When you put yourself on the line in a race and expose yourself to the unknown, you learn things about yourself that are very exciting. -- Doris Brown Heritage Why race? The need to be tested, perhaps; the need to take risks; and the chance to be number one. -- Dr. George Sheehan
Now is the time of year when the race schedule for next year gets set...and I think we've got 2017 nailed down! I'm so excited.
January 1 - First Day 5K (registered)
January 22 - Frostbite 15K (registered)
February 26 - Sentara Colonial Half Marathon (planned)
March 19 - Tobacco Road Marathon (registered)
May 13 - Kinetic Oly Triathlon (planned)
June 10 - Jamestown Oly Triathlon (planned)
July 9 - Rev3 Williamsburg 70.3 (registered)
August 13 - Steelhead 70.3 (planned)
September 24 - IM Chattanooga (registered)
There may be a couple other running races here and there for training runs...and who knows what I'm going to want to do next fall - maybe lay on the couch for a month? (Oh, wait - I've done that in other October/November time frames and it really isn't as much fun as it sounds.)
Anyway - the plan looks good - now I just gotta finish getting registered for everything and then TRAIN!
There are three principal means of acquiring knowledge...observation of nature, reflection, and experimentation. Observation collects facts; reflection combines them; experimentation verifies the result of that combination. -- Denis Diderot
So I'm too late for the Twelve Days of Christmas, but I'm taking the number anyway. Besides, I couldn't really do Twelve Days better than Straight No Chaser...my favorite Xmas music band. No seriously - check them out. You will love them, too.
OK, so here's my Twelve Observations of Christmas...
My coach has me pool running to put some easy peasy miles on my legs. (Apparently the theme of this winter is super easy, super hard. Not sure how I feel about that yet.) Pool running is weird.
When you're pool running, you get to watch people. People are weird too. The weirdest thing I've seen so far was a man swimming laps with a snorkel. (I mean that's weird, because who willingly swims with a snorkel? I have a snorkel - it's homicidal.) Anyway, not only was he swimming with a snorkel, but every time he stroked with his right hand, he turned his head - as if to breathe. And the end of his snorkel went underwater. Um. Missing the point?
I am not a lotion girl, but I do like body butters. Since I'm spending so much time in the pool - between Masters and pool running, I was getting a bit scaly. (Perhaps turning amphibious, but I assume it's dry skin.) Anyway, body butter is magic.
Whoever's bright idea it was to track sleep and food for December was an idiot. Oh, wait. That was me. Yeah...no. I mean, I'm tracking my sleep - but it's horrible because I'm totally off schedule. And eating, well - no, that's horrible too.
Hill running sucks, but it works. My coach has me running hill repeats when I'm not pool running. They suck. My neighbors think I'm a creeper when I pass their house for the 4th, 5th, ...7th, time in a half hour. They're hard. They hurt. I hate them. And they're making me stronger.
I ran my best 5K in a long, long time in December. Not a PR by any stretch, but I've been slow for so long now, it feels like a PR. Yeah me! (Must be that hill running!)
There is a reason I don't bake. It's because home baked sweets are from the Devil. In general, my sweet tooth is very manageable. Unless there are homemade cookies in my house. Then I'm like Cookie Monster on drugs. NOMNOMNOMNOM. Get in my belly!
My kids are old enough to bake on their own. This is even worse because I get the sweets without the work. Crap.
Christmas shopping is a great way to get in lots of extra steps. Too bad I prefer to shop online. But the day I went with the girls, dang - I walked for miles!
That first cold snap of winter, even though it's not really cold, feels like Hell has frozen over. And it's hard to deal with mentally, because you know that later on, in January or February, it's going to be even colder...but right at that moment, you think you're going to die.
Red toe nail polish never dies. Neither do poinsettias...although I'm getting pretty close to killing our plant this year. I painted my toe nails red for a holiday party in early December and am still rocking the look...and they don't look bad at all. Red finger nail polish, on the other hand...dies too quickly. Too bad I'm too lazy to take it off right now.
I love Christmas - but it's a season of sloth. I also love New Year's, which thankfully follows with a season of renewed energy. Kind of nice how that all works out, right?
Life is made up of a series of judgments on insufficient data, and if we waited to run down all our doubts, it would flow past us. -- Learned Hand Data is the kind of ubiquitous resource that we can shape to provide new innovations and new insights, and it's all around us, and it can be mined very easily. -- David McCandless
So. I've been working on Athlete 2.0...as you know. And it's, well, it's coming along. I'm working on better fueling, better living, better training, etc. But it's kind of like - what's better? I'm trying to lose weight. I'm trying to get faster. Those are measurable, but what sort of "better" am I creating in every day life? Because I'm not going to be faster every day (or even any day - good Lord am I slow right now). And I'm not going to be thinner every day...although I can tell you that I lived through Thanksgiving feasting and gained about 1 pound. Booyah!
Anyway, I decided that maybe I need to know where I am, on a daily basis, to better see how to improve. I've been logging my food...but so what? What's the value of that information (other than it occasionally keeps a cookie out of my mouth because I don't want to log it). There has to be a better use for all of this information.
Also, IronSherpa got me a fancy new 920xt...so I have sleep data. And steps data. And even data about which foot I favor while I run, although I haven't actually seen much value to that tidbit yet. So if I have all this data at my fingertips...like literally - on my phone and computer, pretty much all. the. time. If I have all this data, shouldn't I be able to figure out some insights about how to be better every single day?
But I also know December is hard. I mean there's holiday parties, and lots of wine, and Christmas cookies, and raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens. All of my favorite things! And so I've decided...December is for data gathering. How much sleep am I getting at night? Is it good sleep? How well am I eating? Am I in the right calorie range? How close am I getting to enough protein? Enough carbs that aren't wine? :) What's my general activity level on various days - training and not training?
With mittfuls of this data, I think it will be easier (and more realistic than my earlier protein goal) to make some positive changes. After all, if I know where I am, I should be able to figure out what direction is forward...or perhaps even the
direction to perfection...
The good and bad things are what form us as people...change makes us grow. -- Kate Winslet Terms like 'good' and 'bad' are extremely simplistic in what is a far more complex situation. -- David Icke
So. It turns out making changes is hard. Even little changes, small shifts. For a while over the last few weeks, I felt like I was doing good. But then towards the end of last week, I did pretty bad. But this isn't exactly right - it's a lot more complex than that. Even when I thought I was making progress, things still were not good...and even though I'm not super proud of my choices over the last few days, some good came from that too. Good and bad - it forms us, it makes us grow. But a binary classification as good or bad - that just doesn't really explain everything, does it?
I'm trying to make Athlete 2.0 - the better, healthier, fitter, and faster me. I know I can't change overnight or go from 0-60...so I'm working on small changes. The first small changes (logging and liquid) were going pretty well - although I did "break" my rule about liquids this weekend...beer!...and I have slacked a little bit on logging. But I think having a few beers here and there is fine and being a little slack here and there on logging is OK - as long as it doesn't continue. So even though I haven't been the best with either of these, I feel like the slips are just tiny dips - and I'm back on track. Back to logging regularly. Back to drinking wine, water, and coffee (or tea). I know I'll drink a beer here or there - and I know that there'll be times when I don't log my food, but I also know that the habit is formed and I will get right back on plan.
The other shifts I was trying to make were more protein, more veg. These shifts have not stuck quite as successfully. Protein, particularly the amount that the Roar book suggests I eat, is actually pretty hard to do. I've definitely increased my protein intake (thank you, logging, for showing me this much progress)...but the amount is still too low. And eating veg at every meal...well, it turns out I don't actually like veg at breakfast - at least not yet. :)
I'm going to spend another week or two with these goals - perhaps if I can't get to the level I'm hoping to reach, at least I'll understand where I'm at and be able to use that as a floor to improve from. These two shifts may have been either too big or too nebulous - I'm going to still keep my eye on improving my protein and veg, but I'm really going to focus on data gathering. And speaking of data gathering, I have some more of that going on too. I got a Garmin 920xt and have been tracking my sleep and steps too. More on this later. I'm going to build Athlete 2.0 one data point at a time.
So - that's the "bad" - now for the "good." This weekend's long run, done at the same basic intensity level, was about 15-20 seconds faster/mile than last week's long run. Yeah me - this training thing is starting to show some benefits again...which is awesome.
All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination. -- Earl Nightengale
One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things. -- Henry Miller
For the past few weeks, I've felt a little at sea - Destination Unknown...kind of like this perfectly trippy 80s new wave song, no? Where would my next chance to become an Ironman be? We were holding out for Ironman North Carolina - logistically the best option...but yesterday we learned that IMNC has been "discontinued." And even though I knew deep down that was the likely outcome, I couldn't help but feel disappointed that that dream was no longer an option.
Even though I'm sad about IMNC (and actually a little sad for triathlon in general, more later), I need to change my way of looking at things. After all, part of the blahs I've felt for the last few weeks were related to having a plan but no end result in sight, no destination to shoot for. It's hard to get jazzed up about another year of training without knowing where it will lead.
(OK, stop laughing...I imagine there are people out there who would find it hard to get jazzed up about a year of training even if there were unicorns and leprechauns and millions of dollars and unlimited sushi at the end...but I do get excited looking ahead to my A races. I also get excited about unicorns and sushi. Leprechauns creep me out a little bit. If I had unicorns and sushi, I probably wouldn't need millions of dollars, but that would be OK too.)
Anyway, it now seems that we have a destination. 2017 will be the year of Chattanooga. IMCHOO will be where I finally become an Ironman. And it better happen this year...because as far as I can see, WTC (the company that owns Ironman) is trying to kill triathlons - this is why I'm sad in general.
See...here's the thing. WTC is buying up all sorts of triathlons that used to be run by smaller, local companies or organizations. And of course there's plenty of reasons why the local companies are selling the races - races are hard to put on, expensive, possibly money-losers, etc. and more. But the problem is that WTC is buying these races and then making changes...up to and including cancelling them. Just like IMNC. IMNC used to be Beach2Battleship and was known as one of the best non-WTC long course races out there. Doing it had been on our bucket list - not the least of which because they gave out flannel pajama bottoms to finishers. If WTC keeps buying up these races, they're going to end up with an unhealthy (and possibly unlawful, but hey, I'm not an antitrust expert) monopoly. And then they will cancel a ton and jack the prices on others and do all sorts of non-triathlete-friendly things. And then maybe I won't be a triathlete anymore. I hope I am wrong, but this turn of events (buying IMNC and killing it within one year) really bothers me.
OK. Off the soap box. On to training. The destination is known. The plan is in place. I have a roadmap to get there. Now I just have to change my way of looking at this and enjoy the journey.
I think that without sushi there would be no David Hasselhoff, because sushi is like the perfect way of describing the insides of David Hasselhoff. He is like a protein, clean and easy. That's how I feel about myself. -- David Hasselhoff Make sure that when you look at your plate, it's a beautiful blank canvas to start with, and you wants lots of color on there. You want to make sure you have whole grains and protein. It should not be beige in color; it should be green and bright red, and orange and yellow. -- Summer Sanders
Some people have asked me how I get the quotes for my blog. I'm not terribly clever, so I just type whatever my topic is into Google, along with the word "quote"...and voila. The best source is usually BrainyQuote, but there are some other good repositories of quotes out there. I like quotes - I feel like they provide context and a hook...not just for blog readers, but also for me as the blogger.
But there are times when I go looking for a quote for this blog that I happen upon unexpected things. Most wonderful and ponderously unexpected things. Magical things. Like David Hasselhoff and sushi (or David Hasselhoff is sushi?)...anyway. So much love for things that tickle my sense of humor, especially when all I'm thinking about are boring things like protein and vegetables.
Why am I thinking about protein and veg? Because it's time to take another step forward in building ATHLETE 2.0. A few weeks ago (well, 10 days, but who's counting...oh, wait - me, I'm counting because I'm trying to methodically make changes in my life...) Anyway, a few weeks ago, I explained how I'm trying to improve my body composition and health to avoid any sorts of "hiccups" during my 2017 race season. Rather than a wholesale overhaul, I've decided to make small, sustainable changes, focusing on something small for 10-14 days until it sticks or not, and then making adjustments as needed or adding a new small change.
My first two changes, let's call them shifts...because they were small...my first two shifts were to start logging my food again and to limit my liquids to wine, water, and coffee. (Yes. Wine is listed first. There are priorities here.)
LOGGING: I've logged my food, every day, for 15 days so far. Even when it was utterly painful...like Saturday night, when we had date night with another couple and I enjoyed so much good food. And so much good wine. And MyFitnessPal told me that if I ate like Saturday every day, I'd gain about 20 pounds. But that's OK. The other days have been better and more importantly, it does seem like there are some days I may not eat enough. Useful data, which is the whole point.
LIQUIDS: Yep - I'm working this one. Plenty of wine, but also only coffee and water otherwise, and the strangest thing - I'm actually enjoying water. Weird what happens when you stop drinking other crap. I did have a glass of Skratch after my "long" run yesterday, because it was hot for October and I was sweating a lot...but otherwise, on track. As my sessions get longer/harder, I'll definitely be adding something back in - probably Skratch for now...but more on that another time.
Both of these shifts are working well for me - and I think they have stuck and I plan to continue with them, so it's time to add another shift or two into the mix.
PROTEIN: So I've been reading the Roar book, like I told you, and apparently I do not get enough protein. Like ever. (I also don't eat enough carbs, or enough generally...but that's a bigger change and I'm not ready for it yet.) But protein - this seems like something I can really work on. I'm adding a protein recovery drink after my workouts - better recovery and more protein generally in my diet. One of the nice things about having already tracked my food for two weeks is realizing that I'm totally not even close. So for my new shift, my plan is to intentionally up my protein intake, with a goal of hitting 145g/day. (According to the book, this is somewhere at the high end of my resting day goal and low end of my endurance goal, and no where in the ball park of my strength goal - but baby steps, little shifts, at a time.)
VEG: I know I don't eat enough veg. I just don't. I've been adding more in and sneaking them into my menu here and there, but it's time to methodically add them in. I'm actually starting to like how they taste - it's not that. It's just that I don't really think about veg as being something that I want. Ever. So my new shift, my goal, is to try to eat a veg at every meal. At least one. At least a little bit.
So...what does any of this have to do with David Hasselhoff? Pretty much nothing, but there is that horrible video of the drunk Hoff vegging and eating a cheeseburger, so that's kind of like protein and veg. Oh, and also, Hasselhoff - he's like sushi. So. Well. There's that.
Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now. -- Alan Lakein Men plan, God laughs. -- Yiddish Proverb
We're planners, IronSherpa and me. We plan things out way in advance - because that's what planners do. In fact, even before we went to IMLOU, we were contemplating our plans for 2017. It's not really a bad idea - because balancing two kids, three triathletes, and one competitive year-round soccer player...not to mention our jobs and our kids' school...is not an easy feat. (I love my children and I will miss them when we are empty nesters...but sometimes I'm super envious of my no-kids-at-home friends for whom race planning is SO MUCH EASIER.)
So anyway, the IM race of 2017 was supposed to be IM North Carolina - or the old B2B. In fact, it was supposed to be the IM race of 2016 for our household, but then IM bought it (not a problem) and then IM Maryland was postponed and then because I couldn't do the postpone I got 50% off a 2016 race...but IMNC hadn't opened for registration yet for me to use my discount code...and I had wanted to go back and actually finish IMLOU at some point, so it made sense (financial and otherwise) to pick IMLOU as the race of 2016. And IMNC would be 2017.
But earlier this fall, the rumors started to fly...would there even be an IMNC 2017? All of our favorite Internet gossip sites were aflutter (yeah, there are triathlon Internet gossip sites...). It would be cancelled, it would be on but a different weekend, it would be cancelled a year and then reincarnate as a spring IM on the east coast, it would be gone forever in favor of a later season 70.3, and so on. WTH. So the grand plan we came up with for 2017 was now in utter chaos.
We can roll with it, though. IronSherpa is better at rolling with stuff than me, but we can roll. We pick an alternate IM (Chattanooga). Not ideal, because it's a little earlier, it's a little hillier, and it's in September which isn't ideal for the IronGrandparents who come to watch the girls. (The girls, who of course can't come with us...because school...and soccer.) OK. If we do that, what happens to our summer race plan - I check with the Coach, she says go with it.
So we get our mind all set for this year - and here's what I was thinking:
March - marathon (already registered)
Spring - oly
July - 70.3 Williamsburg
August - 70.3 Steelhead
September - IMChoo
See...Steelhead is on IronSherpa's bucketlist since that's near where he grew up and it would have been such a convenient roadtrip - because as planners, we were going to turn this into a midwest thing with USAT Youth Nationals - because remember, we have a third triathlete in our house.
But then even planB went to hell-ina-handbasket. First, Steelhead wouldn't provide info or open for registration, and now that Steelhead is open, we're not sure of the dates for USAT Youth Nationals (because it seems they are moving back a week from previous years), and this screws up EVERYTHING. Everything. Seriously, I'm not kidding. Man plans. God laughs. And boy, is He laughing at us. What was a super-sweet, well put together, solid & built for success race plan for 2017 is now just a mess. (Oh, and the spring oly I was counting on - not on the schedule this year because the race location is closed. Damnit. One more thing.)
Oh, and did I mention sometime in the last 24 hours, it became less clear than IMNC was truly off the table? Because now the website says 2017 IMNC "opening soon"...which makes it look less like they're cancelling the whole shebang, but doesn't really say anything else. Jeez Louise, people. Cut me some slack. I just want to get a race schedule on the books so I can start looking forward, not back.
Super-ambitious goals tend to be unifying and energizing to people, but only if they believe there's a chance of success. -- Peter Diamandis Optimism with some experience behind it is much more energizing than plain old experience with a certain degree of cynicism. -- Twyla Tharp There are a couple of directions a person can go after a disappointing race - they can be upset, devastated even, and continue looking backward...or they can be energized, enthusiastic, and start looking forward again. I am happy to report that I fall into the latter category. I'm ready to embark on ATHLETE 2.0 - the quest for a better me, ready to nail my 2017 season. I'm optimistic, excited, and blessed with some experience that tells me what I need to do to improve...and most of all, I'm ready to take on super-ambitious goals.
Now, there are a few monkey wrenches that have been thrown into planning those super-ambitious goals, but that's a story for another post. The point of this post is to let you know I'm here and I'm ready to rock.
So what has experience told me and what am I doing about it? Well - I need to fix some things about myself. A smaller and healthier body would suit me better than the body I have right now. Also, I need to make sure I'm eating properly to fuel my training - I had some problems with this towards the end of summer...and in a couple of ways, if I'm being honest. I did not hesitate to eat junk, because I was training. But I also didn't eat nearly enough, because I wasn't hungry. So the first step of Athlete 2.0 is to work on eating and drinking myself to a more healthy place.
I have about 5 months to my first big race of 2017 (Tobacco Road Marathon) and about a year until Ironman 2017 (whichever one that will be - TBD)...so plenty of time to get my body (and mind) into a good place so all the training I have done doesn't go to waste. Because I have a long time and because small changes stick, I've decided to make gradual, small changes at regular intervals until I get things straight.
So what's first? Well, first my coach sent me a copy of this book, which I'm reading.
Second, I've started keeping track of my food (again). I have a love/hate relationship with food logging. It's boring. And irritating. And since I cook at least 4 nights a week, a lot of work. But when I do it, I learn things and see patterns that aren't working, etc.
Finally, my last small change is to stop drinking anything other than water, coffee, and wine. No diet pop. No crystal lite. This will change again when I get back into longer training (like many hours) and need some gatorade. But for now, in the "off season" I need to get back to simple.
Stay tuned to see what changes are coming next...and where IM 2017 for me is going to be!
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. -- Thomas Edison Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent. -- Marilyn Vos Savant
ICYMI - I was a DNF at IM Louisville. Not because I wasn't properly trained. Not because I didn't want it bad enough. But because of another fluke incident, yes another one of those things that seem to plague me. Stress fracture? Hurricane? Kicked in the head? WTH. I'm like a bad luck magnet.
This time, it was hypothermia...again. Apparently, as near as I can tell, I have the metabolism of a lizard or some other cold-blooded animal. It was chilly on the bike (especially being wet from the swim), but it wasn't that cold. For some reason (probably my whacked-out metabolism), I am susceptible to hypothermia. Nice, huh? Usually it's old people or babies or people with dementia or people on drugs. Or people with whacked-out metabolism. That's me.
I made it through about 13 miles of the bike course at IMLOU before I found myself off the road, suffering from dizziness. The dizziness earned me a trip to the back of an ambulance, where I started to shiver. And continued to shiver for an hour...at which point the EMTs decided that a hospital would be a better decision. After another hour of shivering there...and at some point, the efforts to warm me went too well, so I was actually shivering from fever at the end of the fun, I finally got back to normal functioning. And after a couple hours of monitoring me, I was released back into the wild - still running a few degrees cold, but in no danger.
So. After you register for 3 Ironman races, start 2, and finish 0...what do you do? Give up? No. I'm not nearly sane enough to stop now. I want my IM finish. I want my IM Finisher Jacket, and M-dot necklace, and ALL.THE.STUFF. Oh, and my IM tattoo. I want it all. And I'm not going to give up.
The way I see it - none of these were my fault. None of them were 100% preventable if I had done something different - although there are a number of things I plan to do differently...these shouldn't really be viewed as "failures" but "false starts." So there's no reason not to give it another go, especially if I can make a few tweaks here and there to make things better. Giving up would be defeat. Getting back up, one more time, is the way to succeed.
Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than you current situation. -- Brian Tracy
Heading into IM Louisville - I'm still not certain I will make the time cutoffs or finish, but I know that if I have any chance at all of doing so, I need to be in the right mental place. And I've been figuring out over the last couple years that the best mindset comes from a place of happiness and gratitude. So to foster that spirit of gratitude and get into the proper place for this weekend, I decided to write up 140.6 miles of gratitude. Yeah, I know, a lot of people do this after the race, but I am grateful now - for all the people who got me here, for all the people I will keep in my thoughts during the race, and for all the people I know will love me and encourage me, no matter what Sunday brings. This one's for you all:
Miles SWIM 2.4 miles 0-2.4Peluso Open Water
Yeah, it feels wrong to not thank IronSherpa first and foremost. Don't worry, his is coming. But I have to think that while I'm swimming, my gratitude will be squarely placed on POW. Swimming has been a struggle for me and I could not make it to the start line without the coaching I've gotten from them over the last few years. Seriously - it wasn't that long ago that I absolutely feared the open water and would do anything I could to avoid it. Now - meh - still not my favorite but I'm not afraid. BIKE 112 miles 2.4-5 IronSherpa
My husband, IronSherpa, is also racing at IM Lou...so I guess he's not much of a sherpa after all, but he still should get the lion's share of the thanks. He is my support system, my cheerleader, my partner in crime, and makes this possible by helping split all the other stuff, like making sure that Elder and Younger get to where they need to be, etc. He has supported me since before I even started triathlons and now that he does them too, he is even better at it. 5-15Elder Child
Elder Child is amazing. She puts her all into everything she does, even when she doesn't want to do it. There is no one who will outwork her, and I admire her for this. She has been unreasonably supportive of this crazy triathlon stuff, because that's not even her sport. She's awesome. 15-25Younger Child
Younger Child is amazing in other ways. No one will accuse her of working too hard, but what I admire about her is that she has an attitude of awesome. (Of course, sometimes this rises to the level of delusion...but...) She truly believes she can do whatever - she will be a professional triathlete and a pediatric oncologist and a fashionista. There's no doubt in her mind. She is also awesome. 25-35 Coach Kelly
When I started working with Kelly this winter, she asked me what I would consider to be a successful first season of us working together...and I said it would be me showing up healthy and trained to IMLOU. Not finishing or meeting a certain time, because that's dependent on so many things out of her control and mine, but being there and ready to start. And she has succeeded. I'm feeling good (as much as I can) and I know that she has put me in a position to do my best this weekend. 35-45 B and her husband S (collectively BS?)
B was one of my first real tri friends and she and I attempted our first Ironman races the same year. And neither of us finished and that's OK. We've had some crazy ups and downs since then but no matter what, she's always been a fantastic encourager (and oftentimes NAG) - but whichever she is doing, it is usually what I needed. She's been a great cheerleader & she's awesome.
B has a husband S - a year ago he couldn't swim and then he signed up for a HIM. Anyway, S overcame that tiny obstacle of not being able to swim and finished his first HIM in some of the worst swimming conditions I've ever seen. So he's awesome too. And they both inspire me. 45-55 D
D is a more recent friend, but she is also a great source of encouragement and mental peace. She has overcome mountains of obstacles and she just keeps trucking and that inspires me to keep on trucking, too. Also, she's in my age group, so we've shared a couple hugs before swim starts which is pretty awesome. (Plus she and I are already planning to kick some ass in 2017!) 55-65Richmond Tri Club
For the longest time when I started triathlons, I was a loner. My friends were on Beginner Triathlete (a different line item of thank yous) and although I met a few in real life, the real camaraderie was online. But in the last few years, I've gotten involved in RTC and have found real life friends. More important, I've found some real life sources of inspiration, information, and encouragement. 65-75Family
Not IronSherpa and the children, but my extended family. Most of them don't understand what the hell I'm doing, but they try to be supportive and mostly it's cute. My dad even unexpectedly told me he may show up at Louisville, but then he got tickets to the Cubs playoff games. I told him I'll probably do another IM but the Cubbies may never make it back....so.... 75-85Work Friends
More people who don't have the first clue what the hell I do, but they think I'm alternately crazy or a badass. I'll take it. 85-95L
Miss L, as my daughters call her, is a special lady. She was racked near me for my very first triathlon and was amazingly kind. She helped me set up my transition area and talked me off my ledge. I've come to know L better in the last few years and this kindness, calm, and willingness to make people feel comfortable is just who she is, to her core. She did her first IM last year, at Louisville, and rocked it. I was so proud of her and I look forward to being an Ironman just likeher. 95-105Nerd Candy
You may think I'm being disrespectful here - a long list of people I genuinely am thanking with all my heart - and then I throw in Nerd candy? Seriously. Nerd candy has saved my life - maybe not literally, but there is something about Nerd candy (or at least the sugar in it) that has brought me up from the depths of despair during long races. I can assure you - Nerds will be with me this weekend and will get me through the tough times. 105-115 Former Students
I am a teacher, a good teacher (IMHO) - and I want what is best for my students, even after they graduate. So it thrills me to see so many of them participating in triathlons themselves. E and E are just starting the sport - even if one of them hates to swim, she's doing it. J is going to be racing at Louisville too, and I'm super excited for her - she's got a good race in her and I hope she does amazing. There are others too, but the initials thing is getting confusing. RUN 26.2 miles 115-117 IronSherpa
It wouldn't do to thank IronSherpa only once. When I make it to the run, he deserves another round of thanks. I could not do anything I do, including triathlons, without his help and support and love. Even if he is a tough critic sometimes, he wants the best for me. LOVE! 117-119Elder and Younger
And again, they deserve a lot more thanks than they get. They have spent the late summer and early fall basically fending for themselves. (They are tween/teenagers - I'm not leaving infants alone - but still, I imagine a little more mom would be appreciated.) 119-121 Drivers
Going back to people who don't understand anything about the crazy that is my triathlon life...the other folks that carpool with us. They are amazing - Elder has been driven far more than we've been able to repay and these people make my life work. I can't thank them enough. 121-123 Baby Sonic
My coach has a baby. For the past few weeks, the baby has been instructing and encouraging me via text message. (OK, they come from my coach - but the pictures of the baby along with the message have made for much enjoyment of the last minute coaching!) I'm definitely grateful for baby texts - if nothing else, they provide much giggling. 123-125 Work/Travel Friends
There is a group of colleagues that I travel with frequently. They like to eat and drink and carouse. (So do I.) But they also know that I'm training - and so they like to ask, the morning after, if I got my run in before breakfast. Knowing that they are going to ask makes it a lot easier for me to put down the wine, go to bed, and get up and actually get my training in. Plus I love to see the looks of amusement (or horror) on their faces when they (in a hungover state) realize I went for a short run that morning (also in a hungover state, occasionally). They probably don't realize it, but they are good for me. 125-127Beginner Triathlete
As I mentioned above, when I first started triathlons, I didn't know what the hell I was doing, so I went to BT and figured it out. I spent a few years very engaged on BT and made triathlon friends there (including a couple I met in real life - shout out to J & J!). Once I got more comfortable with triathlons, I got more involved with the local tri community - but it was good to have a safe space to figure out what I was doing when I was an utter newbie. (Yes, I did ask whether I was supposed to wear underwear under my trisuit. Yes, they did laugh and tell me it was a bad idea.) 127-129 Samurai Cynthia, Judge J, and others
Another source of inspiration for me has been the people I know from other places in my life (from high school to previous workplaces) that are also triathletes. I have loved reading about Judge J's first year of triathlon (go!) and I followed carefully as Samurai Cynthia did her first (and then second IM) - before she turned into some badass mountain biker. Those two and others are awesome. 129-131 People who can't
One statement that sticks with me is that I do what some people can't. There are a couple of people who can't that I carry in my heart. My cousin's wife K who died of brain cancer. My high school principal E who passed way too early from ALS. A grade school friend's wife who died from epilepsy shortly after they were married. Love to all the people who are left behind - I run with these people, who can't run anymore, in my heart. 131-133 Swim Friends
There are too many of you to name - in part because I keep changing lanes - but shoutout to my swim lane friends. You have encouraged me all along the way - from J and N when I first started at Masters (thank you for not hating me and my total inability to figure things out) to M, S, A, and others that keep me moving currently. Plus everyone in between. You inspire me with your accomplishments and are always encouraging me. Thank you. 133-135 Endorphin Fitness
I don't train with EF, but Younger Child does. Not only are they helping her become a stronger triathlete, but I appreciate their philosophy of combining fun and hard work. Also, the bike shop at EF has taken good care of my bike, and my husband's (especially when he crashed this fall)...so I am grateful for them. 135-140.6
The last 5 miles are on me. I'm not really grateful for myself - that would be weird and awkward. But I am proud of myself. For buying a bike 10 years ago. For learning how to swim as a grownup. For failing often and getting back up. For reaching farther than my short little tyrannosaurus rex arms should be able to reach. For daring to dream. For being realistic in my expectations but ambitious in my hopes. For getting to the starting line.
I want to thank all of you (plus so many people that I couldn't remember or couldn't figure out how to talk about without embarrassing them or whatever). You have made Sunday, no matter what the outcome, one of the best days of my life.
The greatest barrier to someone achieving their potential is their denial of it. -- Simon Travaglia
So. IMLOU is just over a week away. And I'm in denial. Well, no - like Calvin, I'm just very selective about the reality I accept. Because if I focus on the reality of 8 days, I'll probably lose my ever-loving mind.
The past two years when I've been this close to IM, I've had my bags laid out and labeled, I've been partially packed, I've been following the weather like a madwoman...but this year, I'm kind of like, whatevs. I'll get to it. And I will - totally. Probably even this weekend, but I gotta get my mind straight first.
I've been thinking about my training - as everyone says, at this point you gotta trust your training, so of course I've been thinking about my training. And I've come to some conclusions about my training. I think one good way to think about my training is to acknowledge the obstacles I've overcome in my training this year and use those to get me through.
Swimming: I've definitely had some obstacles with swimming this year - the open water was too cold and then too hot; my wetsuit shrunk over the winter (blush!); my left arm is stupid and I have a terrible pull; and well, I don't have gills. Or fins. But I've overcome a lot of those obstacles, or at least managed to bypass them.
I'm not nearly afraid of OWS as I have been in the past - I just get in and get 'er done...so that's good. I bought a new wetsuit that fits me just fine - and I even tested it out a couple weeks ago, so I remember how much I love it (and how much I need to lube my neck or end up with a wetsuit hickey!). I took swim lessons and my stroke is better - it needs more work, but it's so much better than it ever was. I haven't grown gills or fins, but otherwise, I made some real progress swimming this year.
Biking: The obstacles are many - too hot, too humid, too rainy, and too many people getting killed on bikes. All of these things mean that I had to resort to riding my trainer a lot more this year, which I have viewed as an obstacle in itself. And sure, it is partially an obstacle. But I've also realized that the time I've spent on my trainer has made me a better biker. I used to be a serious coaster. No really - I would pedal a few strokes and then coast and then pedal a few strokes and then coast. If you ever look at a good biker, that is NOT how they ride. But since you can't coast on the trainer, it has become much more natural to me now to keep pedalling. Sure, I still coast when I'm tired or whatever (outside), but I get back to pedalling a lot quicker. That means I should be a stronger biker overall and that's good.
Running: My running has been slow - it maybe because my wetsuit shrank...or something like that. And of course, it has been 900 degrees, and occasionally 9000 degrees outside. My coach denies these numbers and believes I may have a problem with place value and zeros...but seriously, this has been quite a summer. But even when it's been hot, I've gotten out there and put one foot in front of the other. Even if it's slow, it's forward...and that's a good thing to keep in mind too.
So maybe I'll get around to making my bags and packing lists this weekend, but in any case, I've got a lot of good things to remember next weekend. No letting denial stand in the way of my potential!
You have to rely on your preparation. You got to really be passionate and try to prepare more than anyone else, and put yourself in a position to succeed, and when the moment comes you got to enjoy, relax, breathe and rely on your preparation so that you can perform and not be anxious or filled with doubt. -- Steve Nash The most common phrase around the Ironman Louisville Facebook boards now is "the hay is in the barn." The work is done. The training has been banked. Nothing you can do now will make up for the missed ride or the crappy run. What you put in the barn is what you will have for race day. It's time to relax. But I don't think my work is all the way done yet. I know the training is done - well, sure, there are still swims...and bikes... and runs...and core work (c'mon Coach - core work! please stop!) on my training calendar. But the long training sessions are a thing of the past. The key to training now is to get me from now to race day feeling energized and ready. The work I have to do, though, is mental. I need to be ready to rely on my training, trust my coaching, and be ready to enjoy the moment. And I'll have to admit, that doesn't come easily to me. I love to obsess about things up until the last moment...I'm the girl who cram studies until the test starts and edits papers until they're due...but that sort of attitude isn't going to serve me well here. I need to do the training my coach gave me, but also trust in the training I've done. I can't go into race day anxious or filled with doubt. Getting comfortable with my mindset and getting ready to enjoy the day - that's the work I have cut out for me for the next week or so - so I can enjoy and experience race day.
Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens. -- Khalil Gibran
I sometimes have an attitude problem. We all do, right? (If I'm wrong, don't tell me - I take comfort in the fact I'm not the only one.) Anyway, I think I'm making some progress in the attitude department...
Before I started doing triathlons, my attitude was I can't. I can't swim, I can't bike. I'm not fast. I'm going to be last. I shouldn't even try. But then I learned to swim. I got a bike. I still wasn't fast. I was sometimes last. But I tried. And it was OK.
Then I got pretty good at being OK. I wasn't fast, but I kept chugging. My attitude was I got this, let's get better. That was a pretty awesome attitude, but there was an underlying current that I didn't truly understand until I hit the next phase of my triathlon life...the DNF.
The dreaded DNF. The stress fracture at IMLOU two years ago. The hypothermia at DC Rock&Roll. All of a sudden, the fear of not being able to finish was greater than my belief that I was OK. That I could keep chugging. That I got this. The fear of failing overtook all else. And I've kind of been living there for a while. The worst part of it...the fear was starting to morph into "I can't" again.
This all got to me this past week. I am sick. Being sick is interfering with my training. FOR PEAK WEEK. OMG. This was supposed to be the week that I proved to myself I could do IMLOU. And on top of being sick, the athlete guide is published and instead of having 16.5 hours (which is what I expected) or 17 hours (which was the max for IMs, but I knew that IMLOU in October was different)...now, all of a sudden, I was told this week that if I took more than 16 hours to finish - DNF. Even if the course was still open. Even if I walked away with a medal, I would not be an official IM finisher if I took too long.
Between not training because of illness and hearing that I now had 30 minutes less (and that's a lot of time when you're already considering how slow you are and panicking)...I started to feel the "I can't" attitude starting to take over. And at this point, 3 weeks out from the race, there's not a damn thing I can do. I can't train 24/7 until the race to make up for my deficiencies. I can't all of a sudden get thinner, faster, stronger. Nothing is going to change between now and race day.
Nothing. Except my attitude. Yesterday I was texting my coach and I think that my attitude is finally in the right place. Illness. Shortened course time. Whatever. I think I have the attitude that will serve me the best on race day.
I am going out on October 9 and I'm going to race my best. I'm going to just keep swimming, just keep biking, and just keep running until they tell me I can't anymore or until I cross the finish line. And as I keep swimming, keep biking, and keep running, I'm going to remember that I can and that no matter the outcome, there is good to come out of this.
Because no matter whether I get pulled off the course for missing a time cutoff (an unlikely event, but it's good to have an attitude plan in case), then my coach and I will have some great information about what I need to work on for next year.
And if I finish the race but am an official DNF because I take longer than 16 hours (a possibly likely scenario), then my coach and I will have some great information about what I need to work on for next year.
And if I finish the race and I'm under 16 hours (a possible scenario that my coach is counting on and that I'm going to strive to achieve), then I'm getting the IM tattoo that I've been dreaming about for years and my coach and I will have some great information about what I need to work on for next year.
No matter what the outcome, there is no reason to be devastated. A DNF is not the end of the world - it's a starting point for next year. And an official finish? That's the end goal, because I won't get the tattoo otherwise...and I want one, really really bad. But that's just one piece of the equation, not the only piece.
No matter what, I will have a good baseline and a place to improve from for next year.
And that's an attitude that I can live (and succeed) with.
I was missing out on a lot of things that my friends were doing, but in another way, they were missing things I was doing. It was kind of a trade-off I had to make. -- Victoria Azarenka Today is the only day. Yesterday is gone. -- John Wooden
I've been missing in action recently. You may or may not have noticed. I wish I had a good excuse. Well, I probably do have a good excuse. I'm drowning. (Not literally...please.) I seem to have forgotten just how hard the peak training for Ironman is and I just can't keep up with life. Or blogging. Or blogging about my life. Whatever.
Stuff has happened since I was here last. I ran a half marathon in 100 degree heat. It sucked. I've actually done lots of training in 100 degree heat. It has all sucked. To avoid the heat, I've done way too many trainer rides. Those suck too. I took a private swim lesson and fixed my stroke a bit. That doesn't suck.
In addition to training, life has been busy too. My kids started middle school and high school, so of course I needed to be orientated. And my job started back up too. And with the start of school comes the start of their sports activities - which is awesome and so good for them but requires a lot of creativity on the part of IronSherpa and he's in peak training too.
So what's next? I'm 4 weeks out from IM Louisville. Just under a month. I'm starting to panic a little, but I also know that I'm working hard and that freaking out is part of the training. I know (at least I hope) that it won't be 100 degrees, so it should be much more doable than it was at Rev3 in July or at the half marathon in August. Hot weather training is supposed to be good for me - I read that somewhere I think. Even if it's not, I'm going to maintain the delusion because it's the only thing that gets me out training in this miserable weather.
Oh, hey - are you wondering about the title? Where'd You Go, Bernadette? is an interesting book about a woman who goes missing when life gets too hard. Hahahaha. I'll just leave that there.
Life's like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending. -- Jim Henson Being is like pretending. -- Mira Sorvino
I suffer from impostor syndrome. It's not all that uncommon for people in my line of work - I'm a professor. There are many jokes, memes, etc., about impostor syndrome in academia. It's just a thing.
On the off chance you're unfamiliar - impostor syndrome (according to Wikipedia) refers to "high-achieving individuals marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud." Regardless of evidence to the contrary, I wonder whether I know enough, write enough, am smart enough to be the professor I am.
I also suffer from impostor syndrome with respect to triathlons. OK, maybe I'm not high-achieving athletically, but sometimes I still wonder whether I'm really a triathlete...despite the fact I've finished x triathlons. When I hang out with other triathletes, sometimes I wonder if I really belong there. It's really the same feelings I have in my professional life. Weird huh?
So an interesting thing happened yesterday, my two pretend worlds collided...and weirdly enough, I feel a little like less of an impostor because of it...which I have to say is unexpected. And a little bit cool.
I won a big teaching award yesterday. In receiving my award, the provost of the university was laying out my accomplishments and mentioned that in my spare time, I do triathlons. Then I got my plaque and while shaking hands with the university president, he remarked how impressed he was. In a world where I feel like an impostor for teaching, I got mad props for doing triathlons. Weird, huh?
And then, because what else would I do, I put a few snaps of me and my award on Facebook. And then all my triathlon friends remarked how awesome it was that I was a great teacher and that they weren't at all surprised. Even weirder?
Anyway, I realize that impostor syndrome doesn't serve me well in either sphere of my life - clearly I need to do a better job of accepting the external evidence that I'm doing just fine. I deserve to be there. I belong and I succeed. And maybe this weird juxtaposition will give me a little boost along that path.
The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. Rabindranath Tagore
Well. There are two months to Ironman Louisville. And I'm freaking out a little bit...because that's what I do. But I also need to remember, I'm a butterfly. I need to count moments - and there are plenty of those between now and the race.
Of course, I need to make the most of those moments. I am doing my best to follow my coach's plan - including practicing my fueling and acting like an athlete...which is NOT in my normal nature. I'm a fantastic eater when I'm not training - fantastic meaning I like to eat. :) But when I'm training, I really don't like eating and it's not really working out for me so well. So one of my goals for long workouts is to fuel like an athlete.
What am I eating (or at least what am I supposed to be eating)? Picky bars, gels and chews, bananas, and sports drink. Doesn't sound horrible, right? Except after a couple hours of this, I either want a cheeseburger and fries or NOTHING. Nothing at all. Food doesn't even sound good. But no fuel means the engine doesn't go. And so...I get to spend the next two months (and any number of moments) practicing how to eat. :) When you put it that way, it doesn't sound so bad.
Ultimately, it's a sense of camaraderie and friendship with local people that is core to my journeys. -- Tim Cope
Yesterday I had a long brick workout on the schedule, so we went down to the Virginia Capital Trail. It's great because it's off the road, has potties and store stops at reasonable intervals, and ... what I realized yesterday... it's where everyone is. Because...sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name...
Seriously. Over the course of four hours I kept running across people I knew or people I've seen on the trail before. Sometimes we met with a little lift of the hand, other times we said hi to each other. One time, getting passed by a lady I swim with at masters, we chatted for a minute, before she sped off. Then on my brick "run" along the same trail, I ran into another guy from town doing his own brick run. Again, it was just a "hey, how are you, dang it's hot"...but that level of interaction is exactly what I like.
I train mostly by myself - in part because it works best for my schedule, and in part because I'm an extroverted introvert...that person who can do the whole public thing, but then I seriously need to be ALONE. And for the longest part of my tri career (the part that happened already - I expect to keep doing this craziness for a good long while, but anyway), I was totally alone. Well - not totally alone - I played on Beginner Triathlete. Those were my tri friends, my people, my tribe. But they lived in my computer, except for rare occasions when we met in real life, which was always weird, but I made some friends that way.
Now I live in a real live tri community, with real live people and real live friends. In fact, probably half of my friends that are local are triathlon-related. I am active in my triathlon club, I talk to people at Masters and at races, but I still mostly train alone. And that is good for me.
But it does get lonely - even for an introvert. Which is why the Capital Trail is perfect for me. I can ride and run all by myself (or with IronSherpa, who rode with me for part of yesterday but also rode alone so he good for faster for part of it). Even though I'm alone, though - my friends are there. We say hi, we lift our fingers, we wish each other a good ride, we recognize that everyone is suffering through the same heat and humidity...and then we are on our own way.
Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go Where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same You wanna be where everybody knows Your name.
My goal is to his the gym every day I'm on vacation. Usually I just end up sleeping and drinking beer. -- Gary Allan The purpose of a vacation is to have the time to rest. But many of us, even when we go on vacation, don't know how to rest. We may even come back more tired than before we left. -- Nhat Hanh
Last week I was on vacation. Seven glorious days on a cruise ship in the Caribbean...so relaxing. So restful. So NOT conducive to training. And maybe that's OK. Sure, you plan to follow your training plan on vacation, but then there are so many other things to do, so many fun things to drink...and instead, you end up running a little, swimming (only as much as necessary to snorkel), walking on shore excursions, and climbing stairs forever. And that is what counts as exercise.
It wasn't exactly what my coach told me to do, but on the flipside, it was restful. Yeah, I'm supposed to be building up to IM Louisville, but I gotta say, this week of rest was probably what I needed between Rev3 and the next long couple months of hard training before the big day. And so I'm good with it. I came back less tired than I left and ready to dig in.
It is so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun, to have lived light in the spring, to have loved, to have though, to have done. -- Matthew Arnold
When the weather report comes in the week of your race and
it says it’s going to be the hottest weather yet of the summer…well, that kind
of sets up your expectations right then and there. What kind of idiot signs up to do an HIM in
July? In Virginia? I’m a special kind of idiot, but you already
knew that. Last weekend's race - REV3 Williamsburg was kinda like walking on the sun.
Pre-race prep: Well
other than training, which had gone OK but not perfect, I bought a sun cooling
bolero. Actually, I bought cooling
sleeves first, but these arms are a little too thick and I felt like a
sausage. So I returned those and went with
the bolero – and that actually turned out pretty brilliant.
Pre-race: We drove to
Williamsburg on Saturday morning. Check
in was easy-peasy and there wasn’t much to see at the expo, so it was on to the
practice swim. The practice swim was
held in the swim exit area, at low tide.
I could pretty much walk the whole thing – if I wanted to walk in 2 feet
of foot-sucking mud. It was super gross,
super shallow, and really unpleasant. But
the water felt good and I didn’t have any lingering fears about the swim…which
is good…considering my last HIM attempt was the Raleigh head-kick fiasco. After the practice swim, we checked in my
bike, got some lunch, and went to the athlete briefing. For the afternoon, the only goal was to be
off my feet and in the cool – so we drove the course and hung out at the
hotel. I have ridden most of the course
at various points in different events – but it was still good to see it start
to finish (from my car). For dinner we
met a friend at a local Italian restaurant…where pretty much every triathlete
from my town was at. It was crazy. (We didn’t plan it that way, really!) After dinner, it was TV and to bed in the
hotel. I was nervous. I’m always nervous.
Race morning: We got
up early and drove to the site. I went
down to transition to check on my bike and pump and…because no race day should
start without a little adventure – I popped the valve off my front tire while I
was taking the pump off. Tire is full…but
no valve. Freaking out. Yeah, I had a flat kit and there was
allegedly bike support…but yikes! I took
my bike out to a local tri shop owner – he was selling body glide and stuff
(not bike support) but he knows bikes (and I'm a bike idiot, among many other kinds of idiot) so I asked him if my tire would be full
when I got to transition after the swim.
He said yep…the only downside is that I couldn’t inflate my tire
later. Well, if it deflated at any time
during the race, it was because I had a flat and I’d be changing it anyway, so
I decided to risk it. No problem – my bike
tire caused no more anxiety. I should
probably remember to change the tube before my next training ride…hahahaha.
Breakfast of Champions:
I tried to choke down a Picky Bar in the hotel room while I was getting
dressed, but I had a heck of a time eating.
Nervous stomach. I need to work
on this. Before the race, I managed to
get in most of a Picky Bar, two Mountain Dew Kickstarts, and a package of Honey
Stinger chews. Probably not enough to
eat, but it was all I got in.
Swim: The swim course
was with the tide and current – although it was basically slack tide for the
HIM. The swim was only one real turn –
we swam out of a channel, turned left at the river, and then down to swim
exit. The swim in the channel went fine,
but once I got out to the turn….I couldn’t get there. What?
I could see the orange buoy but I wasn’t getting any closer. Are you kidding me? Part of it was the current, but I then
learned the real part of it…the buoy was MOVING! OUT! AWAY FROM ME! I
swam into a pack of people, all trying to figure out WTH…and all the while, the
kayaker at the turn buoy is chasing the buoy down. Finally she grabbed it, held it, and just
told us all to turn. I hadn’t made it
around the buoy and was worried I would be DQd for cutting the course. But the official said turn, and I
turned. The swim back to swim exit was
less exciting and with the current, which was awesome. Out of the water, I looked at my watch and
realized I had cut about 5 minutes off my best HIM swim. Current aided, of course…but still. I was a little worried that it was because I
had cut the course too short, but it turns out (looking at my Garmin later) I swam the full course and maybe a little extra even
(probably trying to chase the buoy). I
was still slower than most of the swimmers, but it was a comfortable, safe swim
and I am super happy with it. I need to
keep piling up these swim wins.
T1: Transition is
always a welcome site after my swim. And
there were still bikes there, so that was nice.
(Of course, the Oly length tri hadn’t even started yet, so of course
there were bikes there, but don’t rain on my parade.) Got in a gel and a swig of Gatorade, put on
my bike gear and my fancy new bolero, and headed out.
Bike: My goals for
the bike were to not die and to eat and drink like it was my job. Well, I didn’t die and I did a good amount of
eating and drinking – although I could probably get a little more in if I was
doing my job better. The bike was super
desolate for me, except getting passed by the screaming fast Oly pros and men
before where the course divided. I’m not
fast on the bike but I kept a move on.
No pit stops on the bike, although I did roll to a stop at the 2nd aid
station (mile 31) where a volunteer helped fill my front bottle and I splashed
some water on my sleeves, but that was it for stopping. Got a fresh Gatorade while rolling at 3rd aid station. Intake – 1 gel,
1.5 picky bars, lots of Gatorade, and my treat…NERDS. Yes. I
did. I had a little tube of Nerd candy
in my bento that I kept tossing in my mouth whenever I felt low. Also base salt every 15 or so minutes. Partway through I moved water up front and
put Gatorade in the back holder because my mouth was getting sticky. I should eat more real food (Picky Bars) but
other than that, I’ll call win. I do
want a faster bike split, but that requires more time on the bike…and I just
haven’t quite had the luck with that I would have wanted. I didn’t get to bike at Raleigh, I had the
near-collision-with-a-car that cut short a long bike, etc. etc. etc. Not excuses, but explanations as to why I
wasn’t as fast as I wanted to be. More
long bikes are in my future between now and IMLOU, that’s for sure. J
T2: Once the bike is
done, the rest is fun. OK, that’s a big
fat lie when it’s 95 degrees out, but that’s what I feel about getting to
T2. Once you get off the bike, it’s all
under your control. You just need to
keep moving forward to the finish. On
your feet. Easy! I was a speed demon in T2. FAST!
(That’s the only time I’ll use “fast” to describe my race….seriously.) Swap shoes, swap hats, race belt on, and GO!
Run: Run is a funny
way to describe the next 3+ hours. There
was some running. There was a lot of
walking. It was hot as hell. My goals for the run were to drink like a
boss and finish before they turned off the clock. Score!
I did that! The race is cruelly
situated in a park near a river…with the bike and the run course really taking
off on the other side of that river…so leaving out (and coming in) on both the
bike and the run involved crossing a long hill of a bridge. And worse yet – that bridge is BAKING in the
sun. Ick. And…because the HIM is so special, we did a
two loop run! 4 flippin’ times across that
bridge. Well, anyway, I complain only to
point out that I walked the uphill of that bridge All. Four.
Times. And the first time over, I
walked the downhill too. This got me to
mile 1 and an aid station where (Coach Kelly – this is for you) I ate the
flippin’ banana! And drank. And took some base salt. I ran when it suited me. I walked when I didn’t feel like
running. And I did that for 13.1 miles. I drank at every aid
station. Gatorade. Water.
Coke. I poured water on my
sleeves at nearly every aid station – and that was pretty awesome. They do work – if for no other reason than by
giving you a mental boost of being cold for a few minutes…oh, and keeping me
from a serious sunburn. I got a couple
splotches where my kit and bolero didn’t cover, but otherwise, I remained
burn-free! (Which is good, because I don’t
remember REV3 doing the whole sunscreen thing like IM does.) I kept pouring ice in my tri top...dual purpose of keeping me cool and giving me ice to snack on between aid stations. Yes, I admit it. I ate boob ice. It's OK. Other than the banana and boob ice, I don’t remember
eating anything else. That could be part
of the problem. But I did drink. And drink.
And drink. And drinks with
calories. It was just SO. Freakin.
HOT. I give me credit for drinking like a boss, though.
I also caught up to a friend at about mile 5 who was having bad thoughts, so we struggled together for a good bit of the race and I tried to keep her upbeat. It helped me too. And she finished her first HIM! So happy for her.
Finish!
I love that REV3 lets you finish with your family. I had really been looking forward to finishing with my girls.
Course comments:
Some people have asked about the course – because this is a
new venue & course for REV3 in Willliamsburg.
Swim: The swim is a
simple V – out through a channel and down the river. The RD has the option to reverse the course
based on tide and current, although it would be a hell of a run to transition
from what was the swim start. The water
is dirty and because it’s July…warm.
83.4 on race morning. Otherwise,
though, it was very pleasant. The water
doesn’t smell, there weren’t many boats during the race (there were some during
the practice swim), and I actually enjoyed the swim…other than the buoy
floating away. I heard both the Oly and
the HIM were affected by this problem – I assume REV3 will plan a little
differently going forward to ensure the buoys stay put.
Bike: The bike course
is a popsicle, or actually more like a P shape.
Out of the park, over the bridge, and then a few miles on Route 5. Then it’s into the country for miles
~5-35. In the country, you have farms,
forest, scary houses, and more. The scenery
is sometimes pretty. The roads are
generally good condition – a few “hills” and some rollers, but also a lot of
flat. I’m crappy at aero, but I spent
good time there. Three well placed aid
stations (15-31-46). I skipped the first
and last, but I made good use of the middle one. After mile 35, you get back on Route 5 for 20
long straight miles. Again, a roller or
two, but the only real challenge of the back stretch is willing your body back
over the bridge at mile 55. There was
little traffic and I never felt impeded by cars – although, as I mentioned, I
spent a lot of time by myself. Faster
people may have encompassed a different scene.
There was a nice tailwind for that last 20 mile stretch, I hear.
Run: The run leaves
transition and is on the grass for a bit.
Then it’s onto the Capital Trail – a fantastic paved trail. The first mile is out of transition and over
the hellacious bridge, then it’s a mix of sun and shade. Aid stations just about every mile and the
course is a 2x out and back, so you hit them a lot. Pretty much flat except for the bridge. That you cross 4 times. You go out about 3.5
miles, then back to the base of the bridge closest to transition, then back out
again over the bridge and to the turn around, then back and over the bridge one
more time, on the grass around transition, through a campground on the road,
and into the finish over grass.
Other: The volunteer support was great and they had people out there until the very last. As far as I know, they never ran out of ice or anything on the course...if they did, they replenished it right away. The folks at Rev3 are awesome. I got to witness the last finisher and the race folks got everyone in the immediate area to give her a standing ovation at the finish line...I had seen her on the course and she had a couple of Rev3 staff members running with her the whole time. It was inspiring.
I have some other thoughts about MY race, but I think this sums up the race itself. I enjoyed the course and other than the heat (hey, it's JULY!), I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Oh, whatever, I'm totally lying - I'll definitely do it again. It should be a fast course, I wasn't fast, and I got something to prove now.
A woman is like a tea bag -- you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. -- Eleanor Roosevelt
Well. The good news is that I'll know how strong I am after this coming Sunday. Because I'm going to be in hot water. And hot air. And hot everything. I'm set to race my 2nd HIM (hopefully more successful than Raleigh's head-kick DNF) at Rev3 Williamsburg and the forecast is unGodly. As Cole Porter would say...it's too darn hot.
Now, I get it - I'm a little bit of a Goldilocks. Too hot, too cold, too soft, too hard. Nothing is ever just right. The perfect riding weather, in my opinion, is 75 degrees, sunny but not too sunny, a light cooling breeze always at my back, and downhill.
But that's not my reality - not this Sunday and generally not ever. So what's the plan?
Well, I'm hydrating. My coach even sent me an email to get a report on my fluid intake. BWAHAHAHAHAH. I'm guessing she wasn't expecting my answer (coffee, diet Mt. Dew, sugar-free lemonade...yeah, healthy stuff there, folks) but it did make me more conscious about what I need to do. Water. Sports drink. Water. Sports drink. (And of course the occasional diet pop and always coffee thrown in. Maybe a bit of vino in the evenings...)
And I've tried to get out into the miserable weather, doing some of my easy runs at lunch time or in the afternoon, to at least acclimate a little bit. It's horrible, but at least Sunday won't be quite as much of a shock to the system.
I am trying to use some cooling technology. I bought a pair of cooling sleeves to try, but they made my arms feel like sausages - so uncomfortable. I returned those and have a bolero coming in today - I know, nothing new on race day, but I figure I'll get a short test with it before Sunday and worst case I just take the damn thing off if it is bothering me.
Finally, I'm setting realistic expectations. It will suck. The best thing I can do on Sunday is go out there, avoid getting kicked in the head, swim to T1, bike to T2, and run/walk to the finish. And enjoy it. Smile. And finish. That's the only goal. And a mighty fine goal it is. Because that's all you can do when it's too darn hot.
I think togetherness is a very important ingredient to family life. -- Barbara Bush Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops. -- Cary Grant
I tri. My husband tris. My younger daughter tris. And my older daughter, before she got too busy playing competitive soccer, also tri'd (and occasionally kicks around the idea of doing a relay tri with us). The family that tris together stays together, right? The family that tris together also overwhelms the mailman...
All kidding aside, it's fun to be part of a triathlon family. When we go to races, the girls know what is going on. They know what to cheer for. They recognize the achievements of the pros and of the back-of-the-pack. They get it. And because they get it, it's fun to be part of it with them.
But there's another thing that I've been thinking about regarding families who tri...these kids hopefully never have to hear that voice in their head that says "you can't be an athlete" - because even when they get old and fat and slow, they've been exposed to athletes just. like. that. (Heck, my kids even live with an old and fat and slow triathlete.)
This video from Upworthy is awesome. Watch it. No really.
Anyway, I hope that growing up in a family of athletes will help my girls as teens. There are plenty of studies and stuff that says healthy athleticism goes a long way to keeping teen girls out of trouble and more, well, healthy. Food is fuel. Working out keeps us strong. Strong is pretty.
But I also hope that growing up in a family of athletes will help my girls when they get older. They won't have to learn to swim as grownups - like I did. They won't be afraid to try something new, because maybe they've already did it. Or may be they'll enjoy the challenges of trying something new and won't be afraid for that reason. And maybe that little voice that says "you can't be an athlete" won't even exist in their heads. And if it exists...they will be able to shush it.
Next post - the one where I freak out about racing in 900 degree heat this coming weekend...stay tuned!
Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring. -- Desmond Tutu
I know that I said my next post would be about families who tri...but I was out at the Cap Trail today and wanted to talk about biking instead. Maybe next time - families who tri...
Fishing is stupid and boring. Biking is so much better. I don't love biking - maybe I would if I was better at it. But I do love bikers. The world is full of people - some who love bikers and some who don't love bikers. Surprisingly enough, I think there are a lot of people who ride bikes that don't love bikers...and that makes me sad.
The Cap Trail is fantastic and I love to see the bikers - men, women, all ages, all colors, all BMI measurements. There are road bikes, tri bikes, recumbent bikes, tandems. Some of the bikes cost more than my house. Some of the bikes look like they weigh more than I do. People ride in kits from races, clubs, colleges, and more. Other people ride wearing...well, things I wouldn't ride a bike in...but hey. I'm not judgy.
But there are some things bikers do that make me judgy. And these things make me feel like these bikers maybe don't love other bikers. And like I said, that makes me sad.
Bikers who don't wear helmets. I know the argument is that not wearing a helmet only hurts the idiot that doesn't wear one...but I disagree. If I see you and you're not wearing a helmet, I ride more carefully around you. I slow down. I ride far to the side. Because you, obviously, don't care for your safety. And so I can only assume you don't care for mine either. The last two times I've ridden the Cap Trail, I saw a couple of helmet things that completely mystify me. Last time, there was a couple riding who had bike helmets hanging off their handlebars. WTH! They OWNED helmets. They had them with. And they were carrying extra weight by hanging them...but they weren't wearing them. So confusing!!! Today, there was a family that spent a good 15 minutes putting on sunscreen...mom, dad, kids...but then went riding without helmets. How do you care so much about your skin that you slather on the sunscreen, but you don't care enough about your noggin to put on helmets? WTH!
Bikers who turn into jerks in cars. Sure - you ride your bike and you put forth some good manners...until you're in your car. And then you act like every other stupid redneck that hates bikers. But it's worse - because you have a bike rack on that car...or a triathlon/cycling sticker...or both. So when you buzz by me or try to run me off the road, I know you're a cyclist. WTH!
Bikers who don't ask if help is needed. I rode past a few people today who were pulled over to the side of the trail, looking like they may be having a mechanical. So I slowed down and asked if they were OK and did they need anything. And I always do this. I'm glad they usually don't take me up on it, because I'm a bike mech idiot...I couldn't actually help them, but I'd be happy to share a tube or loan a wrench or whatever. I don't ask if it's clear that they're just stopping to get a drink or if there are other people there with them. But most people don't ask. And that makes me angry. And judgy. And makes me think that people who don't ask don't really love other bikers. How hard is it to see if someone needs help?
Anyway, I ask. I usually do. And today, there was a guy I asked who didn't need any help. But when he passed me a mile or so later, he thanked me for checking on him and said he appreciated that someone cared. Bikers should care about other bikers. Bikers should care. Bikers should love other bikers...and if they don't, they should go fishing instead.
