IT'S COLD BUT AT LEAST I'M NOT IN FLORIDA!

Congratulations to all who ran the Disney races this past weekend with the horribly frigid weather. I'm sure that's not what you were planning when you signed on for this. I'm sure you were thinking what a nice break it would be, getting away from the snow, cold, and ice of most of us deal with in the winter months. At least you didn't have (much) the snow and ice. Hopefully you had a good time otherwise!

It was another cold, cold weekend here also. I was tempted to stay inside to run, but instead I thought of my post the day before, about getting outside more often, even if just for a short run. That was motivation enough. That and the brightness of the sun and the almost perfectly blue skies, a true rarity here on the west side of Michigan. Our weather is mainly affected or maybe controlled is a better word, by Lake Michigan. Whatever doesn't break up coming through Minnesota or Wisconsin only seems to pick up with intensity once it hits our west coast and moves inland. So, while the best of the Great Lakes is a blessing, it can also be a bane, leaving us with cloud cover and/or grey skies a lot of the year.

I honestly don't even know where my sunglasses went, its been so long since I've needed them. So I had to head out without them. The sun was almost painfully bright as it reflected off the whiteness of the freshly fallen snow, and I almost wished I had thought of wearing sunscreen. But then again, I was going to enjoy it for once and hoped it would replenish some of my Vitamin D stores of which recently I had read those of us in West Michigan particularly deficient.

I put on my Yak Trax again, which are pretty much becoming a regular part of my winter running gear, and headed out from the park. The park was pretty much empty now from the dozens of runners who show up regularly and faithfully every Saturday and Sunday to run, starting out in the dark even a lot of the time. I wanted to run without a schedule and without having to set my alarm to get up. It was Saturday. It was cold. No need to get out of bed in the dark to go run at this time of the year. And had I done that, while I would have been done earlier and not had to rush to get my other tasks done for the day, I would have missed out on the brilliant winter sun.

The temperature was about 18 degrees, but with that sun out, I didn't even start to feel the cold until just before the end of my run. Even my hands did not feel the least cold, despite the fact I only had gloves on because my mittens were dirty.

Saturday's run was 2 days in a row outside, so I am keeping my promise so far and making progress.

WINTER RUNNING

I think the thing I hate about winter the most is not running as much as I would like. When I first started running over 20 years ago, I had no treadmill or access to a gym so was forced to run outside every time. It was my only option. It was all I knew. It probably made me tougher, both physically and mentally, but also led to winter running injuries: slipping on ice; twisting an ankle trying to cross a street with a huge mound of snow at the curb; overuse on ankle tendons trying to keep from sliding all over the place. And then there was the harshness of the weather also. I didn't even have proper winter running gear for the first 3 years so basically froze every time I ran.

The motivating factor in my winter running for years was starting early in the year to train for our annual 25k (15.5 miles) race in early May. And for years (and still to many locals) the defining standard for running that race was under 2 hours for men abd right around 2 hours for women. A hard standard to live up to, especially living in climate of ice, cold, and snow. But many, many did in fact meet that standard.

I came close one year: 2:10. What was the secret that year? Consistent long run training all winter long. I don't remember it being a mild winter so it wasn't the weather that made it easier. It was just consistency. Something I have not followed for the past several years.

With the introduction of a treadmill and access to a gym into my life, I have opted to take the easy way of training by staying inside quite a bit from January through March. Also, since most of my running is done in the early morning hours, and its still dark until almost 8 am, I know its safer and more comfortable, but it doesn't have the same quality as outdoor running. At least for me it doesn't transfer over to running a decent 25k time. While I find it easy enough most of the time to get in 3-5 miles on a treadmill, those miles are usually at speeds way too fast for me to transfer over to outside running. I find myself hurrying just to get it done, or doing fast intervals because I am bored by it. This is okay once or twice a week, but doesn't cut it trying to get in a long run, and we all know that is the key to improvement and the ability to do endurance events. I always vow at the beginning of winter to stay out as long as possible, but then somehow slide on that promise by the time January comes and the sidewalks are no longer clear.

Today I realized for the first time ever how much I miss running in the winter. Walking to do an errand, even though it was cold, windy, and snowing like crazy, it was also somewhat pleasant and exhilirating to be outside, even for a brief while. It has motivated me to find ways to venture out more. Let's see how that goes tomorrow morning.

NEW YEAR'S REVELATION

First things first: getting back on track. After spending a few weeks recovering from the Ironman, next there was my son's wedding, and then the holidays were upon us and then I went back to full weeks of hard training, in addition to fitting in shopping, parties, etc., only to be hit the week of Christmas with whatever it was "going around" in the office and throughout the family. Looking back, I think I jumped in too soon and was still a little run down.

I am definitely feeling MUCH better and hope this continues.

While recovering, many thoughts went through my mind as to what my focus for 2010 would be. One thing I definitely wanted to do was get stronger, meaning adding more weight training into my program. Training for the Ironman did not allow much extra workout time for more than one hastily performed weight training workout a week. As it was, I was working out every single day most weeks, so to add another workout in was unthinkable. Ten workouts a week was all I could imagine and do without totally losing it.

But I knew I had to add in another weight training session, as well as more quality. Adding in another weight training workout was going to require a lot of thinking and planning, but how to do this?? I am constantly reading articles and looking over training plans, but all the weight training plans were not geared around endurance training. In fact, the majority of new thinking on this subject suggested otherwise if you wanted to get completely fit from added strength training. And I know there is a book on weight training for triathletes, but again, most of those programs consisted of too much time in the gym in addition to the long endurance workouts, which I just couldn't bring myself to get excited about or figure out how to fit in.

Then, in a round-about way, I came across a couple of revealing thoughts about weight training in addition to endurance training. One involved a discussion with a guy in my office who has been doing personal training for family and friends for a while now, although he isn't certified. Since he doesn't charge for his services, I thought I would at least pick his brain and try to get some good ideas to start out the new year. During our discussion, he mentioned that he had added 35 pounds of weight over the last few years due to weight training, yet still had 6% body fat and was extremely lean looking, so I started believing he had some credibility on the subject. The second revelation came from reading articles he sent me in addition to going to the links in some of the articles, which eventually led me to read a very interesting article. Here is an excerpt which definitely caught my eye. See if this sounds familiar:

Feeling soft around the midsection? Can't see your abs anymore? Feel the need to get lean in a hurry?Slacking off on your diet and workouts can do that to you. In my case, training for an Ironman triathlon can do that, too.What? Yeah, you heard me right. This is exactly how I felt after training for and completing in my first Ironman.My body was soft, with no definition, and had definitely changed due to spending the majority of my training in the steady-state aerobic zone — the same "fat burning zone" many books and magazine still talk about.I was in great shape as far as my endurance and cardiovascular system were concerned, but I had less noticeable muscle tone and didn't have the definition I was used to having in my abs and arms.

If you want to read the rest of the article, by Rachel Cosgrove, go here. The theory here is that training all the time in the aerobic zone, while necessary for endurance events, is not that fat burning zone we've been led to believe. We have been conditioned to believe that training for hours aerobically, doing steady-state workouts (when you move at the same pace for a certain amount of time), that your body does burn a higher percentage of calories from fat. This is where that "fat burning zone" myth comes from. On the surface, it sounds like you're burning more fat calories. There are two big problems with this: 1. As explained in the article, you burn fewer total calories as your body adapts. So even if you're burning a higher percentage of fat, you aren't burning as many calories overall. 2. Your body actually becomes efficient at storing fat. Since you're now burning fat as your primary source of fuel, your body adapts and becomes very good at storing fat. Blame it on a dumb self-preservation mechanism built into the body's operating system.

This all made sense to me, especially after also reading where she spent 374 hours working out for her Ironman race and the net weight loss was only 5 pounds. I'd have to say the same. People (especially women) always commented they weren't losing any weight, only seeming to gain, while training for an Ironman, and I can again say I felt the same. After talking with my work colleague, he made me feel a little better about this when he mentioned that added muscle was contributing to weight retention or gain (which I already knew and used that excuse in my mind to console myself) and also that BONES gain density from all the weight bearing exercise, which also contributes to added weight, something I hadn't considered.

But even with those two added facts, I still was concerned about adding more weight the next time I trained for an Ironman, which I knew I wanted to do.

So I asked for some ideas from Chris (work colleague) about what he would recommend to not only get stronger, but hopefully leaner in the process, and at the same time continue endurance training. His number one suggestion, of course, was adding more strength training and cutting back on some of the endurance, making the wise comment "your body already knows what to do there" adding that doing higher intensity workouts would only enhance and improve not only my training but my body fat composition and shape as well.

Then I emailed Rachel Cosgrove, asking her how to combine the two also, since she had the added credibility of being not only an Ironman finisher but also a triathlon coach. She also has a new book out which has gotten very good reviews, The Female Body Breakthrough. I am in the process of obtaining that book and am looking forward to reading it. Anyway, here is Rachel's response to my email:

Ahhh yes, trying to merge Endurance training and fat loss training. I always had this idea in my head that I wanted to cross the finish line of an endurance race looking like a fit female and I could do it on shorter distance races - up to an Olympic Distance Triathlon (or a 2-3 hour race). Anytime, I start training for anything beyond that it is tough to keep a firm physique. You have to fuel your body for the event and your body adapts to the workouts so quickly. I have written many articles on this and talk about it in my book. Your best bet is if you can set aside 12-16 weeks to focus on becoming a fit female before your event and then the goal is to keep it while training for your event. But that doesn't mean that you cannot do The Female Body Breakthrough if you are already training for something- YES, absolutely the programs will increase your strength and make you more efficient as an endurance athlete PLUS less likely to get injured and more likely to get and keep a fit female physique(especially if you have not done anything like the programs in the book). So go ahead and use the programs. When training for an event I always keep 2 days minimum of strength training as a priority in my program. Just use the strength training part and don't worry about the metabolic workouts because your cardio will be your endurance workouts.
As far as food- Yes use the principles in The Female Body Breakthrough. They will work to fuel your body and EVERYTHING I talk about in the book will only help your performance as an endurance athlete. I follow everything in the book when I am training for an endurance event.
Something to think about- I have been a Figure competitor and have lifted weights and my fit female body looks and feels a certain way. If you are an endurance athlete and just want to gain some strength and tone and look more like a fit female on the spectrum this program will get you there- does that make sense? We each have a different fit female body and as an endurance athlete you will look closer to or be at your fit female body by adding in the concepts in the book even if you are still training for endurance.

Once I read the book, I hope to implement as much of this program into my fitness routine as possible over the next few months. Whether that forces me to reconsider what races I am doing this year or not, I don't know. I just know I have a stronger desire to get back in better shape so that in 2011 I will be ready to do another Ironman, fitter and stronger, and hopefully leading to a faster finish and not having to make it a necessity to look for an "easy" race.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

'TIS THE SEASON...

...for challenges:

Holiday challenges: getting the shopping, wrapping, and baking done; trying not to consume too many goodies; dealing with crowded malls and online shopping pitfalls; not drinking copious amounts of wine to escape from all of this.

Seasonal challenges: bad weather; snowy and icy roads; cold temperatures that make your hands and nails crack; flu and colds at every function you attend it seems; no sunshine for days on end; grumpy moods (from a lack of sunshine no doubt); weeks and weeks of staying indoors too much.

Workout challenges: Combining all of the above and trying to get workouts in or trying to get quality workouts in, despite the challenges of the weather.

So today, that's what I did with my run. All week it has been extremely cold and this morning everything was coated in ice, a payback it seems for one brief sunny afternoon. I am trying to run outside as much as possible as long as possible, and have pretty much worn my Yak Trax every time since we've gotten snow a couple of weeks ago. Today, with the early morning temp actually hitting around 30 degrees, the dreadmill was not an option. I know there will be enough of those days, but also didn't realize it was as icy as it was.

I was forced to run mostly on the main street, where it is mostly clear, but traffic started picking up after a few blocks so I turned off onto a side street by a school, figuring it would be more cleared. It was, but there were still patches of ice, and I found myself going gingerly over these to avoid any falling. Once I was away from the school, however, you could see the glare ice on the streets and I actually felt like I was skating, even with the Yak Trax. With the extreme cold temperatures, road salt does not work.

For the next couple of blocks I was forced onto the sidewalk, which while treacherous enough, at least there was some old snow cover on most of it giving better footing. Then it was back into the street again for several blocks. So it seemed like an on-again off-again type of running but that got me thinking of just looking at this kind of running as interval running: pick up the pace when its clear, slow down when its not. I guess that was a good way to make the best of a not so good situation.

Hope you're all getting your workouts and your shopping, baking, wrapping or whatever done!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

WORDLESS WEATHER WEDNESDAY

MAINTAINING THE IMAGE

One thing I hadn't thought about in the whole scheme of doing an Ironman was what seems to be happening lately. Putting that 140.6 sticker on my car advertises the fact (to the knowing) that I have now done an iron distance race. It certainly makes it easier to spot my car in the work parking garage among all the other black SUVs. And having my accomplishments and picture put in the health club newsletter also brought attention to my recent achievement. And a recent e-mail from a fellow triathlete welcomed me to the "club." Meaning of course the local club that is Ironman.

So now I hear about it constantly (not that I mind that much). "When is your next event?" "What will you do next?" And last week, after a particularly stressful and trying work week, one of the guys said, "It can't be worse than a triathlon? Or the last 10 miles of a marathon, can it?" Want to bet?? I really think working sometimes is harder.

But having that sticker on my car makes me wonder if someone who sees me actually thinks I am the one who did that distance? I'm not sure I have "the look" of an Ironman. So it makes me walk a little taller, keeps me on my toes as far as workouts go, to maintain that image if nothing more. Its no big deal to my family. I'm still the same person. They don't see IM written on my forehead. The only effect it had on them were my frequent weekend absences over the past few months especially. The accomplishment is mine and mine alone.

And I can't help but think often that really only a small percentage of people, women particularly, do these things. Not that I think anyone who really wants to can't do one, or that I am somehow special because I have. I have proven the theory that if you really want to do something like this, you can. You don't have to be a certain age or weight or have a special ability. And I'm not saying anyone who doesn't want to really do this is less. It has to be a goal, and you have to have a burning desire to make the commitment to do what it takes to meet that goal. That is the hardest part of doing one of these races. And making the commitment is going to carry you through the hard parts of the training and the race. If the will and commitment is there, that's half the battle. Of course, there is also my other theory on this: sign up for something like this and it will scare you enough so you don't dare not do the training!

To me now, maintaining the Ironman "image" means setting an example that others can follow if they so desire.

WINTER HAS ARRIVED

An aerial photo from the GVSU downtown campus, right along my downtown running route. Looks almost magical.

The usual horrible drive.


We got a record early snowfall yesterday--some areas up to 15 inches! Probably about 5 only by my house thankfully.

November had been one of the best weather months of the year, taking into account the time of the year. It was mild and actually sunny many days, while October had been unusually cold and rainy. So many bike rides in the freezing or rainy weather in October, and then November turns out to be perfect training weather, when I was in recovery mode. Naturally, just as I get back to training, we get this stuff!

This week has really been my first week back to training. I did a few swims last week but nothing serious until now. It seemed like a long time to basically be doing nothing, but it also took a couple of weeks to get over some extreme fatigue that hit. So this week is was 3 spin classes, 3 runs, 3 weight training sessions. Again, nothing serious, just trying to re-establish fitness.

It also has been extremely busy at work (which is where I am now and will be on Sunday), and with my home computer out of order for now, I haven't had much, if any, time while at work to blog or even get on Facebook! I feel shut out!

Starting to look at winter race options, and hoping to find a couple of indoor tris. And then there's the New Year's Eve run (4 miles), and I am slowly rebuilding my running miles so that I'm at 6 miles by the end of the year again. I'm not hurrying it because winter mileage is so unpredictable. I don't want to get any high expectations just yet of getting back to high mileage, because a good majority would end up being on a treadmill, which, while I can't totally avoid it, I would prefer to try to get outside more this winter.

So despite the icy, snowy, and fairly cold (24 degrees) conditions today, I managed to get out there for 4 miles. I used my Yak Trax (they were actually right where I put them at the end of last winter), bundled up in 2-3 layers (2 tights, 3 shirts, facemask, gloves, headband) but ended up taking the facemask off after about a mile. For some reason I can't breathe in that thing and it really didn't feel that bad out anyway until the last 5 minutes or so.

Its always interesting to note all the slackers who don't clear their sidewalks--ever. Yes, there's a "path" if that's what you want to call it on the sidewalk, but its mainly a narrow foot path beaten down by kids walking to and from school. I ran as much as possible in the street, and it never ceases to amaze me that while it is full daylight and I am wearing bright red, how people driving don't manage to see you! I am hugging the curb or parked cars, so its not like I'm out in the middle of the street, but they veer right in my direction like I'm not there. I honestly don't know how these people manage to keep a car on the road the way some of them drive.

And the Yak Trax worked well. Most of the snow on the streets had actually refrozen, so it would have been difficult to maneuver without them.

It continues to snow--huge, fluffy flakes falling. I don't know if this is a sign of what winter will be like, but I guess I'd better get used to it. After all, its almost like winter lasts until May around here anyway.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Here are my top 10 reasons why I want to do another Ironman distance triathlon:

1. I'm crazy?
2. I like to swim, bike, and run.
3. I find my running goes better after a bike ride.
4. I find I'm really starting to like the endurance events because there's no (not as much) pressure to go fast.
5. I like having a structured training plan, even if it takes most of the year.
6. I like connecting with other people doing the same race and maybe even giving you training buddies.
7. I like the fact that I can do an Olympic distance triathlon without batting an eye and no taper and improve from past years' performance.
8. I like the fact that I can ride 95 miles one day and run a 1/2 marathon (and then some) the next.
9. I like the sense of accomplishment.
10. I like the 3 week recovery program that follows.

All that being said, once I started thinking of the races I want to do next year and in the future, I realized I probably am hooked on these long distance events. I have seen it happen to almost everyone I know who has done an IM event. I'm not so sure I was ready to sign up the next day after (or even the day before) the event like some, but the plan has definitely taken shape in my mind.

Tracking IMAZ peeps yesterday made me ALMOST ready to sign up for that race for next year. The practical side of me took over and it was a good thing to sleep on it. While I really would like to do that race, I am not ready financially to commit to spending that kind of money so quickly, and I realize there are other races closer by that I can do if I choose.

My biggest thing holding me back, however, is now that I know what it takes to train for such an event, I want to improve on what I did last year, so first there are steps I want to take over the next 6 weeks to get me ready to start training in January again. While I was content with not pushing myself in the training (not much anyway) or having had to push myself in the race (not much anyway), I know there are things I can do to improve performance without making it out of reach for myself, so that's where my improvement goals come in.

In the meantime, I am enjoying the 3-4 week taper, which is giving me time to make decisions without being pressured, giving me a chance to sit back and relax for a while, and a chance to get some household things done that were put off most of the year because of training.

I hope to formulate a list soon of races I either intend to do next year or there is a high likelihood I will do them. There are just so many choices!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

LIFE AFTER IRONMAN. NOW WHAT?

While I am not a lost soul now that Ironman is over, its always a good time to reflect on what future goals, if any, I have for this sport. And how to handle the recovery process. I had come across an article about a month before the race, but somehow never got around to reading it until today when supplied to me by 21st Century Mom Pamela. It was a good reminder, and takes all the guesswork and guilt out of the recovery process. Here is a link if you care to read: http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/You-Finished-an-Ironman-Now-What.htm

So it helps me decide that not running right now is not going to ruin me, that nothing of any intensity probably is better. While my legs actually felt really good by Tuesday after the race, I found out the hard way trying to run on Saturday I wasn't ready. Then today, another planned run day, I forgot my shoes. So I feel some force is keeping me from rushing the recovery too soon.

But what about my future goals? Future Ironman races? Of this I am certain: I would like to do another Iron distance race. I don't think it will be in 2010, but I will definitely do half Ironman races, maybe two, and try to improve on my biking skills before another attempt. Or maybe I just need to get serious sooner in the year?

In deciding on another race, I have to be realistic also in what the course is like and the location. I will be the first to admit that without the "ease" of the B2B course, I might not have finished in time. I also would like it within closer driving distance or being able to afford to fly. I could have kicked myself on the ride back wondering what I was thinking being cooped up in a car for nearly 20 hours, counting dead deer carcases and waffle houses to keep alert, as well as risking my life with crazy drivers and semis when I could have flown home the next day. It probably didn't save all that much when you have to factor in gas and hotels while on the road. So definitely something closer to home would be more desirable.

I have come across a new group of races, a full Iron and a half Iron distance, at the Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio, next September. Now if by some good fortune my training starting at the first of the year seems better than last year, and I decide to spend the money on another full so soon, this might be my first choice. If I don't do the full, just the half, then I might consider doing Vineman in California the next year. Its another smaller race, which I am totally comfortable with. So many choices; so little time!

In the meantime, I'm going to kick back for a couple of more weeks and relax and try to recover from all that has been going on in my life all year so I can start fresh for next year.

THEY SAID WE HAD 17 HOURS

You could say yikes! 16:55:01--you barely made it. But I prefer to say I did exactly as I planned and enjoyed every minute of the time allowed. And I did.

I never said I would finish much under 17 hours. In fact, my secret goal time was 16:49--based on my training times and my races this year. Also in fact, I have my own theory of Ironman finishing times and I'm usually pretty close. My dream goal was 16:30.

From the start of 2009, I trained with a basic thought of completing this race. It wasn't the foremost race on my mind, because I had decided to go from race to race, phase to phase, before I decided if I would really do this or even be able to do this.

While I had a solid training base through the Muncie half Ironman in July, until then, there was only the goal to hopefully be able to do this race. It was "out there" but nothing definitive. While I wanted to do this race, I wasn't sure I actually could.

After July, I thought "why waste the training??" and the training continued. And I really had no doubt that I could. The only problem with my plan was that everyone I knew who was training for an Iron distance race was either tapering or winding down their training, while I was trying to build on my training. So I never had anyone to seriously train with. And I feel extremely bad about "forcing" Don to train with me the last couple of months. when he clearly was unable to do so a lot of the time, and thus restricting some of my last few weeks of training.

So I trained alone. Week after week after week. I slugged it out with the bad weather, the low temps, the rain, but still worried that I could not cut it. Not in the time allowed at least. I have the endurance. I have the determination. I just don't have the speed. If the race could be finished"whenever" I would do this every year, no problem! But to actually pull it off in 17 hours?? Not really sure that could happen. I love training. I will do it all year round. I am just not that great at races.

But race day came and I had to get out there and do what I signed up to do.

I am going to fast forward, since I already posted a race report. Here are my plus and minuses for the race.

The biggest plus was it was a great destination race. Any trip that includes the ocean and the beach is tops for me, and added to that was the fantastic weather. The mornings were cool, but the days were perfect weather, just like race day, perfect weather. I loved Wrightsville Beach and North Carolina in general.

The plus for the swim was it was very fast for me: 1:14. They say that was due to the current, but I hardly felt the current until trying to get out of the water. Maybe it was the buoyancy of the salt water but I was more than pleased with my swim. I love swimming in open water and I really loved this swim. I started wondering if I would ever get out after the 4 wrong turns, but I really enjoyed it. It wasn't that crowded, which was another plus for me. I was terrified of all those people in the swim, but it wasn't even a factor. The only minus was the rubbing of my arms on my wetsuit, something I never noticed before, although it has happened in the past and I didn't realize where the chafing came from--I just didn't realize it was the wetsuit that caused it until now. And of course here the salt water made it apparent right from the start. I still have quite a big patch of rash to clear up.

The plus for the bike was it was such a beautiful day I didn't mind being out there all day, and that's exactly what it was, out there all day. The course also was fairly good. There were places I could have done without, especially at the end, but for the most part I marveled at the low volume of traffic for such long stretches. The minus here was the wind--a headwind at the end, a cross wind for the middle part. It slowed me down more than the overall distance would have, even though I had no high expectations of finishing much before I did. My predicted time was 7:50. My actual was around 8:10 (looking at results, I see they added my swim transition into the bike, making it look worse than it was). I would have been surprised at anything under 7:45. Another minus was the long stretch (38 miles) on Hwy. 421. Once I turned onto that, I only saw one person the entire time other than the few stragglers at the aid stations and Don. And I didn't like all the traffic at the end either.

The plus for the run was it was not as cold as I expected it to be. The minus of course was the almost immediate darkness and the kind of crazy course. Not a minus because it was dark. I actually prefer running in the dark. It was just that not knowing the course made me a little more tentative with my footing than I might have been otherwise, and found myself walking through areas where the road was bad or I couldn't see very well. After tripping and stumbling several times, I didn't want to take a chance and fall and not be able to get going again.

Another minus was some areas that I'm sure were great to run through were so dark you could barely see them, so it seemed almost a waste for me. But then I realize probably 99% of the participants got to the first run turnaround while it was still light, and a good majority finished before darkness as well.

A big plus was having Don out there on the course since I can actually say he helped me finish on time and gave me encouragement when I wasn't feeling so encouraged.

Another plus was all in all I did not feel that bad the whole time. Yes it was a long day and yes there were times when I wasn't sure of the outcome, but physically I probably could have gone on longer if I had to (not that I wanted to!). The biggest reason for this, for me, was the weather. It was perfect. Never too cold, never hot at all. Comfortable most of the time. Yes I had to do some planning for this that I hadn't thought of a lot before arriving in Wilmington, but being there a few days ahead gave me the chance to observe the weather at various times of the day so I knew what to expect. I also have a temperature guage on my bike computer so I always knew what the temperature was the whole time I was on the bike and it was helpful knowing what it was when I got done, so I could prepare for the run. I know had it been a hot day I would have faded and it would have been much more difficult.

The biggest plus of all was finishing of course and knowing that Karen also finished. So many times I thought of stopping and waiting for her, but I was afraid if I stopped for any length of time I might not get going again. And you never know how others are dealing with things so don't want to interfere. I know from my own perspective I didn't particularly want to do much talking, even when Don showed up, and don't always want to follow someone else's plan, but you also never know what will help.

One minus was the finish line. Being one of the last finishers, there were very few people there and it was nothing like other Ironman finish lines. I don't remember anything I might have said or did finishing. I did hear my name. I don't know if they said anything else. They also didn't really have any warm food left except soup, something I could have had all night if I wanted. I probably would have eaten something if they had it, but it wasn't that big of a deal either. We sort of had our own private party however since Karen had family and friends there and Don was there of course, and the finish line volunteers, who I appreciate very much. But when I watch other IM finishes, I realize we were lacking.

So that leads me to think of a next time.

BEACH TO BATTLESHIP IRON DISTANCE TRIATHLON

November 7, 2009

It Was a Long Day; It Was a Hard Race

So much to tell. First, and maybe foremost: finish time: 16:55:01. Its not how fast you get there, its just getting there. Its a story about endurance, determination, survival, and finally panic to finish in time.

The days leading up to the race, as I'm sure is typical for anyone doing an endurance event for the first time, was spent studying the weather reports, familiaring myself with the race course, and planning over and over what to wear. In an Iron event, there are 3 parts to planning, including nutrition and hydration for the long day ahead. For me, it came down to 3 am race day before I actually figured out what I would wear.

I had swam a couple of times prior to the race, and the race day weather report wasn't good: low 30s in the morning and a frost and freeze advisory. But the night before the race, I actually figured out that Wrightsville Beach, where the swim would take place, would actually be warmer than Wilmington, since it was inland and wasn't affected as much by the warmer ocean breezes. But the daytime temperatures for Wilmington and surrounding areas only was calling for a high of 68. That meant, for me, that most of my bike ride would be in cooler temperatures. As it turned out, the whole day was absolutely perfect other than a cool start to the day.

The Swim:

This would be an ocean swim in the Intercoastal Waterway, so we wouldn't have the surf but could benefit from the current. Transition opened at 5 am and we were there at about 5:15 to avoid the last minute rush that would likely make me forget something important for me, and to take a trolley over to the beach about 2 miles away. While we did not benefit from the strong current they had last year (because of the time change), we also were spared the 20 mph winds out of the north we had the 2 days before the race. A fairly calm morning, water 67 degrees, air a little chilly, so not that bad. Not as bad as I feared.

I was warned before the swim to "swim to the right side for the current but veer left when you see the "squiggly man." So maybe I misunderstood, or maybe I didn't follow directions, but somehow ended up to the left--way left in fact, to the point where one time I was outside of the left side buoys. This had to be the most confusing swim course I've ever encountered, since the buoys were placed far apart and staggered from left to right, so I was never sure where I was supposed to go. Especially with my limited sight vision. And I kept looking for the squiggly man, only to remember after 3 more missed turns that the squiggly man was at the finish, not at one of the turns like I was anticipating. So, due to these mistakes, I found myself off course 4 different times, likely resulting in about 5 minutes added to my time. One thing with the salt water and the little bit of current we did have, trying to get back on course took very little effort. One thing I noticed, that I wasn't aware of before but now I know, is that my arms with a sleeveless wetsuit rub on my wetsuit on every downstroke, and with the salt water I was aware of this early on since it results in a rash that stung like crazy! That's actually my worst chafing right now!

Once I saw the finish line dock, I pushed hard to get out of the water. We had to climb up a ladder and it was amazing that I had to make 3 attempts to grab the ladder. Everytime I reached for it, I was pushed back by the current, the same current I barely felt during the swim. When I attempted to get out of the water, I was so dizzy I couldn't believe it. I thought at first the dock was swaying, but it was only me. I took a quick glance at my watch and was stunned: 1:13. What?? Did I shut my watch off by mistake? But no, it was my swim time. Yes! was all I could think of. Actual swim time was 1:14 by the time I crossed the mats. I was very excited since it meant I had an extra half hour to "play" around with for the bike. As it turned out, I pretty much ate that time up on transition. We had a 400 yard run to the transition tents and of course there I ran into a couple of women I knew (Dread Pirate Rackham and Shirly Perly) and we were all chatting about what we were wearing on the bike. I changed from running shorts I used for the swim to biking shorts, lubing up appropriately, but left on my tri top and blotted as much water off it that I could. I had decided to wear that and my jacket and if necessary could take the sleeves off my jacket if I got too warm, but that never happened. I also wore socks and compression sleeves on my legs, so everything needed to be dried to accomplish getting dressed properly. Also a headband for my ears, but decided against the knit gloves and went with the bike gloves alone. It just didn't feel that cold to me. Then it was time to head out to the bikes, but first had to make a pit stop. Both porta johns were busy, and busy, and busy, for more than 5 minutes. If I hadn't had to go so badly I would have left, but I knew I wouldn't be able to last on the bike that long. One note on the swim to bike transitions, nearly everyone had longer transitions here because of the need to change from wet to dry clothes because of the temperature and then redressing for cooler weather. I know there were women who finished the race before me and actually had a longer transition here.

The Bike: I am not a strong biker, and I will be the first to admit it, but I started off really well and felt good. Wasn't cold, wasn't panicked, nothing remarkable. Just riding along comfortably and well under the cutoff limits. The course routed us around Wrightsville Beach area, then to Wilmington, and north to other areas. We rode one part of the race on an expressway with one lane closed only for bikes. I always wanted to do this. The road was smooth and fairly flat to downhill and no wind. That all changed around 30 miles, at the first aid station. Then we headed west into the wind, a cross wind actually, from the south and the west. I noticed my speed dropped some but it wasn't a huge drop. I was still maintaining more than what I had calculated to be the minimum speed I needed to maintain and finish on time, but of course I realized I had a cushion for the fast swim. I was pretty much holding my own except the wind was kicking my butt, to the point where eventually I was struggling with the pace but continued on. Oh, and the course description called the course "pancake flat." Ha! Not at all. After special needs, at 65 miles instead of 56, there were a few steep hills. And as luck would have it, just as I approached the hill, a gust of wind would come out of nowhere and beat me down every time. Wind and hills, my nemeses.

By the time we made the final turn back to Wilmington, 38 miles out, we were going south and once again into a head wind. I don't know how strong the wind was but it was constant, and I struggled to maintain a decent pace, a pace only fast enough to guarantee a finsih before the cutoff. And this section was not flat either by any means, more like a false flat, since it was a steady upgrade. Basically, not being a strong biker, it kicked my butt. And the worst part was a constant almost blinding headache through the back of my skull and into my neck. It might have had something to do with the wind because I had noticed it when we were going west also, but then it completely went away until now. I figured I would only get by on the bike portion anyway, but I was starting to worry. I hadn't seen any other bikers on the course for hours, until I finally passed a young guy around 80 miles. I figured he would repass me any time, but he actually was coming in on the bike when I was going out to run. I did see Don out there, and he was encouraging. He rode ahead and waited 3 different times before heading to the finish.

When I reached 100 miles, it was getting hard, really hard. I was struggling to maintain even a 12 mph pace at times and was starting to do the math for finishing and knew what I needed to do. I was also getting quite annoyed with all the traffic on the course, because while they closed one lane on the expresway, on the 4 lane divided highway they had nothing to indicate a race going on, and with me out there by myself, I had cars whizzing by me in both lanes at 55+ mph. The hardest part on the bike was the last 3 miles. OMG, it was through a busy section of town, onto the bridges going into Wilmington and elsewhere, and there was so much traffic and one lane dedicated to bikers, but there were cars who did not observe this. Not only that, those bridges were steep climbs, and I found myself going 5 mph on the last one, almost beside myself to get done.

Surprisingly, I was nowhere near last, even though I went over 8 hours. I was surprised also that no one ever passed me.

The Run. Finally, I was in transition. I was relieved. I just had no huge desire to push myself to get ready to run. Somehow I forgot that this was a race and once again blew away a ton of time.

This time I also had to change everything to make sure I would be warm enough on the run the whole time. I had decided no special needs was necessary as long as I got everything I needed in transition. I put on a long sleeved shirt and my jacket, gloves, and a headband and was glad I did later.

The run was hard, that's all I can say. The first mile included a huge climb on a bridge overpass, so I pretty much walked the first 3/4 mile, ran to the first aid station, and then established a run/walk pattern I was able to keep up for most of the first loop: 4 min. run, 2 walk. That's the best I could do. It also got dark by my second mile, so I had to watch my footing in many places. I tripped over a reflctor on the draw bridge and decided then I would only walk over that slippery thing. Then after 2 miles we were directed to the downtown area, which the city so conveniently decided to do road construction on Thursday and ripped up the road in that area. So not only did we have to weave ourselves through the construction cones, we had to watch our footing for the torn up areas. And we also had 3 steep hills or downhills and a half mile stretch over a brick street through old downtown Wilmington, and out to a lake development and through a park. It was so dark I couldn't see much, so have no idea how it looks. The area was lighted either with street lamps or spot lights, so it was either too bright and blinding or too dim so you didn't know where you were going. I'm sure this was a lovely part of the course in the daylight, but in the pitch dark, nothing impressive. I was more worried about turning an ankle or running off the path, which I did more than once. At the turnaround, they didn't even have a chip mat, so anyone could have turned beforehand and no one would have known otherwise. So I wasn't too crazy about the run course.

On the second loop, once I hit the bridges, I just wanted to walk. So I did. I walked and walked and walked, trying to calculate if I could still finish on time walking the whole way. I had my doubts but couldn't look at my watch anymore. I was truly at a low point, and thankfully, Don showed up right around the 3 mile mark to cheer me on again. That's just what I needed to get me running again. At this point I was counting cones. When I ran out of cones, I started counting steps and then counting street lights. At the first aid station in the park, the volunteers were a little too enthused and one of them, doing jumping jacks, smashed me in the face. I really didn't want to deal with being injured so just moved away as quickly as possible. [Note: Swollen eye on the eyebrow, but no serious injury.] I was mainly stunned and jarred.

Once you enter the park, you have about 1.75 miles before the turnaround. I was starting to feel the urge of needing a bathroom really bad so waited to get to the turnaround to see who was close before I decided to hit the bushes. It was so hard to go after all the other exertion that day, I'm sure I sounded like I was having a baby. And then the true seriousness of my chafing was very apparent. I was almost screaming with pain. So once again, decided to walk. I was findng myself mentally spent. I wanted to finish and then I didn't care. And then I got the better of myself and knew I cared, so started running again. It was painful, it wasn't pleasant, it definitely wasn't fast, but it had to get done.

At 3 miles to go, I ran into Don again and he said I had 47 minutes to finish. I was encouraged. Like I said, I hadn't looked at my watch the whole second half, so I was encouraged to know I still had a chance. I had already told myself that I hadn't busted my butt the whole day to not finish this race, and decided I would cross that finish line no matter what.

The biggest problem with the last 3 miles was it was the hardest. Up hills, the two uphill bridges, darkness, and at this point no spectators. When I got to the 24 mile mark, I pushed myself over the bridge to the drawbridge, then walked across that, ran down a steep downhill and on to the 25 milemark. I asked for my usual: coke and water and was given Heed, but at that point it didn't matter. I just said "hurry up, I'm running out ot time!" At 25 miles, you hit a steep uphill on the bridge in the pitch dark. I allowed myself a brief walk for one cone and then decided to not stop until the end. At 26 miles, I glanced at my watch: 16:51. Yikes! I have to make this. I had pushed myself the last 3 miles, I could keep on for 2/10 of a mile. All this time, I could hear behind me the closest next finisher, Waddler, and I was praying that she too would finish. I picked up the pace. It was surprising how I was such fleet of feet these last two miles especially. I don't think I have pushed myself this hard for at least 15 years.

I was so glad to see that finish line and the clock: 16:55:01. No hoopla, I was the second to last official finisher, Waddler the last one. But again, its not how long it takes, its the climb. Pretty much everyone had gone execpt those waiting for us.

Post Race: I was stiff, not cold, not hungry, but seriously chafed. I knew it would be excrutiatingly painful to deal with that, and I was right. It took me a good hour to get a shower , soak in warm water, and get things "bandaged" up. Diaper rash cream works like a charm!

BEACH 2 BATTLESHIP, DAY 2

Woke up early today, around 5 am, too many thoughts going through my head: what am I going to wear to the swim start? (predicted temps in upper 30s, low 40s); what to wear on the bike to start? (predicted temps in the mid-upper 40s); what then to wear on the run when it is likely to be pleasant temperatures when I start, however, dark, and eventually go to chilly to cold temps? I didn't feel like I had enough clothes to cover all the possibilities, so fretted about that. Finally, I got up around 6:30 with a splitting headache.

I had forgotten to clear off my memory card for my camera at Walmart the night before, and also discovered I had forgotten to bring a towel for after the swim and didn't want to take a hotel towel so headed out there early today to do both errands. When I got back to the hotel, it was still only around 9:30 am and Don was still sleeping, the lazy bum! I made breakfast (we have an efficiency suite) and then decided to head down to the beach to hopefully find the transition and so I could ride my bike another time. Like many others, I was dealing with nervous energy. Not necessary nervous energy, just nothing else planned to do. I did wash the car, however.

We went to the beach where the swim is to start. While I went for a short ride (3.5 miles), Don wandered the beach. When I got done, I didn't see him anywhere and was about to walk down to the ocean beach when I ran into the Outlaw crew from New Mexico. Weird chance encounter. Ran into Debi Wess (SW Tri Girl), her husband, and a few others from the group.

After I finally found Don, we walked around the beach neighborhood, admiring the flowers still in bloom, the butterflies, and the cool beach houses. The sun was shining bright and was so wonderfully warm!

Later in the afternoon, we headed over to the packet pickup, expo, and athlete dinner.

The schwag we got was a nice race bag, a nice climate control shirt, and a few other handouts. I also picked up another Sugoi vest and bike shirt at half price along with some Hammer Gel (apple cinnamon, my favorite). I met up with some of the Outlaw group again.

After that, I met up with Waddler (Karen) and TriSharkie (Rhonda) to head to the athlete dinner, along with Brian, Karen's husband.

By regular IM dinner standards it was a little lame; the volunteer dinner the night before was way better than this! But we had a good time and I sat with Shirly Perly, Waddler, Tri-Sharkie, and their spouses. After, we had more photo sessions before heading back to the hotel to get organized for tomorrow morning's early swim. We figured we would swim the same time almost as when the race starts to get a feel for about how cold its likely to be.

So now its time for one of the last 2 sleeps.

GREETINGS FROM NORTH CAROLINA

We finally arrived at 10:30 Tuesday evening, after a LONG day of driving. Why is it these road trips of mine always turn out taking longer than they are supposed to?? Instead of about 9 hours of driving that day, it took more like 14. A nearly 100 mile detour didn't help matters.

But we arrived, and today, Wednesday, was a glorious day. High of 73, sunny, but with a cool north wind.

Ever since my vacation at Outer Banks last summer (2008), I looked forward to a reason when I could return to the area, and I guess I found a good one.

We went to Wrightsville Beach so I could hopefully get in a swim. The public beach is about 7 miles from the public beach. It reminded me a lot of Outer Banks beaches with one main road leading to the public beach, and small narrow streets behind that lined by houses on both sides--one side the beach side, the other the road side.

We found plenty of parking, since it is obviously the off season. Yet there were fishermen here and there fishing and at least one other athlete who had completed a swim and was fixing himself a little lunch on a camp stove. We also talked to one of the water volunteers for the race Saturday who made some observations about the tide, the wind direction, and the water temp.

One side of the beach was on the Atlantic side and the other was on the channel side. There was a huge difference, just in waves alone. There were a few surfers out today since with the north wind the waves were several feet. The channel side was fairly calm.

I finally got my wetsuit on and stepped into the water, which was frigid. It reminded me a lot of Lake Michigan most any time but with one difference. The farther out I went, even though the water was seeping through the wetsuit some, it didn't have that completely icy feel Lake Michigan has. But it was still hard getting my bare arms in the water.

I finally made the plunge and put my face in and it wasn't that bad. My head had brain freeze right away but that eased up eventually. I only swam maybe 10 minutes and it wasn't as bad as I thought.

Tonight Don goes to the volunteer dinner and orientation and then we'll see what else we do. More later! Pictures tomorrow.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

MAKING MY LIST AND CHECKING IT TWICE

No, not my Christmas list just yet. Just my list of things to pack/need/do/get, etc. to get ready for my trip to do Beach2Battleship, Nov. 7.

Hard to believe its finally here. Like many at this point, I have a lot of mixed emotions, but am trying to stay positive and work on my confidence building at the same time. One moment I'm nervously excited and looking forward to the race, the next I'm dreading it. I suppose its all normal.

In the meantime, my list keeps growing. I am starting to wonder if I will have enough room in the car for everything I think I need, may need, want to bring, etc.

I wish I wasn't working tomorrow, to give me a better chance to fine tune the list and the packing project, but I miscalculated on that and am now stuck going into the office to work on some last minute projects that hopefully I will have some control over.

Last weekend was the end of all the major workouts, and good thing, with all the other stuff I have had to do this week, and just catching up on sleep. I've reached the point where workouts are hard, so I definitely needed to be done and get some rest.

Yesterday was a neighborhood Halloween 5k that I did. I'm glad I did it, even though it wasn't on the agenda. It was my usual short course from home only backwards, so I knew every step of the way how far I was and how far I had left to go, but it was basically just a fun run. I was 10th out of 27 in my "age" group, even though it was 10 year age groups and I was the oldest in the age group. But I couldn't help notice that I was pretty sluggish, totally unable to push it too much. Don said this is normal at this point. Just so it goes away by next weekend!