Back to it!

Alright, I'm back in the saddle and ready to keep going with my blog. After my last full Ironman (2 years ago!) I competed in a half Ironman and a sprint tri, a couple of marathons, and my first ultramarathon (50 miles).

Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2008 - Revenge was sweet!

I don’t think I slept much more than a wink the night before the race…this time, even though I felt an immense amount of pressure to make the bike cut-off and finish successfully, I almost felt like a kid waiting to wake up on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought me. I don’t know a better way to describe it than to say I was excited and calm all at the same time. Excited to see what the day had in store for me, calm because I knew I put in the training and was ready to execute it.

I left the hotel room at 5am, made a quick stop to the nearby Starbucks, and was in the transition area by about 5:30am. I made a checklist of my morning activities on a small post-it note which helped me keep on track and ensure that I had everything ready. Checklists are great…even down to the most simple and ridiculous detail…it takes that extra bit of pressure off of you on race morning. This was the first time I actually remembered to put water in my aero-bottle! Feed bottle contained 1400 calories of Infinit. Got my special needs and T1/T2 bags all squared away, then moved away from the nervous-nellies and found a happy place on the grass to keep a sound mind.

Here’s a picture of Bryce and me, right before I started shoe-horning my body into my wetsuit.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27992366@N04/2609900672/in/photostream/

I was flooded with emotion when I gave Bryce a kiss and hug goodbye before making my way over to the swim start. Tears welled up as I thought back to IMCDA 2007 and the disappointment I experienced. I knew I couldn’t go through that again and this was my chance to prove something very big to myself.

As crazy as the swim start can be with 2200 athletes trying to swim in one area, there’s something to be said for that little piece of relief that hits me when I hear the gun go off signaling the start of the race. This is it, I’ve done the training, and now I just need to get through the day.

Ah, what a difference a couple of degrees makes! I think it was close to 60 degrees and my face didn’t hurt near as much as it did on the Friday morning practice swim. I never really got into the groove and rhythm of the swim like I usually do by the halfway point…I just kept battling with crooked swimmers or people stopping to figure out where they were while trying to dodge the breast-stroke-kickers. 1:39 and I was done with that swim. Not my best time, but I knew I played it smart and didn’t burn through my energy stores needed for the bike…and “the line” (mile 18...that's where you put your nose to the grindstone, forget about the pain, and try to actually push it).

Now the bike is what took me out of the game last year, so this is where I needed to play it smart. I felt so good on the first loop, I can’t even begin to tell you. The ‘hills’ that I remembered from last year seemed a little bit smaller, and my legs felt strong. I think it took me about 3:45 to get through the first loop. I do have to admit I wasn’t necessarily that excited to start the second loop of the bike…it’s a tough bike course! On the second loop I was coming up on another bicyclist and I could hear a motorcycle coming up behind me. I was careful not to encroach the drafting zone but I kept hearing this motorcycle just sitting on my tire…waiting for him to pass. Next thing I knew, I heard a guy say “You’re on tv, Brenda.” Geez, I probably should have sucked in my stomach and improved my posture, but oh well! With nothing better to do, I started chatting up the guy holding the camera on the motorcycle and gave him my sad-boohoo story of missing the bike cut-off by 2 minutes schpeel. In a way, it was cathartic to be able to tell people of last year’s race because it held me more accountable to achieving a very necessary outcome this year. As I made it back in town I was so jazzed that I was going to make it into the bike cutoff with plenty of time to spare that I pushed against that headwind, passed several on the last 20 miles and came in after 7 hours 34 minutes. I thought I might have been able to pull off a 7 hour ride, but I can’t tell you how happy I was to be done and see that bike finish. I dismounted my bike and ran to the bike finish arch and hugged it while bystanders and volunteers laughed. I turned to a few and said, “If you only knew…” Eureka ! I think I might have been the most excited person on the course that day to be starting the marathon.

The coaches warned us about getting to amped up on the bike course and to ultimately hold back until the line (mile 18) where then we should kick things into gear and get’er done. Under any other circumstance I would have likely complied but I apparently got my heart rate soaring coming in against those crosswinds and perhaps running a bit too fast on the first two miles of the run with all the spectators around cause next thing I noticed, I had some stomach cramping and bloating around mile 3. I also noticed that my Garmin heart rate monitor was not working for some reason which was bothering me mentally. Uh oh! Thankfully I knew just what to do, I stopped taking in calories, laid off the fluids, and walked from mile 4 to mile 9 just to get back on track and let my heart rate settle. I picked up the pace after that, felt good, and got over the fact that my stupid HR monitor was telling me I was at 30bpm. The GPS worked, so I went off pace (perhaps Coach Patrick and Rich sabotaged my Garmin for that very reason???) I knew my body, I didn’t need a stinkin’ watch to tell me how I was feeling. I came back in through town to start my second loop where Bryce was antagonizing me to ‘step it up a notch’. I told him I was holding some in reserve for mile 18.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27992366@N04/2609070917/in/photostream/

Around mile 17 I was mentally preparing for “The Line” and thinking about my several One Things that would get me to the finish line in light of how difficult things got or how much pain I was in. (1. To finish; 2: To run the best IM marathon I ever have; 3. To finish when it was still light out) I kept looking at my watch trying to calculate whether I could make it in by 9:30pm and knew I was cutting it close, though I was CERTAIN that I would nail 2 of my 3 One Things. I felt a little loopy in my head and took in a bit more calories and fluids. I also started to feel some pain creeping in my body since the Tylenol I took at 5am was wearing off. I had a little Ziploc bag of meds in my pocket so I stopped at an aid station and picked through it for 2 Tylenol. Now I was ready to Bear Down and give it all I had.

Mile 18 and I started running with a purpose and a pace. I ran the whole last 8 miles of the race with exception to the few uphills. I began counting each of my victims that I picked off during those 8 miles and decided that at victim #60 I would allow myself 30 seconds of walking. Wouldn’t you know that I was approaching a group of three people that kept each other on track and convinced one another to keep running so I had this moving target for almost a mile. Oh, the tragedy! I finally passed them and almost yelled out “62”. I could feel a nagging blister on my left pinky toe that decided to relieve itself at mile 24 and I nearly crumbled to the ground. Seriously, how could a flippin’ little blister be that painful? I modified my gait a bit trying to stay off that portion of my foot but could then feel other muscles threaten in my left shin to cramp, so I bucked it up and ran “normally” (ha, I wish I could see video footage of this!) I was running like the wind (if you want to call 11 minute miles running like the wind) and rounded the corner to see the finish line lights down a slightly graded downhill. I handed out high fives like I never have before, smiling from ear to ear. I spaced myself out from a finisher ahead of me so that we could have our own little piece of glory at the finish line. Oddly, I didn’t hear Mike Reilly announce my name and that I was an Ironman, but I’ve been told he did.

15:01:00
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27992366@N04/2609903090/in/photostream/

Success. Redemption. Revenge. Goodbye evil monkey!

Like any true athlete, I can’t help but analyze this race and think about the things I can do to improve my speed and come through that finish line even faster next time (yes, I said next time):
*I trained with a Garmin Forerunner 305, using GPS and heart rate, along with perceived effort. I have no doubt that a power meter is one of the next steps for me to take if I want to improve greatly.
*I trained by myself 95% of the time, and know that I could benefit in speed and technique on both the run and ride if I started doing more group rides and running with someone that can push me a bit more.
*Continue to focus on my diet and lean up.

What’s next? I would LOVE to do another one. Here I am, still hobbling around and vividly remembering how hard this was, but I want to do another. I just have to test out Bryce and see when and if I can get his blessing. I’ve nearly convinced him to sign up for Cal 70.3 with me…misery loves company.

I went swimming today and had some tool split the lane with me. He was totally trying to compete with me and I kept thinking, “Oh yeah, you’re such a stud, you’re just beating the pants off a 3 time Ironman who just did IMCDA 3 days ago.”

I’m planning on sleeping in this weekend, catching up on some housework, organizing some closets, gardening, and drinking some wine! Next week I’ll work on my training plan and start hitting the trails to train for Pikes Peak marathon which is a mere 7.5 weeks away.

I'm anxiously awaiting for the race photographers to post pictures and also learned that I made it on the race highlights DVD which I'm going to send away for.

Thanks to all for following my story and being so supportive, you were with me the whole way!

Tenacious-B, that's my middle name...look out Ironman Coeur d'Alene!

Hello from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho!

Has it really been a year since I was last here? They say time flies...but with this heavy monkey that's been riding my back for the past 365 days, it's dragged on a little. I plan to put him to shame and throw him to the curb on Sunday...just you wait!

The big question mark this year is the swim. Coeur d'Alene Lake is currently 55 degrees and that's substantially colder than what most triathletes are accustomed to. Last year it was the white-caps and choppy water conditions we battled, this year it will be the cold. I'm just about to go meet with a group to do a practice swim right now. A few of them went out yesterday and explained that it felt as though you were sticking your face directly into snow. Fantastic! I guess this race wouldn't mean much if it were easy.

So, this year I trained much smarter and I'm ready. The cannon goes off at 7am on Sunday, June 22nd where I'll start my 2.4 mile swim, then ride my bike 112 miles through nearly 6000 feet of total elevation gain, then run 26.2 miles.

On Sunday, you can see live updates and track my progress on www.ironman.com. My race number is #1928. There will be live video feed on the course and they will keep a camera on the finish line. You can also select the Track an Athlete link to view my pace and what I've completed so far.

I'll see you all on the other side of the finish line on Sunday!

Third time was not a charm

Well, it was a much more difficult day than I anticipated, the swim was choppy and rough, so they made it optional to the athletes, though I did it anyways. The bike had a fair amount of winds and a lot of hills, which just depleted me. It hurt, and most of my body hurt, I had aches and pains exponentially worse than ever before, and I never quite got warm through the 8.5 hours of the bike. When I crossed the bike finish line, I found out that I had missed the time cutoff by 2 minutes, which meant they wouldn't allow me to do the marathon. I was shocked, though the last hour of the bike I did start wondering if this might happen and had to prepare myself mentally for it. In some ways I was a little relieved, however all I wanted to do was get off that bike. I "think" I had 26.2 miles still left in me, though I'm sure it wouldn't have been pretty. DNF - that's what they call it, did-not-finish. I'll chalk this up to a lesson learned and use it for that next time. Yes, I said next time, again...

Thanks everyone for your words of support, sorry if I kept you online checking the internet for updates late last night. I did finish the whole bike leg but unfortunately they may not post all those interval times.

I had this goal to finish when it was still light outside, and go have a burger and beer afterwards. To shed some positive light on the whole thing, I did "finish" during daylight, and I did have that burger and beer ;-) Next time, I'd just rather hear Mike Reilly call out my name and tell me I'm an Ironman before the burger and beer.

Ironman #2 - wrap up

My day began at 4am on Sunday. I got to the transition area shortly after 5am and my nerves began to build as the morning progressed. Brief moments of doubt crept in my head. It seemed so different this time around. Just one year ago I was standing in the same place having never completed an Ironman triathlon - it definitely was nice being less of a rookie.

1950 athletes entered the water around 6:45 where we all had to tread water until the cannon went off at 7. I got clocked in the head a few times, but managed to avoid any kicks to the face. It took nearly 30 minutes for us all to spread out and find our own pace and space. At that point I just tried to swim in as straight of a line as possible and avoid those crazy-crooked-swimmers that zigzagged amongst me. I worked really hard this time to improve my swim, and found that it paid off. After 1 hour 33 minutes (an 11 minute improvement from last year!), I exited the water and had two volunteers kindly peel me out of my wetsuit.

It was a different source of evil this time. I didn’t have to battle 30-40 mph winds on the bike this time; this year I encountered high 80 to low 90-degree temperatures with crosswinds of 5-10 mph. Pick your poison... Out of the 1950 athletes, there were over 200 that did not finish and were likely victims of the heat.

Over the course of 112 miles I saw many cacti, endless desert, and obsessed over whether I was getting enough fluids and calories. I enjoyed the bike part most out of this race, I felt as though all the hours I did in training really paid off. I saw several cyclists along the side of the road fixing flats, but thankfully I did not have to fix any myself. I finished the bike in 7 hours 5 minutes (a 30 minute improvement from last year). I can’t help but wonder how I would have done had there been no wind this year… And next time someone really needs to tell me if my helmet is on crooked - I rode for 112 miles looking like that!

I experienced some minor hydration issues early in the run (I’ll spare you the details) and had to walk through it for a bit. Along the way I met many people, heard stories about their day, and offered supportive words to some that were not looking too good. The cloud cover came in late in the afternoon and the temperature dropped to the low 80s. I was on track to meet my race goal up until about mile 10 of the marathon, that’s when I started slowing down, walking a little more, and running a little less. The amount of negotiation that your brain and body goes through at times like this is really amazing. I resolved that as long as I improved my overall time against last year’s race, I’d be happy.

I crossed the finish line at 15 hours, 8 minutes, and 59 seconds, taking 24 minutes off of last year's finish time. It was not quite the 2 hour improvement I was hoping for (maybe that was a lofty goal?) but I can guarantee you that I left it on the course, specifically between miles 86 and 112 where I averaged 21.5 mph. Not even an hour after the finish, all the symptoms of a cold crept in - I feel very fortunate that I was able to stave it off until then. I did get my burger after the race, but I skipped the beer this time. I will drink plenty of those in the weeks to come. ;-) And next time, (yes, I again said next time) I will finish a little earlier in the evening to enjoy that beer afterwards.

I’m not ready to retire from Ironmans just yet, but I definitely would like to get more than a 12-month break between this one and the next…well, there is an exception to that statement. I’ve signed up for the Kona Ironman World Championship lottery slot. There are 200 lottery slots given out and I will find out whether I am one of the “lucky ones” on April 15th. I will keep you posted! Third time is alway a charm, right???

Thank you all for your encouraging words and support! As much as they say this is an individual sport, I attribute my successful finishes to those who have individually touched my life and motivated me to challenge myself time and time again.

Here we go again - Ironman #2

Well, in about 115 hours I’ll be getting the number 1768 painted on my legs & arms, zipping up my wetsuit, and getting ready to jump in the water to start a 2.4 mile swim, followed by 112 miles on the bike, and a marathon run of 26.2 miles. How has one year possibly passed by this fast? And did I really sign up for this again?

It’s a bit different going into this race for the second time, I’m a bit less anxious, a bit more confident, but I also have higher expectations to live up to for myself. All I can hope for is continued good health over these next 4 days (as Bryce is sick with a cold right now – argh!), no kicks to the face in the swim, no 30 – 40 mph winds on the bike, no flat tires, and a smooth run through the finish line. Last year my goal was to finish with a smile; this year it will be to leave it on the course and finish two hours earlier so that I can go get a beer and burger afterwards…priorities, you know… ;-)

The following website will offer live coverage and updates: www.ironmanlive.com
You’ll click on the Ironman Arizona icon that indicates it has live coverage (it will be toward the top in the center of the page). That will bring up an extra window that will give you some text updates and have various tabs across the top. Then you can select the “Athlete Finder” tab and input my bib number (1768) or last name. The “Video and Audio” tab will allow you to see live camera footage of various parts of the race. As the day progresses, they keep a camera on the finish line, up until midnight, where you can see everyone finish. There's also course information on www.ironmanarizona.com.

I'm heading out to Arizona on Thursday around noon. Here’s to another good race and I hope to send you all an update of how things went early next week!

23 weeks, 6 days

until IMAZ 2006. It snuck up on me, just like I knew it would. We just went to Kona and watched the Ironman World Championships which was incredibly inspiring. These athletes, both pros and amateurs, were amazing. It made me want to train harder, eat better, and continue to improve in the sport of triathlon. As I sit here today and think about all of this now, for the first time in my life, I was able to openly admit to my husband yesterday that I have a calling to pursue this triathlon thing further, to see just how far I can get. I guess I'm talking a bit cryptically right now...I feel that the minute I actually put it in writing, then it actually becomes a true goal that I'll need to strive for...so here it goes: I am feeling as though I was put here on earth to become a professional triathlete, to spread the word that 'Anything is Possible' (the Ironman motto). I had barely even run 3 miles just four years ago, so wouldn't it be incredible to actually qualify for the Kona IM World Championships? And make a name for myself??? So, there, I've said it.

I just happened upon an email about PowerBar looking to add new athletes to their sponsorship, so I'll start there, and who knows where it all will end up.

My plan was to train for IMAZ for 22 weeks, so I have just under 2 weeks to get my training plan together. I bought new tires for my bike yesterday, as a result of the three flats that I suffered about three weeks ago. I'm planning to buy some cookbooks to inspire my diet and give me a better nutrition strategy...if I'm going to get anywhere near to being competitive, I likely have to take off about 30+ pounds off of this frame...baby steps, baby steps.

Here's to those who dream!