What a weekend!!

Wow...what a training weekend this was.  Where I'd love to be able to say that it's been so hot for so long that I'm actually getting used to the heat, I can't.  I've had just about enough of this heat!  But the training must go on...heat or no heat!  So Saturday my training consisted of a 100 mile bike ride then a 40 minute run.  I prepared all of my bottles on Thursday night as I was meeting friends out for drinks Friday night.  (I actually prefer to say I was carb loading in preparation for my long workout the next day...hahaha).  Man, mixing up all those bottles is a job in itself!  For a short time I think I knew how mothers feel making baby bottles...LOL  Water, IM Perform, recovery...you name it, I was bringing it.  Can't forget the gels either!

So Saturday morning out I go...heading to Barrington High School to meet Maxine where we will tackle 100 miles over various routes.  I can only carry 2 hours worth of fluids on my bike so the high school was our home base to refuel.  Beats trying to find gas stations & potentially running out.  I was on a mission to nail my nutrition and knew this would be my best shot.  Plus, I had 3 routes in the area so getting bored would not be an issue.  Now, I've ridden 100 miles or so before, but those were always on "organized rides" where we're stopping every 20 miles or so, getting off the bike, eating, chatting, etc...then heading out again.  Saturday we were only stopping at the 2 hour mark to refuel and heading back out.  What a difference...Maxine is a stronger rider than me so the first 70 miles or so I pushed it a bit to try to stay close.  Thank you Maxine for coming out to ride with me...it was awesome!

We both ran, but separately as she actually finished her ride a bit before me.  40 min run after riding 100 miles, I was very happy with my pace.  It was hot but I actually think it was only in the mid-high 80's?  Funny how that suddenly seems "cool".  Anyways - Saturday workout over and I think it was almost 8pm by the time I was done putting everything away, washing bottles, doing laundry, etc.  Time for bed because I have my longest run ever on Sunday!!  The picture below is all of our empty bottles after our ride and run, minus the aero bottles and all of the empty gel packets.

Sunday morning and I find myself taking the dog for a long walk before my run.  Lucky Erin...I used it as a warm up and resisted the urge to run with her a bit.  I was not about to run one more minute than I actually had to!  Headed out on my run from Lifetime shortly before 8am.  It was humid.  Cloudy, but humid.  I had to run 2:40...prior to this my longest run had been the week before, at 2:20.  I knew how that run had gone and my goal was to have an average pace faster than last weeks run.  But not knowing how I'd do, I decided to take it "easy" the 1st 2 hours and leave the last 40 minutes to push it if I could.

What I realized on this long run was it was very boring.  Sometime after about 90 minutes I started the countdown..."how much longer"?  Sort of the kids version of "are we there yet?"...LOL 

I was running by myself but actually I preferred this so was able to control my heart rate and run "my" run.  The pace for 1st 2 hours or so were all within about 15 seconds of each other...slower than I typically run but again...humid and I wasn't sure how I'd feel.  2 hours gone and as I started out the last 40 minutes it started to rain.  Oh, I was happy for the rain...would cool me off I thought.  Little did I know it would last all of 5 minutes and be gone :(  My pacing the 1st 2 hours worked as I was able to pick up the pace for this last part and ended up averaging 14 seconds per mile faster than last week.  Sweet!!!  I even did some stretching in the pool after...wasn't at home so couldn't do the ice bath but I think the pool helped!  Thanks Donna & Jen for the suggestion :)

So had a few firsts this weekend.  Bike/run went well on Saturday.  Would've like to average a bit faster on the bike Sat but considering we climbed a lot of hills and I pushed it the first 4.5 hours or so, I'm OK with it.  No problems on my long run Sunday...except thinking I have no desire ever to run a marathon.  Maybe it's just the training runs that are boring.  That's what I've been told...Jamie I'm trusting you this is the case :)  Today my legs do feel like I worked the crap out of them this weekend, but you know what?  I did!  Now back to my foam roller....

Time to regroup!!

These last few weeks (again) have been sort of blah blah weeks.  Having trouble focusing.  Life's stresses.  Not feeling well.  Cancelled dinner plans at one of my favorite restaurants this week because I didn't feel well.  The weather.  An "A" race getting shortened due to yes, the weather.  Stress.  Workouts being affected by the weather (can you say Mental Toughness Day?).  My nutrition hasn't been that great lately.  Did I mention stress yet?   Or the weather...?

In fact, I sit here typing this during a time I was supposed to be doing my open water swim & then running a 5k.  Just wasn't feeling it today, spent the day running around all over what felt like the entire state, in the heat, ran out of fluids so think I was a bit dehydrated...put it all together along with not feeling well the past few days & I (yes Jen) skipped my workout tonight.  I know it probably happens to others, but typically, it doesn't happen to me.  I hate missing workouts!

I've spent the last few days reading lots of blogs. This isn't something I typically do...oh, I have my few blogs of my favorite people that I follow, but other than that, I don't usually read them. Mostly because I'm on a computer all day long & then some & in the little free time I have, I just don't want to be sitting on a computer.  But I think there was a reason I ended up reading the ones I did...something led me to them for a reason.

I also spent some time with a few friends I rarely see or talk to.  Sorta used them as a sounding board for what I've been feeling lately...I mean, yes I knew Ironman training was not easy, or so they said.  I now know no matter how many times people tell you, you don't really "get it" until you experience it.  Don't get me wrong, so far it hasn't been that bad (OK, last Sat's workout was a nightmare...due to the weather...) but it's the sacrifices I've had to make in order to get my training in that I've been dealing with.  The invites I've had to turn down...or has it just been coincidences that everything happens on days I have long training, or nights before...LOL.  Even today, had to turn something down because of training.  Been struggling with that a lot lately :(  And it gets in my head & gets stuck...like I'm missing out.  Yep, struggling with that a lot lately.

Anyways - so after reading the blogs, talking to some friends & digging within, I'm ready to regroup...get back on track mentally & physically.  Oh yeah, and Mother Nature...really?  MUST you continue this 90+ degree weather every day?  I know it's summer...but enough is enough!!!  My Ironman is less than 2 months away...take the 90's back, leave us with the 80's........I'm tired of looking like crap :)

Muncie 2012 race report

So, I'm 0-2 for Muncie 1/2 Ironman now.  Last year should've been my 1st 1/2 Ironman - Muncie, and I fractured my elbow a week before it & couldn't race.  This year, due to extremely high temperatures & humidity levels, the Muncie 1/2 Ironman was shortened to a 37.2 instead of 70.3 race...1 mile swim, 30 mile bike & a 10k run.  Boy I was not happy when I heard that!  First they had moved up the start time of the race by 30 min due to the heat, which was OK, but now...another failed attempt at having Muncie be my 1st 1/2 Ironman.  Boo!!!  My entire race plan - out the door now.  And honestly, I wasn't prepared to race at Olympic distance-ish pace (translation...in the heat, I didn't want to)

Aside from a few hiccups, Friday was pretty much the typical day before race day.  Went to athlete check-in, checked out the Ironman store, saw a few friendly faces from back home, listened to the course talk (although I'm still wondering why they said 1 mile swim...but also said the swim was 800m out, right turn for 300m & then 800m back...clearly more than a mile).  Met up with Jamie & Andre, who were also racing.  Had dinner at the same Italian place I did last year...ate what I thought I would, including a beer to calm the nerves.  Checked into the hotel & brought up all my stuff, including the bike...man I packed alot of stuff!!  I didn't make it to the race site, but it was so hot that I wasn't going to check in the bike at transition anyways - so it was no biggie.  Now, to bed early because it was a 3:30am wake up!

Race morning!!  I knew I had to eat & really had to force myself, just wasn't hungry.  The drive to Prairie Creek Reservoir, for anyone who hasn't been there, is down alot of back country roads, one lane roads with not much light.  Arrived at the race probably about 5am & proceeded to pump up the air in my tires before heading to transition.  And yep, I get a flat!  I have an issue with filling up air in my tires, somehow the tip of the stem always gets bent & this time it just broke off.  Great...here's hoping they have bike support at transition as changing a tire was the last thing I wanted to do!!  They did...sweet, love those guys, they make it look so easy...LOL

I have to admit, setting up in transition was difficult because it was still so dark & there wasn't much light.  I couldn't see anything in my bag & it was getting hot & humid.  I wasn't happy at this point.  But I set up & squished everything together & gave my friend Dave my bike pump to put in his car as he happened to be going back to it..one less thing to carry back!  I was in the 1st age group row of bikes, next to the pros.  I turned around at my transition spot & who do I see setting up her stuff, basically right next to me, but Mirinda Carfrae!  How cool.  She is much tinier in person than I remembered.  As much as I wanted to say hi or get a pic with her, she was there to race & was setting up like everyone else so I left her alone...just secretly hoped her being near me would make me faster...LOL

The water temp was 88. Great.  I've always said I prefer warmer than colder...was this Karma biting me in the butt?  88?  Really?  And it felt every bit of 88 and once the sun came out, it got worse.  My swim was much slower than I expected.  2 things I dealt with - the strap on my Garmin came loose from the loop than holds it in place & I could feel it dragging in the water - so twice I stopped to fix it.  And the hot water got to me...I was not feeling good in the water & it showed in my time.  I did haul a$$ up the LONG uphill run into T1 after the swim though...T1 was a bit long due to me putting on those white cooling sleeves...couldn't get them on & the jury's still out as to whether they helped or not.  Not sure I'll race with them again.

I initially felt good on the bike.  The course is mostly flat with just a few rollers.  I seemed to be cruising along pretty good, had my nutrition down & somewhere around mile 10 just started running out of gas.  I adjusted my nutrition a bit to take in more calories, but slowly started seeing my average mph drop.  I eventually brought it back up but not to where I feel I could've been.  Due to the shortened course, there were 2 turn arounds - which I didn't like one bit.  Maybe it was the dead skunk I passed 3 times & had to smell :(  I did master my 1st time grabbing bottles on the bike & tossing the old ones though...woo hoo for me!!

Cruising into T2 I felt OK & after a quick potty break was out on the run.  Had Garmin

So overall, not a good race for me. I think part of it was psychological - shortening the race messed me up.  Knowing I now had to do a full Ironman without ever doing a 1/2 (potentially) was bugging me too.  The other part obviously was the heat...it was brutal and as much as I have been training in it these past few weeks, it was bad.  Learned a few things that I hope to take with me to the next race.  And next year?  Do I hope 3rd time's a charm?  Or will it be 3 strikes and I'm out?  Honestly, Schaumburg tri is the same weekend & that was my 1st tri ever & I had taken 3rd in my AG in it...have been wanting to go back & see what I can do...this might just be a sign that I need to move on from Muncie next year!

This was Team Bee Line...a fun time had by all despite everything!!!

It's almost GO TIME!!!

So here I am...exactly 9 days before my first 1/2 Ironman!!  Funny how time creeps up on you.  I remember when it was months away, then weeks, now all of a sudden, a week from tomorrow I'll be heading to Muncie, IN...ready to race on July 7th!  It's a bit overdue for me...a year ago I fractured my elbow exactly one week before Muncie - last year was to be my 1st I/2 IM...needless to say, with a fractured elbow at the very beginning of July, there was no Muncie, no more swimming or biking & most of my tri season was shot.  I did race the women's tri at Bang's Lake in August, against my doctor's orders...but if you know me, I thought "it's only a sprint, I won't get hurt"...LOL  Now, where's that bubble wrap for the next 7 days??

I've been thinking alot about whether or not I feel ready.  I've certainly gone the distances before. And then some!  Last night was my longest open water swim ever...2 miles (or as I'm still calling it...2+ miles)...with no wetsuit.  Muncie will more than likely be no wetsuit - so I'm glad I've had to swim at LITH these past few weeks without a wetsuit - just so I know I can do it.  My wetsuit has always been my "security blanket".  I've been biking well over the 56 miles each weekend for the past few weeks...I'm good there.  Most of my long rides have had a run after it also.  And surprisingly, my legs have transitioned well.  Last week I had a hilly 2 hour run...ugh, in the hot, humid weather.  But I did it & was happy with my average pace.  If I can hold that pace, or slightly better, at Muncie, I will be THRILLED!!  And I've been pretty good at sticking to my nutrition plan...not perfect, but pretty good.  However, being that this is my 1st, and that "unknown" is present in my mind...I'm not committing to any specific times.

Even though I didn't race Muncie last year due to my injury, I still went to support my friend Kim.  So, in a way, I'm slightly less nervous because I've been there - although I haven't been on the course, I've seen the swim, been to the race site, know how far the hotel is from the race...slightly familiar than if I had never been there before.  The drive, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired......

So...here goes...next week is race week...week before my 1st half...I'm going to try to be good.  And remember what I always say to others..."There is no try.  You either do or you don't."  Remember that, Cath...LOL

Swimming in a washing machine!

Don't laugh...that is exactly how I described my open water swim experience at LITH last night.  Now, I've swam there plenty of times over the past 3 years.  But last night I swear, I felt like I was being tossed around as if I were in a washing machine!  Right from the start...BAM!  Then I'd turn to breathe and BOOM!  Holy cow, I was in for a wild ride, I thought :)  And to top it off, the air and water temps were so high wetsuits were not allowed .  This was the first time I've ever swam LITH without a wetsuit.  I knew I could do it, but I usually wear it just incase I have goggle issues and need to stop to adjust (which for me, happens frequently).  Sort of my "security blanket"...after all, I've only been swimming for 3 years and yes, I still consider myself a beginner.  My wetsuit is sleeveless, so even if it's warmer, I don't usually overheat, so had they been allowed, I would've worn it.

I guess I should've started by saying I also had to run the 3 mile course last night.  Messing up on my time, I got to LITH much earlier than I needed to and when I saw another JHC athlete heading out for his run before the swim, I figured I'd take advantage of the time that way (instead of sitting in my air conditioned car trying to nap, as I was doing).  The run, well again, I've run that 3 miles before.  I had to stop a few times and walk, just to catch my breath.  My HR was so high - partly because of the heat, partly because of the hills and partly because I was wearing a visor that was stretched out, so it kept blowing off my head, so I finally just hung it around my neck and ran.  But that meant no eye protection from the sun.  And it showed in my run.  Bleck!!  How on earth am I going to get through Muncie in 2 weeks??  I've heard there is no shade on that run :(  But I got through it...not every run is going to be a good one, I told myself.

So anyways, back to the swim.  After my run I literally laid my towel out & rested.  My HR was still high and I felt a bit dizzy.  All I could think of was...I needed to relax, get my HR back down and clear my head. 

 

I had to swim 3 loops, without my security blanket...LOL  I do spend a lot of time thinking while swimming. After all, what else is there to do?  First lap was to be easy.  Easy...in a washing machine?  I knew from the start, don't be concerned about my time.  Midway through the 1st loop I realized they changed the bouy layout...I kept looking and looking for that 1st bouy off the turn and it wasn't there!  And as usual, I got off course after the last turn.  Happens every time, no matter how many times I sight.

So loop #2...supposed to be moderate to fast.  Ha!  In a washing machine I thought, sure!  Well I tried.  It felt like I was putting out the effort.  I took in a lot of water on the 2nd loop.  Kept thinking that couldn't be good...but keep going!!  I think I zoned out for a minute because I found myself almost adjusting my goggles underwater...oops, that wouldn't have been smart.  So finished the 2nd loop and this is when I looked at my watch.  Du-oh...bad idea.  I just couldn't help myself. Sort of like when there is chocolate around...

So loop #3 was to be easy and I told myself, easy is easy.  So I took it easy.  Very easy.  To the point my overall swim time for 3 loops was pathetic.  But wait...I swam in a washing machine!!  How many of you can say that?  LOL  So now I wonder what will IM Wisconsin's swim be like?  Will it be that choppy...all those athletes at once?  It's choppy at times on it's own (my 1st open water swimming experience was in Lake Monona...very choppy that day).  Will the bouys be closer together so they are easier to find?  Do I just go with the pack?  What if the pack is swimming off course?  Yikes...maybe I'll just NOT think about it.  At all.  Until race day.  Then just go with the flow...and hope the flow stays on course!

SheROX 2012...the Before, During & After

So this was my 2nd women's only tri that I've competed in.  Last year I did Bang's Lake and placed 3rd in AG but it was much small (about 300 vs. 1493 today).  I was going into it healthy (meaning no injuries!), prepared & with a few goals in mind.  I prepared like any other race.  Got a good nights sleep on Friday as we all know, you don't sleep well the night before a race.  Packed up my transition bag, the bike & got my nutrition ready Sat afternoon.  What I hadn't planned on was good 'ol Erin, the foster dog, being sick Sat night & keeping me up most of the night.  Not sure if it was from spending all day playing in the sun (she LOVES the sprinkler) or what...but she didn't eat her dinner & fidgeted in the bed all night.  And her tummy was making some odd noises.  I kept letting her outside for fear she'd get sick in the bed.  Needless to say, by 2:30am I was still wide away & by 3:30am said screw it & got up.

Got to the race bright 'n early.  Which I like to do anyways so I can get an end spot on the racks if they're not numbered. Score!  Transition was set up in 5 min.  So I had plenty of time to meander around & look for my friends, and make sure I knew how to find my transition spot for T1 & T2.  Now, I did 3 things between Sat & this morning that I've NEVER done for a race (thank you Coach Jen!)...practiced my transitions on Sat (yes, my neighbor caught me running through my yard with my wetsuit, swim cap & goggles on!), did a 20 min warm up run pre-race & got into the water for a quick 5 min swim pre-race.  I have never done any of that before!  I found it so much easier to say "I'm not fast in transition" than to practice & maybe get faster :)  And warm up?  Who does that for a sprint?  Little did I know ;)

The weather was not cooperating today though.  I'm not someone who likes running in the heat.  Ugh, my body doesn't want to move (I'm talking run) & I'm just plain miserable running in hot weather.  I'm ok on the bike in the heat.  And the water temp was about 77 I was told. They dumped cold water into the reservoir Fri to cool it off but by afternoon it was back up in the high 70's again.  I'm ok with it...I'd rather have a bit warmer than too cold.  People thought I was nuts for wearing my wetsuit - it actually felt a bit cooler than 77 but was so refreshing.  I was going to enjoy this swim!

Luckily the waves went from oldest to youngest, after Elite & Survivor (women who've survived some kind of cancer...very cool!).  So I was in wave 9.  1st mistake...I should've started at the front of my wave.  But knowing I'm not super fast, I hung out about a 1/3 in, to avoid being swam over...UGH  I wanted to swim the inside line the entire way...would keep me straight & it was the shortest distance.  But I had to fight through breast strokers, back strokers & walkers.  Yes, walkers.  My biggest pet peeve in triathlon!  They even instructed us in the course talk on Sat...if you're not going for time, are not the strongest swimmer or think you might need help - swim on the outside & leave the inside for those going for time.  Obviously either these women didn't listen to the talk or just didn't care.  And yes, I swam the entire time...did not get up & walk through the shallow part.  That is me swimming in the green cap.  Swam until I was pulling up sand :)  Notice all the walkers.  Boo for having the timing mat 2/3 the way up the sand hill though...everyone's swim times are longer because of it.

Fumbled w/ the wetsuit a bit (putting Body Glide on the outside of the legs didn't help them from sticking like it did last year) & soon I was off & out of T1.  Some day I'd like to learn to bike/run without socks...that's always a bit challenging w/ wet feet, even with powder in the socks.  The bike is pretty flat.  A few small inclines but nothing to complain about.  Again - I was passing on the left, the right & in the middle.  I guess they just didn't care, but how frustrating & I was boxed in a few times.  Still found myself braking more than usual on the turns, afraid of the bike slipping on something & me ending up with another fractured elbow.  But overall, was happy with my bike (avg 21mph) & passed a ton of people. 

Into T2...quite the little run to get back to my transition spot.  I even passed a few women w/ my bike in T2...LOL  We all laughed as I said "on your left".  Ha!  I had put the easy laces in my shoes yesterday so that helped with T2.  Now this is where my training w/ Jen has helped tremendously.  I don't have a GPS watch so never know my pace, and have always been horrible at pacing.  Go out hard & with each mile slow down a significant amount.  I've been working on running steady...and did a pretty good job of it.  I hit mile 1 at 8:05 & ended up averaging 8:13/min miles.  Success!  In the past there would easily be 45+ seconds difference between each mile.  Plus, it's the fastest I've ever run in a tri.

Not much to work on w/ nutrition in a sprint, but I do think I drank too much before race start...midway through the swim I had to pee (TMIaerobottle too.  And my 2 "no no's" went off without a hitch...wore a tri top I've never worn before & had to buy new goggles yesterday.  Tested them for about 5 min pre-race & went for it.  Success with both!  You worried for nothing Kim...

So...hit all my goals, as wishy washy as they were.  Hit Jen's goal for me too!  Pretty happy with the way the day went.  Overall time 1:25:40.  Just for shits & giggles, I looked up the ages of the women who beat me overall.  I was beat by 3 women in their 50's!!  One of them by 11 minutes...damn!  Did not have my ice cream, but did pick up more Frosty Paws for Erin.  "Suffer like a dog" said Coach Jen...LOL...my Erin does anything but suffer!

To be continued...

I wanted to blog this week but honestly, I just didn't have the time.  Every night I had something going on & tonight I got home from LITH OW swim late & still trying to get things done. So...since I am racing Sunday, yes RACING, I will continue this blog after my race.  While many people have already raced this year, many more than once, this is actually my 1st race of the season...shit happens & I just can't do the amount of races I'd like to this year.

So, this blog is To Be Continued...after SheRox on Sunday...

PS - Tonight was my 1st 1.5 mile swim at LITH.  Prior to tonight, the most I've swam there was a mile.  3 laps.  Yep.  All I kept thinking at the end was "2 more & I've got the Madison IM swim down"...LOL