Ironman Observations

1. My number one piece of advice is twofold - Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something but also don’t let anyone push you into something you know you are not ready for. It doesn’t mean you won’t be ready for it one day. It just may not be right that very minute. If its a goal you think is worthwhile, then it is worth it to wait and be really ready for it. 

2. It's OK to fail. It makes success that much sweeter! 

3. It's not OK to belittle someone for failing - also see #8

4. It's OK to make an ass out of yourself

5. Wear something cute - I cannot begin to count how many compliments I got on my bike and run outfit from both men and women, participants and supporters. Helps keep your mind off the task at hand plus you feel good about yourself - even when you are puking in someone's front lawn.

6. For the love of GOD do not wear anything white in the water. Why do they even make white tri suits?

7. Take a moment to enjoy the fact that you are in the fucking tent

8. As in life - don’t be a dick - be polite and friendly to all. Good thoughts and deeds come back to you.

9. Respect the distance and respect the heat - Its a long ass day for everyone - from the 8+ hour finishers to the 16+ finishers - be smart and know your limitations

10. Find people to train with. Preferably people you really like. You will need that support system to get you through. Ironman is the most selfish sport out there but be selfish in a group. There will be misery but there will also be lots of fun!

My Ironman Friends - the Lou-natics!

Today is my day

Text from my Coach: Today is YOUR day!

2012 Ironman Louisville

Where to begin? I fear this will be extremely long but I want to include everything before I forget.

A few words about the night before the race: You never sleep a lot so the big nights sleep was Friday night. Saturday was all about resting, hydrating and staying off my feet. We spent the majority of the time in the atrium/bar of the hotel well positioned on a group of couches. John went out to get dinner and we relaxed and socialized in the meantime. I got a call from my coach and told him I was feeling a little concerned about the swim but otherwise was good. The practice swim that morning had made me feel a little panicky but that is not unusual for me. The enormity of things tends to settle in at that point and you wonder if you are up for the task. I told myself to remember Phil Sustar and his advice to Terrie during the swim around Key West - "Put your head down Princess and swim". Coincidentally, Phil called me when I was on my way back to my room for final preparations and I told him I would think of him during the swim. 

Back in the room for final prep - nutrition bottles for the bike needed to be prepared and final checks of special needs bags, clothes and anything else I needed to deal with. The plan was to be in bed by 8. It was more like 8:30 but still good. I was reading a little Game of Thrones to distract myself when John told me Terrie would be be joining me. Corona, Miles and Mike had just arrived and would be staying in her room so Terrie took the other double bed and John slept on the couch in the other room. Alarm was set for 3am and then it was time to try and get some sleep.

I slept solidly until 12:30 and then I was awake every hour after that. Finally at 2:45 I just got up and started getting ready. I had all my gear, breakfast done and stuff together by 3:45 so John decided to take Terrie and I down to transition to wait for it to open. We picked up Adrienne in the lobby, she couldn't sleep either, and the 4 of us went down to transition. As we drove the short way to the river we saw numerous clubs with people still partying from the night before. It was a little surreal. 

We arrived at transition to be the 2,3 and 4th person in line for the 4:45 opening. We had our little stools to sit on to rest our legs and we just nervously chatted for the next half hour. The race director snapped our picture for the Ironman Louisville facebook page so that was pretty cool. In the meantime John went back to the hotel to shuttle Harry, Kim, Todd and Tripp down to get in line.

Me, Adrienne and Terrie waiting for transition to open

4:45 - transition opens - the goals now is to get in quickly, pump up our tires, get our bikes set up, drop off bike and run special needs bags and get the hell out and down to line up at the river for the swim start. Terrie, Kim and I accomplished this first - Adrienne had some tire issues that Tripp was helping her with so we jumped in the van and John drove us to the swim start. John had procured a IM support vehicle sticker for the van so we could do this with no problem. John sweet talking any woman into doing anything for him is a miracle in itself but we were eternally grateful. Anything to make this easier.

Louisville is unique in the fact that the swim start is "time trial" which means each athlete lines up and jumps in beginning at 7:00. Your chip time starts when you get on the dock and the swim cutoff begins when the last athlete is in the water at around 7:45. Almost all of the other Ironman's are mass start swims where everyone goes in at once and the cutoff is 9:20am. 

We got a great spot in line and the volunteers were on hand to be sure that people were not saving spots. We did our best to follow the rules but with the permission of the people behind us we put Todd and Tripp in line with us since we are collectively the weakest swimmers of our group. Now all we had to do was wait. The waiting seemed forever but our friends and supporters showed up and made things fun. We had about 15 people come from Atlanta to help out and it was so great to see all those friendly faces. Once things starting moving it was quick. We had to get ready to go so we grabbed goggles and gave all of our swim bags to Teesha - I wish I had a picture of her holding 3 bags and various stuff while we ran off to get ready to swim. 

We made our way down to the docks and by then everyone had to really pee. It became a huge topic of conversation since it seemed difficult to pee while swimming especially without a wetsuit. I am not that talented. A few guys dropped their lower halves into the river and held onto the dock while relief spread over their faces. Terrie joined in but I was afraid I would not be able to jump back up or worse cut myself in the process. I would wait till I got in the water and figure it out from there.

In the meantime, Tripp, Todd and I devised a plan to try and stay together until the end of the island and then see how the swim would go from there. Earlier in the year Tripp and I would swim together and he would pace off me. He said I kept him even and consistent and on a good relaxed pace. The most recent long swim we did together I pulled away a bit and swam at a faster pace than I had been able to maintain in the past. We thought this was a good compromise to stay together until the end of the island and if I felt good I could swim ahead or vice versa.

Getting ready to jump off the dock

The cannon goes off and within 2 minutes we are in the water. I immediately lose sight of Tripp but start swimming while staying on the outside. There was a lot of thrashing and I wanted some clear space to myself. Within 5 minutes Tripp had found me and we swam together towards the end of the island. I felt a bit panicky, as per usual, but I could see I was making progress and having Tripp beside me made things better. When we reached the end of the island we knew we had a ways to go to get to the turn buoy. Also, it got really shallow at one point and people were getting grounded. It looked like a great opportunity to rest a second or two and maybe pee. Tripp and I headed toward the sand bar, scooted along and I took care of business. At that time we saw Harry and then he was on his way. I could still see people in line walking up to get in the water and I was so glad we were already a good way through the swim. 

We continued up river to the turn buoy and then it was all down stream from there. I found during the practice swim there was a tiny bit of current so I was looking forward to that turn. It got very crowded at this point so Tripp and I stayed right and continued on our way. This is when things got really crazy. The 2000+ people in line behind us were now all in one place. The water was churning, the arms and legs were everywhere and it was insane. I started to get more panicky but having Tripp with me calmed me down. We just kept going and heading for the first bridge. Typically, I feel a bit panicked in the beginning of the swim and once the super fast swimmers are gone I will have room to settle in and just do my own thing. This NEVER happened. I alternated 20-40 strokes with about 10 side stroke while I tried to get my breathing under control. This went on for the entire swim. There were times when hanging on a kayak seemed like the best thing in the world but Tripp helped me stay focused and moving forward. He kept telling me I was doing great and I would tell him the same. I was tempted to look at my watch but would not let myself do it. The swim always seems so long but you have no real idea of time. I didn't want to freak myself out until I got out of the water.

Finally, we made it past the bridges and we could see transition and the finish. The last couple of yards went so quickly we were basically sucked into the stairs by the swirl of humanity around us. I was up out of the water and 2 seconds later there was Tripp. I looked at my watch - 1:48 - woohoo! and gave Tripp the biggest hug - swim PRs for both of us. My normal swim time is 1:36 to 1:40 in a wetsuit so I was very happy with this time. My ultimate goal was under 2 hours. If all went well I thought I would be between 1:45 and 1:50 so I was on track despite the extra yardage and panicky swim. 

T1 - Tripp and I walk/ran into transition. I grabbed my bag and got ready to change for the bike. The volunteers here were a little less experienced than I was used to. They kept asking what we wanted them to do instead of suggesting things but it was all good. I got everything on, put on my helmet, went to lock it in place and the clasp fell off. WTF??? I started to panic, expletives flew out of my mouth but I somehow was able to nimbly grab it, re-thread the strap and get it back together pretty quickly and then onto my head. Crisis averted. I ran out, grabbed my bike and saw all my friends cheering me on - I felt great!

Don't tell Dan those are insulated bottles on my bike

BIKE - The bike starts out flat and I followed coaches orders and spun easy and made sure I got my heart rate down. I had ridden most of this course before but this part was new to me. I enjoyed the sights and kept things going smoothly. A few hills along the way but nothing crazy. One long one that I noted would be nice on the way back in. Soon, I was approaching the "stick" and familiar territory. 

The stick was an out and back section with the biggest and longest hills of the entire course. When we rode this back in July it was nice to see that the worst of the course was typical Georgia hills and presented no big problems. The problem it did present was the fact that all the bikers were on this road at the same time. All the fast swimmers were now hammering away on these hills and zooming by on the downhills. People were flying by crazy fast in both directions and things were very congested. It was VERY scary. I am sooooo glad I knew what to expect on this road because this added wrinkle would have been really unnerving. I climbed the first big hill to be greeted by the grim reaper and the devil. Always nice when the locals come out to cheer you on! I spun easily and kept the HR down. There were many hills in my future. Now it was time for the turn around. I kept it easy and made it! On the way back I saw Tripp and knew before long he would be passing me. The water stop on this road was very congested and I had to gently urge the riders in front of me to keep moving and not lollygag with their water bottles. 

I headed down the last hill and started up the final climb when I saw a girl flat on her back on the side of the road and 2 people around her. Looked like a bad bike crash but she was being attended to so I said  prayer and kept on my way. I was very glad to be off that road. 

Back onto the main road and heading into the first loop. For some odd reason the Scandal song "I am the Warrior" is playing in my head. Did I hear it along the way or was it how I was feeling? Still keeping things light I began to feel pain in my rib cage on the right side like I felt at Wisconsin. Since I knew this most likely meant I had to pee I began to plot out my strategy. Next rest stop I was going to go if there was not a line. Thankfully, there was no line and I was able to quickly get in and out and back on the bike. I figured Tripp passed me by now and I would not see anyone else until the run. I made my way through LaGrange, remembering the torrential thunderstorm I got caught in last time I was out there, and then over to the hilly section of the loop. This went fine and then I was in the homestretch of loop one. 

At this time I could feel the heat creeping up and knew I was going to be having issues soon. I had been steadily drinking and taking in nutrition but it was time for ice and water. Around mile 50 I stopped and poured water over my head, drank some down and put ice in my shirt and back on my bike. Back on Rt 42, headed in to start the second loop. 

I was instructed to not look at my watch but knew the cutoff to start the second loop was 2:30. I could tell by my avg speed that I was doing fine but was curious so I looked anyway. It was just after 1:00 so I knew I had plenty of time. I made it to the special needs bags, got more water and ice and another port a potty break. I saw Tripp briefly which was nice and then continued on my way. One more time through LaGrange, the hilly section and then we were in the home stretch. I looked at my watch again and knew I should be able to get back in by 5:00 - this was huge for me. The typical IM cutoff is 5:30 for the bike so I knew I was doing well. I kept saying to myself  "Do nothing stupid and don't let anyone do anything stupid to you and you will do this". I spun easily and passed a lot of people in the last 30 miles. Lots of flat tires and sick people along the way. I heard there were tacks in the road again - some locals don't appreciate the race - but thankfully I had no troubles. 

I climbed one of the last hills around mile 98 and saw Miles, Mike and Corona cheering me on - that was so great to see. I knew I still felt strong and good and was doing well. That little burst was what I needed to seal the deal. The last part was flat or downhill and I particularly relished zooming by a 24 yr old guy down hill at mile 100. Seriously dude, I could be your mother. 

I could see the city now and I was almost home. I never pushed it and stayed smart with the water and ice and I was going to finish this thing unlike the tons of people I passed on my way back into the city. I pulled into transition to lots of cheers from my friends and grabbed my T2 bag. 

T2 - I ran into the tent to see Adrienne putting on the final touches before heading out and I screamed "Adrienne, we are in the fucking tent". Coach Vader told us to take a second and be thankful we are in the fucking tent before we head out for the run or bike. I grabbed my stuff, changed and headed out on my way. I made the last minute decision to take off my HR strap - it has been cutting me up on every long run and I was very sure I could tell my zones by my breathing. 

Lots of cheering from our group and I was feeling good. "Don't Stop Believing" was playing and I took that as a good omen. Almost teared up a bit but kept it together for the long road still ahead. I was a little confused by the run course since we had to wind around a bit to get to the bridge but trusted I was going the right way. Then it was up and over the bridge and then back again. I grabbed some water and ice and poured more water on my head. Still so freakin' hot. I smiled for the camera and headed out to the run course. As I came off the bridge I saw Cari and the Goslow children and that was very sweet. Reminded me of running into them on the comet many times this summer. 

Not sure what is going on here - looks like I am saying WTF am I doing?

I had been leapfrogging 2 Chicago police guys since mile 90 on the bike. I chatted with them a bit more and told them I would see them at the finish. I was run walking at this point because I knew my HR was high and I was still really hot. My original plan was to run as much as I could and then go from there. New plan was to take it easy - I had lots of time - and when the sun went down run as much as possible. 

I started the out and back and soon running at all was becoming hard. I could not drink my nutrition anymore and water was the best I could do. I began to wonder if I was drinking too much water but pushed that to the back of my mind. I continued to power walk and try and stay positive. I saw Chris, Anne, Mike, Catherine and Terri - all of which were so happy to see me on the run. Terrie showed me a bunch of abrasions on her shoulder and told me she got hit by a car - WHAT????? - OK, she is still moving so that's good. I saw Kim, Harry and Adrienne and everyone looked good. The only people I did not see were Tripp and Todd. 

Around the turn around I started to beat myself up mentally as to whether I was not running because I didn't want to or if I really couldn't. So, I tried to run some more. I was successful for a little while but every time my HR would skyrocket and I would get so incredibly hot. More water, more ice, more power walking. Soon, I was back at the start and knew I would get my special needs bag. I wanted to ditch my camel bak since I was not using it anymore. I saw lots of friendly faces but no John. This really upset me. I asked more than one person where he was but no one knew. I was starting to feel bad, I hadn't eaten anything in a while and I really wanted to see his face. Not good. I tried to put it out of my mind and keep moving. I tried to eat one of my Oreos and that did not go well so I ditched them. My Mountain Dew was equally unappetizing so I ditched it too. Stomach was increasingly beginning to be upset.

I knew I had not eaten anything in a couple of hours and things were going to go south soon. Combined with the unhappy tummy I started to get worried. I also wanted to punch John in the face. The one thing he was supposed to do was be there for me and he was no where to be found. I was in this super happy place when George came pedaling up with Tripp. Thank God! I talked to Tripp for a while and in turn he helped keep my mind off things. I was beginning to worry about time and was busily calculating my splits and how much time was left. Things still seemed on track but I was definitely disappointed in how far south things had come. I was really hoping for a strong run and this was not what I had in mind. Tripp was feeling good so he went on ahead and George stayed with me.

I had just told George that each burp seemed more ominous than the previous one when uh oh - I ran to the curb, grabbed the road sign and started hurling. I see a man come running towards me and I think its his house and I have just puked on his lawn. I start apologizing and he says what are you apologizing for? I then realize he is an EMT and he is making sure I am OK. He stands there while I empty my stomach of chicken broth - that was a bad idea. Once my stomach is empty I stand up and say I think I am OK now. He looks me dead in the eye to make sure I am all there and lets me go on. I felt like a million bucks compared to how I felt 30 minutes prior. All right lets get this thing over with!!

I keep power walking along and try to drink some water - no good. Still sloshing so no more water. George suggests some orange slices and using the water to swish around my mouth and this plan works pretty well for the last bit. Around this time I am joined by Randy - a guy who was waiting with us at the start of the race - we start talking about our day - he had a horrible swim - leg cramps - and we help keep each others mind off of our own personal misery. Although other than being thirsty and not being able to drink anything, I felt pretty good. I was worried if I started running that would change so we kept a strong power walk going (ultra training made this easy - many people remarked on how my walk was faster than their run) and motored toward the finish. 

We were within a few blocks and were joined by Leslie, David and Celi - I think Celi and George went off to look for Tripp since he had not finished yet and as far as I knew he was ahead of me. Randy and I decided to save the sprint for the finish chute since he was afraid of a cramp and I was afraid of hurling. He got a little ahead and I let him go, saw the lights and finish line and started to run. The soles of my feet were sore from the heat and walking so this was a bit painful but soon I could not feel anything. I had pictured this in my mind and knew I would cry but somehow I didn't, more likely I couldn't I was so dehydrated. I saw all my friends sharing in my victory and finally I crossed that finish line.

A volunteer stepped up to help me and get me a medal and finishers shirt and hat. I told her I felt pretty good BUT had not had anything to drink or eat in hours so a visit to the medical tent would probably be a good idea. We headed over and they got me an IV - first in my life - and while I relaxed I heard Terrie's voice calling out my name. She was being wheeled in for her own IV with Mike and Miles. Mike hung out with me while Miles stayed with Terrie. Terrie refused to do anything until she saw Tripp and I finish. I later learned Tripp had some tummy issues himself but finished just after me.  We all finished under brutally HOT conditions - the No Boundaries Lou-natics were all Ironmen!!

Final Numbers: 

Swim:	1:48:47
Bike:	7:57:03
Run:	6:37:19
Overall:	16:48:58

This meant so much to me! I finished the Great Floridian 140.6 in 2010 but they were extremely generous in their time cutoffs. Even though I had done the distance I never truly felt I was an "Ironman" and would never really feel that way until I did it under 17 hours and within the normal cutoffs. This time I did it. Going in I felt a 16 hour race was reasonable but given the heat and my nutrition going south a finish was a finish and I will take it!

There is so much more I want to talk about but I will write about that in followup posts. In the meantime here are some more pictures:

At the finish line

Some of our awesome supporters!

The No Boundaries Lou-natics - Adrienne, Tripp, Kim, me, Harry, Terrie and Todd - all finished! 

Even more pictures here:

Here we are in Louisville

A lot has changed in the last year. There has been a change in training groups, changes in coaches. Changes in focus. I have biked, swam and ran more than I have ever done before and it all comes down to Sunday. 

How do I feel? Nervous for sure, and slightly stressed but good. There is definitely a bit of pressure to get this thing done. So much support and love is coming my way right now and it s a little overwhelming.  The enormity of the race itself does not scare me so much anymore having toed the line a few times in the past but every race presents new challenges and hurdles to get over. The safety blanket of the wetsuit is taken away but my swim has gotten much stronger this year. I would have never braved the crazy conditions at Ocean City this past July if I didn't feel stronger. My time will probably not be as quick as with the wetsuit but it is to be expected. However, I don't think it will off by too much. My right shoulder has been giving me some pain while swimming but there is no limit in my range of motion and if it starts acting up I know it will be over in a little while and I won't have to worry about it once I get out of the water. In the grand scheme of things this is just a hiccup. 

I rode the bike course last month so I know exactly what to expect. Heat is a concern but I am putting that out of my head. I can't do anything about it except dump water on my head and pack ice in my shirt. Nice and steady will be the mantra of the day. Enjoy the sights and change of scenery - so sick of all the bike routes around Atlanta right now - and every mile is one less I have to do in the future. I have put in way more miles (multiple 100+ weekends) and many back to back rides and I feel good about getting this done. 

Once I get off that bike it will be the best 26 miles of my life. I am so ready to just run this thing I can't stand it. My last couple of long runs have been great and even if this is not one of them I know I have gotten through many more crappy runs than this could ever hope to be. No mud, no hills, no water crossings, no problem! The rest will be what it will be. I just have to keep drinking, keep eating and keep moving. It's that simple. 

Elpheba goes to the beach

Last Thursday was a busy day starting at 4:45 when my alarm went off to get ready for spin class. Spin went well and I left my bike for maintenance while I was to be on vacation. I had time to grab some breakfast before work and then started my day. Work was relatively light and I was able to leave a little early. I headed home, changed, packed a few last minute things and we headed to the airport. 

Since we were early we decided to find a restaurant and enjoy a nice dinner before our flight. Construction at the airport made this a really difficult endeavor. The Houston's in the atrium was gone and so were many of the other restaurants listed on the maps. Seriously?! All I wanted was a beer to start my vacation. We finally stumbled on the Peach Grill which was packed. The construction and delayed flights due to bad weather made for a lot of drinkers. The bar was out of almost everything so a Michelob Ultra it was and I was happy to have it. I ordered a cheeseburger and John got some sort of omelet. One would think a cheeseburger in an airport bar was the safer bet but you would be wrong. Dinner was fine and we boarded our flight only 20 mins late which was pretty good with all the delays. We got into BWI just as a storm was moving in so we sat on the tarmac a while before getting an open gate. We had no checked baggage so we went straight to the curb and within 10 minutes we were picked up by John's Uncle and on our way to Ocean City. 

As soon as we pulled away the skies opened up and it became very difficult to drive. We pulled over twice because John's uncle was having a hard time seeing the road. Eventually the rain lessened up and we were really headed to the beach. The drive is about 3 hours and we made decent time since it was late and the roads were clear. There was light rain a good part of the way and thankfully it was nice headed over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. It was around midnight when I laid down on the backseat and slept for a little while. 


I woke up when I started to feel a bit nauseous. I figured it was a touch of carsickness so I sat up to see if I would feel better. No, not feeling good at all. I got really hot and clammy and my stomach started cramping. It was hard to say which was the more urgent feeling of having to throw up or visit a bathroom soon. I suffered in silence as long as I could but I finally had to pipe up and say I think we might need to pull over. I got out of the car thinking I was surely going to throw up but nothing came. The fresh air and lack of movement made me feel a little better and I got back in the car. We were less than 10 miles away and I made it through gritted teeth and relaxing breathing techniques. When I finally made it to a bathroom I was a lovely shade of green I hope to never see again. Elpheba would have been envious. No puking was involved and I was quickly rid of what ailed me. I went to bed shortly afterwards and made it through the night without incident. The only explanation is something I ate at the airport. My lunch had consisted of a PB&J and some cookies almost 7 hours prior to dinner and 12 hours prior to this. Damn you Peach Grill!!

With that bit of nastiness over it was time for some fun. My workout for the day was some strength and balance exercises. We headed out to the beach and it was quite overcast. The ocean was rough and in fact there was a boogie board accident and a girl was carted off on a backboard. We didn't make it too long before it started to rain. We quickly packed up, headed to the beer store and settled in for a movie and dinner. The pick was War Horse. This was not my first pick. The movie was OK but as I feared it was overly melodramatic and purposely tugged at every heart string it could get a hold of. I felt manipulated and used when it was over even if it was based on a true story. By the end of the evening the rest of the family had arrived to include John's 2 aunts, one uncle, 2 cousins, their spouses and 2 grandchildren between 2 houses. 

Saturday looked to be more promising although still rather overcast. My only workout was a 50 min run that I decided to do in the evening. We headed out to the beach to discover a red flag day. No swimming, no boogie boards and wading in the water was quick to be corralled by the lifeguard's whistle. Glad my Open Water Swim was not scheduled for today. I had never seen it this bad. We stayed at the beach until after lunch and then packed up for the next round of showers and feeding. I headed off for my quick run and then back for more fun. 

Card playing is big in John's family and I will play once and a while but things tend to get feisty. I typically end up reading or occupying myself in other ways. John played a card game called Munchkin with the younger group and I started watching Season one of Downton Abbey. Well, I quickly became hooked and burned through 6 episodes that evening. Damn no internet!!! We used to borrow from the neighbors unlocked wifi but I guess they finally got smart. I would have liked to start season 2! 

Sunday I had a swim and run on the schedule. It looked like a fabulous day for the beach. Sun shining, fluffy clouds and a light wind. Perfect. We got to the beach and the ocean still looked rough. Uh oh. I needed to swim 45 min and I had hoped to do a bit more. I noticed  our lifeguard heading for a swim while someone watched her post. She didn't seem to swim for very long. That's troubling. I got in and started to swim a bit and soon found myself in the air rather than in the water. A wave had picked me up and I was flying for a few seconds. Hmm. Not good. I think I will try later when things calm a bit. 


A while later things did in fact seem calmer. The beach had completely filled up and the water was packed with waders and boogie boarders. The water was still rough because the lifeguards were constantly waving and blowing that darn whistle to get people to stop doing something stupid. There is a daily talk on days like this where the lifeguard gathers everyone up and explains about undertows and what to do and how to stay safe. She mentioned that if you couldn't swim 2 laps in a pool you had no business going in farther than your waist. OK, well that's a pep talk. Let's go swim! 

I set off this time with John beside me. We started swimming parallel to the shore and headed toward the boardwalk. I had to stop from time to time to catch my breath or get myself focused again. I had a hard time trying to stay relaxed and could not get into any rhythm since I was constantly being batted around by big waves. There was a nice current pushing me in the right direction but the waves kept knocking me around. All in all, I made steady progress and basically kept up with John. I did my 45 minutes and my Garmin said .93 miles so we decided to swim a little more to make it an even mile. Wouldn't you know it I got to about .99 miles and the Ocean had had enough of me. A wave picked me up and flung me toward shore while slamming me into the sand. I felt my right calf stretch a bit unnaturally and drank a little water. I ended up with my bathing suit still attached to my body (barely) and a lot of sand in my pants but overall OK. The workout was done. I was proud of myself since 2 years ago I would have never gotten in the water and last year I might have attempted it but I am sure I would have quickly abandoned the swim the first time I gulped a little water or got tossed aside. Progress is being made!


We walked back to the group and I read some more Game of Thrones. Winter is Coming, don't you know.

After the beach, I quickly changed and did my run for the day. When I returned everyone was showered and ready to go out to dinner. Quick shower, dress, thank you sunburn on my face - no makeup required and headed out the door. We ate dinner on the water at a local place called Fagers Island. John and I ordered a beer and only I was carded out of the entire group. The waitress went so far as to ask me to remove my ID so she could feel it to be sure it was real. Yes, 19 year olds often use fake IDs claiming they are 43!


After dinner there was more card playing and John and I watched The Hangover 2 since we were sure no one else would have any interest. It was pretty bad except for a few parts. Oh well. Off to bed since I had to get up for an early run.


At 6:00 I got up for my 2 hour run and was out the door by 6:30. My task was to run a 10min pace for 9 minutes and then walk 1 minute and cover 11 miles. I set off through the neighborhoods thinking this would be relatively easy given the flat pavement and all the rest I had been getting. Surprisingly, this turned out to be no fun at all. Each progressive 9 minutes was tougher than the last and the one minute walk could not come soon enough. I did finish and I think I did achieve that pace give or take a few seconds either way. 


Now that the run was over it was time for some breakfast. My favorite thing about Ocean City is the Oreo pancakes at the Brass Balls. The rest of the family headed out for breakfast and John and I headed to the boardwalk. I got my oreo pancakes and a blueberry lemonade with a shot of something alcoholic. It looked like it was made of Smurfberries judging by the color. Breakfast was yummy and it was time for the beach again.


The last day of the beach was super nice and sunny. I loaded up on the sunscreen and settled in for more Game of Thrones. In no time I was asleep. The run obviously took a little bit of a toll on me. Even after my beach nap I was tired all day. I thought this was an easy week? Someone needed to tell my body!


That night was crab cakes for dinner. Yum! John's aunt makes the best crab cakes ever! After dinner we watched The Grey with Liam Neeson. It's about a depressed wolf hunter who works for a petroleum company. Yeah, that does sound awesome, doesn't it? Well, his plane crashes with a bunch of other oil workers and hilarity ensues. It wasn't horrible but neither was it really good. That's 3 for 3 on bad movies. Maybe War Horse is looking a bit better these days.


Tuesday morning we were up early, on the road, to the airport and back home without incident. We picked up Betty and it was time to unpack. I had noticed that my workout schedule was a bit spotty and intact had nothing scheduled for Wednesday. I emailed my coach saying something like "Sweeet! no workouts tomorrow!" knowing full well it was only a matter of time. 


Yup, I woke up to double days for the rest of the week and a hundred miler on Saturday. Awesome!! Vacation is definitely over!!

One of our homemade breakfasts at the beach 

I gained 2 lbs this weekend even with the running and swimming!

Oreo Pancakes!!!!!

Since my last post I had been preparing for the Cardinal Half Ironman in Louisville. The race was supposed to be a great prep for the Ironman seeing as it incorporated part of the bike course and was perfect timing for some racing experience and training. You notice I use the words "supposed to". The race was 2 Saturdays ago and the Thursday before the race we got an email stating that the race had been moved 50 miles away due to unforeseen circumstances. No more swim in the river, no more ride on the bike course etc etc. Well, F***! In fact that was Coach Vader's exact response. 


That Thursday was already shaping up to be a hectic day. I worked and then had some personal stuff scheduled for the afternoon like a long overdue haircut. I also had yet to pack a single thing. I guess that is a good thing since I would have had to completely repack due to the change in plans. 


After much debate and a flurry of emails, phone calls and tense moments the following was devised: We would head to Louisville as planned on Friday. On Saturday I would take part in the Endurance Concepts Camp already taking place and ride the bike course with them. The IM Lou-natics would preview the swim start with the help of Kim's cousin coordinating with some local rowers and then meet Coach Vader for some quality bike time on the course. Sunday we would run the IM course together and head home.


We had all done a century the previous Sunday so this was supposed to be a bit of a drop back week. So much for that plan!! In fact I had been hitting the bike hard the last couple of weeks and this does not include time on the trainer or my weekly spin class:

This chart also does not include the ramp up in swim and a little bit of running thrown in. So, let's just say I was a little tired. 



We packed up the car and hit the road on Friday. The trip was uneventful and I occupied myself working on videos and uploading them using free wifi at fast food restaurants. We met up with Adrienne and Harry at the hotel and then headed downtown. We scouted out the parking situation around the Ironman host hotel and checked out 4th street - the site of the Ironman finish line.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel and got ready for the next days ride. I was up and out the door by 6:30 and met up with the Endurance Concepts crew. John then went off to stock up for his crewing duties. My ride was to consist of an out and back on the "stick" (the hilliest section of the IM ride) and then one loop and then rinse and repeat. On race day we would only do the "stick" once but the loop twice. The "stick" turned out to be not bad at all and the first loop went by pretty fast. I observed there were lots of small climbs that could get you into trouble pretty quickly if you powered over them instead of gearing down each time. There will be a lot of gear changing on race day. Some of the roads were not in the best condition and it appeared that every pothole was located on the right third of the roads. Better to see all this in advance then on race day.

The second out and back went well and then we started the second loop with ominous skies. I was behind the group at this point - shocker - but I tried to tell myself that I had 3 big bike weekends prior to this so my legs were just plain tired. Things were fine until I hit LaGrange - the part of the loop that apparently has a huge cheering section. It goes through the center of town and right before that point I got dumped on. It was thundering and lightning but I kept moving along albeit at a slow speed. I tried not to think about the lightning and worried more about cars being able to see me in the downpour. I rode like this for a little while until I saw the EC van pull up so I slowed down and hopped in. Coach Josh said the lightning was getting really bad and he felt it was unsafe. I rode for about 10 miles to the gas station/SAG stop and by then the rain had slowed down. 


I finished the ride without incident but was mad I didn't get to do the whole distance. I ended up with 85 miles total and it felt a whole lot better than the 100 the previous weekend. It was still slower than I would have liked but I am hoping rested legs and taper will make all the difference (Pretty please!!!). I was extremely happy to have had a chance to see so much of the bike course. With the exception of the out and back from town (about 20 miles worth) I rode the entire bike course twice. I felt it was very doable and just hope for pleasant temps and no rain.


Here is a quick recap of the previous disastrous weekend:


This was to be the second century ride of the training season. Two times the 48+ loop at Cartersville was the plan. The day was warm and the start time was 9am to better simulate race day conditions. My instructions were to do the first loop at zone 2 and the second at zone 3. Immediately, things were not going well. I had a hard time keeping my heart rate down and staying in my zone and at the same time I was quickly losing the pack. Grumble, grumble this was not going to be a good day. 


I got through the first loop but felt tired and hot and just not happy. I hoped the bump up to zone 3 would help things but again I was quickly left behind and I was struggling. I was having a hard time staying cool and after taking a few salt pills my drink mix (Infinit) was not quenching my thirst. I wanted/needed water and all I had on my bike was the Infinit. I stopped often and drank from John's water. He quickly figured out I was having a hard time and stuck with me at the back. I wanted to quit a bunch of times but knew this was going to be hard to make up so it was do or die. Dying sounded like a better option at that point. In fact at one point I told John with tears in my eyes that I would rather be told to go run a 50K right now than to have to get on that bike and ride 40 more miles. 


I made it through but it was ugly. That 48 mile loop just seems so desolate and lonely. I was hating Cartersville, my bike, life and anyone who ever talked me into doing an Ironman. About 5 miles from the end it began to rain. I don't know if it was the cooling rain or the knowledge that I had only 5 more miles to go but I am sure that 5 miles was faster than any other 5 miles I rode that day. At least it seemed that way. The plan was also for a brick but thunder and lightning nixed that one. I was all smiles when I got off that bike. Where was that energy and those good feelings 3 hours prior? I was still concerned about my performance and over all speed. Will I ever have a long ride that does not feel hard? Will I ever have an average speed that will guarantee me a comfortable IM bike leg? I am trying to not be so hard on myself since I had ridden total of 131 miles that weekend.

It's all smiles back in the parking lot

Back to Louisville:


We relaxed a bit after the ride and then headed back to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner. 

There was a pre-dinner excursion to get Terrie some running shorts which prompted a hilarious exchange on facebook:

Dinner was enjoyable and then it was time to get ready for our next adventure. Sunday morning we headed down to the riverfront for the run start. We would not be able to do the out an back on the bridge but the rest of the race course was accessible. We stopped by the host hotel to check out the bathroom facilities and were on our way. We took an easy pace doing 4 min run/1 min walk and chatted along the way. John positioned the car along the way and had a cooler full of water, ice and orange slices. The run was steamy but not too bad and it was an enjoyable 13 miles. We finished on 4th street and John took pictures of us simulating our Ironman finishes. 

While I was riding with EC Saturday morning the rest of the group was practicing the river entry and checking out the water. Since I did not get to do it on Saturday I wanted to at least see the swim start and maybe jump in swim and hop out. John drove us down and Terrie said she would swim with me. I got to jump off the dock and swim a bit and all was good. The swim felt a bit difficult but I was super tired after the run and bike and I was swimming in a run skirt so I will chalk that up to that.

All in all it was a fun weekend with lots of good training and priceless experience with the swim entry, bike course and run course. With the exception of losing out on race experience, the course change turned out to be the best thing ever. Now we can head to Louisville in August having previewed everything and just concentrate on checking in and relaxing until race day. Usually, there is the stress of finding out where everything is and driving the bike course in addition to all the race preparation. No need to do any of that this time around.


I had anticipated getting this all typed and posted before our beach trip but there was too much going on before we left. Instead we were lucky to get packed and out the door to our plane on Thursday night. The week of training post Louisville was pretty light and I was concerned that it might be too light but I am trusting my coach to know whats best. I also knew that the following weeks would be slightly hellish so I better enjoy my time at the beach!


Until then here are some fun videos:

Pedal Monkey Pedal

F You Monkey!

For a while I felt I was not getting what I was expecting from my personal coaching experience. There was limited contact and when there was contact there was lots of phone tag. Part of that has to do with my weird work schdule and my phone not working in the basement of the hospital but I am available by email throughout most of the day. I was having some problem trying to fit things into the group schedule and just feeling like things were not specifically addressing my weaknesses. I am quite aware of what they are and spelled them all out when we started. I am sure there are more but the ones I know about are enough to deal with at one time. I kept waiting for more specific bike workouts. Feedback on my workouts consisted of "things look good". 

Many of my friends have stepped into the personal coaching world this year and from what I could tell their experiences were different than mine. Coach Vader (John) was basically leaving me alone since I had my own coach. I was seeing all the attention and work he was putting into coaching the No Boundaries athletes and I was feeling left out. Here I was paying for personal coaching and my live in coach was ignoring me and giving better service to the rest of the group. It did not seem right. I also felt tired, slightly overtrained and what I was doing did not make sense to me.

The final straw was the first century ride of the season. I suppose I mentally checked out from the beginning but after everything I have been through to still be dragging along at the back of the pack all day was completely demoralizing. I put in a steady effort for the day but it did not feel good emotionally at all. This was the big test in my head and again I was barely within range to finish within the cutoff times. It wasn’t even hot out. I was completely dejected. 

So, later that evening I am sitting with my laptop watching TV and in pops an email from my coach saying good job with the ride – oh really? This followed with a long reply from me, a long reply from her and one more unanswered reply from me. I know I am a pessimist. I know I am an Eeyore and not a Tigger. I know a lot of this is mental BUT I am also being realistic when I say I have worked hard at the bike. For 4 years I have struggled. I have done what has been asked of me and I still can't keep up on a group ride. I know it’s not about the group but I was also not where I needed to be to comfortably make the cutoff for an Ironman. I don’t want to train for a 15 minute window and hope nothing goes wrong. I want to have a nice comfortable cushion to allow for problems. I was very clear on that point when looking for a coach. John seemed surprised when I said this very thing but I have been saying it since last September (some people just have selective hearing or the Imperial helmet is too tight!). I am not trying to be unrealistic, I am not trying to win, podium or anything else except for a PR. Since everything else has basically been a DNF that’s not an unrealistic goal!

....and If ONE more person tells me to stop being so negative I am going to SCREAM!! Try riding at the back of the pack for 4 years, constantly working at the bike, add a few DNFs and see how rosy your glasses are after that. I am not being negative, I am being REALISTIC. There is a difference!

Throughout all of this I have been taking a weekly spin class put on by Endurance Concepts. In this class I saw first hand the personal touch given to each of their athletes. Even I felt it and I was basically a drop in client. I had originally looked at EC but for personal reasons, too complicated to mention, I went in a different direction.  I was beginning to feel that was a poor choice on my part but at the time it just couldn't happen. Since some time had passed and I had gotten to know Dan a little I felt he would be receptive to discussing my problem. I was right. He immediately responded to a facebook message and suggested we meet for breakfast after class. In the meantime, I also talked to my friends about their coaches and how they felt things were going. 

Last Thursday I sat down with Dan and I came armed with graphs, charts and print outs of everything I had been doing. We discussed my crappy century ride and Mountain Madness. In 30 minutes he had asked more questions about my nutrition, my training and my feelings than I had gotten in the past 3 months. I knew things had to change so I fired my coach. I am now being coached by Dan and it has been a whirlwind experience. I have a much more packed BUT very specific schedule. I am asked to report on how I feel and what I learned in each session. Coach Vader was tasked with taking videos for swim and he even did some of my last ride. Dan and I have even rode together and I learned how to ride one handed, in aero and drink from a bottle all at the same time. This is basically a freakin' miracle for an "Uneasy Rider" like me. These are simple skills I should have had years ago. All of which will help me be more comfortable in aero which will buy me more mph in my race. Great start! 

Since then I have been swimming, swimming, and more swimming and running, running, biking and more of the same. I feel a little frazzled but its OK. I feel like there is a purpose and if it takes me 5 days to get laundry done so be it! Ha! no, that still makes me crazy (What would Monk Do?) but I am trying to look at the BIG picture. I have less than 9 weeks to go and I need to correct some sh** STAT. So, if I have to be crazy for a few more weeks, I will try to deal. Coach Vader will probably bear the brunt of it but he's tough. I think he can handle it. I apologize in advance for the supreme bitchyness that will most likely ensue!

In the meantime - Let's PEDAL BITCH!!!