Ironman Eve

I woke up this morning, packed my gear bags, and headed out for my last training run of the season. 15 whole minutes. It finally felt smooth and fluid. A huge relief after yesterday's struggle to do 2 miles. Then I rode the bike down to the expo to check in my bike and drop of T1 and T2 bags. It took a lot of restraint to not go barreling down Rio Salado for miles and miles and miles. The one thing that I am looking forward to most tomorrow (aside from the finish line and Mike Reilly's voice) is getting on my bike for all of those hours. I miss it! We did one more quick pass through the merchandise tent (still haven't purchased any IMAZ gear), and now I'm back at home. Topping off the fuel tanks and kicking my feet up. Maybe some lounging by the pool. I have a bit more bag packing to do, then an early dinner, and a really early bedtime.

If the 140.6 miles isn't intimidating enough for you, the bags and drop-offs and lines will certainly put you over the edge.

I think I'm holding it together pretty well. The only near-panic of the day was when I looked down at my watch during the run and saw "Tomorrow IMAZ". So I started my mantra of the day...BREATHE.Here's me in the transition area, making friends with other nervous peeps."Really? I have to put my bag way over there? And then this other bag goes way over there? And then I walk this way over to there and then through that thing and then back around. Okay, what?"Whew, done!

I'm signing off now until Monday sometime. When I really hope that I've crossed this line and I can tell you all that "I am an Ironman".

Friday

Another fun day! Practice swim again this morning. With the sleeveless this time. It's faster, but colder. The full-sleeve bunches up in the back...not sure why I didn't figure this out sooner. It causes enough drag that it's a noticeable time difference compared to the sleeveless. I'll make a game time decision in the morning.

We checked out where my bike will be racked.

We did some more expo shopping with my Mom and Debbie...the shopping list keeps growing. :-) Later on I went for a short run. It sorta sucked, so that wasn't very inspiring. Just getting the kinks out I guess. Then it was on to the athlete welcome dinner. Awesome! Mike Reilly is hilarious, the oldest/youngest competitors were introduced (the oldest man is so freakin darling), all of us first timers got to stand up, then the biggest loser competition was held. I got to stand through 50 pounds...the winner has lost 110 pounds! Wow!

The mandatory briefing was a total waste of time. And verrrrry cold. All you spectators, make sure to bundle up for the evening. An hour later (and 2 cups of hot cocoa) and I'm still chilled.

Tomorrow is a 15min run, 15min bike, check in the bike, check in the transition bags. Then sit in the condo with my feet up and try to r.e.l.a.x.

Thursday

Long day. I don't know where the hours go at these things, but they FLY by. I hope the finish line appears just as quickly on race day.

Today, we did the practice swim...

...and I got to meet some of my cyber friends too! Here's my "2 thumbs up to not very cold water".

...We looked at the very expansive, and currently empty, bike setup area...

...We checked out the merchandise tent. But I'm not buying anything before the race because I'm superstitious like that. We made a digital shopping list so that the support crew can get stuff while I'm running...

...Jon and I drove the bike course. And then biked about 16 miles of the "hilly" section. I only WISH that all hills were this UNhilly. No pictures from that though. Then we did athlete check-in...

...Apparently we do silly poses for the camera too. Lots of peaking energy right now!...

And now we're waiting for the girls to arrive so that I can dig into the girls birthday cake. Yes, my appetite is still TTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSS big.

We're here! We, meaning Kristin and I. The rest of the girls arrive tomorrow, The Hubs on Friday, and Lorin on Saturday. Friends who are staying elsewhere filter in starting tomorrow.

We left Portland around 6am on Tuesday morning. 16 hours later we were in Los Angeles. The drive was pretty uneventful...lots of potty breaks (we are well hydrated), a lunch stop in Weed, and crummy weather until central California. Driving through LA was scary, so I slept and K finished up the drive.

Here she is in the very over-packed car. She only has like 1 bag in there.

And me, happy to get out of crazy over-populated SoCal.

We got back to it around 6:30 this morning, and arrived in Tempe just after noon. Checked into the condo (it's awesome!), got pedicures (even more awesome!), and prepped the bike for the ride tomorrow. It's ridiculously beautiful. Now, instead of unpacking, I have assumed this position:

Tomorrow:
--Practice swim in Tempe Town Lake
--Drive the bike course, ride for 1 hour on the Beeline
--Athlete check-in. Which also means athlete weigh-in. Ugh.
--Mom & Debbie arrive. Birthday dinner for all the ladies.
--Resume position. :-)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Many Thanks

It is a fact that I would not have made it through this year with out my incredible friends and family. Every day I receive an overwhelming amount of unconditional support, and I am very much humbled. At the risk of leaving someone out, I am not going to name names, but I'm certain that you know who you are. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.Without a doubt, the long bike rides have been my favorite part of the training. Who knew that you could have so much fun, while suffering through so much pain! I will never again be able to look at Matthew McConaughey, peanut M&Ms, or BBQ chips without snickering. And all of those people who do their long training rides without multiple coffee stops are losing out on good times. I'm probably not going to miss the early morning swims. Or the grueling runs after work in the dark. But I will certainly miss the Saturday morning bike rides.Not a day goes by that I don't get an encouraging text, an email checking in to see how I'm doing, or a phone call to tell me to keep on keeping on. I'm grateful for all of the coffee talks and happy hours...often my only social time this year. When I complain about my aches and pains or constant fatigue, everyone just smiles and tells me I'm doing great. When I feel fat and slow and horribly undertrained, I get compliments and pep talks. It's almost embarassing how awesome all of you are to me. I hope that I can pay it forward someday.

My Mom, who several years ago witnessed my very first triathlon, will be there next week to witness my very first BIG triathlon. I can't wait to share this with her. And I'm looking forward to the conversations in December with my family that don't revolve around Ironman this or Ironman that. They have been so patient.

And, of course, Ken. The best hubster ever. It's ridiculous. Dinner every night. Dishes while I sleep on the couch. Putting me to bed at 8pm. Coffee and PB&J in the morning. Usually 4:30 in the morning. Stuck at home every weekend because I'm too tired to go anywhere. And then telling me it's okay to sign up for another one.

All of these memories will be with me on race day. :-)

Single Digits, Baby!

Less than 9 days until the cannon goes off. Taper is...interesting.

I am convinced that:
--I am losing all of my fitness, getting fat, and turning into a sloth.
--I am 100% ready for this thing.
--I am 100% not ready for this thing.
--I am going to finish faster than I ever thought I could.
--I am not going to finish.
--I will never, ever eat enough to satisfy my appetite.
--I will never, ever get enough sleep to keep from being tired.

So, if you see me bouncing and smiling, it's safe to talk to me. But if you see me hovering in a corner with tears streaming down my face, chocolate stuck to the corners of my mouth, and my hair matted in random directions, it's probably best to sloooooowly back away.

Meet Athlete #2287

Number 2287. That's me! Us girls get the really high bib numbers. There aren't many of us. "How many?" you ask?

• 2880 total athletes. 2120 of those are men. Leaving only 760 fine ladies in the bunch.
• There are 65 pros. 41 are men and 24 are women. Some of the pros you may have heard of: Samantha McGlone, Heather Wurtele and her husband Trevor, Kate Major, Gina Kehr, and TJ Tollakson.
• There is only one PC (physically challenged) athlete registered.
• There are 9 people with the first name Sarah.
• There are 130 women in my age group (Female 30-34).
• The slowest Kona qualifying time in my age group last year was 10:34:52. This means that if I swam, biked, and then only did 1 loop of the run, then I might have a chance of getting a slot.

And maybe you're wondering what all of those people do for a living? I, for one, am listed as a "Cookie Eater". I'm much better at eating cookies than I am at my real occupation. Oh, if only I could get paid for eating yummy, soft, melting chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Besides, "engineer" sounds so boring. Especially amongst all of these folks:

• Back of the Pack Spandex Inspector
• Daydreamer
• Defender of the Universe
• Dragon Slayer
• Flux Capacitor Repairman
• Former Teen Idol (it should be noted that this is a 43 year old male)
• Goat Wrestler (heh, last year I was a "Penguin Wrangler")
• King
• Shepherd from Kansas (I dunno, I guess this could be legit)
• Sock Monkey
• Queen Bee Wanna Be
• Zig Zag Trick Swimmer

There is also a buttload of engineers, accountants/finance gurus, doctors/nurses/physicians, etc. But only 1 lone bartender. I best be bringing my own booze to the finish line.

And in other news...
--I have done something horrible to my knee. I don't know what happened, but half way into my long run on Sunday it started to hurt. And then it got worse and worse until I could barely put any weight on it. Then it became all puffy and squishy. I am now on a strict regemine of ice, ibuprofen, and chocolate. And trying not to freak the f*#@ out. I am trying to have faith that in 2 weeks it will be back to normal.

--I don't know that I have ever been this hungry in my entire life. Ever. This, combined with the reduced training hours of taper and not being able to run, will surely end in a disaster. You know, the kind of disaster where you find yourself on the floor crying, and every pair of jeans in the house strewn about the room and not a single one fits properly.

--Aside from my knee and obsessively checking to see if bib numbers are out, my biggest concern is what to wear on race day. You would think that after hundreds of hours practicing swimming, biking, and running that I would have figured that out by now. Nope. And it all has to match of course.

--I'm really really hungry. Oh, did I mention that already?

--And the most recent development...my body has decided not to sleep. 2-3 hours max and I'm back to being wide awake again. I'm not really stressing about things or waking up in a panic about something. Just awake and ready to organize the cupboards. But instead sitting at the computer and checking the extended weather forecast and seeing if bib numbers are out yet. I guess I'm just left with the weather now.

Believe

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." This is inscribed on the inside of the silver bracelet that Sondra gave me yesterday as an IM gift. Thanks girlie! It will serve as an important reminder over the next couple of weeks. Today, as I watch Ironman Florida via the online live feed, it makes everything seem more real. Both good and bad. I get to see the joy and exhiliration of people crossing the finish line and finally being done with their long journey. But I also have seen some not make their goal. Or even finish. It's heartbreaking, and a harsh reminder that nothing is guaranteed come race day. But...I have to believe.

Today, we were blessed by some of Mother Nature's finer pieces of work, and I was stuck on the trainer for my long ride. The schedule only called for 4 hours, but that's about 4 more than I can stand working out indoors. I managed just over 3 hours and was happy with that. The final preparations are starting to take place. Last minute online orders are being delivered to the house (cleats, nutrition, valve extenders, miscellaneous tri gear). My packing lists are growing into out-of-control spreadsheets. Just the lists for race day are extensive...dry clothes bag, T1 bag, run special needs bag, T2 bag, bike special needs bag. Not to mention traveling for 2 weeks, in weather ranging from snow/rain/ice to sunny/hot/dry. Finally, my laundry pile is starting to shrink. We've been making reservations and confirming reservations. Did I mention making lists? And now, I'm thinking about my goals and race day execution. And also thinking beyond Ironman and what I want to do next.

My goals for the day (in order):

1) Have fun. Thank the volunteers, cheer on the other athletes, smile even if I don't feel like it, look forward to seeing my friends and family through out the day. Soak it all in.

2) Finish within the cutoff times. I've done the work. Now I need to let my body and mind bring me home. Barring an unexpected mechanical issue or illness, I can do this.

3) Stay out of the med tent.

And looking ahead:

• My winter project is going to be slimming down. Sadly, it didn't happen during IM training. The insane appetite, the stress on the body, and all of the sugar intake made it incredibly difficult. I am planning on a winter maintenance program for the swim/bike/run, but will change up the routine, set a strict nutrition plan, and focus on eliminating certain stresses and triggers from my life.
• My other winter project is to find more balance. Spend more time with Ken and my friends. Do activities that don't revolve around the pool, my bike, or my running shoes. I foresee lots of snowshoeing in my future! Maybe take up yoga. Definitely more strength workouts.
• When tri season starts approaching, I'm going to focus on speed and short course stuff. Nothing longer than one or two 70.3 distances (minus the marathon in May). But mostly even shorter than that.

The first half of the year:

• Jan -- Vancouver Lake Half Marathon
• Feb -- nothing scheduled (study, train)
• Mar -- nothing scheduled (study, train)
• Apr -- Professional Engineering exam, Beaver Freezer?
• May -- Eugene marathon, honeymoon?
• Jun -- volunteer at IMCdA and sign up for 2011, Blue Lake Sprint (the 2nd annual showdown with Dingo Dave)
• Jul -- Vineman 70.3

And now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to checking and rechecking the weather forecasts and see if bib numbers are out yet. I love my F5 button!

More Random Thoughts

Today at work, there was a truck with a license plate ending in "DNF". I looked at it, my jaw dropped open, and I was like "oh no you di'int". I said to it (yes, out loud) "screw you, you stupid a-hole, no DNF happening here". I don't think anyone saw me. I suppose that's no worse than blowing a huge snot rocket on my way to a meeting the other day as if I were on my bike or a run. Oops. I also accidently hacked a loogie on the carpet of my spare room while on the trainer last week. Nice, huh.

I went for a run with Jeff tonight, and could not for the life of me figure out why my shoes felt so weird. I just assumed that they had hit critical failure and I had waited far too long to replace them. Once I got home and put them away, I realized that my current running shoes were still sitting in their place. I was actually wearing some from like 2 years ago that I had recently pulled out for recycling. On a positive note, my sprint intervals were in the low 8 min pace. I only did 2 instead of 3, but that still makes me happy.

My 11 loads of laundry has morphed into about 15 loads. Despite actually doing laundry consistently this past week. I think people are dropping off their dirty clothes when I'm not looking.

My mind is starting to run a little rampant. They say it will only get worse, so if you are reading this and plan on seeing me sometime in the next few weeks, please be patient. And I apologize in advance. Ken is already figuring out how much freakin fun this is going to be.

I have the best friends in the world. Simply awesome.

Holy shite, only 2.5 weeks until show time!!!!!

P.S. Feeeeeeeed meeeeeeeeeee.

Taper - Week 1 of 3

It's difficult to believe that taper is here already, and all of the hard work (save for race day) is behind me. Lots of emotions right now. Simultaneously, I feel ready to race, yet horribly undertrained. Exhausted and beat down, but still excited and eager to get to Arizona. Thankful to have some relief from the long training hours, however, somewhat sad because all of that exercise is what keeps my mind sane. I'm preparing for one hell of an OCD fit.

My plan for the week:
Monday - rest
Tuesday - swim 1hr, run 45min (at 0:10, insert 3 x 6min Z4 @ 2min jog)
Wednesday - swim 1hr, bike 45min, brick run 30min
Thursday - bike 1hr (at 0:40, insert 15min Z4)
Friday - swim 1hr, run 1hr (at 0:40, insert 10min Z4)
Saturday - bike 4hr, run 30min
Sunday - run 2hr...and a 1hr bike but it will be in the shop for a tune-up
Total = 13:30

Over the next several weeks, I will be posting my wandering thoughts, my goals for race day, and the fun things I find to do in my new spare time. I'm going to start with a relaxing evening on the couch with my husband. :-)

Whew. That was a tough week. Almost 20 hours done!

Sunday - long ride:

The usual suspects (Jon, Tom, Jeff, and I) started in Camas and rode out to Crown Point. It was foggy on the way out, but somewhere during the climb between Troutdale and Corbett, it cleared up and we were treated to the most awesome view of the gorge in fall colors.

On the way back, Jeff and I pushed through some yucky winds on Marine Drive, crossed back into the 'Couv via I-5 bridge, and conveniently found ourselves at Starbucks. That seems to happen a lot...but it was good timing because I was starting to fade. We rode back to my house and Jeff continued on back to Camas while I went out for another 2 hours by Vancouver Lake and back. My energy started to build again and I felt really strong when I pulled back up to the house.

Sunday - brick run:

I quickly changed into my running shoes and headed out for my brick run towards Ft Vancouver just as the sun was setting ahead of me. Julie ran out to meet me near the foot bridge and run the last bit together -- what a fun way to wrap up the last build of training! We ran straight to Beaches for happy hour beers...and burgers...and fries...and rice bowl...and quesadilla. Hmm, this sounds familiar.

I mustered the last bit of energy to shower the grime of the weekend away. And about 2 minutes later, Ken snapped this lovely shot. I was clearly done for the week.

Oh Yeah!

One more day until the 3 week taper starts!

This week I hit *almost* all of my workouts. Some of the swims were cut short due to long work hours (and short pool hours), and I missed one 90 minute run. But all of the key workouts were done. And tomorrow is the last long day with a 6 hour ride and a 1 hour brick run.

So far for the week:
Swim = 9100 meters
Bike = 53.2 miles
Run = 24.44 miles
Total = 12.07 miles

Today I did a 65 minute spin on the trainer, a 4000 meter swim (took me 90 minutes exactly...even with breaks!), and just over a 3 hour run.

For the run I did a 9:1 run/walk schedule, and it worked out perfectly. I was able to get down most of the nutrition I had planned and didn't have much of a change in pace from start to finish. Even with the walk breaks I did under 12 minute miles (that's good for me) and had lots of gas left in the tank when I finished. Except for some rain at the beginning, the weather was ideal for running. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE all of the leaves on the ground. At one point I was kicking leaves up as I ran and stomping in the puddles. It's so great when running is fun!

The only downside to the day was when I was going through a cross-walk and a car came zooming out of nowhere, and in the process of running his stop sign, almost hit me. Actually, he did hit me. It's not like I was wearing all black or jay walking. I had to jump back and still got clipped by the corner of the car. He slammed on the breaks, I slammed my hands against his car with a "WTF is wrong with you" look. He just stared back at me blankly. So many morons on the road! Anyway, I wasn't hurt and a rockin song came on my MP3, so all was good.

The post-workout ice bath felt AWESOME (even though I look like a hunch back in this photo), as did the post-workout beer...and hamburger...and fries...and soup...and cookie. :-)

Random Thoughts

• Do you think changing my bike fit this close to race day is a bad idea? Hmmm, well, my seat is now a 1/2cm forward, the angle is adjusted by 2mm, and I took a spacer out of the headset. I guess we'll find out on my 6hr ride this weekend if it was a win or fail.


• I'm also changing my bike shoes. I seriously cannot stand the stench of them anymore and they no longer make that same style. I'm not sure they would make it through a cycle in the washing machine without falling apart. No, I'm not sure why I waited until 3 weeks before race day to figure this out.
  
  
• Poptarts are a separate food group. Or maybe in the same food group as gels, GE, and shot bloks.
  
  
• I'm embarassed to go get a pedicure b/c my feet are nasty. Nasty. I don't even want to touch them.


• I am not really "scared" anymore. A lot has happened that I would maybe do differently, or would prefer didn't happen (the flu comes to mind...). But I've learned a lot about myself this year. And have made some really awesome friends, and realized who some of my best friends are. And, hell, I got married!
  
  
• And instead of being scared out of my mind, I can feel the excitement building. It's like a little baby gremlin that gets bigger and bigger every day. I think it's because I've already picked my next Ironman. Yes, you read that right. Yeah!!! So this isn't the end all by any means, and whatever happens on November 22nd, I get to look forward to the next one. Disclaimer: I reserve the right to turn into a sniveling, babbling, scared-shitless weinie at any time.


• Watching IM videos while on the trainer is no good. Because I cry and then I hyperventilate and then I can't pedal. I think that this is also why I'm not scared anymore. It has finally hit me how damn lucky I am.


• There are about 2900 people signed for IMAZ. I exported the confirmation list into Excel. I haven't yet split it all up by occupation, pro, PC, etc. I'm saving that for a treat when my OCD rears its ugly head during taper.


• Ahhhh, taper. 2 days away.

The Big One

When I first started this training plan...26 weeks ago...I remember looking ahead in the book and thinking "that doesn't look so bad". And then I started doing the workouts, logging the hours, and thinking "OMG, if it's this hard now, how in the world will I be able to do that". But over time, the body adapts. And hopefully, the mind adapts too.

So I head into Week 27 knowing that this is the last big week before the big show. It's not going to be easy, and at times it will likely suck huge sweaty balls, but it's only one...more...week. I can do this.

Mon: rest day
Tue: run 1hr (at 0:10, insert 5 x 6min Z4 @ 2min jog)
Wed: swim 60-90min, bike 1hr Z2, brick run 30min Z2
Thu: bike 90min (at 0:50, insert 30min Z4)
Fri: swim 60-90min, run 90min (at 1:10, insert 12min Z4)
Sat: swim 60-90min, bike 6hr (at 5:40 insert 15min Z4), brick run 1hr Z2
Sun: bike 1.5hr Z1, run 3hr Z2
Total = 20-21.5 hours, with a healthy dose of Z4 interval work

End of Week 26

I wrapped up the week with another day of swim/bike/run, tired, but feeling stronger than at the beginning of the week. Week 26 totals:

Swim = 3700 meters

Bike = 144.54 miles

Run = 29.13 miles

Plus stretching, transitions, etc.

Total = 17.39 hours

My Sunday recap......

Run Like Hell Half Marathon:

Jeff showed up at the house at 6am to get into costume and carpool into downtown Portland. Have you ever seen a 6+ foot fairy/angel? It's awesome.

We did the usual driving around for parking, walk to the race, hit the porta-potties, and line up amongst thousands of others who were willing to get up early on a Sunday. We timed it almost perfectly and didn't have to wait long for the horn to go off.

The first 5 miles or so were pretty flat and went by quickly. Around mile 4 I saw a gal from the club and said hello...we ended up running the rest of the race together and had a great time chatting! She's 65 years old and has done many marathons. Today was a PR for her since she's been in her 60s!

Somewhere close the mile 6 the long climb up to Terwilliger started. It was pretty gradual, until the top when it suddenly got a lot steeper. Or maybe it just felt that way.

Once we hit the downhill (the last 4 miles are down or flat), it was pretty fast and easy. It was right around this time that I realized I would be close to a PR. A 17 hour training week, and the day after a 7 hour training day, and I was going to PR on a hilly course. I was so happy.

I crossed the finish line and immediately went to work trying to find Jeff, since he wasn't expecting me for another half hour. We finally met up and headed for warm coffee and the warm car. He had a great race too and beat his half marathon from last month by over a couple of minutes. Yeah!

I hit the lap button on my HRM whenever there was a mile marker:

Miles 1-2 = 21:59 (10:59 pace)

Miles 3-4 = 22:24 (11:12 pace)

Mile 5 = 11:10

Mile 6 = 12:07 (no idea...)

Mile 7 = 11:14

Mile 8 = 11:35

Mile 9 = 11:50 (the steepest part of the hill)

Mile 10 = 11:19

Mile 11 = 10:49

Miles 12-13 = 19:57 (9:56 pace)

Last 0.1 = 00:57

Unofficial final time = 2 hours 25 minutes (PR by over 3 minutes)

Swim

Another swim lesson with Coach Bake. 1700 meters of drills. My form is looking good, now I need to get my butt into the pool this week and build my endurance back up. Ken snapped a photo of me as I dashed out the door yet again...

Bike

I hopped on the trainer after swimming for the last workout of the week. Woohoo! I managed 40 minutes before my warm fluffy robe and cold glass of "Hop Stoopid" tempted me off the saddle.

Zipptastic Saturday

Saturday Workout
Swim -- 54 minutes
Bike -- 5 hours 30 minutes
Brick Run -- 45 minutes
TOTAL = 7 hours 9 minutes

The morning started out with a swim...and not a very good one. The pressure from the water made my head want to explode and felt like I had an elephant on my chest. I was really slow and gasping for air the whole time. I cut the meters short and hoped that I would have a better time on the bike.

Self-photo at the beginning of the ride. Sunny and cold and awesome. I love fall!

After a minor mechanical issue with my new wheels, I settled in for a 5 1/2 hour ride. 4 of which were with my good friend Jeff (human wind blocker) and some with Jon and Tom (both also doing IMAZ). Lots of wind today, but it was negated by the awesome views down the river and in the neighborhoods. Autumn in the PacNW is stunning.

Jeff somewhere on Marine Drive, about 3/4 of the way done with his ride!

One of the many gorgeous trees of the day.

I went for a quick brick run after the ride. It was about as hard as expected. I was hoping to do an hour, but my lungs were trying to turn inside out through my mouth. And the inhaler and cough drops weren't really working anymore. Aside from being sick, my biggest limiter at this point is my weight. I wish I could have lost about 10-20 more pounds heading into this race, but there's not much to do about it now. Next time.

Me heading out for the run.From Ken's perspective. Probably thinking "one of these days I'll get my wife back".