The Afterglow

Found this gem at trexrunner's blog

Now that it's been a few weeks since Ironman Arizona I am still basking in the after glow that is Ironmanitis!  This means you feel invincible, you figure you can conquer any challenge, why not I did an Ironman!  You think you are an expert in all things endurance.  You are so confident in yourself that it oozes into other aspects of your life.  And maybe just maybe you annoy a person or two with this attitude :-)   I can't tell you how many times in the last 2 weeks that my dad has called me and said "that was fun!"  I wander if the Ironman erased some of his memory, but he is loving it more than me!

But what has been nice this time around is that it not only did I finish I didn't let it beat me down!!  Sure I may have almost considered dropping out but last time I remember it took me two weeks to even think about doing easy workouts.  This time I was back into the swing of things 4 days later and am loving it!  Last time it took me almost 2 years to shake the burn out feeling, this time I signed up for a race almost as soon as I was back.  Next weekend I have a sprint tri and can't wait!!!!

My main goal is to not gain any off season weight then I will start thinking about next year's race goals.  It has been really hard to stick to eating less.  I'm CONSTANTLY hungry and am keeping a food log to assure myself that yes, I am eating the sufficient amount of food despite what my body is trying to tell me.  Apparently my body didn't get the MEMO!  Hello you are no longer training for an IM you can eat less!!!

So for now I will enjoy this feeling and keep my fingers crossed that we actually get a ski season, I can't believe how warm it is here for this time of year!!!  55 degrees really!?  The only thing I love more than triathlons is skiing! 

Happy Friday!

Ironman AZ Recap Part III

Ok so I didn't get these out back to back as I had hoped but still catching up at work which means I've been exhausted by the end of the day!  If you missed it here are the previous two Part I  and Part II.

Run 6:26:10

Apparantly the sunscreen felt gross going on...

This is where the real gut check came (literally and figuratively) I definitely got to know myself really well and did some desperate soul searching.  I had trained more for this Ironman than the last but I have to say the run is where I had trained up the most and I felt the well prepared.  However, this was the only leg that was slower than the last time I did it!  As I had mentioned in my previous post I was dizzy when I got off the bike at transition.  I thought no big deal it will go away and I'll power through, which is what I did on loop 1 of the run.  I jogged most of it and only had to walk a little during some of the aid stations.  At the end of loop 1 I was so excited I was on track to finish the race 2-3 hours faster than last time and my goal had been to finish 1 hour faster.  I also had made up half of the 30 minute gap my dad had put between us on the bike so I knew that meant I'd get to see him soon!

My bro studying between our bike & run loops...

SIL & Bro taking a much needed break..

Loop 2 between the second and third aid station is where it hit me hard.  The dizziness had subsided but a little too late it had caused me to get severely nauseous!  My stomach was not happy with me!  I could feel the blood drain from my face and at first I thought I'd just make a porta potty stop and it'd all be better.  Wrong that didn't help at all.  I tried to sip a little bit of water, wasn't going to stay down, tried to eat a pretzel, made it worse, tried to sip a little bit of soda, my stomach didn't care.  So I walked for a while.  Then as I thought it had subsided I tried to start jogging again.  I even had my dad in my sights but it was just too much too handle I had to walk again.  Every time I'd try to pick up again and jog it would set my stomach off.  I was seeing spots and feeling ill.  I started thinking I haven't noticed where any of the medical tents are.  I started to look around for one.  Then I thought no way I have so many people depending on me, I've made it to half way on the run not much more to go, I can't not get that finishers medal!!!  I kept walking and towards the end of loop 2 I walked along side someone who was on their 3rd loop and almost done but had been experiencing the same race as me.  He had an inner ear infection the week before IM, was given nausea medication but didn't like the side effects so hadn't taken it, did well the first 2 legs, got dizzy off the bike, had been walking it in since lap 2.  He told me not to quit he said if you walk it in you will still finish without getting sick and it's better to finish than to give up.  This gave me hope!  When I saw my husband on the 2nd loop I asked him to walk with me for a minute and I told him what was going on so I told him I'd be slower than expected but that I was going to walk it in and finish!


I also ran (walked) into someone else who was their with his daughter and he was trying to catch up to her.  They had also trained together, for them it was their 1st IM for both.  He had also had a bad bicycle wreck in March right before ramping up training just like my dad.  He caught up to her and said "good luck now go find your dad!"  I found him and he did not look happy.  But looks can be deceiving!  We had a few laughs he kept telling me to go ahead I didn't want to tell him what all was going on I wanted him to concentrate on his race but I told him trust me you aren't holding me back.  I finally gave in and walked ahead.  I kept walk/jogging having to stop whenever I'd get too nauseous.  At this point I was no longer able to hydrate at all I couldn't keep anything down.  But luckily I had hydrated and fueled very well during the bike.  As I rounded the corner in to the finishers shoot I was ecstatic, to think at one point I had actually thought I wouldn't make it here that night!  PShhhh what was I thinking!  I smiled jogged it in forced people to high five me, saw my sister in law and best friend with huge smiles, then my mom, finally my husband waiting at the finishers line.  He quickly whisked me away from the catchers at the finish because I had told him no matter what don't let them take me to the medical tent.  I knew what was wrong and that I'd just need time to recover.  Then I asked if I could stay and wait to be the one to put the finishers medal on my dad.  THEY LET ME!!!  Not even 20 minutes later my dad came running down the finishers shoot!!!! YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!!  My dad is a very laid back mellow man that doesn't show much emotion but this is the biggest smile I have ever seen on his face!!!!  I was so proud to put the finishers medal on him!  I new he'd finish because I had to have gotten my stubbornness and determination from somewhere!

He kept saying my feet feel like mush!  I told him it's ok that's normal.  But then when he took off his shoes he had tennis ball sized blister on each foot!  My family had already picked up our bikes and gear bags and had them in the car.  I had the BEST Support crew ever!!!!!  I also know so many people were watching us online and I knew there was no way I could fail with friends and family like this.  So dad "you are an Ironman" at 64 and as he said I have created a monster.  You started me in triathlons by introducing me to Ironkids when I was 11 and I didn't let you leave the triathlon world by introducing you to Ironman! 

Finish time 15:44:22  45 minutes faster than last time for me so just missed my goal by 15 minutes...
Dad's finish time 15:56:14

Thank you to everyone who has loved and supported me I appreciate each and every encouraging word you've ever given me.  I told my husband "your wife is a badass!" ;-)  He posted this on his FB "What's that? Your wife is training for a 5k?? That's cute, mine just finished her second Ironman..... "  I love that we can both be so proud of each other for our accomplishments.  My mom who has made it as a spectator through two of these and worries way too much about us is a trooper for putting up with our training!  My brother who has inspired me to overcome obstacles and doesn't even know it was there with his wife to see us finish.  When he gave my dad a hug at the finish and the two normally stoic faces broke out into huge smiles that was priceless.  And my best friend who has been at the finish line of EACH of my major milestones as an age grouper was perky as usual.  I can't say thank you enough to everyone!

BFF and her hubs!

Oldest finisher at this year's race 78 from Santa Fe, NM

"You can quite and no one will care, but you will always know."

Ironman AZ Race Recap Part II

All righty now that the Thanksgiving festivities are over, I managed to get way to full which I hate doing note to self don't let that happen again, but I redeemed myself at the gym the next day, maybe?  I'm beginning to be able to think straight again.  In case you missed part I of my race recap you can read it here.

Bike 7:21; avg pace 15.21 mph


After I managed to get my face to warm up a little and not be in this permanent frozen look of fear and shock (which in my head I thought was smiling) I had my bike handed to me and took off.  This is a 3 loop course which can be good or bad.  There is a part that goes through town (which I hated) and a part that goes on the beeline highway (which I loved).  I think the reason I liked it better on the highway is because I could just keep my head down and pedal, not too much thinking I could just detach myself from what was going on and just check my pace every once in a while.  One guy didn't like it so much as I passed him mumbled "Flat course my ass!"  It was all I could do to not laugh histerically, this false flat had caught me off guard the first time on this course as well but this time I was ready for it.  

Loop one was my slowest I think because I had to warm up.  Loop two was my fastest and I felt so good going both up and down I even was whistling and singing on the way back down!  I felt so good and happy at this point and I realized I was steadily keeping my pace at about 2 mph faster than the last time I did this race.  On both loop 2 & 3 there was a headwind on the way back down but the downhill helped neutralize the effect on my pace.

Photographer #1 my awesome mom

Photographer #2 my awesome husband

Loop three my right hip started to hurt and it was radiating down to my right ankle and foot as well as that foot kept going numb.  I have never had this problem before on this bike so I know it's not a bike fit problem.  I'm thinking it was left over complications from my bike accident a few weeks before.  My shoulders and neck hurt by the end but not like I had remembered last time where they had felt like they were on fire.  No this time what hurt the most was downtown from sitting on that seat for so lond and deciding not to change into bike shorts this time I rode in my tri suit which has much less padding!  I kept spinning and standing on the way down to try and get some blood flow down there and a break from the pain... but that is expected.  I had to stop and pee on each loop of the bike course which I suppose is a good thing because it meant I was staying hydrated. 

When I got to the dismount line they were yelling at me to get off my bike, which I did with no objections.  But then they wanted to grab my bike away from me and I wouldn't let go!  It turns out I was instantly dizzy when I got off the bike everything started to spin.  So I had to hold on to the bike for a minute to stabilize myself.  I finally let them have it and took off to transition still feeling dizzy but at least  knowing I wasn't going to fall over.

My dad blew me away on the bike as expected I think he finished about 30 minutes ahead of me on this!  Way to go!


Transition 2 4:41 quicker that the 1st one even with a quick pee stop.  I took my Advil on this one and debated taking one of my anti-nausea motion sickness pills but decided the side effects wouldn't be worth it.

You are an Ironman! I survived!

So this is the first time I've sat down to write a race recap and feel like I need a multi post race recap!!  I figure if any race deserves it it's an Ironman that you did with your dad!  But for those of you who are looking for instant gratification or don't want to read someone else's boring antics about their race, I gave you a freebie in the title! :-)  So we finished and that's all that matters, THE END!

But for my own edification ok not really for my own narcissistic tendencies I will break this down:

Pre-Race

It was Thursday night, my parents had already come into town and I had to pack my bag.  I pulled out my special tri towel that has a checklist on it and did the usual ritual of laying out all my stuff into piles, pre race warm up gear, swim, special needs 1 & 2, bike, run, after.

All along feeling nervous and a little sick to my stomach I have no idea why nerves took over on this race I think it was a combination of several things: my dad was counting on me and it was his first Ironman, would I wipe out my 1st IM finish if I didn't finish this one?, I had a bike crash only 2 weeks before and I still couldn't sleep on that side cause it hurt, I had an inner ear infection 1 week before that had been making me dizzy and nauseous, I had so many more people that knew I was doing it and would be tracking me, I had trained much more for this one in hopes of finishing 1 hour faster than last time (last time was 16:24), etc.

Friday morning we took off in 1 car with my dad, myself, and my husband at 7 am to make it in time to Tempe for mandatory athlete check-in.  My mom was waiting for my bro & SIL to get off work to drive there with them.

We made it & checked in:

interesting they didn't make us weigh ourselves in front of everyone this time like they had in 2008 we just had to write it down which I appreciated.  :-)

Went to the athlete dinner and meeting.

Saturday morning we slept in a little 7am, went to the hotel breakfast then headed to the practice swim which I had not done last time but I wanted my dad to be as prepared as possible.  We just got in long enough to know how much we would be dreading the cold water, gulp some gross lake water, and do a few strokes.  My dad and I were both in a better mood after this I think because the cold water energized us and for just a moment we weren't nervous just excited about what was to come....

Sunday up bright and early at 4 am and one awesome thing was we had signed up for spot on the hotel shuttle so didn't have to worry about parking and road closures!!!  My stomach was doing somersaults.  I had a bagel with peanut butter and honey for breakfast.  Once we got there checked the bikes, safety pinned our chips on, got body marked (he asked if I was a pro) cute I know he had to ask to see if I needed a P on my leg but I still had to chuckle.  Put on a neoprene cap that a nice guy in the lobby the night before had given me because it hadn't fit him.  I know you aren't supposed to change anything before the race but the water was so cold I was willing to risk it, they were all sold out of booties in the local tri shop.  I had a sleeveless wetsuit same as last time which had been my dad's back in the day, he rented his. 

Swim 1:43 As everyone was jumping into the water I got my feet wet and just walked along this ledge to get as close to the start as possible and didn't jump in to tread water until 5 minutes before race start.  They did the national anthem everyone cheered, they announced you will be an Ironman today, more cheering!!!  Then we were off!  I just kept thinking slow and steady, slow and steady, don't look up there's no point just wastes energy an slows you down.  I got kicked and punched way more this time there were about 800 more people in the race this year compared to last time but I didn't mind I new it was part of the race and at least I knew I could still feel it which meant my face and body hadn't gone completely numb or FALLEN OFF YET from the cold! :-)  The water seemed a little choppy for some reason but I kept thinking I was imagining it since it's a lake.

Got out and held on to the guard rail for a while and took my steps carefully because I was determined not to fall like I had last time and I didn't, goal 1 accomplished.  I survived the swim.  My hubs said I looked pissed when I got out and my face was swollen, but I remember I was trying to smile and wave guess my face was just too frozen to show it.  They tried to get me to into the warming tent but I refused.  I just took a blanket and kept going.

8 minutes and change:  Transition the volunteer did have to help me put my socks and shoes on cause my hands wouldn't function.  I didn't get to take my advil though cause I couldn't get the foil open and decided to forget it same with the tri sleeves I was going to wear but it turned out to be a good decision.....

My dad finished the swim about 5-6 minutes faster than me but was slower in transition.

Next post will have to wait until after Thanksgiving festivities wear off!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Ready or Not, Here I come! Ironman Arizona 2012

It’s race week! Come Sunday it’s do or die time, 140.6 miles of guts, determination, inspiration, sweat, hopefully little to no blood, and finally excitement and accomplishment.  I’ve been prepping and asking myself all the important questions:

“What am I going to wear?”

“How should I do my hair?”

“Which pro athletes are going to be there?”

“Should I practice a dance for the finisher’s line?”

Ok, Ok I am taking it more seriously than that!  Last week hubs asked me how I felt and if I was prepared and compared to last time.  I couldn’t give him an answer!  Then I managed to figure it out, physically I think I’m more prepared than last time mainly cause I have experience now and my body is used to being punished.  But I felt that mentally I wasn’t quite as prepared as I was last time.  Don’t ask me why but I seem to have a lot more doubts, fears, worries and anxiousness this time around.  So I watched the 2012 Ironman World Championship special this weekend and got PUMPED UP!  I am dedicating this entire week not only to tapering but working on my mental toughness.  I’m going to focus on being strong and a lot of positive self talk!  I will listen to some of my favorite music and do some dancing, to the dismay of my dog who growls every time I do, and I will get myself mentally prepared for this weekend.

So I have started printing directions, athlete guides, and prepping lists of what to pack.  My list includes the following right now:

Advil, muscle relaxers (for the car ride home), motion sickness pills, sunscreen, wetsuit, trisuit, goggles, fuel, running shoes, socks, warm up clothes, extra shirt, hat, visor, bodyglide, Vaseline, sunglasses, windbreaker, towel, camera, helmet, bike, bike shoes, 2 spare tubes, CO2 cartridges, water bottles, thingys to get the tire off (I’m so distracted I can’t come up with appropriate words), bib belt, index cards with affirmations, MP3 player, USAT Card, flip flops, long pants jic, First Aid kit, family, bagels and PB & Honey, Attitude!

Here’s a pick of what my dad has started packing:

Here’s a fun thing I did to distract myself, wrote down all the feelings I was feeling and put it into Wordle:

What’s your favorite way to prep for a big race?  Happy Training!