Beyond Ironman

Slowing Down in 2012

2012-01-03T18:53:00.000-08:00

I'm still recovering from a whirlwind of a 2011. Like a hangover, but without the drinking. In my usual fashion, I bit off a big ol' chunk of "too much" last year. Thankfully I have a fortress of awesomeness surrounding me, made up of friends and family, who protect me and keep me strong and upright and moving forward. Compiling a recap of the entire year would be far too exhausting, but I am so grateful for the memories spilling over. It doesn't seem possible, but each year keeps on topping the one prior. If that holds true, 2012 is going to be mind blowing.

2011 Totals:
Swim = 183,240 meters. Or about 114 miles for the non-metric folk.
Bike = 3336 miles.
Run = 620 miles.
Plus all of those hours of practicing transitions, strength training (okay okay, there weren't many of those), hiking, etc.

This includes finishing a handful of shorter races, a half marathon, a half ironman, and TWO full ironmans. If you ignore the "extras", that is 4070 miles of moving my body last year. Honestly, I expected that number to be higher. But given all of the other responsibilities (60+ hour work weeks anyone?), I would be proud with even half of that. I finished what I had set out to do, and that was the main goal last year. Mission complete.

But 2012 is going to have a very different theme. I'm going to reclaim some balance that was lost a few years ago. The proverbial stopping to smell the roses. Shorter work hours, more attention for my loved ones, being present in what I'm doing now instead of thinking about what I need to be doing next. Less multi-tasking. More workouts because I want to do them, not because they are on a schedule. Not be so hard on myself. Get stronger, both inside and out. Focus on proper nutrition. Yes, finally. Basically, I'm taking a well-rounded holistic approach to taking care of myself. It's going to be fabulous.

Race Report: 2011 Ironman Arizona

2011-12-02T14:45:00.001-08:00

Grab a pot of coffee or a bottle of wine, kick your feet up, and settle on in. It's a long one, folks...

The executive summary:
I swam, biked, and ran for a really long time. Then I crossed an awesome finish line.
Swim - 1:25:54 (2:15/100m)
T1 - 0:05:56
Bike - 6:44:14 (16.62 mph)
T2 - 0:04:11
Run - 6:35:03 (15:04/mi)
Total = 14:55:18

The race numbers have finally faded from my arms and legs, the post-race bloat is getting under control (although it has been replaced by holiday bloat), and the twinges and aches from race day have worked themselves out. The tan lines and chafe marks might take a little longer to disappear. But the awesome memories of another successful Ironman are clear as day. I don't think you ever forget the emotions of anticipation, fear, excitement, pain, bliss, despair, gratitude, and elation that overwhelm you during training and during race week.

I'm going to start my race report by giving an enormous THANK YOU to my family, friends, and coworkers. I would not have even made it to the start line without my support system. And none of this would mean anything without all of you.

Race week began with a furious all-night packing extravaganza and a very early morning arrival to the airport. The 6am flight seemed like a good idea at the time. It always does. Minus a furious transferring of items to stay under the baggage weight limits, the travel to Tempe went flawlessly. However, the first hour of our arrival didn't go quite as well. The condo that we checked into was a total NIGHTMARE and we were left with needing to find lodging during one of the busiest weekends of the year. Thankfully, Mia at Westbrook Vacation Rentals hooked us up with a comfortable condo close to the race site, and near the rest of my Ironman crew. More on all of that later.

The days leading up to Sunday were the typical pre-Ironman hubbub. Unpack, athlete check-in, pack and repack transition bags, drive/ride the course, spend hundreds of $$ in the expo tent, practice swim, bike check-in, bag check-in, freak out, hydrate, freak out, and get plenty of chemically assisted rest. I also tried a new anti-blister tactic this year, and covered both feet and heels with 3 coats of Nu-Skin (a process stolen from my coach and slightly modified for those of us without access to surgical grade glue).

Wake-up time was a little after 3am on race morning. I think this is the first big race that I was dead asleep when the alarm sounded. It took me a little while to shake off the grogginess, but I managed through my normal routine of Ensure, light breakfast #1, shower, light breakfast #2, facebooking, and coffee. Ken dropped Mom and I off at transition right around 5am. It was already a hub of activity despite the early hour.

Since Mom was volunteering in the change tent, she had access inside the transition area and was able to hang out with me while I went through my race prep. Load up bike, air up tires, porta potty, body marking, porta potty, lube up, porta potty, and then finally wiggle into the wetsuit and...wait. Oh, the waiting. Sitting silently, shivering in the November desert air, watching thousands of athletes nervously walk through their routines.

Finally it was time to head towards the water. I did a cannon-ball off the dock into Tempe Town Lake, took a couple of shocked gasps, and then swam just past the Mill Avenue Bridge, all up in the middle of the chaos. I had the perfect view of the hundreds of spectators overhead, and of Mike Reilly on the podium. He spoke the words I've come to recognize now. "Today is a great day to become an IRONMAN. You WILL cross that finish line!" The national anthem was sung, and once again I floated with my hand over my heart, trying to keep my nerves from spilling out as tears into my goggles.

Without much warning, the swim had started. The still waters of the Salt River turned into a frothy cauldron of tangled bodies. I had a strange calm come over me that I haven't experienced at the other Ironmans. I suddenly wasn't scared or anxious or nervous. The kicking and clobbering and dunking didn't bother me. I rolled with the punches (literally) and soaked it all in, not knowing when I would get to experience this again. The rest of the swim was uneventful. I made it through the turnaround relatively unscathed, took a few beatings on the way back, and found myself on the exit stairs within 60 seconds of my prior Ironman-distance swims. Predictable and reliable. And I'm totally okay with that.

For me, time seems to stand still in transition. It feels like it takes forever, and I can replay it all back in my memory. But in reality I was in there for less than 6 minutes. This was longer than previous transitions, but I took a little extra time to lube up my feet again, lube up "other" areas, put on socks, and chat with my Mom (best part of T1!). Soon I was on the bike and heading out for 6-7 hours of quiet time in the Salt River Indian Community. My last long ride of the year.

I was determined to enjoy and be thankful for the experience, rather than wish away the hours. That lasted for about 80 miles. And then I just wanted OFF THIS DAMN BIKE! Loop 1 was a cake walk. I took it easy on the way out and ignored the head wind. The way back was fast and furious, downhill with a tail wind. I foolishly let myself believe the entire ride would be like this. Loop 2 threw us a curve ball. The way out felt easier than Loop 1. Fantastic! Until I turned around at Shea Blvd and the wind just about bitch slapped me off my bike. And continued beating me while I watched my average speed drop. Lower lower lower. I was preparing myself for a horrendous Loop 3. Yes, it was bad, but not horrendous. I remembered the advice from the Tempe Mayor at the athlete dinner, telling us to let the spirits of the sacred land we were riding on carry us through the course. It might sound hokey, but I swear, there is something incredibly special about that land. 112 miles later I was slipping my feet out of the shoes and handing my bike off to a volunteer, feeling very blessed to make it through without a flat tire, a crash, or medical troubles.

I changed my shirt and socks in T2, but only after generously lubing up my feet yet again. I let the volunteer pack up the nastiness of my gear (I should have just thrown away those socks!) and headed out for the last 26.2 miles of the season. I had no idea what to expect here, but I was mentally ready for an 8 hour walk. I don't have a good track record at these things. I was pleasantly surprised to ward off the demons until about mile 12, which is about 6 miles longer than in the past.

I had the most AMAZING support out on that run course. My friends and family were out there for every single loop through town, despite being on their feet since 5am that morning. One of my best girlfriends and her family surprised me (all the way from Portland!) and were out there cheering. I knew the crew back home was checking in on the live feeds. And the volunteers were phenomenal.

I don't know that I ever entered the mindfuck black hole of doom in this race. Yes, the pain was unreal. Yes, I questioned why the hell I was out there at all. But I didn't have to make bargains with myself for each footstep just to keep moving forward. While this makes for a much less dramatic experience, it certainly makes for a more enjoyable one. For once, I smiled more during the marathon than I grimaced or cried. And even though my time was slower, I consider it a huge improvement.

As I began the last half mile to the finish line, I was overcome with so much emotion. The spectators lined the sidewalks and carried you along the lake, past the Mill Avenue bridge, and into the final turn through the dark parking lot. My friends were waiting here to give me one last hug before sending me into the finishers chute. I have learned to slow down through here, scan through the crowds, slap hands, and listen to the music. I actually heard Mike Reilly this time. And I spotted my team in the bleachers just before I crossed under the arch. After a very difficult year, I was an Ironman again. And for those of you wondering, yes, it was all worth it.

Weekend Inspiration

2011-11-26T10:11:00.001-08:00

After just finishing my second Ironman of the year (yes, yes, race report coming soon), my weekend inspiration is a little different this week...
1) Confidence is always a good thing.

2) Mmmm, pie...

3) Mmmm, wine... Sterling Vineyards is my favorite.

4) I won't be feeling a bit guilty about trading in the pool for the bathtub.

5) It's snowshoeing season!!!!!

Weekend Inspiration

2011-11-13T20:07:00.001-08:00

Some favorite Kona Ironman finishes.

1) Back when no one knew who Chrissie Wellington was. This was my first year watching the live feeds, and I was blown away by the girl with the crazy huge smile.

2) Jon Blais crossing the line in 2005, the same year he was diagnosed with ALS.

3) Remember this?

4) Scott Rigsby was the first double amputee to complete an Ironman.

5) Craig Alexander, winning Kona for a third time this year, and setting a course record.

Taper

2011-11-08T06:44:00.000-08:00

It's that time again. Taper, also known as "get-as-much-shit-done-as-you-can-in-3-weeks" time. After a long couple of peak training weeks, it's time to rest up for the big show. I've gotten my usual taper illness out of the way (it came early this time and fell at the end of my peak week), and I'm starting to feel randy and restless and ready to get this thing done. I think that means that I'm ready.

How strange to not have the days filled up with hours of swim/bike/run. This past weekend I was incredibly productive - I did my workouts, enjoyed a handful of visits with friends, hit up no less than 10 stores during an afternoon errand extravaganza, cleaned house, decorated for Thanksgiving, finished organizing the house after the move, cooked, and even snuck in some extra sleep. Oh, and I handmade our Christmas cards, labeled, and signed them. My taper list is still a mile long (organize garage, winterize flower beds, tune up bike, oh, and pack !!!). I have a little over a week before we leave for Tempe, and at this rate, I'll have burned through the list by Friday. Good stuff, this taper. It's like crack. I wish I could bottle it up and sell it.

Some photos from the last few weeks. Fall + running = love. Fall + biking = suck it.

The view from my neighborhood during a morning run.

Beginning of a 5.5 hour trainer ride. Sleepy, but happy. That under-eye luggage is courtesy of peak Ironman training during the biggest work week of the year.

End of a 5.5 hour trainer ride. Not so happy anymore. Eye baggage still in tact.

Beautiful fall colors.

Jon, happy to be warming up, riding 5 hours in sub-40 degrees.

Macey, happy to be warming up, riding 5 hours in sub-40 degrees.

Weekend Inspirations

2011-11-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

1. Remember, it's not [always] about how fast you are.

2. J Mac's story.

3. Check out these amazing open water swim locations around the world.

4. How many of you have the image of Julie Moss crawling to the finish line as your first Ironman memory? The scene has been played over and over again from the Wide World of Sports broadcast of the 1982 Ironman World Championships in Kona.

5. Spoken by Jon "Blazeman" Blais:

Live, more than your neighbors.

Unleash yourself upon the world and go places.

Go now. Giggle. No, laugh.

And bark at the moon like the wild dog that you are.

Understand that this is not a dress rehearsal.

This is it. Your life.

Face your fears and live your dreams.

Take it all in. Yes, every chance you get.

Come close. And by all means, whatever you do, get it on film.

A Great Prophecy

2011-11-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

Tempe Town Lake perhaps?

Weekend Inspirations

2011-10-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

Five inspirations for your weekend.

1. Chrissie Wellington's race report from Kona.

2. Team Hoyt.

3. A great post from my coach, Liz, on being still.

4. The Lululemon Manifesto.

5. A shirt I've been wanting all year.

Race Report: Girlfriends Half Marathon

2011-10-28T17:10:00.000-07:00

Sometime back in 2010 my registration-happy index finger pulled the trigger on signing up for the 2011 Girlfriends Half Marathon. There's nothing really unusual about that. However, what was very unusual - I had zero recollection of ever doing it. Flash forward to a couple of months ago, sitting on the couch with my dear friend Jenn, I thought "hmmm, you know, I wonder why I didn't sign up for it this year". A quick search through my email files showed that I had, indeed, actually signed up. What is my world coming to when a half marathon is so normal that it's not even a blip on the memory radar?

Race week was also not the typical race week. Instead of tapering for the event, I logged over 15 hours of swim/bike/run. The day before the race, which is usually a day of rest and relaxation, included 90 miles of riding on the trainer. Followed by a run through the neighborhood alps. My normal pre-race morning routine of coffee and chilling out to music was replaced with 2 miles of running. And I delayed my post-race bloody mary (fo shame!) so that I could knock out another 2 miles of running. So, yeah, this whole thing was just not right.

But back to the race. I think there's something to getting a good warm-up in. I'm lazy, and typically under trained, and therefore usually sit around and conserve as much energy as possible before starting a race. But I was warm and peppy and ready to go when the gun went off. The 13.1 miles in between the start and finish lines is actually kind of boring, so I'll spare you the play-by-play. I chatted with the ladies, hugged Julie's daughter Lilli (they came out to cheer), listened to some Eminem and Nicki Minaj, and planned out my grocery list for the week. Nothing worth reporting out on.

What is worth reporting out on though ---- PR BABY!!!!!

Seriously, I shaved 4 minutes off my previous best half marathon time. Despite the masochistic week devised by Coach Liz. :-)

Stats:

Time = 2:21:32

Pace = 10:48/mile

Position = still back of the pack...

Race Report: Augusta 70.3

2011-10-18T23:02:00.000-07:00

This is another delayed race report, the details long faded into the irretrievable depths of my overfilled memory. Only the highlights (long-winded as they are) are easily accessible. I suppose that's a good thing - too many awesome memories taking up space.

The main purpose of this race was as a tune-up before Ironman Arizona. Two guys from my company, also doing Arizona, talked me into it. Being 8 weeks out, the timing was perfect. But being located in the southeastern portion of the country, while I reside in the northwest, was a tad less than ideal. Since my registration-happy trigger finger doesn't know the difference, we made the trek to Georgia a few weekends back.

After a semi-stressful packing of the bike into the bike box, we loaded up, and made our way through 12 hours of airport travel. My procrastination in purchasing plane tickets resulted in some hefty fares, as well as a random route and lengthy layovers. We ended up in Atlanta, stayed the night there, and then finished up the trip with a 3 hour drive to Augusta the next morning. Pre-race day was packed full of standing in line, tracking down CO2 cartridges (can't take those on the plane), driving the course, and navigating the crowded town. I think it was the most exhausting pre-race day I've had to date. By 9:30pm we were finally checked into the hotel, bellies full, and settling in for a well-earned night of rest.

Pre-race:

After a restless sleep, the alarm sounded around 5am. I don't know if I'll ever get used to that. Shower, eat, hydrate, and load up to head to transition. Every single race in the last 5 years has been cold at the start. So out of habit I dressed in long pants over my tri shorts, a jacket over my tri top, and a knit hat. I even had gloves packed in my tri bag. And arm warmers for the bike. And sweats for post-race. Hot cup of coffee gripped between my hand, we stepped out of the hotel... 70 degrees. 80% humidity. And only 6am. That probably tells you how equipped I was to deal with the impending heat facing us that day.

The logistics of Augusta are challenging, and frankly, quite annoying. Especially when you are of the mindset to get in, do what you came for, get out, go home. This venue is the largest Half Ironman on the circuit, with over 3000 athletes. The swim is down-current, and while that makes for some really fast swim splits, it means that the start line and transition are a mile apart. So add in shuttle buses and confused spectators to the huge quantity of people and small town roads. They do a decent job managing the chaos, but there seemed to be a background noise of frustration for me the entire weekend.

Swim:

I'll skip through all the admin stuff of the morning. After watching all 21 other waves go before me, it was finally time for my age group to file into the water. I jumped off the dock cannon-ball style (would you expect anything less?) and swam up towards the front of the group. A few people back, smack in the middle. I like to be all up in the business for the swim start.

The horn blew, I swam, I finished. Nothing really interesting happened in between. The quality of the Savannah river leaves a lot to be desired, but it was down current and wicked fast. And I didn't get eaten by alligators.

T1:

If you're new to this blog, you should know that of all the triathlon events, I don't mess around in transition. I take my T1 and T2 times very seriously. It might not be the most glamorous of the events, and certainly not one that is going to get me on the podium, but I take pride in it nonetheless. The Augusta swim-to-bike transition includes a run up a steep hill out of the water, a long run around the transition area, and then through the other side. It's long, but it's also carpeted and grassy and well stocked with porta-potties (should you need them). They also had wet suit strippers. Everything went well for me here.

Bike:

The bike course is described as "a one-loop, hilly bike course through Georgia and into South Carolina". It wasn't exactly flat, but it wasn't necessarily hilly either. One thing it DEFINITELY wasn't? Cold. I swear, it felt like I had a hot, wet blanket over my head the entire day. I stuck to my plan, managed my pace, kept on top of my nutrition and hydration plan, and sucked down the salt tabs like candy. I came into T2 feeling like I nailed the bike, but I was very much overheated.

T2:

Nothing special to report here either. Rack bike, helmet off, socks on, shoes on, grab everything else and get the heck out of there.

Run:

By now it was close to 90 degrees and 90% humidity. I was told by other athletes that this was mild weather and I'm lucky it wasn't hot this year. I tip my visor to you folks. I don't know how you train/race in that climate. Unless we move to that region, I think this is my last time signing up for a race in the southeast. Do you hear that, Mr. Pointer Finger???

But back to the run. The first half was a suffer-fest. My method was to run the sunny sections and walk through the shade to maximize my time out of the sun. Those streets are lined with trees, but in the middle of the day there isn't much shade. Only hundreds of 3-4' sections of shade. So I would "run" for about 30 seconds and then walk for 3 seconds over and over again. No doubt this annoyed the hell out of everyone around me. And while it wasn't the fastest way to get from point A to point B, it still got me to point B. I guzzled water at each aid station, stuffed sponges under my bra straps, and dumped ice into my sports bra and down my shorts. I knew that calories weren't going to stay down, so took coke and Perform when I could. Want to know how to cool off quickly? Smoosh about 5 ice cubes against your bits.

And then the most glorious thing happened. Thunder and lightning rolled in. And it started RAINING! With the drop in temperature and constant cool moisture hitting my body, I was able to start running again and didn't stop until I crossed the finish line. I ended up with a decent negative split and finished strong.

Post-race:

After navigating back through the chaos to pack-up and get out of town, we made the drive back to Atlanta. And the next morning repeated the process of connections and layovers to get back to Portland. Overall, this is a great venue and good course. It fit the bill for what I needed, and while the weekend was certainly better than I expected it to be, I'm not sure I would sign up for it again. We really are spoiled out here in the west. Sometimes you just need a little reminder to appreciate what you have.

Swim - 0:31:33 (1:40/100m)

T1 - 0:03:47

Bike - 3:17:53 (16.98 mph)

T2 - 0:02:00

Run - 2:58:08 (13:36/mi)

TOTAL = 6:53:21

2011 Hood-to-Coast

2011-10-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

Far too much time has passed to write a race report that details all of the awesomeness of this year's Hood-to-Coast. But since the primary purpose of this blog is to capture the athletic side of my life so that I can look back on where I've been, things I've accomplished, and lessons learned, I'm going to memorialize it anyway. The most important thing to remember from 2011 is how much FUN we had. I need to remind myself of that next year when all of the planning and hassle inevitably leaves me thinking "I'm never doing this again."

We really had the perfect mix of people. The right amount of crazy, responsibility, teamwork, and personalities. We had some difficult adversities to face (thunderstorm, outrageously hot weather, broken down van, record traffic issues, etc.) but still managed to end up in Seaside with sore cheeks from ridiculous amounts of laughing. And after more than 30 hours of no sleep, we still managed to rally for another 12 hours of post-race festivities. Which, of course, were just as fun as the relay itself, but perhaps not suitable for this audience.

4:15am race start at Timberline on Mt. Hood.

One of the Van1 windows. Inside joke.

No explanation needed.

Note the strategically placed door seam. The runners of this van also had authentic molester-staches. And cutoff jean shorts.

Coming in from my 2nd leg. Way overheated.

For posterity, my run data from my Garmin:

Run 1 (leg 4) - 7.22 miles, 1:16:10, 10:33/mi pace

Flat/slightly downhill, easy even though a bit long, sun just coming up, really awesome.

Run 2 (leg 16) - 4.50 miles, 58:03, 12:54/mi pace

Mostly flat, super hot, horrible horrible hydration and electrolyte planning, suckage.

Run 3 (leg 28) - 4.05 miles, 46:02, 11:22/mi pace

Better than leg 2 hands down, mostly unmemorable, beautiful scenery but it was pitch black.

Checking In

2011-10-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, that was a long and unintentional hiatus from blog land. A peek into what has contributed to the radio silence:

A full summer/fall race schedule, including Hood-to-Coast Relay, Augusta Half Ironman (including a trip back east), and Girlfriends Half Marathon. Race reports coming soon. Or just sometime in the future. I shouldn't promise "soon".
After a short recovery period following Ironman Coeur d'Alene, training has ramped up for Ironman Arizona (only about 40 days away!) and is in the middle of the peak phase. It's truly kicking my ass this go round, despite the slightly lower volume.
Work never really slowed down, as it is expected to do each summer. So toss a handful of 60-70 hour work weeks into the mix.
We moved. Because those 1-2 hours of spare time each week were just begging to be soaked up in some chaos. And then of course I have to organize and redecorate. You know, recover all 8 dining room chairs, a completely new guest bedroom and living room decor, kitchen appliances, etc. Free time just doesn't stand a chance at all around here.
We went to the Oregon Coast for a weekend to celebrate our 2nd year anniversary. Which sadly for my husband included a long bike ride and then leaving early so that I could get me long run in before the end of the weekend.
The "Big Boobie Challenge" is going strong, and I'm gathering some awesome data and reviews to share with the masses. Hopefully we'll all have happier boobies as a result.

More to come...

Those Pesky RBCs

2011-08-31T04:50:00.000-07:00

Rood blood cells. Who else has a tough time keeping these little suckers from escaping your body? What are your tricks and tips?

Ever since I took up endurance sports, I have struggled with being anemic. The cycle looks something like this: train my ass off for a few weeks, start getting really cranky, fall asleep in inappropriate places such as the bathroom and work meetings, isolate myself from the world because I'm so incredibly tired, start getting dizzy at odd times, and then the lightbulb goes off. Then I start taking ridiculous amounts of iron supplements, multi-vitamins, and inhale red meat like a proper cavewoman. The side effects of the extra iron are unpleasant, so as soon as I start feeling better, I quit taking them. Rinse and repeat.

This isn't working for me. So, interwebs, whatcha got for me?

Sunday Snapshots

2011-08-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

Time for a weekly photo upload to clean out the phone.

1) Florida sunrise from my hotel a couple of weeks ago.

2) Long run last Saturday through industrial downtown Vancouver.
3) Long ride last Sunday - the view from Women's Forum in the Columbia River Gorge.

4) Sunset at Pearson Air Field during a mid-week run. It's awesome to watch small planes like Cessnas buzz just overhead for the landings.

5) The pool where I ~~pretend to~~ swim.

6) Me hiding dirty Ironman-training hair, and getting ready for some "fake golf" at Edgefield.

7) Ken looking for his errant golf ball in the bushes.
8) Julie and I bored with fake golf.

9) Long ride this week - the view from Crown Point. We're pretty lucky here in the Pacific NW!

The Big Boobie Challenge

2011-08-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys, this post is for the ladies. The challenge is on. I need a new sports bra. I have only one single style that works, and I'm ready for something new. The problem is that I have some pretty big girls, and taming them is no easy task. So here's the deal. I'm going to do all the hard work for y'all. I'm going to thoroughly test up to 10 different styles of high intensity sports bras and post in-depth reviews here. But I need your help. Send me suggestions - bras you loved, bras you hate, and maybe some that you've been dying to try but for whatever reason haven't done so yet. Either post in the comments section, or send an email to sarahdbryant@gmail.com.

The criteria...bras must be:

* Designed for high intensity.

* Made in larger sizes. I'm a 34DD, so if it only goes up to a D, it's a no go. Specific bra sizes are preferable to S-L type sizing.

* Be made out of synthetic material. I'll be swimming/biking/running in this thing, upwards of 17 hours at a time, and wet cotton won't mix well with that kind of activity.

* Any style will do. Straight straps, racer back, under wire, soft cups, etc. All styles welcome!

The categories:

* Comfort. Number 1 priority.

* Overall support and fit. Bounce control. Smooshing. Chaffing. Lift and separation. You get the idea.

* Wicking and breathability. See category above regarding chaffing.

* Durability. This might be hard to evaluate with only a few wearings, but sometimes it's obvious.

* Style. For those of you brave enough to go topless and actually care what this thing looks like. I don't. But you might.

* Value. When you go through 7-10 sports bras per week, money is certainly a concern.

Open Water Fear...I Get It Now

2011-08-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, I have had a crazy love for the water. I learned how to swim in the bay off the Washington Coast. Many of my childhood memories are of diving into campground pools, jumping off docks at local lakes, or getting tossed in the ocean waves on both coasts. Even as an adult, I LOVE LOVE LOVE to play in the water. I'm not a huge fan of grinding out difficult sets at the lap pool. But put me in some open water and I'm a happy girl.

A lot of my triathlon friends have struggled with the fear of being in open water. I never really understood those emotions, but I'm sympathetic to them. But not being able to relate, it makes it difficult to help.

This past week I was visiting the St. Augustine area for business, which is right on the eastern coast of Florida. One night after work I headed into the Atlantic Ocean for an hour workout. While I'm fairly comfortable in the open ocean, it is a little unnerving to be swimming solo in unfamiliar waters. Especially since it was approaching dusk, and somewhere in my life I heard that is when the sharks feed. Sounds reasonable I guess. It also happened to be Shark Week on Discovery Channel, and we all know that's when they come out and patrol the crowded beaches looking for their next meal!

Note: I usually would not endorse solo swimming of any kind in open water. Especially the ocean, where conditions are not necessarily obvious to us above water. However, the beach was lined with many people, including life guards. And since I was the only dork wearing a cap/goggles/functional swimsuit, I had a lot of eyes on me. I was also swimming parallel to the shore.

The Florida shores are fairly shallow, so I had to go out a ways to reach water that was deep enough for consistent swimming. I start swimming laps parallel to shore, trying not to think about what might be lurking a few feet away in the opaque water. Then suddenly I saw a splash just off my left side in slightly deeper water. Gah! What was that?!? I keep swimming, breathing to that side to keep an eye on the water. SPLASH again! And then SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH. Dozens of fish were jumping out of the water. Some inches from my face. Some were even TOUCHING me! I try not to go into full freak-out mode, but I'm thinking "Why are they jumping? Are they running from a shark?" My heart starts racing and my mind is running out of control. "What are these things? Piranhas? Am I going to get gnawed on?" Don't judge. Once panic sets in, the mind just isn't very rational.

I stop swimming, pop off my goggles and look around. No one else seems concerned. They are all just standing and staring at the flying fish. If the locals are cool with it, then I must be good to go. I side step a bit closer to shore and resume swimming. But now I'm swimming with my eyes open underwater, because if I'm going to become someones dinner, I want to see it coming. Besides, maybe I can punch it in the nose like they do in the cartoon's. Again, the mind isn't reasonable when you're scared. I'm starting to get a bit nauseous from staring at the moving sand, but it's worth it. I've gotta be able to fight that shark. And then UP comes the pre-workout banana. Yuck, but wow I feel better. However, I've now chummed the water for Mr. Shark and all of his buddies. I've gotta get out of here fast.

So I'm swimming along, alternating my breathing, focusing on form. Wow, I'm really going fast. I rule! I breath towards shore to the right and the buildings don't really look familiar anymore. I stop swimming and I'm still hauling ass down shore. Oh dang, I've landed myself in a rip current. I stand up. Because, remember, I'm in Florida and even though I'm a hundred meters off-shore, I can still touch the ground. I turn around and start swimming back up. No progress. I try just walking through the water. Ugh, that's hard. Light bulb! I'll practice my dolphin diving! So I start diving down and launching myself up out of the water. Over and over again. I'm getting somewhere now. But so is my stomach. Again. I finally get to a point where the rip isn't as strong and I can resume swimming. I finish off the workout and haul my battered ego out of the water. Vowing never to swim in the ocean during shark week again.

Sale Alert: Patagonia (30% Off)

2011-07-25T23:35:00.000-07:00

While the twice-a-year Patagonia sales aren't nearly what they used to be, you can still score some killer deals. Their gear isn't specifically triathlon related, but I've found some cute running skirts, base layers for winter, socks, etc. There are limitless options for your non-triathlon money-sucking outdoor hobbies, or if you just want to look cute sipping that cup of coffee on the patio.

www.patagonia.com

Sale link: http://www.patagonia.com/us/shop/web-specials?k=ga

The 30% off sale is only valid through July 27th. So yeah, I'm a bit late posting this, but there are still some goodies left. Go check it out. Seriously, go there. Now.

A handful of my favorites currently in stock (click on the pic to go to the item):

P.S. They often have web specials with similar (or better) deals long after the big sales.

Recovery Drink

2011-07-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

As I have eluded to in previous posts, I'm giving the whole Paleo Diet thing a shot. Which makes getting in enough protein somewhat of a challenge, since I can't have anything dairy-based. Enter in...egg white protein powder. Find it in your local whole food store, or whole foods section with all of the supplements.

I swear this concoction tastes almost like an Orange Julius. Remember that sugary goodness from the 90s? I have no idea if they are still around, but mmmmm. The secret to the yumminess is to use frozen bananas instead of ice. So you know those half-rotting bananas you have laying around, that you keep intending to make banana bread with, but never get around to it? Peel em and freeze em! I keep a huge ziplock of them in my freezer. And another huge ziplock of pre-sliced, pre-peeled oranges. The other secret is to use coconut water or coconut milk instead of water if you need to thin it out a bit. Or 100% fruit juice like pineapple.

Ingredients:
protein powder
frozen nanners
fresh or frozen orange slices (peeled, obviously)
any other fruit you have around (blueberries, strawberries, even watermelon)
fruit juice, coco water, or coco milk

Blend to your desired consistency and enjoy! Sassy red nails are optional.

The Weekly Un-Update

2011-07-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

No more weekly updates for awhile. I'm always late posting them anyway. And honestly, there's not a whole lot of excitement going on with my workouts right now. I had a few weeks of recovery, gluttony, and weight gain. Now it's back to base training and building back up for Round 2.

So...I'm going to focus more on gear reviews, nutrition ideas, and addressing issues that us average age groupers and back-of-packers face throughout training and racing. No topic is off-limits for me, so if you have any questions or ideas - send an email to sarahdbryant@gmail.com.

I'm also working on a blog over-haul. A spring cleaning of sorts. Hey, it's summer here, but the weather clearly is still very spring-like. But I'm not very tech-savvy when it comes to this internets thing. Got ideas or want to use your skillz to help me? Send an email to the address above!

Weekly Recap: Recovery

2011-07-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

I thoroughly enjoyed my post-Ironman recovery week. The 4 extra pounds on the scale is proof. But what a fabulous week it was!

Mon - My Mom woke up and headed down the Ironman village to stand in line for the merchandise tent. Bless her heart, she let me sleep in a bit. At 6:30am I woke up in a panic, thinking we were going to end up at the back of the line. Thanks Mom! We spent the rest of the day drinking coffee, playing board games, taking Ken to the airport, and getting things packed up for the drive home.

Tue - Up early to take JoshyPoo to the airport and then the 6+ hour drive home. Mom took the second half of the drive while I passed in and out of consciousness. Once home, it was all about unpacking, laundry, and getting things settled for the week ahead. Oh, and a short spin on the bike for the first time after the race.

Wed - Work and then happy hour with a coworker. Some hobbling around while dealing with these nasty, funky post-Ironman feet.

Thu - Work. Another short recovery spin. Nothing special.

Fri - I got to spend the afternoon with my best homegirl, Angie, and her daughter, Fey. Walking, shopping, and lounging outside a French restaurant drinking wine and munching on yummy appetizers like olives and bread.

Sat - Early morning swim at the gym. Farmers Market with another fabulous girlfriend. Coffee in the grass with friends. And then an early evening at a local cafe drinking sangria and stretching out in hammocks in the sand.

Sun - Whitewater kayaking with great friends. Lunch and beers at a local brewpub. Then walking and shopping and more micro brews in Hood River.

Training starts up again next week, slowly. 6 hours on the schedule. I'm chomping at the bit to get at it, but there are still a couple weeks of recovery as things slowly ramp up.

IMCdA - Final Recap

2011-07-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

First, let's take a look at my predictions for race day. I know, this hand scratched paper is very out of character for me. I forgot to print out my pretty Excel spreadsheet with paces drilled down to the nanosecond.

So, how did I do?

Swim - 1:24:48
T1 - 0:05:31
Bike - 7:33:11
T2 - 0:04:27
Run - 6:51:45
Total = 15:59:42

Swim was within 12 seconds. Both transitions were slightly faster than expected. Bike was MUCH faster than expected. Run was MUCH slower than expected. Overall finish time was within 9 minutes of predicted.

They say there is no such thing as a good bike and a bad run. My day was no exception. I botched up my pacing pretty good at this race. But...my only goals, in order, were to make the bike cutoff (done!) and finish the course (done!) before midnight (DONE!). I learned a lot out there last week. In hindsight, there are a few things I would do differently. But I did the best I could with what I had on that day, and rather than second guess my choices and decisions, I'm moving forward with the lessons learned. I'll keep the detailed analysis between me and my coach, but pieces of those lessons will surely pop up on the blog between now and November.

Moving on to Ironman Arizona. 20 weeks!

IMCdA 2011 - Race Report

2011-07-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

Event: Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene
Date: June 26, 2011
Website: www.ironmancda.com

Last time I wrote an Ironman race report, I split it up into a few different posts. This is just one loooong post, so you may want to split up your reading into a few different sessions. Thank you to all of my beyond amazing family, friends, and blog readers. This journey would not have been the same without all of you.

Pre-Race:

I was up at 3:00 am to start feeding the calories down the hatch. High protein Ensure and coffee were first. Half a bagel and 2 eggs were next. A banana a bit later. Then sipping on a bottle of Perform until heading out of transition towards the water. One last PowerGel before the cannon went off.

Ken was volunteering in the water as a kayaker, so we dropped him off at the boat launch and said our goodbyes. Mom was volunteering in the women's change tent, so she was able to go into transition with me. Bodymarking, nutrition on bike, air up tires, porta-potty lines, and then finally getting into the wetsuit, lubing up, and then filing towards the water like cattle.

Since the water temp on race morning was a balmy 54 degrees, I wore old socks on my hands and feet that I could ditch to the side before entering the water.

After getting through the cattle call, I walked down to the shore and just sort of stopped where there was room. I looked around and realized I had seeded myself smack dab in the middle of the masses. Shrug. I'm a middle-of-the-pack swimmer, so I might as well start there.

The national anthem was sung and echoed across the the quiet lake. Mike Reilly boomed over the sound system "TODAY, you WILL become an Ironman!". U2's It's a Beautiful Day started playing. The cannon went off. And the crowd cheered as everyone filed into the water and we started our Ironman day.

Swim:
It is impossible to convey the chaos that is an Ironman swim to anyone who has not experienced it themselves. Imagine 2500 type-A athletes, fully tapered, anxious to race, all trying to get to (and then turn around) the same 2-foot buoy less than 1000 meters away. I was punched, groped, dunked, crawled over, swam under, and I even ended up with someone else's toes in my mouth. The first 5 minutes were spent with my head mostly out of the water, trying to protect my face and teeth. The turn buoys were so congested that instead of swimming, we all had to bob in the water and let the blob of people carry us around the turn. Lap 2 was slightly less brutal. I alternated between plenty of open water to swim freely, to fighting for space with 30 others. Over and over again. Finally the exit chute started getting closer and closer, and I was standing up and climbing out of the water.

One note about the water conditions on race morning. The lake temp was measured at 54.7 degrees. Someone from the med tent said that over 100 athletes were either pulled out of the water or didn't exit the warming yurt by the cutoff time. I wasn't bothered by the cold too much on lap 1 - adrenaline and panic tends to make you not feel things like that for at least a short while. But by lap 2 I was trying to pee in my wetsuit to generate heat, I was having difficulty moving my fingers, and an ice cream headache was developing. I was only in the water for 84 minutes. For those in the water close to the allotted 140 minutes - major props to you. Just making it to the bike was a major accomplishment that day.

T1:

I ran up the beach to the wetsuit strippers, pointed to the biggest set of guys I could see, flew to the ground, got stripped, was yanked back to my feet, and ran to the changing tent grabbing my transition bag along the way. This part happens so fast. Bam bam bam bam bam. It's a complete blur.

Once in the tent I spotted my Mom immediately. She was volunteering in the tent and was able to help me swap gear and get out the door within a few minutes. Shoes on. Lube up. Belt on. Arm warmers on. Helmet on. Buckled helmet and donned sunglasses while running out to the bike. As I was nearing the bike racks, I spotted my little brother JoshyPoo, who was volunteering as a bike handler. Quick hug, grabbed my bike, and headed on out for 112 miles of fun!

Bike:

The first few minutes on the bike are PACKED with crazy screaming enthusiastic spectators. Cowbells and clappers and pompoms and whistles. The crowds ease up at bit as the course turns away from town along the lake towards Higgins Point. I began to settle into my pace, start my nutrition and hydration schedule, and mentally prepare for the long day ahead. The first hill was long and slow and steady, then back down the other side to the turnaround. Back up, down the other side, and through town again before heading out to the hills by Hayden Lake. At mile 20 I started to get nervous with anticipation. I had only driven the course just two days earlier, and was anxious to see what the hills felt like on two wheels.

English Point marked the start of the climbing section. Followed by a few more big ones, followed by some rollers, followed by a few more big ones, and then the flat section back into town. Each hill required me to gradually shift into my granny gear, and then slowly grind to the top. I tried to push down the hills, gaining as much free speed as possible in order to help get me up the next hill. I repeated several mantras along the way. To the beat of each pedal stroke. I will dig. I won't quit. I will dig. I won't quit. And lots of counting to 50 over and over again. Every 30 minutes I took a hit off my gel flask, 10 minutes later a sip of Perform, 10 minutes later a Powerbar Energy Blast. Sprinkled with water and thermalytes. Repeated over a dozen times.

I stopped on lap 2 at the special needs station to pick up my treats (pop tart and uncrustable) and check my rear tire (I'm a flat tire hypochondriac). I rolled back through town and out to Hayden while trying to psych myself up for another round of climbing. I will dig. I won't quit. OUCH DAMN OUCH MO*&ER FU&%ER!!! At mile 80, while part way up English Point, a wasp flew at me, landed on my leg, and stung the hell out of it. Nothing to do but keep climbing and hope that I didn't have a bad reaction. I kept an eye on my breathing and heart rate, while watching my leg swell and bruise and turn a few ugly shades of red. At this point the sun was starting to beat down and heat things up. My stomach was unhappy and not being quiet about it. The back and knees were joining my stomach. My pace was starting to slow a bit. I started failing to keep up with my nutrition and hydration strategy. I will dig. I won't quit. Grind grind grind. Oh dang, extremely necessary bathroom stop. Only 22 miles left. I will dig. I won't quit. Only 12 miles left. Nice and easy back to town. I stayed aero as much as possible to duck under the head wind. A little wind ain't no thang! I was making the cutoff today! A smile plastered across my face because I knew that no matter what, I was going to be an Ironman today.

T2:

The crowds that lined the streets on the way out of town had grown even bigger by the time I was getting off the bike. More cowbells and screaming and signs. I dismounted, tossed the bike to a volunteer, grabbed my bag, and ran to the change tent for the last and final time.

My Mom and JoshyPoo were able to get into transition and were waiting for me at the entrance to the tent. We had a little celebration, hugs all around, and then I went inside to prep for the last 26.2 miles of the day. Shorts off, shorts on. Shirt off, shirt on. Compression socks on. Shoes on. Deodorant (hey, a girls gotta feel fresh) and body glide applied. Ice water over the head and out the door with visor and sunglasses in hand. I was a few steps from the transition exit when I realized I had left my Garmin on the bike. Doh! Thankfully little bro was able to retrieve it for me and pass it off later in the run.

Run:

First 60 seconds - Sweet I feel GOOD. Next 60 seconds - Oooh, oooow, calf cramps. Next 60 seconds - Ow ow ow ow, I want to walk, but there are so many people. Don't walk. Don't walk. Don't walk. Next 60 seconds - F*^k it. I'm walking. I did a run/walk off and on the for the first 6 miles, but as the calf cramps worsened and the blisters formed, I started to do a lot more walking than running. Eventually my lower back joined the party and just staying upright became a challenge. At about mile 9 my stomach had enough and decided it was done with Ironman. And the death march was underway! Each aid station was a bathroom stop, swap out the cold sponges, sip of water, ice in the bra, chips or pretzels if the tummy concurred, sip of water, and on to the next aid station.

Around mile 12, right before the downtown turnaround, I entered a dark dark place. Pain, despair, disappointment, dread, self pity. I had been here before in Arizona of 2009, but not this deep. The cheers from the crowds seemed to push me further down, rather than lift me up. Each step jarred my back, shook my swollen leg, and ground sand into the wounds on my feet. Acid burned the back of my throat, my lips were parched and sunburned, my head throbbed in time with my heart beat. About this time I saw my family and friends. They were doing what awesome supporters do - standing out in the hot sun, over 12 hours into the day, cheering and smiling and trying to build me up. I was ashamed that I couldn't reciprocate the excitement. After passing them, I did the one thing I wish I could take back from the day. I walked back through town balling my eyes out. Tears rolled out from under my sunglasses, my head hung down staring at the pavement. My body shook with sobs. But the spectators still clapped and encouraged me to just keep moving forward. Little by little I climbed out of that hole. My head rose a bit higher. My arms swung a little harder. I pulled out my mantra from the bike. I will dig. I won't quit. I reminded myself how lucky I am to be at the Ironman. I thought of the names I was racing in honor and memory of. It was time to end the pity party and get on with the marathon.

I came across another who was climbing out of where I just was. We walked together until he was in a better place. And then we came across another. One by one our group grew as we helped each other along, and then shrunk as some picked up the pace and moved ahead...or dropped back but still moving forward. We shared stories and secrets with each other, complete strangers, while walking along in the dark. Even though this is when the body hurts the most, this is maybe my favorite part of the Ironman. Overcoming the hurt, making friends, moving forward. The pain became more manageable as we got closer to town. It's as if the energy from the finish line spreads out on the course, pulling you in. I waved goodbye to each aid station, knowing that it meant one more mile closer to the finish line. I started running again. Soon, sounds from the finish line drifted through the woods onto the course. Just a few more turns until the final turn onto Sherman Avenue. My steps got lighter, my head picked up, the smile was plastered onto my face again.

FINALLY the last left hand turn to home. Almost half a mile of straight road, downhill to the finish line party. Crowds lined the streets, screaming louder than they had all day. Music blared from the stores and cars and portable speakers. People rang cowbells while running next to me, clapping and yelling and just as excited as I was to be finishing. Kids jumped up and down, stretching out to slap my hand. Flood lights beamed up the street, illuminating the path to the finish line. Block after block after block of the loudest, warmest, most awesome welcome I have ever received. I had a hard time holding back the tears here, but happy ones this time.

By the time I got to the finishers chute, every single trace of pain was gone. You really do float here. It's unreal. I looked up through the crowd, silently thanking everyone for being there to make this one of the most amazing moments of my life. Mike Reilly said my name, a few words about my finish (the last one before 16 hours), and then...

YOU...ARE...AN...IRONMAN!!!!

Post Race:
I was caught by two awesome ladies, who held me upright and walked me through the finish line process. Medal over head, collect hat and shirt, and pose for one last photo. Once they were convinced that I was okay to walk on my own, I was released to the food tent for pizza. I was able to down a piece of super greasy pepperoni while walking around looking for my family. Lots of hugs and smiles and celebration!

I really wanted to stay and cheer on the final finishers until midnight. So my family graciously agreed to help me climb into the bleachers, where we danced and screamed and cheered for another hour, watching dozens of other athletes become Ironmen.

On the walk back to the car, we saw one final woman running down Sherman Ave towards the finish line. About 2 minutes after midnight. Everyone on the street stopped to cheer and applaud. Some of us cried. It was gut wrenching. Friends and volunteers ran behind her as she completed the entire 140.6 miles. Even though she didn't receive an official time or a medal, I hope she knows that she is a true Ironman.

The crew got me home, into an ice bath, showered and changed, and then settled into bed with the one thing I had been craving all year but wouldn't eat until I was an Ironman...a Big Mac! Hahaha. (Hopefully my coach has stopped reading this by now).

Again, because I don't think I can say it enough, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. This experience was made a million times better because of all of you.

IMCdA 2011 - Videos

2011-07-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of videos while I work on my race report.

The swim start, filmed by Luke, the honey of my Beginner Triathlete friend Nerdjock (aka Ashley).

And me, almost 16 hours later, crossing the awesome awesome finish line on Sherman Avenue.

IMCdA 2011 - I Did It!

2011-06-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not eloquent enough to adequately describe the final run down Sherman Avenue to the finish line. The last few hours of this Ironman were rough for me. Maybe the hardest thing I have ever physically been through. But all of that was erased in the last 2 minutes of the marathon. And replaced with one of the most awesome things I have ever emotionally been through.

Race report is in the works. Stay tuned.

IMCdA Race Week - Saturday

2011-06-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

Please forgive the short post. It's almost 10pm on race day eve, I'm a twittered bundle of nerves, and I just took an ambien. I'll try doing this in time format.

4am - Awake but back to sleep

4:30am - Awake but back to sleep

5am - Awake but back to sleep

6am - Okay, I'll get up. Breakfast of coffee, eggs, strawberries. Organized gear bags for check-in.

8:30am - Head to the lake with Ken and JoshyPoo for a practice swim, and Joshy's volunteer meeting. The water was even colder than yesterday. It seems to be bouncing between 53 and 55 degrees. After about 5 minutes my face goes numb and I forget about it. But those first 5 minutes - POW, it takes the breath outta ya!

9:30am - Back to the house to give my bike a make-over and finish getting gear bags ready to be dropped off.

10am - One last practice ride along the lake towards Higgins Point. The wind was blowing pretty hard out there today! I think the winds are here to stay for the weekend.

12pm - Bike check-in...

...and gear bag check-in, one last pass through the merchandise tent, and then back home for the day.

1pm - Regroup the troops after everyone's various volunteer meetings, lunch, and board games.

2:30pm - The fabulous Kristin came over for some mellow girl time. She's the one who drove from PDX to Tempe with me for IMAZ in 2009. This year she didn't have to drive quite as far, and I'm so happy I'll get to see her out on the course tomorrow!

5:30pm - Board games, dinner, board games, dessert, board games.

8pm - Popped an ambien, finished playing games with the fam, and mosied off to bed.

Up Next: IRONMAN DAY!!!!

IMCdA Race Week - Friday

2011-06-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

I drove the bike course today. Damn. I spent the rest of the day with my stomach in one gigantic knot. Major face-palm moment, a short berating of myself for not training more hills, and then I let it go. A few days ago, an email from Coach Liz contained these words of wisdom:

Go into this race having reconciled with yourself. Have no doubts, be totally confident & trust yourself. Of all the equipment you can buy, training you can do & anything else – TRUST is the most important thing you can have on race day. Trust yourself & trust your training. You are all arriving at this start line as prepared as you can be. Trust it & give yourself permission to have your best race out there.

Friday started with another practice swim. A short one this time, about 10 minutes, because it was supposed to be a total rest day on the calendar. Both Mom and my little bro JoshyPoo came down to watch this morning:

The USGS site showed that the water temp had dropped about 5 degrees from Thursday, down to 55 instead of 59/60. It was noticeably colder. Still tolerable, but not quite as comfortable. The chop is still present, but doesn't bother me so much. As long as there isn't puke in the water from those who ARE bothered by it!

Massive Beginner Triathlete crew this morning:

A quick pose in front of the finish line. I WILL be here again sometime before midnight on Sunday.

After a drive around the (hilly) course, it was back to Spokane to pick up Ken to complete the sherpa crew. Quick tip for those planning on staying in Coeur d'Alene and flying people in and out of Spokane - the airport is NOT 20 minutes from town. It's like 45 minutes, assuming you don't hit the miles of construction on the interstate.

I was able to kick up my legs and take a nap before heading back to the village for the Welcome Dinner. Here we are in our awesome t-shirts that my Mom created.

The back of mine is special.

More lines. Ironman week is all about patience and standing in lines. This one is to get into the dinner tent. I've never seen so many people so eager for a crappy dinner!

While the food is never anything to write home about, it's worth going to these things to hear Mike Reilly talk and get everyone fired up. He said something that made me feel just a little bit better: "You can't control the weather. You can't control the other athletes. You can't control the course. But you can control your attitude on race day." Got it.

Following the dinner was the Athlete Briefing, where we learned that mango-flavored Powerbar Perform will be served on the run course. Nice, if you like mango. Which I do. Not so nice, if you're deathly allergic to mango. Which I am. Saturday's mission, aside from practice swim and bike/gear check-in, will be to find out if there is actual mango bits in the mango-flavored Perform. Ack!

The rest of the day was spent freaking out, napping, freaking out, eating, freaking out, and then finally playing some board games with the family before falling into a (pharmaceutically induced) deep deep sleep.

Next Up: practice swim, bike test ride, bike and gear bag check-in, neurotically go through the rest of the gear and pre-race preparations, early bedtime

IMCdA Race Week - Thursday

2011-06-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

It's sinking in now.

The day started off with a 4am crash of thunder, followed by heavy rain and more thunder. I was able to go back to sleep until the next natural alarm clock at 6am with another enormous thunder clap and showers. We waited out the weather by drinking coffee and lazing around.

Thankfully things cleared up enough for the 8am practice swim at Lake Coeur d'Alene with a few of the Beginner Triathlete crew. Fine group of peeps!

The official USGS water gauge temperature said 59 degrees, someone with a thermometer got 61 degrees. HOORAY!!!!!! (But by the time of this blog posting has dropped again to 55 degrees. Booooo!) Due to the storm blowing through, the lake was pretty roughed up and choppy. As waves crashed on the shore, we hopped in and swam to one of the buoys and back. Not so bad. Fun, actually! It felt like the ocean, but without the salt. So some of us headed back out for another lap. 20 minutes of swim time, about 30 minutes in the water, and not frozen.

Here is Mom and I by The Moose after the swim. Apparently it poured and hailed while we were swimming, so she ended up getting just as wet as I did.

After a quick walk back to the house for dry clothes, we headed back to the Ironman Village to wait in the never ended registration line.

Once through, it went something like this (each at a separate station, sometimes with more lines): lodging form, verify ID and USAT card, pick up waivers and listen to spiel on medical stuff, fill out waivers, turn in waivers, show ID and get wrist band, show ID and get cap/numbers/timing chip, get tote bag with race day bags, swipe timing chip, prepay for race photos, get free goggles.

Done!

We headed back to the house, kicked up our feet for awhile, and then headed back to Spokane to pick up my little brother JoshyPoo from the airport. After a 25 minute easy run around town, the rest of the night was spent eating, playing games, and getting race bags ready.

Next Up: another practice swim, drive bike course, pick up Ken from airport, lounge in compression gear while getting everything ready for race day, welcome dinner, athlete briefing

IMCdA Race Week - Mon-Wed

2011-06-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

We made it to da 'Ho! Mom flew into PDX on Monday night, she ran errands all day on Tuesday while I frantically wrapped things up at work, we spent all night packing, and then headed out on Wednesday for the 7 hour drive to Coeur d'Alene. The ride was uneventful, other than the pesky virus that seems to have taken up residence in my stomach. I'll spare you the details. Thankfully I have a few days to get the germs out of my tummy. In the meantime, bland foods and extra hydration are being consumed diligently.

Here's our overloaded car. We are over-packing extraordinaires.

Upon arrival, we checked into our awesome rental home, which is located about 6 blocks from the finish line. Yes, that's a wrap around porch with a hammock. It also has a cushy green backyard, lots of open space, and comfy bedrooms. Go to CdA Getaway for outstanding vacation rental service in Coeur d'Alene.

I'll be spending lots of time sitting on this cozy couch over the next few days!

Mom went grocery shopping while I headed out for a 30min spin around town. As I was airing up tires and getting the bike ready, I set my 2nd spare tube and extra CO2 cartridges on the counter. Since, you know, I was only heading out for 30 minutes, and it wasn't worth the time to cram all that stuff onto the bike. You know where this is heading, right? Part way up a little hill, my rear tire went mushy. I finished the climb, then pulled over to change flat #2 of the week. It went pretty speedy and I did a little hip shake to celebrate my ninja tire changing skillz. But...a few pedal strokes later things went mushy again. 3rd flat of the week. Did I pinch the tube? Or twist it? With no 2nd tube (doh!) I called my directionally challenged mother to come pick me up in a strange town, having no clue where I was. With time to kill, I took the tube out and did some inspecting. Turns out a wire was sticking out inside the tire and puncturing the tubes. Bomber Gatorskins = not so bomberish. I was able to patch one of the tubes (after using another CO2 to find the hole) and use my final CO2 cartridge to get things inflated again, just as Mom showed up. Of course. I decided that the tire gods were frowning upon me that afternoon, and headed back to the house instead of finishing up the ride.

Lesson of the day - buy lots of extra tubes and CO2 cartridges (unless you are flying) before you leave home. Your local bike shop will be MUCH cheaper than the Ironman expo bike shop. At $10/tube and almost $6/cartridge, this was an expensive 20 minute bike ride.

Next Up:

Thu - 30min practice swim, registration, 20min run, pick up little brother from airport

Taper Week 2

2011-06-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

Taper week 2 is in the books. A mystery throat virus made it's way through the Beginner Triathlete Coeur d'Alene crew this past week, myself included. Okay, I know it's not possible to spread germs through the internets, but it seems like almost everyone in the middle of taper came down with something. So it was all about extra rest and not pushing too hard through the workouts. I ended up with a little over 6 hours of training, versus a planned volume of 8 hours. The energy is starting to build again, my body is anxious to race, and my mind is going cr-aaaa-zy!

Swim - 2600 meters
Bike - 69.25 miles
Run - 2.82 miles (I'm not kidding)
Total = 6.19 hours

We leave for Idaho in two days. Which means I have less than 48 hours to wrap up work projects, clean out my inbox, do laundry, grocery shop, gather race stuff, pack items for a week, and load up the car. Race prep might actually be harder than the race itself!

I'll leave you with this fabulous video that my friend Bonnie put together during taper:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhGtthB7clI

If you don't get it, watch the "original" Honey Badger video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg

TRI-ing for a Cure

2011-06-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning at 7am will mark one week until I toe the line next to 2700+ other athletes on the shore of Lake Couer d'Alene. All of the hard work over the last 6 months will get me through most of the course. Motivation and tenacity will get me a little bit further. I hope that the thoughts of those who I'm racing in honor/memory of will get me the rest of the way.

I haven't done that great meeting my fundraising goal of $1500. But we've raised almost $700 so far. I'm so very grateful for all of the support (financial and emotional) from all of my awesome friends and family! I'm going to expand the effort with my second Ironman this year in Tempe, Arizona. It's not too late to donate:

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/sarah-kronholm/sarahtris

My running singlet for next weekend:

Taper Week 1: Obligatory Weekly Update

2011-06-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

Bear with me here. I just finished the first week of taper. I feel like crud. My legs won't work. My arms are heavy. I feel like sleeping all day, and then I spend all night staring at the ceiling. I'm grumpy and nervous and anxious and bitchy. And PMSing, which is like some sort of cruel joke to have to deal with PMS during taper. Taper is already like PMS. So maybe it's actually fitting. Coach Liz assures me I'll feel better by the end of this week.

The plan for the week was around 13 hours of training. What I ended up with:
Swim - 5700 meters
Bike - 80.85 miles
Run - 18.76 miles
Transitions - 0.11 hours
Total = 11.06 hours

I honestly don't know where the week went, so I have no super exciting shares for the internet peoplez in this post. Oh, I raced. That's it I think. It's time to cue up the hypnotherapy sessions on the ipod, recite my positive affirmations, and focus my energy on packing lists and organizing kitchen cupboards. Less than 2 weeks until show time!

Race Report: Blue Lake Olympic Triathlon

2011-06-15T21:20:00.000-07:00

Event: Blue Lake Olympic Triathlon

Distance: 1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run

Date: 6/12/2011
Website: http://www.racecenter.com/bluelake/index.htm

Total time = 3:04:04

Age group place = 21/25

Overall place = 332/386

This was my C- race of the year (A = IMCdA, A++ = IMAZ). It was simply a tune-up day to test out gear, equipment, nutrition, and shake out some of the nerves. Goal accomplished. My PR on this course is 3:02:09. I turned in a time less than 2 minutes slower than that PR, a week after peak training, without much in the way of any speed training. I'll take it.

Splits

Swim = 0:32:33, pace 2:10/100m (9th, 283rd)

T1 = 3:31 (5th)

Bike = 1:16:29, pace 19.49 mph (15th, 293rd)

T2 = 3:03 (18th)

Run = 1:08:27, pace 11:02/mi (24th, 374th)

No, I don't have a problem with pacing (okay, I do, but that's not relevant to these splits). I just really really suck at running. I suck slightly less at biking. And then suck even less at swimming. I usually rock transitions, so I'm not sure what happened in T2 this time. Since Blue Lake is currently flooded, the transition areas were longer than past years. But they were longer for everyone. **Shrug**

Pre-Race

The morning started off with a blown tube. A $35 latex freakin-stupid-expensive tube!

The rest of the morning was the same ol' stuff. Revolving porta-potty line, set up transition, warm-up, shimmy into super suit, and get in line for the water. I did manage to get in a 10 minute run prior to the race, which is about 10 minutes more than I typically warm-up. However, I didn't get down to the water in time to loosen up the arms.

I can only imagine that this guy is saying "check out that badass Honey Badger over there. Her gozongas are THIS big. She's just going to take what she wants." And the other guy is saying "I know. I'm scared."

Swim

2009 - 33:04

2011 - 32:22

Starting with W30-39 is seriously worse than the Ironman swim. For real. I had the left side of my goggles ripped off. One gal kept grabbing my shoulders and pawing all over my neck and back. Since I really wasn't in the mood for massage therapy, I gave her a friendly reminder nudge to the ribs and she quit trying to molest me after that. The rest of the swim was uneventful. My sighting sucked. I forgot that I was racing and slowed down to cruise pace (welcome to the habits of IM training). I finally pulled my head out of my ass on the second half and got down to business.

2009 - 3:00

2011 - 3:31

Cap/goggles off, wetsuit off, helmet on, sunglasses on, GO! And then the looooong run to the bike mount line. I kept my shoes on the bike this time and it worked great. No flying mount though. Next year.

Bike

2009 - 1:13:42

2011 - 1:16:29

Uh...this hurt. I am seriously lacking in bike fitness this year. And the weirdest thing - my inner thigh tendon thingies (those things connected to the inside of the hips) completely cramped up at mile 20. I didn't even know that was possible. I'm sure it comes from doing 13-14 mph in training with zero speed work...and then trying to hammer in a race. I definitely need to do more time trials in prep for Arizona.

Oh, OH!!! I had a stinking weasel drafter chic sucking my wheel for most of the bike ride. I could hear her breathing right behind me, so I turned around and give her the bitch eye. She would pass, cut me off, and then slow down, effectively blocking me. So I would drop back the appropriate distance, then pass her again, and continue on at my normal pace. Within a few seconds I could see her shadow pull up just behind me. And stay there. CHEATER! I gave her a few snarls, and we repeated this little dance for about 10 miles. I finally blasted by her a final time, blew one of my world class accurate snot rockets, and didn't see her again. My hubby got her on camera shamelessly catching a free ride. Race number and all. Athlete #335, who placed 13th in the F 35-39 age group (if you care to look her up on the results), may you always have the wind in your wheel-suckin face. Play fair and you won't get blasted on the interwebs.

2009 - 2:14

2011 - 3:03

Climb out of shoes, dismount, looooong run back into transition, helmet off, socks/shoes on, GO! Visor and race belt on while heading out. I honestly don't know what took so long. Probably just the running, since you know, I sort of suck at that sort of thing.

"Oh, goody, running."

Run

2009 - 1:10:09

2011 - 1:08:27

I spent the first mile trying to shake the wonkiness out of my hips. Once things loosened up, I was able to settling into a just-slightly-harder-than-comfortable pace and keep it there. I tried to pick it up a bit towards the end, but sort of fell flat.

I've been testing out a few different finishing poses. How about this one?

Post-Race

Lots of walking to cool-down, a short spin on the bike later that night, and a good sleep in my compression tights.

Weekly Recap: The Big One

2011-06-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

I made it to taper. That alone is an accomplishment, yet it has me feeling a little bittersweet about my prep for race day. I'm excited that the worst of it is over, but I still wish that I had just a little more time to get ready. My training for this race isn't what I hoped it would be, but I had to overcome a lot of hurdles even to get this far. I have to remind myself that I do this for fun. It's a hobby. And no matter what happens on race day, that one day does not define me.

Swim - 8450 meters
Bike - 155.58 miles
Run - 23.36 miles
Total = 19.07 hours

The alternating narcolepsy/insomnia phase of training has set in, and I'm far too tired to document all the events of this past week. But here are the highlights:

- I channeled a lot of Honey Badger to get me through the week. I was badass. I ran all over the place. I was cr-a-zy. I really didn't give a shit. And eww, eating snakes. So nasty. If you don't understand, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg

- I had my last long run mid-week of 3 hours. Since I'm slow, this got me to 15.15 miles. Julie came out for the last few miles with me and snapped this photo of my awesome outfit. Pink Power! It was hot and raining, so please pretend that this is nice and focused.

- I had a mini-crisis when I realized that my brand new wetsuit was not going to work. This was the same evening that I realized that my new shoes were not going to work either. So 3 weeks out from race day and I need to revamp 2 very important items. Panic ensued, a trip was made to Portland in the middle of rush hour, and hundreds of dollars were spent. Ironman = empty bank account.

- My last long ride was an epic fail. Zipp 808s do not play well with 30mph gusts. Instead of 112 miles I made it all of 40 miles. I tried to finish it up on the trainer, but I was mentally defeated. One bad day does not a season make. So I wrapped up the day with my brick run and tried to focus on having a better day tomorrow.

- The week culminated with the OWS race at Hagg Lake. Major confidence booster!

Next up...taaaaaper time.

Race Report: Hagg Lake 4000m OWS

2011-06-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

Event: Gecko Tri Club - Hagg Lake Open Water Swim
Distance: 4000 meters. That's 2.485 miles for you non-metric people, and yes, the decimal places are very important.
Date: 6/5/2011
Website: http://www.hagglakeswim.com/

Total time = 1:24:47
Pace = 2:07/100 meters
Age group place = 12/19 (There were a lot of FAST people!)

This report actually begins about 3 days prior to the event. I had recently purchased a suh-weet new wetsuit at a great sale price from Athlete's Lounge. It was a top-of-the-line 2XU for 40% off. Deal! I finally had a chance to try it out on Thursday night at Klineline Lake. It was awful. The fit was all wrong once I was wet, and the neck was pushing up into the base of my jaw and skull causing one hell of a headache. Damn. Thankfully the store has AWESOME customer service and let me do an exchange. Go there! So Friday night I trekked back to downtown Portland and tried on just about every wet suit in stock. Which, if you are at all familiar with putting on triathlon wetsuits, you know is pretty much a Zone 3 workout by itself. I was sweaty, my forearms were fatigued and shaking, and I couldn't find a single one that fit correctly. The only one that I hadn't tried on was the most expensive suit in the store. Seriously. So I did it. And of course it fit perfectly. Shit luck I guess.

Okay, fast forward to race morning. Jeff, Julie, and I loaded up the car with our gear for the day (swim stuff for all 3 of us, bike stuff for them, and run stuff for me) and headed on out to Hagg Lake in Gaston, OR. They were doing the 2000m swim and then heading out for a couple of hours on the bike. I was doing the 4000m followed by an hour of running. We got there, checked in, did the mandatory revolving porta-potty shuffle, and shimmied into our wetsuits. I nervously went out for a test swim, knowing that 4000 meters isn't exactly the ideal test run for new gear. Thankfully it felt awesome!

I wasn't sure whether to race this one or keep it chill and easy. So I went with chill and easy. The start was slightly chaotic, but quickly thinned out and became mellow. I kept my breathing calm, my strokes smooth, and went with the flow. I found a few feet to draft off occasionally, but was mostly flying solo the entire time. Fast forward 1:24 later...I came out of the water in good shape. Not even breathing hard and feeling like I could go another round. I wasn't smokin fast, but the effort level was ideal for Ironman pace. Perfect!

After our respective workouts, we topped off the day with sun and yummy food at McMenamin's Grand Lodge in Forest Grove. This was a nice end to peak training. Next up...TAPER TIME!!!

PSA for the Ladies

2011-06-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

Ladies, I present to you (and your bits)...Hoo Ha Ride Glide! Get some.

Per the bottle:

Protects your most girlie parts from infection, chafing, friction burns, irritation, inflammation, and saddle sores. Provides healing and a lasting cool feeling so you enjoy the ride.

The 411: Hoo Ha Ride Glide was developed by women athletes who needed a skin cream formulated for their most girlie parts. They searched high and low and only found a cream for nuts... a women's needs are different, so they created Hoo Ha Ride Glide. May be used on other skin areas where exercise chafing occurs.

Dos and Don'ts: Do apply to your nooks and crannies (for external use only). Do apply to other areas where chafing occurs. Do apply to your chamois. Do wash your hands before and after. Don't settle for nut cream. Don't ignore the needs of your Hoo Ha. Don't ride without it.

Male relatives and coworkers - you may want to stop reading now. TMI alert.

I stumbled across this gem of a product at my local bike shop. I admit it, I was intrigued by the bottle. Good marketing right there. It was pricey ($21.95 for an 8oz bottle), but when it comes to the health of your lady parts, price really shouldn't be a factor. My first test run with this stuff was heading out for a 114 mile hilly bike ride. Hmmm, smells really nice. Not greasy. I walked around the house getting my gear and nutrition ready. What the hell? Um, is that supposed to feel that way? Ackkkk! It sorta...tingled. Not necessarily in a good way, but not bad either. Interesting. My first instinct was to grab the nearest cloth item and furiously wipe it away. But I hung in there and gave it a shot. The weird tingly sensation turned into a nice refreshing cooling feeling. I swung by the house half way through the day for a quick reapplication. Ahhhh, so fresh. Aside from the lack of saddle sores, the best part was how clean and awesome the bits felt after 8 hours on the saddle. And, I swear, it smelled just slightly like mint chocolate chip ice cream down there. Which is a much better alternative to, well, what your crotch normally smells like after 100+ miles of riding in hot weather.

More Idaho Pics

2011-06-05T22:40:00.000-07:00

We don't believe in scrimping while car camping.

Before and after we moved in.

The extremely dependable raft and cat carnage at Lochsa Falls.

Me and California Kelly in camp. The Rainier beer in the background is definitely not mine!

Because this is how I roll. Even in the woods.

Ken coming through Lochsa Falls. Can you spot him? He's the speck of red heading into the meat.

Me taking my shuttle bitch/photographer role very seriously. I missed them coming through House Wave because I was trying to get this focused in the side view mirror. Fail.

Eric tearing it up in Pipeline.

Heading home. :-(

Rest Week in Da 'Ho

2011-06-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

I know, the weekly recap is late again. Like a week late. But I was out of town for Memorial Day weekend (Who da ho? Idaho! That never gets old.) and then fell right into peak week upon our return. So you know, I've had tons of free time.

This was my last recovery week for IMCdA, prior to heading into peak week and then taper. It coincided nicely with a 5 day camping trip - our annual pilgrimage to the Lochsa River in the Bitterroot Mountains. It's a haul of a drive, but it's worth every hour in the car compared to what I gain in sanity. This year's forecast was for cold/rain and epic high water predictions. Combine that with $4/gallon gas prices, and the camp grounds were pretty bare. Which meant that I got extra quiet relaxation this year. As it turns out, the water levels were fantastic. And the sun made more than a brief guest appearance.

While the boys were out playing on the river, I was out trail running. The Bitterroots are not friendly. The trails go something like this - up up up up UP UP UP UP UUUUPPPP up up up, dooooooowwwwwwn. Over a week later, my calves and hamstrings are still trying to recover.

When I wasn't napping or running, I was cooking (dutch oven meals rule!) or eating. Overeating + rest week = ugh. But you can't camp and not have smores!

Swim - 1800 meters

Bike - 23.75 miles (hahaha, that is so weeny! especially after almost 200 last week.)

Run - 19.24 miles

Strength - 0.5 hours

Total = 7.1 hours

Weekly Recap: TITS

2011-05-23T22:48:00.000-07:00

Lots of TITS this week. TITS = Time In The Saddle.

Peak week #1 (there's one more left) went okay. I missed my key swim workout. Not so worried. And my key run workout. Very worried. But I rode almost 200 miles this week. And finally nailed my nutrition and pacing on the bike. My 114 mile bike/4 mile run was AWESOME. I felt peppy, my legs were fresh after the ride, and I wasn't sore afterwards (except for the, um, lady bits). My race kit tested out beautifully. My new bike fit was cozy. And it was my first long training day in the SUN! It was just the confidence boost that I needed right now.

Swim - 2700 meters (well that's embarrassing now that I see it written down)

Bike - 194.27 miles

Run - 13.85 miles (hmmm, not feeling so good about that either)

Strength - 25 minutes

Total = 18.03 hours

I get a rest week, one more monster week, and then taaaaaaaper time. Oh, taper. We shall have so much fun together! Friends, family, and coworkers - you have now been warned.

The notorious hills of Felida? Ain't no thang!

Speaking of sun. Sunscreen. Use it. Don't be like me.

Gooey

2011-05-18T18:48:00.000-07:00

Gels. They are everywhere. Not including the enormous cabinet in the kitchen dedicated to training nutrition. Stickiness has consumed the household. Those of you who know me in real life know that I am a housecleaning freak. Everything is spotless and in it's place and arranged at precise angles. Usually. So now you know the reason why we don't have house guests during Ironman season.

Various locations in the pain cave.

In the bento box (and scattered on the floor around the trainer).

In both fuel belts.

On the passengers seat of my car (and in the side panels, and in Ken's car, and on the floorboards).

In the washing machine. I know, seriously.

In the bathroom.

And all of the other locations that didn't get captured on camera before someone picked them up. "Someone" not meaning me.

Weekly Recap: Making Progress

2011-05-17T22:22:00.000-07:00

It was a mixed bag this week. I got by. With a little help. From my friends.

Swim - 8820 meters
Bike - 144.65 miles
Run - 17.33 miles
Total - 17.23 hours

First open water swim of the year! I met up with my Beginner Triathlete friend, Bonnie, at Klineline Pond for an after-work dip one night. It was awesome to finally meet her in person. The water was chilly, but tolerable, and we were able to stay in the water for about a half hour. Hopefully I'll get a few more sessions in before race day. The biggest lesson learned? I need a new wetsuit! This one is too big and it drags and isn't very flexible in the shoulders. I keep putting off the purchase hoping I'll lose weight. Time to buck up and just get one already.

Julie rallied with me for 35 miles of WIND on the bike on Friday night (after my 4200 meter swim). Unfortunately I didn't snap any pictures while we were out there. But here's one from my marathon session in the pool before the ride.

The highlight of the week was meeting up with Bonnie again on Saturday morning for the longest bike ride of the year so far. We started in Beaverton, headed out to Hagg Lake, did a few laps around the lake, and then back to Beaverton. Total distance was a little over 90 miles, with about 5000' of climbing. I am much slower than I would like to be at this point. But I'm trying to be thankful for just having the ability to ride. Speed is just icing. And we don't always need to have the icing.

My savior from a trip to Bonk Town - POPTARTS!

And you know you're in good cycling country when you see signs like this on the rural stores.

I topped off the week with a swim, run, and recovery ride. And a trip to Athletes Lounge for some triathlon bling!!!!

Weekly Recap: Hard

2011-05-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

Some weeks are just hard. This was one of them.

Julie and I were talking about this photo the other day. That's me, working my way through a few levels of personal hell at Ironman Arizona 2009, about to be passed (lapped?) by Mr. Thumbs Up Guy. From my fuzzy Ironman memory, this was somewhere between miles 4 and 10 of the marathon. The heat was bearing down on me. I had been puking and couldn't keep anything down. My stomach was beyond bloated. My feet were starting to blister. And I was trying to grasp the concept that I may feel this way for another 16-22 miles. But check it out - I'm sucking it up, moving forward, one foot in front of the other. And eventually things got better. It cooled off, I was able to start eating again, and my feet eventually just went numb. And I had the Best...Time...Of...My...Life.

My body is refusing to lose any weight at all. The little aches and pains that come with the training load are making themselves known. The blows at work keep coming. Chores, mail, and laundry are stacking up to a disgusting level. The weather has made me it's little bitch. But you know what? Gotta keep on moving forward. And I have to believe that things will get better.

Some bursts of sunshine during my week:

- Jessica kick boarding next to me during an entire 1:45 pool running session.

- Coworkers who rallied and doubled my fundraising in one single morning. (Go here.)

- A Mom who listens to my daily ~~bitching~~ updates every morning on the drive into work. Mostly egocentrically talking about myself and training.

- A husband who brews coffee each morning and fixes dinner (and pre-dinner and post-dinner) each night because I'm too busy or too tired.

- Julie laughing with me while I bawled on the side of the road in the pouring rain with another 4 hours to go.

Weekly Totals:

Swim - 6350 meters

Bike - 136.75 miles

Run - 19.21 miles

Total = 15.66 hours

Weekly Recap: Recovery

2011-05-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, recovery week. How many of you long and yearn for some rest days, and then absolutely hate it when they get here? I turn into a complete and utter MONSTER. A grouchy, bitchy, stomping-my-feet-everywhere monster. Who eats anything and everything I can get my hands on.

So I filled my time with distractions. I worked a lot. I baked 3 dozen cupcakes and 4 dozen cookies for friends and coworkers. We rearranged the furniture in all but one room of the house. And redecorated the living room and main bedroom. I took a 13 hour "nap". And got a really long massage. About 10 loads of laundry finally got done. I spent an afternoon with my best homegirl. Had an overdue dinner date with the hubby. And went on no less than 3 coffee dates with girlfriends. However, the fridge is still empty, because I really hate grocery shopping. (Mom? Will you please come visit again? Please?)

Oh, and I still did some training. Obviously I have some work to do on my mental game, but y'all, physically things pretty much sucked too. I couldn't hold even a 2:10 pace in the pool. I got schooled on the bike by someone who was hungover and soft pedaling (in my defense, she's really really fast). And I topped out at a 12 minute mile. I'm trying to buy into Coach Liz's "cumulative fatigue" theory, but it's always disappointing when you aren't able to do what you think you should be capable of. Moving forward!

Swim - 4000 meters

Bike - 42.1 miles

Run - 8.44 miles

Strength - 0:25

Total - 6.43 hours

Photos! Fun!

2011-05-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

Washington's version of "spring" during a long run. Shortly after the taking of this photo I was covered in hail, followed by sun, followed by gale force winds and heavy downpour. Followed by sun. And hail. At the same time.

Return of the ice baths!

My Mom came to visit. Yay! She played Zombies on her iPad... while I did intervals on the trainer. She did come run with me afterwards though. And she cooked a freezer and a half of meals. And ironed. And grocery shopped. I love Moms. My Mom, specifically.

Packages on the doorstep during Ironman season are the best! This is the first chance I had to try the new PowerBar Perform formula. SO MUCH better than Gatorade. It has my seal of approval. The sad thing about this photo? This might get me through June.

More "spring" in Washington during a bike ride. Unfortunately, the race course in Idaho probably looks quite similar.

I'm Alive

2011-04-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

I'm still here! Sorry folks, I got carried away by real life for awhile there. Tomorrow will mark 8 weeks until show time. That means 5 weeks until taper starts. Seriously, where did the time GO? I'm in the middle of the last build series, and while I've botched it up quite a bit, I think I'm still on track for a finish before midnight on June 26th. Status check:

Swim - My swimming is pretty solid at this point. I've logged double the volume in the last 4 months than I did in all of 2010. Open water swimming will start soon too. (Note: Lake Coeur d'Alene is currently 42 degrees and it snowed on the course last week.)

Bike - Let's face it, I'm still too heavy to climb efficiently. Race day is going to be painful. But I can't go back in time and fix it, so I'm going to try and be positive and let that carry me through the hills on the course. This WILL change before Arizona. It has to.

Run - I'm not going to set any records, but I'm feeling confident about the distance. (I would also say something about being injury-free, but I don't want to jinx it, so there will be no mention of such things.) If nothing else, being severely undertrained for 3 of my last 3 marathons has taught me that I have the will power to get through the miles. And I'll have a fun time doing it.

And in case you're wanting a volume update...

A couple of weeks ago:

* I was still recovering from being sick, and still dealing with major allergy issues. I did well on the bike, but had a hard time getting enough oxygen while running.

Swim - 6550 meters

Bike - 117.25 miles

Run - 11.96 miles

Total - 13.12 hours

Last week:

* This was supposed to be a 16 hour training week, but I ended up logging around 80 hours at work. So, I'm going to view almost 13 hours of training as a major win. I also did a long swim of 4000 meters and a long run of just under 12 miles.

Swim - 6750 meters

Bike - 82.03 miles

Run - 18.23 miles

Total - 12.52 hours

Weekly Recap: Meaty

2011-04-11T21:30:00.000-07:00

The training note from my coach on Monday read "OK - things are going to start getting meaty around here." No joke. Especially after looking into the future a couple of weeks. I was a little unsure of myself, since I was still a bit sick and heading out of town for a 6-day business trip. That didn't sound like a recipe for success. But I DID IT! I'll fast forward to the summary:

Swim - 7286 meters

Bike - 96.25 miles (ALL on the trainer)

Run - 15.91 miles

Strength - 45 minutes of TRX (ouch, it's been a while)

Total - 13.12 hours

If you want to hear some of the gritty details, forge onward.

Monday - I got to see an alligator. Up really really close. This has nothing to do with training, but how cool is that! I said "see you later alligator" to people the rest of the day. I was very amused with myself.

Tuesday - I had my long run of 2 hours on the calendar. It was impossible to do this before the 7am start time at work, so I opted out of the group work dinner and headed back to the lakes near Louisiana State University. There were dozens of walkers and runners out until the sun went down, so I felt safe and right at home. Except that it was 75 degrees and not raining, which is very much different than home these days. (Dear Pacific Northwest Weather Gods, it's not funny anymore.) The temperature was perfect, a nice breeze was blowing, and the mosquitoes weren't too bad.

Wednesday - I started the morning with a little TRX. I had also done some strength training on Tuesday, so by this point I was having a hard time bending over to put on my shoes. Good stuff.

Wednesday night (after a good southern crawfish boil) I headed on over to the most disgusting excuse for a lap pool I've ever seen. I wouldn't have been so annoyed had I not paid for what was advertised as a "25 yard pristine lap pool". So, in Louisiana, 25 yards = 15 yards, pristine = so murky you can't see the bottom, and lap pool = no lane lines or painted stripes. Oh, and 90 degrees is apparently the optimal workout temperature. However, the 350 pound ladies doing water walking provided a bit of open water swim experience. And at least I had access to the spin bikes afterwards (which were indeed spin bikes as advertised).

Thursday/Friday - Rest days. Unintentionally. What happens in Baton Rouge stays in Baton Rouge, so you'll have to use your imagination.

Saturday - I made it back into town late on Friday night, so Saturday was a rough start. After a 2 hour trainer ride (seriously, weather gods, enough!) I headed to the pool for the longest session this year. And I had a new gadget courtesy of my Mom to track the laps. Thanks, Mom!

Sunday - Oh my. This day sucked. It started off with practicing my Ironman morning nutrition, which was by far the best part of the day. Can't I just practice eating all week? Oh wait, I do. Then I was off to the pool for another 2500 meters. And then back home for FOUR HOURS on the trainer. FOUR HOURS. (Alright, I give, what would you like me to sacrifice?) And then a 3 mile brick run. But I did it. And I'm really proud of myself. This day is what the guts of Ironman training are made of. The days that suck and hurt and you find the gumption to get through it anyway. This is what makes us ready.

Last Week, A Little Late

2011-04-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it's half way through this week already, but here's my update from last week. Bettah late dan nevah. I'm in Louisiana at the moment and their accent has infiltrated my brain.

I headed into this week (um, last week) with one of the nastiest illnesses I've had in awhile, and I was thankful that it was a recovery week so that I could get back to 100% without missing too many key workouts. The overall volume was weak sauce, but I got lots of rest and even took an extra day off mid-week to rest up a bit more. Sunday was an all-day travel day from Portland, OR (mid-40s and storming rain) to Baton Rouge, LA (mid-80s and nothing but sunshine). SUUUUUNSHINE! Before crashing for the night I managed to muster up the energy for a sunset run along the lakes near LSU.

Swim - 1600 meters (hey, you try swimming with a sinus infection!)

Bike - 45 miles

Run - 11.9 miles
Total - 6.09 hours

Weekly Update

2011-03-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

After almost a full month of working with Coach Liz, I just recently missed a few scheduled workouts. Spring allergies served me up with an awesome sinus infection/bronchitis combo, forcing me to take some downtime. The difference between now and before? I actually wanted to train, but I physically couldn't. So overall, I'm still counting the week as a "win". Attitude is the hardest thing to fix, so now that I'm motivated and encouraged and have my head back in the game, the rest will come a bit easier. Note that I didn't say "easy", just "easier". Lots of hard work ahead! I'm entering a recovery week and then the Ironman-specific build phase begins. 13 weeks until show time!

Last Week's Training Totals:
Swim - 2800 meters (missed a long swim session)
Bike - 94.7 miles
Run - 2.19 miles (missed essentially all the run workouts)
Total - 7.79 hours (vs. a planned 12 hours)

Sarah's Army

2011-03-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

My army = tissues with aloe, tissues with Vicks, allergy meds, cold meds, neti pot and sea salt gargles, green tea (out of an IM mug of course!), comfy jammies, and really bad daytime television. Obviously, this training week isn't going quite as planned. So far I've missed a 1 hour run of hill repeats and a 3500 meter swim. I'm skeptical of the 3.5 hour trainer ride scheduled for tomorrow, but confident that I'll give it my best shot. The truly terrible thing isn't so much that I'm sick, but that my appetite is still very much alive. And laying in bed for 18 hours a day just doesn't cut it in the calorie-burning department. Sigh...we'll see what the morning brings. Stay healthy, y'all!

Getting the Hang of It

2011-03-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

Another week is in the books! My body is finally coming out of hibernation and eager to get with the program. Instead of feeling completely wiped out, I'm excited to do the next workout. And sometimes I want to go further or faster than is on the schedule. Okay, okay, I'm totally wiped out too. But I'm adapting to the training load and enjoying the work. Yeah!

And now...it's time to focus on nutrition. Ironman Coeur d'Alene is not a flat course, and hauling an extra 30 pounds up the hills is not a good use of my energy reserves. I've struggled with weight my entire adult life. Even when I make good food choices, I have a very difficult time shedding pounds. My metabolism has been on vacation since I turned 17. So I just have to work harder. It's not fair, but it's what I've got. Which means that I really have to make those good choices. And here's the thing: I'm an intelligent person. I know what "good choices" looks like. I'm plenty educated in calories, glycemic index, and carb/protein/fat ratios. But I still make bad decisions more often than I make good ones. I don't know what the solution to this is, but I'm working on it. Thankfully I have some good resources to help me figure it out.

Back to this past week. Recall that I recently completed test week, where we determined my swim pace, my LTHR on the bike, and LTHR on the run. We discovered that my HR doesn't recover as nicely as it should while I'm running. So I've been relegated to purely zone 1-2 work for the next few weeks. I understand the philosophy behind this and am trying to be patient. It's tough to be even slower then normal right now, but I know that I'll come out the other side healthier and faster. In the meantime, the miles just won't rack up as fast. Eye on the bigger prize, right?

The highlight of this week was a 3 hour ride OUTSIDE on Saturday. The weather was weird and I couldn't decide between shorts/leg warmers or tights. So I compromised and went with capris and long socks (compression socks, actually). The end result?

I know, I'm quite aware of the awesomeness of this getup. It also garnered quite a few hollers from the yocals. Hey, at least I was visible.

Do you want to know the best mid-ride espresso stop in Vancouver? River Maiden Coffee House. Mmmm...Stumptown coffee. Go there.

And no week would be complete without some Sunday Morning Solitude.

Weekly Stats:

Swim - 5700 meters (I messed up a workout and forgot to do 250 meters)

Bike - 72.68 miles

Run - 16.75 miles

Total - 10.68 hours

Can you say "Anaerobic"?

2011-03-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

This past week was a recovery week. Or at least a twisted version of one. It was also a test week, which meant that I spent 3 of the 6 training days getting acquainted with my lactate threshold. Low volume but high intensity. Now it's time to spend Sunday afternoon rocking the compression socks and some Jersey Shore on Netflix. Don't judge.

Swim Test

The first up was the swim test on Tuesday. I ~~hate~~ very strongly dislike swimming hard. It's, well, hard. I always end up with water up my sinuses, my lungs burning, and my heartbeat pounding out of my ears. I also knew deep down that if I didn't have someone in the pool with me, there was a strong possibility that I wouldn't finish the test. My good friend Jeff came out to swim with me. And since he's quite a bit faster, he was able to do the workout with me, work the lap buttons on the Garmin, and play cheerleader. I got the test done, although I was slower than I had hoped. But that just means I have ample room for improvement. I'm almost (almost!) looking forward to the next test to see how much time I knock off the pace.

Bike Test

Thursday night was the bike test. Since it was dark and raining I had to do this one on the trainer. Knowing that the television annoys me once I hit zone 4, I cranked up my headphones and did my best to focus and just absorb the pain. Funny thing, I LOVE hurting on the bike. Time trials are my happy place. Except for when it involves hills. Then I'll take sprints in the pool any day. I passed this test too (thanks Eminem and Kanye!) and now I have a fresh set of heart rate zones to train with.

Run Test

Test week culminated with the run test on Sunday morning. My boss was awesome and joined me at the track to help get me through it. I really do have a great support system! I didn't pass out. I didn't puke. I didn't poop my pants (wouldn't that be embarrassing in front of the boss). Success!

Weekly Stats:

Swim - 4800 meters

Bike - 35 miles

Run - 11.86 miles

Total - 6.55 hours

Caution: Cyclists on the Road

2011-03-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

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WARNING - STRONG OPINIONS AHEAD!

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It's that time of year again (at least in the Pacific Northwest) where the icy mornings begin to give way to sunny afternoons, there is a little more daylight after work, and cyclists put the trainers away and start hitting the road. HOORAY!!! Unfortunately, that sentiment isn't necessarily shared by all vehicle drivers. Especially after a long winter of not seeing us on the road. Those stupid cyclists in their stupid spandex! Why don't they ride on the dang sidewalk? They have no right to be in my lane! If they are riding on the road, they need to pay more taxes, daggonit! Oh, the rantings of fat lazy Americans everywhere.

I generally try to keep my blog a happy place. Free from negativity and politics and debate. But it is my blog after all, and I feel compelled to share some information that may enlighten the unenlightened. Yes, I know that calling them "fat lazy Americans" is quite immature and probably won't help my case. But it made me feel better. And since I'm an American, am clinically overweight, and tend towards laziness when given the chance, I'm allowed. I get the feeling that I'm preachin' to the choir here anyway. So feel free to use these tips next time you find yourself in a debate on the topic.

Let's start with a few factoids:

1) I agree that to the majority of the world, our spandex does indeed look stupid. But I guarantee that after a 4 hour ride in cotton shorts (or even a 1 hour ride), you will be a convert to the miracle fabric.

2) It is illegal for cyclists to ride on the sidewalk in most cities/states. And just plain dangerous. There is no way I could navigate through pedestrians, signs, curbs, and tree roots while hauling at 20+ mph. So unless a cyclist is riding similarly to a pedestrian walking, they are required to get off the sidewalk and stay on the road.

3) Even if you are in a city where it is legal to ride on the sidewalk, it is also very much legal to ride on the road. Love us or hate us, we are allowed to be there just as much as the cars are.

And now let me address the taxes bit. The question "Should bicyclists pay extra taxes?" surfaces in the media on occasion. Some of my own friends and family members (gasp!) even insist on it. It inevitably comes up in any debate about cyclists riding on the road. I think we can all agree that roads are paid for primarily by taxes and tolls. I think we can also agree that taxes come from federal income tax, state income tax, sales tax, and property tax. (As well as some taxes that don't apply to the normal US resident.) Some thoughts:

The US median household income is around $50,000/year (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009). Recent polls show that the average household income for triathletes is $126,000/year (USA Triathlon, 2010). The median income (not household income, mind you) for competitive cyclists is $75,000/year (Active Marketing Group, 2007). So triathletes/cyclists have about double the taxable income of the rest of the nation.
The majority of these cyclists are vehicle owners. I think it's safe to say that many of these vehicles are nicer than those of the general population. My peer group and the parking lots at race sites are certainly strong examples. Those vehicle owners have paid sales taxes on those awfully nice and expensive vehicles, they have paid license and registration fees, and continue to pay fuel taxes to operate them.
The majority of cyclists either own a home and directly pay property taxes on those homes, or they are home renters and indirectly pay those property taxes on a monthly basis. It's likely that homes owned/rented by cyclists, based on the median household incomes, are much nicer than residences of the general population. Thus, cyclists are paying more in property taxes than non-cyclists.
So not only are cyclists contributing their fair share to the public road systems, they are contributing more than the average American. Even so, paying taxes is not a prerequisite for using the roads. Children, the unemployed, and foreign visitors all legally use our roads without so much as a single cent paid into the tax system.
When I'm not riding on the road, you will often find me running on the road. And sometimes I hold up traffic to cross the street or on a narrow passage where cars can't safely pass me. How about a foot tax, eh?

Based on the above information, I conclude that the cyclist-hatin' population is either ignorant, or jealous, or both. There I go again being immature. Don't be like me. Some more thoughts:

People who exercise are healthier and therefore are less demanding on the health care system. Obesity-related medical costs are estimated at $147 billion. Per YEAR! Smoking-related medical costs are also staggering - $97 to $137 billion per year, depending on the source. Health costs for alcoholic related issues are over $20 billion per year. Care to guess how much bicycle-related injuries cost? $5 billion per year. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009.)
Cycling emits about 100% less emissions than vehicles do. Whether you are a super-green activist concerned about greenhouse gases, or a devout conspiracy theorist who thinks global warming was invented for financial gain by the government, you can't argue that bikes still produce less emissions than motorized vehicles.
Semis, cars, and trucks all cause damage to the roads. Earthquakes cause damage to the roads. Floods cause damage to the roads. Construction causes damage to the roads. Bikes do not.

But we do need to do our part. So y'all, just a reminder to wear your helmets, stay as far to the right as you safely can, stop at the stop signs (okay okay, most of them), definitely stop at the stop lights, signal signal signal, and generally be respectful to those around you. And if you still get honked/yelled at or buzzed or things thrown at you, here is some advice that I've found quite effective. Blow a big ol' sloppy kiss at the jerk wad and wave like they're your long lost cousin. They LOVE that.

Ca-Ching!

2011-03-06T19:33:00.000-08:00

I just wrapped up Week 2 with my new coach, Elizabeth from Multisport Mastery. I turned in a little over 10 hours of solid swim/bike/run. Money in da bank! Figuratively speaking, of course. In real life, money is flying out the windows...for food, and electricity for the water heater. I had forgot how Ironman training life develops into the following formula:

Weekday -
Sleep, Eat, Train, Shower, Eat, Work, Eat, Train, Shower, Work, Eat, Train, Bubble Bath, Eat, Sleep

Weekend -
Sleep, Eat, Train, Shower, Eat, Nap, Eat, Laundry, Nap, Eat, Train, Bubble Bath, Eat, Sleep

Those formulas are probably why I have so much difficulty slimming down during training. For right now, I'm going to focus on getting into a routine and let my body get used to the work load. Weight loss will come later. And although I'm no doubt consuming much more than I need to be, I'm trying to make sure that what I eat is helpful for either recovery or to fuel the next workout. Well, except for the french fries I'm mowing down while writing this. One thing at a time here.

Some highlights from the week:

1) On the menu for Tuesday's lunch was a 3250 meter swim laced with some lovely short sprints intervals. Keep in mind that I've been in the pool about a dozen times. Since 2009. Which means that swimming over 500 meters is sort of challenging. My very first assigned workout last week was a 3000 meter swim. This was after I mentioned that I haven't been swimming and I don't like the pool. Gotta love that. I like how she rolls. For you non-triathlete readers, the Ironman distance swim is 2.4 miles, or 3860 meters. In 2009 I think I went over 3000 in training only twice (see above note about my anti-love of the pool). I do believe I'll be in good shape for the swim this go-round. Thanks coach!

2) I met up with Julie for an early morning run on Friday. Due to work and other obligations, I finished up my Thursday workouts at around 10pm. My legs were not amused when I woke them up at 5am for more fun. When we hit the turn-around point, I devised a super secret plan to get Julie to leave me so that I could quit running as soon as she was out of sight. However, she knows me quite well and was devising her own super secret plan to counter my super secret plan. She cracked the whip and made sure there was no walking until I was safely in the driveway. That's friendship right there.

3) Riding outside. So rad!

Weekly Training Totals:

Swim - 5550 meters

Bike - 74.80 miles

Run - 16.13 miles

Total - 10.33 hours

Next up: Test week. Oh YAY!

Beyond the Red Barn

2011-03-05T19:37:00.000-08:00

On Monday afternoons, for as long as I've been doing triathlon, a group of cyclists meet in Vancouver, WA for something called "Beaches". It's a ride that starts in the parking lot of Beaches Restaurant (great happy hour and awesome bartenders Michaels and Terry), and heads out towards Vancouver Lake along the deserted flat country roads. It's a fast and furious ride in a paceline, sometimes hitting 30+ mph. I never could hang on for the entire ride, but I often made it to at least the turnaround at the red barn.

Yes, I know it's not red. But the rusted roof is red-ish. And that's just what it's called. The Red Barn.

I don't join the Beaches crew anymore, but I do still ride the route when I want a set number of miles and don't want to think about directions or traffic or anything other than getting in the aerobars and zoning out. And when I ride Beaches by myself, I still turn around at the red barn. I had no idea until today what was beyond the barn, so I kept on riding, thinking I was on some big adventure. About a minute later the road dead ended at Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge. In a gravel parking lot filled with illegally dumped trash, big trucks with 15" lifts, and a weird mix of 80 year old couples, skateboarding teenagers, and camo-covered old dudes. I'll be turning around at the red barn from now on.

I woke up this morning mentally prepared for a 2.5 hour ride on the trainer. It was rainy and windy and stormy outside. Not good bike riding weather. I had resigned to watching reality tv reruns on Netflix and developing saddle sores from sitting in the same position for that long. But I had to go into work and postpone training until later in the day. This turned out to be a wonderful blessing (as working on a Saturday morning rarely does). By the time I got home, the wind had died down and the sun was beginning to peak out from the dark clouds. And it just smelled different outside. Like spring was peering around the corner and secretly trying to warm things up. For the first time since last fall, I ventured outside without a beanie or heavy jacket. Or even pants. Look, SHORTS!

And SUN! (Yes, I know I need to remove the race sticker residue from the helmet. But I've been bu-sy and haven't had much time for making myself look even cooler.)

To end this fairly long story about a fairly short ride, I'll just say that it was MAH-velous to feel the road under my wheels and get some real mileage in. I wrapped it up with some short climbing in northern Vancouver and then a nice cool down in my neighborhood. Almost 40 miles at just under a 15mph pace. I'm a lot slower than I should be at this point in the training, but I'll get there. Especially if we keep having Saturdays like this. Hooray!

P.S. This is for Macey. MOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo!!!!

A New Start

2011-03-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

I finally did what I don't do very often. I admitted that I'm not capable of doing something myself. And I'm so happy that I did. There was no way that I was going to get to the starting line, let alone the finish line, of IMCdA on the path that I was on. Thankfully, Elizabeth from Multisport Mastery agreed to take me on. Blogger world, meet coach. From now through June (and possibly November), she is the madness behind my method.

Week 1 started off with a bang, but not one loud enough to completely scare me away. For the first time (ever!) I nailed all of my scheduled workouts. And it felt like every single minute had a purpose. No junk miles. No lillydallying on the trainer while texting friends, or stopping at the wall every 50m to chat with someone in the lane next to me. So I'm kicking up my compression sock covered feet and basking in the awesomeness of a solid week. For like 5 minutes. Because week 2 is getting underway.

Swim: 5500 meters
Bike: 56.25 miles (trainer miles, estimated at 15mph)
Run: 14.55 miles
Total: 8.63 hours

Figuring It Out

2011-02-20T10:11:00.000-08:00

I'm baaaack. Hello again, interwebz. The hiatus was much needed, and now I'm TOTALLY REJUVENATED. And by TOTALLY REJUVENATED, I mean "really freakin tired and I'm going to just fake it until I believe it". I naively thought that taking a break from structured workouts, blogging, and the seemingly unimportant parts of life would magically make things calm and structured and less crazy. Hahahahahaha. It's okay, you don't have to hide your snickering. In reality, it just made more time available for the things that were stressing me out in the first place. And suddenly my calendar wasn't open for things like lunch dates and happy hour and drawn out phone conversations with my homegirls. And, um, running/biking/swimming.

So, I'm back. And I know that my millions of blogger fans have missed me. What? You haven't? Oh... Regardless, I've missed me. Clearly, I haven't figured out how to balance everything and make it work. But like everything else that has happened over the last 30+ years, I'll Figure It Out. I always do.

With just over 4 months to go until Ironman Coeur d'Alene, I've got some major catching up to do. Instead of following Fink's "Be Iron Fit" 30-week plan, I'm jumping ship and using a 20-week plan. I need something different this time around. Less predictable and more interesting. And you know, there's like only 20-weeks left. I'm not sure exactly which 20-week plan I'll be using. But I'll figure it out. Hey, maybe I'll even get a coach. And I'm not totally starting from scratch here. I've been training about 4-8 hours a week, depending on whether I worked until 5pm or 9pm. And depending on how many 12am-3am phone calls I received. I've been in the pool a few times, been riding 20-40 miles on Saturdays, and getting reacquainted with the running kicks gifted to me c/o Mother Nature. So stay tuned for weekly training updates and my progress towards becoming a 2x Ironman.

And really, what's the worst that can happen here? It would be not crossing the finish line before midnight. In the wide world of life, if that's the worst thing that can happen to me, I've got it pretty damn good. To quote Norman Stadler, "I have no powa [power]". Oh wait wrong quote. Let's try this again, "tomorrow will come and the sun will still rise and the sun will still set". Or something like that. He's a wise one, that Norman.

In case you're wondering what I've been up for the last month or so:

I went to Mexico with my Mom. Where I did actually work out a few times. I also drank about 300 margaritas. So we'll just call that a wash.

I became a Luchador.

I took up whitewater kayaking again. Because, you know, I have this abundance of free time that is just begging for more activities. Paddling is almost as good for the soul as early morning fall runs on crunchy leaves through red, orange, and yellow trees.

I had a great day with my family in Tacoma. I love them.

I made cuppycakes!

And redecorated the bedroom. It's a work in progress, actually. For instructions on how to make an awesome headboard like this one, go here.

And lots of other things that I didn't take pictures of. Thanks for coming back to read my ramblings after the self-imposed time out. Hang on, because it's going to get a tad cuckoo for the next 20 weeks!

Hiatus

2011-01-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

Me is taking one. It's just a short break. From the blog mostly. From structured training a little bit. See you on the flip side.

Week 5 Recap

2011-01-04T21:32:00.000-08:00

This was only slightly better than the Week 4 failure. But in my own defense, it was another holiday week. I used the last few days of 2010 to get all of the laziness out of my system. Hopefully it's all out of my system, because the training volume is about to make a sharp vertical tilt. I'm half-way through the base phase of the plan. Another 5 weeks until the build phase starts and the 20 weeks of "real" training begins.

Lessons Learned This Week

1) When riding outside in sub-freezing weather, it is imperative that you wear either very warm/thick socks, or more than one pair. And those socks should be something more substantial than mesh lightweight triathlon socks.

This isn't the most flattering picture, but I want y'all to see how COLD I was. But you can't really see "cold" in photos, so just imagine frozen appendages. And I need to get the race sticker gunk off my helmet.

2) If your lips are as blue as the background of this blog, it's time to turn around and go home.

3) Running at your normal pace, after a couple of weeks of not much running, leads to incredibly sore legs. At least the view was nice.

Plan vs. Actual

Volume
Swim: 0 meters
Bike: 46.22 miles
Run: 6.25 miles
Strength: 1.12 hours
TOTAL = 5.43 hours (yikes, 3 hours below target)

Weight Loss

Let's just say that the holiday bloat is NOT making me very happy. No, I don't want to talk about it. Yes, I'm working on it...

Week 6 Plan
Mon - rest
Tue - swim 1:00, run 1:00
Wed - bike 0:45, brick run 0:15
Thu - swim 1:00, bike 1:00
Fri - run 1:00
Sat - bike 2:00
Sun - run 1:00
TOTAL = 9 hours (+ strength)

2011 Goals

2011-01-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

I'm not so big on resolutions, because I always feel like such a failure when about 2 days into the new year I've already broken them all. And then where do you go from there? I do like to set goals though. Maybe it's just semantics, but I like the idea of goals better than resolutions. And I've gone far too long without re-evaluating my short and long term goals, so the start of 2011 seems like as good of a time as any to reassess and lay out my priorities.

2011
- Be kinder to myself
- Half marathon PR
- Reconnect with friends
- Finish 2 Ironmans, healthy and happy
- Finally reach a BMI that isn't "overweight"
- Stick to a budget...so that I can travel

January
- Nail 90% of my planned workouts (equal to missing only 1 workout/week)
- No eating out unless it's protein/salad/soup (but happy hours with Julie are allowed!)
- Swim!

2010 In Pictures

2011-01-01T10:23:00.000-08:00

2010 In Review

2011-01-01T10:17:00.000-08:00

I set some pretty ambitious goals for myself heading into 2010. But I didn't leave much room for the rest of life. Coming off a packed-to-the-brim-events-every-month 2009 race schedule and Ironman year, a wedding, and a work load that was exponentially gaining traction, it turns out that what I really needed was a hiatus of sorts. Some time to focus on not focusing. Or at least focus on other things.

Status Check

Get closer to my goal weight of 145lb. Not really. Despite some losses and gains throughout the year, I'm starting 2011 at almost the exact weight that I started 2010. From about the age of 16, I spent the next 10 years of my life gaining 5-10 pounds a year. So being relatively stable is better than that alternative.

Run at least a mile every day for a month. Check! I kicked off last January with this challenge and ended up running almost 100 miles in 32 consecutive days. I'm contemplating doing this again. There is something refreshing about filling up the blank slate of the new year with daily miles on the feet.

Break 30min in a 5k. Check!

Break 22mph at the VBC Thursday night time trials. I only did 2 of the TTs this year, so that was a no go. But it's a good one to keep on the list for 2011.

PR at Vineman 70.3. Ummm...no. What do you call the exact opposite of a PR? A PW (personal worst)? But I still had a great time and there was enough laughter to keep my cheeks as sore as my legs. That's a win.

Swim 250,000 meters. 28,316 meters. Oh...I'm only about 220,000 meters short. Hah! The pool and I had a falling out this past year. But we've started courting each other again and I foresee a blooming relationship. At least until I depart for Tempe in November.

Bike 4000 miles. 1357 miles. No excuses here. I just chose the couch over the saddle too many times.

Run 900 miles. 627 miles. I really put in the effort on this one. Despite yet another stress fracture and no Ironman training, I still bested my 2009 total by over 30 miles.

I never did reassess and reset my goals, but I'm moving forward without beating myself up too much. I took the break that I needed and made some huge gains in other aspects of my life. So I'm cutting myself some slack, not allowing any guilt to set in about what I didn't accomplish, and looking ahead at what I know is going to be another phenomenal year. More on that in a future post.

Before we move on to the next year, let's take a look back at the awesomeness of 2010, shall we?...

My first real trail run and race at Hagg Lake. My second stand alone marathon, and PR, in Eugene. The annual trek to the Lochsa River in Idaho. A week in paradise on the island of Kauai. I spectated at Ironman Coeur d'Alene, and then signed up for next year. Vineman 70.3 in the beautiful valleys of northern California with great friends, complete with family visits and wine tasting. A hilly century ride, off-the-couch, with no prep time. Feeding my soul with another successful Hood-to-Coast relay. Discovered the magic of TRX (thanks Jenn! and Brian!). I volunteered at some ultra-marathons and tried to gain insight on their magical gravitational pull. My third stand alone marathon, on the soggy puddle-laden streets of Portland. Running in a half marathon with my Mom!!! I got to meet Dean Karnazes. I signed up for Ironman Arizona again, and started the 30-week program in prep for IMCdA. I laughed. A lot.

Week 4 Recap: The Meaning of Recovery

2010-12-26T15:58:00.000-08:00

This week was the epitome of recovery. Not so much a needed break from training, but time for my body to recoup from the invasion of the mega germs. A throat virus turned into a sinus infection and completely knocked me down for the week. Fortunately, laziness is generally accepted this time of year without a lot of associated guilt. Unfortunately, my appetite never went away and I continued to inhale all of the Christmas goodies surrounding me, but didn't have the energy to work any of it off.

This was my view for the last several days. Curled up on an overstuffed chair/ottoman, snuggled under the race t-shirt quilt handmade by my Mom (isn't it the awesomest thing ever?!?!), with either the Kindle (another gift from Mom) or a knitting project on my lap, and football or Dexter on in the background.

Memorable Training Moments

There wasn't a whole lot of training going on this week, but there were still a couple of highlights:

- Santa brought me a Garmin cadence sensor for the bike, which is compatible with my 310XT. Pretty rad, especially since my bike computer recently crapped out and I've been training without cadence. The stars aligned just right and the weather held off long enough on Saturday for me to do my long ride outside. OUTSIDE!!! I haven't ridden off the trainer in about 4 months. Soul food!

- Speaking of ugly feet, another freakin' toenail fell off. Just when I had them finally looking all pretty again. If only there was a toenail fairy...

Plan vs. Actual

Don't laugh.

Volume
Seriously, don't laugh.
Swim: 0 meters
Bike: 38.82 miles
Run: 2.55 miles
Strength: 1.00 hour
TOTAL = 4.27 hours

Weight Loss

I'm going to practice a little self-kindness and not go there this week. I'll get back on the scale for the next weigh-in, but for right now, I am giving myself a pass.

Week 5 Plan

This week starts the second build of the base phase. In case you're just picking up on this blog, I'm following Don Fink's competitive 30-week plan. It consists of a 10 week base phase, a 10 week build phase, and a 10 week peak/taper phase. The entire plan follows the format of a 3 week build followed by a 1 week recovery.

Mon - rest

Tue - swim 1:00, run 0:45

Wed - bike 0:30, brick run 0:15

Thu - swim 1:00, bike 0:45

Fri - run 1:00

Sat - bike 1:45

Sun - run 1:00

TOTAL = 8:00 (+ strength)

Training Songs

2010-12-22T14:25:00.000-08:00

I'm constantly perusing the internets looking for new songs to add to my playlists. So I suppose it's only fair that I make my contribution in case all the rest of you are looking for new tunes as well. So here are some selections working their way through my current rotation. But consider yourself warned. My playlists have titles like "Portland Marathon Biatch", "Dance Party Cleaning Time", "Dance Party Wicked Awesome", "Hip Hop Gangsta Yo", and "Run Til My Brains Fall Out". The genres range from hard core heavy metal to twangy country to street rap to oldies (go Neil Diamond!) to classical to bubble gum pop. Sometimes I like a crazy fast hypno beat, and sometimes I like the slowest most depressing crap in the world. It all depends on my mood, which can change at least 10 times during those longer runs. You gotta be prepared.

I make no apologies for this list. But I should note that I don't necessarily listen to these songs when I'm not running. Or having a crazy wicked awesome dance party while cleaning. In no particular order (except for alphabetical by artist last name and then by song, because that's how I roll)...

The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight

Apocalyptica - One

Sara Bareilles - King of Anything

Black Eyed Peas - The Time (Dirty Bit)

Eminem - Lose Yourself

Eminem (feat. Rihanna) - Love the Way You Lie

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal

Florence + The Machine - Dog Days Are Over

Billy Idol - Rebel Yell

Kamelot - Ghost Opera

The Low Life - You Are Everything

Bob Marley - Three Little Birds

Laura Marling - Blackberry Stone

Natalie Merchant - Not in This Life

The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

Queen - Killer Queen

Rihanna - Only Girl In The World

Rihanna (feat. Drake) - What's My Name?

The Script - Breakeven

The Shins - New Slang

Paul Simon - Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes

Nina Simone - Sinnerman

Regina Spektor - Us

Spiderbait - Black Betty

Nico Stai - One October Song

Swoon - Panic Switch

Underworld - Born Slippy

Melissa Yearsley - Playing Things By Ear

You're welcome. Or I'm sorry. I know my music-snob friends are cringing right now. I'll update periodically if I find brilliant additions that need to be shared.

Come on, "Ugly Feet"?

2010-12-21T07:17:00.000-08:00

I recently stumbled across the "stats" tab for my blog. It tells me how many followers I have, how many hits this blog receives at any given time, and among many other bits of useless information it also tells me which google phrases take people of the interwebz to this very spot. Don't worry, it doesn't give me any personal or identifying information. So you can still stalk me anonymously.

Some of the funnier, and slightly insulting, search terms used to find me:

"pain rub" (what does that mean, anyway? and why was someone searching for that?)

"ironman pain"

"ironman jog" (okay, I know that I rarely do anything that qualifies as a "run", but "jog"? ugh.)

and my personal favorite...
"ugly feet"

Yep, ugly feet. First of all, who in the heck is sitting at their computer one evening googling "ugly feet"? And why? To make you feel better that your ugly feet aren't quite as ugly as mine? Certainly not because you enjoy looking at ugly feet. Right? Second, why would somone googling that end up here? I know, I've got some jacked up dogs, especally during marathon season. And I've even posted photos, mostly so that you can feel sorry for me. But I'm still puzzled as to how this particular blog turned up on the results page for that particular search phrase.

If you're curious, and have not eaten within the last several hours, go ahead and google it. Seriously, do it. And then click on images. Go ahead. Now that you're done puking and back to reading this post, I can assure you that NONE of the photos that triggered your gag reflex are my feet. Ick.

Moving along...

Most of the readers obviously live in the United States, but it appears that I'm building quite the "fan" base in Germany and Russia. They must sense my fondness for good beers and vodka. Prost! Budem!

And apparently this blog has become quite the go-to place for those searching for reviews on Cobb Saddles. Still loving mine, by the way!

Week 3 Recap: Almost

2010-12-20T16:36:00.000-08:00

Training wise, I **almost** nailed it. Almost. Nutrition wise, it was another fail. I know from past experience that I can train hours and hours and hours a week, but if I don't get the nutrition part nailed down, the weight loss will never happen.

The highlight reel:

A few too many happy hours. French fries and vodka crans. Tall. Which means "vodka vodka with extra vodka with a splash of juice" when you know the bartender. I'm surprised that I'm not sweating vodka these days. Or spontaneously speaking Russian. I ate 6 cookies in one sitting during a late night spreadsheet marathon at work. Or maybe it was 8. Followed by a few servings of butterscotch fudge. Take out food for lunches and dinners. And leftover take out for breakfasts. Sodium. Bloat. Yuck. Bonbons and multiple tropical drinks at an Ironman party. Followed by cookies and treats throughout the day. Even while on the trainer. But I remembered to take my iron supplements and multi-vitamins. So that's good.

Memorable training moments

- Another killer TRX workout with Jenn. We mixed it up with some kettle bells. Kettle balls? Bells? I think it's bells.

- Catching the last bit of daylight during a mid-week run. And then getting to watch the sunset along the waterfront. It was super cold and windy, but the fresh air felt good to breathe in.

- Ironman Party!!! Okay, so this wasn't really training, but it sorta counts because we geeked out about triathlon for like 4 hours straight. Macca! On the Wheaties box!

- Almost 2 hours on the trainer. Wearing running compression shorts instead of tri shorts. Do you know the difference? Running shorts have a vertical seam down the center. You can imagine the horror.
- I had to work all day on Sunday, so I missed my planned long run/swim/TRX. But I still managed to get out the door to salvage the last part of the day. I was met with sideways rain, sleet, snow, and hail. I made it about 4 miles before ducking into a local bar for peppermint patties and Neil Diamond sing-alongs. I *heart* Neil Diamond.

Plan vs. Actual

Volume

Swim: 1500 meters

Bike: 42.75 miles

Run: 13.52 miles

Strength: 0.75 hours

Total = 6.76 hours

Weight Loss

Big whoppin surprise...

1 pound gain for the week.

4.4 total loss.

20.6 pounds to go!

Week 4 Plan

My first recovery week after a 3 week build. Which coincides nicely with Christmas week. Now if only I can stay away from all of the treats.

Mon - rest

Tue - swim 1:00, run 0:30
Wed - bike 0:30, brick run 0:15
Thu - swim 1:00, bike 0:30
Fri - run 0:45
Sat - bike 1:30
Sun - run 1:00

TOTAL = 7:00 (+ strength)

Tis The Season

2010-12-19T08:10:00.000-08:00

Dear germs,

Please go away. I have played host to you once already this season. I have things to do, workouts to check off, and deadlines to meet. I have called in the Theraflu task force to serve your eviction notice. But if you insist on sticking around a bit longer, you could at least kill my appetite for Christmas cookies, mmmkay?

Week 2 Recap: Better Than Last Week

2010-12-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

It would be difficult to do worse than last week, but I really made a decent effort this week to fit in the training and make some better choices. So, I'm giving myself a solid B+ for effort. Execution, however, is more in the C+ range. Lots of room for improvement.

Memorable training moments

- Ridiculous amounts of laundry full of spandex. Showering 3 times a day (morning, after lunch workout, after evening workout). Consuming embarrassing quantities of food (y'all, I ate half of my boss' boss' lunch one day...and am still catching hell for it). Twitchy legs when I'm trying to sleep. These are the training memories that you suppress and forget about. But there's something familiar and comforting about it all.

- Googly goggle eyes even several hours after getting out of the pool. I just love looking like I've aged 10 years.

- Doing my Sunday morning run in a running skirt and t-shirt. In December. It poured on me most of the time, but it stayed around 60 degrees. I'm thankful that I didn't run on Saturday with almost an inch of rain and howling winds.

Plan vs. Actual

Volume

Swim: 2600 meters - weak sauce, but things are improving.

Bike: 28.75 miles - way too much trainer time. I might just have to brave the weather this coming week.

Run: 11.46 miles - I only skipped one run this week and still ended up with really low mileage. After coming off a marathon schedule, it's weird to have numbers like this. I should enjoy it while it lasts.

Strength: 0.75 hours

Total = 6.07 hours

Weight Loss

4 pound loss for the week. Woohoo!!!

5.4 total loss.

19.6 pounds to go!

Week 3 Plan

Mon - rest

Tue - swim 1:00, run 0:45

Wed - bike 0:30, brick run 0:15

Thu - swim 1:00, bike 0:45

Fri - run 1:00

Sat - bike 1:45

Sun - run 1:00

Plus strength

TOTAL = 8:00 (+ strength)

Training For An Ironman

2010-12-07T20:08:00.000-08:00

Hilarious and very true. Embarrassing. But true.

Week 1 Recap: Can I get a do-over?

2010-12-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

Last week I did a total cannon-ball off the wagon. It was full of missed workouts, late nights at work, take-out for lunches and dinners, more missed workouts, and a few more unhealthy choices. This isn't the way that I envisioned my training kicking off. All I can do is put it behind me and try harder this week.

Memorable training moments
There were a couple of gems this week in spite of the training/nutrition disaster.

- I went back to barefoot running. Although it's too cold for skin-to-pavement contact, I strapped on my Luna sandals and went for an easy jog. No music, no heart rate monitor, just me and the purple/red sunset with Mt. Hood fading into the darkness. And I came across another barefoot runner while I was out there. I think there are like 3 of us in Vancouver. We chatted for a little while and went on our way. Maybe a future running partner!

- On Sunday I braved the blustery weather for my long run. Cold! Wind! The plan was to do the 5.25 mile loop through Officers Row, Fort Vancouver, and the waterfront. But once the sun peaked out and warmed things up a bit, I had no interest in stopping. So I kept going and ended up with about 10 miles for the day.

Plan vs. Actual

Volume

Swim: 0 meters - some things never change...

Bike: 27.5 miles - all on the trainer, and on par with previous weeks

Run: 12.32 miles - I skipped 2 entire days of scheduled running

Strength: 0.67 hours
Total = 4.88 hours

Numbers
Weight loss: 1.2 GAIN for the week (GRRRR!!!! But brew fest, you were totally worth it.), 1.6 total, 23.4 to go

Week 2 Plan:
Mon - rest
Tue - swim 1:00, run 0:30
Wed - bike 0:30, brick run 0:15 (+ strength)
Thu - swim 1:00, bike 0:30
Fri - run 0:45 (+ strength)
Sat - bike 1:00
Sun - run 1:00
TOTAL = 7:00