IM FLORIDA 11-5-11

As the sun is rising, I am standing with my toes in the cold sand waiting for the cannon to explode so I can begin my Ironman adventure. Everyone says you should be nervous at this moment.   I checked myself and realized I felt excitement and not nervousness, thankfully.  I think my mind and body was well prepared  and that I knew I was up for the challenge of what the day had to give me. As I headed into the calm water, I was amazed at how quickly I got into a rhythm.  I got kicked in the face at the turn buoy, but other than that is was an enjoyable swim. The jelly fish kept to themselves! 

Swim:  1:32:12

T1: 13:47  long transition time but I'm not sure what I expected.  Everything went as planned.

It was exciting having my bike handed to me!  I clipped in and headed out where the wind immediatlly hit me. So many people around me did not appear to be confident on the bike.  I finally found a guy that was passing people at a good pace so i fell in behind him and stayed there for 35 miles....hence,  the drafing penalty at mile 25 for me! I did 4 minutes in the penatly tent, layed in the grass and got burrs all over me! The nice guys there picked them off of me (they didn't seem to mind very much) lol  Later I realized they missed one under my tri belt & it flet like a pin sticking me...ouch! In retrospect, that was the worst pain of the day so I'm good with that! At some point, a line from a song entered my head.  I kept hearing "I hope you had the time of your life".... over & over & over for miles & miles! I could not remember the artist or any other parts of the song. I stopped once to pee, probably around mile 50, and then again at the halfway point for my special needs bag. So ,with the song in my head and the wind all around me, I pedalled my heart out trying to make sure I saved enough for the run.  I unclipped safely and noticed that my legs felt good.  Okay, so my dismount wasn't anything special....will work on that! 

Bike 6:35:13  

T2: 5:42  much better T time...guess I was ready to run :)

I felt great off the bike, which surprised me.  I got into a nice easy pace and at mile one my calves both cramped.  Never have I had this problem.  Didn't want to overthink it, so I ate a banana, drank gatorade, and took enduralytes (more on nutrition later) I , also, stretched my calves for a minute; which I should have done in transition.  The cramps only lasted a mile or so and  I never had problems with my legs again.  I walked most water stops, stopped at porta potty a few times, bandaged one small blister on my toe; otherwise a pretty uneventful marathon.  (thank goodness). The thought did occur to me at mile 17 of the run that I was going to have a flat on my bike!  I was releived to realize I didn't have to worry about my bike any longer.  That was a sign it was almost time to start drinking Coke!

Run:  4:36:03 2:17/2:20 splits- very pleased with my consistency

Nutrition:
My nutrition was what kept me feeling good the entire day.  I really listened to my body and did what was needed at the moment. 

Breakfast:  bagel w/ peanut butter, coffee, banana, Ensure+, power bars, gatorade, sips of water constantly,

Before swim:   about 30 minutes b4 swim Ensure+, 2 enduralytes

T1:  water & enduralytes, pb & honey uncrustable, Ensure+

Bike:  nutter butters, fig newtons, bars, uncrustables,  gummie fruits all broken up in bento box.  I ate a couple bites of something EVERY 5 miles.  I had Hammer Perpetuem mixed with gatorade in my bike bottle which I sipped in between bites.  I got water at every10 mile aid station for my aerobottle and made sure I drank it all every time!  I took enduralytes or salt tabs EVERY hour.  I drank another Ensure+ at the special needs stop which I had frozen in my special needs bag.  Perfect!  I ate 2 gels during the bike, mile 35 and 95. 

T2:  Another Ensure+, water & enduralytes

Run:  banana at mile one,  enduralytes & water every hour, alternated water & gatorade at every water stop,  4 gels during the run, 6. 12, 17, 22,  starting at mile 20, I had coke & water at every water stop.  No other food on the run except for the first banana. 

After the race,  finally sat down at the bar & consumed a burger & fries!

Recovery:   I was surprised at how well I felt, I was more sore after my first marathon.  I ran easy & biked just a few days after.  I really didn't stop completely until day 9, I got a cold/virus/ bronchitis with some nasty fever blisters.  I guess my body was yelling at me to stop.  Well, I've stopped for a week but I'll be back out there after Thanksgiving! 

PS  I could not be an IRONMAN without my family and friends who have made this adventure possible.  Thanks to ALL of you!

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TAPER

I've always heard that taper is hard, and now that I'm in the middle of it, I understand perfectly.  It's not physically hard, because for the first time in months, I am doing shorter workouts which leaves more free time on my hands.  That free time is what is hard mentally, my mind is very restless.  I am so wired I can't seem to relax!  The mental focus ,though, is not there for mundane tasks around the house, I only want to think about the race.  I really am going to compare this to the excitement & nervousness leading up to my wedding or even the birth of my children.  I know you are saying NO WAY.  I'm NOT saying it is as important as those monumental days, but I have put forth more time and effort on this ironman journy, than on either my wedding or pregnancy.  I guess I'm saying that the focus on every workout is crucial, swimming, biking, runninhg can be dangerous if you lose focus; picking out a wedding dress isn't dangerous and pregnancy pretty much happens without much input from you.  For an Ironman, the daily 'choice' to get the appropriate training in is exhausting, not to mention the workout itself. 
So here I am with the work done, the packing list started, and my excitement soaring, ready to become an Ironman, Ironwoman, Ironmom...whatever you want to call it, it means 140.6 miles!!!
This week I have been advised to have fun with my workouts!  I have swam without counting laps, ran & biked without measuring distance, speed, or pace and enjoyed the beautiful fall weather.  I'm hoping to do the same on November 5th and ENJOY MY IRONMAN JOURNEY!!!

Race day 26 days away

Had the longest training weekend of my life this past weekend.  A double brick starting from my driveway Saturday morning at 7 am and finishing at 3:30 pm consisting of 50 mile bike, 14 mile run, 30 mile bike, and a 3 mile run.  The garage functioned as transition area and aid station with food & fluidst was mid 60 temps at start and low 80's by the end, perfect weather!  I felt strong & consistent even on my last run.  I showered, rested, and ate until bedtime- which was 8:15 (I was alseep at 8:30).  I woke up at 6 and ate waffles and went back to sleep itll 8 and ate cereal. I slept close to 12 hours.  Sunday I swam my longest lake swim with a couple of friends & one in a canoe!  I wore race wetsuit & goal was to prepare mentally & test fitness.  I passed!  Swam 2.5 miles in 1:36- goal for Florida is 1:45; feel much more confindent about the swim.  Even got to swim with a Kona qualifier from a few years back.....no, I didn't keep up with her! Coaches say I need to take a recovery day today (DONE).  I'm blogging, logging workouts on daily mile, eating, and watching inspirational race videos on YouTube! (what a great day)...I need to clean house too but that's beside the point. ha
I had to cut a bike short last week because I just didn't have it.  After talking it out with Coach Al, looks like I'm not eating enough at dinner. Not a surprise at all in retrospect.  I came home and put together a nutrition schedule/checklist and put alarms in my phone for times to eat and snack! I kow I need fuel but at times it's hard to eat when I'm so tired and have no appetite becasue of fatigue.  My plan is to have meals planned ahead of time so they are ready to eat....seems it takes all my energy to feed the family and then I don't eat. ughhh....lesson learned!
I will share race week plans, etc during taper in a few weeks.

September Totals:
Swim 9m   5'48"
Bike  459 m   28'14"
Run   57m     9'46"
Total:  525m   43 hours 49min

36 days to go...

Wow, race day is sneaking up on me! Only a few more weeks of high volume training and then it's taper time- decreasing the volume will be welcome. 

August brought a few races for me as well as school schedules for the kids.  The kids love their new schools and teachers- Always a plus when you move just  for that purpose!  My schedule called for a few olympic distance triathlons during late July & early August, but life got in the way of that.  Instead I opted  for a back to back sprint race which added together equaled close to OLY distance.  It was a triathletes weekend dream- Friday was the Sharpshooter "men's only" tri, Saturday was the Annie Oakley "women only" tri, and Sunday was the Showman Shooter tri which was co-ed.  If you participated in two you got a special finishers tee-shirt (and a few more calories burned).   I did the Annie Oakley on Sat and the Showman shooter on Sunday, to my surprise I won first in my age group BOTH days!  woot woot :) 
The other race on my schedule in Augsust was the Rocketman Olympic Tri in Huntsville, Alabama.  We opted to make a family trip out of this and take the kids to the Space Muesum on Saturday and I would do the race on Sunday.  I did the race on tired legs, needless to say, after walking around all day the day before.  I had a good race though, 4th in my age group.  I was really happy with my bike & run feeling really strong with each of those.  My swim was slow, at first I thought wow this feels good- Then I realized it felt good cause I did not push.....It. Was. Slow. I am working on pacing myself in the water. 
My B race of the season was Sept 10, Nashvegas 70.3.  I needed to use this race to gauge my fitness for my Ironman.  It was just the boost that I needed!  I cut off 20 minutes of my Cancun 70.3 time to finish 6:21.  I had a steady swim, felt really strong on the bike & run to pull out a 1st in my age group!  I was really pleased with my bike....especially since it was a hilly course.  The song "Run to the Hills" by Iron Maiden rang in my ears during the bike. I felt so good after this race, I was never sore.  I took only 2 days off to recover and then starting building again.  I did a 50 mile ride the next week and then a 100 mile ride Sat & 15 mile run Sun.  Then Tuesday went to the doctor with a cold!  Luckily I got a sinus cocktail shot and slept tons.  I took 4 days off to rest & hydrate.  Saturday after that, I did an easy 32 bike & Sunday an easy 6 mile run.  Not the numbers I wanted to post but hey, what are ya gonna do?  Lesson Learned.  Recover after a race.  Now, I am upping my vitamins, antioxidents, veggies, water etc.... It will do me no good to get to the start line if I'm sick. Period.  Feeling weak from that cold put a little scare into me.  I'm now on the building, resting , & staying healty training plan.  As I should have been all along.
My numbers for August:
Swim 15miles; 10 hrs, 14 min
Bike  479 miles; 28 hours, 50 min
Run 58 miles; 9 hours, 23 min

Total August Training:  551 miles; 48 hours, 28 minutes

IM Florida in 95 days.....

August, really?  We were so busy with our move that June and July flew by!  Moving a family of 5 is tougher than I imagined.  In my mind, I counted some of the move as cross-training workouts!  Lots of strength & cardio workouts carrying boxes up & down stairs! :)  Two weeks after we moved we went on vacation.  Geesh, we really needed it.  I did get an opportunity while at the beach to do 3 open water swims which I loved!  Also, I did my longest bike to date (82 miles) while on vacation and I did it alone.  I picked up a map from the local bike shop and used my gps, it was a good uneventful ride (thank God)!
I was hoping to do an olympic tri a month during June & July, but that didn't happen.  I did manage to do a few sprint triathlons and I have some longer races on my calendar.
 JUNE:  Dragonfly Tri: I think I did the exact same time as last year within seconds.
Swim:  8m  5hours 56 min
Bike:  311m   18hrs 44 min
Run:    59m    9hrs  47 min
June Totals:  379 miles 34 hours 28 min

JULY:  Annie Oakley Super Sprint Tri and Sharpshooter Sprint Tri 
           I did "The Challenge" which is both races the same weekend-one Sat & the other Sun.
           I was super excited to get 1st in my age group in both races! Great awards too :)
Swim:   6m   4hrs 8min
Bike:    312m  18hrs 37min
Run:      51m  8hrs 23min
July Totals:  369miles  31hrs 10min
 
    TRAIN HARD
    LIVE HAPPY     

Let the TRAINING begin......

The clock is counting down and I'm now paying attention to the hours whizzing by and the fact that those hours need to be spent wisely.  Eat...Train...Rest...Repeat.  This is optimum but my life isn't revolving around my training currently.  We are moving our family across town at the end of June (less than 2 weeks) so I have been packing, cleaning, stressing, etc....  my training has suffered but not for long, I will get my mental focus back (I write that for me to believe it). 
May brought in a heat wave which was difficult on my body because I was not acclimated to the heat yet.  ughhhh...I plan on rereading my facebook posts from last summer to give me inspiration for heat endurace training!  I had some hard runs & bikes during May which really brought to light the event that I am undertaking.  I am not ready....but I will be....I have 20 weeks to prepare.  My base it solid...I am ready to focus on my journey. 
Today is Father's Day and I am grateful for having a wonderfully supportive husband who is the best dad ever!  He is the reason that makes my Ironman dream possible! 
I am blessed to have the best group of friends EVER!  You chica's know who you are, you have been there every step of the way! Thank you & love you.
May Races:
Killer Kudzu 5K  24:58 overall female masters winner
Memphis In May Olympic Tri  2:59 - torrential rains, hail, wind, and a longer run than it should have been = Good times! Great venue and course!

Memphis In May

May Training:
SWIM:  6m
BIKE:   288 m
RUN: 60m
May Totals:  354 miles; 34 hours, 2 minutes
                   
TRAIN HARD
LIVE HAPPY

Rain, Rain Go Away.....

Not sure about you, but I'm ready for some May flowers!  Rain & chilly weather got in the way of some workouts during April so I had to opt for some gym workouts.  The month started with a fun run for Autism.  I ran with Cody in this race that started on Beale Street and ran through downtown Memphis by the river.  It was a beautiful Friday night and he had a PR at 38:33 which earned him a 2nd place finish in the under 9 age group! Yay Cody (not bad for a 6 year old!)
I rode several  organized rides this month to build some miles on the bike.  Plus these rides are marked & have SAG's so I don't have to worry about food & drink. 

Rachel & I with our hardware!

Ride Into Spring is a ride by RB's Cyclery that is normally the first ride of the season for most people.  It was a great day for this ride.  I met David Barczak before the ride & rode the Lucky 13 Tri bike route that gave us a total of 60 miles for the day on the bike.  I have been running a couple miles off the bike since this ride to help condition my legs & mind for the upcoming Tri season.
Los Locos Duathlon was my first multisport race of the season.  It was a hot & windy day but the 'curly girls'  were still able to pull out a 3rd place finish in our age groups!
Memphis Hightailers hosted the Charles Finney Ride which turned out to be freezing cold and with what felt like an arctic wind!  I managed to do 45 miles while several of my friends opted for a hot breakfast at Craker Barrel.
Memphis Thunder Racing sponsored the Cycle for Safety Ride in honor of Cory Horton.  The  out & back ride began at St. George's where Cory coached swimming and ended at his memorial site where the accident happened.  It was a beautiful 50 mile course and a great ride.
During April, I also focused on swim and run speed drills to build some power both in the pool and on the track! 
April Totals:
SWIM:  9 miles
BIKE:    299 miles
RUN:     68 miles
Total Distance:  375 miles
Total Training Time: 40 hours 23 minutes

"I'm training for an Ironman"

You Tube video about training for an Ironman says it all.......*note* a couple words of profanity...and, no, Ironman is not a bad word!! LOL

March: Build some bike miles

We had some warmer days in March which allowed more time outdoors in the saddle.  I rode with some of the runners from the "Germantown Thoroughbreds" run group (the multisporters of the run group)! It was nice to ride some different routes and see different faces.  My longest rides were St. Patrick's Day ride -55m and a 60m with Al, my bike mentor- which btw, I'm getting much better at drafting (not that it's allowed).
My swims consisted of Tri Swim Clinic at Germantown Athletic Center. Paddles are my new favorite swim gear.  I use them for warm up & pulls.  They make me focus on the correct way to pull as well as strengthen those muscles.
I had some fun runs during March.  I ran the Smile Train 5k with my 6 year old twins, Cody and Zachary.  Our time was 40 minutes which took the boys to a first & second place finish in the under 9 category.  More important than their hardware was the fact that they really enjoyed running!  The annual Breakaway Pub Run on St. Patrick's Day was lots of fun even though I didn't indulge in any beer (green or otherwise).  The Germantown Half Marathon was the longest race I've ran since NYC Marathon. My goal was to finish under 2:00 and not push harder than that...no PR goals this year (endurance is the key).  My time was 1:58- very pleased with the execution of my plan.
March totals:
Overall Distance:  361 miles
Swim:  10m
Bike: 270m
Run:  81 m
Total Training Time:  39 hours 15 minutes 



Happy Birthday Lynell



Month of 10K's

My Race Award

Ahhh February, winter is in full swing but my eyes are looking ahead to spring.  The cold weather didn't permit a lot of outdoor bike time but I was able to keep warm running outdoors. I ran three 10K races each with very differnt courses. 
 St. Valentine's Day 10K is a fun, hilly course winding through neighborhood.  I was 3rd in my age group and missed my PR by just a few seconds. 
MRTC WCCS 10K is the last of the cross country series, it was 2.5 loops through Shelby Forest.  It's pretty tough seeing the finish line TWICE before you get to cross it!
Move It Memphis 10K is a great downtown course that goes along the Mississippi River and winds through the South Bluffs as well as other senic areas of downtown Memphis.  A great finishers party after with seating, a band, and beer!  I finished 2nd in my age group.
That's it for races druing February, I've decided to not do very many 5K's this year and spend my entry $$ on some bike rides instead.  At this point, my plan is to run two 4 milers a week (one speed intervals/ one fartleks)  plus the 12.5 mile Sunday morning group run. That keeps my run miles at 20 per week. I'm sure I'll mix in my favorite races here & there.
The Tri Swim Clinic has started at the gym so I'm back in the pool more consistently.  Working on bilateral breathing again this season.  It is not natural for me but I'm going to put the work in and hopefully some day it will be.
Working on my strength training plan as well as stretcing and using the foam roller (especially for my IT Band); not to mention my nutrition.  These will be main focus areas in March as I build my fitness.
Feb. Total Miles:  304
S-7
B-229
R-68
Feb. Total Training Hours:  36

Bring on 2011

Stanky Creek 8K-Daniel, Holly, & me

I started the year off with a 5.5 mile run with my local runner's group.  We celebrated after with a chilly tailgate party....mulled spiced wine, coffee, and lots of good grub!   MRTC (Memphis Runners Track Club) puts on a great WCCS (winter cross-country series) during January & February. It is a great series  of races that will get you running/walking back outside and easily build your miles.  The distances are 3K, 5K, 8K and 10K.  After the 10K, you are ready to continue base training & build from there for race season.  Easy peasy :) 
Also, in January, was the premier of the running documentary Hood to Coast.  After seeing the movie, the seed has been planted and it has been put on my bucket list to do this 197 mile relay from Mt Hood to the Oregon coast. We all need goals!
The remainder of January I've been getting my training plan and my race plans in order.  I've been on the bike when the weather has allowed and on my trainer quite a bit doing 'spinervals'.  Also, the pool has seen my presence a few times.  I'm ready...2011 is in full swing!! 
January totals:
212 miles
26 hours 21 minutes