IM Lake Stevens 70.3 Report

IM Lake Stevens 70.3 costs only $199 if you register the first week. YES let’s go!  9 months have passed and here we are.  We had amazing accommodations at the Mansion Inn staying in their Presidential suite.  It faces the North Park cove where we would swim on race day. The drive to Lake Stevens from Seattle airport just sucked.  With an alternative route away from the 5, it still took 1:45 to drive 55 miles.  We checked in, went to the 1^st athlete briefing and then drove the run course.  Driving never feels like running  We decided the run wasn’t so bad after all.  (UMMM yes it is after 56 miles of cycling hills BTW).

The next day we ran 20 mins  before breakfast.  The road was damp and cool.  It was simply beautiful. We ate breakfast and then drove the bike course.  We took lots of pictures to remember just how lusciously green everything was and really paid attention to the technical turns on the course as there are many.  It seemed after every grueling up, there was an amazing down, which you had to feather brake due to the right hand immediate turn at the bottom so you could climb again.  Woods Creek was the first warning at mi 38 (plenty of baby pitching hills before that though).  The road was under construction so we could not preview it by car but we knew to be careful here as many cyclists have crashed here in the past.  We were lost a couple times while driving as the directions were horrible and streets were double named but we knew the second half would be difficult.  I had been told this race was a step up from Oceanside’s course but I didn’t feel it at the time.   

As we prepared to take a 30 minute bike ride, I checked my tires to see a nail in the rear… alas another rear tire issue but it was not flat.  We pulled the nail out, pumped it up, realizing I had orange gel sealant in the tube. We biked the end/beginning for about  30 minutes to get the legs loose and all was good.  Tire was solid.  We had to drop off our bikes overnight so I would know in the morning if it wouldn’t hold but it did.  We swam in Lake Stevens for 20 minutes to check out the entry/exit.  We noticed after buoy 7 on the return to ignore 8 and 9 because they were not in alignment with the swim exit arch.  It was a great observation before race day.  We drank our Osmo at night after dinner and took our nightaid pills and lights out by 8:30pm.  4:30am wakeup since we were the last waves at 7:20. I drank a lot of water probably because I was scarred by the heat at Vineman a few weeks earlier…although cool here, expected 80’s by the run.

Race morning, we had standard oatmeal, added a hard boiled egg and osmo and walked about a mile to the start line from our Mansion while eating ½ plain bagel.  Others had to go to Lake Stevens HS and be shuttled into the race due to lack of parking.  I drank another 16 oz of water waiting for my wave to start. I applied my capsaicin ointment to neck and shoulders preswim so I didn’t have to do it in T1.  Real estate on the bike racks was tight.  We were required NOT to bring tri bags as everything had to be UNDER the bike.  I felt calm waiting for my wave although I was anxious being in the last wave.  If I did have a bike issue, I could be fighting a cut off time.    
 

The swim was nice because it was an in water start.  We hopped off the dock and swam about 20 feet to line up.  The buoys are connected under water with a white rope.  I followed this line until I ran into a buoy and then swam on the inside.  I knew there were 9 buoys and as I looked up to see the # , A girl was heading straight TOWARDS me.  A kayaker was banging his paddle but she didn’t hear.  I paused upright and moved inside enough to hook her swinging arm to stop her motion and say: HEY YOU ARE SWIMMING THE WRONG DIRECTION!!!  I thought HOW is that even possible.. she must have turn completely around the corner! Hahaha crazy.  I made my red buoy corner turns and about midway felt disoriented, too quiet… and I couldn’t see the white rope..I was swimming in the middle , not straight at all.  I had just added distance to my swim AGAIN… my #1 problem always.  I cursed loudly and corrected.  I felt drag and dizziness as I continued to the arch.  I suddenly started to pee.  Never did that before in just a mile swim. As I stood at swim exit, I fell over.  I had no legs. I had to pause to be still and then got up again.  That has never happened either.  I saw my embarrassingly slow swim time and was bewildered to say the least.  Why am I taking swimming lessons??  I’m not teachable. This is my forever speed so accept it so you can stop being disappointed!   I ran to T1…peed again.. what the hell is going on with me?  Took Tylenol , dressed and took off down the ¼ mile trot to bike out.

I remembered to wait 30 minutes before eating on the bike and then took in a GU.  I was so thirsty that I somehow drank all my 3 hours of 510 calories in 2 hours (28 oz).  I grabbed 20 oz water bottles twice on the course and 2 halves of bananas.  I drank a lot of water.  The first memorable hill is at 20.  Then they just keep coming.  They were never long but constant pitching up and down forever.  Maybe I was sea sick on the ride but I was thirsty and drinking and peeing on the bike. Mile 38 is when the real technical starts, where you are pitched down hill sharply to a 90 degree right turn to go straight up.  There must have been 15 walkers but I was screaming at myself to suck it up and I painfully made it to the top on the bike and my breathing was labored and my left quad almost cramped…so glad I used my inhaler at mile 20 in anticipation of this hill…OMG mi 43 is the same straight up  F***g hill!!!  Up again to talk to GOD…whew made it again.  The hills were endless, as were the swichbacks and the 90 degree turns always at the bottom ruining your momentum for the next up.  I knew another painful hill was at mi 50 after another turn…I thought I saw little green stars at that point…I knew early on that I would not make my bike goal because I couldn’t get going fast enough before the hills started and the rest of the ride was trying to make up speed on any downhill I could while braking around the corner.  I was frustrated and I was thirsty but I wasn’t hot so that was a plus over my last race.  My ride couldn’t get over fast enough.  I have saddle sores from Aquabike that feel like tacks in my groin on both sides so I was in constant pain trying to adjust on the seat. Nothing was comfortable except nearly falling forward on the nose of the seat.  I thought I had a solid bike because I passed so many riders on the course, male and female. Alas I was near the end of my age group though. My watts were just ok, but my MPH dropped from high 16’s to 15.5 by the end.  That was incredibly disappointing to see. I was 17.1 at Oceanside after an asthma attack!  I was 15-30 mins slower than I had set my goal. Seems to be a broken record right now. 

 I walked to T2 which was really close and prepared to run.  I tore my run bib hole so fumbled with that mess for a bit trying to connect to something so it didn’t flop around.  I peed jogging to run out ...Jesus how much fluid is in my bladder anyway? It had been an endless  river today.  Started slow on the run because that’s what I am supposed to do right?…well it just got slower damn it… 1 long hill and 2 short hills for the loop and then 1 long hill on the other side out and back.  I felt heavy and then the darkness came and the inner demons arrived. It wasn’t nice in my brain for a very long time.  I tried to jog up the hill and eventually bargained that if I jogged in the sun, I could walk in the shade.  I walked the aid stations grabbing ice and water.  I just knew I was not worthy of a finisher’s medal and started begging for a SAG car to agree with me.  My whole body hurt. My hamstrings and calves were so tight, up my spine, into the back of my head.  I had a terrible headache and felt I had no reason to feel this crappy.  AHHH salt , I have peed at least 5x now on the run alone!  I need my pills…nope left them in T2.  F**K I want to die.  I saw Marcus on the end of the first loop and was so happy to see his smiling face until he realized I wasn’t smiling.  He thought I was on my 2^nd loop,…yea that’s how bad I looked already.   I seriously did not think I had the strength to survive another loop.  I wanted to quit as I came to the 2^nd loop start.  I had made the 2 o’clock cut off. I wanted to end my day. Then Julie said repeat her final words to my brain:

Then I heard my daughter say.  “MOM we are not QUITTERS”…. My eyes watered and I leaned forward a little more… little baby steps..  I will keep moving forward because I must respect my SWIMBIKEMOM mantra.  Deep Breath...I will power walk this mother or I will black out… or the SAG will get me…please Mr. SAG hurry up!  I just kept  trotting…and peeing…slosh slosh… double layered socks hold a lot of pee by the way! poor HOKAs.  KARMA!!! UREKA someone dropped a salt pill!!  I have no water... I DON’T CARE IF ITS FILTHY!... I had a GU in my belt so I squeezed it all in my mouth with the dirty salt pill .  I kept moving forward and speed walked up and jogged down until finally on the last out and back, I saw Marcus again.  He assured me I would finish.  I felt the SAG car was on my heels.  I felt like a total fat loser.   But George was not convinced:

 I kept going and saw  the last Mother F**G hill.  Up and down to the turn around.  I grabbed pretzels….I hate pretzels at a race.  Grabbed the largest water cup and ate them like soggy bird food as I power walked up again.  The girl behind me said I was speed walking faster than she was running!  That made me smile. I tried hard to make this hell end.   Finally at the top I started to jog again begging to walk in the shady spots… then I saw mile 12.  I dropped another tear and started trotting a little faster.  Slosh slosh went the socks. (FYI when you pee this much…there is no smell.. it’s just water in and water out)  I could finally hear the crowds.  More tears and people called out my name and I was in so much pain but they all pulled me around the corner and then up .. REALLLLY? YES.. a little incline to the finisher’s arch.  My beloved Marcus was there smiling for me to drape over him  with a 7:20 finish.  That damn SAG car was 1:10 away!  I swore I could hear it behind me all the time!  I couldn’t move once I crossed the finish line.  My whole body was stinging.  I just wanted salt.  I ate a bag of chips and just sat on the table for a long time to take the pressure off my legs.  All food looked like crap. I couldn’t drink anything.

Finally Marcus encouraged me to walk to transition and I lay on the pavement trying to relax my entire back side.  I found my salt/Tylenol baggy and took a handful.  I totally underestimated this course.  It was harder than Oceanside.  BUT, these races don’t get easier, you just learn to push harder… a quote from one of the 75 inspirational signs on the course by coachlesley.com  I loved those signs and was so thankful to see them on the course.  They kept interrupting my dark thoughts along the way.  The police only made her take down the ones on the light poles (75 signs every couple miles) but the others remained in the ground.  She may have been my life saver… and that dirty salt pill too!  A shout out to the previous owner!! 

We dropped off our bikes for transport and walked a very long mile back to the mansion.  No more speed walking for me. I was sporting some pretty chubby cankles upon arrival. I used our Jacuzzi tub for an ice cold bath to slow the swelling in my body and a quick rinse of wetsuits and peed on items.  Then a warm shower and I died in bed.  Marcus brought me some chicken and an ice cream drumstick and then I was still for the next 12 hours. 

 I don’t really know what happened to me on the race.  The biggest shocker was how often I peed.  I usually go once after the bike on a 70 race.  I lost count at this race.  My GI was not distressed.  Maybe I was over-hydrated and had no electrolytes in my body to help me through the race.  My food intake was normal.  I never felt over heated to consider a loss of salt either.  I know I have not ridden that many hills back to back with a 13 mile run afterwards.  I know I need to drop weight and I will give that issue more emphasis over the next 90 days because IMAZ is coming like a freight train and I want to  carry as little baggage as possible to survive that one. Or Maybe the last month was too much for these tired old legs and they just didn’t recover as fast as expected?  or was it that I wasn't prepared for the ADDITIONAL 1500 feet of climbing that was not shown on the bike elevation profile on the race website?

 

 

 In the last month I have completed:  

7/26 Aquabike 112miles;

8/2 100 mile ride;

8/10 Chula Vista Challenge hilly 25+6;

 8/17 Lake Stevens hilly 56+13

 

Well, whatever,  it’s not over until Nov 16!!!  I will keep giving all my heart and so I will know I have given it all I have to finish my journey to be called an Ironman.  Next up…surviving 105 miles of cycling with 10,000 ft of climbing including Mt Palomar on Sept 7.  Woohoo!  I am praying for an amazing tail wind!  I . AM . A .FINISHER.

 

July's Aquabike Full Race - 2.4/112 and DONE!

It's Aquabike Full Race Day.  The first thing I notice is the comfortable weather...not a good sign for midday temps! Ate oatmeal and banana and mini bagel with almond butter with my 20oz of Osmo mixed with coconut water.  I nursed the 1 liter of coconut water from 3:30-6:30am for extra electrolytes.  I'm so glad I did this in anticipation of extreme heat.

Got a great rack spot right next to the bike carpet exit.  I planned for the dirt transition and had an old towel for my floor space.  I had my clear bag hung over the end post so I could throw things in it as they were used for a faster transition.  A referee was walking around suggesting penalties would be given if your gear was not by your down wheel.  Ugh..turned the bike around instead of all my stuff!

Jumped in the river to get accustomed to the temps which was refreshing and not hot like I expected. I hated the rocky floor. I wore sandals for the rocky entrance and threw them to Marcus upon entry.

I noticed the buoys were numbered but the first buoy only said TURNAROUND.  hmm ok, guess this is for lap 1 !  I decided since it wasn't a real MASS start, that I would hug the buoy and start in front.  No one heard the horn or gun or any noise except the crowd was screaming to go SO WE DID!!

I felt good with my rhythm until my hand touched rocks.  I looked up and then saw others standing so I did too.  I hated those little rocks on my feet, so I belly flopped and kept swimming and stayed center as much as I could.  Soon I was counting those buoys 1 - 12 and then was in 6 inches of water at the turnaround.   Ugh. stood up and the guy behind me ran into me.  whoops.  Belly flopped to the center again following the buoys.  Only one buoy seemed off course and remembered not to go there next time.  I rounded the turnaround buoy and started swimming again, and decided I was not standing up this lap.  Once I got to #12, I over-rotated so I had room to pull and it worked great as I passed people walking the turnaround. When I got to buoy 2, I started looking at where people were getting out and it seemed to be about anywhere. So, I started angling toward the shore since it didn't say we had a right turn anywhere.  I felt great and ran through the exit, passing a walker, as I noticed I had beat my goal by 2 minutes, and saw Marcus proudly taking pictures of me with my inked- polka dot cap so he was sure to pick me out of the group!

It was a great to have wetsuit strippers so it didn't get so filthy upon removal.  I decided not to use the changing tent.  I wore 400-miler Desoto shorts during the swim to keep on for the bike. They have  a non-floatable seat pad not as big as a cycling pad but not a chamois either.  I did strip my tri top off and zipped up a cycling jersey because I didn't want my skin exposed for 7+ hours in over 90 degree heat.  I rolled my arm coolers into donut bracelets slip them on but I could roll them up my arms when I had a chance later.  Again, I felt sun protection would be critical for these temps.  I had soaked my cooling towel before the swim and draped over my neck and tucked it into my jersey so it laid on my chest to control my core temperature. I grabbed a roctane and swig of water and took off.  My T1 was 7 mins instead of 5 mins but I needed it to ensure some comfort in the heat for so long.  I had previewed the first hill out of T1 and decided I would run up the hill rather than risking swimmer legs and falling over or mashing up the hill stressing my thighs.  I knew I needed to be calm the next 5 miles and be ready for the hairpin turn and two quick up hills that followed.  I rolled up my arm coolers during this ride time.  Closed my gloves and settled in for a long day of watching vineyards pass by.

I was nervous about Chalk hill.  It came about mile 45.  The volunteers were awesome by cheering us on.  I slowly cranked up to the top.  I felt a little dizzy and wondered how I would manage at 100 miles.  I gave myself permission to play it safe and walk it if I needed it next time. It was definitely going to be weather dependent.   I felt strong after the first loop of 57 miles. I didn't see anyone I knew at the turn which made me sad.  I started getting warm and noticed I was drinking faster than I planned.  I was out of fluids mile 55. However special needs station was at mi 57.  It was the first and only planned stop for the day.  I added muscle rub to my shoulder, and decided to take all the salt pills I had because the temps were rising fast.  My only disappointment was that I had only put powdered calories in my nutrition bottle at special needs.  My thought was that there would be ice and cold water there to mix it well and it was all warm!  That was a waste of time and it tasted like hot soup.  I was behind on my solid nutrition so shoved all the leftover larabar pieces in my cheeks.  Not good... I couldn't eat for another 1 1/2 hours after that.  My body would not digest it.  I kept drinking every 15 minutes.

By mile 65, I had really started to sweat and had a hard time seeing out of my glasses. My mile 80 it felt like flames were shooting out of my legs and feet.  I started seeing cyclists on the side of the road in the shade either draped over their bike or laying flat on the ground.  I told myself I could only stop at the aid stations for fear I would not get back on the bike.  I had to stop at each station to pour ice water over my legs and chest.  Each station I drenched my cooling towel which would always be dried out within 18 miles. It really helped control my temperature though.  Others wearing tri tops looked like cooked pork chops on their backs as they passed me.  I saw SAG cars with 6 bikes on the back taking cyclists off the course.  It became a war zone of cyclists everywhere, passing out from heat exhaustion.  I kept rolling. At the last station,  I grabbed IM Performance to finish the ride. I had finished my electrolytes early again.  It was really hard to drink not diluted but I knew I needed it more that just water.  I was pedaling slow but SwiBikeMom said to me for hours... JUST KEEP MOVING FORWARD.... so I did.

Then mile 90 arrived with the 2 hills before chalk hill and they were agonizing.  I was panting like a dog.  I faced Chalk Hill and tried my best to keep pulling up on the pedals and about half way up, I was concerned... a girl laid in the ditch and a volunteer sat next to her... then I heard an ambulance and fire engine behind me so I kept pedaling further... until I had to make a choice...risk a blackout and fall over or clip out and run up the remainder of the hill.

I chose the latter.  A guy pedaled next to me at close to the same pace that I was jogging up the hill.  We got to the top about the same time and I grabbed my inhaler and took 2 puffs to calm down.  He said to me...no worries... you were great... this is just a hobby anyway!  Yep, and then I knew I could give more to the last 10 miles, just like Sharon Chaix did when she did this course last year.  I knew I could finish for sure but I was far past my goal of 7 hours and I started to cry.  So I shoved away my pity party and moved on to meet my second goal and that was to finish.  I pedaled as fast as I could so the breeze could cool me on the down hills.  I felt so alone.  I was sure to be nearly the last one to finish.  I felt like a loser for walking and taking so long. I knew Marcus and Julie would be worried.  I would be one hour late. 


I started recognizing street names finally.  I could hear the cheers as I rolled into the runway next to the runners for the triathlon.  The thought of running started to make me hyperventilate.  I remembered a one hour run was next.  Then I saw Marcus dart across the lane to take pictures.  I was so happy to see him.  The Aquabike finishline was deflating.  We didn't get to go under the big inflated arch with the triathletes.  There were just a couple volunteers draping us with a little medal and a hug.  I started to cry like a loser.  I didn't see food, or people. I was alone.

I walked to my run gear, racked my bike and collapsed in the shade like I had wanted to do for the last 4 hours. Soon Marcus found me.  He said the tracking data was not updating and he kept watching riders arrive in a van and was so worried that I never showed up.  He kept looking for me to arrive with heat exhaustion but instead , I was a finisher and he was proud of me for enduring a race with over 100 degree heat.  He heard it was 108 degrees on Chalk Hill.  Many of our friends didn't finish today, including an elite athlete.  By 4pm the announcer said there were over 700 full athletes on the course and only 15 had finished by that time which was an all time 25 year low.

After talking to my coach, she let me off the hook for the 1 hour run.  No one was running anyway.  So many walked the 1/2 or full marathon until the sun set.  Some were pulled off the run course as well. It was Africa Hot.

My neck was quite stiff from the stress and cycling position but the physical therapy and chiropractic care a week in advance had definitely helped and the pain was tolerable more than usual. I had blisters on the base of my palms through my gloves.  My feet were pulsating.  I was happy I was off the bike though.

Once we went back to our place, I looked up the results for my age group.  I was sad to see an 8:03 bike time.  It should have been 7:03.  Then I saw 8 of 18 in my age group didn't start or finish the race and I earned the 4th best cycling  time in my age group  and 6th overall.  Wow, I wasn't a loser.  I was a survivor and a finisher.  The choices I made for OSMO pre hydration, pre-race coconut water, cooling towel, bike jersey, arm coolers, extra salt pills and even walking the top of Chalk Hill were all the reasons why I was a finisher.  It was the hardest ride of my life.  Now I am proud of my result.

 

Website Countdown Clock

July's Pre-Race experience for Aquabike Full Part 1

July flew by twice the speed of June.  I focused on hills and swim technique.  I went back to Physical Therapy but with Active Release Technique this time.  Gino gave me a sample at the Aquathlon and almost completely removed a lump in my trapezius/scapula area.  For three years I have been fighting neck/shoulder pain from the bike.  I hate fitting PT into my workout schedule but nothing else helps.  I have ridden a few times over 100 miles.  My longest of 116 miles ended with a route up Torrey Pines hill at mile 108 and I nearly blacked out from the pain.  It has been on my mind all month while anticipating the Full Aquabike 112 mile route.  Chalk hill at mile 40.. no concern.  However, at mile 100 in 90 + degree heat..I am a BRAINWRECK!!  Mental Havoc!  I will take lots of meds, and use muscle rub every few hours to dull the pain.  If I could give birth 100x, I would choose that pain over this!  Think of an ice pick in your shoulder and such neck pain that you can't look down to your bento box for food!...now add heat and climb a couple miles and try not to black out!  My cycling route is below.  I will persevere each milestone!

I have been working on swim cadence tempo.  Be steady, pull strong.  I hope my tempo trainer has helped.  I have used it in the pool at 80 beats/min but couldn't hold it in the ocean with chop.  Moved it to 85 beats and a longer stroke.  I just want to be faster, yet efficient and feel like I could have kept going after I exit the 2.4 mile swim. 

I have added chiropractic care.  Had some xrays showing my spine is curved to the left.  My shoulder muscles pull to the left which causes the pain in my right shoulder.  My blood supply gets pinched at the back of the neck reducing blood supply while in aero.  Oh great.. chalk hill blackout nightmares again.  I have stretches and chin tucks to incorporate over 112 miles.  Be Brave.  Persevere...the last 10 miles will feeling like FREE AT LAST!!!

My run has been steady.  I have been running off the bike but that's really for IM Lake Stevens in August.  I plan to run one loop of the run course to see how I feel after 112 miles and use that knowledge for IMAZ training.  I know I am stronger.  I know anything is possible.  I need to be ready to take the good....with the ..bad. LAWDY!!!

 
 
 
*****************


REALLY??? THAT'S IT?? I. Am. ready. ??? .... Last swim. Crap. Here we go... YIKES!!!! We were lucky enough to get into a quaint bed/breakfast home only 2 miles from Johnson's Beach start line.  We flew into Sonoma County Airport and rented a car to drive only 2 miles from Windsor HS where the Expo and Bike ends or run starts for the triathletes. I have to say I thought the video requirement prior to getting your packet was a complete waste of time because I READ the athlete's guide.  Doesn't everyone do that?  I even watch an entire video of the bike course! No one was there to answer questions either.  How many buoys are there?  how will you know how to exit the swim since it's 2 loops nonstop?  I dumped my "running gear" by a shady spot for the run after my bike ride so I could quickly transition to an hour run afterwards and then browsed the shop.  I was sorely dismayed by the one Aquabike tshirt because it was in men's sizing and the small was huge.  I did buy the beautiful white/purple grape cycling jersey however and purple Vineman cap. This hopefully ensures I will endure this sufferfest to the finishline.  The Jersey must be earned. We then headed to the truckstop for Velotranz Tranzport which managed my tri bag and bike with expertise.  Only the front wheel is removed and it hangs on the inside of the protected truck.

 I quickly switched into riding gear for a 30 minute ride.  I decided to ride one loop of the full IM run course and then drive the first 6 miles of the cycling course.  I just wanted to see the most technical section of the course  at mile 5 with a sharp turn and escalation plus the next hill so there was nothing more to worry about.. except chalk hill at mile 100. I had decided to inject Orange gel sealant in my tires because Nytro said I was GUARANTEED no flat on race day with this lightweight goo.  Julie approved it instead of Pitstop although hesitant.  Within 9 miles, I had a flat. It had been 40 minutes while I was contemplating either adding CO2, changing the tube, or walking to the truck...and I looked up to see Marcus in the car... DAMN he is amazing!  He said, "you are 10 minutes late!! what happened!"  wow....I guess he knows I am pretty punctual!  He put the bike in the car and Karl patched the flat so I didn't use any of my repair kit.  The following morning the tire was still solid so the patch held as good as new.  He also cleaned my chain and tightened my top post as it was quite loose and could have been a real problem with my handlebars and front fork slipping during the race.  Karl saved me multiple times so I could not recommend his service without the HIGHEST REGARD!!

After the tire delay, I decided to skip the 20 minute run because it was getting late and steaming hot. I was secretly praying this would not be the same temperature on race day. We stopped at Safeway for some snacks and I recalled an athlete who had multiple injuries until regularly drinking coconut water so I grabbed a liter for race day instead of water with breakfast.  I made sure I had my cooling towel in my bike bag and "just in case" extra salt pills which I have never used in the past. I think these decisions may have saved my life !  I say:  Prepare for the WORST!!!

Our Bed/Breakfast Innkeeper at Santa Nella is a magnificent published chef. He provided a cold breakfast for the racers but otherwise an amazing breakfast was served at 9am.  Marcus was thrilled to return for this.  I had the pleasure of this amazing food post race day. 

I hadn't realized how similar Guerneville is to Hillcrest.  We have a wonderful meal at Betty Spaghetti.  It's quaint and entertaining and very social!  Multiple waiters wished me luck. Then off to bed with my nightaid pills by 8pm.  I don't know how people lay awake for hours before a race but I need to sleep so these OTC pills ensure a wonderful pre-race rest!  My bottles are made, breakfast and morning gear are laid out.  OSMO night drink is gone... ready for a great race day!!!!

Santa Nella Bed/Breakfast Inn

Dear Lord, please don't let Mother Nature melt me into the pavement tomorrow. AMEN. Good Night.

 
 

 

 

 

June is for storing Hay

I debated about blogging in June.  No race reports.  Nothing exciting.  It was just about filling the barn with hay...as Meredith reminds us in her ironman journey.  It doesn't matter how fast you fill your barn compared to others.  It's about doing it, day in and day out, at your pace, without injury, all the way to race day.  So I decided to reflect on my stats because sometimes the mundane routine requires reflection so we just keep moving forward with the reminder of how far we have come.

It's kind of jaw dropping when I looked at my June mileage.  I have no sports background. But whatever I bite into,  I never let go for sure.  The finishline is UBER important to me. Childrearing was a serious endeavor for 18 years.  I gave it my all and worked full time.  I was super involved in everything and then it stopped because my job was done and suddenly, I had a lot of time on my hands.   I picked up tennis.  I took a couple classes at a Jr. college and I was horrible and so was the teacher according to Marcus who played in HS.  He took me to a nearby tennis club and I became obsessed and gave it my all for 4 years.  I took lessons, competed in singles and mixed/women's doubles and grew fast but I plateaued and didn't feel the reward any longer.  I felt every loss like a stab in the eye.  I had to move on.  I found it was healthier to compete against myself in triathlons.  Physically, it was better to have variety.  My feet are always a problem.

Now when I think I have plateaued, I can reflect on my Training Peaks and Garmin stats.  I am meticulous about logging details so I can compare notes. It's so nice to visually see the improvements when I feel like I suck at everything.

During June I averaged 15 hours a week of Swim/Bike/Run time.  I swam a average of 5.6 miles per week (combined with pool drills and open water), biked 130 miles per week (combining flat and hills), and ran about 16 miles a week.   I started getting a little ankle pain midmonth so Julie turned up the bike and turned down the run.  In five days, all was good and I am now back to painless running.

	avg wk miles	Ttl Miles	Ttl Hours	time allot
swim	5.6	22.44 mi	13.5	23%
bike	130	523 mi	34	60%
run	16	55 mi	10.5	18%

Of the 3 disciplines, I think Swimming makes me the most crazy.  It reminds me of tennis.  The tiniest improvements are made  in the slowest rate of time. What's worse is that gain in technique can be lost overnight without realizing it!  My swimming pace has slowed.  I put in the miles, the time, the drills but something happened.  It all seemed good but not when Mason videoed me at the Swimlab.  His best analogy was that swimming is like Whack-a-Mole.  Check off one problem and another one pops up.  Solve that one and the old problem comes back with a friend...UGH!!!  He showed in video that I had basically forgotten my entire one-time lesson and then added a breathing problem I didn't previously have. Good news... I'm improving again.  Bad news...this is going to cost a small fortune but I am committed long term.  I have to visually see my issues otherwise I'm drilling incorrectly and that's a waste of time.  I also learned that my technique isn't really all that bad but because I'm so fearful of not finishing, I don't give my all.  I just won't increase cadence unless threatened by Julie as she hovers over me.  So I bought a wetronome called the Finis tempo trainer pro, so I can hear a beep when to enter my hand in the water rather than singing the merry-go-round song which is apparently too slow for me!  It allows speed changes up to 1/4 of a second!

http://www.swimsmooth.com/finis-tempo-trainer-pro.html

I'm hoping this will  be my swim buddy coach cracking the whip audibly so I can improve cadence.  I haven't received it in the mail yet but it sounds promising for July's improvement.  The Aquabike full is July 26 and I would really like to have a good swim. In three years, I have never been proud of my race swim time. If all is not perfect, all my swimming wheels fall off and I feel like a duck out of water.  It will be crowded and warm so that will be a distraction but hopefully I can find my rhythm with a quicker cadence once I get some space.

The highlight of my month was watching online Alexis Barnes finish her first Ironman at CdA. I was so happy for her.  She was so calm at the club meeting that it calmed me for my Full Aquabike!  I cried reading her blog as I could visualize the finish chute and the exhilaration of accomplishment.  I hope we see each other on the IMAZ course so I can feed off her mojo so I make it to the finish line too!  The best part about IMAZ (besides Mike Reilly calling me an Ironman) is there are so many TCSDers there to cheer you on.  It's gotta be easier to accomplish this goal in a mass of supporters!

May peaks and valleys - both are good lessons

May had its peaks and valleys for me.  Each one was a milestone in my Ironman journey so that makes them all good.  I loved this article about SO YOU WANNA BE A TRIATHLON by Trifuel.

http://www.trifuel.com/training/general/so-you-wanna-be-a-triathlete

In summary, it explains the common journey of triathletes and how it fits those that can't just settle into retirement and the empty nest or the average lifestyle.  We just need more to be happy.

 "This sport called Triathlon, becomes a part of you. You start to plan your entire year around sprint, international, half-iron or full-iron distance races. Your vacations become racing, and you start to realize that this sport called triathlon could become a life-long adventure. Many people settle for things in life. They settle for a crappy job, marriage, friends, food, place to live and overall fitness and health. Those who desire more or those who want more out of life than a drive-thru window and boring sitcom, will choose triathlon or an activity that makes them happy; An activity that will change their life. Triathlon will change your outlook on life, your career, your marriage, your goals, your friends and many other things you thought you had figured out. It’s not just crossing a finish line or a boring finisher medal. It’s the countless hours that got you to that point. "

The finish line is the day of celebration and along the journey, you unknowingly join the BST cult (blood, sweat, tears) and this sums up my month of May in a bucket.  My 30 week IMAZ countdown has begun.  Mixed in the middle are some major milestones like two 70.3s, one marathon, and one Full Aquabike (2.4+112).

Week #2/30 to IMAZ: The last week of April ending in early May, immediately started with peak and valley moments.  I had been working on Torrey Pine hill repeats.  My goal was 5 repeat hills with negative splits.  May 1 - May Day - was my goal date.  Four repeats the week before had been a success but it was tight to make the negative split on the last hill.  I decided to be conservative.  This time I rode slower at the beginning than in the past.  I wanted to spread out my energy evenly so I could beat my best uphill time on #5.  As it turns out, I achieved my 5 repeats but my last hill was exactly the same pace as last week's #4.  I earned no timed PR and I was very sad, very defeated. A heavy sigh was my reward for my first time attempting 5 hill repeats... I rode back to the car slowly, sadly.  Why am I so weak?...I suddenly remembered a runner from West Coast Road Runners telling me when you run the marathon and feel like quitting, just look back to remember how far you have come.  WOW,I had  forgotten about that first bike ride when I didn't know how to change gears, and my very first Torrey Pine hill climb that I thought I would never finish.  I JUST did it 5TIMES!! yea for me and in negative splits. That shows strength and perseverance and I need to be proud of that, relish the journey. My memory isn’t my friend when my training isn’t a perfect improvement graph line.  SBM reminds me constantly to just keep moving forward but that doesn’t mean it will be a straight line.

The week ended with the Safari Half marathon.  It was just a training run for my taper into the Marathon. I had just run back to back 18 milers with no problem.  My 5min/30sec intervals worked well and kept my pace above previous averages for me.  Accomplishing this in under 3 hours twice was awesome.  I was ready to PR this half.  It was early enough to be cool so a negative split seemed doable.  I looked at the course...saw a hill around mi 7 but it was short so I could make up time running down. HOLY MOTHER OF THE LORD....there were 3 hills- sharp up, then sharper down.  It was like climbing a ladder and then falling off.  I shredded my quads trying to makeup time. I finished 8 seconds off pace overall and I was sad and in “I want to die” pain.  I was ready for a controlled sub-10min pace half marathon.  I got neither.  Then I saw others that had not met their goals and talked about the difficulty of the course.  I controlled my race for 7 miles. I did my best to hold average pace.  I finished 21/77 in my age group.  I need to be proud of that.  I have had two foot surgeries.  Look how far I have come.

Week #3/30 included less hills more constant pacing.  I rode Fiesta Island in a variety of weather while trying to hold my power steady.  My biggest problem at SOMA was consistency so this is my focus.  I was able to hold 145 3x the large loop at Fiesta Island and keep my VI at 1.02 (1.0 is perfect consistency) while keeping my HR low.  Even with frozen feet, I endured chills and wind and remained solid.  It was a near perfect statistical ride.



easier looking downhill on Tidepool Hill

It was time to test consistency on the coast for 60
miles. My gears continually kept slipping and finally my chain dropped, magnet broke, and power data stopped at mi 53. ARRGGHH.  I have been fighting gear slippage on my tribike from day 1. I’ve had everything checked almost every weekend by multiple shops and no one can fix it. I only know I was consistent at holding NPower at 135 for 53 miles. The tail wind to Camp P got me to 30 miles in 1:46.  But the headwind return to SB took 14 mins longer.  I am frustrated every weekend with my tribike and went straight to Moment Bike Shop again. Jim from Moment recognized the constant movement of the derailer MOUNT, and called Cannon who didn’t have a fix except to replace a part riveted into my bike frame.  Jim decided to take apart the mount and grind in grooves at every joint with a screw so there was a better grip and my next ride to Tidepool Hill proved he was a genius. I had no slippage during two fast power climbs.  I am so grateful for his creativity and persistence on my bike issues.  It takes a village to create an Ironman and the bike technician is part of the team!

Mr&Mrs Serrano

My Little King Ryan

My week #4/30 was a juggling act in squeezing in quality workouts, and an aquathlon and  around family arriving for my son’s 3-day wedding.  Then the annual fires began destroying the air quality.  Stress between workouts, family and everything else out of my control caused constant turmoil.  I had to remind myself to take deep breaths, stick with light meals and trust in my base.  I had to wrap my brain around “Missing one bike ride will not make you fail”.  This was an emotional valley week but I reflected on my accomplishments and smiled at my son’s accomplishments.  I am in awe of my son, his confidence, his positivity in life.  When I am down and making myself run, I reflect on a huge rolodex of memories of my children.  These two are truly my greatest gifts.  I will need their power to get me to my IMAZ finish for sure.



very seasick swimmer

Week #5/30.  The wedding was amazing and the two days off was probably good for me. It was a week before the marathon.  Easy runs and rides got me through my last week. I had a 2.5 mile or 1:30 OWS to end the week.  The weather was ok but the ocean was angry.  Wind and chop should have told me to cut it short.  My watch kept losing GPS as the waves crashed over me.  At 45 minutes I looked up,  alone in the center of the dark ocean, and I wanted a SAG to pick me up.  I am done. I am seasick and I am finished.  However, no one is nearby to encourage me to just keep moving forward.  I started to sniffle. I got sea sick. I waved my hand at the life guard shack a mere 1.2 miles away. Nothing.   SBM said to my mind.. Just Keep Moving Forward… Just Keep Swimming said Dory…Even Ferrell jumped in with HAPPY lyrics.., So I started to paddle along, popping my head up to gag now and then through the chop.  It was one of my worst swims to date.  It took 1:40 swim time to go 2 miles which is a PL personal low…but mentally I got through it.  I took a short cut to the cove even though it took longer to swim the 2^nd half but I did it.  I am grateful IMAZ is in a lake.  Now to survive Seabeast #1…please Mother Nature, give us calm seas June 8.

Saturday was travel to Ojai/Ventura beach to the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon which is the #2 BQ race in the nation.  For me it just meant a long training run on a great course with aid stations.  I needed to test my legs for 26 miles with nutrition.  I always have an issue in route.  I want to fix it and run well.  Everyone PRs on this course.  Slight downhill with a total negative elevation of 700ft meant gravity was on my side…so I thought anyway.  I watched my food intake and decided no sauce at all on the pasta this time for my last meal.  I drank Osmo at night and in the morning for cramp prevention.  I ate 460 calories in the morning.  I spread out my GU starting at mile 7, 12, 17, and 22 and sipped water and electrolytes regularly.  Not one GI issue appeared.  I felt great!.... Until mile 14 when the downhills started to awaken my quads.  I didn’t expect this until after 18.  There were some rollers, some false flats and the weather was perfectly cool. 

mile 22

However, the downhill running was still more than my quads were ready for.  I also felt some rubbing on my left foot.  It was annoying but tolerable.  Nothing was going to make me stop for fear of not starting again!  I loved the course, the bridge and lots of greenery.  My pace was alarmingly fast at the start but I kept my interval pace at 5 minutes/30 seconds hoping to keep pace constant and leave glycogen in the thighs for the end.  After crossing mile 18, I decided my run






had just started because I had not run over 18

My SuckItUpButtercup Blister

miles since my Sept 2013 marathon.  It was also my best 18 thus far at 2:56. My quads
continually tightened but still tolerable (or mind over matter).  I started begging for my walk alarm to go off.  I knew at mile 22 we would turn the corner and get a GU.  I was trying to pick up the pace at this point as we ran along the coast.  The wind was at my back so I decided to run 10 mins and walk 30 secs but it didn’t help my pace too much because my quads felt like stone and no matter how much I willed myself to run faster, the heels were not lifting.  I knew we had a uturn to run down the coast the opposite direction for the final chute.  I promised myself to push hard as if it was the IMAZ chute and finish with a smile.  My left foot was rubbing, my quads were now rocks and as I turned the corner I ran into a hot windy head wind!  YEA run faster into that blowdrier with a parachute on your back and BTW what the hell is in your shoe??  I did my very best to push on, no stopping allowed.  My quads were screaming but I gave myself two thumbs up for a 4:28 finish time.  A sub 4:30 was my highest expectation at this race.  I was so elated and I looked out to the ocean and said GO get in that cold water!!! Nope I want food and I will wait for Marcus first said the stupid inner voice… I sat in a chair while my quads played the drums and waited for Marcus.    Then I decided to remove the shoe...WHOA!!!! I have never seen a blister this size before!  The ocean dip was out for fear of it breaking and ocean bacteria creeping in.  I hobbled back to the car barefooted to keep the blister intact.

Due to a vacation and flight in the morning, I ended up cutting a slit in the blister to remove the fluid but kept the skin intact.  I applied Neosporin and bandage every day and it healed quickly but my quads were 100% gone.  I could not handle even one stair, not one curb without using my triceps. The pain was like being stabbed with an icepick into my quads every time I tried to use them...my coach had no worries about me trying to start running again before Thursday!

using triceps to pull myself up the stairs. Quads broken.

 

I waddled for 3 days around NYC, using my triceps and rails to take all the pressure off the quads.  Wow this pain was the worst ever and suddenly fear struck as to how my body will handle 140.6 if I can’t handle a mere marathon.  OMG this race just told me I would fail during the run at IMAZ if I couldn’t handle more pain than this.  Alas, this is why I have a coach.  She calmed me and reminded me my IMAZ run is flat and she has been in more pain from a single marathon than in a 140.6 triathlon so it will be ok.  The healing process was hell but of course I want to run that marathon again to see if I can improve!  I walked miles every day and painfully ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes on Th/Fr/Sa and each day became a little easier.  It has been a difficult recovery week for sure. But I'm ready to begin again.

My IMAZ Journey

June and July training will prime me for the Aquabike race on July 26 where I plan to achieve my 2/3 Ironman status.  Long swims and Long rides are my future for the next 8 weeks.


Happy Memorial Day from NYC!