Weekly Recap: The Big One

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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.