in the distance. THD was about 100 yards in front of me. I am pedaling hard, pushing the big ring and closing in. He is riding far to his right, so I decide NOT to yell my passing attempt this time. I effortlessly go by him and think to myself: You got Chicked! :) Wouldn't you know it? He picks up and passes me. Oh really? I pick up again and pass him, once more: THD you got chicked, twice! I am feeling good. I push it, hard. Get to the 20 mile marker and know that I am almost home. My legs are feeling great, my Hr is keeping nicely but my stomach is complaining. The PB bagel I had for breakfast didn't digest very well... I could taste it (yuck).

Around mile 23 you hit the second big climb of the course, I fought the urge to get of the bike and walk. Powered up, got through it and as I am going downhill, THD passes me and I could see the smile of satisfaction on his face. Me? I thought, you need a DOWNhill to pass me dude... I would not be proud of that :)

T2 goes without a hitch. I think it was one of my fastest of the season. Once again I see Megan and Todd yelling at me. Thumbs up and back to work.

The first 5k of this run was uphill, my calves could feel it (so did my stomach). My legs feel heavy and it seems like I am going nowhere. I sing in my head, walk the water stops, take a sip of water and keep running. As I am in between miles 2 & 3, I see Wes. He yells at me and I don't even remember what I said. It did make me smile. When I reach the turnaround it is amazing how much easier it felt to run. My calves were still on fire but I try to pick up the pace, only to be shut down by my "breakfast threat" once again (note to self: no more PB bagel for breakfast on race morning). I settle into a comfortably hard pace and cruise my way in to the finish. 

As I am running the last .2 miles I see Megan and Todd in the distance cheering me on. I give them the thumbs up again and smile big. Cross the finish line, get my chip removed and walk to the side. Megan and Todd come over. She wants to give me a hug, but I tell her I am all sweaty and wet; so we settle down for a kiss. She proceeds to tell me: You won mommy. All I can do is smile. 

In my own little way, I did win. I had 15 minute PR, even with the long run up to T1. I managed to run with my stomach issues; which is something that would have made me walk before. I met some fellow bloggers. And I made my husband and daughter proud. 

I mean, what else could I ask for, right?

Triangle Sprint Distance Tri RR

First of all, let me start by saying... This one was FUN! 

Swim

I was on the 5^th wave with all women 34 and under, as well as the athenas.  Coach wanted me to take a risk and start at the front of the pack to see if that would make me swim faster. I obliged. The start line was so wide it looked like everybody was on the front; so I positioned myself smack in the middle. I figured, if I am not going to have people swimming through me from the back, then I will have the people that are trying to get close to the buoys swimming towards me. Same effect, right?  I started as best as I could and FINALLY figured out that the first 5 minutes of my swim is when I freak out. I start to doubt if I can do it, and “panic” sets in. I think about just quitting (happens every single time) and luckily I am able to talk myself out of it. 

I found a rhythm that works, it’s not super fast and every 12^th stroke I sight and sort of stick my head out of the water (almost go vertical all the way). This somehow helps me regain composure and tackle other 12 strokes. I know it slows me down, but it works, so I keep doing it. I just want to get out of the water. I get passed by about 10 guys from the swim wave after mine. I reach the shore and I am not the last one with my cap color. Glance at my watch, see the time (about 2 minutes faster than my best .5 mile OWS) and that just makes my day.

T1

Run to T1 and do my best to hurry up. Put on my socks, shoes, glasses, helmet. Unrack bike and GO. The run to the mount line is LONG…. On big gravel and my feet are finding every single “pothole” hidden under the rugs we are supposed to run on. Finally get to the mount line, get on my bike and get to work.

Bike

I start passing people, but the first ¾ mile the road is super narrow and there is not much room to move around. And since there is no drafting allowed, it slows me down because I do not want to get penalized. I had seen the USAT officials all over the place and I wanted to play by the book. As soon as the road opens, I am all over the bike course hills. It was a hilly... Rolling hills, the only truly flat section was the beginning and the end. I pushed hard throughout, trying to spin my legs when I could. The course was full of U turns (at least 3) and I am NOT comfortable cornering, so it slowed me down considerably. I got passed by some  people on the bike, mostly guys riding disc wheels and zip wheel sets. So I am not too worried. I am OWNING this race. It is all about me. My goal for this bike was to have an 18 mph average and to stay seated on the climbs. I was able to accomplish both; except for the last hill. I stood up half way through it. I wanted it to be over, I was done climbing. 

When I got to the home stretch (the flat part, 3/4 miles to go), I get into the big ring and push. One of the things that had worried me during the bike was not being able to ride the big ring a lot because of the climbs. I thought that was going to be detrimental to my speed, but apparently it wasn't. 

The last ¼  mile was pretty chaotic; there were a lot of people everywhere, bikes, people running, spectators (young children running around). I slowed down because the kids were all over the place and I did not want to crash. Hit the dismount line, unclip and go.

T2

Run the way back to T2 (same gravel road as before, my feet still manage to find every pot hole). Slip of my bike shoes, run shoes on and I go.

Run

The run is a total blur.  The goal for the run was to break 28 minutes on the 5k. I looked at my watch and saw 1:07:xx. At that moment I said to myself "you need to come under 1:35 to meet the goal, get to work". I remember wanting to stop a lot during the first mile. Never did. I walked through 1 water stop (the first one) and then I think I might have hit cruise control, because I don’t remember much. The only other thing I remember is seeing one girl I know fly by me, that and saying "No thanks" to the volunteers at the water stops. Next thing I knew I was crossing the finish line, and I felt GOOD. I looked at the watch and saw my time 1:32:xx. Where in the world did this speed come from? I smile and sing a little victory song in my head.

 

The race was awesome! It is definitely going in my schedule for next year! The only thing I would have changed is not related to the race itself, but to the fact that I went all by myself. I did not know anyone, and felt kind of lonely while the rest of the people got to mingle with their friends and family. 

It was a great race for me, and helped me figure out a couple of things I can improve upon. 

Volunteering and the ride from hell.

After the tri last weekend, my body was pretty trashed during the first part of the week. Getting up to do my workouts required a lot of mental strength. But I got through them and by friday I was feeling pretty good.

Until I went on my 1:20 run. I had not run that long in forever, so it was actually nice. Even though it was humid and very sticky, I managed to keep a nice pace while keeping my HR in Z2 as Coach wanted me to do. There were some times where I'd have to walk to keep HR down, and that made me a bit mad.  This HR training is definitely not easy for me, because I like going fast; but I have already noticed improvement in my running ability so I will suck it up and keep doing it.

Yesterday I volunteered at a local tri. My duties included body marking and then being in the run course, at a turn (more as a one person cheering squad than a course "marker").

Body marking was interesting, I got to see up close a whole bunch of different people: men, women, young, old, first timers, elites. I managed to make some of them laugh, was scared of some others. There was one particular gal that I remember quite vividly. I marked her number and then asked what race category she was racing in, she replied Athena. I had to do a double take... "Athena? you don't look like an Athena"-- "Thank you, I had gastric Bypass surgery and the skin is what makes me be over 150 lbs"--- "Well, you look great"-- "Thank you". Talk about turning your life around 180 degrees. Impressed, to say the least. I was also pleasantly surprised at people thanking me for volunteering and for being there. Always nice and something that i will definitely do when I race.. Now that I have been on the other side, I know how good it feels to be recognized for the good things you do. What goes around comes around, right?

After body marking for about an hour, they took us out on the run course. They put me in a spot where the road split in 2, to make sure that people took the correct path... even though there was a sign with an arrow. I saw the elites go by, riding their disc wheels... (love the sound). This was a sprint, so within the hour those first runners where going past me. I did not cheer for the elite people... I found that they do not like it very much... as if it breaks their concentration or something. A short while after the elites came by, everybody else started showing up as well. Let me say, I need a new set of hands and a brad new set of vocal cords. Towards the end, when the runners were coming every few minutes, I would run out to them; and join them for a few yards giving them words of encouragement, or simply talking if they wanted to. I am embarrassed to say that this felt good for 2 reasons: being able to help them keep going; and moving my legs!!!! After standing up for so long it felt great to actually run/jog some.

The last guy came by, and it turns out that with about 7 miles to go on the bike; his bike broke. So he got off it and ran with it, barefoot, to transition (7 mi) put on his running shoes and did the 5k. And finished, last but he crossed the finish line. Human willpower at its best.

After the race was over I went to do my 2:30 ride that coach had put on my schedule. I loaded my water bottles with accelerade, got my food on the bento box and off I went. It was 11 am.

I was too keep HR in Z2 for most of the ride and then let it go to zone 3 when climbing or riding into the wind. Well, as I have said before, Charlotte is like a constant hill. Needless to say, I had a tough time keeping my HR low. I also struggled with going slow. I do not like it. 

About 1:30 hours into the ride; I was ready to get off my bike. My lady parts hurt quite a bit, my legs were complaining (I would too if I had been forced to sustain the body weight for 5.5 hrs straight) and I had miserably failed the task at hand of keeping my HR in check. Oh, yeah... I had also fallen of the bike in the most stupid way possible, so my left leg and but cheek have some nice bruises that make me tough. With about 45 mins to go I finally talked myself into letting go of the speed. Get aero, keep cadence and just HTFU. The last part of the ride was better. I kept my effort constant, and made my legs shut up. 

I did pretty well with my nutrition, or so I thought until I got off the bike... That's when my stomach dropped. Coach thinks it's because maybe my stomach can't handle the whey protein in accelerade, and suggested I tried other sports drinks. 

I wanted to ask you guys, what has worked for you?